The Portland Trip

For our two year anniversary my girlfriend and I decided to hit up Portland for an extended weekend. And while the weather was fairly crappy (rain, heavy winds, temperatures in the high 40s/low 50s) we ended up having a great time nonetheless. This was due in part to the awesome apartment we rented through airbnb.com and the massive amounts of delicious food we gorged on during out stay. I don’t believe I’ve talked about airbnb before so let’s rectify that now, shall we?

This is the second time I’ve used airbnb to book a trip, the first being back on Labor Day for a trip to Santa Barbara, and I can’t say enough nice things about the business. It is an amazing alternative to just booking a hotel room for your trip, instead allowing you to book space in a personal residence, be that an apartment, house, tree house (Santa Barbara), castle or whatever someone has available and is willing to offer. And generally speaking the cost is comparative but you get so much more out of booking a personal space.

Case in point: instead of some generic, moderately comfortable bed and a bathroom with minimal amenities, we got a full blown apartment with an opulent bed, a full living room and kitchen and a full-sized bathroom. Even better, it was located smack dab in downtown Portland, a mere two blocks from the light rail system, dozens of restaurants and major tourist attractions. The owner greeted us on our arrival, offered suggestions on where to go and what to eat, and was immediately available should anything go wrong (which it didn’t). If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Portland I highly recommend you check out her place on airbnb.

As for the food, my own complaint was that I didn’t have a stomach large enough to allow myself to eat non-stop for the three days I was there. But barring that genetic shortcoming we did what we could to eat like kings.

Saturday:

On Deck Sports Bar & Grill (lunch): we hadn’t planned on going here, but apparently 3-5pm is a dead zone for restaurants in Portland. Those that cater to breakfast and lunch close at 3pm and those that do dinner don’t open until at least 5pm, if not later. That said, both the burgers and the buffalo chips were solid options.

Andina (dinner): Our first real chance at sampling the Portland cuisine, Andina offered up a wide selection of Peruvian fare and excellent cocktails. I got the Bistec Novoandino (filet minon) and my girlfriend got the seasonal special which was some sort of seafood potpie, filled with lobster, crab, scallops and every other delicious thing from the sea. We finished the meal with their plato de crema quemada, three tiny pots of crème brûlée in walnut, chocolate and rum flavors. I highly recommend an evening here.

Sunday:

Screen Door (brunch): If you are looking to only eat once a day, this would be the place to come. Both I and my girlfriend got the chicken biscuits with gravy, which while massive and delicious weren’t even the most eye-boggling dish on display. One table over I saw a young woman delivered fried chicken and waffle, which included THREE fried chicken breasts the size of the one on my plate, skewered to an equally massive waffle by a steak knife. MADNESS. But back to my dish; the gravy and fried chicken were delicious and had a great deal of heat to them, but my chest almost immediately began to lodge a protest with my brain. While good eats, I think I’d have to leave at least half for leftovers in the future.

Voodoo Donuts (snack): Meh. Donuts are donuts. But it was fun to see all their crazy concoctions on display.

Le Pigeon (dinner): This was the fanciest meal we had while visiting and was a culinary tour de force. We got the five-course Chef’s tasting menu, which was comprised of (1) seared Foie Gras with truffle, pumpkin bread and quince, (2) Potato Gnocchi with lamb ragu and chimichurri cream, (3) duck breast with broccoli, epoisses fondue, currants and mushrooms, (4) Beef Cheek Bourguignon, and (5), Foie Gras Profiteroles for dessert.

It was the first time I’ve ever had foie gras, and while not bad, I don’t think it’s something I’ll try again. Especially in dessert form. :P

Monday:

Pine State Biscuits (brunch): This was my favorite stop on our trip and I only wished we could have gone there more than once (or that I was hungry enough for more than one sitting). Unlike Screen Door that overwhelmed you with food, PSB gave me just the right amount of food in its signature dish, The Jimmy. The portions were perfect as well, with the biscuit, fried chicken, bacon, egg, and cheese all contributing equally. If you go nowhere else in Portland, go here.

Karam (lunch): Another unexpected stop, we had been aiming to get to the oft praised Bunk Sandwiches, but it turned out they closed at 3pm, so when we got there at 2:58pm they had already shut down. Instead we hit up Karam, a Lebanese & Syrian restaurant, where we feasted on hummus, kibbee, falafel, kafta kabab, and chicken and lamb shawarma. It was a hearty meal that sustained us all the way back to Los Angeles.