To the City of Roses!

B and I took a advantage of the Southwest Airlines airfare deals and took a spent a long weekend in Portland.  Our timing could have been a little better given the local forest fires that obstructed our view of Mt Hood from Mirror Lake and the thick fog that struck the coast after a weekend of hot weather.  But we still had a great time dining about the town!

Our weekend started enjoying sandwiches on fresh bread with homemade treats-a bear claw and peach-blueberry tart in a rustic fold-over crust at the Pearl District’s Pearl Bakery.  A short stroll in the area uncovered a cool revived urban area with great tax-free shopping with the famous Powell’s Books, Anthropologie, North Face, Sur la Table and Whole Foods among remnants of the older businesses, mainly car repair shops.

A quick drive up to the International Test Garden housed the biggest hydrangea plant I had ever seen…over 6 feet tall!

The downtown area was filled with a very urban and individual vibe.  Intellectual techies mesh with tattooed free spirits and tree loving outdoorsmen.  What is so cool is that could be describing only one person!  I love how this little city feels so accepting of different walks of life-and the food scene!

Andina, a Nouveau Peruvian restaurant, was a wonderful dinner for our first night in town.  They made the most DELICIOUS drink made with passion fruit and and habanero pepper.  Salty and sweet at first with a fruit fiery aftertaste.  YUM!

A beautiful day to drive the Columbia Gorge

We spent the day exploring the Mt Hood area, Columbia Gorge and Multonah Falls.  The falls was our first stop off the historic byway that wound through the lush vegetation.  The two cascading waterfalls had a short paved hike from the base to a bridge to the upper falls.

Multonah Falls

We stopped for lunch in a little town called Mt Hood for lunch.  We had some surprisingly good sandwiches in this bar/restaurant, all served with tater tots!  I forgot how delicious they are!

The friendly pharmacy in Hood City

Mirrored Lake sans Mt Hood

With stomachs full of lunch, we continued on to Mt Hood.  Unfortunately for us, the local forest fires impeded our view of the mighty mountain.  Our hike to Mirror Lake only mirrored the trees around it.

We returned to the city to have our favorite dinner of the trip at Little Bird.  The French bistro was beautiful, urban and cozy.  Metallic ceiling panels, blue walls and modern rock music made the place feel cool and low key.  We enjoyed one the the best beet salads I’ve had with golden and red beets and crushed pistacio, a gnocchi dish with a very complex texture and flavors but light vegetable ragu.  I had a perfectly grilled whole trout. So simple so delicious!  I think I got Binh hooked on blancmache (French panna cotta) after enjoying their version.

Today’s Specials at Tasty Bird

Brunch at Tasty N Sons was worth an early rise.  My favorite dish was the french toast made with a think dense bread served with local berry sauce and whipped cream.  I totally scarfed my half down.  The Potatoes Bravo were savory rich but light at the same time.  A touch of acid from the tomato and lemon sauce really made the difference.

A dress shop in an old bus right outside Tasty ‘n Sons

On our last day, we headed to the Coast.  A local who pumped our gas recommended that we tried to make our way to Manzanita, his favorite beach town where you actually get the beach to yourself.  A great thing about Portland is how close it is to to nature.

The shore of Cannon Beach on Highway 1

Octopus tree

Toro Bravo was the perfect last meal to a relaxing weekend.  Tapas of lamb chops, Tuscany beans, garlic jumbo shrimp and olive oil cake (YUM!)  My favorite part of the dinner was stopping Binh from eating a big glob of thick whipped cream.  He thought that it was ice cream!

All in all, Portland is a foodie’s dream.  If only I had more days to check out the food truck culture!  The weather was great and the scenery was so green and so so lush!  Seemed like a great college town with a laid back yet sophisticated vibe.  Don’t know if we’ll make it back to Portland anytime soon, but I’m glad that we give Seattle’s weird little brother a try.