Oregon trip report- WARNING- it's LONG!
Jul 17th, 2008, 08:46 PM
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Oregon trip report- WARNING- it's LONG!
First of all, thanks to all of you that helped us plan this trip. I don't know what we did before the internet! Also, there are a lot of detailed wine references included, but that's because that was the focus of our trip. I had a lot of help from the folks at www.winelibrary.com so this has been posted there as well.
We started our vacation in California and I have posted that portion in the CA forum.
Sorry for the length, but here goes........
Saturday, June 28th we arrived in Gold Beach and checked in at The Inn of the Beachcomber. I can’t remember who recommended this place, but THANK YOU! We had a room with a deck with private jet tub overlooking the ocean. It was a huge room with gas fireplace, great bedding , robes and breakfast included for around $150. Ok-- here’s the funny part- wine tastings in the lobby every night and a wine shop with a very good selection , especially of Oregon wines. It turns out that Ted, the owner, is somewhat of a wine connoisseur. Actually what he says is that he really doesn’t know much about wine, he is just very good at doing research. He decided to only buy wines with good ratings and therefore has a very interesting selection. The night we were there we tasted a Sineann pinot noir and something from Italy (sorry, can’t remember). We bought a bottle of 2003 Raptor Ridge Reserve Willamette Valley. Here’s the next find of the night…. Ted recommended that we eat at Spinner’s and gave us a 15% off coupon and a nice bottle tote to take our wine with us. We had an awesome dinner of chowder, salmon wrapped in leeks and grilled scallops and prawns over rice. We had them pack our dessert to go and had it later in the jet tub on our deck. Are you ready for this? The bill (without tip) was $43 and there was NO corkage! We went back to the hotel and happily shared some of the leftover Raptor Ridge with Ted. Highly recommend both Inn of the Beachcomber and Spinner’s (be sure to ask for a 15% coupon)
Sunday we made the drive from Gold Beach to Yachats with several scenic stops along the way. Especially liked the sand dunes and I was amazed at all the people with dune buggies. We spent the night at The Overleaf Lodge. This place is beautiful but we weren’t there long enough to take advantage of the spa. The rooms are very large and ours had a fireplace and little kitchenette area and a deck with ocean view. We took a walk on the beach and climbed the rocks to get some photos of the sea anemones in the tide pools. Another great dinner at the Yachats River House. Husband is the chef and the wife runs the wine shop and front of the house. Terrific upscale dining and excellent wine service. We had Dungeness crab cakes, panko crusted halibut with purple sticky rice and an appetizer called chuka ika (smoked squid salad with seaweed salad). We had Sineann pinot gris and a white from D. Drouhin and finished off with a nice Andrew Rich ice wine.
Monday was our drive from Yachats to Portland with a stop to visit a relative in Woodburne. Checked in at the Inn at Northrup Station with enough time to get cleaned up and get to our dinner reservation at Le Pigeon. Northrup Station is in the trendy NW neighborhood which turned out to be a great location for us. Tons of top-notch restaurants within walking distance, cute boutiques, gelato and the “all-important” wine shop. The hotel is very funky with every wall painted a different color and very modern fixtures. The rooms have full kitchens, an office area and a “living area” with sofa and chair. We also had a large private patio. Continental breakfast is included and they have free on site parking. Another great find for $149 a night during the week. They even give you free tickets for the streetcar which stops right in front of the place. Le Pigeon was a lot of fun. It’s a very tiny place with communal tables (reservation is a must) and open kitchen. We were very UnP.C. and had the foie gras, but it sure was delish! I had the sea bass with leeks, snails and frog legs and Peter had the duck with spaetzle and tomato jam. The somm paired mine with a glass of J Scott Rousanne and his with a morrellino de scansano from Moris Farms. Everything was amazing except the dessert which was not up to par with the rest of the meal.
To be continued....
We started our vacation in California and I have posted that portion in the CA forum.
Sorry for the length, but here goes........
