Trip Report - 4 days in Portland
Just came back from a great trip to Portland and Seattle, where I managed to squeeze in at least 4 meals per day to keep up with my to-eat list. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:
Trucks/carts:
-Nong's khao man gai: I got the standard chicken and rice dish. It was good, if a bit underflavored on its own. Quite filling dish for $7. Might get again.
-Taqueria el Rodeo: Tacos al Pastor were cheap and delicious. Would get again.
-Aybla Mediterranean: Greek salad wrap with falafel. Very fried falafel and a bit heavy on the dressing, but a very good salad to have with pita. Great dressing. Would eat again.
Lunches:
-Pine State Biscuits: Super buttery biscuits with delicious mushroom gravy. Started out great, but then lost its appeal. Wouldn't get again, as it was a novelty.
Dinners:
-Caffe Allora: Surprisingly empty on a Friday evening, but had a great atmosphere with delicious food. The homemade gnocci was melt-in-your-mouth good and came with a simple, but tasty red sauce. Other pasta dishes were also quite good, as was the special ceviche appetizer. Would absolutely eat here again.
-Apizza Scholls: Very good pizza, but I was expecting upscale pizza, so this was on a different level(more traditional). Crust was very crisp, but I prefer a softer, chewier crust. My girlfriend loved it though. We both felt a bit sick afterwards due to the large amount of oil, even after soaking some off with napkins. Would eat here again, but not in a long line.
-Farm Cafe: Interesting menu with good, healthy sounding dishes. In execution, everything tasted very good, if a bit over-salted and most definitely too fried for our tastes. Still a very good meal. Would eat here again.
-Pok Pok(take-out): Got Sunny's Yam Wun Sen, which had good flavors and textures, but was far too spicy for my taste. I would try again, but would ask for mild.
-Empire Pizza(take-out): Got 1 slice of cheese for $3.25. Great cheap pizza. Would eat again, if looking for cheap pizza.
-Por Que No(take-out): Rice and beans bowl w/ guacamole was a great little dish. Fish tacos were also very good. Veggie tacos didn't taste like much. Super affordable. Would eat here again.
Desserts:
-Salt & Straw: Great ice cream. Really helpful staff who let me try tons of flavors and were very helpful in describing them. My favorites were "Citra Hops & Apricot"(seasonal - very refreshing ice cream with a mild kick from hops) and "Boke Bowl"(guest flavor - lemongrass/lime ice cream w/ caramel swirl and fish sauce). They also had great other flavors like Salted Caramel, Oregon Rocky Road, and many others.
-Two Tarts bakery: Tasty small cookies. My favorite was the double chocolate chip.
-Papa Haydn: Amazing desserts. Would absolutely eat here again.
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grayelf
Aug 27, 2012 04:24 PM
I'm intrigued by the Cafe Allora gnocchi (might have to go for the four cheese sauce though!) and appreciate the straight up approach to the other pastas per the menu http://caffe-allora.com/food_menu.html
Papa Hadyn for dessert sounds lovely, hadn't come across in planning our next eating trip to Portland in October. I want the lemon chiffon cake NOW: http://www.papahaydn.com/dessert.php
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