Portland, Oregon -- Sunday "supper"
 

OK, now that I'm staying at the Westin thanks to Priceline -- corner of Alder and Broadway, tell me a nice rather casual but neat place to have dinner alone on Sunday evening preferably within walking distance. (If I find a free place to park on the street, I'd hate to lose it.)
By the way, the recommended restaurant at the Westin is closed on Sunday evening. I've noted South Park near by.
I'd kind of prefer a place to eat at a bar, or at least a place where solo dining alone at a formal table isn't required -- not too comfortable for me yet.
Any kind of food -- and open to price, other than VERY expensive.

Southpark is good, and the bar area has some small tables that you would be fine eating alone at. And if it is nice, they have tables outside.

Jakes Grill is only about 2 blocks from the Westin and is good. Casual and a bar area as well.

Another place is Henry's. A few more blocks away, but still very easy to walk to. Great ice trough in the bar, and lots of small tables. Again, if it is nice out they have an outside area as well.

All of these are open on Sundays and everything here is casual, so you will be fine:)

If you like Thai food, my friend (who used to work at the Vintage Plaza a few blocks down) highly recommends Typhoon at 401 SW Broadway, a quick few blocks from the Westin:

http://www.typhoonrestaurants.com/locbroadway.htm

Andrew--We were just at Typhoon last night:) Love the place!

Oh, yes. We ate at Typhoon last time in Portland. It really was very good.

Just looked at Henry's and I like the sound of it. Now if I could just get all the way to Portland for lunch and then do a later light dinner that night. . .Mapquest shows just under 4 hours to Portland from Port Townsend, and that is by going the necessary more "western" route. That Tillamook cheddar cheeseburger with crispy onions from Henry's is calling out to me.

Yea, right around 4 hours for that trip. Once you get to the cutoff at Olympia you don't make as good of time as you do on I-5.

I love Henry's. DD loves that burger and the gorgonzola fries. Plus over 100 beers on tap, what's not to love?

If you'd be comfortable at a communal table, you might enjoy Clyde Common. Very Portlandish. But I agree, Henry's is a good choice anytime.

Yes, I'm fine with communal tables (pretty much what I did in New Orleans), but why when I go to the clyde common website to I keep getting an "invalid hostname" message?

Heathman Hotel has a cozy bar next to the dining room...I'm pretty sure you can take your meal in there and the food is good (and reasonable).

I recommend Jakes Grill too- beautiful old bar and it feels so old Portlandish- you can eat at the bar or there are small tables in the bar area- I like the bar myself because I nearly always find someone interesting to talk to. They have great crab cakes - and I love the garlic mashed potatoes.

You might check out the top of the Hilton - bar with beautiful views and last time I was there, had great kind of jazzy music (but not the kind that blasts you out)

I also like the Veritable Quandry but it does get VERY crowded

Good question, Patrick. Their phone number still works, but in this economy, restaurants around Portland are dropping like flies. Hadn't heard that of Clyde Common though.

NeoPat;
I had dinner at Clyde Common (no S) and really enjoyed it.
SW 11th & Stark 503-228-3333

I also recommend
fenouilinthepearl.com because of the ambience. It is so nice to spend the afternoon or evening overlooking the neighborhood park (Jamison Park I believe it's called) with a beach tide type pool, and watching the people. It reminds me so much of being in a European town. It's especially nice if it's a warm day. The food is exceptional.

Also LePigeon (communal seating) is fantastic if you really want great food. Reservations in advance are necessary.
lepigeon.com 738 East Burnside 503-546-8796

The Red Star Tavern at the Monaco is great for single dining.. bar dining, they have booths in the bar area too.

Henrys Tavern is great ! very comfortable solo dining, any time of the day.. the food is all good.

Mothers.. I think that is a great place to eat solo... they all wait on you nicely ..
Mother's Bistro & Bar
www.mothersbistro.com

We used to have drinks and fries at the Heathman Bar before a concert or show at the Schnitz but I never really enjoyed a dinner there..


