PDX: good restaurant neighborhoods

[Steve Russell]

My wife and I are considering moving to Portland, and will be there for five days at the end of this month. Since I am an avid Chowhound reader and poster, I thought what better place to find out where fellow food lovers would live if they wanted to be near good restaurants.

A little about us: While we like to go out for a fancy dinner now and then, we generally prefer our restaurants to be relatively inexpensive, have great food and a casual (even divey) atmosphere. We eat just about every kind of food, but get particular cravings for Mexican (true Mexican, not Cali-Mex), Asian (especially Vietnamese)and a neighborhood pub with great burgers.

So the question is simple (though perhaps not the answer); Where would you live if having a good selection of restaurants was one of your main criteria.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Marshall Manning]

I prefer to live in the SW hills, not only because I think the geography is more interesting than the East flatlands, but because we can be anywhere, from our neighborhood restaurants like Alba Osteria, Seasons and Regions, Marco's, and Three Square Grill, to restaurants in the Pearl, NE, SE, or Tigard and Lake Oswego in 10-15 minutes maximum. And we're within a minute or two of New York, New York pizza and sandwiches and Humdinger burgers, two of the better options in town for each.

Marshall

[Steve Russell]

Nick and Marshall thanks for all your input, I'll be sure to visit these areas while I am in town.

[Nick]

You're best bets are probably going to be in NE or SE, along one of the main neighborhood streets, in the mid-section, from 30th to 40th-ish. Check out Division, Hawthorne, Belmont, Burnside, Fremont, and Alberta. But there are lots of such pockets.