Fun4all4 Trip Report: Columbia River Gorge and Portland, Oregon
Nov 3rd, 2006, 08:06 AM
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Fun4all4 Trip Report: Columbia River Gorge and Portland, Oregon
Hey Everyone!
We arrived home almost 2 weeks ago from a fabulous trip. Thanks to many of you for your great suggestions and guidance - jgg, mms, Scarlett, Andrew, orcas, kimamom, jjaonnhen, sunbum, eurotraveller, and more! Sorry it has taken a while to get back to Fodor's - I arrived home to a variety of "disasters" that needed my attention.....really, why does the return from vacation have to slap one in the face so hard?
I have written this trip report in a different format from some of my others. Hopefully, it will save me some time and be easy to read and follow. Most importantly, I hope it is of some help to others planning a trip to this gorgeous and friendly area of the country. We'll see how it goes. Feel free to ask questions or for more details about anything.
Transportation
We flew on Northwest round-trip Dulles-Portland with a change in Minneapolis/St. Paul on the way out and Detroit on the way back. Although there was some mild turbulence, most of our travels were fairly smooth. MSP was easier for us than DTW because we were late into Detroit and had very little time and our gates happened to be over 30 gates apart – we were running.
Our car rental was through Enterprise, and we were very pleased. They upgraded us to a Jeep because the full-size we rented was not in the garage. Pick up and return were quick and easy and, unlike at some other airports, the Enterprise garage is right on site at the airport. The only warning/tip I can give is that we did not see any gas stations on our way back to the airport from Portland once we got on the highway – be sure to refuel or you will be stuck, as we were, paying extra….this was the first time that ever happened to us as usually there are a million gas stations just before getting back to the car rental return areas.
Accommodations
In Hood River, we stayed at the Inn at the Gorge (http://www.innatthegorge.com/ ) which was charming. It is located several blocks from the main area of town, but was walkable. Our room was the Cascade Suite which had a mini-kitchen and sofa in one room and a bedroom with bath. The bed was comfy and the sheets and towels were nice. The breakfasts were amazing….huge and delicious. John likes to bake. Some examples from the menu: ginger pear coffee cake, lots of fresh fruit, spinach and cheese quiche, lox/cream cheese/dill frittata, sweet potato pancake, and various homemade breads. The hosts were also helpful with dinner and hiking recommendations.
In Portland, we stayed at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. The email is http://www.vintageplaza.com/home.html , and it is a Kimpton Hotel. The service was good, the sheets and towels were of nice quality, and the location was excellent. However, I thought the room felt a little “worn around the edges” – like the bedspread could be replaced or the wallpaper or paint should be redone, stuff like that. It wasn’t bad, but you might want to ask if there are recently remodeled/renovated rooms. The rate was reasonable at $179 per night. Again, I’d consider staying there again, but it wasn’t impeccable.
Next....Stuff we did...aka "Activities."
We arrived home almost 2 weeks ago from a fabulous trip. Thanks to many of you for your great suggestions and guidance - jgg, mms, Scarlett, Andrew, orcas, kimamom, jjaonnhen, sunbum, eurotraveller, and more! Sorry it has taken a while to get back to Fodor's - I arrived home to a variety of "disasters" that needed my attention.....really, why does the return from vacation have to slap one in the face so hard?
I have written this trip report in a different format from some of my others. Hopefully, it will save me some time and be easy to read and follow. Most importantly, I hope it is of some help to others planning a trip to this gorgeous and friendly area of the country. We'll see how it goes. Feel free to ask questions or for more details about anything.
Transportation
We flew on Northwest round-trip Dulles-Portland with a change in Minneapolis/St. Paul on the way out and Detroit on the way back. Although there was some mild turbulence, most of our travels were fairly smooth. MSP was easier for us than DTW because we were late into Detroit and had very little time and our gates happened to be over 30 gates apart – we were running.
Our car rental was through Enterprise, and we were very pleased. They upgraded us to a Jeep because the full-size we rented was not in the garage. Pick up and return were quick and easy and, unlike at some other airports, the Enterprise garage is right on site at the airport. The only warning/tip I can give is that we did not see any gas stations on our way back to the airport from Portland once we got on the highway – be sure to refuel or you will be stuck, as we were, paying extra….this was the first time that ever happened to us as usually there are a million gas stations just before getting back to the car rental return areas.
