5 in 5: Uno Mas, Two Tarts, Cafe Castagna, Dove Vivi, and Basa Basa

Alright guys, there were some complaints (from Doug) about my last 5 in 5 and how some of my descriptions are confusing or don't give a complete enough picture of the restaurant. But really, you should be fine with it (Doug) because if I don't do these quickie posts, this blog will sit sad and alone for much longer periods of time and no one wants that... 

Uno Mas
Occasion: We loved 24th and Meatballs so we wanted to give another Ocean restaurant a chance.
The Five: Cheap and super tasty tacos.

Two Tarts
Occasion: My parents were in town so obvs sweets were a must.
The Five: Lemon bars: good. Macarons: eh.

Cafe Castagna
Occasion: We'd heard very good things about their happy hour burger. 
The Five: Amazing burger, awesome bartender.*

Dove Vivi
Occasion: We've been conducting our own informal Portland pizza-off.
The Five: Corn pizza. Do it now.

Basa Basa:
Occasion: Another Ocean restaurant
The Five: Stick to meatballs and tacos.

*Had to write a little more our bartender at Castagna as he was so friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely a great guy to chat with. He usually only works weekends but we were happy we managed to catch him on a rare weekday!

Portland (Mini) Restaurant: 24th and Meatballs

I try to be a fairly forgiving person because, ya know, I was raised Catholic and all that ish but sometimes people do stuff that is really hard to forgive.

For example, one time Kelly (yes, Kelly of this very blog) went to the new meatball place in town WITHOUT ME.

Yeah, you read that right. She tried 24th and Meatballs without me and, probably most hurtful of all, she doesn't even feel bad about it.

In fact, I think she only agreed to go back with me because she was so tired of me bitching about her obviously major indiscretion. That or the meatballs were delicious and she wanted more.

Whatever. Let's talk meatballs.

What: 24th and Meatballs
Where:"The Ocean", 2341 NE Glisan 
Honeys Heart: Meatballs (obvs)
 
24th and Meatballs is one of several micro-restaurants located on the corner of NE 24th and Glisan. Their focus is, you guessed it, meatballs.

There are four kinds of meatballs to choose from: Classic Italian, Pork Piccante, Chicken Parmesan, and Vegan and four sauces: Tomato Basil, Creamy Cheesy, Spicy Pork, and Hazelnut Arugula Pesto.

The first time Kelly went, aka the time she stomped on my heart, she tried an array of sliders and suggested I follow suit.

Sliders go for $2.50 each and you can order any combo of meatball and sauce. I went with italian & tomato basil, pork piccante & spicy pork, and chicken parm & pesto.

I loved them all. Would have appreciated them all being served on the same plate... but that seems like a minor detail compared to delicious flavors of these meatballs. Kelly tried the creamy cheese on one of her sliders and wished they had been more generous with the sauce, so perhaps stick to the 3 other sauces when going the sliders route.

Doug and I had eaten at Luce a few nights before and as it had not satiated his pasta hankering (Luce = small portions), he opted for House Made Rigatoni + Meatballs ($8).

I might have complained that the pasta was not adequately drained resulting in watered-down sauce (evident at the bottom of the bowl in the photo above), but Doug was quite happy with his dish. 

Adam went big and decided on a Hero ($8.50). That's three meatballs, sauce, and cheese on a primo roll baked in the oven. 

Look at that cheesy, meaty goodness. Adam, you are a smart man. 

I should also mention that Kel and I had some pretty tasty house wine ($5 per glass) and Adam and Doug both ordered the Kool Aid of The Day, a steal at $1.

And, because Adam's hero took extra super long to get out, we also got to try the Famous Waffle Balls ($4) on the house.

The waffle balls usually only come with one sauce but we got to try all three: chocolate, dulce de leche and seasonal berry. The berry was definitely the group favorite but double-dipping in different sauces was fun too. 

The four of us agreed that the delicious meatballs and playful atmosphere (they certainly are proud of that slogan) made 24th and Meatballs one of our new favorite spots. We'll definitely be back!