As the week of food and wine, rain and clouds, old and newly made friends fades, the city of Portland always amazes me. The forefront of everything delicious, delectable, and a little decadent, this food mecca is always in transition. In flux for the better. New restaurants, bakeries, coffee, cheese, chocolate shops, and wineries seem to pop up overnight and within a few weeks, are the entire buzz, the rage and the “must go to” location.
Very few cities can sustain the number of restaurants that Portland boasts year to year. This trip included visits to some the newest kids on the block. Exciting menus, both for dinner and for the bar were discovered.
My short, very early morning flight into PDX was uneventful (thank God), a car was rented, and the drive into the city was in a downpour. No surprise, it’s Portland!
My first stop in town is always The Grand Central Baking Company on Hawthorne Avenue (they have six locations). Needing breakfast, something to tide me over till dinner, I opted for their special of the day – toasted brioche, topped with thick peppered smoked bacon slices, a mixed green salad topped with a fried egg. (Note…a fried egg on everything is the rage in this city!) A cup of Stumptown coffee accompanied the breakfast. Perfect. A little shopping therapy along Hawthorne Avenue was next in line. Imelda’s. Their shoes would make its namesake green with envy. Then I headed back home.
Dinner that night was at Pok Pok, a short walk from the house, located on Division and 32nd Street. Andy Ricker’s first foray onto the restaurant scene has been opened about 5 years, and from day one has created a local and national buzz for his authentic Thai cuisine and creative beverages at his funky house/garage/street side location. Expect long lines every night so either get there early or make a reservation if you have a large party. If alone or a party of two, sit up to the bar and enjoy one of the most unique meals in town. Roasted half hen with Thai spices, sticky rice and an eggplant salad for dinner was more than enough for one, and two could have easily shared. Bar seating is my choice at Pok Pok, for I always meet the most interesting folks as my dining neighbors, such as this night – a food writer here in Portland where the talk was of course, food and wine, local chefs, and places I must try. Walking back home in the rain concluded a fine Portland day.
Day two. A brisk jaunt to Stumptown Coffee on Division Street and 47th. A hot brew with the local paper. I felt so at home. Then a short walk across the street to Petite Provence on Division and 49th, a charming little bistro offering house made pastries, breads and a variety of coffee drinks and teas. Breakfast was a simple artichoke, basil and tomato omelete with a side of fresh fruit. Breakfast also comes with a choice of croissant or house made breads. I opted for the giant croissant. Enough for 2 to share.
Then a brisk walk in the rain back home. The deck was to be cleaned and the gardens were going to be tamed. So, I stuck around to supervise. Afterwards, another short walk to Division and the shops that entice. Fleur de Lis, Portico, and a new comer, Taste Unique at 2134 Division. A husband and wife team opened this little eatery featuring traditional Italian take out dishes. Lasagnas, tiramisu, pestos, fresh pastas, tomato sauces. Some are in the frozen cases, some freshly made that day ready to pop in the oven at home. Your choice. They were having a Sicilian dinner that night for 12 participants, but it was totally booked. For $25 per person, 4 courses, I was curious to taste and so were the other 12 diners. Wine is not included, but at $6 per glass, it’s a bargain. Next time I’m in town I will attempt a reservation for their speciality dinners. Check out their schedule at www.tasteunique.com.
Dinner turned out to be at the most anticipated new darling on the dining scene – Olympic Provisions at 107 SE Washington.
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Situated in a restored warehouse, the industrial feel remains tastefully designed and decorated. Floor to ceiling windows, open kitchen, subway tiled workspace and a mirrored bar with more top shelf bottles than one can imagine. And the menu – well, let’s say it’s original, varied and so reasonably priced, it’s obvious why there is a wait time for up to an hour for one of the few tables or a spot at the kitchen viewing bar watching the two chefs working at full speed to keep pace with orders.
This is casual dining at its best. To start the evening’s feast, a charcuterie platter of housemade salamis, sausages, and pate, accompanied by bread, pickled red onions, cornichons, and hot mustard was a reasonable $12.
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Charcuterie is Portland’s darling first course. There is one offered on almost every menu in every new establishment, and most places are making their own sausages and pates. Some places such as Olympic Provisions, do it perfectly. And if not housemade, then the meats are no doubt from Chop Butchery and Charcuterie at 735 NW 21st Avenue and also selling at the downtown Saturday Farmer’s Market. But I digress…..
A plate of seared marinated quail, braised Swiss chard and preserved chili was a winner for $12 - another meat course dish.
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For fish dishes, we opted for soft shell crab on potato-bacon hash (hash combinations are another newly discovered menu item in Portland)
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and seared spring chinook salmon, perfectly cooked with spring vegetables in a light broth were both $12, once again so reasonably priced for the quanity and quality of the dish.
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You can’t have dinner without salad, right? How about roasted beets, oranges, pistachios, shaved ricotta salata on a minty yogurt sauce? $5. Yup. For all that goodness.
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Another salad – chickpeas, red leaf lettuce, sopressata, French butter radishes, olives with sliced hard boiled egg for $7.
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I tell ya’…I don’t know how they do it. But it’s such a refreshing concept. Good food at reasonable prices.
For desserts – all made on premise in full view from the bar area – are either $5 or $6. While waiting for our table, we watched the evening’s fresh from the oven cookie selection being plated. Warm double chocolate, ginger and shortbread cookies. Rhubarb galette with sour cream ice cream
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and coffee hazelnut toffee ice cream were our choices.
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Both dreamily rich. With coffee. All that food – and 4 glasses of wine. $110.
Now, honestly, the number of courses we ordered was over-the-top extravagant. I would say share the charcuterie. Share one fish dish. And order just one salad and one dessert. But, rarely do you read a menu where almost EVERYTHING sounds enticing, as it did here. It was all so delicious, and the portions are not overly generous. Perfect small plates, but we were stuffed. I highly recommend Olympic Provisions. Same owners as downtown’s Clyde Common. They do right by respecting food, their customers and their locations.