Accommodations
In Hood River, we stayed at the Inn at the Gorge (http://www.innatthegorge.com/ ) which was charming. It is located several blocks from the main area of town, but was walkable. Our room was the Cascade Suite which had a mini-kitchen and sofa in one room and a bedroom with bath. The bed was comfy and the sheets and towels were nice. The breakfasts were amazing….huge and delicious. John likes to bake. Some examples from the menu: ginger pear coffee cake, lots of fresh fruit, spinach and cheese quiche, lox/cream cheese/dill frittata, sweet potato pancake, and various homemade breads. The hosts were also helpful with dinner and hiking recommendations.
In Portland, we stayed at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. The email is http://www.vintageplaza.com/home.html , and it is a Kimpton Hotel. The service was good, the sheets and towels were of nice quality, and the location was excellent. However, I thought the room felt a little “worn around the edges” – like the bedspread could be replaced or the wallpaper or paint should be redone, stuff like that. It wasn’t bad, but you might want to ask if there are recently remodeled/renovated rooms. The rate was reasonable at $179 per night. Again, I’d consider staying there again, but it wasn’t impeccable.
Next....Stuff we did...aka "Activities."
Nov 3rd, 2006, 08:30 AM
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The first 2 nights were spent in Hood River, Oregon exploring the Columbia River Gorge.
Here are the activites from this section of the trip. I will try to get to the Portland section and our Dining experiences in the next day or so.
Activities
Columbia River Gorge
Our 2 nights and 2 days in the Gorge were very relaxing and fun. On our drive east from the airport, we stopped at the Portland Women’s Forum and Vista House for the beautiful views and then went on to Multnomah Falls. The Falls were spectacular, and it was a nice 2 mile round-trip hike – the hike up was quite steep but worth it – plus, it felt great to stretch our legs after being on a plane all day.
The next day we headed off to Mt. Hood where we planned to visit Timberline Lodge and do some hiking and enjoy the views. We passed lots of orchards and country stores on this “fruit loop” as well as wineries, alpaca farms and numerous trailheads. After a major elevation climb, we arrived at Timberline to find it snow-covered and COLD. We could see a good part of the mountain though not the top. The old lodge was charming and the restaurant looked nice (though somewhat pricey). The pub area seemed like a great place for lunch, but we were still stuffed from breakfast.
After looking around for a while, we decided the hiking would be better if we went to a lower elevation so we headed back. Note: to park at many of the trailheads you need a pass which can be purchased at the ranger stations – I can’t remember if they were $5 or $10 per day per car. The station also had a number of printed hiking maps. Having purchased our pass and stopped at a country store for water and to check our email, we set our sights on the Oak Ridge Trail – the total hike is 2.3 miles each way, and we walked about 2 miles uphill for great views and lovely foliage before heading down. I would guess we hiked about 4 miles.
The rest of the day involved stopping at a farm stand for pears and apples (oh, and cookies….peanut butter chocolate chip was the best), visiting a wine store and relaxing with our books.
Our second night in Hood River behind us, we began driving back towards Portland going along the Washington side of the River for about the first half of the trip. This turned out to be the only day that was fairly rainy – it was not pouring, but the clouds and light rain meant limited visibility so it was not ideal for hiking. We enjoyed a great visit to the Gorge Interpretive Center – the building was cool and the Center gave a good history of the area as well as showing an informative movie about the geologic formation of the Gorge.
Our original plan was to visit Beacon Rock, but it was barely visible. We stopped at the Bonneville Dam and Locks – it was very interesting to learn about both the hydroelectric power system and the fish ladders which accommodate the swimmers as they work their way upstream. The viewing window was neat. I recommend the Interpretive Center and the Dam and Locks.
We crossed over the Bridge of the Gods and continued west stopping in Troutdale for lunch and a visit to McMenamin’s Edgefield. Quirky and cool, it is worth a stop and must be a great venue for concerts and shows.
Here are the activites from this section of the trip. I will try to get to the Portland section and our Dining experiences in the next day or so.
