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Truth.

THIS IS WHY I WORK OUT.

To eat good food and splurge once in awhile. This past weekend was apparently my splurge weekend. It’s been awhile since I had a splurge weekend (I’d say my birthday in January was the last) but it was to be expected. Michael’s dad came to visit for the weekend from Texas and when he comes to visit, we go to the really good restaurants in Portland.

Friday night after my swim, I met Michael and his dad at Nuestra Cocina. When Michael suggested I said, “your dad doesn’t want Mexican food in PORTLAND” but Nuestra Cocina isn’t really your typical Mexican restaurant. It’s more of a “Upscale Yuppie Hybrid Portland Mexican” kind of restaurant. Michael got the special, pork chops in a squash puree with snap peas. (I had a bite and it was fantastic.)

I got the “PUNTITAS DE RES EN CHIPOTLE CON CHAYOTE Y FRIJOLES REFRITOS”. It was tender beef tips in a chipotle sauce with chayote squash and refried beans. The sauce was really, really spicy–in an unexpected but awesome way. I ate half and had the rest of the leftovers for lunch on Sunday.

Saturday morning while Michael spent some time with his dad, I headed to the gym to try and burn off some of the previous night’s calories. It went really well. I’ve got Suzanne’s routine DOWN. As such, I finished it in less time than I’ve ever done the workout, so I added a few things to make it a full hour. I followed that with lots and lots of stretching and foam rolling. I could tell those deadlifts were gonna make my hamstrings cry the next day…

After my workout, the three of us went to Papa Haydn’s for lunch. I ordered the French Onion Soup, which arrived in an adorable bowl with lion heads on the side, and a side order of their seasonal vegetables (kale and broccoli rabe). Their French Onion soup was spectacular–not as good as the one at Petite Provence but definitely #2.

After lunch Michael played golf with his dad while I collapsed on the couch with Fat Kitty and that week’s episode if SVU. I was exhausted! I guess the workout took more out of me than I was expecting.

When the boys got back to the house, I taught Michael’s dad how to use Twitter. 🙂 It was actually pretty fun sharing my tips and explaining everything (like hashtags and retweets–go ahead, try and explain what that means to someone that doesn’t use Twitter!).

After the tutorial, the three of us went to Ringside Fish House for dinner. Oh.My.God. Totally worth the calorie bomb. I probably ate my allotment of calories for one week in a single meal, but it was damn worth it (well, remind me of this in a week when my pants don’t fit).

The place was fancy, the service was superb and classy and the food was spectacular. We started with a small order of onion rings–which are the best onion rings I’ve ever had in Portland. Truly delectable and properly fattening. Of course there was also freshly baked herb rolls as well.

Michael’s dad has been in the beer industry for four decades and while he’s not an IPA fan, he tried my favorite beer (which they had on tap) and said it was amazing. Yay! Convert! Seriously, if you ever have the opportunity to try a Boneyard beer, you should. You’re welcome.

Anyways, back to the food. Michael got the Maine Lobster Soup to start (I had a bite and it tasted like a stick of butter in a bucket of cream with some lobster in it–yum) and the prime rib.

Michael’s dad got the halibut with lentils (it was topped with avocado and bacon). I wish the photos of their food turned out because the presentation was great:

I ordered the Trout Almondine for dinner. It was grilled trout over crispy green beans and almond slivers with a butter lemon sauce. I was glad I didn’t order something with mashed potatoes or rice–even though it looked amazing–because there is no way I could have fit out the front door. My trout was perfectly prepared; it was light, not greasy, slightly crispy on the edges but the fish was moist and flavorful. The beans weren’t limp and overdone and the sauce was delicate. I loved it.

Michael’s dish came with creme brulee for dessert so we all shared one. I was stuffed.

On Sunday I skipped breakfast and lunch with the boys to give them some father-son bonding time. I went to the pool then had some leftovers for lunch at home. Then we saw Jurassic Park in 3D. It did not disappoint!! Even though I’ve seen the movie a zillion times, it was still exciting and scary. Seeing it in 3D was so cool.

It was Michael’s birthday so he picked where we went for dinner after the movie. We went to Gino’s in Sellwood. It’s one the best unsung restaurants in Portland. You don’t read much about it but the food is spectacular. The three of us split the order of Caesar salad and it was definitely the best Caesar I’ve ever had–but be prepared for a powerful punch of garlic. It’s very spicy. 

I had a glass of Pinot Grigio with dinner. I ended up ordering something off the “starter” menu as my entree. It was meant to be shared family style, but it worked great as an an entree. I got the polenta and sausage. It came on a bed of greens and was smothered in a red sauce. Great flavors! I ate half and took the rest home for lunch.

We were all so stuffed that we skipped dessert. Thank goodness! Monday morning came and while I definitely had food remorse for eating out so much over the weekend, I’m glad I made decent choices and tried my best to practice portion control. It was nice spending time with Michael’s father and he had a great trip to Portland. That’s all that matters.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be living on salads for the next week. 😉