Restaurants, Dining - Portland American Cuisine

Canyon Grille, Beaverton. Bevy of hot sandwich specialties, like their signature Grand Canyon (smoke sirloin, grilled onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, cheese and their Canyon sauce); or others with barbecue pork loin, chicken breast and pineapple, or chicken with Wild Bill Buffalo sauce. Hot dogs, turkey –bacon-avocado or the monstrous burrito that’s filled with homemade pork verde. Hamburgers are the flagship dish, with huge, thick and juicy patties, come with bacon, mushroom/Swiss, Hawaiian-style, Canyon sauce or bleu cheese. There’s also buffalo meat, salmon, veggie or the huge chili cheese fries burger. Usually about $5 - $7. A large array of salads and milkshakes with real fruit chunks in them round out the specialties. Breakfast are huge and hearty (weekends only – around $7), including waffles, French toast, chicken fried steak, massive omelets and a homemade country gravy to die for. 8825 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton, Oregon. 503-292-5131. http://www.thecanyongrill.com

Fire on the Mountain, N. Portland and East Burnside . Start with munchies like fries, tots, fried pickles with chipotle mayo, onion rings with a spicy twist, sweet potato fries, or mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese (around $6). Then there are the chicken wings, fried crisp in fat free oil and smothered in homemade sauces. Sauces are mild, medium, hot, sweet BBQ, Jamaican jerk, raspberry habanero, bourbon chipotle or a buffalo lime cilantro. $6 to $10 for six to 12 wings; as many as 250 wings for $170. Hot sandwiches include charbroiled chicken, vegetarian, Jamaican Jerk chicken, BBQ chicken or chicken with peanut sauce in an Asian vein ($9). Plenty of salads, often spicy with chicken. There is vegetarian version of hot wings and fish ‘n’ chips, as well as boneless wings. 4225 N. Interstate Ave. Portland, Oregon. 503-280-WING. www.portlandwings.com Also an East Burnside location.

Zach's Shack. Gourmet hot dogs in a bar setting are the rule, in this grown-ups only place that appeals to the kid in all of us. Most dogs are around $4 or under, or you can build your own from a list that includes: olives, Jalapenos, peperoncini, salsa, cucumbers, sour cream, green relish, red relish, dill relish, sport peppers, cream cheese, onions, mayo, ketchup, brown mustard, chili, tomato slices, cheddar cheese, veggie chili or saurkraut. Hot dogs come with nifty rock ‘n’ roll influenced names, like the New York Dog, Sgt. Peppers, Syd Dog, Scorpians Dog, Los Lobos, or the Dylan. Fat sausages include the very spicy one with pork and beef, a cheese filled dog, or some fancy Sausage of the Day. Extras include fries, cheddar fries, chili fries, mozzarella sticks and Jalapeno peppers. Wine and beer – open late for the bar crowd. 4611 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon. 503-233-4616. www.zachsshack.com

Noodles Restaurant. Not to be confused with the chain, this indie eatery provides upscale flavors at bargain prices. Gourmet pastas that never waver in quality or a sense of the homemade. Lunch and dinner usually under $10. Spaghetti marinara with choice of Italian sausage or mushrooms, fettucini alfredo, an innovative take on Mexican pasta, glorious mac n' cheese given the gourmet treatment with smoked turkey, and a soft, unforgettable braised beef with rotelli pasta in a red wine sauce and gorgonzola. Look for ethnic re-inventions like Thai chicken linquini, or there is the hearty beef stroganoff, chicken picatta with a lemon cream sauce, garlic shrimp in a citrus cream white wine sauce, bay shrimp in basil cream and artichoke hearts, and enormous ravioli with spinach and cheese. Garlic cheese bread is famous for a reason; stunning epicurian salads. Kids menu and out of this world housemade desserts. Gluten free and whole wheat pasta available. 6830 Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Portland. (503) 292-6480. www.noodlesportland.com.