A few detailed and not so detailed questions about eating in Portland and Seattle...
PORTLAND:
1. my wife and i are going to be staying 5 days on NW Everett between 18th and the 405...is there anything good to eat close by in my area? Tanuki? Escape From NY? Anything Else?
2. i have Le Pigeon reservations - what's the dress like there?
3. i have seen LeP, Toro Bravo and Pok Pok pretty universally praised...are there any others that you feel are "musts"? i would prefer a few that aren't going to have me spending my vacation waiting in line, but that's not that big of a deal.
4. we love food carts! what are your 5 favorites?
SEATTLE:
1. i only have about a day and a half in Seattle and will likely be confined to the Pike Place Market area of town...we want to try Salumi (thoughts?) but need a few more suggestions for great food in the area. we eat most any type of cuisine, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Huge thanks in advance to any tips!
By MicBK
on Aug 28, 2009 05:22 AM
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MicBK, In Seattle Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan makes the most amazing Szechuan crab. (The rest of their menu is excellent as well.) If time and budget permit, Harvest Vine for dinner will be memorable for you.
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thank you! i will check into these.
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Tanuki is very close as is Basta's (Italian), Red Onion (great Thai), Serratto (Italian) and Mingo/Bar Mingo (Italian) and all are good choices.
World Cup is very close by for good coffee and treats. Sahagun is also very close for great hot drinking chocolate (seriously some of the best ever) and handmade chocolates.
Kenny and Zuke's isn't all that far away for great pastrami and NY-style delicatessen stuff.
Almost everything in Portland is casual. You'll be fine in jeans just about anywhere. The decor at Le Pigeon (which is communal seating, btw, unless you are at the counter) is shabby chic so it is not a fancy white table cloth kind of place.
I have had great meals at Laurelhurst Market, Nostrana, Tabla, Sel Gris, Davis Street Tavern and ten-01pretty regularly and can recommend any and all of those. Clyde Common, which isn't that far away (nor is ten-01) is also a good choice and they have some of the best bartenders in town.
That's Sauce's neck of the woods, though...what did I miss, Sauce?
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excellent, thanks! glad to hear it about the dress...i'm not a dress up fan. i appreciate all the info! if you don't mind - what are your thoughts on the places i mentioned: Le Pigeon, Toro Bravo, Pok Pok, Tanuki? thanks again!
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TB, Tanuki, and PP need to be at the top of your list. Also give serious consideration to Tabla, Pambiche, and Ken's Artisan Pizza. In other words, get to the the east side as much as you can, far from tourist areas. TB you need to get there early, wait in line, but it's worth it. Tanuki you'll find dishes you won't see anywhere aside from LA or NY (and even there not so easy). Other great places near you: Two Tarts Bakery (also ice cream), Coco Donuts (delightful non-hyped clean polite alternative to Voodoo), and Ken's Artisan Bakery (same Ken as the pizza), our best bakery. I would not recommend Escape from NY Pizza as being in our top six pizzas.
And ditto what others said: Portland is for grungy dressers, to a fault. Even at the opera, unfortunately.
Sahagun is around the corner from you. Sadly, they are closed for vacation until Sept. 8. Best hot chocolate you'll find anywhere.
Favorite carts: Spella coffee, Asian Station, Pine State Biscuits at the Portland Farmers' Market Sat. AM at Portland State (it IS a cart after all), the fried pies at 12/Hawthorne, Al Forno Feruzza pizza. http://foodcartsportland.com/
There are so many great carts, too little time...
When planning walking, remember that PDX blocks are tiny. Have fun and please report back!
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great post, thanks! this will be our 2nd time in PDX and we did the majority of the touristy things last time, so this time we're exploring the city so we'll get to the eastside for sure. we won't be there until 9/19 so Sahagun is a go!
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http://koifusionpdx.com/
Korean taco truck. A new favorite cart. Check their site for scheduled locations.
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their schedule will do you almost no good! they seem to show up late, show up somewhere other than where they state, leave early, never show, etc.....as even for a food truck, they are unreliable to the point of being laughable.
the food is also MEH. overly sweet shortrib, dry and lifless pork and chicken(honestly couldnt tell one from the other) and crappy(even for)commercial tortillas. And oh yeah, their salsas are weak. They do have the marketing figured out though, I will give them that.
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Seattle folks...any thoughts on Serious Pie, Spur, Salumi? Thanks!
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Serious Pie: I ate here once and liked it, especially the clam pie. bear in mind it is unorthodox (neither NY or Neapolitan style) pizza that is smaller in size; the wait there can be long. With limited time I don't know if I'd put it on a short list.
Spur and Salumi are short-list material; I rate both highly. Spur is great for smaller bites, a light dinner and exceptional cocktails--you could go there for happy hour or before a more extensive dinner and get the gist. The pork belly sliders are de rigeur, and I think their bison burger is excellent, but the menu changes monthly. There are countless posts on Salumi; if you are in SEA on a weekday for lunch, check it out.
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I've eaten at Serious Pie a handful of times and liked it. The last time I went, one of the specials was a pie with lamb prosciutto, peaches, and a sheep's milk cheese that I forget the name of, but was delicious. The wait can be long and I think it's a little expensive for what you get, but I don't know of better pizza in downtown Seattle.
Salumi is definitely worth the trip down to Pioneer Square if you're here for lunch on a weekday. I don't even work downtown any more and will still occasionally take the bus from the U-district in hopes that they have oxtail on their specials menu.
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