Saturday, June 28th we arrived in Gold Beach and checked in at The Inn of the Beachcomber. I can’t remember who recommended this place, but THANK YOU! We had a room with a deck with private jet tub overlooking the ocean. It was a huge room with gas fireplace, great bedding , robes and breakfast included for around $150. Ok-- here’s the funny part- wine tastings in the lobby every night and a wine shop with a very good selection , especially of Oregon wines. It turns out that Ted, the owner, is somewhat of a wine connoisseur. Actually what he says is that he really doesn’t know much about wine, he is just very good at doing research. He decided to only buy wines with good ratings and therefore has a very interesting selection. The night we were there we tasted a Sineann pinot noir and something from Italy (sorry, can’t remember). We bought a bottle of 2003 Raptor Ridge Reserve Willamette Valley. Here’s the next find of the night…. Ted recommended that we eat at Spinner’s and gave us a 15% off coupon and a nice bottle tote to take our wine with us. We had an awesome dinner of chowder, salmon wrapped in leeks and grilled scallops and prawns over rice. We had them pack our dessert to go and had it later in the jet tub on our deck. Are you ready for this? The bill (without tip) was $43 and there was NO corkage! We went back to the hotel and happily shared some of the leftover Raptor Ridge with Ted. Highly recommend both Inn of the Beachcomber and Spinner’s (be sure to ask for a 15% coupon)
Sunday we made the drive from Gold Beach to Yachats with several scenic stops along the way. Especially liked the sand dunes and I was amazed at all the people with dune buggies. We spent the night at The Overleaf Lodge. This place is beautiful but we weren’t there long enough to take advantage of the spa. The rooms are very large and ours had a fireplace and little kitchenette area and a deck with ocean view. We took a walk on the beach and climbed the rocks to get some photos of the sea anemones in the tide pools. Another great dinner at the Yachats River House. Husband is the chef and the wife runs the wine shop and front of the house. Terrific upscale dining and excellent wine service. We had Dungeness crab cakes, panko crusted halibut with purple sticky rice and an appetizer called chuka ika (smoked squid salad with seaweed salad). We had Sineann pinot gris and a white from D. Drouhin and finished off with a nice Andrew Rich ice wine.
Monday was our drive from Yachats to Portland with a stop to visit a relative in Woodburne. Checked in at the Inn at Northrup Station with enough time to get cleaned up and get to our dinner reservation at Le Pigeon. Northrup Station is in the trendy NW neighborhood which turned out to be a great location for us. Tons of top-notch restaurants within walking distance, cute boutiques, gelato and the “all-important” wine shop. The hotel is very funky with every wall painted a different color and very modern fixtures. The rooms have full kitchens, an office area and a “living area” with sofa and chair. We also had a large private patio. Continental breakfast is included and they have free on site parking. Another great find for $149 a night during the week. They even give you free tickets for the streetcar which stops right in front of the place. Le Pigeon was a lot of fun. It’s a very tiny place with communal tables (reservation is a must) and open kitchen. We were very UnP.C. and had the foie gras, but it sure was delish! I had the sea bass with leeks, snails and frog legs and Peter had the duck with spaetzle and tomato jam. The somm paired mine with a glass of J Scott Rousanne and his with a morrellino de scansano from Moris Farms. Everything was amazing except the dessert which was not up to par with the rest of the meal.
To be continued....
Jul 17th, 2008, 08:55 PM
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Tuesday we did a day trip along the Columbia Scenic Highway and then to Hood River, Mount Hood and the Timberline Lodge. We did not stop at any of the wineries along the way, but there are plenty on both the OR side and the WA side.
We did stop at Latourelle Falls (thanks gjport) and attempted to hike to the upper falls. Well, after a long haul up, we headed back down. I don’t know where the supposed “Loop” trail is, but we never found it. How about some signs??? We walked the lower trail and managed to get lost there, too, but it was pretty and I had some good photo ops. Stopped at the nice, but heavily touristed Multnomah Falls.
Stopped for a quick lunch in Hood River and headed on the road to Timberline Lodge. Had to stop the car quick when I got the first glance of Mount Hood to get some pictures!
After a pleasant day and a lot of fresh air, we had a short rest back at our hotel and then hopped on the streetcar for dinner at Andina in the Pearl district. This is a wonderful Peruvian tapas bar kind of place. We got a table downstairs in the “courtyard” and I recommend this if you don’t like a really noisy dining experience. I better not go into too much detail here, but our selections included a grilled octopus kebob with chimichurri, an amazing quinoa salad and a slow cooked lamb shank in Northern Peruvian style.
The next day was our wine tasting day. We started at Anne Amie where we got to try a Muller Thurgau and really liked it (expanding my palate!). Also made it to Scott Paul, which was one of my favorites. Scott Paul is an importer of burgundies from small producers and we got to taste them along with one of his wines (La Paulee). They were out of most of his varieties, but we managed to score a bottle of his Martha Pirrie the next day at the McMinnville Antique and Wine Gallery (don’t miss this place). I loved the silkiness, depth and complexity of his wines and highly recommend a stop there.
