A week in PDX
Just got back from a week-long trip in PDX. Here's the report:
DAY 1
Late lunch/dinner at Deschutes Brewery. They were packed, but service was still fast and friendly. The pear pizza was delicious. I had a crab roll, but it took me almost a week to remember what I ordered. I may never forget the pizza.
DAY 2
Breakfast at Kenny & Zukes. The corned beef hash was fantastic, the coffee perfection. Delicious.
Lunch- In the town of Hood River, try lunch at the 6th Street Bistro. I had a pear salad (the pears are fantastic now), and it was wonderful. The chicken satay was also great. We sat on the deck, overlooking the Columbia River, drinking beer and having lunch.
Dinner-Oven and Shaker. This was one of the standout meals of the trip. I had a salami pizza, which sounds plain, but was juicy and delicate in a way I can't describe. The drizzle of honey on the crust was fantastic. We also shared an appetizer plate with a corn salad, chickpea agrodolce, eggplant something and ...I can't remember. It was super good. Specials looked good, but they were out of most of them. They were packed, but were willing to accommodate us without a reservation. Service was great. An outstanding meal, all the way around.
DAY 3
Lunch- Pok Pok. As good as everyone says it is. Just go, but go early. They fill up fast.
Snack at Salt & Straw. I was freaked out by blue cheese ice cream, but was thrilled by their other choices. We couldn't decide if the ice cream or the waffle cone was best. I wanted to come back and get some of their pastries, but never did.
Dinner at Wildwood. This was another meal that most of the 4 people in our party felt like was the best meal of the trip. I thought it was good, but slightly predictable. The wine list is really fun, and has some GREAT choices. We had mussels, butter lettuce salad with beets and salmon, lamb, and trout. The menu changes nightly. This is a solid standard with reasonable prices.
DAY 4
Lunch-Dundee Bistro in Wine Country. Two of us ordered a shrimp pasta, one had a vegetable dish and another had a cheese plate. We were all surprised by how good and fresh the food was, given how we had been told the food in wine country left something to be desired.
Drinks- A person in our party really wanted to go to a rooftop bar he'd heard about. So, we trudged downtown into Departure. This place was like Jersey Shore in Portland. Yikes.
Dinner- Clyde Common. This was the worst meal we had all week. The menu looked interesting, but service was odd, like our waiter was in a haze. Our egg dishes were served cool (I've never been one for cool eggs) and our entrees were okay, but just okay. Prices here were in line with the rest of the town, but it didn't live up to the hype. I don't think I'd go here again.
DAY 5
Lunch- Recipe in Newberg (wine country). This fantastic little French restaurant in a converted house was also a pleasant surprise. I had a croque madam, and others ordered a trout salad and duck confit. The food took a little long to arrive, but we were told what was going on, so no biggie.
Dinner- Andina. This was an interesting meal with new flavors and textures than anything I'd had before. The menu was crazy long and I ended up ordering 3 tapas-sized apps. I would definitely go here again. This restaurant was packed. Reservations are a must.
DAY 6
Lunch- ordered take out the day before from Olympic Provisions before heading out for fishing! The sandwiches were great, filled with meat, cheese and pickled vegetables. Yum.
Drinks-Hora Felix. The margaritas are delish and at happy hour, really cheap, too. Sweet.
Dinner-Trucked it over to Ox, but the tiny restaurant was a 1.5 hour wait. They were really nice and put our names on the list, but we had to go somewhere else. No reservations here. Headed to Gruner. I thought this was one of the best meals of the trip, better than Wildwood. The bread was great, the salads way better than great (the radish salad was crunchy, peppery and nutty, plus it looked like a rose) and the entrees super. I had a chicken dish with a riesling sauce and spaetzle. SPAETZLE! Dessert was also heavenly, with the best dessert ordered being doughnuts with some sort of magical chocolate dipping sauce.
DAY 7
Breakfast- Isabel Cantina. The artichoke scramble here is so good. This menu was neat because of the variety. Anything seems up for a try here. Pancakes, noodles, scrambles, french toast, huevos rancheros, whatever.
Late lunch- Ken's Artisan's Bakery. I went nuts over the tarts here, having a tomato tart for lunch and then a fruit tart for dessert. The breads are really amazing, crunchy crusts and soft insides...yum. The tart crusts were perfect-tough enough to hold their fillings, but a little crumbly. Sigh.
Dinner- Little Bird. Maybe my favorite meal of the trip, I was also charmed by the interior of this gem-sky blue walls with the bird motif prominent. So cute. I hadn't quite had enough of tarts for one day, so while the rest of the table enjoyed oysters, I held out for a squash and goat cheese tart with a curried frisee salad. I was rewarded for my wait-deeelicios. In addition to the tart, I also ordered haricot vert with sundried tomatoes and hazelnuts. Everyone else loved their meals; they had steak and salmon.
Overall, my top 3 evening meals in no particular order:
Gruner
Oven & Shaker
Little Bird.
Everyone else's seemed to be;
Andina
Wildwood
Oven & Shaker
Congratulations for making it through the entire post.
