Washougal, WA: Trick Or Treat? High Prices, Low Quality, And Weak Drinks Were Not A Treat

Los Dos Compadres

701 E Street

Washougal, WA 98671

Phone number: (360) 335-1706
Website: None?
Prices: $$$$

Looks like most either love or hate this place, but I am in the middle, slightly skewed toward the low end. Too many people hand out 5-Stars like they are candy on Halloween, skewing averages and tricking serious foodies into eating at places we normally would not bother with. Trick or Treat? We felt tricked after our first and possibly last experience at Los Dos Compadres.

No prices on the alcoholic drink menu, a pet peeve (publish the damn prices for cryin' out loud!), but I ordered a margarita anyway. My bad because it was weak and turned out to be almost $9 ... ay caramba! Speaking of overpriced, $5 for a small guacamole a la carte and it was mostly onions and tomatoes? Not good. The full size guacamole appetizer is, like the margarita, nearly $9 ... holy sombrero Batman!

My Carne Asada y Mas ($15.95) was the same price as the "regular" carne asada dinner (and advertised as identical), but comes with an enchilada, chili relleno, or chimichanga. The cheese and onion enchilada I got was decent, middle of the road, and the steak tasty, but miniscule, maybe four to five ounces at most. The rice and beans were bland, nearly tasteless.

Now for the fun part. My wife, who hates Mexican food BTW, ordered the Three Taco dinner ($9.95), also coming with rice and beans. She had one shredded beef and two ground beef tacos, but when she attempted to eat them, all three fell apart before she could shove them in her pie hole. Taco salad anyone? The server graciously went to get three "fresh" tacos when we explained our dilemma, but these were dripping grease, already soggy, and falling apart nearly as fast as the first batch.

Watch this video for the full effect:

I am bummed. We just moved into our new house less than ten minutes away and my hopes were high based on previous reviews, but they were quickly dashed ... mierda!

CombatCritic Gives Los Dos Compadres 3 Bombs Out Of 10 With Deductions For ... High Prices, Poor Quality and Quality Control, Weak Margaritas, No Website - Really, No Website? ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Los Dos Compadres Cantina on Yelp

Title: Washougal, WA: Trick Or Treat? High Prices, Low Quality, And Weak Drinks Were Not A Treat

Key Words: Los Dos Compadres, los, dos, compadres, compadre, Washougal, Washington, Portland, Oregon, tacos, taco, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: SNAFU = "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC and CombatCritic - All Rights Reserved

Vancouver, WA: Quiet, Clean, Private, And Affordable Apartment Or Room

Chris and Michelle's Clean, Quiet and Safe - No Cleaning Fee - Full Bed
Vancouver, WA
Airbnb Link

Prices: $$$$

I found this quiet, comfortable place on Airbnb short notice after two nights (out of seven reserved) at "The Nightmare On Lombard Street" and Michelle and Chris were more than happy to oblige. They welcomed me warmly and I soon had a new home ... for the remaining five nights.

The house is in a residential neighborhood and not close to restaurants or shops, so a vehicle is recommended. It is a nice 1950s home with lots of brick and wood floors. Chris and Michelle live in the mother-in-law apartment in the basement, leaving three bedrooms, a bath and a half, large living room, dining room, and remodeled kitchen on the main floor for guests.

There was just one other couple there (for one night) during my entire stay, so with Chris and Michelle spending the vast majority of their time downstairs, I pretty much had the place to myself. The kitchen is fully stocked with plates, pots, pans, silverware, Keurig coffee maker (and coffee), fridge. gas stove, microwave and dishwasher, everything you need to self-cater if that is your bag.

The living room couch has Lazy Boy style pop-out foot rests on each end, but the TV only gets over the air broadcasts (no cable/Netflix/HBO/Etc). However, the Wi-Fi is super fast and dependable, so I enjoyed Amazon Video, Netflix, HBO, CBS All Access, and Sling (since we also went cable free like they did) on my computer or tablet with no buffering.

Smoking is allowed (hey, it's Washington, so ANYTHING goes), but only on the back porch where you will find a table with ashtray and two comfy chairs overlooking a massive backyard.

I had the smaller of the three bedrooms, but it was plenty big for me with a double bed, small dresser, nightstand with light, chair and a closet (empty - I have stayed places where the hosts pack the closet with their own stuff, making it impossible to hang clothes). The bathroom was right across the hall, but is shared by three guest rooms if all are booked. I never saw another guest, so it was never a problem for me.

I spent most of my time in the house in the dining room where I set-up my computer during most of the stay (Chris and Michelle had no problem with it) and living room where I watched the Super Bowl, news on local stations, or streamed movies and series on my tablet.

It was very quiet, comfortable and relaxed. Chris and Michelle chilled in the basement during most of my stay and had no rules other that you "smoke 'em if you got 'em" out on the back porch. I felt completely at home with no stress or interference from my wonderful hosts or other guests.

The only drawbacks, if you want to call them that, are the distance of the house from restaurants and shopping (which I did not mind because I had a rental car) and the lack of cable or streaming video services. Otherwise, this Airbnb is top notch and an excellent value smack in the center of Vancouver and just a few minutes by car from downtown, malls, restaurants and shopping.

CombatCritic Gives Chris and Michelle's Clean, Safe, No Cleaning Fee, Full Bed 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Vancouver, WA: Quiet, Clean, Private, And Affordable Apartment Or Room

Key Words: Chris, Michelle, Clean, Quiet, Safe, Airbnb, room, hotel, accommodation, apartment, Vancouver, Washington, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: OOH-RAH = "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Washougal, WA: Our"Bar" Not Set Very High And Small Plates Left Me Somewhat Unimpressed

OurBar
1887 Main Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number: (360) 954-5141
Website: our-bar.com
Prices: $$$$

Little place, little plates, a little more imagination. I met some friends in Washougal to admire the pouring rain and grab a bite to eat. I wanted to try a place in Camas, but they took me to OurBar.

