Long Beach, WA: Now I Know Where Cape “Disappointment” Got Its Name

Lost Roo

1700 Pacific Avenue South

Long Beach, WA 98631

Phone number: (360) 642-4329

Website: lostroo.com

Prices: $$$$

Having spent a few days at Cape Disappointment State Park just 15 minutes up the road, this was one of the few modern, semi-upscale (not a dive) restaurants on the peninsula as far as I could tell. The Lost Roo has an Australian theme complete with a kangaroo in the entry and boomerangs for door handles. The décor is modern with concrete, wood and steel with high, open ceilings.

I ordered the Roos’ Smoked Prime Rib French Dip ($15) and my better half the Mushroom and Swiss Burger ($13) along with two 10 Barrel IPAs ($5 each). The IPAs were good, but they were served in a thin glass (10-12 ounces max), compared to other joints in town where you get a pint (16 ounces) for $5 or less.

The French dip was supposed to come on a “hoagie roll”, but it looked more like a slightly elongated hamburger bun. For $15, it was a bit of a “disappointment”. The flavor was OK and the fries were decent, but I expected something more substantial for that price.

My wife’s burger was simply pitiful for $13, coming with an obviously frozen, pre-formed 4-5 ounce meat patty, a slice of Swiss cheese, and a couple of sautéed mushrooms on a store-bought bun. She had the tots instead of fries and they were straight out of the bag and frozen as well. The burger looked like something you would get a Jack In The Box and the tots were lukewarm … RAALPH!

At these prices, the Lost Roo would do well if they used fresh, handmade 6-8 ounce beef patties, a decent hoagie roll for the dip, and potatoes made in house, not straight out of a bag. Taking everything out of the freezer and throwing it on the grill or in the fryer is what you would expect at Denny’s, not a place as nice as this … WHAT A WASTE!

CombatCritic Gives Lost Roo 4 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

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Title: Long Beach, WA: Now I Know Where Cape “Disappointment” Got Its Name

Key Words: Lost Roo, lost, roo, kangaroo, Long Beach, Washington, Cape Disappointment, cape, disappointment, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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Vancouver, WA: Two Minutes Late For A Three Minute Pizza And We Were Turned Away!

Pizzeria La Sorrentina
9811 NE15th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98665
Phone number (360) 980-1651
Website: lasorrentinavw.com
Prices: $$$$

We drove nearly 30 minutes from our home, arriving just two minutes after their 2PM "closing" time due to unexpected traffic. We were hoping to sample their offerings because, having lived in Naples, Italy for three years and being married to an Italian (my wife's family still lives in Naples and we visit quite often), I love authentic pizza Napoletana and was curious to see just how authentic theirs was.

When we arrived, the oven was still going strong and the two employees were still there prepping for dinner with the door and window open. We stood there for a minute while the woman looked at us without saying a word, so I finally asked her "Are you closed?" to which she responded only with a "Yes". I was a bit shocked because there was absolutely no reason to turn us away and they did not even bother to tell us why they would not serve us at 2:02 PM. 

If this was a sit down restaurant, I could understand why we would not be served and would not expect it. However, having eaten many pizzas in Naples and attended a "pizzaiolo" (pizza maker) course in their this past February, I know that a Neapolitan pizza takes less than 90 seconds to prepare and about 60-90 seconds to bake at 485 degrees Fahrenheit. I understand that they were "officially" closed and may have had things to do, but taking 3 minutes to make a pizza for a customer was, I believe, not too much to expect.

The restaurant business and customer service are all about making customers happy and turning us away so rudely was, in my opinion, uncalled for. Having spent a great deal of time in the business and owned a very successful mobile food operation myself, I would have never turned a customer away in similar circumstances, but that is just me. 

After leaving a tip on Yelp regarding my experience, someone (whom I am assuming was the owner or manager) sent me a compliment with a "You're Funny" tag stating: 

"I'm not going to serve pizza anyone even 1minutes late. Please come during business sir. Thank you"

Part of my responsibility to readers on Yelp, my blog, and other sites is to provide an accurate, honest "opinion" based on my experiences, so I did not appreciate being laughed at ("You're Funny") because I take my responsibilities and commitment to my readers very seriously. A more professional and customer-oriented response would have been much more appropriate in my opinion. For example: "I am very sorry that we had to turn you away, but our employees were busy prepping for dinner and could not take the time to serve you. Please accept our sincere apology and come back to visit us very soon!" would have been a much more appropriate response and they would have likely gained a return customer. Unfortunately, based on our negative experience and the business's insulting reaction to my tip, I will not be returning any time soon.

CombatCritic Gives Pizzeria La Sorrentina 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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Title: Vancouver, WA: Two Minutes Late For A Three Minute Pizza And We Were Turned Away!

