Portland Bleg
I’m heading to Portland, OR this weekend for the Wordstock lit’ry festival. For those in the area, I’ll be reading and signing at 11 AM Saturday at the convention center, and then appearing (along with Harry Shearer, Steve Almond, John Wesley Harding and other cool folks) on Livewire, a local, hipper version of A Prairie Home Companion. Come by/listen in if you can.
Here’s the bleg: my wife is coming along, for a rare trip without the kids (thanks, in-laws!) so we want to go to really nice and/or interesting restaurants and eat interesting things. Any recommendations? Particularly interested in breakfast/brunch places in the downtown area. And yes, we already have our reservation at Paley’s Place. Leave your recommendations, if you have any, in the comments.
November 6th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I’ll alert my chaffeur.
I’m from the other side of the Mighty Columbia and don’t often make it over for breakfast, but if you’re staying on the east side of the Willamette (where the Convention Center is located), you might try Doug Fir. Very Portlandy.
Sorry to report the current, gorgeous weather that we’re having may not last through the weekend. Just our luck. Hard to impress the out-of-towners with the weather.
November 6th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I would alert my chauffeur, but his spelling is atrocious.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
This is the reason I have a driver instead.
November 6th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Oh, and don’t miss the Velveteria (http://www.velveteria.com/), the (probably) only velvet painting museum in the world. I wouldn’t block out a whole afternoon for this, but it’s worth a good half hour of fun, especially if your docent is the proprietor.
And ask someone for very explicit directions to Sahagun Chocolates, a hole-in-the-wall shop that is worth getting lost for. http://www.sahagunchocolates.com/
November 6th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I had to let mine go, because he couldn’t spell. And so now I have a fancy limo, but nothing to showfer it.
November 6th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Sorry we won’t be able to make it to Portland this weekend,Peter. It’s a great town and we love visiting. But we have the beginning of the important retail holiday in Veterans Day coming up, and we expect to be very busy.
Have a great signing!
November 6th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Though I live in San Francisco, I was in Portland a few weekends ago. I had a fantastic brunch at Navarre. http://navarreportland.blogspot.com/index.html
They had wonderful egg dishes (I recall an omelette with lobster mushrooms and also a foie gras eggs benedict) as well as tasty small plates if you want more of a lunch experience. They had shelves packed with home pickled vegetables too!
I also had an amazing dinner at Ciao Vito. http://www.ciaovito.net/menu/main.php
November 7th, 2007 at 8:34 am
I know nothing about Rip City (other than that it’s sometimes called “Rip City”), but I do have a suggestion: I’d leave that 1992 Bulls Championship t-shirt at home if I were you.
Just a thought.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:36 am
you really only want to go to the doug fir for drinks and a show. very neat looking, but the food isn’t consistently good. also, it isn’t downtown. i recommend the bijou cafe on sw 3rd and pine. if you’re really looking for something else that is “very portland”, just stop in at voo doo doughnuts around the corner…
November 7th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Say hello to Gordon (Grunow) for me.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:59 am
More food commentary from Adam’s crew.
I’ll try and think of a good breakfast/brunch place. If you’re around for lunch/dinner try Pok Pok (http://www.pokpokpdx.com/)on SE Division and 32nd. Started out as a little shack serving food straight off the streets of Vietnam/Thailand and now has a funky little restaurant attached. Won Restaurant of the Year for not just being another cookie-cutter joint but really staying true to his vision of transporting you to those locations. If you close your eyes and smell as you pass the cooking shack, you’d swear you were at a night market in Chiang Mai or Hanoi….
Back with more mid-day alternatives.
Becca
bummer… Pok Pok may have to be saved for your next trip anyway. It’s not open for lunch on Saturdays and it’s closed Sundays
November 9th, 2007 at 9:12 am
You could also try (in no particular order)
Besaw’s (http://www.besaws.com/)in Northwest (long time institution in great neigborhood)
St. Honore Boulangerie(http://www.sainthonorebakery.com/) in Northwest (best French bakery in town that also has sandwiches, salads, etc.)
Mother’s Bistro (http://www.mothersbistro.com/) in downtown (more upscale, but GOOD brunch)
Byways Cafe (http://www.bywayscafe.com/) in the Pearl (featured on Drive-ins, Diners, and Dives as a PDX diner with real personality. All prepared from scratch huge yummy breakfasts and desserts with more kitsch and memorabilia on the walls (and View-Finders you can play with) than you can count
J&M cafe (http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=26205&category=22214) on the east a 1/2 mile or so south of the convention center (a sort-of diner with frou-frou food). This is the least fancy of them all but real people grab food there.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:16 am
And evidently I don’t know how to make web links. Sigh. Sorry.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:43 am
(and there’s a currently a post with 5 more recommendations sitting in moderator queue purgatory)
November 10th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Since my comment still hasn’t come through (it’s probably the bad links making it stick) the places were:
Byways Cafe (Pearl District)
Besaws Cafe (Northwest)
St. Honore Boulangerie (Northwest)
Mother’s Bistor (Downtown)
J&M Cafe (1/2 mile south of convention center.
Byways: featured on Drive-ins, Diners, and Dives as a PDX diner with real personality. All prepared from scratch huge yummy breakfasts and desserts with more kitsch and memorabilia on the walls (and View-Finders you can play with) than you can count
Besaws: neighborhood institution
St. Honore: Best french bakery in town (you can taste the stick of butter in each croissant). Also have yummy sandwiches (croque monsieur, pear/brie/ham, etc.) and salads (nicoise, etc.)
Mother’s Bistro: more upscale, fancy comfort food. well known for its brunch
J&M: “normal” place where PDX folks go. Tasty food, few frills
Hope you’re enjoying Portland. Break a leg tonight.
Becca
(all except J&M have a website if you want to check them out)
November 10th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Echo Mother’s.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
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