Down a Dark Alley, Across the Train Tracks…

….to Clarklewis I go.

Thursday night Michael and I went to Clarklewis for happy hour after work. I’m liking these Thursday night Date Nights. It’s nice to sit across the table from each other and talk. Since our  kitchen is under construction we don’t usually sit across from each other for meals (which sucks).

I’ve heard about Clarklewis for years but haven’t been. My foodie brother went and said it was good. I’m really glad we finally made it there.

The restaurant is in the waterfront industrial area next to the train tracks. It’s a super modern place and I loved the decor and atmosphere. That might have been the best part of the experience!

The place was big and happy hour was pretty full but we got a table and it was an intimate table.

Happy Hour was really cheap, too. I love being able to experience nicer, more expensive restaurants for Happy Hour prices. It’s a great way to have a nice dinner out without breaking the bank.

I can’t wait to go back this summer when they open the garage-door walls and have outdoor seating.

Now the FOOD. Good stuff. Michael and I split everything–saving money AND calories!

I ordered the house white. I think it was a Pinot Gris. It was very dry and not sweet at all but it went really well with the rest of the food we ordered. First up: the salad with sherry vinaigrette.  It was a little dry.

Plus a meat and olive plate.

I don’t think a meat and olive plate is a good judge of a restaurant because it really doesn’t take much skill to do that. I did LOVE the pickled onions though. I am totally craving those now.

Next we split the Parmesan balls. I don’t know what they were called now. They were light, airy and small. I liked them. The lemon zest in it was refreshing. It made me crave Meriwether’s risotto balls.

The winner of the night was the Mac n’ Cheese with taleggio cheese and breadcrumbs. Loved it! It was cream and flavorful. I’ve never had that cheese before and it was tasty–similar to white cheddar. We split that and then split the small wood fire grilled hamburger with blue cheese.

I loved how smokey it was. The butter lettuce and pickled onions were fantastic.

It was a good night. Romantic dinner for two. Then this morning Michael woke me up with news of a Tsunami warning in Oregon. Um what? The footage of the earthquake in Japan is devastating. I hope they are all okay there. Thinking of Amanda in Okinawa!

I also hope there isn’t too much damage on the Oregon Coast. It’s a beautiful place and I’d be really sad if the landscape changed in any way. Lots of happy memories at the beach…

QUESTION: How often do you have a Date Night? And have you ever seen a Tsunami?