Cape Lookout

To mark the end of Summer, a small group of us decided to go camping trip on the Oregon Coast. And when at the Oregon Coast (especially in Tillamook County), you've gotta stop by the Tillamook Cheese Factory for cheese, ice cream, and beef jerk i.e. all things "cow."

Before reaching our campsite, we try our hand at crabbing - in hopes of finding Carlton's mate.

And at the campsite, Thang gets frisky :)

Kathy, Yen and I go for a hike on South Trail ("South" meaning sharply descending trails which means, trecherous uphill trails on the way back)

Cape Lookout

A washed up seal. Poor thing. It stunk.

The reward: a secluded 2-mile stretch of beach, popular for surfers in-the-know.

It wasn't until we were done with the hike, that we saw this sign :P

Camping's rough. We had to eat New York steak to survive.

Seattle

Once we were old enough to drive, my friends and I would frequently drive 3 hours north to Seattle, where we'd have lunch on Jackson Street (aka Vietnamese-town), walk through Pike Place Market, and if time permitted, shopped downtown at Neimen Marcus! We were young. Most of us had lived in Portland all our lives. So to some of us, Seattle was like a Las Vegas to an eager showgirl; an L.A. to an aspiring actress; or a New York to an ambitious businessman. It was our escape from Portland... to feel grown up... to have our independence and drive somewhere that was far enough it could be considered a "road trip," yet still close enough so that it would allow us to come back home in the same day before we got in trouble with our parents :)

So after 10 years since my first independent trip to Seattle, Michael and I decided to head up to Seattle for the day! We'd never been there together before and while we were there, paid a visit to his dad and sister Lynn. Seattle is still the bustling NW city that its always been and we had a great time... as we usually do! You've probably noticed by now - I enjoy and can find a special quality about each city I go to (except for maybe Dublin :) but now that I'm actually grown up, I don't see the appeal anymore. Sure it's the home of Bill Gates / Microsoft and the first Starbucks, but there's too many hills downtown, everyone's got road rage and it rains SO much more! No offense Seattle, you guys have a cool baseball team, but I think Portland is gonna' take you by storm (no pun intended)!... I'll still come visit you though!

Seattle Space Needle - on sale for $79 million.

World's 1st Starbucks

Pike Place Market

Yup, this is where that dude on Real World Seattle worked!

GDC Week 6: Phong

"I'm not in it to win," he says, yet he still pulled off quite an impressive dinner, serving all 13 of us, by himself with the help of his sisters and wowing everyone with his piquant papaya salad and savory quail appetizers!

Again, no pictures of the main, but my favorite was dessert - a Thai inspired sweet & sticky rice, complimented with peaches, topped with a lovely coconut sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds (I don't even like coconut, but I got seconds)!!!

Was Asian-fusion the theme?... Bamboos were the center-piece, fresh coconut was the drink of choice, and tea-infused cucumber martinis were the house cocktail.

GDC Week 5: Kathy & Duong

Kathy with her sous chef "Adelaide" a.k.a Mom.
With just a few weeks left, the competition stiffens, expectations are higher, judges are more critical and with that... Gourmet Club has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the week! Hey, what can I say - I'm unemployed!!! :)

This past weekend, newlyweds Kathy & Duong had a high wall to climb. Not only did Duong dig a hole for them by exclaiming that all the previous week's were not "gourmet" enough, but Kathy (hardly able to contain her enthusiasm) sent out a menu just days before her sister Kim's dinner (alleged ill-intentions not confirmed :) To add injury to insult, Kim had surpassed all expectations and perhaps... even took a page out of Kathy's book!

(cue suspenseful music) :: dhan dhan dhan!!! ::

Now stuck with a very similar menu as Kim's surf-and-turf, Kathy and Duong had to find a way to make their's stand out!
No worries! Kathy, an expert in the kitchen, served scallop ceviche to start...
Note: On the pre-sent menu, it did say "Quick seared scallop with an edge." Hey, where's the "sear?" Guess it doesn't really matter since this was my most favorite appetizer in the competition so far!

Main Course: Wild Salmon & Steak seasoned and marinated in red wine

Note: On the menu, it did say, "Pear, spring mix arugula," but I'm assuming they replaced it carrots and green beans with pasta salad.

