Portland - The 2014 Version

So we went to Portland, again, and it was amazing. Even better than last time, which I didn't think was possible. Highlights of this trip were a food cart tour with Brett from Food Carts Portland, beer and cider, the Laurelhurst Theater, Ken's Artisan Pizza, Pok Pok, spring time... I could probably go on. We had a couple family related events almost as soon as we got back, hence the quiet blog.

Anyhow, I've got a few photos up, plus a new list for PDX here.

Donuts from Blue Star Donuts

PDX 2014

We are heading to Portland tomorrow, for a very short trip... We're back Tuesday. I'm doing my best to balance spots we loved last time, whilst trying to get some new ones in there. Details on our last visit to PDX are here.

My current list is below, sort of arranged by neighbourhood. If you have any musts, please leave 'em in the comments below.

Buckman/SE (where we're staying)

Ken’s Artisan Pizza (304 SE 28th Ave)

Heart Coffee (2211 E Burnside St)

Screen Door (2337 E Burnside St; Dinner and weekend Brunch; Southern food)

East Burn (1800 E Burnside St – Beer and Food)

Café Castanga (1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd)

Little T Baker (2600 SE Division St)

Apizza Scholls (4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd)

Church Bar (2600 NE Sandy Blvd)

Coava Coffee (1300 SE Grand Ave)

Pok Pok (3226 SE Division St)

Ava Gene’s (3377 SE Division St; Cocktails and Italian food)

Olympic Provisions (107 SE Washington St)

Eastside Distilling (1512 SE 7th Ave)

Downtown

Tasty N Alder (580 SW 12th Ave – Walk down Burnside Bridge)

Clyde Common (1014 SW Stark St, Portland)

Little Bird (219 SW 6th Ave, Portland)

Blue Star Donuts (1237 SW Washington St)

Ken’s Artisan Bakery (338 NW 21st Ave)

Pearl Bakery (102 NW 9th Ave)

Bailey’s Taproom (213 SW Broadway)

Cacao Drink Chocolate (SW 13th Ave)

Stumptown Coffee (128 SW 3rd Ave; 1026 SW Stark St)

Courier Coffee (923 SW Oak St)

Barista (539 NW 13th Ave)

PSU Farmers Market (SW Park Ave & SW Montgomery St; 8:30-2)

Tenth Avenue Liquor (925 SW 10th Ave)

NE (our local last time)

Nedd Ludd for brunch (3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd)

Other Plans

Food Carts Portland Tour (1000 SW Washington St)

St. Vincent (Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside St)

Other Reference

Under the Table with Jen

My New York list

Lists, lists, lists. I'm not generally a list person, but when I travel, it's on. Mostly, I don't like standing in the middle of the street saying, 'Let's just go there.' My friend Richard, who we travelled to NY with, teased me for my lengthy list of typed up spots by neighbourhood... But eventually he came around ('This is the best sandwich I've ever eaten!').

So here is my New York list, condensed from the original five pager, into just the spots we ended up visiting.

New York.

We had a fantastic time in New York last month. There was lots of food and drink and walking, plus some solid relaxation time. I'm slowly working on my New York list, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures from our trip.

Made many visits to the Bedford Cheese Shop, and managed to fit a jar of Brooklyn Brine Co. Whiskey Sour Pickles into my suitcase.

Went on a bike tour.

Stopped for gin cocktails at NY Distilling. 

Hopped on the East River Ferry. 

Wandered the High Line.

Found that Northern Spy Food Co.'s Kale Salad lived up to its reputation.

Made many trips to Raines Law Room.

 Toured a roof top farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Enjoyed large plates of oysters and absinthe cocktails at Maison Premiere.

Made it to little Pok Pok. 

Watched the sun set a bunch of times.

New York, New York.

This is no longer an excuse for my lack of posts, but it's Festival time! I hope everyone attending or volunteering at Folk Fest has a wonderful time!

We're off to New York for a couple weeks this October, and I could seriously use some recommendations. We'll be on the upper west side for about a week, and then in Williamsburg for another.

Remember last year when I was feeling overwhelmed by London... New York is doubly so. Thankfully, we are going with a friend who visits the city once or twice per year, but of course, I'd love to surprise him with some newbie finds.

Leave 'em below!

Well, hello Mast Brothers Chocolate. See you in October!

Notes on London.

Here is my best of London.

Notes on Berlin.

It took awhile (including a bout with a cold), but here are my thoughts on Berlin. London to follow shortly.

Berlin. London.

Right after Folk Fest I'll be heading to Berlin and then to London for a couple weeks. Charles will here in Edmonton holding down the fort before spending some time in Toronto later in the fall. Now that flights and accommodations are booked (I'll be in Kreuzberg in Berlin and Brixton in London) I'm busy pouring over blogs and seeking out travel advice for both cities.

*photo

Berlin: Certainly the more manageable of the two spots, I feel nine days will be enough time to trek around the city. Here's what I've got so far.

London: As you can see from our previous vacation posts, we've visited comparatively small cities that I felt I could get a handle on prior to arrival. London, of course, is proving to be much more difficult.

I've tracked down some spots I'd like to check out - recommendations from friends and family and from Orangette and Messy Little Cook. Other than that I'm at a slight loss, other than knowing I'd like to keep it mid-range or less. I'm planning to splurge on one lunch at NOPI - Downstairs on the Monday before I fly home. Here's what's on the agenda.

If you have suggestions, comments, etc., please leave them below or on the pages themselves. I really appreciate any help!