Activities
Columbia River Gorge
Our 2 nights and 2 days in the Gorge were very relaxing and fun. On our drive east from the airport, we stopped at the Portland Women’s Forum and Vista House for the beautiful views and then went on to Multnomah Falls. The Falls were spectacular, and it was a nice 2 mile round-trip hike – the hike up was quite steep but worth it – plus, it felt great to stretch our legs after being on a plane all day.
The next day we headed off to Mt. Hood where we planned to visit Timberline Lodge and do some hiking and enjoy the views. We passed lots of orchards and country stores on this “fruit loop” as well as wineries, alpaca farms and numerous trailheads. After a major elevation climb, we arrived at Timberline to find it snow-covered and COLD. We could see a good part of the mountain though not the top. The old lodge was charming and the restaurant looked nice (though somewhat pricey). The pub area seemed like a great place for lunch, but we were still stuffed from breakfast.
After looking around for a while, we decided the hiking would be better if we went to a lower elevation so we headed back. Note: to park at many of the trailheads you need a pass which can be purchased at the ranger stations – I can’t remember if they were $5 or $10 per day per car. The station also had a number of printed hiking maps. Having purchased our pass and stopped at a country store for water and to check our email, we set our sights on the Oak Ridge Trail – the total hike is 2.3 miles each way, and we walked about 2 miles uphill for great views and lovely foliage before heading down. I would guess we hiked about 4 miles.
The rest of the day involved stopping at a farm stand for pears and apples (oh, and cookies….peanut butter chocolate chip was the best), visiting a wine store and relaxing with our books.
Our second night in Hood River behind us, we began driving back towards Portland going along the Washington side of the River for about the first half of the trip. This turned out to be the only day that was fairly rainy – it was not pouring, but the clouds and light rain meant limited visibility so it was not ideal for hiking. We enjoyed a great visit to the Gorge Interpretive Center – the building was cool and the Center gave a good history of the area as well as showing an informative movie about the geologic formation of the Gorge.
Our original plan was to visit Beacon Rock, but it was barely visible. We stopped at the Bonneville Dam and Locks – it was very interesting to learn about both the hydroelectric power system and the fish ladders which accommodate the swimmers as they work their way upstream. The viewing window was neat. I recommend the Interpretive Center and the Dam and Locks.
We crossed over the Bridge of the Gods and continued west stopping in Troutdale for lunch and a visit to McMenamin’s Edgefield. Quirky and cool, it is worth a stop and must be a great venue for concerts and shows.
Nov 3rd, 2006, 02:24 PM
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Glad to hear you had a great trip to Portland. We sure had a beautiful October, overall. Now it's cold and rainy - well, today it's warm and rainy, LOL!
You're right about not finding a gas station near PDX. About 15 years ago, there actually was one right at the airport, about 1000 feet from the rental car return. Gee, I wonder why the station was removed? Not because of pressure from the rental car companies - oh no, couldn't be...
FYI, I've found that on most rental cars the tank isn't completely full anyway when you get it, so if you fill it up even 20 miles ahead of time, you'll be fine, at least in my experience. My last rental car I filled up 30+ miles from PHL - and the car was even fuller than it was when I got it. Never got charged - never have been, as long as the tank appears close to full.
Andrew
You're right about not finding a gas station near PDX. About 15 years ago, there actually was one right at the airport, about 1000 feet from the rental car return. Gee, I wonder why the station was removed? Not because of pressure from the rental car companies - oh no, couldn't be...
FYI, I've found that on most rental cars the tank isn't completely full anyway when you get it, so if you fill it up even 20 miles ahead of time, you'll be fine, at least in my experience. My last rental car I filled up 30+ miles from PHL - and the car was even fuller than it was when I got it. Never got charged - never have been, as long as the tank appears close to full.
Andrew
Nov 3rd, 2006, 02:36 PM
#7
I'm with you on the fill up thing Andrew....I do it the night before or out on 82nd. I don't feel guilty, as I found out from a friend that rental car cos often will use returned cars for running errands or shift them to another location, and don't re-top the gas.
The worst though, was the full" tank I got last month at AVis in Philadelhia..It was just barely 3/8 of a tank! and have you ever tried to refill an unfamiliar car (with electronic gauges)just to a certain point?? I ended up giving it back with half a tank. Grrrr.