Key Words: Pizzeria La Sorrentina, pizzeria, la, Sorrentina, pizza, Sorrento, Vancouver, Washington, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Facebook

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Portland, OR: Can You Say Biscuits And Gravy? Sure Ya Can!

Gateway Breakfast House

11411 NE Halsey Street

Portland, OR 97220

Phone number (503) 256-6280

Website: gatewaybreakfasthouse.com

Prices: $$$$

President Obama ate here in 2012 with a couple of veterans and there is a photo on the wall to prove it. A bit of a dive, the decor could definitely use an HGTV makeover, probably the first since 1985 from the looks of it. Do not expect anything fancy here and you will not be disappointed, just good, abundant, reasonably priced breakfast fare. The place was packed at 1:30PM on a Saturday, having to wait 15 minutes for a table.

My wife had the Pick Three ($7.95), selecting a pancake, French toast and hash browns (other choices: waffle, sausage links, eggs, biscuit and gravy, bacon, toast or English muffin). Plenty o' food for less than $8, she was satiated and content with her choices.

I ordered the Country Breakfast ($11.45), coming with two eggs over-medium, country fried steak (other options: bacon, sausage, ham, burger, pork chop or German sausage), hash browns (pancakes, French toast, waffle, or toast also available) and a biscuit and gravy. The country fried steak was smothered in country gravy and the hash browns plentiful. My only complaint being that the gravy could use a bit more seasoning, otherwise the breakfast was plentiful and tasty with the eggs cooked to perfection.

All-in-all, this was the best breakfast I have had in quite some time and, without a doubt, I will be Barack.

CombatCritic Gives Gateway Breakfast House 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

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Title: Portland, OR: Can You Say Biscuits And Gravy? Sure Ya Can!

Key Words: Gateway Breakfast House, gateway, breakfast, house, biscuits, gravy, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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CombatCritic Is The #1 Reviewer In "The Foodie Capital" Of The U.S. ... Portland, Oregon!

It's Official ... CombatCritic is the #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon according to Zomato ... HOOAH!

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Title: CombatCritic Is The #1 Reviewer In "The Foodie Capital" Of The U.S. ... Portland, Oregon!

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Portland, OR: Find "The Fatties" On Davis If In Need Of A Taco Fix In The Pearl

Los Gorditos

922 NW Davis Street

Portland, OR 97209

Pearl District

Phone number (503) 805-5323

Website: losgorditospdx.com

Prices: $$$$

On the plus side, the food was decent with reasonable portions and fair prices, particularly for downtown. On the flip side, the employees were too busy talking to assist us or communicate succinctly, the salsa bar's contents were mostly frozen, I am talking "ice", and I got a huge piece of gristle in my carne asada taco.

The place was not what I expected with stainless steel, glass and modern black tables and chairs instead of the colorful Mexican decor you routinely find in a mom and pop cantina. You pick from "vegan", "vegetarian", or "meat" menus sitting in front of the grill area, ordering at the adjacent register where they give you a number to place on your table. There were only high-tops and one four-top table with two long "family-style" tables with seating for 12, so be prepared to interact with strangers if so inclined.

We ordered Chips and Salsa ($3.50), a side of Guacamole ($2), a Quesadilla with Chopped Carne Asada ala carte ($5), two Carne Asada Tacos (2 x $2 = $4), and an Enchilada Plate (carne asada, rice and beans - $10.50).

The chips were OK, neither fresh nor warm and the salsa very orange with a strange taste, not bad, but odd. The guacamole was pretty good, made with fresh avocados and chopped tomato, a nice portion and an excellent value at just $2.

The quesadilla was a decent size and tasty with plenty of cheese and carne asada. My tacos had plenty o' chopped carne asada, but one had a piece of gristle the size of my pinky inside, at least I hope it was gristle, still a bargain at $2 each. The enchiladas were also pretty good, but a tad on the dry side and the rice/beans OK, nothing special.

Gristle

For just $24, we ate well and I would recommend "The Fatties" (Los Gorditos) if in the Pearl District and in need of a quick Mexican fix. Do not expect anything lavish and alcohol is not an option, so if you want a sit down meal with all the trimmings ... go elsewhere. Just be careful when you bite into your taco.

If this place had servers, some beer and margaritas, a better and not-frozen salsa bar, a little better quality control with their meat (maybe the cooks could stop the chit-chat for a while), and some charm, they could have scored 8-9 Bombs. However, ...

CombatCritic Gives Los Gorditos 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

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On the plus side, the food was decent with reasonable portions and fair prices, particularly for downtown. On the flip...
Posted by Chris Sorrentino on Monday, April 2, 2018

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Title: Portland, OR: Find "The Fatties" On Davis If In Need Of A Taco Fix In The Pearl

Key Words: Los Gorditos, los, gorditos, Portland, OR, Davis, taco, Pearl District, pearl, Mexican, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google

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