Biscuits And Gravy?

The menu is very limited and you order at the counter, then fight for a table. I guess I missed the side of the menu with sandwiches, so I ordered the quiche. A bit too light and fluffy for my liking, the consistency and flavor was more like a souffle than a quiche, but it was not bad. The tiny plate held the not so big slice of quiche ($7) and a mini smattering of fried potatoes.

Quiche

My friends ordered the Sopa de Fideo ($9) and Egg in a Basket ($5) and we shared an order of biscuits and gravy ($8). I tasted the sopa and it was pretty good, but the basketed egg looked a little underwhelming, even on a small plate. The bacon and cheddar biscuits were good, but not what I expected with the wild boar (swine/pig) gravy. The biscuits were not big by any stretch and the brown (not white and country) gravy came in a teeny tiny little bowl.

Sopa de Fideo

Egg In Too Small A Basket

The food was pretty good and seemed fresh, but the service was non-existent, and the ambiance lacking any character. If you are hungry and looking for traditional breakfast fare, this is not the place to go. If you want something very different and on the lighter side, OurBar could be the place for you.

CombatCritic Gives OurBar 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of OurBar on Yelp

Title: Washougal, WA: Our"Bar" Not Set Very High And Small Plates Left Me Somewhat Unimpressed

Key Words: OurBar, our, bar, Washougal, Washington, Main, Camas, Portland, Oregon, breakfast, lunch, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Vancouver, WA: Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Burgerville
8320 NE Vancouver Plaza Drive
Vancouver, WA 98662
Phone number: (360) 944-6230
Website: burgerville.com
Prices: $$$$

Empty when I walked in, I thought they might be closing. They were not.

I had heard about BURGERVILLE from an old, and I mean old, friend, so I had to give it a try and went all-in. I ordered the Colossal burger with bacon and a large fries. The burger was plentiful, reminiscent of burger (king) days gone by. The bun was big with lettuce, tomato pickle, two 1/4 pound patties, and a slab or two of pepper bacon ($6.50 plus the bacon). Good burger.

The fries were enough, but the difference between the "small", "medium", and "large" were miniscule and not particularly cheap. The first couple of fries were cold and the rest scalding hot, so I know they had dipped them in the fryer and mixed them with those left behind.

In all, not a bad meal. Better than McDonalds by miles and Burger King by about 5 years (since they downsized "The Whopper", not quite near the quality, flavor and free peanuts of Five Guys.

CombatCritic Gives Burgerville 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Burgerville on Yelp

Title: Vancouver, WA: Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Key Words: Burgerville, burger, ville, hamburger, Washington, Vancouver, WA, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Washington DC: Airbnb - Private Suite Near The Capitol

Private Suite Near The Capitol!

1644 Gales Street NE #B

Washington, DC 20002

Host: Kelley And Summer

Airbnb Link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/406932

Prices:

$75 x 6 nights             $450

Cleaning Fees        $10

Airbnb Service Fee    $55

Occupancy Taxes*     $74

Total                       $589

Not sure why we paid $75 per night when the room is advertised at $65, but the room was clean and the price very reasonable for a central location in DC just a 10-15 bus ride from the National Mall. 

Pros: 

1) Easy walk to two buses, the X2 which takes you down H Street to the White House and the X8 which goes down Maryland toward the Capitol, terminating at Union Station (for transfers/Metro).

2) There are Safeway and Aldi supermarkets within a 10-minute walk of the house.

3) The room/bath are private and have nearly everything needed for a short stay (microwave/small fridge/Keurig coffee maker).

4) The neighborhood was relatively clean and people in the area were extremely nice, courteous, and helpful.

5) There are numerous diverse and reasonably priced bars and restaurants along Benning/H Street and within a short walk from the location.

6) There is a washer and dryer in the home (see cons) as well as a laundromat just a block away.

7) The wi-fi was fast, free and reliable. Never had a problem connecting, loading pages, or watching video/movies.

8) We were alone in the home the majority of the time, except for Lola (their sweet chihuahua) who kept us company occasionally, and it was relatively quiet (for a big city).

9) Ample parking on the street near the house and we were provided a city parking pass for our entire stay, never moving the car.

10) No TV

Cons: 

1) No Metro in the area and the X8 bus only runs until a little before 10pm, so plan returns wisely.

2) The room/bath are small and there is no place to put clothes. We had to keep everything in our suitcases, storing one under the bed and one on the sofa, leaving only one space on the sofa and the bed on which to sit. If you have a lot of luggage (more than one or two bags), this may not be a good option for you. 

3) The neighborhood is a bit on the rough side. The homes in the area are somewhat run-down compared to areas near the Mall and we observed some rather "sketchy" characters (I won't elaborate on what they were probably doing) around the laundromat two blocks away on Benning. A man we met at a bus stop told us that someone was robbed at gunpoint one evening just two blocks from the house. However, we felt relatively safe and welcome in the area, and were not concerned about our safety, even after dark.

4) We were "discouraged" from doing laundry in the home due to complaints of "high water usage" by Airbnb travelers.

5) We were alone the majority of the time, but it would have been nice to meet both of our hosts (we met Summer on day one for a few minutes), get to know them a little (one of the perks of Airbnb), and get some "local flavor" and tidbits about the area and city. 

6) No TV

CombatCritic Gives Kelley And Summer's Private Suite 7 Bombs Out Of 10

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Washington DC: Airbnb - Private Suite Near The Capitol

Key Words: Airbnb, Washington DC, Washington, DC, Kelley, Summer, private, suite, Capitol, US, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, hotel, accommodation, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"