Portland Eating, part II

After a fairly big day of finding and walking our way around what is really a tiny part of the city of Portland, we were ready to stay close to our hotel room for dinner Saturday night.  Since the hotel restaurant was closed for remodeling, and there were no other restaurants for blocks around, staying close meant staying in.  We'd never ordered room service before, but the menu was affordably priced, and we decided to give it a try.

The choices were limited, but we each found things we'd like.  

Hubby ordered their burger, and not wanting any more bread after our sandwich lunch, I ordered the steak.  I really had no idea what to expect, not knowing exactly what a Colette Steak was, and a Google search wasn't any help.  But the person at room service assured me it was good, so I went for it.

She was right.  The steak was amazing.  I could cut it easily with my fork, it was cooked perfectly, and had great flavor.  Hubby said the same for his hamburger.  He prefers a sturdier bun, but was very impressed with the meat and other inclusions in the sandwich, which is what counts most.  

My fries had some interesting additional toppings, like garlic, parmesan, and porcini powder.  (I'd never heard of porcini powder, but this blog explains it well and makes interesting suggestions for its uses.) Our only complaints were that the fries were a bit salty, for our taste, and I felt that at least my dinner lacked a veggie or some garnish.  But the main event of each plate was certainly great.

The only meal we hadn't had out that weekend, thus far, was breakfast, and I was really in the mood for a hearty one the morning we left.  I did an internet search for Portland Sunday brunches, and eventually decided that The Original: A Dinerant, which was fairly close by, sounded interesting.  It is described as a "hipster" spot, sort of like a diner, but a definite step up.

This place was super busy, so we had to wait quite awhile for a table.  This was only frustrating, because in downtown Portland, they don't charge for parking until 1 PM on Sundays.  We parked at 11:50, and there is no way to pay ahead.  We had a several blocks' walk to get back to the car by 1:00 to, either, leave or make the required payment.  

Anyway, we were happy to be taken to our booth.  I wish I could've gotten a head-on photo of the seating area we were in, because it was pretty cool with its curved, red, velvet banquettes. Sort of retro-60s, I guess?  

Again, choosing our meal from the yummy-sounding brunch menu options was a challenge.  Creme Brûlée French Toast, Cornmeal Bacon Waffles, Biscuits and Gravy, Eggs Benedict, several types of omelets, and so much more... all sounded good!  I knew I needed some protein, but also couldn't pass up Polenta Cakes, which neither of us had ever had before.  We decided that Hubby would order an omelette, and I'd order the Polenta Cakes, and we'd split and trade.  Hubby wasn't about to share half of his hash browns, so we ordered an additional plate.  (Yep, I had polenta cakes and hash browns... A little carby, but an omelette needs good hash browns!)

Our omelette choice was their Cobb Omelette with bacon, chicken, tomato, avocado, and blue cheese.  It was very good.  The hash browns were comparatively and disappointingly unimpressive.  We just expected diner potatoes to be some kind of wonderful.  

Having never had polenta cakes, we didn't have anything to compare to, but these were the one thing I've really been craving since we got back home.  They were so delicious!  My new favorite comfort food, I think.  It didn't hurt that they were served with candied bacon!  I was glad to eat only one of the 2 cakes, though, and have the hearty egg dish to keep my blood sugar off the roller coaster.  

In case you were waiting in suspense, we ate at a relaxed pace, and got back to our car just a minute or two before 1:00.  As usual with worrying, it was for nothing!

I think I'll have to figure out how to make polenta cakes, which I don't imagine should be difficult.  I'll share when I get something close to what we had.

Portlandish Food!

I've been hungry to go back to Portland for the past week.  The food we ate was so good!

On Friday night we drove from Portland to Vancouver, Washington, to Joe's Crab Shack.  It's one of those places famous for big baskets of crab legs, shrimp, and other shellfish, tossed in with new potatoes, corn, and sausage.  First of all, we had great service, and couldn't have asked for a better table in front of the windows viewing the mighty Columbia River!  

 Since I neglected to take pics of ours,
here is Sassy with her Joe's dinner
(post of their visit here)

Because they'd been to Joe's and loved it, Prince Steadfast and Princess Sassy took us to the Crab Pot in Seattle last year, which offered the same type of 'wear-your-bib-and-dig-in-with-your-hands-and-shelling-tools' type of dining.  

