We moved to Portland in September 2007. In order to learn about the different neighborhoods, we visit a different restaurant every week in alphabetical order. The only criteria is that the restaurant (or at least it’s happy hour) has to be inexpensive. Each week we take turns choosing and writing about a restaurant. We both take the photos.
We hope you enjoy it and don’t hesitate to suggest a restaurant.
Mark & Jasmine
A is for Aqui
On entering the restaurant the warmth draws us in until we find ourselves in a small room just past the main dining room. There are benches along the wall with pillows, a low table (actually comprised of four stools arranged so you can’t tell they’re stools) in front of a fireplace. The room glows.
We ordered margaritas that were excellent and fairly strong. Then came the Chicken Tostada Salads. The tostada shell was fresh baked with the edges slightly browned, blanketed in cheese, topped with diced iceberg lettuce, homemade salsa and avocados and then the crowning touch of wood-oven roasted chicken slices that melted in your mouth. Delectable!!!
The service was outstanding. Our waiter was a magician, producing almost instantly everything we ordered from seemingly out of nowhere. He smiled broadly and barely spoke except to say “Please return” as we were leaving.
Aqui Mexican Cafe
1408 SE 12th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
503. 230.9212
B is for Black Point Inn
Located in Oregon City, the Black Point Inn was our first venture south across the Willamatte River to eat out, unless you count the hot dog at the Home Depot. For those of you who haven’t been to Oregon City it feels like a trip back in time. The downtown feels like it hasn’t changed in 50 years. The Black Point Inn also has a feeling of history with a lot of wood and a long, beautiful bar. I felt like I was in an old San Francisco restaurant like The Tadich Grill back in the 1970′s. I could see myself as an old timer sitting at the bar.
We decided to go for their happy hour which as of this writing goes from 4-6pm and after 9pm every day. The Happy Hour Menu is one of the largest we’ve come across and very inexpensive. We went for the roasted garlic and goat cheese ($3.50), house salad ($1.95) and seafood chowder ($2.95). Along with two house margaritas it all barely fit on our table in the bar.
If you go to Oregon City while it’s still light out be sure to check out the Willamette Falls just west of town on the river. It really feels like a trip back in time.
Black Point Inn
602 7th St.
Oregon City, OR 97045
www.blackpointinn.net
C is for Carlyle
Carlyle is located in a place where there are warehouses and a freeway overpass but no other restaurants or stores in sight. This makes Carlyle a quiet, unexpected haven in an otherwise industrial part of town.
We went for the happy hour which is from 3 – 6pm. The best part of the bar is Neil, the bartender. He mixes the most unusual combinations: I ordered the Belgian 75, which consists of Chimay beer with a shot of aviation gin and a wedge of fresh lemon. The cocktail menu explains that Neil’s drinks are made with precision and soul. This is an understatement. He is wildly and calculatingly passionate about creating novel combinations of spirits. Neil is equally passionate about telling tantalizing tales revealing the origins of each concoction. He even holds each bottle reverently as if it were a rare book filled with hitherto unknown history.
The happy hour food was exquisite as well. We ordered soup, a salad, homemade chips and dip and canape type sandwiches made of succulent sliced lamb wedged between delicate biscuity buns. Each bite was unbelievable! I would return every week or at least once a month if I could. However, it will be 26 weeks before we get back to the letter “C”.
Carlyle
1632 NW Thurman
Portland, OR 97209
D is for Delta Cafe
It was hard to find a restaurant that begins with D that doesn’t serve pizza. The Delta Cafe advertised cheap eats which is one of our criteria for this blog so off we went to southeast Portland.
The first item under appeteasers is Hushpuppies so The Delta Cafe already gets four stars, two thumbs up, four diamonds, etc. You get six Hushpuppies for $3.00. That’s 50 cents per puppy, what a deal! I’m going back just for that. The rest of the menu consists of southern favorites like fried chicken, meatloaf, Catfish, ribs and black eyed peas. Our waiter checked on us frequently, but didn’t rush us since we wanted to enjoy the ambiance.
The decor is very Portland chic with a great candle alter in the back and red vinyl booths. The music always sounded like Tom Petty. I always make a visit to the restroom which can be very creative in Portland. The restroom at the Delta didn’t let me down and even had a dead bolt on the door which is the sign of a good restaurant in my book.
After beer and Hushpuppies we moved on to the Jambalaya and Creole Gumbo with Cole Slaw and Stewed Tomatoes with Okra for side dishes. The food was fairly spicy, but very good. Great food, great atmosphere and service. We would highly recommend the Delta Cafe. Go early though, it does get crowded.
P.S.
This is meant to be a happy hour/dinner blog, but this morning I went to Voodoo Doughnut on NE 3rd St. for the first time and if you haven’t been there you have to go. Again the decor, the doughnuts, the service and not to mention the great location can’t be beat. Be sure to check out the t-shirts and underwear with the Voodoo logo.
Delta Cafe
4607 SE Woodstock Blvd.
Portland, OR 97206
E is for Equinox
After going to Equinox I now realize what type of restaurants I don’t like: The ones that don’t have any soul, those that don’t leave a lasting visual imprint. The décor was too plain to make a difference. The combination of wood and low light did add some warmth, however the overall atmosphere felt austere and tense. The help did not seem happy. All of this combined to help me learn that I prefer Funky over Fancy.
