Picky eater in downtown Portland, OR
 

I will be in Portland in December, arriving on my B-Day. We want to find somewhere good to go to dinner in the downtown area.
My husband does not share my passion for gourmet food so I would like to try and find a place that has some good food without being too fussy or "foreign".
He doesn't eat a lot of meat and NO seafood.
Hates curry, thai, chinese, etc...
(Good thing I travel all the time on business. I load up on the exotic stuff while I am out of town).
He likes everything I do not... burgers, chicken fried steak, pizza.
Neither of us drink.
Is there anything better than Rock Bottom Brewery?
It sort of covers all the bases but I've been there too many times.

I don't get it. It's YOUR birthday! Why can't your husband "suck it up" and eat someplace you like for the simple joy of pleasing his wife on her birthday? He can order the plainest thing on the menu and then get a club sandwich from room service back at the hotel. How is he with pasta?
Anyway, two places that come to mind are Higgins and Brasserie Montmartre. Check the Higgins web site, which includes the menus.

Thanks for the suggestion...
Actually I have not even discussed this with him. He would go anywhere and do just what you said, it's me who wants to find a place that he will enjoy. I eat out all the time. He NEVER eats out, food is just not that exciting to him. He's a runner and eats only when he is really hungry. He HATES being full, like after Christmas. He would be happy eating sandwiches or Chunky Soup and hand held fruit all the time. Now, I am a 3rd generation chef (not my current profession) and I cook great stuff that he loves. He will eat anything I cook, so he's not picky like that... you know.
Anyhoo, it's me. I want him to have a great meal that he likes. I will certainly be able to find something I like, too and then the next week I can go to an exotic place when I am in LA.
I'll have a look at the menu of your suggestions. I really appreciate the help. From what I recall, Portland has some great restaurants.

I agree, Higgins would be perfect for your birthday dinner. Greg Higgins has become one of the "stars" of the NW dining scene, yet his food isn't fussy or foreign--just the best local ingredients cooked with care and imagination.

You can enjoy your special gourmet birthday treats there, while hubby could be happy with a vegetable risotto, pasta, roast chicken, small steak -- Both of you get what you want AND you've had a real, top-notch NW dining experience. Wish I was going! Enjoy...

I second the suggestion of the Brasserie Montmartre. Every summer when my husband and I go to Portland on business we eat there. I love the live jazz and the strolling magacian. It's a fun place to eat, with frech bread to die for! The desserts are great too!

Not a dinner suggestion, but I like the Red Star Grill in the Fifth Avenue Suites hotel for breakfast. Fun atmosphere and good food.

Here's another vote for Higgins, which was selected by local food critics as the best Portland restaurant in 2002.

This is off the wall and not gourmet but you could do something more 'fun' rather than gourmet. Maybe something like grabbing a pizza (or ?) at the McMenimins theatre pub in downtown. Or even the chain Spaghetti Factory has a train in the building and views of the river. These are not what I would want for my birthday but there might be some other 'fun' type activities. There is a popular German restaurant that might also be fun.... someone help with the name? I have even heard of dinners at the zoo and zoolights would probably be going on at that time.

Different but just ideas.

Enjoy!

May I suggest sampling some of the products of the Clear Creek Distillery, downtown Portland. I'm headed that way myself next June, and this discussion of places will be most valuable. Thanks.

Der Rheinlander is the restaurant, Sara. Gustav's, a German Bierstube (pub), is next door. They're a few miles east of downtown.