Airport Sushi in Portland

Flying out of Portland, OR with some time to kill? Don’t go through security just yet and check out the Beaches restaurant near the D gates.

Front dining area of Beaches restaurant during weekday Happy Hour

My cab driver used to work as a manager there and told me to check out some of their happy hour specials during my wait before flying out of Portland. The place was pretty full of business travelers ordering food and multiple drinks. $2 4-piece sushi rolls, $4 margaritas/cocktails/house wine, and other such deals. No to-go orders of course, but TSA probably wouldn’t like you trying to sneak some sushi rolls through the x-ray anyway.

For $2, these rolls were simplistic but very tasty

Artichokin’ in Manhattan

I had my first taste of Artichoke Basille’s pizza after being introduced to it by Tyler B. on a one-night trip into NYC from Newark (because what the hell else were we supposed to do?). We were getting drunk in the East Village and looking for some late-night snacks. He had been to the area before and knew that it was a short walk, would be open, and was awesome good.

Three nights later, during my stayover in the city, I found myself heading back to the place. Their specialty spinach and artichoke pizza is amazing and they serve huge to-go cups of Bud Light for $5.50. There are other things to buy, but I’d say are hardly worth mentioning in comparison. Two visits in four days and two cases of burnt hard palate. Totally worth it, though.

 

The East Village location is really popular, being just a short walk down 14th from both Trader Joe’s and Union Square (where you can catch the L train to Brooklyn). They have one more location in Chelsea and are opening another in Greenwich Village soon.

[ official site ] [ Yelp page ]