I tried a mixed drink first. The descriptions always sound so fun….Mama Mia! – tequila, hibiscus, fresh lime juice dash of habanero, gran marnier, with red salt rim and lime wedge. It was a disappointing mumbo jumbo of tastes with no distinction.
We did order an excellent hors d’oeuvre: Wild Mushroom Wontons stuffed with gorgonzola and chives, with chile lemon verbena dip. Each bite was heaven.
For dinner we ordered a salad and chicken stuffed with chorizo, corn bread pudding and cheese, served over sauteed spinach, with spicy etoufee cream. (The word etoufee comes from French word etouffer which means to smother. Pronunciation: ay-too-FAY. Can you say ay-too-FAY?)
Thank goodness we were able to take a quick after dinner stroll throughout the neighboring businesses on N. Mississippi Avenue. Our walk was a colorful antidote to an otherwise
stale evening, as we passed by and looked into the windows of coffeehouses and fun antique-type stores. Maybe we just caught Equinox on a bad night? Or possibly it’s a haven for summertime dining when we can all sit outside?
Equinox Restaurant
830 N Shaver
Portland, OR 97227
F is for Five Spice
Five Spice in Lake Oswego is where we came up with the idea for this blog. When we first moved to West Linn, Five Spice was the closest restaurant with a inexpensive happy hour and neither of us had jobs. We went early one Wednesday night since that’s the night our neighbors have band practice. It was in late September so the view of Lake Oswego and the hills were still visible out the second floor windows. We ended up going every Wednesday night for about six weeks when we decided that no matter how much we loved it we should see more of Portland. We came up with the idea to visit restaurants that have cheap happy hours or inexpensive dinners, in alphabetical order. Each week we would take turns picking the restaurant. This is proof that sometimes when you’ve had a few beers you can actually come up with a good idea.
For those of you in Portland who are saying “Lake Oswego?”, please at least finish the review. First of all it’s only a 20 minute drive from downtown down highway 43 and second, the food and service are great. Now I have to confess that we’ve never been for dinner. We sit in the bar or by the fireplace and order from the Happy Hour menu. The restaurant is located on the second floor of the building and is designed in a beautiful light color wood. It all looks very new so don’t expect rustic. This isn’t the Delta Cafe.
We also always order the same same thing so we’re assuming that everything else is equally good, but don’t hold us to it. We both get the mixed greens salad with hazelnuts, butternut squash soup, and duck confit salad rolls. Throw in a couple of beers and it still cost less than $35.00. I don’t know which I like better, the soup or salad. The service is great and they leave you alone, but don’t ignore you. While you’re there take a look at Manzana, across the alley. We had dinner there a while back and it was also great. Anyway, give Lake Oswego a chance, it’s really not that bad. Think of it as the opposite of slumming.
Five Spice
315 First St Ste 201
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Phone: (503) 697-8889
A Week Off
We had to take this week off because our cat broke a couple of toes in a recycling accident. A bottle fell out of the recycling box and landed directly on his front paw toes. We’ll be back with the letter G next week.
G is for Gotham Tavern
I finally found Funky. <<Sigh of Relief>> This is one of the most visually appealing places I’ve been to yet. I was attracted to the Gotham Tavern because I read that the interior consisted of wood, concrete and black leather. I couldn’t even imagine what that combination could look like.
As soon as we walked in I said “W.O.W.”*. On our right was a floor to ceiling mirrored wall with three or four big pieces of driftwood embedded at different heights. I was mesmerized, kept marching forward, drawn to the very back of the restaurant where we entered into our own private hive of honey-colored wood. Large wooden “bricks” woven like wicker, spun into a cocoon for humans.
It didn’t seem like a tavern. We think of a tavern as being a place where you go for a drink, where there is no dinner menu and usually taverns are dark. This place is molten glowing warm with wood. The concrete makes it more grounded, more real and the leather turns it into hip.
The food was not anything we’d ever want to eat again. We ordered lettuce wraps that were a happy hour special costing only $4. On the plate were pale leaves of iceberg lettuce alongside what could only be called school cafeteria grade salty shredded beef. Mark informed me he always orders chicken in Mexican restaurants specifically to avoid this type of beef.
While reading the dinner menu, I thought the spinach salad with crispy onions sounded appealing. Then I wondered if the onions were crispy as in fresh or crispy as in fried or baked. Our waitress, who was pleasant, was not readily available to answer questions or to engage in any sort of conversation other than taking our order. She was like a very well mannered robot.
When the spinach salad with crispy onions arrived, I immediately thought of Howard Johnson’s. Remember those big white buns filled up with the little fried clams? Mark heartily agreed and said, “Hey, Howard Johnson is an H! If we find one, we could go there next week!”
*My definition of W.O.W is Whole Other World.
Note: Tuesday night is Oregon Literacy Tuesday Scrabble Tourney night. On other nights there is live music. The schedule is on their website.
Gotham Tavern
2240 N Interstate Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97227
503-517-9911
www.gothamtavern.com
H is for Hedge House
The Hedge House is also known as the New Old Lompoc from the bar in the WC Fields Movie, The Bank Dick. It’s located in a old craftsman style house on Division St. in SE Portland so you definitely know that you’re in a hip Portland restaurant.