Compared to the Crab Pot, which offered Pacific, both local and from Alaska, seafood, Joe's Antarctic king crab, and East Coast types of seasonings weren't as impressive and tasty to us.  After trying both, Princess Sassy prefers Joe's, but Hubby and I lean toward the Crab Pot instead.  The big positive here is that when we get a yearning for fresh crab, the place we want to go is an hour away instead of 3.  Going to Joe's was still fun, and it had good ambience, and as I mentioned, personable and prompt service.

For Saturday's lunch, we went to one of those places that had intrigued us during previous visits to the city, but we'd never gone in... The Deschutes Brewery Pub.  The place seemed to be packed, but we were seated right away.  It's a little bit loud, but fun.  --Lots of windows, high ceilings, colorful, and with kind of a rustic-industrial decor. 

We were overwhelmed by the menu, but not in a bad way.  So many things on their lunch menu sounded so wonderful, it was so hard to choose! (They also offer a good-sized gluten-free menu, so those with such dietary limitations have more than just a couple of options from which to choose.) 

Hubby chose the Housemade Pastrami (with whole milk mozzarella, arugula and green chili mustard on toasted spelt grain sourdough) and fries, while I ordered the Grilled Cheese.  I'm not usually a grilled cheese sandwich fan, but I couldn't resist this description: "Briar Rose Creamery goat cheese, cream cheese, Gruyere, and cheddar on our rustic white bread grilled with a parmesan garlic butter and served with garden tomato soup with roasted jalapeño cream."  The waitress suggested that the cheese sandwich was even better with avocado, bacon, and/or tomato... she usually has all 3... so I took her kind advice.

Of course, we sampled a bit of their brew, too.  The
Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale in the .3 liter size was perfect.

We were very happy with our choices!  If I ordered my sandwich again, although wonderful as it was, I think I'd skip the extra expense of the additions.  The sandwich was good on its own.  Actually, to be honest, I thought maybe it was a little unexciting at first, but then, as one should do with all grilled cheese, I dipped it into the soup, and WOW.  That fresh tomato soup, and especially, with the roasted jalapeño cream (roasted jalapeño mixed with creme fraiche), added just the amount of acidic and spicy zing to elevate that whole dish to amazing.

My mom and dad used to wake up and decide it was a great day to drive to the coast for chowder, to Tillamook, Oregon, for ice cream, or to Eastern Washington for lunch.  They often picked up one of my grandmas to take along for the fun.  We agree that this is a place for which it'd be worth making the 6-hour round-trip to Portland... Just for a day's adventure and a fantastic lunch.  --And just a block from Powell's giant bookstore, so a double-bonus.

Saturday night's dinner and Sunday brunch...yet to come.

Portland, continued: the Fun

image from Hotel Rose website

The Hotel Rose offered luxurious bed, linens, and towels, a we loved the chic, walk-in style of the shower I showed in my last post.  

The Tommy Bahamas lotions and soaps in dispensers on the walls of the bathroom and shower smelled amazing.  

Of course, the 42" flat screen TV with cable, which we do not have at home, helped the hotel experience, too, because it meant:  HGTV!!!  ;-)  We enjoyed Property Brothers and House Hunters until Hubby had his fill.  (I don't think my fill of such shows is possible, which means it's probably a good thing we don't have it at home.)

We ventured to Vancouver, WA to eat dinner Friday night.  Saturday was spent in Portland.


Thankfully, the hotel provided a complimentary umbrella, which we needed as we set out to walk 
along the riverfront park (shown to the left of the hotel in the photo above), to get to the Portland Saturday Market.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned in that previous post, the park was full of a carnival, and we had to walk along a much less attractive, busy street instead.  




Our Kitchen Forum friend, Trailrunner, had put us onto the Market, which was full of wonderful and wondrous items, like specialty foods, jewelry, photography, woodworking, and clothing.  Across the street from that market was another, and I think, maybe another to the side of it! Lots and lots to see and enjoy, and I'm sure one could spend hours there.  Hubby collected a few business cards, mostly from woodworkers, of course.

From there we set out for Powell's City of Books.  Using GoogleMaps on my iPhone as a walking guide was a new experience.  Trying to orient the map on the phone with the direction we were walking was a bit of a challenge at first.  Also, we found ourselves really wishing there was a way to see on that 'app' which streets were the more pleasant and safe-feeling route...

Our walk was nicely uneventful, however, and we arrived at Powell's to see that it, too, was being remodeled!  Must be a spring thing in the city.  In finding our around to another door, we realized we hadn't eaten and lunch would come before books.

More than happily full, we entered Powell's ready to spend a lazy few hours perusing books.  







It's a place full of temptations for those who love books!  Remembering that we had to carry whatever we bought back to the hotel kept our buying somewhat in check.