Sorry fun4all4....didn't mean to interrupt. I'm enjoying your report!
The worst though, was the full" tank I got last month at AVis in Philadelhia..It was just barely 3/8 of a tank! and have you ever tried to refill an unfamiliar car (with electronic gauges)just to a certain point?? I ended up giving it back with half a tank. Grrrr.
Sorry fun4all4....didn't mean to interrupt. I'm enjoying your report!
Nov 3rd, 2006, 06:39 PM
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Thanks everyone! Glad to hear you are enjoying the report. I will write more tomorrow.
mms- Thanks for the clarification - it is $5 for the pass. BTW, sorry it never worked out to meet up for coffee....maybe next time OR let me know if you ever come to the DC area.
travelgirl2 - as soon as I posted I realized I forgot to give the details on who was traveling. While usually we travel with our 2 sons, 12 and 15, this was a grown-up trip. This was the first time DH and I have been away in a couple of years just the two of us, and it was very relaxing and nice to have some time together.
Andrew - Yep, we definitely could've and should've filled earlier. I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem - we just didn't know....ggrrrrr. Hopefully, we can help others be aware and they will fill their tanks ahead of time.
mms- Thanks for the clarification - it is $5 for the pass. BTW, sorry it never worked out to meet up for coffee....maybe next time OR let me know if you ever come to the DC area.
travelgirl2 - as soon as I posted I realized I forgot to give the details on who was traveling. While usually we travel with our 2 sons, 12 and 15, this was a grown-up trip. This was the first time DH and I have been away in a couple of years just the two of us, and it was very relaxing and nice to have some time together.
Andrew - Yep, we definitely could've and should've filled earlier. I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem - we just didn't know....ggrrrrr. Hopefully, we can help others be aware and they will fill their tanks ahead of time.
Nov 4th, 2006, 07:37 AM
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It sounded like it was a kid-free trip. While travelling with kids is so great, sometimes it is nice to just travel as a twosome, isn't it? We had a few days in Paris last year for our anniversary and it was wonderful.
Nov 4th, 2006, 08:09 AM
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Here is the Portland section of the report.
Portland
We arrived into Portland mid-afternoon on Thursday. After getting settled, we explored around the Downtown and grabbed a cup of coffee at Stumptown Coffee (thanks to jgg’s hubby). Then, back to hotel for showers and dinner.
Friday, we spent some time at the coffee shop on the corner reading our newspapers and relaxing – I love the large variety of coffee places in Portland, and we never went into a Starbucks. Next, we walked up to the Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown which was stunningly beautiful – incredible details, fragrant blossoms, running water, stone/mosaic walkways, and lovely buildings and architecture. The Pearl District was next on our walking exploration which is a cool area with neat shopping and restaurants and lots of renovated lofts and warehouses. Our lunch at Silk by Pho Van was yummy. Although we did not do a ton of shopping, we got a few gifts at the Fair Trade Store and ogled lots of gorgeous art at the Lawrence Gallery adjacent. Then we walked on to the NW23rd neighborhood which I loved – this seemed like a very livable area. We stopped for gelato at Mio Gelato….chocolate hazelnut is my favorite! After exploring the neighborhood, we strolled back towards the hotel with a lengthy interlude at Powell’s Books – I am a major book lover so this was an overwhelming delight. Back to hotel to hang out and get ready for dinner.
Saturday morning was quite chilly, but totally clear and sunny – a perfect, crisp fall day. The valet brought our rental car around, and we drove the 5-10 minutes to Washington Park. It is not that far away, but there is no really good way to walk to the attractions we wanted to see. The International Test Rose Garden was lovely with awesome views. And, the Japanese Gardens were simply spectacular – I really loved it there and spent a bunch of time and took gobs of photos (I will attach a link to just some of the photos at the end of the report – I promise I edited the number from the Japanese Gardens but I still have a bunch). We brought the car back and headed back into Downtown for lunch at the Red Star Tavern which was tasty and had a pleasant atmosphere and good service. We still had a few more gifts to buy and got the kids some Oregon paraphernalia at the U of Oregon store.