As soon as I drove up I realized that I’d been here last summer with my son, Tarn. He and I sat outside on a warm summer night and drank different beers from the great selection at the Hedge House. It was a lot different tonight as the temperature hovered around 30 degrees with a pretty good breeze, but it was sunny all day so who am I to complain? The temperature combined with early Monday evening made for a pretty quiet place.
We started with a couple of the LSD (Lompoc Strong Draft) beers which are dark and very good. As often happens in Portland another customer came over and asked about my camera and started to chat. The combination of friendly people and restaurants like this are what makes Portland a great place to live. You get the feeling that nobody here knows or cares how much Google is trading for today or what the latest iPod is. Our waiter and waitress were also very cool and felt like a throwback to the 60′s but again that’s pretty typical for Portland. Just don’t tell anybody, we want to be the last Californians to move here.
Jasmine had the Portabello Burger and I had the P.A.B.S.T which is a Provolone, Avocado, Bacon, Something and Tomato sandwich. Anyway, both of them arrived with salads and were great. We split one more LSD beer and the whole tab came to $25.00.
On our way out we noticed that they have Tarot card readings on Monday night and I read that they have cheap beer on Tuesday night. I have to admit I like sitting outside in the summer, but this place is good year round. Service was good, the beer and food were good. We’ll be back this summer.
Hedge House (New Old Lompoc)
3412 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202
503-235-2215
I is for Iorio
My choices were very limited while searching for a restaurant whose name started with “I”. There were only about 4 or 5 that I could find. Iorio turned out to be a very nice find. We got there early and sat in a front window seat. One of the waiters was outside our window with sudsy water and a squeegee, sparkling up the exterior for the night.
I’d describe the interior of Iorio as casual elegant or even casual traditional. The color of the walls was a deep red, adding to the relaxed and warm atmosphere. The restaurant has one big room with a golden toned wood floor.
We ordered calamari as an appetizer and it was phenomenal—-the best we’ve ever tasted. The menu even noted that Iorio’s calamari was voted as The Best in Portland. It was so delicately battered with lovely spices. We also ordered the margherita pizza with fresh basil, tomato and pine nuts. The pizza was just okay. It was a little bland, even though there were ample strips of fresh basil leaves gracing the cheese.
I was worried the side salads of fresh greens would have candied walnuts that were overly sugar-encrusted. The walnuts, instead, were lightly sweetened. Also, there were only a few walnuts. This was not a disappointment, because it made the salads more green and healthy. Mark ordered the soup of the day (butternut squash), which he found delectable.
What made the night most memorable for both of us was the bicycle shop next door. Filled with commuter bikes and their accoutrements, there was even a long cushioned seat for passengers to sit behind you with their arms wrapped around your waist—just like on a motorcycle! Todd, one of the owners says he rides his bike with his wife and son seated behind him. The bike shop is called Clever Cycles. (http://clevercycles.com) If you’re a bike lover, go visit!
Mark went into the rug store before I arrived and raved about the selection of hand-knotted rugs. He had just seen one of their rugs in a friend’s home and thought it was stunning. The store is called Kush and is owned by a married couple. (www.kushcarpets.com)
All in all, our evening at Iorio was fun. It was not funky, but Iorio is a great place to meet with friends in an intimate, charming setting with great stores nearby.
Iorio Restaurant
912 SE Hawthorn Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-445-4716
www.ioriorestaurant.com
J is for Jake’s Grill
Actually J was supposed to be for Jax on SW 2nd Ave., but when we drove by it just didn’t appeal to us. Not to say anything bad about Jax since we didn’t even go in. J was another difficult letter and the only other restaurant I could remember besides Jack in the Box was Jake’s, which was just a mile or so away so we looked it up on the GPS and headed over. We liked it the moment we walked in. I felt like it had been there forever which it has. The bar was very crowded since it was 5:30 and everybody downtown had just gotten off work.
Jake’s Grill
611 SW Tenth Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
Restaurant: (503) 220-1850
K is for Kalga Kafe
The exterior of the Kalga Kafe was one of my favorite parts of our dining experience. I liked the fact that the building was rounded and the signs were refreshingly intricate.
We sat next to a window, across the street from a house with small neon sign inside it’s living room window announcing Spa and Nail Salon. The area surrounding the Kalga Kafe was mostly a neighborhood of homes. It felt almost suburban.
Mark and I each ordered a mixed drink to start off the evening. A Margarita and a Manhattan. I thought Mark’s Margarita was excellent. The Manhattan was good, as far as I could tell. (This was the first time I’d ever had a Manhattan.) Incidentally, Manhattan’s were Mark’s father’s favorite cocktail. Interesting that a place that presents itself as being a vegetarian hotspot would be offering it’s own signature drinks. I guess alcohol is vegetarian, though.
We sat right next to the turntables which were deliciously retro and novel. The spinning record was playing something instrumental, some sort of pseudo Indian jazz. The young man who waited on us kept changing the records but they all sounded the same to me. (And I’m a former professional musician.) I kept wishing he’d play the Jackson Five album whose cover I spied. Would have added some levity to the atmosphere.
I did a little research on the background of this restaurant and found an article from April of 2002 titled Kalga Kafé: Activist son draws dad into venture. The article claims Sukhdeep Singh, who was then 25 years old, said “To fight capitalism, we’ll have to do capitalism.”