After a quick pit stop at The Filling Station Deli in Carlton for a really good sandwich, we went to our appointment at Patricia Green Winery. We were lucky enough to have our tasting with both Jim Anderson and Patty, along with 2 other couples. We had a lot of fun tasting through their current vintage and tasted a lot of the barrel samples. This was a good learning experience for me of the difference the terroir makes because they divided their pinots between those from the volcanic soils (Jory soil) and those from the Marine Sedimentary soil (Willakenzie soil). I learned that I prefer the volcanic soil and they seemed to be the more “dark fruit” flavors that I liked. The wines here had very good fruit, but were balanced with good tannins and lovely finish. I was personally impressed by the 2007 futures we tasted, especially the Ana and Winderlea.
After Patty Green, we headed back to the Carlton Winemakers Studio. Unfortunately we probably suffered a lot of palate fatigue by then, but we tried the Andrew Rich wines that we had heard so much about. I was disappointed by the whole experience, and we had a fairly unfriendly server so we got out of there pretty quickly. In retrospect, I’m sorry we didn’t try the Boedecker wines, but we managed to buy a bottle of the Boedecker Stewart PN that Gary was so nuts about on his show.
To be continued...........
We did stop at Latourelle Falls (thanks gjport) and attempted to hike to the upper falls. Well, after a long haul up, we headed back down. I don’t know where the supposed “Loop” trail is, but we never found it. How about some signs??? We walked the lower trail and managed to get lost there, too, but it was pretty and I had some good photo ops. Stopped at the nice, but heavily touristed Multnomah Falls.
Stopped for a quick lunch in Hood River and headed on the road to Timberline Lodge. Had to stop the car quick when I got the first glance of Mount Hood to get some pictures!
After a pleasant day and a lot of fresh air, we had a short rest back at our hotel and then hopped on the streetcar for dinner at Andina in the Pearl district. This is a wonderful Peruvian tapas bar kind of place. We got a table downstairs in the “courtyard” and I recommend this if you don’t like a really noisy dining experience. I better not go into too much detail here, but our selections included a grilled octopus kebob with chimichurri, an amazing quinoa salad and a slow cooked lamb shank in Northern Peruvian style.
The next day was our wine tasting day. We started at Anne Amie where we got to try a Muller Thurgau and really liked it (expanding my palate!). Also made it to Scott Paul, which was one of my favorites. Scott Paul is an importer of burgundies from small producers and we got to taste them along with one of his wines (La Paulee). They were out of most of his varieties, but we managed to score a bottle of his Martha Pirrie the next day at the McMinnville Antique and Wine Gallery (don’t miss this place). I loved the silkiness, depth and complexity of his wines and highly recommend a stop there.
After a quick pit stop at The Filling Station Deli in Carlton for a really good sandwich, we went to our appointment at Patricia Green Winery. We were lucky enough to have our tasting with both Jim Anderson and Patty, along with 2 other couples. We had a lot of fun tasting through their current vintage and tasted a lot of the barrel samples. This was a good learning experience for me of the difference the terroir makes because they divided their pinots between those from the volcanic soils (Jory soil) and those from the Marine Sedimentary soil (Willakenzie soil). I learned that I prefer the volcanic soil and they seemed to be the more “dark fruit” flavors that I liked. The wines here had very good fruit, but were balanced with good tannins and lovely finish. I was personally impressed by the 2007 futures we tasted, especially the Ana and Winderlea.
After Patty Green, we headed back to the Carlton Winemakers Studio. Unfortunately we probably suffered a lot of palate fatigue by then, but we tried the Andrew Rich wines that we had heard so much about. I was disappointed by the whole experience, and we had a fairly unfriendly server so we got out of there pretty quickly. In retrospect, I’m sorry we didn’t try the Boedecker wines, but we managed to buy a bottle of the Boedecker Stewart PN that Gary was so nuts about on his show.
To be continued...........
Jul 17th, 2008, 08:58 PM
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We drove back in time for a quick bite with some relatives, then on to Gary’s book signing at Powell’s in Beaverton. All I can add to what everybody here already knows is that he really is an authentic, charismatic guy. It was SRO for his talk and we all got photos. Too bad the Portland vayniacs didn’t plan anything for after, but we were pooped anyway.
Thursday was my birthday(!!!!!) so, of course, I wanted another wine tasting day. When we unpacked our wines on Wednesday, we found that one of the Patty Green’s was leaking! So our first stop was back there to exchange it for another. I must say, they weren’t overly apologetic or concerned about it. After that we hit Torii Mor (good- should have bought some, but it was the first of the day), Dobbes Family(liked the Dobbes Family, but not the Wines by Joe label), Domaine Drouhin (very pretty place and very good wines- make an appt for the tour next time), De Ponte( just OK), Sokol Blosser (yuck) and Panther Creek (just ok). Last stop (whew) was the Oregon Wine tasting room. This is a great place to buy all the wines you wish you had gotten and to find some of the ones they were out of. I forgot to mention that we stopped at the McMinnville Farmer’s Market (Thursday afternoons). What fun that was! Lunch was a delicious pulled pork sandwich at the park.
