Daily Grill in downtown Portland, Oregon

On a recent business trip to Portland, Oregon we had the opportunity to stay at the Westin in downtown Portland. Shortly after our morning flight arrival and check-in, we chose to dine at the first floor restaurant Daily Grill for lunch (located on the corner of Park and Alder at 750 SW Alder).

We expected from the name for the establishment for it to be more like a sports bar or pub than it actually was. We were pleasantly surprised by the upscale decor with dark burled woods and deeply colored walls contrasting with the white table linens. Giant empty wine and champagne bottles sat in arrangements on the dividers between booths and tables. Natural sunlight streamed in the windows that looked out onto a busy downtown Portland street. Even for the lunch service, the service staff was dressed formally in white shirts with black bow ties). Don't let the name of the establishment mislead you.

The menu had many enticing options all with a classic American flare. We chose to order the charbroiled skirt steak (a house specialty marinated in citrus juices, soy sauce and special seasonings) served with shoestring potatoes and steamed vegetables (broccoli was the vegetable in season). Freshly baked sourdough bread and butter was the only appetizer we needed for this succulent meal. Both of us agreed that it was the best skirt steak we have ever tasted (we would be hard-pressed to find a cut of meat of that caliber for a homecooked meal without quite a bit of hunting). Instead of overpowering the steak with a "Here I Am!" taste, the marinade perfectly complemented the savory red meat. The steak was so juicy there was no steak sauce required.

Despite the somewhat formal decor and dress of the servers, the atmosphere proved to be relaxed and not intimidating in the least. It was easy to sit and have a quiet private conversation and not feel rushed. This was exactly what we needed after having spent the morning traveling through airports.

The steak was definitely one of the pricier items on the menu at $17.95 a plate. Many other options would have brought the total tab of our lunch down considerably. But the skirt steak was wonderful (well worth the price), and the service was top-notch just as one would expect from a Westin restaurant.

Good Nuts versus Bad N.U.T.S.

It turns out that nuts are not just for squirrels. I've been reading the book YOU: The Owner's Manual by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. and found some interesting facts about how nuts can be very good for one's state of mind and well-being, while N.U.T.'s can be detrimental to one's state of well-being and emotional equilibrium.

Good Nuts
It turns out that eating just 12 walnuts a day (or just 1 ounce of any other nut of choice) can not only help to raise your HDL cholesterol (that's the good kind) and help your arteries be clearer, but the same 12 walnuts a day can also boost your mood by providing your body with omega-3 fatty acids which can raise seratonin in your brain thus helping to reduce depression.

If you're not a fan of walnuts, then 24 almonds will also do the trick. Don't overdo it or the calories will become a problem. Just stick with the magic number of 12 (or 24).

Drs. Oz and Roizen say that by making that one simple change in one's daily diet a woman can make her RealAge™ 4.4 years younger while a man can make his 3.3 years younger.

Bad N.U.T.'s
While judicially consuming nuts everyday can make you healthier, Drs. Oz and Roizen say that there are some N.U.T.S. that you need to get rid of--Nagging Unfinished Tasks. N.U.T.'s are those annoying things that hang around in the back of your mind (the book cites the example of "the nagging stress of sitting on a wobbly toilet seat and never fixing it"). These N.U.T.'s are stressors that can be quite detrimental, even moreso than the stress of a flat tire or other little "emergencies" that arise in our day--Important But Manageable events or I.B.M.'s.

Even though your N.U.T.'s may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, if they're bugging you incessantly they can have a negative impact on your health and wellness. Repeated stress elevates the levels of the hormone cortisol in your body and that leads to stuff that isn't great for you in the long-run.

Making Chip and Dale Proud
Remember the old Disney cartoons with Chip and Dale and their tree full of nuts precariously packed in just ready to come pouring out if one little thing shifts? The information from Drs. Oz and Roizen brought that image into my mind when I thought of my own N.U.T.'s. I got to thinking... which N.U.T.'s do I "stockpile" in my life? Over the past couple of days, I've taken a really cold hard look at how many N.U.T.'s I've got crammed into every nook and cranny of my life and, therefore, my brain. My brain is just like Chip and Dale's tree! One little shift and all those N.U.T.'s come crashing down! Just like it wasn't good for Donald Duck, it isn't good for me either.

So instead of stockpiling N.U.T.'s, I've decided to focus on "piling up" my 12 little walnuts a day. I've started a little therapeutic daily ritual of taking my 12 walnuts out into the back garden so I can sit on my chaise lounge in a patch of sun while I crack them open. As I crack open each walnut I do so in a kind of meditative way thinking about the good it will do my body and my brain. Then I meditate and try to remove the bad N.U.T.'s from my life (most of which are there because I put them there) or at least re-prioritize them so they don't clutter up my mind. Gradually, I think I can finally tackle the bad N.U.T.'s as I take in the good nuts.

Perfect beans and rice for New Year's

After a walk around the Martinez Marina to enjoy chilly but sunny New Year's Day weather, we decided to treat ourselves to an early dinner at La Primavera Mexican restaurant located at 1311 Pine Street in downtown Martinez, California.

Hubby had eaten their refried beans and rice and said they were the best he's ever tasted aside from those we found at Cholo's in Haleiwa on the north shore of O'ahu. Since we're always on a quest for the perfect beans and rice, I was anxious to taste them as well as the rest of the fare.

We were pleased to find La Primavera open on the holiday. Hubby's impression upon entering La Primavera was, "This is the cleanest restaurant!" And it is! It's a real joy (and relief) to enter a small "mom and pop" establishment and have that be one's first impression.

We were also charmed by the atmosphere of casual Mexican dining that was enhanced by brightly colored wall and ceiling murals; vintage style boothes and counter stools in red green and yellow vinyl; and the traditional Mexican music playing over the stereo system. It felt like we had stepped off Pine Street into Mexico.

We were greeted and seated promptly and cordially by the waitress that would then be our server for the evening. She brought us chips with two kinds of salsa: mild and not-so-mild (a real nice kick with a good smokey edge). The chips were obviously made on-site and were very fresh.

After perusing an extensive, but not overwhelming, menu we chose carne asada for our New Year's meal (the prices are very reasonable even for the steak). We were pleased to see that the menu includes some regional Mexican selections for those that want a taste of Mexico. The menu also includes an extensive breakfast menu with a Mexican flare.

Our meal was wonderful. The carne asada was seasoned to perfection. Hubby was right about the beans and rice. The flour and corn tortillas were fresh as can be served in a charming hand-embroidered and carefully pressed and starched cotton cloth with handmade lace edging as if we were sitting down to eat in a relative's kitchen. We could see the tortilla press behind the pristine counter where they had been made. It was all so impressive.

To add to the wonderful ambience, a gentleman (probably the owner or manager) sat at one of the counter stools rocking his baby girl. Once she was asleep, he placed her in her baby carrier with a pink blanket over it to shield her eyes from the light, and then proceeded to check on us and the other diners periodically, even bussing our plates. He continued to check on her and then the diners throughout our meal. That's impressive! It showed a commitment to the restaurant that one doesn't find in chain restaurants. It also added a quality that is hard to put into words.

We went away having dined sufficiently on superb Mexican food. I went away with a not only a wonderful memory of delicious food, but a wonderful memory of a dining experience. Will we go back? Most definitely! And we've probably started a New Year's tradition that we will continue to keep from this year on. Thank you La Primavera!