“I hate oil,” Singh explained, thus the delivery has been bicycle-only. He found slinging organic pizza pies on pedals restricted the delivery area so he is thinking of purchasing a diesel-fuel vehicle. Reasonably-priced delivered food comes in reusable Tupperware containers.
I don’t know if bicycle delivery is still an option. I could not find a website for the “kafe”.
For appetizers, we ordered the Samosas. They were superb.
After the drinks and Samosas, I started counting how many things weren’t done as requested or simply were not available: We ordered a salad with dressing on the side. It was delivered drenched in dressing. I ordered one of the wines on the menu. “Sorry, we don’t have this one tonight,” our waiter said. We ordered a pizza. The waiter said “Oh, I was debating whether or not to tell you. We’re out of mozzarella.”
How many things went wrong??????????
On a positive note, the salad’s dressing was pretty impressive: a mixture of pistachio and cucumber. I asked the practically underage waiter what wine he recommended after learning the one I’d chosen wasn’t available. He was able to expertly recommend the other red wine on the menu. (!) The falafel sandwich we ended up splitting was very good.
Despite the glitches, I would return to Kafe Kalga. I wouldn’t be a regular, though. The menu was interesting and now I am curious to taste their pizza with organic mozzarella.
Kalga Kafe
4147 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
503- 236-4770
L is for Leipzig (Gino’s)
I was told it was cheating to choose the Leipzig as my L choice since most people think of it as Gino’s, but I love this restaurant and we missed it when we choose our G. It’s definitely a Portland institution. If you do go to look for Gino’s the sign outside will say Leipzig Tavern. Because we arrived early we were able get a table in the bar, my favorite place to sit. The Leipzig has a long bar with tables and booths lining the wall. There is a lot of dark wood and an old historic feeling to the room. While you’re in Sellwood take a walk down the street and check out the bookstore in a caboose and the antique stores for which Sellwood in known.
We’re trying to get back to the original idea of this blog by trying to find cheap happy hours. Ginos doesn’t have a separate bar menu so we ordered a small Caesar salad to split. If you haven’t been to Gino’s the small Caesar is more than enough for two people. It comes in one large bowl to share. We split that over two glasses of wine while we watched the bar and restaurant fill up. There is a separate dining room attached to the bar which also has great atmosphere.
For dinner we split the Mixed Grill which is Lamb Chops and Loins served with potatoes and Brussel Sprouts. The salad and Mixed Grill were perfect for the two of us. The service, salad and dinner were great and we enjoyed every minute at the Liepzig, or Ginos as some people insist on calling it.
Leipzig Tavern (Gino’s)
8051 SE 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202
503-230-9733
Mc is for McMenamins
We kept trying to fit any of the McMenamins restaurants in this blog somewhere, but to be honest we’re not that crazy about the food at McMenamins and they all tend to serve the same thing. That being said I’ve still eaten at almost all of the McMenamins from Bend to Seattle. You don’t go to for the food, but instead for the amazing décor and architecture.
My son first took me to Ringlers Bar on Burnside back in the mid 90′s. I think the moment we stepped in is when I first started to think I should move to Portland. We drank great beer and played pool with his friends James and Sid. Some of my best memories go back to that night at Ringlers. After that he tried to find a different McMenamins to go to every time I came up for a visit. We had dinner on one of my birthdays at the Edgefield and then another time beers in the Detention room at the Kennedy school.
My suggestion would be to start at the Kennedy School because of the amazing décor in the halls. Next go out to the Edgefield for a round of par 3 golf, then beers and burgers on the patio. Then, on a warm summer night, head out to the Grand Hotel for beers and burgers at the outside restaurant and then a round of Frisbee golf on the course that circles the restaurant. After you return your Frisbees to the front desk, pick up a map of all the McMenamins and stop whenever you’re near one.
Last but not least make sure you go to the bar behind the Aladdin Theater on Hawthorn St. This is the place that really did tip the scale that made me want to move to Portland. Again the food may be mediocre, but you won’t even notice as you look up from your table toward the ceiling while the Rolling Stones play loud on the stereo. It’s perfect!
Go to them all:
www.mcmenamins.com
M is for Milo’s City Cafe
We decided to go to our “M” restaurant on our way to the Rufus Wainwright concert at the Newmark Theatre on Broadway. I almost chose the Magic Gardens Restaurant and Lounge. Don’t go there unless you’re looking for a fully nude strip club in Chinatown. Mark said they probably wouldn’t have let us take pictures—-so what would be the point?
I also thought of the idea of going to the “M” bar. It’s touted as being the smallest bar in Portland, however they don’t serve food. (Guess it’s too small!) Again, what would be the point?
From the looks of their website, Milo’s City Cafe wasn’t all that appealing: It looked like the patrons were older, less adventurous people—-similar to the patrons of Morrison’s Cafeteria in Florida. When we first arrived, we were just about the only people dining. By the time we left for the concert, it was packed.
Once inside the cafe, the ambience was inviting. Nice lighting, warm glow. Sparely designed furniture and a cohesively streamlined color scheme of black, lemon yellow and muted orange. Each table had a black spiraled candle holder echoing the stripes of the bars on the backs of the chairs.
