Portland

Last weekend I traveled to Portland to celebrate a friend’s 40th and quickly realized that two days would not be near enough to satisfy me! Friday I arrived at our VRBO home (which was perfectly situated in a lovely neighborhood) around 5 … just enough time to drop off my luggage, brush my hair, put on a warmer jacket … and head to the Lucky Labrador for a few beers. Afterwards, we walked to The Woodsmen Tavern for dinner. By the time we arrived (small 2+ mile walk) I was famished. And, it showed, because we literally ate our way through the menu. The server seemed annoyed at first but was then quickly won over when he figured out that we were not just ordering snacks …

Three hours later, several hundred dollars later, we took a cab back to the house and proceeded to be lulled to sleep by a self-induced food coma! But, it was all worth it. The food at The Woodsmen Tavern was really fantastic. The Fisherman’s Stew was especially good and the halibut crudo – devine … oh and I am still dreaming of the ham and cheese fritters; delicious puffy golden nuggets of joy!

Most of my friends get annoyed with me when dining out: for me it’s not just eating it’s also (always – I can’t help myself) a little R&D. I look at the servers’ aprons (I especially liked the ones at The Woodsmen!), the plates, flatware, glassware, cocktail glass choices, the names of their cocktails, ingredients, menu layout and font size, descriptions, menu offerings … I think you get the picture! Dining out is an entire experience and in my world – it all matters and The Woodsmen Tavern is a lovely experience!

The next day we rented bikes and rode all over, in neighborhoods, across the bridge and into the belly of waterfront warehouse area to discover yet another fantastic gem – Olympic Provisions.

Olympic Provisions is a very hip American Charcuterie that does not disappoint! After riding bikes for about 3 hours all around Portland, I was ready to pass out from hunger. Thank goodness we had a reservation! I sat down and promptly ordered an Olympic Mary and was very happy when she arrived! All of our food was inventive, hearty, perfectly cooked and MEATY – the sausages, house made chorizo and assortment of salumi and cheese were all happy-inducing food for sure! Thank goodness we had to ride our bikes back home! On our way back, we made a quick stop by the museum to check out the Samuai exhibit; Portland is so achievable!

Needless to say by the time we returned our bikes at 5pm we were all ready for some down-time at the house! Books and kindles came out, tea was made and a quiet overcame the house. We did venture back out around 8 that night and by 10 we were (dare I say it …) hungry again. We found this little Thai food restaurant and had the most amazing soup EVER!

Oh Portland … I will be back!