Dessert: Strawberries dipped in chocolate

AND Apple Crisps

Note: According to the menu, we were to have a choice between Apple Crisps or Champagne Cake, but +2 points for the ice cream and fresh baked apple crumble. I LOVE warm desserts partnered with ice cream!

So while I am being critical of their menu (I'm gonna' get it when it's my turn huh?) (it's what happens when you send out your menu in advance)!!!.. I have to say, the overall meal was very enjoyable and the service was the best and most thorough so far, with Duong making sure we all had drinks, taking our plates away once we're finished, and Kathy, despite having to do most of the cooking was totally relaxed and calm. We even got to take some of her famous carrot cake home as party favors! Nice touch, guys!

Silver Falls

I still can't get over the fact that I've misplaced my camera! I keep saying "misplaced" because I never lose anything :) Plus, how can it be lost (as in forever) if I am so certain it's somewhere in my house?! I know it's in my house because the last time I remember using it was after I came home from Lincoln City and I was showing my mom pictures of my clamming trip! I was sure it would turn up eventually, but when it didn't, I began looking everywhere. In all my purses, jacket pockets, drawers, under my bed... I even went as far as looking in the oven (which I never use) and inside the fridge... it was nowhere in sight!

Not having a camera is really cramping my style. I can use Michael's, but I can't rely on him to bring his with him everywhere he goes! It's not the most conventional size. And it's not like he goes everywhere I go (despite what you all may think :)

So here I am, at Silver Falls State Park, walking the Trail of 10 Falls - witnessing only some of the most breathtaking waterfalls I have ever seen in my life, and all I have is my weak sauce camera phone. I'm almost thinking you're better off using your imagination than looking at this picture.

See the little people on the left? You can walk behind some of the falls and it just looks and feels amazing! My friend (also named) Yen (Nguyen) invited us on this 8-mile hike with her and her new friend An to help break the ice (because I secretly think it was a double-date, but she denies it :) It's OK that I speak of him since he's never going to be on this blog right?! Hi Yến!!!

GDC Week 4: Kim & Danny

Michael's cousin Kim and her man Danny, came across as non-threatening and almost unconcerned with this cooking competition. But I think we'd all agree, it's the quiet ones that you have to watch out for! We all knew Kim's younger sister Kathy was the Martha Stewart of the family, but little did we know that we had a Giada in the family too!

This unassuming couple took us all by storm during their week to host Gourmet Dinner Club, with Danny pulling some stealth moves on his seafood soup and prime rib entrée (prepared to perfection) and undercover Kim had some tricks up her own sleeve, wowing us with her molten on-the-spot cake baking. Michael had seconds on the steak, and I helped myself to another serving of skewered shrimp and later, two servings of dessert! Oiiii...

Kim & Danny have definitely reset the bar and brought on the next level of Gourmet Dinner Club.




Apologies as I don't have any pictures of the main entrée! I've misplaced my camera for the last several weeks, so I've had to rely on everyone else to send me pictures! Sorry!

Michael's 26th

As humble and subjective as he is, (I bet you guys didn't know that) Michael's birthdays are always month-long celebrations oftentimes taking us across the border! This year though, with our recent move back home, we decided to stay in town and keep it low-key with family (Deschutes rafting and a birthday cake blow-out at his aunt's house), ending with a surprise outing in Hood River on the actual day.

We started off with breakfast at The Country Cat... speaking of which, I need to start blogging about food again! I've been trying some awesome places in Portland that need props :)

A hike at Oneonta Gorge

Wine tasting and a picnic at Cathedral Ridge Winery...

And a top-off with a drink at Full Sail Brewery

In addition to its world-famous pinot wines and micro-breweries, Oregon (more specifically, Hood River) is arguably the wind surfing capital of the world!

GDC Week 3: Co 3 & Cau 4

(Pictures courtesy of Chi Chau)Co Ba & Cau Tu's gourmet dinner took us outside (plus 5 points there - who doesn't love dining al fresco :) for endless appetizers, Cau Tu's popular Hu Tieu dish , and fried bananas for dessert (no pictures of the main & dessert, sorry)!

After dinner, the kids roasted marshmallows in the outdoor fire pit (how neat is that) and as the night went on, entertainment included a poker, karaoke, and a surprise birthday cake for Michael, courtesy of Bakery Bar!