Mark ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. I told our waiter I’d like to try the same. He brought Mark a full glass and I got a wine glass with a few sips. This must’ve been because I’d said I’d like to TRY the same. Our waiter was decidedly dorkily different. His hair was black and slicked down in four or five crescent-shaped strips, masquerading as multiple above-eyebrow sideburns. After making several stops by our table, he jokingly asked us, “Haven’t you decided yet ?!” As soon as he served us our dinner, however, he completely ignored us. We would have ordered another glass of wine—the Pinot they served was excellent.
Mark ordered a Caesar Salad which looked spectacular—-I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the #1 Caesar Salad in Portland. Next came Mark’s seafood pasta dish and my vegetarian sandwich with grilled portobello mushrooms, onions, and melted cheese served on grilled sourdough bread. They were both quite good.
Milo’s City Cafe is a place to which we’d love to return. It’s hard place not to like. There was even a 10-person birthday dinner in progress, balloon above the table, and a young blind woman in attendance with her black lab guide dog. Milo’s was just RIGHT.
By the way, we were pretty disappointed in Rufus Wainwright. While it was wonderful hearing him sing in person, he performed solo while accompanying himself on guitar or piano. Rufus’ guitar playing consisted of unapologetically strummed, dirge-like and insensitive clods of chords. He would’ve been better off singing a capella.
The theater, however, was lovely. This was our second time going to the Antoinette Hatfield Hall, which is one of the three buildings that make up the PCPA. (Portland Center for the Performing Arts.) Inside the Antoinette Hatfield Hall are three separate venues: The Newmark and Dolores Winningstad Theatres as well as Brunish Hall. The individual theaters are elegantly modern with beautiful varieties of polished wood. Drinks and food are served in the rotunda lobby. Seating is found in both the interior courtyard as well as in balconies on the three floors overlooking the downstairs courtyard. Check it out! (www.pcpa.com)
Milo’s City Cafe
1325 NE Broadway St
Portland, OR 97232
503-288-6456
miloscitycafe.com
N is for Nutshell
I have to confess that I mainly chose this restaurant for its name. I couldn’t wait to write the review so I could say “In a Nutshell, the service was.. “or “In a Nutshell, the food was…” We didn’t have any idea what to expect.
In a Nutshell, this is the best restaurant we’ve gone to so far. Our first impression was that we had picked another hip, stylish Portland eatery. The decor was sparse, light colored wood and the floor a beautiful colored concrete. There were even a few tree trunks carefully placed for décor, go figure The Nutshell is totally the opposite of our previous favorite, the Delta. I could no more imagine Tom Petty playing on the stereo here than I could Pavarotti at the Delta.
We were quickly won over by our waiter, Nick, and the amazing, incredible menu. There is no good way to choose between all the delicious sounding entries. Nick explained all of them and what makes each of them good. We started with bread and olive oil. You choose your type of bread and from many different olive oils and salts to dip it in. We choose the assortment of bread and two glasses of red wine. I won’t bore you with the details of what we ordered, just order any of the breads and you’ll love it.
After Nick explained everything on the menu, we decided on the Tortilla Soup and Spring Lettuce Salad to start and then we split the Jamaican Barbecue which consisted of Eggplant, lilies, fried okra, festival, bammy , beans & rice, yam stuffed orange, habanero & house made jerk sauce and served with the Marley family drink. It was “to die for” as they say down south. I’ve attached a copy of the menu so you can see the great choices. Click on the image of the menu to see it larger.
I noticed on the menu that the Polenta was from “Bob’s Red Mill”. I’ve wanted to visit The Red Mill in Milwaukie, OR since I passed it on the road a few weeks ago. Bob’s features mostly whole grains, but has sandwiches, souvenirs and even serves breakfast. The Red Mill is the kind of place your parents would never stop at when you were kids because they knew that they couldn’t get out of there without buying something and that one of the kids would end up crying. If you love old fashioned roadside attractions like I do or you like whole grains then you’ve got to make the trip to Bob’s.
We can’t wait to go back and try everything else on the menu.
In a Nutshell, it’s GREAT. Go there.
____________________________
Nutshell
3808 N Williams
Portland, OR 97227
503-292-2627
O if for Oaks Bottom Public House
Just imagine coming here after a long, busy day at work. << Don’t! >> This place is Kid Central. I didn’t know they even made pubs in kid mode. If you have young kids and like going out a la famille, this is your nirvana.
It’s noisier than a bowling alley. I faced toward the large front window that had lots of light streaming in. Practically all I could see were shadows of people, back-lit by end of day sun.
Our waitress didn’t seem very happy to be there. Mark ordered a veggie sandwich which he loved. I ordered an unhealthy meal of a cheese burger and fries. The fries appeared to be slightly burnt, but they were actually mushy. (You think you have one problem, then it turns out to be another.) The burger was char-broiled tastefully, though. And, yes, the beer was very, very good.
There’s a popular Mexican restaurant, Cha, Cha, Cha!, a few doors down, painted in fun, bright colors. Turning right at the Cha, Cha, Cha! corner we spotted a faded red house with a detached garage. The sandwich board in front of the garage announced “Coffee”.
Also nearby is the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. It’s 140 acres of floodplain wetland are inhabited by hawks, quail, pintails, mallards, coots, woodpeckers, kestrels and widgeons. (“Widgeons” is not a typo for “pigeons” or “widgets”. A widgeon is a bird that looks like a duck.) The Great Blue Heron, the official bird of the City of Portland, also loves Oaks Bottom. The park has trails for biking and hiking and it has—believe it or not—WiFi.
