PDX Weekender

Last weekend, Kevin went down to Portland for work and I decided to burn up a few PTO days and tag along. I took the Amtrak down on Thursday, which is an absolutely beautiful ride, especially from Seattle to Olympia where the track closely follows the water and especially when the weather is clear. This time of year I thanked my lucky stars that it was indeed clear! I took full advantage by lingering in the dining car with my coffee and cookie.

Thursday night we had a lovely time with some of Kevin’s Portland work folk at the Secret Society Lounge and Toro Bravo. If you're in the Portland area I would highly recommend both. Friday morning had us up early and off to pick up Voodoo Doughnuts for the office. They’re known for their crazy flavors and all around quirky vibe. Also their long lines, but we dodged that by getting there super early. In the end we decided it was something we needed to do once because of the hype but probably wouldn’t go back. We’re sort of classic doughnut types (Top Pot Doughnut shout out, whoop whoop!). Dinner that night was a mix of sushi, ramen, and dumplings from Shigezp Izakaya. Then we headed off to a place called Brasserie Montmartre. Clearly we have no qualms about mixing cultural cuisines. Although, the main reason we went was to catch a bit of free music courtesy of Boy and Bean. They're a sort of vintage throw-back trio that were very enjoyable to see.

One goal of the weekend was to hit the food carts for lunch. Over the course of the weekend we sampled Euro Trash, the Flying Scotsman, and Gaufre Gourmet (a waffle joint). All three did not disappoint! The fish and chips we had at the Flying Scotsman were probably the best we’ve had this side of the pond, which is no wonder as they’re served up by an actual Scotsman. As for the waffle, I'll admit I was skeptical. I’m generally a waffle traditionalist. Give me a big slab of butter and maple syrup any day of the week (literally, we have waffles any day of the week). However, my taste buds were blown by the intriguing blend of fig butter, bacon, Camembert cheese and arugula and I would definitely go back next time we’re in PDX.

Saturday started out with us in search of canelé's. Did I mention yet that our travel plans generally revolve around food?? I had never heard of a canelé before this weekend but I guess they’re hot right now in Portland. They’re pastries of French origin that are made out of a sort of custardy batter that’s baked to a caramelized crisp on the outside yet is still soft and gooey on the inside. We found our first one’s at Ken’s Artisan Bakery, along with the obligatory croque monsieur. All in all we were not so impressed with sir Ken’s. Long wait, not enough places to sit, and the canelé and croque were just so-so. They were awfully pretty, though! Later that day we had two perfect lattes at local Stumptown coffee, then caught a movie at the Living Room Theater. I visited the Living Room on my first solo trip to Portland awhile back and it was instant love. Good movies, good relatively cheap wine and yummy food during your show, comfy seats you get to pick when you buy your ticket. Pretty much my ideal movie watching experience. This time the movie was Detropia, a documentary about the changing face of Detroit since the recession. If you're the documentary-loving type I would recommend it.

On Sunday we set out in search of canelé's again and this time ended up at St. Jack's. Oh man were they good! Not only was the place adorable and not too crowded, the canelé's were night and day from Ken's and had me thinking immediately about trying to make them at home. That might be a little far fetched of an idea...but we'll see.

 

Our weekend ended with a fantastic visit with our good friend Rachel before heading out, which I've decided deserves it's own post since I've spend this one rambling about food! Here's a teaser...