Portland downtown, Pearl, or elsewhere not too far from train station

[Wanda]

We are arriving in Portland OR by train in late morning and have several hours layover before catching a bus from the train station. We are looking for some good reccommendations for reasonably priced ethnic lunch, esp Latin, central Asian, or Far Eastern other than Japanese. If the weather isn't dreadful, we plan to walk around Portland's downtown/Old Town--past Pioneer Courthouse Square and then down to the river, over by the South Parks museums, and in the Pearl; if the weather is really bad, we'll probably spend a lot of time at Powell Books. So, anyway, any recs in these areas of the city would be greatly appreciated. (It's unlikely we will have time to get to NW 23rd or over to the East Side or any places further afield.)

Last time I was in Portland and needed to be not far from the train station, I had dim sum in Fong Chong in Chinatown, which I thought was pretty good . . . but that was several years ago.

Any ideas? Thanks for your input!

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Fong Chong Restaurant
301 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

[Nettie]

Ping is pretty close to the train station, and is owned by the same people as Pok Pok: http://www.pingpdx.com/

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Pok Pok
3226 SE Division St, Portland, OR

[Wanda]

It was drizzling, so we went to Ping's rather than try a food cart. We loved it--and when we came out, the rain had stopped, so we could enjoy a walk around Portland. Thank you for the recommendation--it was a really good one.

[Nettie]

I'm glad that you enjoyed Ping--thanks for the report!

[Ericshinkle]

Nice call on the Ping, its really new so it is off the normal radar. I am totally going on my upcoming Portland trip.

[JillO]

Nice happy hour menu at Ping, too...and if you are interested in shochu, the tasting flight is an interesting and fun intro.

Note: Now they have an early HH (2-5:30pm) and a late HH (9-10pm).

http://www.pingpdx.com/

[MyNextMeal]

There isn't much "ethnic" in that area. SILK is Vietnamese in the Pearl and they do a nice lunch - solid food but not stellar. If it's a nice day, I'd recommend hitting the food carts in downtown and find some place to sit and eat - that would be your best bet!

[djbartch]

I agree on that. The food carts at 3rd and Stark are pretty good and not too far of a walk from the train/bus station. There are a variety of ethnic foods. I, personally, enjoy Gin Thai food.