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Lcuy's Portland Trip Report
Well, I had a great week in Portland. The official reason was to settle my daughter in school again. Of course, I could have hired a full time chauffeur and personal shopper for a lot less than inviting myself along! I admit it, I LOVE Portland. The shopping, the food, and I also have some friends and relatives to visit as well.
Those of you who follow such things know that I have been taking advantage of the deals offered through the Portland Visitors Association to try different hotels. I go there so often, I wanted to find my favorite. Their summer deals are not quite as good as the winter ones, but still include free parking and 2 breakfasts (or a monetary credit instead of breakfast). Last spring, I stayed at the 5th Ave Suites, the Westin, the Heathman, and before that stayed numerous times at Kennedy School and Edgefield. This trip, I sampled 5th Ave Suites, RiverPlace Hotel, the Downtown Marriott, and the Benson. Ill go into the details below, but have to say that 5th Ave Suites is still my favorite hotel. We got in quite a lot of good dining this time...Paleys, Higgins, ClarkLewis, Henrys on 12th, Noble Rot, Henrys Café (on Clinton), Bread & Ink, Elephant Deli, and Jakes. I managed to do a bit of shopping for myself - NW 23rd, the Pearl, SE Hawthorne, Pioneer Plaza- but mainly spent time in Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot and Office Depot, as this is where college kids furnish their dorms. (And that WAS my reason for being in Portland! ;-) ) So, on to my reviews: I decided to start my trip at the 5th Ave Suites, especially since I had my daughter and her friend the first two nights. We got a junior suite for $179 per night including 2 breakfasts and parking. I love their parking as it is right in the building and your car is available immediately. Our room 321 was beautiful. Kind of a long trek from the elevator, but really quiet and had high ceilings so felt huge. We had a king bedroom separated from the living room by french doors. The living room had a queen sofa bed, and additional desk and tv armoire. The king bed was divinely comfortable with Frette sheets, a down duvet, a body pillow and teddy bear. I didnt sleep in the sofa bed, but the girl who did said it was very comfortable- not at all like a sofa! Wired and wireless internet access are both free. One thing about here is that room service stops at midnight (or 11pm?), so since we checked in at that time, we headed out for dinner. Jakes looked good, but we got booted to the outside tables as Oregon won?t allow under 21's to eat in bar settings. We ate from the very limited night menu and had front row seats to some excitement involving fast cars and police in the next block. The next day, we ordered room service breakfast, which came right on time, but the child who opened the door went back to sleep without waking us, so it was lucky we had no hot foods! We did some wandering/shopping out on NW 23rd, then had a light lunch at Miso Hapi. This is a small Asian restaurant- not sure if Vietnamese or Thai...We love it as the sauces are very light and the vegetables incredibly fresh. Their sizzling soup with puffed rice is just perfect. They have another branch in downtown, I think. For dinner, five of us went to Paleys. What can I say? It was one of my best meals EVER! We ordered a selection of starters, entrees, and desserts and shared family style. Their rose martini was memorable, as were the wines, the onion tart, the squash fritters, hand cut fries, and mixed seafood grill. The chocolate mousse was a dessert I will crave till the next trip- crisp exterior with hazelnuts and melted chocolate inside and honey vanilla ice cream. The service was perfect, the room was filled with interesting people, Not too loud, and dim enough to be romantic without being too dark. Total bill for with tip was $165.00. At the end, we had a fun chat with Kim Paley, who once taught dance near me in Hawaii. She told us about their Wine Wednesdays where each week has themed wine tasting and tapas. Ill be back for that next trip! The next day we got up a bit earlier and did our college shopping in time to have lunch at Henrys on 12th Ave. This is a new place in the old Weinhard Brewery on Burnside (a block from Powells Books). It was pouring rain, so coming into this warm lively place was just perfect. There is a huge bar, and pool tables upstairs, but we ate in the main area. It is hard to describe the place...kind of Dave & Busters with much more elegant decor and better food? Glad we tried the onion rings. They are half onions, battered with something crunchy and come stacked up on a plate with a pole in the middle. Not greasy, and wonderful sauce. Again we all shared our food- great soups, thick hamburgers, some vegetarian dishes, and a pad Thai. $66 for four of us. No dessert this time, and we took home lots of leftovers. When we finished, it was still just pouring. Happily, the manager snuck us upstairs and down a hall thru the keg storage room to the employee elevator. It dropped us right into the underground parking lot, saving us walking a block outside! As the kids would be staying in their dorms from now on, we headed over to check me into the Larkspur RiverPlace for two nights. This turned out to be a huge disappointment (sorry Kim!). On a positive note, the lobby and rooms are pretty. But...the valets were totally indifferent, the front desk clerks were snippy and make you sign ( in duplicate) a paper stating when you?ll leave and what time is check-out, etc.. Weird. The room was poorly lit, and when my friend arrived for dinner, the front desk clerk sent her to outside saying I was out checking the river view (We were up in