Roy's Profile
Is there a bakery that does gluten free birthday cakes in or around Portland?
Dessert Tray, a block or so east of Beaverton Bakery, has a wonderful flourless chocolate cake
Needing Prime Rib
You might try Costco. I got USDA Prime rib roasts at Costco in the Portland area.
lucky strike-true sichuan in pdx
Google is your friend -
12306 SE Powell Blvd
Portland, OR 97236
(503) 206-8292
Best Pinots/vineyards in Willamette Valley?
If you are going to be in the area and want to visit some of the places that don't have tasting rooms just give them a call. Even though they're all pretty busy with pressing the wines that are just finishing fermenting they may be able to take a few minutes to host you. The worst that can happen is they say no.
If you do go to Carlton and stop at Scott Paul's tasting room (highly recommended, not only for his pinots but the great selection french wines that he personally imports) you're less than 50 yards from Ken Wright, Raptor Ridge and Carlton Cellars, and Solena not to mention Cana's Feast and the Carlton Winemakers Studio about 1/4 mile away.
If you're near Newberg, make a point to call Owen Roe and Sinnean to see if you could stop by. Both make a really wide variety of wines, most all outstanding.
Eating in Columbia Valley
I just came back from a few days in Walla Walla and I highly recommend Saffron in Walla Walla and Patit Creek in Dayton (about half an hour north of Walla Walla). Saffron has a small plates menu that was wonderful and Patit Creek has great NW entree items. Both places will require reservations, especially on the weekend.
http://www.saffronmediterraneankitchen.com/
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/thepalouse/D49993.html
Make sure you stop by K Vintners for some great blends and Syrahs.
In the Willamette Valley I'd recommend Bistro Maison in McMinville, Cuvee in Carlton, Red Hills Provincial Dining in Dundee, and Joel Palmer House in Dayton. First three are french oriented and Joel Palmer House specializes in mushrooms & truffles.
Portland bargains?
If you're going to be in Beaverton I'd suggest Abhiruchi's indian buffet lunch over Swagat's. http://www.abhiruchirestaurant.com/ Other lunch choices in that area could include Jin Wha who has a great $6.95 lunch menu and the newly opened Best Baugette on Hall Street with their $2.95 Bahn Mi sandwiches http://www.bestbaguettesandwiches.com/.
By November the new 5 Guys burgers & fries may even be open (cedar hills & walker rd.
PDX CheepChees
Have you seen any roquefort? At my local Costco (Aloha) I see gorganzola and stilton. I think they used to carry some Bee brand roquefort but I sure haven't seen any lately.
Breakfast and Pastries in SW PDX (Tigard, Lake Oswego)
Located just a few blocks south of the Kruse way intersection. Wonderful french pastries, open for all 3 meals. I haven't personally tried their breakfast but I've enjoyed their dinners and pastries.
http://www.laprovencebakeryandbistro.com/
La Provence Bakery & Bistro
15964 Boones Ferry Rd
Lake Oswego, OR 97035-4302
Phone: (503) 635-4533
Portland Breakfast restaurant off Powell
It may have been Broders - Swedish restaurant specializing in breakfast & lunch - open for dinner also these days.
2508 SE Clinton St., Portland, OR 97255
Inexpensive Produce in PDX
Agree with Jill-o's Winco recommendation. Uwajimaya has moderate to high prices but a large selection of produce, meats, seafood, etc. High turnover so its usually pretty fresh. I thought it was a better selection than Fubonn but I haven't been over to Fubonn since right after it opened 'cause Uwaji is only a mile or two away.
There are many mexican and asian markets around the Beaverton area and more out west towards Hillsboro. They usually have good prices on produce. They also have interesting ethnic canned good, etc. There's a market next to the Ace hardware on Cedar Hills Blvd in Beaverton, just north of Canyon Road. Used to be asian and is now Mexican. Good produce selection but not nearly as large as Uwajimaya or Winco.
A Middle Eastern market (little or no produce) on Canyon Rd east of 217. Next to the cheerful tortise sportsbar with NASCAR racer out front. Good selection of stuff like pomegranate molassas, canned goods, etc.
This time of year the farmers markets have wonderful produce but their prices are usually more than the grocery stores. You may try a trip to Sauvie Island - a little too far for regular shopping but there are farms out there where you can get wonderful buys on stuff that is in season. I remember buying cabbages last year at 35cents each (not lb).
Trader Joes has good prices on fresh Basil - about half New Seasons' price. Baby artichokes too. Other produce not a bargain but if you're already there...
If you want really nice looking produce look at Zupans, New Seasons, Wild Oats & Whole Foods. Expect to pay a tidy supplement over Winco but sometimes if you're looking for high quality produce its where to go.
I believe that there is a Food Front going into the old Wild Oats location in Hillsdale really soon. May be a good choice when it opens.
Bottom line is that for everyday shopping you'll probably end up shopping close to where you live/work except for specialty items.
current portland itin - edits/suggestions welcomed
North 45 also has good fries seasoned to go with the mussels. A fun, casual place.
Make sure you check out Powell's City of Books if you're wandering around downtown on Thursday.
Wine tastings on friday: suggest you limit yourself to no more than 4 wineries. Stoller Vineyards has an impressive new winery on a hill with a good view and their wines are great. Willakenzie Estate is also a nice facility among their vineyards and good Pinots. You may want to consider eating dinner down south rather than returning to Portland to eat. Joel Palmer house in Dayton has a great menu and their service is very nice. Lots of mushroom/truffle options since that's the owners specialty. Red Hills Provincial Dining in Dundee and Painted Lady in Newberg are also places that get rave reviews.