Sunday, we had a leisurely morning in our room as we readied for check-out just before noon.  Brunch downtown was the final Portland goal, before hitting the road toward home.

We opted for the more rural Highway 30 instead of I-5 for our 

trip northward.  The highway paralleled the Willamette River out of Portland, and we'd never been that way.  It was beautiful, and eye-opening to see how Portland spreads, and has more areas and neighborhoods than we ever thought.  





We had to turn off our intended path when we saw a sign to Sauvie Island.  

A few years ago, we caught a show on PBS, featuring special, farm-to-table dinners, in which the guests dined on special gourmet fare, all made from organically grown or raised food from the area.  The first show we saw was about the foods grown on Sauvie Island, and we've been intrigued about it ever since.  We couldn't pass up this chance to see it.


We felt immediately transported by the views of the quiet, green countryside.  It was easy to forget how close we were to the city, and odd to realize how recently we'd been downtown, in an urban, 'hipster' diner, enjoying brunch.  

It was also easy to forget that we were on a tiny island with water nearby... until reminded by the sight of ships peeking up behind farmhouses!

The contraption above the barn and the red brackets showing above
the containers on the right are all part of a ship on the river behind the farm

We made a loop around the island, and then back out over the bridge we came in on... the only way on and off the island.  There is a big parking lot at the base of the bridge on the island...It'd be a great place to come back with bicycles, park, and ride around for the day.

You may be waiting to hear about the meals I've mentioned.  That's coming up!

A No-Kid Gift from... the Kids!

Hubby and I enjoyed a weekend get-away, thanks to a birthday gift for me from our kids. We have been to Portland a few times, but never spent the night.  Day trips, and even this one, don't offer time to do the city justice, but we did broaden our horizons a bit on this visit.

Our previous jaunts to Portland included stops at Ann Sacks Tile (thumbs up), Voodoo Doughnut (I know that this will be a shock to many, but we were not particular fans),  Fabric Depot (a winner, especially when they have a 40% off all fabrics coupon), the Flying Pie pizzeria (2 thumbs up!), the Armory Cafe (yum), and Powell's City of Books (another family favorite).  Other than waiting in a long line for unremarkable doughnuts with interesting toppings, for which once was enough, we have visited each of these places two or 3 times.  For all Portland has to offer, this is a small sampling.  But with usually only a few hours to spend, sandwiched between 3-hour drives, we stick to what we know and love.

This time we wanted to relax, fit in a favorite or two, but also, check out some places that had intrigued us in previous trips, but hadn't fit in the schedule.

Our gift reservation took us into the Rose District.  Although, it's not too far from many of the places we'd frequented, we'd never been in this area of town.  Our hotel was aptly called the Hotel Rose.  The Rose is advertised as a 'boutique hotel.'  It's supposed to be funky and different.  Truthfully, we thought it was 'funky' this past weekend in ways that took us aback at first:

• The lobby was completely in construction-mode, with craft paper for flooring, and a welcome desk plopped in pretty much nothingness

• Parking in the hotel garage was 'discounted' for guests, but not free, at $15 per night

• Our special, 'Metropolitan View' peeked over a more dominating view of a solid, grayish, painted wall

• We were jolted by the tremendous rumbling, in noise and feel, of the city train that ran right next to the building, sometimes every few minutes, throughout the day

The tail end of the white train passing by the base of the building...

and the blue train just a few minutes later.
There was also a red, and maybe a yellow.

We got used to these things, though, and didn't really notice any of it by the time we left on Sunday.  

The staff was exceptionally cordial and pleasant. The decor was contemporary and updated, but not what I'd call particularly fun or funky, as advertised.  It was nice, though, with a lovely bathroom, and good bedding on a comfortable king-sized bed, so no complaints.

2 things were truly disappointing, though.  The highly rated bistro and bar (with what sounded like a great happy hour and dinner menu) were closed for major remodeling, and the riverfront park across the street, which should offer wonderful and scenic walks, was filled with a Cinco de Mayo carnival.  This meant we couldn't catch sight of the Willamette River until we were blocks from our hotel, and had to walk along busy streets and through (occupied) bridge underpasses to reach the famed Portland Saturday Market, and to get to the downtown districts we wanted to visit.   --Just bad timing, and maybe a reason to go back at a better time! 

Even though it lacked its usual on-site dining, they still offered room service.  But to talk about that, I'll get ahead of myself.  I'll quit here for today, and get back to you later with more details of our fun... and what's a vacation of any size without... FOOD.  :-)