the room waiting for her). The location is okay if you won?t be going into town, but too far to walk anywhere except along the river. The bottles of water left kindly on the bedstand are $3 each, but this is not mentioned on the minibar list. The hotel restaurant (Three Degrees) was more like a dressed up Bobs Big Boy than fine dining. Despite only three occupied tables, the waitress managed to forget one dish, bring one that was entirely wrong, and bring all of them cold. The `gourmet` mac & cheese was inedible, the prime rib sandwich more like chipped beef. Our water & drinks were never refilled and we had to get up to ask for our bill. To top it off, when I returned to the hotel about 11 that evening, there were some pretty scary guys using the cul de sac in front of RP to ride their bikes. I waited in my car for the valet for 4 minutes ( I could see him inside) then finally jumped out and ran in with my keys. The nicest thing I can say is that they didn?t argue when I asked to cancel the next nights stay. Wanting to be any place but there, I used Priceline the next morning for the first time. I ended up with a room at the Benson for $67 ( no parking or breakfast). This is one of those old elegant hotels. The location was good...right on Broadway. Not quite in the center of things, but certainly within walking distance. The staff were very nice, and reminded me of the free wine tasting from 5 to 6 pm. Room 918 had a decent view, and was nice with lots of bright lighting. It was comfortable, but old fashioned - no feather comforters, just a bed with blanket and bedspread. Internet access was $9.95 a day and only wired or dial-up. The carpet was very old and grey- one of those you arent sure if its dirty or just ugly. The bathroom was standard hotel style, but very clean and had lots of nice lotions and shampoos. With no kids and no friends that day, I did some shopping . Had a great lunch at Bread & Ink out on 34th & SE Hawthorne. For dinner, my girlfriend, her DXH, and I went to Noble Rot. I had the Willamette Pinot Noir flight (Three 2oz glasses for $13) and we got an olive plate, the bean salad, and a bread plate. We had planned to fill up on Tapas but the menu was much smaller than expected. It was a great wine bar, but we ended up getting food elsewhere that evening. Next day was my last hotel sample. I had chosen the Marriott on Broadway, just to check out a cheaper hotel ($119 with parking and Breakfast). It was a block up from the Benson, so still a decent location. Room 513 was very basic though...no bathrobes, no internet, no mini bar, no hotel guide or room service menu...but nice staff and clean room with feather comforter on the bed. The cars are parked far, far away. Even with 10 minutes notice, I still had to wait 7 minutes for my car. Ate lunch at Elephants Deli downtown, It is on the backside of Banana Republic (near Nordstrom). I always enjoy lunch here. It feels like a Parisian café. They have lots of pre-made gourmet sandwiches and salads, and a fresh soups and hot dishes made to order. I had a salami sandwich on Italian roll with pear/butternut squash soup, and a lemon bar. There are tables but lots of town workers order takeout. This night was another great dinner, at Higgins. Ive been wanting to try this place for a while now, and I was not disappointed. The restaurant in beautiful. Lively without being loud, lots of suits, but we felt comfortable with more casual clothes. The owner is very into supporting local, organic farmers and it showed. Fabulous heirloom tomatoes with buffalo cheese and basil, corn chowder, a huge pasta with pesto hazelnuts and tomatoes, fresh salads, risotto with shrimp, a mezze plate with hummus, baba ganouj and other interesting items. The service was just awesome, really professional- always there just before you needed them. Next day, had brunch at Henrys café on 27th and Clinton. Its one of those little hole in the wall places that are all over Portland. I had a BLT with salad and my girlfriend had a Crocque Monsieur with salad. Comfort food, but better. Total bill $12. Later drove out to the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. They have a wonderful gallery with art, ceramic and jewelry by students and Portland artists. Also have a great little café. Sunday brunch is worth the drive. Spent the last two nights at my friends house in Portland. I would have returned to 5th Ave, but she has a new old house, so took advantage! Our last night, we finally got into ClarkLewis. Despite some mixed reviews, we quite enjoyed it. They are in a renovated warehouse on the east side of the river, and so new they arent in the phone book. The menu is a bit confusing... you order small, large, or family portions and some are priced per person, others per plate. Our waiter was very good in not letting us over-order. All the starter dishes were based on fresh, interesting vegetables. We loved the salad with figs and goat cheese, the seared scallops on heirloom tomatoes, and the fried green tomatoes. They had several pasta dishes; ours was a bit overcooked. You pay for any bread. There were two fish dishes, also lamb, suckling pig, or squab. No other meats that night. This is definitely a place where yuppie types go to be seen, especially in the bar. Be careful to mention if you have under 21s in your party, there are limited tables where minors can be seated. The desserts here were also awesome. The panna cotta, the cobbler, and the lemon cake were all heavenly. Our bill for 4 with 2 martinis was $89.00 so it was quite reasonable. So in the end, a very fun trip. Paleys and Higgins were the dining winners, and I still rate 5th Avenue Suites way over the rest of the downtown hotels. Cant wait to go back!! Lucy |
Lucy, what perfect timing!