You may want to check out the Portland Farmers market on Saturday morning. Even if you're not buying produce its good people watching, there will be music and demos and tasty snacks.
Sunday at Screen Door should be fun but you could also consider Simpatica Dining Hall's or Country Cat's Sunday brunch.
Sounds like a fun visit. Happy Anniversary.
Sell yourself, Portland!
Agree with Leonardo that gently and helpfully pointing newbies in the direction to find the info they request is not "completely churlish". MyNextMeal's advice and links are very helpful also.
Portland Thai & Indian
If you're interested in high end (white tablecloth) Indian try Plainfield's Mayur http://plainfields.com/ .
A good Indian lunch buffet in Beaverton can be found at Abhiruchi on Murray Blvd http://www.abhiruchirestaurant.com/ Agree that Swagat's Beaverton buffet was mediocre.
I like Chaba Thai on Sandy Blvd and Pepper Tree Thai on Beaverton-Hillsdale hwy
Best for Chowhounds: Washington or Oregon?
Broders in SE Portland offers Swedish breakfast and lunch. Not an enclave or neighborhood but pretty good for what it is.
Frenchies come to Portland
Second the suggestions for Tanuki and Biwa for Japanese izakaya places.
If you do end up braving the suburban sprawl and go to Hillsboro, Ochoa Taqureria qualifies for hole in the wall and pretty good authentic mexican food. Beaverton has a number of korean resturants if thats of interest.
Portland- Pupusas?
Gloria's Secret in old town Beaverton. Very small place (4 tables as I recall) open for lunch and dinner, Cooked and usually served by Gloria. Highly recommended.
She's usually at the Beaverton Farmers Market on Sat mornings.
12500 SW Broadway St
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 643-2320
Washington Wine Country Trip Report 5/31 - 6/2
Thanks for the report. Any comments on the wineries yoy visited? I hope to be doing a wine tasting trip out towards Walla Walla in the next 6-8 weeks or so.
Mangosteens!
In Portland, I just checked Uwajimaya and they do have some at $14.99 lb.
How many McCormick and Schmicks are there?
Don't forget McCormick's Fish House in Beaverton and M&S Grill in Bridgeport Village - Tigard - That'd make 6 in the Portland metro area.
How are the dosas at Swagat (PDX)
Swagat is an OK buffet and thats about it. Abaruchi in Beaverton has a much better buffet in my opinion.
If you want to try really nice Indian food try Plainfield's Mayur. They also have a wondeful wine list with lots of vintage choices and they do a half-off on a selected wine list on mondays.
http://www.plainfields.com/
bbq or soul food in Portland
From Podnah's Pit online dinner menu (website mentioned near the top of this thread).
The ribs and brisket are definitely Texas style (and Rodney is from Texas) but the pulled pork was close to what I recall from NC - VA. No red sauce added and they had extra vinegar based sauce on the table.
Pulled Pork plate with two sides - $11.75
Pork shoulder smoked 12 to 14 hours pulled and tossed with Carolina vinegar sauce
"Quiet" dinner w/ parents in PDX?
My Dad (87 next month) tries to avoid loud places due to hearing problems. When I ate at Toro Bravo a few weeks ago I commented to my wife that it'd probably be too loud for Dad.
Heading to Portland and looking for a good place for dinner on a Friday night
Many of the restaurants listed above focus on fresh local ingredients and are great suggestions. I'd add Whiskey Soda Lounge (Pok Pok Thai) to the list. Most all don't take reservations and will be busy on Fri night.
I had dinner last night at Plainfield's Mayur an upscale (but not too dressy) Indian restaurant. They have a huge wine list - 6 legal pages long.
If you're more interested in a Pacific Northwest oriented menu Wildwood or Higgins may be good choices.
Don't worry too much about dress. I spent 17 years in Fairfax before moving here in 2003 and I can assure you that Portland is by and large much more casual than the DC area.
Ribs in PDX?
from portlandfood.org last year:
Delicious Texas Pit BBQ
East of Oleson Rd on
SW Beaverton Hillsdale
Parking lot varies - usually in the Club Amazon? parking lot
Portland, OR 97225
Charles Moss
503.381.0874
503.246.4301
Saturdays only, but not if he has a catering job. Made fresh and pulled straight off the pit. Wood only.
Portland's NW Yeon Ave.
You may be thinking about MacTarnahan's Taproom. It's now owned by Pyramid Brewing out of Seattle.
http://www.macsbeer.com/
Formal dining in Portland for my 70-ish Father-in-Law
If he likes Italian, he should try Alba Osteria at 6440 SW Capital Highway in Hillsdale. They don't have a very fancy facility (upscale but not a formal steakhouse atmosphere) but the service is very well done and the food is fresh, local and tasty. Every meal I've had there was relaxed and the staff certainly didn't seem to be rushing anyone. I'd imagine that $70 for 2 would be doable as the entrees run $19 to $28. menu on the website.
http://www.albaosteria.com
[PDX] Chinese in Beaverton?
Jin Wah is great - Dim Sum daily, a good value lunch special 6 days a week until 2:30 and a wide range of chinese & vietnamese dishes.
Just north of Canyon Road between 117th and Lombard 4021 SW 117th Ave
Private Dining Suggestions for 30 ppl (Portland)?
Genoa has a private room though it may be a tad small for 30. Simpatica's dining hall would fit but their decor is "spartan" and probably louder than you'd like. However, since they are caterers, they'd know about other places that are available for private affairs and suitable for your party.
PDX Party Place
Other than the hotels, who can handle large parties, you might check with caterers. They usually know about venues as well as menus. Talk to the guys at Simpatica catering.
