We set out to see THERE WILL BE BLOOD, but due to GPS unit malfunctions, we ended up being late and went to CLOVERFIELD instead. We were warned before entering the theater that this movie was known to cause motion sickness, but we thought that was a kind of WILLIAM CASTLE gimmick. The camera work wasn't horrible, but I did feel slightly dizzy by the end of it. The concept for the movie was great, as well as the execution. It was worth watching, but I don't think I need to see it again. Rating: solid B .
Exiting the theater we came upon a newsstand carrying the Mercury, so I grabbed a bushel of them. This is only my second cover, so I was pretty excited seeing it there. I'm considering framing it... but I'm a little lazy when it comes to organizing, storing or preserving things. It's a weekly paper, and (hopefully) I'll have bigger gigs in my blossoming career.
After wandering through an overcrowded mall and maneuvering around the city a bit (with the now unreliable GPS), we ended up at PAMBICHE. This is a small Cuban restaurant at 2811 NE Glisan. We started off with some cervezas and tostones. It was mid afternoon and the sun was coming in at a murderous angle. The atmosphere was colorful and lively, but they could have used some blinds for occasions such as this. The service was good and the food came fairly quickly. We had the Plato Cubano, Lengua en Salsa, and the Vaca Frita. All were excellent dishes with vibrant blends of flavor in the range of $8-$10. If I had to pick the best I'd go with the Vaca Frita. The citrus flavors just worked so well with the shredded beef. Our waitress was surprised we ate so fast - I enjoy taking my time eating a long meal in a comfortable environment, but with that sun shining in, we had to eat and run. Overall rating: solid A.
On the way home we stopped in to GARTNER'S COUNTRY MEAT MARKET. We haven't tried the meat yet, but it was a big German style butcher shop with a great selection of meats. It was definitely on the wrong side of the tracks though, a gem of meat surrounded by run down RV parks and seedy strip clubs. We got some veal and steaks and I snagged a hunk of beef jerky that should suffice as a week-long snack!