I was just asking for restaurant recommendations :) I am so glad that you like the 5th Ave Suites that much, since we will be there for 10 days, I was hoping it would be really nice. I have taken notes, thanks and I am glad you enjoyed your Portland visit~ |
You are going to love Portland, and you may have really nice weather in September. I ran into record rainfall and even flooding this week...but luckily rain doesn't spoil Portland..kind of gives it a more authentic feel.
My daughter was helping with the freshmen orientation this week-she was upset they couldn't do their picnics, but most freshmen and their parents seemed to find the rain fulfilled their expectations of Oregon weather! I am missing the city already...It has so many wonderful places to eat, and such interesting shopping. |
If you ever feel like talking about shopping, you can email me or post here where you like to shop in PDX.
I know to expect Nordstroms, etc, but what about the small private boutiques? ((F))Scarlett |
Wow, lcuy, that was a great & thorough report! I <i>may</i> be going to Portland (mostly Lake Oswego though) sometime in the next couple of months for a quick trip. I'll definitely email you if that trip firms up.
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Melissa- Lake Oswego is really part of Portland, I think its maybe a 10 mile commute.
You will love Portland if you go...it is an eating and drinking paradise! |
lcuy, great A+ trip report! That is just the kind of detail I like to hear about, and when you liked or disliked something you said WHY. Thanks!
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Interesting, my son had a wonderful stay there but that was a coule of months ago. He said the service was excellent when he was there and even received a complimentary upgrade on the room.
Actually, the valet service was amazing before they changed hands, I was aanxious sto see how they were going to do under the new ownership. We were treated like royalty in the past, maybe things are different now as I even noticed they stopped offering the Romance package we alwasys got in under. I actally see a lot more "scary" people in the downtown area than on the waterfront. So that was an interesting observation, also. I'll have to forego my beautiful waterviews at the Riverplace and try 5th Ave. Suites next time, just to see how it really is! Glad you enjoyed Paley's, I believe I recommended that one to you. Too bad you didn't get to try the Bluehour, maybe next time! Glad you enjoyed Portland so much! HOw was Clarklewis? We missed that one last time, but I want to try it next trip. ***kim*** |
Oops, sorry, you did mention Clarklewis, I skimmed your report!
Anyway, it sounds like a place I would like, all my favorite menu items for yummy eats! ***kim*** |
Hi Kim- yes, your review of Paleys made that first on my list this trip. It was all I hoped for and more, so many thanks!
Clarklewis is definitely worth a visit, though I'd rate Higgins above it. Call in your reservations early, and ask to sit in the restaurant, rather than the bar side. Bluehour and will definitely be on the next trip... everybody sort of wanted chances to talk, so I figured I'd go to the quieter places this time. Yes, I was really disappointed in RiverPlace. It is a pretty hotel, and I was looking forward to two days of totally relaxing on the river. It wasn't the odd people in front that bothered me...it was that the valet just sat inside the glass door and never looked up (from his book?) for the entire time I was sitting there waiting, and I was the only car at that hour. I stay in nice hotels and pay the valets so that I don't have to worry about my safety at night I didn't even list all the problems- there were so many you'd think I was making them up! It just seemed like they have some real morale problems there. Even when I asked to cut short my stay, they didn't even ask if there was a problem...I offerred that I was not happy there, and they just said "oh, okay". I did fill out a survey, so we'll see if the management cares enough to respond to my issues! Any way, not all our plans ever go perfectly. It did get me to try Priceline hotel bidding and that worked out well. A visit to Portland is never a bad thing- glad my daughter will be there for 3 more years! |
That's really too bad that the service has since slipped with the new management. When we stayed there, the valet actually ran to get our car, opened doors for us, got us cookies and bottled water for our trip out and offered directions each time we left.