The Portland chocolate breakdown

As you may have noticed a few posts back, a lot of chocolate made it to Edmonton via my suitcase. Well, I've finally managed to sample all the bars made by Portland chocolatiers (with the help of Charles, and some of the staff at the shop). Thoughts and a few more details can be found here.

Three days in Seattle

After such an excellent week in Oregon, we found it a little difficult to settle into Seattle. Thankfully, our Capitol Hill apartment rental was well located, with tons of shops, cafés and restaurants nearby, and it was just a short 30 minute walk downtown. We thought we were "food-ed" out, but the eating kept happening in Seattle. Here's what we enjoyed, in no particular order:

Quinn's Pub - This 'pub' was just a few blocks away from our apartment, which made it perfect for dinner on our first day in town. I wasn't as wowed by the beer list as I had hoped, BUT, they made the best burger either Charles or I had ever tasted. Simple toppings gave way to a perfectly cooked, medium rare patty, and we certainly would have returned for another if we had time.

Poppy - Another spot just minutes from our front door. We loved everything about this place - a great cocktail menu, a short, well chosen beer list featuring Washington brews, and the thalis... especially the dessert one. I can definitely see why Sugar put this on her packing list.

Baguette Box - Thanks to Andre who suggested the Baguette Box. It was directly on our way downtown, and their Drunken Chicken sandwich was fantastic - crispy chicken, caramelized onions, cilantro. Need I say more?

Brouwer's - I don't know what to say about this place - it was amazing. 64 brews on tap plus over 300 bottles. And, it was right across the street from Theo Chocolate.

Theo Chocolate - I'm happy we made it out to tour Theo. It was great to see the 'chocolate making' process up close. I posted about it here.

Molly Moon's Ice Cream - Another one from Sugar's Seattle packing list, we enjoyed scoops of maple walnut and earl grey tea on our last night in town.

The Walrus and the Carpenter - I'm glad Charles was willing to make the trek to this place, even though most of the items on the menu weren't really his thing. We happened to step in during their happy hour, which meant $1 oysters and $7 cocktails. I went with one of each of their six oysters and a 'porch swing' which featured gin and Pimm's - two of my favourites. Charles chose a glass of Hale's Kolsch and a dish of serrano ham, cantaloupe, lemon basil and ricotta.

Marie and Frères - It was fantastic meeting Marie. She's incredibly passionate about chocolate, and in particular, chocolate made with Forastero beans right where the beans are grown. We walked away with the most amazing macaron and a bar of her chocolate studded with candied orange.

Lark - This was our final meal in town. Though we were originally hoping for something a little more laid back (and with a beer list), the food at Lark was lovely, and we wouldn't hesitate to return... particularly for the pork belly and salmon...

Café Presse - An excellent magazine collection, well done coffee and a casual menu (baguettes with butter, olives, salads, charcuterie, etc.).

Salumi - This seemed like the perfect way to end out trip. We did start with a porchetta sandwich back at The Peoples' Pig after all. We happened to arrive just when the line shortened a bit, and were out the door with messy, delicious porchetta and meatball sandwiches.

One spot we particularly enjoyed in Seattle was the Olympic Sculpture Park. It was quiet and the views were beautiful.

So there you have it. Our 2011 vacation. That little corner of the NW is really a gem and we certainly recommend checking it out.

Corvallis, the Oregon coast and the Columbia Gorge

I was glad we got the chance to head out to Corvallis for the weekend to visit relatives, and in retrospect, more time spent in the area would have been a good idea. It's right in the middle of breweries, wineries and farms, and it's just a short 1.5 hour trip to the coast. Furthermore, we left just before their "Beer Week" began.

If you happen to be in the area, there are a couple things not to be missed. Firstly, their farmers' market is beautiful, and full of Oregon specialties like hazelnuts and wine, in addition to all the produce Oregon's rich soil and temperate climate allow for. I picked up some sweet-tart green grapes, in addition to some lovely fresh figs and hazelnuts.

Block 15 Brew Pub - I was in love with this place as soon as we walked in. A giant chalkboard held their regular brews and seasonal varieties, and also tantalized us with up coming brews that we are missing right now. We had to try as many as possible, and thus two tasting boards were ordered. By far the best glass on the tray contained their "Nebula, Naked Oat Stout." It was super smooth and creamy, with all the coffee and chocolate notes that make stouts lovely. I wish I would have picked up a bottle of this to bring home.

On a beer note, the best selection we found at any grocery store was at Corvallis' Market of Choice. A four sided cooler held an unimaginable amount of micro-brews from the area, and we picked up half a dozen different bottles to tote home. Besides the Nebula Stout, we fell hard for many of the brews from Pelican Brewery, particularly their Belgian style ale - Ankle-Buster - and their award winning IPA (India Pelican Ale). Both came home with us.

The Oregon Coast

Our hosts for the weekend - John and Janie - also took us out to the nearby coast for an evening. Though it was pretty cold, I'm incredibly glad we made it out to the water, and that we got to catch this sunset from their friends' beach house balcony...

We also stopped at a crab shack on the way home for fresh crab sandwiches and fish and chips.

The Columbia Gorge

One of our favourite activities in Oregon was biking the Columbia Gorge. We went with Pedal Bike Tours, and our Tuesday morning tour ended up being a private one - just us and the guide. Whilst we biked the gentle slopes of the road, our guide drove the vehicle, meeting us at each waterfall to give us a quick run-down of history, etc. From there we hiked down (or up) to check things out while he stayed with the bikes.