Oaks Bottom Public House
1621 SE Bybee Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202
503-232-1728
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
SE 7th Ave & Sellwood
P is for Perry’s
Perry’s is a nice little neighborhood restaurant. If you live near 24th and Fremont in the northeast you can walk down and sit outside on a nice night. It’s even fenced in so the kids can run around. Other than that I can’t find a lot of reasons to go to Perry’s.
The food wasn’t bad, the décor was a little corny and the service slow, but okay. The main complaint I have about Perry’s is that it’s noisy. It felt like you could hear everyone’s conversations.
The main thing we came away with from Perry’s is that we have to get back to our original goal of finding inexpensive places to eat that are fun to go to. Our dinner, with wine and tip, was $65.00 and this is just too much to pay for a family restaurant.
I don’t want to knock Perry’s too much. If somebody wanted to meet there or you found yourself in that part of town at dinner time you it would be fine, but don’t go out of your way to find it like we did.
Perry’s
2401 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR
503-287-3655
Q is for Queen of Sheba
Did anyone ever teach you that if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything? That’s why I can’t write much about the Ethiopian restaurant, Queen of Sheba. I can tell you Mark made me laugh when he said, “I can’t wait to see what you write about this one.”
As soon as we walked in I wanted to walk out. It looked like the wall colors were chosen by a person who was colorblind . One room had card tables and folding chairs. All of the tables were covered with a white cloth tablecloth covered by another tablecloth made of thick clear plastic. (Formal meets picnic.)
We really did give it our best shot. Despite the colors and card tables we sat down and ordered. The whole experience reminded me of a radio show I heard where a mother talked about frequently taking along her young daughter on business trips. When they went out to dinner, they always challenged one another to order something they’d never eaten before. They are the only people to whom I’d recommend going to the Queen of S.
The meals are built around crepelike injera, a spongy, yeasty Ethiopian bread draped over colossal aluminum serving platters and piled high with gooey monotone stews and hashes. (Maybe that’s why they painted the walls such bright colors!) You rip off a piece of injera and swab up the mounds of who knows what. I commented on how spongy the “bread” was and Mark said, “Shhhhhhh! That might be an heirloom placemat!”
On our drive home we fortunately we went down a tacky street filled with old shops that sold appliances, pet supplies, furniture and fast food—-sometimes all in one store. Then, peeking out behind an insurance office and a diner, I spotted the Statue of Liberty! That was the highlight of the night. It’s not everyday you run into a Statue of Liberty. She was a beauty.
Shortly before arriving home we stopped in front of Quizno’s just as they were closing. (The “Q” we wished we’d chosen)! A Quizno’s employee was bringing the outdoor tables inside. He playfully used them for weightlifting, a table in each hand!
If you ever decide to visit the Alphabet of Restaurants on your own, I’d recommend you skip the “Q”. On the other hand, if you know of a great restaurant that starts with the letter “Q”, could you please tell us about it?
Queen of Sheba
2413 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97208
Phone: (503) 287-6302
www.queenofsheba.biz
R is for Ruth’s Chris Steak House
I’d like to think that it’s not because we had a bad experience last week that we choose Ruth’s Chris Steak House. It’s far from what we normally look for. It’s not local, not unique in any way and certainly not inexpensive. My main motivation for choosing it was a $50.00 gift card that somebody gave me two years ago.
RC is in a great location in downtown Portland. It’s right around the corner from one of my favorite group of food carts and right across the street from the Portland Outdoor Store, which is a Portland institution and has the greatest old neon sign that I’ve seen in a long time.
The atmosphere is dark wood and dim lighting. We decided to eat in the bar since it was obvious that our $50.00 wouldn’t go far in the restaurant. Our waiter was great and came back several times while we tried to decide what to order. As we studied the menu we noticed that a steady stream of men came into the bar and restaurant. Between the restaurant and bar I would guess that the customers were 90% male.
We ordered an orange citrus Mojito and a Hemmingway Daiquiri along with the mushroom stuffed with crabmeat appetizer and a salad. Everything was great and service was excellent. We managed to only exceed our $50.00 gift card by $10.00 including the tip, not bad for a restaurant like Ruth’s Chris.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
309 SW 3rd St.
Portland, OR 97204
503.221-4518
www.ruthschris.com
S is for Screen Door
Why, in the great northwest, do we seek after southern fried comfort food? Yes, we ate fried green tomatoes at The Screen Door. This experience was tastefully foreshadowed by my recent reading of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fanny Flagg.
A small card on our table listed the southern belles of small batch bourbons. Order a flight of bourbons, or a variety of mixed drinks with names like Scarlett and Rhett. Our waiter—I want to say his name was Mitch—-was perfect. No bothering, hovering or meddling, yet easily engaged in banter.
Can you believe it?! This place has no screen door! Just fake replicas on the wall—screen-door-décor. What it does have, however, is fresh and local organic produce. (Gold stars!) My salad was scrumptious, and there are so many salads from which to choose! Mark loved his soup. The Hush Puppies were good, but not as good as at the Delta Cafe. (Hush,you little puppies.)
Rain misting outside, shiny pavements. Got there early, filled up rapidly. Consuming and conversing, the lively room was packed with people sitting at the ten or more tables. We sat in one of the booths along the wall. (Long live booths!)
