Jen's Garden in Sisters has very good food. It might be the best dinner food in the whole area. Not that you want to go up to Redmond but if for some reason you find yourself there the Brickhouse Steakhouse is good and they have a pretty good wine list.

I would say that I would not drive across town to eat at Ox. If it were in my neighborhood I would go there although I don't suffer waits very well (especially when one gets the sneaking suspicion that there is an artificial nature to the wait times there--at least in my experience). I've found only two or three exceptional items there and none were steak. The wine list is Chef's Table sort of cookie cutter boring and the service has the slight ring of "you are so fortunate to be here" that the whole experience has been just sort of okay for me. Laurelhurst is a jam packed place so atmosphere can be hard to come by if you are looking for a romantic evening out. While I think people rightly say there are mixed qualities to the meals (and service can be slow) they do have very high highs at LM. I don't eat steak out a lot because it is pretty easy to cook well at home. Urban Farmer has very good cuts but the atmosphere is posh hotel restaurant crossed with old school HoJo's swimming pool presence with the occasional dollop of high end call girls thrown in for good measure. Paley's used to do a ribeye and onion ring special on Fridays that was old school and terrific. Don't know if they still do. Aviary does interesting and occasionally excellent preps of beef. All depends on what your priorities are going to come down too guess.

Higgins always has great meat options. Across several animal categories. Sit in the bar. Laurelhurst can be awesome, but the atmosphere can be wanting. If there is no shyness give Kingdom of Roosevelt a shot. Offal. Depends on how meaty you want to get.

Priceline any 4 star in downtown and you'll get a good rate and a good hotel in the heart of the city. If you're not in for that check the Marriott on Broadway rates. It's a newer Marriott and it is quite fine if not exactly incredible.

There's a million threads on all the restaurants you have asked after. I would say there are large upgrades from Tin Shed and Beaker and Broder to be had. I'm not a Beast guy but others like it a lot. If you're staying downtown a lot of decisions will likely be made by the simple fact that it will be easier to just walk to certain places than drive around.

There's a Bunk about 3 blocks away. Their sandwiches are really good but can be greasy on occasion. Last time I ate at Bunk was at Bunk Bar and the meatball sandwich was terrific. Others may disagree. Your mileage may very, as they say. One way to find out what you think.

Had drinks upstairs recently. Pretty impressive room. Menu seems a little stayed and limited but if the food is good...be interesting to see if they can attract a crowd and buzz to the clubby atmosphered room upstairs.

Mucca: excellent Tuscan style Italian.
Higgins: love the bar area. Great soups. More innovative than people give it credit for.
Imperial: Paley's new downtown place. Very good.
Gruner: Alsatian-ish food. Very good.
Little Bird: wildly popular French bistro.
Racion: new small plate Spanish with some mojo behind it.
Masu: excellent sushi

That should get you started.

Paley's Place
Wildwood
Imperial
Mucca: excellent Tuscan style Italian with great fresh ingredients
Three Doors Down
Higgins bar
Luc Loc (not during sort of traditional dining hours as it is a hipster paradise then, go at like 4:30)
James John Cafe for Sunday brunch
Bar Avignon
Double Dragon: Bahn mi sandwiches (meatball)
Bunk Bar

The last two or three times I have eaten at Beaker the food has been less than acceptable. I do think they just got a new chef but I might think twice about that. The drinks are still excellent and it is a beautiful spot.

You might want to look into the brand new Racion in downtown doing Spanish/Spanish influenced food. Anthony Cafiero can really cook and this new venture is out of the box, at least by Portland standards. Roe (in the back of Wafu) would also be something interesting to consider. I have not been to Ox (hard to get into) but everyone I have talked to has really liked it. Mid-day maybe give Luc Loc in downtown a chance for noodle-y style dishes. Later on it becomes a hipster paradise but at, say, 4:00 its not horrible for that sort of scene and the food is really good and incredibly inexpensive. While trendy, I have enjoyed Oven and Shaker (this may violate the pizza rule although they do have sandwiches and such) and they have a cocktail list that is some 250+ cocktails long (and they're good). I think Olympic Provisions is solid. Not great (at least the westside) for cocktails but they do have a solid wine list. Food is excellent and interesting. Tasty and Sons now has a westside location (Tasty and Alder) as well if you are interested in standing in line for breakfast (they are doing a full scale dinner as well). I think the brunch/breakfast is better (and certainly easier to attend at Imperial but too each their own I guess. Mucca in downtown is a terrific Florence/Tuscan style restaurant with local ingredients but you probably aren't looking to come here for Italian food. There are standards such as the Higgins bar, Gruner, Wildwood (their food is underrated and their lunch is a deal AND they have a very new and very good happy hour both in terms of quality and breadth) am less well versed on the northeast part of Portland dining scene. Hopefully there is something in there you can use.

