The first time I went to Hall Street Grill, it was when I had flown in for an interview at the company I currently work at. After a few interviews with 1 or 2 people at a time, I went out to lunch with the peers who would be part of the user experience team. Hall Street Grill is in Beaverton so is one of the few places in the suburbs I know about- after all, I don't own a car. Actually, every single place I've been to eat in Beaverton has been related to my work- either a lunch or happy hour- and I can count them on two hands. Hall Street Grill is one of the top 5.

The proof of this is that while at that lunch with my possible new co-workers, after I ordered the $10 or so lunch special of sandwich with housemade chips, when the sandwich appeared it looked so delicious that I knew it would be delicious, and I pulled out my camera. Whether or not I got this job, I was going to document this deliciousness.

So here is my top recommendation for this place: lunch. the lunch special. The crab melt: crab cakes made from regional crab with the local Tillamook cheddar cheese and a fresh tomato. I've been there a couple of other times and tried the quinoa risotto and squash ravioli, but they were not memorable. Just looking at this sandwich, you know this is one of the best thing, if not the best thing, on the menu.

But perhaps you want to go someplace that has a bit of variety of goodness to choose from, instead of only one guaranteed slam dunk. Then I would direct you to Pho Hoa Hong or Best Baguette. Simple Vietnamese- and for $5 or less at lunch (Best Baguette is always less then $5). The bread at best baguette is a fresh french bread that is the perfect merger of crunchy toast outside and soft inside, and the perfect frame around their pork in any form (grilled and marinated, shredded with pork skin, etc) and accessorized with pickled carrot, daikon, cilantro (so you feel like it's healthy although you are about to finish this huge foot long of bread because you can't help yourself) jalapeno for a kick once in a while in the tastebuds, and a little house mayo, salt, pepper, and splash of soy sauce. It sounds really simple, but it's really really good because you can tell everything is fresh. It's banh mi, but the cleanest I've ever had it.

Pho Hoa Hong next door in this strip mall is also owned by the same family. Unlike other pho places I've tried with their Americanized blander versions, this bright secret offers what I could imagine eating plastic seats and card tables in Vietnam. Maybe it doesn't have the daring complexity if I had gotten it from a food cart on the side of the road in Southeast Asia, but for the atmosphere where at least they understand and speak English well and doesn't intimidate you with everything all in Korean on the menu and walls, and for the price, I'll definitely definitely take it.