Clyde Common http://www.clydecommon.com/

Do I remember that when we stayed at the Monaco (then Fifth Avenue Suites) that when we went to the bar -- Red Star, we were surrounded by smokers? Has that ended now? I'm thinking that was two, but maybe three years ago? Smoking was allowed in the bar, but not the restaurant, so everyone lined up at the bar to smoke.

I looked at the website for Le Pigeon and it looks great -- but how funny if I ended up spending more to stay "downtown" then ended up driving across the river for dinner when I could have stayed over there for less. LOL.

Clyde Common looks good too -- how funny that their website now works again. Same address I tried and tried before.

Smoking was outlawed when we lived there so I doubt there will be any problem with that ..
But the bar was a part of the restaurant, at one end of the room, that would have been awful!
We have lived here 2 years, we lived there almost 2 years so you are thinking more like 4 years ago?

No more smoking in Portland bars and restaurants as of January 1, 2009.

Wow. I'm so bad remembering when things were. I looked though my journals (which is good because I wanted to look up a couple restaurant names from Vancouver from that trip for my upcoming return). The "smokey" night at the bar at Red Tavern was July 26, 2005! More than two years ago. . . I remember being surprised by smoke allowed in a restaurant, but the bartender told us then people could smoke in bars, but not in restaurants -- the Red Star Tavern AND Grill (I think that was the official name) was considered separate bar from the restaurant for that purpose -- even though they shared a common room. We stayed for dinner and refused the first table they offered somewhat near the bar and were seated far away from it. Glad to know it's now all smokeless.

This might be more info than you're looking for, but you seem to enjoy researching. This is one of my favorite local restaurant review websites and this particular page is a map with the locations:
http://www.portlandfoodanddrink.com/review-map/

pdx
The portland food and drink site is fantastic!!
I spent about 30 minutes reading some of the reviews.
Thanks for posting it.
:)

Isn't it a nice site? People of like-mind so you can really get a good review.
By the way, nanabee, did you go to Ned Ludd? Someone mentioned it somewhere and I figured it was you.
Pardon the hijack, NeoPatrick.

NeoPatrick - where did you end up eating and how was it?

nanabee--I agree, that is a good site. And they don't put up with ***fake***reviews, as they will ban people if they do that. So you get the real deal, which is nice!

I recommended Ned Ludd to nanabee on another thread, pdx. Great place.

It IS great beachbum! Very nice flavor combinations and perfectly cooked. I took my son and he was trying to be polite and use his knife and fork to get the last bits off a perfectly cooked piece of lamb (ribs) until I told him it was okay to go ahead and rip in to it with his teeth. I had a little salad of grilled romaine with red wine dressing. We shared an appetizer of asparagus and goat cheese on sturdy grain toast. Delicious. And the best chocolate mousse I've ever had, nice and dense without being frozen pudding. I'm really impressed.

"NeoPatrick - where did you end up eating and how was it?"

I'll let you know after I'm there -- June 14. Change of plans -- I'm now just driving down from Seattle instead of Port Townsend, so looks like I'll easily be in Portland for lunch as well as dinner now.

Well, say the word it you want company. I'm sure we could get a few people together if you are interested.

Patrick--I will look for you on I-5 as I too will be driving back from Seattle that day, lol!

mms, I'll be easy to spot. I'm in the rented Chevy Cobalt with the crumpled front end, thanks to the backing up school bus at Lake Crescent.

Well, I'm open to a little dinner GTG on Sunday night if someone wants to organize it -- preferably downtown.

Oh Patrick, that is awful!!! Wish I could do a GTG but I will be packing to leave again. Its a busy week for us, but I can't complain:) Can't wait to hear how your trip is going.

I'm thinking the VQ (Veritable Quandary) would be a good dinner spot. It's old-school Portland and has kept up a very nice menu and quality standard. It has nice old brick walls, plenty of natural light, it isn't too big and the service has always been perfect. If it's a beautiful evening there is a lovely outdoor patio. Beautiful olives in their martinis, too.
Do you like martinis, NeoPatrick?

I love a great Grey Goose martini straight up with an olive -- so long as you substitute Dewars Scotch for the Grey Goose and call it a dry Robroy! LOL

"Can't wait to hear how your trip is going."