Biwa is oft discussed here and is a great spot with good food and a very fun vibe. Bar Avignon rarely gets mentioned here but the food is top notch right now, it has a full bar and the wine list is smart and fair. We split apps of chicory salad with great crispy/sweet lardons and a touch of blue cheese, a delicious foie gras agnolotti and an octopus and sausage dish done with squash pasta in a Spanish-y style tomato sauce. All were great, filling and came it around 12 bucks each. Casual upscale. Good place. Also, unbeknownst to many the Whiskey Soda Lounge does Pad Thai after 10 PM for 9 bucks. Only time they make that dish.

Chop inside City Market always has it. Laurelhurst Market does as well on the other side of the river. Both places have very high quality products.

There is almost nothing on the Pok Pok menu over sixteen bucks and portions are mostly generous.

Imperial is awesome, has the types of rushes you refer to since it is in a hotel they need to have broad appeal but the preperation and attention to detail is outstanding.

Try Paley's new place, The Imperial. It's awesome.

Love Paley's. Eaten there probably close to 1,000 times. For drama and newness and all that goes along I might take a look at their new place, The Imperial in downtown. Went for a soft opening and it was great. A bud and colleague went on their first public night and loved it. Just a twist on the ask.

Cornerstone Coffee in McMinnville is nice. Jory also does breakfast. Painted Lady is more intimate with very cosmopolitan styled food. Jory is bigger and beautiful with a larger wine program and food that can be great but PL is probably more reliably excellent. As far as wine shops go there's the Ponzi Wine Bar that has a selection of Oregon wines beyond Ponzi. After that there's not a tton of wine shops out in the valley.

Try the Eastside Saloon, Clarklewis, Ciao Vito, Esparzas, Tabla, Accanto. Again, wide range of styles and pricing although I did end up a little on the Italian side. They would all be able to handle some group of say 24 or so. I'm sure others will have suggestions. They're all close in except Ciao Vito which is on Alberta.

You're aware that downtown IS part of SW Portland and restaurants such as The Farm and Produce Row are on the side of the river you say you don't want to be on? So, which is it? Are you confusing the restaurants or what side of the river you want to be on? Crossing the river is not that big a deal to be honest and depending on where you are restaurants on the east side can be easier to get to anyway. Based on what you said you have tried I might suggest Acqua Riva, Meriwether's, Henry's Tap Room, Alexis, Deschutes Brewery, Portland City Grill and the VQ. There's a large range of styles and pricing there. These are west side joints with all in the SW region except Meriwether's and Deschutes which are NW. Update on what you're looking for and where.

I like Higgins. Their entrees can be daunting in size sometimes but sitting in the bar is great. Their fish preperations are generally excellent, soups are top notch and the service is very professional. Wildwood does the fresh/local thing quite well. Not as innovative as Higgins but generally good combinations on the plates. VQ is a little more spotty than either but they do have a kick-ass outdoor seating section. Beaker's food is very solid though the eye is a little more toward the simpler side of things on at least a portion of the menu. You can probably look at menus online for at least Higgins and Wildwood.

The Veritable Quandary, Wildwood and Higgins probably have the strongest lists in town that feature international selections with a healthy dose of Oregon wines. The Heathman used to have a very strong list but I can not attest to what it looks like these days. Beaker and Flask has a surprisingly good list that, while not as large as others mentioned, has some good selections.

Bar at Paley's Place is fun but small so it can fill up quickly but if you get a seat you will invariably meet nice folks and the food is great. Beaker and Flask also has a good combo of fun, lively bar and very good food. Higgins' bar is great but maybe less oriented toward interaction with other bar sitters.

Yeah, it's hard here. So few choices. It's also 84, sunny and completely humidity free here today. I live near the PSU Market and it is so great to have easy access to that array of fresh, local and organic produce.

I think the Heathman Hotel Restaurant would fit that bill. Wildwood has a roasted chicken on there that is usually very good and simple while their other food is more interesting and very good (you could get there by street car or cab). The Veritable Quandry could work although I think their food is a little hit and miss and you're better served by sticking to simpler dishes. There is the Ringside Fish House near there that she would probably like and while it is seafood based they have the dishes you are talking about. The Red Star Tavern in the Hotel Monaco could work as well.

I ate recently at Cashion which, admittedly, is up a tiny bit from Dupont Circle so it might depend on where you are staying but the food was excellent and the bartender made good drinks. Very neighborhoody sort of setting with bar, indoor and outdoor seating.

In the food carts at Alder/Washington my go to is Khao Mon Gai. There is 1 thing available and it is a poached chicken breast with a ginger sauce and rice. It's $6.50 (variable with additions/sizes). That's the only thing they serve and it is incredible. It is at 11th and Alder.