Would I go back? Not necessarily. Maybe for the changing-with-the-seasons organic salads and vegetables. Or maybe the weekend brunch, who’s menu sports such delectables as praline bacon waffles. However, the location doesn’t beckon me back—-it doesn’t hold a candle to Sellwood or Alberta Street. The Screen Door’s interior actually felt like a generic version of quirky Portland…..not quite quirky enough for me.
.
The Screen Door
2337 E Burnside
Portland, OR 97214
(503)542-0880
www.screendoorrestaurant.com
T is for Tin Shed Garden Cafe
This was one of those nights that reminded us why we moved to Portland. It’s finally getting warm, it’s not raining and everybody wants to sit outside and they are so happy about it all. Alberta Street may be Portland’s hippest, new living, eating and shopping area. The stores and restaurants are all unique, not a Starbucks in sight. If all you did was fly into Portland, take a cab to Alberta Street, walk around and eat, you would see exactly why this city is the buzz of the west, if not whole country.
The Tin Shed fits perfectly on Alberta Street. Mostly an outdoor garden patio, simple wood tables are placed among the stunning plants. We’ve lived here for a almost a year and still don’t understand why a city where it rains what seems like all the time has so many outdoor restaurants.
I know I’m going on a lot about ambiance, but here it is Saturday morning, three days after eating at the Tin Shed, and Jasmine just turned to me and said, “The food was just okay, wasn’t it?”. I can’t even remember what I had, but I’d go back in a heartbeat. I do remember that the food and service was good and the locally (neighborhood made) beer was excellent.
On the way out we were taking photos, when four members of the Rose City Rollers Woman’s Roller Derby team skated by handing out flyer’s to this Saturday’s Roller Derby Rodeo. Sometimes living in Portland is like watching a movie that you happen to be in. Tonight, it’s the perfect place to live.
Tin Shed Garden Cafe
1438 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR
503-288-6966
U is for Umenoki
Smack on the edge of a vibrant scene with lots of cafes and restaurants and outdoor tables crowded with diners is a quiet, unpretentious dining establishment: Umenoki. We were the only ones there. Holiday Inn Hotel-roomish is how I’d describe their décor. It felt like everything was bolted down and sterilized and sanitized at least once daily. A sign made with magic markers on the front door announced a 20% discount. That could be a good thing or it could mean they aren’t getting enough busines.
The food actually was quite good: I had a seaweed salad and chicken satay which were both as good as anywhere else I’ve ordered these dishes. Mark’s dinner came in one of those trays that looks like a it’s made for a sick bed with the little walls around each compartment of food. He said his meal was excellent.
The help was efficient and attentive—-they better be, since we were the only ones there. A man in a banana-colored satin jacket stayed behind the counter the whole time. Perhaps he was the sushi chef?
After dinner, we strolled around 23rd and were immersed in the summer sunset. We saw many restaurants and cafes we’d like to try out next time we’re in this area, which happens to be known as the Historic Alphabet District. (Which refers to the alphabetical progression of street names in this part of NW Portland.)
The intentions were honorable at Umenoki but the outcome was definitely lacking. Even though the food and service were good, there was no Life (let alone Soul). Let’s just say you have a craving for Japanese food and a clean place in which to eat it: Umenoki’s for you.
2330 NW Thurman St
Portland, OR 97210-2521
Phone: (503) 242-6404
Website: None
V is for Veritable Quandary
The great name and location have made me always want to stop at the Veritable Quandary. I first noticed their outdoor patio when I was here last year looking for a house. It looks and feels like a little oasis downtown. You’ll see the outdoor patio as you drive south on SW 1st street, just past Hawthorne.
We arrived at about 5:30 and the patio and bar were already full with diners who had arrived after work from the nearby office buildings. The patio is bordered by a beautiful garden and which makes for a great place to spend a summer evening. Since there was a pretty long wait for a table outside, we decided to check out the bar which has small wooden booths. We also decided against eating in the restaurant, (located in the back,) just because it was more expensive than we want explore in this blog.
The menu immediatley impressed—us as you can see from the appetizer list photo. Our waitress couldn’t have been better. We ordered a glass of wine and told her that we wanted some time before we ordered. She checked back frequently, but never made us feel like we should “get on with things”. When finally decided to spit the Mizuna Garden Greens Tossed with Fresh Berries and the Veggie Burger with Lentils, Hazelnuts & Wild Mushrooms. The service and the food couldn’t have been better.
The outdoor patio is perfect for a warm summer night and the bar would be perfect for a rainy winter night.
Veritable Quandary
1220 SW 1st St.
Portland, OR
503-227-7342
www.veritablequandary.com
W is for Wild Abandon & The Red Velvet Lounge
Wild Abandon on Belmont St. is exactly the type of place we started this blog to find in Portland. It has a beautiful outdoor patio and a large happy hour menu with great prices. When you enter the front door, you step into the Red Velvet Lounge which, as you can imagine, has red velvet booths and decor. It’s small and intimate, but not what we came for. Afterall, it’s a warm summer night in Portland and we want to sit outside.
We went out the back door of the restaurant and into an upstairs patio that feels more like somebody’s backyard than a restaurant. In fact, the patio looks right into the house behind the property. The happy hour menu has almost everything from the regular menu at half the price, including drinks. You can have a whole meal if you get here early enough.