By this time it was almost 2:00 pm. Our original plan was to leave open the option of driving out to the coast on Saturday afternoon, but it felt like a major undertaking by this point in the day. This was our first time to relax away from kids in two years and we had a long travel day ahead of us on Sunday – maybe we should have pushed ourselves, but at that moment, the lure of spending a sunny, lazy afternoon reading our books and napping proved too enticing. Plus, we wanted to be sure to be back for our dinner reservations. In the next section I will tell about the restaurants at which we dined. Oh my gosh, the quality of our dining in Oregon was awesome. After our dinner, we stopped at Powell’s again for a Saturday evening outing – it was hopping even at 10:00pm.
Sunday morning brought an early morning wake-up call and the trip back to the airport and home. What a great trip. We loved this area of the country and found it very friendly.
Portland
We arrived into Portland mid-afternoon on Thursday. After getting settled, we explored around the Downtown and grabbed a cup of coffee at Stumptown Coffee (thanks to jgg’s hubby). Then, back to hotel for showers and dinner.
Friday, we spent some time at the coffee shop on the corner reading our newspapers and relaxing – I love the large variety of coffee places in Portland, and we never went into a Starbucks. Next, we walked up to the Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown which was stunningly beautiful – incredible details, fragrant blossoms, running water, stone/mosaic walkways, and lovely buildings and architecture. The Pearl District was next on our walking exploration which is a cool area with neat shopping and restaurants and lots of renovated lofts and warehouses. Our lunch at Silk by Pho Van was yummy. Although we did not do a ton of shopping, we got a few gifts at the Fair Trade Store and ogled lots of gorgeous art at the Lawrence Gallery adjacent. Then we walked on to the NW23rd neighborhood which I loved – this seemed like a very livable area. We stopped for gelato at Mio Gelato….chocolate hazelnut is my favorite! After exploring the neighborhood, we strolled back towards the hotel with a lengthy interlude at Powell’s Books – I am a major book lover so this was an overwhelming delight. Back to hotel to hang out and get ready for dinner.
Saturday morning was quite chilly, but totally clear and sunny – a perfect, crisp fall day. The valet brought our rental car around, and we drove the 5-10 minutes to Washington Park. It is not that far away, but there is no really good way to walk to the attractions we wanted to see. The International Test Rose Garden was lovely with awesome views. And, the Japanese Gardens were simply spectacular – I really loved it there and spent a bunch of time and took gobs of photos (I will attach a link to just some of the photos at the end of the report – I promise I edited the number from the Japanese Gardens but I still have a bunch). We brought the car back and headed back into Downtown for lunch at the Red Star Tavern which was tasty and had a pleasant atmosphere and good service. We still had a few more gifts to buy and got the kids some Oregon paraphernalia at the U of Oregon store.
By this time it was almost 2:00 pm. Our original plan was to leave open the option of driving out to the coast on Saturday afternoon, but it felt like a major undertaking by this point in the day. This was our first time to relax away from kids in two years and we had a long travel day ahead of us on Sunday – maybe we should have pushed ourselves, but at that moment, the lure of spending a sunny, lazy afternoon reading our books and napping proved too enticing. Plus, we wanted to be sure to be back for our dinner reservations. In the next section I will tell about the restaurants at which we dined. Oh my gosh, the quality of our dining in Oregon was awesome. After our dinner, we stopped at Powell’s again for a Saturday evening outing – it was hopping even at 10:00pm.
Sunday morning brought an early morning wake-up call and the trip back to the airport and home. What a great trip. We loved this area of the country and found it very friendly.
Nov 4th, 2006, 01:13 PM
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Here is the list of where we ate dinner as well as some menu descriptions for those who are intrested or trying to get a feel for the kind of food served. Feel free to ask questions.
Dining
I gave the names of the 2 good lunches we had in Portland……Silk by Pho Van and Red Star Tavern. We would recommend both. We also enjoyed a casual soup/salad lunch at McMenamin’s Edgefield in Troutdale which is worth a stop. All of our dinners were excellent (thanks again for the many good Fodorite suggestions). Here is where we ate:
In Hood River
Brian’s Pourhouse is like a bistro pub. The atmosphere is comfortable and casual and the service good. The food is a step up from pub and more like a bistro. We started with a chili calamari and a salad of pears, greens, nuts and bleu cheese. B had the potato-crusted mahi mahi with butternut squash puree, and I had the sea bass with wild mushrooms and other vegetables. For dessert we shared a lemon chocolate cake which was interesting…..lemon and chocolate are 2 of my favorites, but I don’t usually think of them in combination. It worked fairly well.
