Virgo and Pisces (500 NW 21st)

I was supposed to meet some people at North 45 Pub for dinner that night. But somehow, I ended up by myself. I love North 45, but it was super crowded. I looked around and saw Virgo and Pisces. It looked fairly empty and for a Friday night in NW Portland, that's not necessarily a good sign.

I walked in and sat down in the corner. It was unusually light in the dining room and somehow I got the feel of a Denny's or something like that. There was a family next to me that was really digging happy hour. I think they must have had 4 or 5 different items on their table.

I was just in time for happy hour myself and ordered potstickers filled with Carlton Farms pork and shrimp with a tangy dipping sauce. Oh but wait. I forgot to tell you how the waiter, young, dark hair and very friendly, became my friend while I was eating. He asked what I was doing that night, told me how delicious the potstickers would be. We talked about different bands for a little while and then I overheard him talking to the neighboring family about his own recipe for butternut squash soup. I had nothing better to do than to blatantly eavesdrop. It sounded like a good recipe.

My potstickers arrived and they were really perfect. Very hot (in temperature, not in spice) pockets of sweet pork and shrimp, dripping with the dipping sauce which was not spicy at all, but sweet and with a sharp bite of its own. Really lovely. There weren't a lot of them, but it was the perfect bite that I needed before going to a concert. Potstickers and a drink (Diet Coke) for under $5, including tip. And I felt like I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to my waiter.

While the place is deceptively Denny's-like both in lighting and the menu (it was laminated with lots of pictures on it), the food was excellent and I would go back again. I need to, in fact. Because happy hour potstickers are hardly enough to build a real review!