We split the Goat Cheese Torta and Grilled Natural Flank Steak Salad along with two Margarita’s. As they say “Life is Good Here”. (L.I.G.H.) The food and service were excellent.
P.S. We went back to Wild Abandon this morning for Sunday Breakfast on the patio with my son, Tarn. Again everything was great and I almost forget to mention that it’s in a great location on Belmont St. in the heart of hip Portland.
Wild Abandon
2411 SE Belmont St.
Portland, OR 97214
503-232-4458
www.wildabandonrestaurant.com
X is for XV (or in this case, E-San Thai)
“XV” was the only thing close to a restaurant that started with “X” that we could find in Portland. XV is located at the intersection of 2nd St. and Burnside. This isn’t the best part of town and it felt a little rough around the edge even at 5 pm. I got here early and decided to walk around the block past the Liberation Street Church and around by the strip club on 3rd St.
The only reason I’ve ever found to come down to this part of town is the famous Voodoo Doughtnuts on 3rd St. I, of course, felt obligated to buy a doughnut After watching the different flavors go ’round and ’round in the display case, I went for the Fruit Loop Covered Glazed.
When Jasmine arrived we looked around “XV” and decided the only place we might want to sit was at an outside table. The interior was interesting, but the music was way too loud. XV looks like it’s more of a night club than a restaurant. Luckily the waiter, who went to look for a menu, didn’t come back so we voted to leave and look for something else which turned out to be E-San Thai about a block down on 2nd Ave. E-San was nothing memorable, but a good Thai restaurant if you find yourself in this part of town.
E-San Thai Cuisine
133 Southwest 2nd Ave. and Pine
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 223-4090
www.e-santhai.com
Y is for Yakuza
I always get the names Stephanie and Jennifer mixed up. Same number of syllables and both are also soft sounding names. The woman working in Grollo was Stephanie, I believe. Yes, we are on the letter “Y” tonight, yet our “Y” restaurant didn’t open until 6 pm, so I met Mark at 5:30 pm in the tiny four seater bar in Grollo a few doors down from Yakuza.
We both want to go to Grollo some day for dinner. It felt like the interior of an intimate castle. Soft surprises everywhere you looked. We both loved the wine rack pictured here behind Stephanie (or Jennifer).
Yakuza rolled open their garage door front promptly at 6 pm. I love their modern architecture and the plants growing off the rooftop. The grasses! I am falling in love with all of the grasses I see planted all around Portland. Slanted roof, interior wide garage door opened, revealing a cherry tree, painted mural-style, on one wall. The furnishings were a surprise-for-our-eyes combination of oak, corrugated tin and red plastic.
We were seated in the back garden area. There aren’t many tables out back and, even though we arrived just after 6 pm, we got the last remaining table. If you’re ever able to visit Yakuza in the summer, eating out back is highly recommended! The surrounding garden makes for a very relaxed setting. (Note the photograph of the giant leaves around Mark’s head.)
I
I ordered one of their specialty drinks: fresh basil leaves floating in Sauza Tequila with a small amount of honey mixed in. It was very strong and tasted great.
We ordered a seaweed salad and sushi. The sushi tasted so fresh it felt like it could melt in my mouth! Yakuza is one of my very favorites now, especially for summertime dining.
Yakuza
5411 NE 30th Ave
Portland, OR 97211
Phone: (503) 450-0893
www.yakuzalounge.com
Z is for Zilla
What a great restaurant to end this blog adventure with. Zilla was recommended a while ago by our friend, Shannon Baird. We’ve walked by several times, but felt we should wait until we officially got to Z to go in. It’s hard to say what’s best about Zilla; the atmosphere, the food or the wonderful service.
We started to look forward to finishing the A-Z restaurants before we went to Zilla. Now we wish it could go on to find more gems like this.
I arrived before Jasmine and watched as the owner, Allowe, trained a new employee and fed her daughters some Miso soup when they came in. She and I talked about the great lighting to be found everywhere in the restaurant.
Once Jasmine showed up we took a booth and ordered Miso soup, Edamame, Seaweed salad and some sushi. The Miso soup was organic and the best either of us has ever had. The Edamame was served warm and, for a simple dish, had no comparison to the Edamame that Trader Joe’s sells.
After dinner we ordered a flight of Sake, which is a three Sake sampler. Because it took a little long to bring it to the table, the owner added one of her favorite Sakes to the flight. She carefully explained how and where each Sake was made.
As we left we asked Allowe if we could take her photo for the blog. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this adventure.
Zilla Sake House
1806 NE Alberta
Portland, OR 97211
503-336-4104
The End of this Blog
What I learned by being a co-creator of The Alphabet of Restaurants in Portland, Oregon:
After completing about the first half of the alphabet, I’d be driving around and would spot a restaurant I knew from doing this blog. The funny thing was, even though I recognized the restaurant, I still had no clue as to where I was!
After finishing the entire alphabet, I can now actually drive to various parts of Portland—as long as I know what restaurant it’s near! I feel like I’ve definitely made progress in getting to know our new home, Portland.
Working on this blog has also helped me clarify what’s most important to me in a restaurant. It’s not just about food for me. Sure, the food is a significant factor. However, nothing beats a soulful, creative atmosphere and a staff of friendly and helpful people.
—–Co-Blogger, Jasmine Bachrach
October 11, 2008