Well, other than the rental car's locks freezing up the first day when I was at Lake Quinault and having to wait 7.5 hours for them to bring me another car on a flatbed truck, and then that car getting backed into by a school bus driver who overshot her turn and didn't know I was behind her the next morning -- it's all been fantastic. The big surprise was the record breaking heat in BC last week. Who would have guessed spring in Canada would be like Florida!

I had to look up what a Robroy is:
http://www.drinkstreet.com/searchres...gi?drinkid=184

Do you put an olive in it?

Speaking of Scotch, I want to try this:

http://clearcreekdistillery.com/whiskey.html

Is it a sacrilege to use single malt in a mixed drink?

That recipe is for a Robroy which is Scotch and SWEET vermouth. A dry Robroy is made with Scotch and DRY vermouth, which is the way I like them. Admittedly that is sometimes a problem especially with young bartenders who guess that "dry Robroy" means one with sweet vermouth but less of it than usual. A regular Robroy normally has a cherry in it. A dry one usually has a lemon twist or an olive. I usually suspect when I see my drink coming on a tray and it looks dark and has a cherry that it is a regular one, not a dry one.

I'm not sure it would be sacrilege to use single malt, but yea, probably.

I'm definitely on for dinner. Anyone else?

Well Patrick, at least your trip is interesting and not boring;) I just had lunch at the Daily Grill in the Westin today, and thought of you. Wish I could do a GTG, but hopefully you can meet some other Oregonians:)

OK, all you Portland experts. Couldn't one of you let me know that today was Pride Parade in downtown Portland? I arrived at noon at the height of it, and after a half hour of circling unable to even get to my hotel, yet alone find a single parking place downtown, I finally did find one and went off to Henry's for lunch -- a good burger at the bar with a Bloody Mary.

Eventually after lunch with the parade still going strong, I discovered the policeman would move the barricade and let me through to the Westin. Then I found a place within that boundary to park on the street.

Tonight went to Clyde Common, despite the wild noise outside for the Pride street dance on the closed street. Had halibut with tarragon sauce over bronzed razor clams and fennel along with a drink. Walking back, I had a bizarre craving for something sweet -- totally a new experience for me. I stopped at Jake's Grill and sat at the bar where I had a decaf cappucino with their newest featured dessert which started today -- fresh strawberry shortcake. Delicious.

Thanks. I especially loved the atmosphere (and the food) at Clyde Common -- great and "my kind" of place.

I had forgotten when the Pride parade was til this weekend. I've never even seen it - I'm usually not downtown on Sunday anyway. Sorry for the hassle you had...

And this morning the FINAL disappointment. On another thread where I had asked about hotels and here as well, I mentioned about HAVING to have breakfast of salmon hash with poached eggs at Mothers! It almost seemed like the reason to spend the night in Portland. So this morning, I zipped outside at 8 AM (having to pay for street parking at that magic hour) then headed off walking to Mother's only to be greeted by a "Closed on Mondays" sign. What?? Someone there who had forgotten they close Mondays suggested I to to Bijou instead (as others here had done) so I did. And when I saw the "oyster hash" on the menu I remembered being told to try that so I did. Well, it was OK. There were four wonderful plump oysters fried in cornmeal on top of lots of fried potatoes with onions and some parsley. But it was a LOT of fried, and little variety of flavor. It sort of reminded me of a San Francisco hangtown fry, but it really could have used some nice smokey bacon like the hang town for flavor, or maybe an egg on top. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it maybe a 6 (or possibly a 7 thanks to the oysters themselves), but I'd still give Mothers' salmon hash with poached eggs a 10.

Whew...! I'm glad at least that you liked Clyde Common, Patrick! And maybe it's just as well that Mother's was closed. Now you have another reason to come back.

I think it was kimamom who recommended the oyster hash......

That's a bummer about the Bijou. It's a cool old-Portland icon. Didn't come through this time. A double whammy when you're disappointed already by Mother's being closed. Try the Heathman next time you need a second-choice restaurant (after Mother's). They make a lovely breakfast.