LA foodie's 1st time in Portland (with an infant!) - need help!

[adelly]

Will be in PDX for the long weekend and would love to try a lot of the recs on the board but we can't as we have our 7-month old with us and can't do those long waits to get a table. Here in LA, we bring our son a lot to fine dining and trendy places, so he's used to it, but a wait just won't work. Any recs, especially for really good brunches?

Also, we will be baby-free for 1 night, so recs for real splurging would be appreciated. If there was 1 restaurant that would be considered the best in Portland (money no object), where would that be? And where should we go for a nightcap after?

Thanks!

[adelly]

Thanks, all!

[pleen]

Second Ned Ludd for brunch with a baby. Bakery Bar (http://www.bakerybar.com/) is also very kid-friendly, particularly if you go before 10:30am. Roost (http://www.roostpdx.com/) and Accanto (http://www.accantopdx.com/) are great brunch places with low-to-no wait lines if you go early. Accanto takes reservations for brunch.

Portland isn't really a splurge kind of place. If you like molecular gastronomy, then Castagna is worth a try. Le Pigeon and Aviary are my current dinner faves.

[MyNextMeal]

Brunches in portland often come with a wait - even if you get there at the opening bell. It's a bit insane, really. You might try simpatica though (sundays only) - they might take a brunch reservation...

I have reduced my fine dining a lot, so I'm only keeping up with the fine dining scene virtually, but my short list for a fine dining occasion would be:
Paleys Place
Castagna
Wafu (weekend only)

[grayelf]

I seem to be waxing on about Ned Ludd's a lot but it is pretty cool for brunch and they take reservations. I think it would be just fine with a baby. We really enjoyed it on one of our visits last year.

[uhockey]

Ned Ludd is the best brunch in Portland, imo...and a contender for best in the country.

http://endoedibles.com

[grayelf]

Good to hear you liked it, uhockey. Looking forward to your full reports in preparation for our March trip. Huge advantage that they take reservations for brunch too.