Pizzicato Pizza - Portland, OR

SQUISITA lamb sausage, artichoke hearts, feta, and fontina on a homemade pesto base

Pizzicato Pizza (multiple locations in the Portland area and beyond) is one of my places for "gourmet" pizza. The pizzas are tasty but come with choices of interesting ingredients such as rosemary red potatoes, lamb sausage, artichoke hearts, spinach, walnuts, peanut sauce, garlic marinated shrimp, and more. (Not all on the same pie!) The Squisita (pictured above) is one of my favorites.

Names

Do you know the names of these popular icons? The one of the left turned 50 earlier this year! Her companion is two years her junior. And who is the 8-year old on the right? I bet you knew the first names of these fictional characters. Now the hard part....

What is the last names of these three?? (For bonus points, do you know the fictional Wisconsin town where the parents of the 50-year-old live?)

Here are some more... Do you know the last names of these real people?

• Cher (singer)
• Fabio (model)
• Jewel (singer)
• Liberace (entertainer; this is his last, what's his first?)
• Madonna (singer, actress)
• Prince (singer)
• Yanni (musician)

Little Red Bike Cafe - Portland, OR

(click on picture to enlarge)

Little Red Bike Cafe (4823 N Lombard) is the type of place I really want to like. It has a neat name, cheerful interior, and makes an attempt to serve creative food. Yet, I wasn't all that inspired after my first visit. My grilled sandwich with bacon, cheese, and grapes was certainly edible but it didn't have the pizazz I was hoping for. The chips and pickle were nothing to write home about. (But I dislike both and seldom eat either so that's no surprise.) If you've been to the LRBC, let me know what you think! Maybe I will have to give it a second chance if I'm in that neighborhood sometime in the future.

Spelling Test

Let's go to the lake! Which lake you ask? Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster, Massachusetts. Did I spell it right? Maybe not!

The longest officially recognized place name in an English-speaking country is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahul (85 letters) which is a hill in New Zealand.

The 58-character name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the famous name of a town on Anglesey, an island of Wales. This town is referenced in a song by Stephen Sondheim, "The Boy From..." (a parody of "The Girl from Ipanema").

Flavour Spot - Portland, OR

Sweet or savory waffles are conveniently available at Flavour Spot (2310 N Lombard St.). Located in a parking lot on the corner of Lombard and North Omaha, this one-man show produces treats to satisfy any appetite. Shown above are two Sausage and Maple waffles. As others have written: "The Sausage and Maple waffle is dangerous stuff: a slight crunch from the outside of the waffle, then the slight saltiness of the sausage patties, then the sweetness of maple syrup combined into some kind of new food of the gods." Food for the gods? Well, it is tasty!