My friend and I are heading to Portland OR. for the weekend to shop and check out the PAM exhibit. We are going to have dinner at Jakes on Sat. night as we haven't tried it before and have heard it is wonderful.

We are looking for a good lunch place for Sat and Sun before shopping.

Also looking for suggestions for a great after dinner place to head for cocktails. We are both in our 30's, single and like good music, new "happening" places. We usually go to the Saucebox but would love to try something new.

Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance!

The McMenimins are almost always good for food or drinks. They are spread thoughout town. Two really interesting one are Edgefield and Kennedy School.

The new Portland City Grill, located on the 30th floor of the US Bancorp Building, has a great view and was packed last Friday when I stopped by for happy hour.

Bluehour and Oba are two of the more popular nightspots in the Pearl District. Jimmy Mac's also often has good local music.

Wendy (are you the Wendy from the Seattle GTG? Hi!) if you like Japanese food, you might try lunch at Todai in the Pioneer Place Two complex downtown.

For $12 you have a selection of every kind of sushi imaginable, plus fabulous deserts!

Just got back from a week in Portland. The weather was nice, the flowers and cherry trees were blooming and we had a great time!
The Bijou restaraunt is great for breakfasts and lunch- no reservations, but a little wait.
There is a wonderful cafe at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. We made reservations for Sunday brunch- fresh banana and other breads on the table and delicious breakfast entrees. It is out past the Pittock mansion. They have a terrific art gallery as well.. lots of student and local crafts at reasonable prices.
For dinner we went to Mingo on NE 22nd (or 23rd?)and Davis, I think. Small place with gourmet Italian and a nice wine selection. Very reasonable prices. Only catch is they take no reservations and can have long lines. Check in, then wander the neighborhood till they call you. We went very early (5:30?)on Sunday and had no wait at all.
Jakes is also great. Try their seafood platter -$42- for a huge selection of really fresh oysters, shrimp, crab, salmon, etc. There are crayfish but they were more decorative than tasty. Six of us shared it, then had just appetizers as our meals.
We stayed at McMennemins Kennedy school. It is an old school, turned into a pub, wine bar, restaraunt, movie theatre (in the Gym with with lounge chairs, and only $2), and hotel rooms. I was expecting some thing along the lines of a youth hostel, but it fact the rooms were more 4 star hotel. Extremely clean, internet lines, and a chalkboard and cloackroom to boot. The pub and bar had great entertainment. Lots of the locals go just for the entertainment and movies. It is out on 33rd and Killingsworth. Not totally central, but Portland is a very compact city.
have fun!

lcuy- I saw your mention of the cafe at Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. I've stopped by the campus for an art show, but had no idea that they had a cafe. I just pulled up the college website, but saw no mention of the cafe. Is it open to the general public? How did you find out about it? I'd love to be able to find out the hours and the menu. Thanks!

Great suggestions you guys! Thanks as always! Mt friends and I love Portland but we like to try new places instead of always going to the same.

I will say that last time we were there we had dinner at Mother's which was fantastic!

Hi Carla, it's me- one and the same from the GTG!

I find Jake's to be something of a tourist trap and over-rated. When we first moved to Portland, we ate there a couple of times and both times the food was so-so (they used WAY too much butter) and seriously over-priced. But if want a preview of what Jake's looks like, rent the Madonna movie Body of Evidence. A horrible movie, but several scenes were shot at Jake's. Put the mute on and fast forward through the movie until you come to the Jake's scenes.

I've eaten at Jake's on a few occasions while in town on business and was quite pleased with my food. It's worth checking out at least once. I even ordered steak there one night and found it to be one of the best I've ever had. How could anyone complain about blue cheese melting over a good piece of steak?

I thought Jakes would be one of those old time, over-rated places, but I've gone with a crowd 2 years in a row. It is crowded, and expensive, but we all really loved it both times.
Samantha- the cafe at OCAC is open to the public, but I don't remember the hours. It is open for lunch weekdays, but I seem to remember it closes early. the sunday brunch you should call for reservations. It is in the same building as the gallery, but you turn right as you enter the building, instead of left. Bon Appetit!

Just wanted to report back on the Portland weekend. Thanks to some suggestions here we had a fantastic time!

We ate lunch at Paragon in the Pearl District on Sat. Service was slow but the sandwiches were excellent!

After shopping cocktails at the Red Star downtown- love their drinks and the bartenders are sooooo helpful and nice.

Dinner at Jake's. Let me just say that I have a really hard time believing that anyone has ever had a bad meal here! I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down with the menu that it is a McCormick and Schmidts establishment (you can tell my the menu layout). They had a great selection of wines and we had a great conversation with the manager about some of the local Pinot's.

Kumamoto oysters to start were fantastic! We both had the halibut cheeks in lobster sauce with bay shrimp. This was so wonderful we were in heaven! The sauce was basically lobster bisque!

Service was fantastic! The manager even presented us with a bottle of wine to take with us when we left. Amazing!

They called us a cab and had us wait at our table with a glass of wine while it came.

After dinner we went to the Bluehour in the Pearl District. Great atmoshere, service, etc. Loved it! it wasn't real busy but it was busy enough. Checked out Jimmy Mac's but it was a little to loud (brass) for what we wanted. Ended up dancing at Embers before heading home. Wouldn't go to Embers again as I thought it was a little trashy but it was packed so my opinion is only that- mine.

Sunday went to the "Stuff of Dreams" exhibit at the PAM. What an amazing show! One of the best I've seen.

Of course we hit Powell's on the way out!

I just have to say again how much I enjoy Portland. It is clean and beautiful and fun!

Thanks again for the new suggestions, they were excellent!

Those are some good picks. I am from out of town and have eaten out a lot in Portland on visits. I enjoyed Typhoon (Thai with a great tea menu) and Higgins on Broadway. Also go east over the river and try Caprials and Castagna. (Some don't like the formal part of Castagna, and if you don't think you would, try the informal cafe.) Also in the 23rd area Wildwood is a nice splurge and Papa Haydn though often crowded has about the best desserts (selection and taste) I've had outside of Europe.

Wendy -
Next time you're there try Lush, Level, Stephanos and Ohm. There more on the trendy, groovy side, but you might enjoy them.

By the way wendy, thanks for the trip report. I always enjoy hearing how our recomends turned out!