Do they still allow access to the athletic club down the block? It's a gorgeous facility with pool, jacuzzi and excellent weight equipment. My son and his fiance enjoyed the place very much, and they really enjoyed their time in their private spa/steam room there. Did you try that? It's by appointment only. I recently read some reviews about the Three Degrees from a local paper and the writer was very pleased with his lunch there, stating that it is in a beautiful waterfront location, and really enjoyed the place. I've posted a question on the PNW chowhound board, we'll see what kind of responses, if any I get. I was hoping with the new management change, this place would really be nice. Next time we visit Portland, I may stay one night in each place to see which one we prefer. (5th Ave. Suites) I was given a tour of the hotel this summer and was very impressed, I even asked the valet guy if the quality of service was going to continue and he convinced me that it would. I had just picked a bouquet of fresh flowers from Sauvie Island and he immediately retrieved a vase from the front desk and arranged my flowers in the room, etc. Little special touches like this were why we adored the place so much and why I recommend it highly on this board. ***kim*** |
thanks for the review lcuy, we go to Portland often- I've really enjoyed Higgens also.
Next time if you go to Noble Rot trot down the street to Navarre for your meal. Really fantastic little place with a great long list of tapas styled dishes and desserts from Pix Patisserie. mmmmm. And they have a fun communal table, love that! Also interested in the boutiques you found! please report :) |
I am so glad we chose 5th Ave Suites!
LOL, We are from NYC so someone has to be reeeeally scary to be considered Scary :) I am adding these restaurants to my list, Higgins! and ClarkLewis and I don't care about something being in a divey place, more fun sometimes! Now about that dessert, sigh~ |
Of course, there's Hurley's, www.hurleys-restaurant.com for more fine dining. We missed this one last trip, has anyone had any recent experience here? Chowhound gives it rave reviews! And then there's, Oba! ***kim***
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Icuy, how are the rooms decorated at 5th? I just read an unfavorable report that they were "hap-hazardly" decorated.
Were there lots of families there? It also sounds like it caters to kids, whereas the Riverplace is more upscale. I know the rooms there are very tastefully decorated, highly contemporary. Could you comment on this aspect of 5th? ***kim*** |
kim, look on http://www.5thavenuesuites.com/fasroom/index.html
they look pretty good to me. I read somewhere they use Frette linens . Oba is one of the places we will be making reservations for.. BTW~ Do these places need to be booked before we go, or can I do it once we are there? I cannot picture how busy the city is :) |
The 5th Ave is definitely not haphazardly decorated! They have Frette sheets (I checked :-) ), mattresses as nicer than the Westin "Heavenly beds", down comforters (or non- allergenic ones if you ask), silk curtains with sheers and blackouts and lovely furniture. In my 3 stays, the rooms and suite were basically identical. The style is a little more toward traditional than contemporary.
The entry/reception areas are bright with lots of leaded glass and a fireplace in the common room. If you go to their web site, you'll see exactly what the rooms all looked like, except they have more subdued bedspreads and different drapes now. The view from the higher rooms are very nice...you look over the other buildings toward the mountains in the distance. Lower rooms may face other buildings. I have never seen a child in the place..just a stroller once, and a little dog in a woman's arms once. It is mostly men & women in suits, and nicely dressed adults. I think I was the only person in jeans! RiverPlace is equally pretty- it is newly decorated in the Craftsman style and so more slate/light wood/ etc. Bedrooms in both hotels were very similar in size and number of pieces of furniture. Both have free internet access- wired and wireless. 5th Ave has instructions in the desk along with cables, and also had an offer to come up and help if you had problems logging on. The biggest physical difference in these two hotels are the locations- 5th Ave is right downtown... Nordstroms, pioneer place are around the corner and you can walk or or take the free bus anywhere in town. RiverPlace is down on the waterfront, a ways from the downtown area. It is a newer area with a promenade with small shops and some restaurants. If you are on the river side, you'll have a nice water view...the road side faces a major street and the back side of the Marriot in the distance. Pricewise, 5th was $179 for a junior suite (king bedroom + living room with sleepsofa), RiverPlace $199 for a riverview standard room. I purchased both under the same deal from POVA.com. Again, I had no complaint with the appearance of the RiverPlace- It is very pretty and the bed very comfortable. My problem was totally with the terrible service and the attitudes of the staff- something that I've never experienced in Portland. They usually grow em friendly over there! |
I have some friends who will be returning tomorrow from a stay at the Riverplace, upon my recommendation! I'll let you now how they liked it when I find out!
That's great that 5th has an internet access, but if it's broke, what's the point? LOL Icuy, did you have a riverview suite at the Riverplace? ***kim*** |
Lucy -- great report! My mouth is watering. Did you say there were FIVE of you at Paleys, all that delicious sounding food, and only $165 including tip? Did that include the drinks, too? Wow, Paleys is moving to the top of my list.
We were thinking about heading up to the Pacific Northwest next summer -- now Portland is a definite. |
You can reserve restaurants when you get there, just have the hotel do it for you. I've heard good things about Oba!
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