Portland Oregon- hotel & restaurant tips?
 

I've been reading here for a while, thinking about a trip to Italy, but find I'm unexpectedly going to Portland this weekend for 10 days.

Looking through past messages, it seems like 5th Avenue suites is the place to stay. I'll be busy with work, so don't need activities, but would appreciate your fav dinner and lunch recos, both no name and luxe places. I'm looking forward to PNW cuisine, italian, mexican or mediterranean.

Also like sushi.
Thanks

I'll give you a few suggestions, but you should also go to www.chowhound.com for lots of info!! I just posted a few reports on our recent meals there.

I would definitely try clarklewis. We had an excellent lunch there. We also liked Hurley's for fine dining. Very nice place with excellent food.

This summer we enjoyed Paley's Place and the Bluehour. The Harborside is good for fresh seafood and Jake's Crawfish is also very good. ***kim***

My friends rave about Typhoon! at 410 SW Broadway (also one in NW on Everett), though as a non-fan of Thai food I have never eaten there.

If you want a really low-key mom-and-pop sub shop, try Geraldi's downtown on SW 4th between Washington and Alder (lunch only). They also have some basic Italian fare like lasagna and ravioli.

Andrew

Do have dinner at the Red Star, attached to the hotel.
Say hello to Josh or Jeff (waiters) and have some of the house Pinot Noir and cornbread:)
We really liked dinner at the Heathman, in the bar.
Pozzo across the street and up a couple of blocks, at the sister hotel of the %th Ave Suites, The Vintage.
Good fresh Italian food.
Go to NW23rd Street and eat any meal or dessert at Papa Haydn.

I've heard it said that the restaurant in the 5th Avenue Suites (which we like) is good, but my all time favorite it the Heathman. It is all-around the best for ambience, comfort, food, and service. No sushi, though.

Yes, the Heathman is fantastic. And my grandson works at the Vintage Court and I have not eaten at Pozzo. Hmmmm, will have to mention that to him.

Sorry about your trip to Italy; hope that I can help with your trip to Portland. It is a nice small city.

5th Avenue Suites is good choice. We had a birthday party for my daughter in one of the suites and the staff was super nice and helpful.

Hotel Lucia is definitely the coolest hotel in Portland. Very nice smallish rooms and the hotel restaurant is Typhoon (room serve, too!), a good Thai restaurant here in town.

I would suggest Cafe Mingo and La Buca for Italian. Both are very good and different from each other. Mingo is delicious and is more upscale then La Buca which is quicker, less expensive but also very good.

Mexican fast food I would recommend El Burrito Loco on 82nd. It has a drive-thru or you could eat there but it is very basic. My favorites are the bean and cheese burrito with a side of fresh salsa, ground beef soft tacos and shredded beef enchiladas.

Ya Hal on SE Stark is wonderful for Lebanese food.

We have found the best sushi at Koji's on NW 21st.

Please let me know if you need any more recommendations. Everyone on this site has helped me so much I am happy to return the favor.

The Tuscany Grill on NW 21st is a wonderful rustic Italian dinner. Pizzicato is a great place for lunch (or simple dinner), great gourmet pizzas (by the slice at lunch) and wonderful salads. Several locations one on NW 23rd and one downtown near Broadway and Alder (up the street from the 5th Ave. Suites).

For great breakfast try Besaw's Cafe on NW 23rd or Bijoux Cafe (not sure of the street name but across from the Embassy Suites downtown).

Le Bouchon is a great authentic French restaurant in the Pearl District.

Esparza's Tex Mex is wonderful tex mex food, however it is over in SE Portland, you would need a car.

Have a wonderful time, Portland is a fun, easy to get around in city!

Hope you still get to go to Italy, we are going for our first trip there this March.

You've picked a great hotel. I'm heading to Portland on Tuesday..We may see each other there!
Look for the blond in the long dark teal coat.

For nice dinners, Portland style, and my personal rating:
1-Higgins
2-Paleys
4-Hurleys
3-clarklewis


For fun, casual food:
Henry's- SE Clinton & 26th(?)
Henry's on 12th -(near Powell)s
Mothers- Stark and SW 2nd
Taqueria Nueve- great mexican near NE 28th & burnside
Typhoon! several locations; one is near nw 23rd and Everett
Breakfasts:
Bijou -near the chinese garden
Bread & Ink - out on Hawthorne at about 35th

I've got Wildwood, Esparza's, Lauro, and Alexis on the menu for this week.