Abruzzo is a terrific Italian restaurant that seemed to have lots of locals the night we were there. It is a bit noisy and not memorable in terms of décor, but the service was very good and the whole place felt inviting. One of the owners is the chef and one runs the front of the house and was very knowledgeable about wine. Our dinner was delicious. We started with Caesar salad. B got the chicken stuffed with gorgonzola and artichokes wrapped in proscuitto on a bed of beans, and I got gemelli (pasta) with roasted butternut squash and mushrooms in a brown butter, sage and gorgonzola sauce. It was very rich so we skipped dessert.
In Portland
clarklewis is across the river in the SE Industial section which is currently undergoing a lot of renovations. The ambience was very cool and the service was friendly. The food was terrific. Following awesome salads with all sorts of fresh greens and fabulous bread (which they get from Ken’s), B had a Pasta Puttanesca made with black pasta, tuna, olives, capers, garlic and a few other things. I had the Farfalle with fresh pork arrabiata. It was made with local farm-raised pork and had just the right about of spice/heat to it. We shared a very custardy pannecotta with pear and apple compote.
Our Friday dining reservations were at Fenouil which was amazing. There was something “just right” about this lovely French restaurant which was upscale yet warm and comfortable. We had a table right between a window and a fireplace. The meal commenced with an Amuse Bouche of house smoked salmon which we followed with a salad of heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn and pancetta. B had the steak special of the evening which was a NY strip with garlic and herb butter with perfect potatoes. I had tender, sweet scallops with a strip of bacon on a bed of potatoes with leeks and balsamic vinegar – the description doesn’t do the dish justice. For dessert, we enjoyed a chocolate huckleberry gateau, but it was hard to choose.
Our final dinner of the trip was at Bluehour. This place is very hip with a happening vibe – the dining room is really neat. Unfortunately, we were a bit unhappy as they put us in a smallish “room” behind the main dining room and a curtain blocked our view of the dining room. This area was next to the kitchen and was not decorated…..it felt like overflow seating. We made our reservations long ago and felt disappointed – I even saw one open table and asked for it, but they said it was reserved. So, be sure to ask to sit in the main dining room. That said, the rest of the evening was very nice and our mood improved as our accommodating server brought a very tasty blood orange margarita (thanks, Scarlett) for me and a nice glass of wine for B. The salad of frisee, honeycrisp apples, gorgonzola and pecans was great as was B’s appetizer of razor clam with eggplant crisp and chili aioli. We both had the salmon with horseradish served over cucumber for our main course. Overall, our meal was very good and I’d go back, but it definitely felt a bit more pretentious than the very classy Fenouil (although it is a bit like “comparing apples to oranges.”)
We enjoyed wines each evening, but I didn’t happen to write them down. The bottom line is that there are a lot of excellent wine choices in the Pacific NW, many at a very reasonable cost. All five of our dinners were great and there were many other restaurants which were highly recommended. Overall, this area of the country has great dining at reasonable prices – we were impressed.
Dining
I gave the names of the 2 good lunches we had in Portland……Silk by Pho Van and Red Star Tavern. We would recommend both. We also enjoyed a casual soup/salad lunch at McMenamin’s Edgefield in Troutdale which is worth a stop. All of our dinners were excellent (thanks again for the many good Fodorite suggestions). Here is where we ate:
In Hood River
Brian’s Pourhouse is like a bistro pub. The atmosphere is comfortable and casual and the service good. The food is a step up from pub and more like a bistro. We started with a chili calamari and a salad of pears, greens, nuts and bleu cheese. B had the potato-crusted mahi mahi with butternut squash puree, and I had the sea bass with wild mushrooms and other vegetables. For dessert we shared a lemon chocolate cake which was interesting…..lemon and chocolate are 2 of my favorites, but I don’t usually think of them in combination. It worked fairly well.