The restaurants you ask about have been covered extensively here. I would definitely not go to Pigeon for the Saturday dinner if you don't want heavy. Lots of places are doing the 3 for $25 (or whatever it is) right now. I like Pok Pok better for lunch than dinner as I feel their food is more conducive to that meal but that's me and my desire for something spicy after drinking too much the night before. If you wanted something totally inexpensive and different check out Double Dragon which does great Banh Mi sandwiches over on the east side on Division. Very inexpenisve and one is a real meal. Mostly only open for lunch. Gruner, depending on how much charcuterie and sausage you consume, could also be out side your desired heaviness level as well although I think the food there is awesome. St. Jack is terrific but if you live in NYC a French bistro may not interest you as much even if it is extremely well done. Lots of people here like Clyde and it is certainly a unique spot but I don't dig the vibe that much, don't like communal tables for the most part and think the food is hit or miss. I love Wildwood for super local, super fresh and interesting NW style cuisine/wine/beer/drinks. I think taking a look at the Olympic Provisions website might be a good idea. Like the place, especially up in NW part of town. Ned Ludd is definitely interesting but it's a very particular style of place and quite small. Biwa is awesome in every way and depending on what and how much you order would be relatively inexpensive. We usually over-indulge on whatever sashimi they have and double (okay, triple) down on the fried chicken. I would say Noisette but it wouldn't be on the cheaper side and might push the richness boundary for Saturday.

Portland is nuts for breakfast which I am not. Kenny and Zuke's seems to be the place of record. I only eat at the James John Cafe for said meal and that is not even close to on your way to Hood River.

You might want to add Produce Row into the beer crawl thing especially if you go to Biwa on Friday. That and The Green Dragon (not to be confused with Double Dragon) and the Cascade Barrel House are all pretty close as far as doing a east of the river pub crawl that would all be within about 12 blocks of each other.

Good luck with the trip

I go to the PSU market every Saturday. I was out of town this past Satuday and decided since I had basically been gone for the better part of 2 weeks I needed to stock up so I went to the Hillsdale version. It's not really even close to the same. While it is still nothing to turn one's nose up at and there are still good vendors it is MUCH smaller, some vendors definitely downscale their inventory for this one, the flow of people is awkward and there are hardly any ready-to-eat-food food stands. There's still stuff there that I would say makes it worth it over a visit to Whole Foods (Trader Joe's? Not sure how they would compete ever with any farmers' market) but if you have been to the PSU version the Hillsdale one is not the same experience.

The 4 true wine bars I can think of off the top of my head (not counting places that are really more restaurants like Southpark, Metrovino and Noble Rot) would be Victory Wine Bar, Kir Wine Bar, Coppia and Oregon Wines on Broadway. The first 2 are your normal sort of wine bar with a rotating selection of wines and small-ish plates of food from a small-ish menu. Coppia is pretty much all Piedmont with a larger (obviously) Italian menu and Oregon Wines specializes in higher end Oregon Pinot and Champagne and the food is pretty much charcueterie, cheese, nuts and the like.

There are a million recommendations and reviews on this site for restaurants in the vein you are talking about. Sticking strictly to the New American theme I would offer up Wildwood, Beaker and Flask, June, Olympic Provisions, Higgins, Noisette (that might be pushing the New American theme a bit), Clyde Common and Bar Avignon but there are others as well.

Not much of a beer drinker any longer so the whole pub thing is better left to someone else although the bar at Higgins has about 16 or so beers on tap and probably 150 or more by the bottle and the bar food is good and the atmosphere is excellent.

Honestly, the brunch at the Allison is as good as it gets. I freaking hate brunch and I have been to that one. Old school with a roast beef carving station (cooked perfectly BTW), omelette bar, etc. If you are going to Portland I think the Woodsman Tavern specializes in this meal but, again, far from an expert about brunch however the Allison's is top notch.

From a logistical point of view you are better off putting Archery Summit and Drouhin together rather than splitting them up with lunch. You will be at AS, leave, have to drive wherever you are going for lunch (presumably back into Dundee or Newberg), then drive basically right back to AS to get to Drouhin. If you are going to eat in Dundee I would suggest Tina's (wine country institution), Red Hills Market (informal market and lunch spot w/wood fired pizza and sandwiches and outdoor seating) or maybe Paulee (it's not even open yet so sort of hard to recommend) or go to Recipe in Newberg (high end comfort food). Do AS and DDO beforehand. If you are eating in Dundee you could walk to Argyle and then decide if you want to go to another winery. This will save you a lot of driving and make the day easier I think.

Spent 3 nights in Florence a couple of weeks ago (there's a lengthy post regarding the trip on the board). Like nycreba I ate at 4 Leoni and for lunch it was fine (and especially on a hot day it would be a nice cool spot) so long as you stuck to more basic items. Very much enjoyed Cinghiale Bianco and Trattoria Garga. We found our morning coffee at a small place (could not possibly tell you the name) but it was across the street and a half block down from the Roberto Cavalli Cafe (strange way to remember I know). They had very good lattes, fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh fruit. They also don't upcharge the out-of-towners so it was quite inexpensive so if your hotel doesn't have the greatest coffee or breakfast this is a nice option.