UPDATE and, yes, I'm posting photos of eating out again, at 3 Doors Down Cafe and the Bijou Cafe. One must have achievable goals when going through chemotherapy. Mine include dining out where I know the food is perfect, along with the service. Just like I always have at the Blue Diamond, too.

UPDATE: Slept a bit better, for longer periods of time in between waking up with some peripheral neuropathy humming through my lower legs. I'm thankful for any periods of sleep during these nights. So far today, the anti-nausea meds continue to work, hallelujah! I don't feel very well overall, like I've got the flu, achy here and there. However, no nausea is such a gift that I can deal with the aches and the humming. Oh, there has been some success in the area of "plumbing difficulties," too, for which I am grateful.



3 Doors Down Cafe, the third place that Mama and I ate out in Portland, back on our first visit in the summer of 2004. I took this photo on July 19, 2015, a little over eleven years since that first meal. Included on the menu as Pearl Bakery Bread with white bean spread, you see here the long-time-neighborhood-favorite-restaurant's popular lead-off dining delight.



Sunday's a great day to dine at 3 Doors Down Cafe because of the Happy Hour selection. I love these mini meatballs with marinara and mozzarella. A perfect consistency to the house-made meatballs combined with the taste of the equally house-made marinara, and that fresh mozzarella--gosh, I really do love this dish! And that Pearl Bakery Bread makes for the best way to finish off the marinara, for real.



My other small plate, an appetizer that I also love, anything that involves duck confit. Here you see bruschetta of duck confit, honey-herbed whipped bellwether jersey cow ricotta cheese, arugula, grilled black plums. Totally mesmerizing with every bite. I well remember my first ever duck confit. I walked back to the kitchen and announced to one and all, "Now I know why ducks have legs!" Sounds mercenary, sorry. It's the truth. (At that time both of my sons cooked at 3 Doors Down Cafe, so I got away with walking to the open kitchen and saying hello and laying on the praise!)



The table's set at the Bijou Cafe, downtown Portland, Oregon. The second place where Mama and I ate out on our first trip to Portland--the first place, hardly memorable so as not to be named here. Bijou Cafe, outta sight wonderful ever since, mine and Mama's favorite breakfast/brunch place throughout the years.



My Bijou Cafe breakfast on that spectacular day, Thursday, March 15, 2012, when I went to the NCAA March Madness games, an entire day of college basketball. This omelette, salad, and pancake held me for hours and hours. I knew that they would, from years of experience.




Chicken, black bean nachos. Perfect. They prepare the black beans at The Blue Diamond PDX, y'all. They are so good! As are the rest of the ingredients on this smooth-tasting treat. I never eat all of them at one sitting. They warm up very well in the toaster over inside a foil pouch that I make. Yummy out the wazoo!



The only place I've ever had a French dip is The Blue Diamond PDX. Why mess with a good thing?

Before too long, I'll feel well enough to dine out again. I've got some great places to choose from, including Killer Burger which you saw on Wednesday's post.

Our Friday, August 19, dinner at 3 Doors Down Cafe

Milton, Kay and I rode the bus to the restaurant for dinner. We were tired from all of our sight-seeing fun and very hungry. Leland joined us there, and Lamont was in the kitchen, cooking away--the only way it would have been better would be to have Kailey and my brother Howard and his wife Vanessa up from Mississippi with us. Turns out that's for another post.

We four shared the first appetizer: Grilled peaches topped with shredded duck made special for us by my older son, sous chef Lamont


Leland and Milton shared this appetizer: Steamer clams, pan-steamed with white wine, basil, garlic & parmesan cheese


Kay and I shared the two salads.
Organic greens, raspberry poppy seed vinaigrette, hard cheese & toasted almonds


Panko-crusted fried eggplant with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella


Milton and Kay each had this entree: Grilled Painted Hills flat iron steak, potato pave, Romano beans, and roasted garlic butter


My entree, the evening's special: Braised rabbit with house-made capellini pasta and mushrooms, onion and maybe bits of bacon--I forgot to ask.


Leland's entree was the house-made ricotta cheese cavatelli pasta with pork and beef sugo. The photo did not turn out very well, but it's a wonderful dish. I've had it a time or two.

Milton, Kay and I decided on dessert--we have our favorites from the dessert menu at 3 Doors Down.

Kay's banana cream pie


Milton's bread pudding


My bocca negra

Friday night entrées at 3 Doors Down Cafe

After a spectacular tour of The Allure of The Automobile, for free thanks to my having seen the Portland Art Museum's Facebook post about their Fourth Friday free tickets where I managed to score two for 5:30 p.m., my friend Sharon and I made our way to 3 Doors Down Cafe for dinner.


Sharon's entrée: sweet corn risotto with heirloom cherry tomato and basil salad.


My entrée, the special: linguini with prawns, heirloom tomatoes, shallots, smoked Nueske's bacon, basil. I like how the flash worked on the D5100. Do you?

We ate our fill and took the rest home in sweet little containers, all ready for Saturday.