There's still more...............
Thursday was my birthday(!!!!!) so, of course, I wanted another wine tasting day. When we unpacked our wines on Wednesday, we found that one of the Patty Green’s was leaking! So our first stop was back there to exchange it for another. I must say, they weren’t overly apologetic or concerned about it. After that we hit Torii Mor (good- should have bought some, but it was the first of the day), Dobbes Family(liked the Dobbes Family, but not the Wines by Joe label), Domaine Drouhin (very pretty place and very good wines- make an appt for the tour next time), De Ponte( just OK), Sokol Blosser (yuck) and Panther Creek (just ok). Last stop (whew) was the Oregon Wine tasting room. This is a great place to buy all the wines you wish you had gotten and to find some of the ones they were out of. I forgot to mention that we stopped at the McMinnville Farmer’s Market (Thursday afternoons). What fun that was! Lunch was a delicious pulled pork sandwich at the park.
There's still more...............
Jul 18th, 2008, 03:20 PM
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Back to Portland again and a walk through Thursday Night in the Pearl District. That’s when all the galleries and shops stay open late and there is music and art out on the streets. Nice. We walked over to Park Kitchen for my birthday dinner. Yummm. Pork & cherry terrine, gin soaked clams with snow peas and cukes, sizzling grilled octopus, grape leaves stuffed with porcini and quinoa and fava beans with farro! OMG! It’s neat cause you can order small, medium or large plates. To top it all off, a half bottle of Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose. Fabulous! I’ve got to look for a bottle of that.
If you’re still reading…. Friday was July 4th and we went to Washington Park for a walk through the Rose Garden (free) which was beautiful. Then we walked over to the Japanese Garden ($8) which I loved even more. The roses were pretty, but I’m more into the Japanese style of gardening and this place doesn’t disappoint. Then a drive to the mansion (closed for the holiday) for a peek at the view. This is a great place to get photos of the city skyline.
The big Waterfront Blues Festival was going on all weekend so we took the streetcar downtown to check it out , stopping first at Kenny & Zukes for lunch. Fun place and pretty good, but sorry folks-- it ain’t New York! The blues festival was a freakin’ zoo! Maybe I’m too old, but this was waaaay too crowded. We stayed for a while and listened to Canned Heat (and I thought I was old!) and a few other groups and then had to get out of the mob scene.
I really wanted to hang around at the waterfront to catch the fireworks though, so we walked over to Veritable Quandary, a restaurant about a block from the water. The food was very forgettable, but the service was very pleasant and we were able to sit on the patio and eat and drink until 10:00 when the fireworks started. Nice display ! The fireworks are shot off of 2 barges on the river and lasted about ½ hour.
If you’re still reading…. Friday was July 4th and we went to Washington Park for a walk through the Rose Garden (free) which was beautiful. Then we walked over to the Japanese Garden ($8) which I loved even more. The roses were pretty, but I’m more into the Japanese style of gardening and this place doesn’t disappoint. Then a drive to the mansion (closed for the holiday) for a peek at the view. This is a great place to get photos of the city skyline.
The big Waterfront Blues Festival was going on all weekend so we took the streetcar downtown to check it out , stopping first at Kenny & Zukes for lunch. Fun place and pretty good, but sorry folks-- it ain’t New York! The blues festival was a freakin’ zoo! Maybe I’m too old, but this was waaaay too crowded. We stayed for a while and listened to Canned Heat (and I thought I was old!) and a few other groups and then had to get out of the mob scene.
I really wanted to hang around at the waterfront to catch the fireworks though, so we walked over to Veritable Quandary, a restaurant about a block from the water. The food was very forgettable, but the service was very pleasant and we were able to sit on the patio and eat and drink until 10:00 when the fireworks started. Nice display ! The fireworks are shot off of 2 barges on the river and lasted about ½ hour.
Jul 18th, 2008, 03:25 PM
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Thanks for the comments. I'm going to try to finish this up now. I guess I really got carried away with the details of the food and wine, but hey.. that's what vacations are about for us.
Saturday-- our last day :~( Went to the venerable Portland Farmer’s Market and had a blast. Now you’re really going to think we’re nuts, but we bought a weeks worth of fruit and veggies! We took an insulated picnic bag with us and carried it home on the plane (along with 2 cases of wine- good old Southwest). Don’t miss this if you’re in Portland on a Saturday morning. There was a cooking demo by a local chef, music and an incredible display of local produce, flowers, cheese, mushrooms, bakery items, etc. We couldn’t refuse an early lunch of a wood fired pita stuffed with grilled lamb and all sorts of fresh veggies. Amazing!