Ditto on Bread and Ink.

And although you were going to Italy, you can still hop over to Austria at Papa Haydn's on 23rd for killer pastry (and lunches).

Another vite fir the Bluehour.
I always want to like the Heathman more than I eventually do food wise. The bar/dining room is nice in atmosphere
but the food always seems just ok.
I'd say for lunch Papa Hadyn's is a better bet than lunch at the Heathman.

We were there this last summer and had a very good meal at Tabla. It will be your cross between Med/Italian with a little PNW thrown in.

We had reservations at Clarklewis which our Portland friends love. Somehow our reservations got mixed up and we ended up at Tabla instead. I'd love to try it next time we're in town.

A few of the more casual places we enjoy are Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Mama Mia's Trattoria, Portland Brewery, and the Manzana Grill. Henry's and Manzana are owned by the same corporate group, although their menus are very different. We like a few of these for dinner, but they are really great for lunch. My dh works in downtown and I can pick him up and we can go have a great lunch at any of these places, and he can be back at work in a reasonable amount of time.

Pam, yes try clarklewis. They don't have table service at lunch, but that didn't bother us at all. You just go up to the counter to order and after you've selected your items.

clarklewis is the first place we'll be trying for dinner when we visit again in March. The wine list is very interesting, offering mostly wines from Italy and only a few selections from the PNW. There is one bottle of Cameron Screaming Ego.99 that goes for $425/bottle there.

The dinners are also in three sizes for the meals, small, large and family which is a nice, unique touch. If you like sea scallops, this is the place to have them. They serve them with a stewed celery root and spinach, and a caper proscco butter. Excellent.

Our apple crisp that we shared for dessert was also very, very yummy!! If you like the Bluehour, you'll love clarklewis. ***kim*** ((l))

As if you don't already have enough suggestions........

Across the street from Esparza's is Noble Rot, a wine bar with wonderfully tasty tapas. Cafe Allora, on the edge of the Pearl District, is another good one. There are any number of nice places in the Pearl; just pick one; you won't be disappointed.

Though I've not been, you might try Carlyle for dinner. It made the cover of a recent issue of Bon Appetit.

Scarlett and LoveItaly, the spelling of the restaurant name is actually Pazzo. Nice to know they still do good food; it's been a few years since I've had a meal there.

Another place that is getting good press is Harrison. We will be trying it when we visit in March. www.harrisonrestaurant.net to check it out. ***kim*** :)

most of the best has been posted but I do think dinner at Higgins is a Portland institute. A new favorite of mine which opened just about 1 1/2 yrs ago is Navarre, great for sharing! At 750 ml is a cute little wine bar with great noshes and wines by the glass.

Can't believe no one mentioned Lucy's Table in NW, great PNW food.
You must go to Pho Van Bistro in the Pearl district if you are a fan of upscale vietnamese food.
Justa Pasta is a fun lunch spot, pasta is homemade and it is good, basic pasta.
If you want to try something different, get a dinner reservation at Ripe. It is by the same gang at Clarkelewis but very different. The Family Supper concept means a set 3 course menu served family style at big long tables it's really fun, very funky area industial feeling space but the food is great and very PNW.
I also cast my vote for:
Higgins
Clarkelewis
Nuestra Cocina - not your average meican joint, cuisine specialties from Oaxaca
Taqueria Nueve
Typhoon - great curries
Cafe Mingo
Noble Rot
Fife

As a local, I'd advise you to stay out of the hotel restaurants, with all the great restarants in Portland you'll wish you were staying longer.

I would ordinarily agree about hotel restaurants, but the Red Star was full of locals every night, especially at cocktail hour, stopping in for drinks on the way home from work. The food was excellent every time we ate there.
Pho Van was crowded every day, I have never seen such a busy Vietnamese restaurant! Great atmosphere too!
beachbum, yes, PAzzo :D
Bluehour had all the makings of a good restaurant except for the food, is my husband review :)
I can't wait until we go back, there are so many places on my list, which is getting longer :O

We loved 5th Ave. Suites when we were there about three years ago. We didn't have dinner in the Red Star, but we really liked it for breakfast -- Great Hash!

We liked Cafe Azul for authentic Mexican food and Jake's Famous Crawfish House for seafood (but skip the crawfish unless you want to be immediately branded as a tourist).

Be sure to visit Powell's. It's one of the largest independent bookstores in the country, and it is worth a stop.