Abruzzo is a terrific Italian restaurant that seemed to have lots of locals the night we were there. It is a bit noisy and not memorable in terms of décor, but the service was very good and the whole place felt inviting. One of the owners is the chef and one runs the front of the house and was very knowledgeable about wine. Our dinner was delicious. We started with Caesar salad. B got the chicken stuffed with gorgonzola and artichokes wrapped in proscuitto on a bed of beans, and I got gemelli (pasta) with roasted butternut squash and mushrooms in a brown butter, sage and gorgonzola sauce. It was very rich so we skipped dessert.
In Portland
clarklewis is across the river in the SE Industial section which is currently undergoing a lot of renovations. The ambience was very cool and the service was friendly. The food was terrific. Following awesome salads with all sorts of fresh greens and fabulous bread (which they get from Ken’s), B had a Pasta Puttanesca made with black pasta, tuna, olives, capers, garlic and a few other things. I had the Farfalle with fresh pork arrabiata. It was made with local farm-raised pork and had just the right about of spice/heat to it. We shared a very custardy pannecotta with pear and apple compote.
Our Friday dining reservations were at Fenouil which was amazing. There was something “just right” about this lovely French restaurant which was upscale yet warm and comfortable. We had a table right between a window and a fireplace. The meal commenced with an Amuse Bouche of house smoked salmon which we followed with a salad of heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn and pancetta. B had the steak special of the evening which was a NY strip with garlic and herb butter with perfect potatoes. I had tender, sweet scallops with a strip of bacon on a bed of potatoes with leeks and balsamic vinegar – the description doesn’t do the dish justice. For dessert, we enjoyed a chocolate huckleberry gateau, but it was hard to choose.
Our final dinner of the trip was at Bluehour. This place is very hip with a happening vibe – the dining room is really neat. Unfortunately, we were a bit unhappy as they put us in a smallish “room” behind the main dining room and a curtain blocked our view of the dining room. This area was next to the kitchen and was not decorated…..it felt like overflow seating. We made our reservations long ago and felt disappointed – I even saw one open table and asked for it, but they said it was reserved. So, be sure to ask to sit in the main dining room. That said, the rest of the evening was very nice and our mood improved as our accommodating server brought a very tasty blood orange margarita (thanks, Scarlett) for me and a nice glass of wine for B. The salad of frisee, honeycrisp apples, gorgonzola and pecans was great as was B’s appetizer of razor clam with eggplant crisp and chili aioli. We both had the salmon with horseradish served over cucumber for our main course. Overall, our meal was very good and I’d go back, but it definitely felt a bit more pretentious than the very classy Fenouil (although it is a bit like “comparing apples to oranges.”)
We enjoyed wines each evening, but I didn’t happen to write them down. The bottom line is that there are a lot of excellent wine choices in the Pacific NW, many at a very reasonable cost. All five of our dinners were great and there were many other restaurants which were highly recommended. Overall, this area of the country has great dining at reasonable prices – we were impressed.
Nov 4th, 2006, 01:18 PM
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Here is a link to some of our photos.
http://tinyurl.com/ygz7t9
Again, many thanks for all the assistance I received when planning this trip.
http://tinyurl.com/ygz7t9
Again, many thanks for all the assistance I received when planning this trip.
Nov 14th, 2006, 06:12 PM
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fun4all, thank you for letting me know you posted this! I am sorry we were unable to meet while you were here, there will hopefully be a "next time"
Glad you enjoyed your visit and glad you liked Fenouil and bluehour..you were so close to my apt!! We just got back ourselves, but I hear Pup got to go to bluehour for HH with his sitter while we were away~lol~
Glad you enjoyed your visit and glad you liked Fenouil and bluehour..you were so close to my apt!! We just got back ourselves, but I hear Pup got to go to bluehour for HH with his sitter while we were away~lol~
Nov 14th, 2006, 06:38 PM
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Love your photos. They remind me why I love Oregon. You have really captured so much beauty. I'm so glad you had a good trip. You got here before the weather just up and tanked....This is one wet November!
Nov 15th, 2006, 04:39 PM
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Scarlett, No kidding about the wind! I thought I was in the Windy City again today as I was crossing the street - whoosh! The trees are finally bare and the streets are slick with a carpet of yellow leaves, pine straw, and branches. Our Seattle weather is very like yours in Portland.