After stopping at the hotel to put all our loot in the fridge, we headed back out to the Saturday art market under the Burnside Bridge. To me, this was a total waste of time. I know a lot of people recommend this, but I thought it was more like a big, crowded flea market.
We got out of there quickly and stumbled upon a line of people waiting outside none other than Voodoo Doughnuts! I had read about this place on many websites so, of course, we had to join the line to see what all the fuss was about. I’m totally not a doughnut person, but my husband seemed to enjoy it and the place is a riot.
We had a reservation for our last night at Paley’s Place. First class dining experience and excellent service in an old Victorian house. By now I had given up with all my note-taking and all I can tell you is that we had razor clams and halibut and it was all expertly prepared. The wine list is terrific and very reasonably priced. We had a bottle of J. Christopher Sav Blanc.
Other passing notes…. Portland has a great public transportation system and it’s all free for most of the downtown and Pearl District.
Oregon has NO SALES TAX! Wow.
Liner & Elsen (2222 NW Quimby) is a great wine shop. They have tastings on Saturday afternoons and the people are so incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. We ended up buying several different bottles from them including a 1993 Jos. Christoffel Jr. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese and a Terrebrune Bandol Rose (hope it’s as good as the Tempier for ½ the price).
Oregon Wines on Broadway was another good find. We went through a tasting flight with Kate and learned a lot from her about Oregon wines and got some tips for our days in the Willamette Valley.
If anybody out there is still awake, thanks for reading. Hopefully there is some useful info here for others to use. We loved Oregon and look forward to spending more time there.
Saturday-- our last day :~( Went to the venerable Portland Farmer’s Market and had a blast. Now you’re really going to think we’re nuts, but we bought a weeks worth of fruit and veggies! We took an insulated picnic bag with us and carried it home on the plane (along with 2 cases of wine- good old Southwest). Don’t miss this if you’re in Portland on a Saturday morning. There was a cooking demo by a local chef, music and an incredible display of local produce, flowers, cheese, mushrooms, bakery items, etc. We couldn’t refuse an early lunch of a wood fired pita stuffed with grilled lamb and all sorts of fresh veggies. Amazing!
After stopping at the hotel to put all our loot in the fridge, we headed back out to the Saturday art market under the Burnside Bridge. To me, this was a total waste of time. I know a lot of people recommend this, but I thought it was more like a big, crowded flea market.
We got out of there quickly and stumbled upon a line of people waiting outside none other than Voodoo Doughnuts! I had read about this place on many websites so, of course, we had to join the line to see what all the fuss was about. I’m totally not a doughnut person, but my husband seemed to enjoy it and the place is a riot.
We had a reservation for our last night at Paley’s Place. First class dining experience and excellent service in an old Victorian house. By now I had given up with all my note-taking and all I can tell you is that we had razor clams and halibut and it was all expertly prepared. The wine list is terrific and very reasonably priced. We had a bottle of J. Christopher Sav Blanc.
Other passing notes…. Portland has a great public transportation system and it’s all free for most of the downtown and Pearl District.
Oregon has NO SALES TAX! Wow.
Liner & Elsen (2222 NW Quimby) is a great wine shop. They have tastings on Saturday afternoons and the people are so incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. We ended up buying several different bottles from them including a 1993 Jos. Christoffel Jr. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese and a Terrebrune Bandol Rose (hope it’s as good as the Tempier for ½ the price).
Oregon Wines on Broadway was another good find. We went through a tasting flight with Kate and learned a lot from her about Oregon wines and got some tips for our days in the Willamette Valley.
If anybody out there is still awake, thanks for reading. Hopefully there is some useful info here for others to use. We loved Oregon and look forward to spending more time there.
Jul 18th, 2008, 03:57 PM
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I don't know what we did before the internet!
We used travel agents, most of whom didn't have a clue about where they were sending people. I know cuz I used to be one. :-"
Great report, and glad you enjoyed our little corner of the country.
We used travel agents, most of whom didn't have a clue about where they were sending people. I know cuz I used to be one. :-"
Great report, and glad you enjoyed our little corner of the country.
Jul 28th, 2008, 08:04 AM
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We love Paley's Place and Park Kitchen, next visit check out Lucier down by the waterfront, we had a great dinner there a few days ago. Sounds like you hit some of our favorites in wine country! We have been in Seaside for several days, starting our second week here and woke up to gorgeous weather! ***kim*** 
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