Hello all....

It is that time of year again...
My friend and I will be returning to Portland once again for our yearly Holiday Rendezvous.
You all were so helpful last year...may i request, again, your sage advise and suggestions?
We are looking for two things: most importantly,suggestions for cozy, romantic restaurants... need 3 or 4 of those.
and second....does anyone have a Really good mexican restaurant they can recommend?

Thank you in advance.
Any suggestions will be appreciated and welcomed!

bettetim

Not remembering what you were told last time, I will probably be repeating stuff but I think Fenouil in the Pearl District is very romantic with the big windows and park outside, with the trees and the tiny lights and the candles and fireplaces inside.

Carlyle is a different kind of sophisticated romantic.

Romantic comes in all sorts of surroundings My husband took me to dinner one night at Typhoon, my favorite Thai place (located in the Lucia Hotel)..it is a beautiful space, we were seated at the back in a corner..he then surprised me with a very nice gift ( "just because") and I thought that was sooo romantic lol...

Paleys Place is cozy but the tables are too close together to be romantic..bluehour has these curtains they can pull to cut you off from other diners but that bothers me lol..

I have gone blank..more people will come along with good suggestions..Just don't take any that say the Heathman hotel ( rolling eyes) or god forbid, Portland City Grill ( spit spit phooey)

The only Mexican we enjoyed was Cha Cha Cha on NW Glisan ... and I think it was good, not Really good

Autentica seems to be the current Mexi favorite in Stumptown:
http://portlandfood.org/index.php?showtopic=684

Why, Scarlett! You know that Heathman hotel and Portland City Grill are just totally yummy... You just have never pulled up there on your pink Del Ray Cruiser or you'd know that!

NOT!!

LOL, lcuy, the Cruiser with the Double Wide seat? Nope lol.

bbq...that place sounds good, doesn't it ? I was ( as far as I know) never in the Killingsworth area so I am not surprised that Portland has something better/else than Cha Cha Cha
DF was supposed to be good, on Northrup..or Marshall..I have sunstroke right now .. lol..who remembers where they lived just 6 months ago??

anyway- if someone finds Mexican Take-out that delivers reeeally far, let me know

Scarlett--Sunstroke??? We have snow right now! Starting to stick a bit even

Snow??? awww. how nice!!

Yes, it is in the 80s and hot. We are staying inside til the evening cools us down..Now we understand the concept of Siesta

We were just talking about Portland summers today too!
How great they are compared to many other cities..

Mostly flurries, as of now - nothing on the ground in NW Portland at the moment...

Hi Andrew!
Well, flurries serve to help with the Holiday theme, no? lol
It is hot and sunny here so I think your weather sounds more compatible with Christmas..

mms- get off the computer and get back to the baking lol

Well SW of Portland we have way more than flurries, lol! Its been on the ground all morning and still snowing lightly.

Scarlett--LOL! Baking is done. Whew!!! Now to finish the bark. Almost done...and haven't even sampled it...yet

Have I mentioned that anyone who tells me they are baking Christmas goodies has to send some to me?

Just email me and I will tell you where to send them...mms.

Thank you for the suggestions so far.

Scarlett, Yes, Fenouil was on the list of recommendations you gave last year, but it was one we did not get to.
It will be a definite this year, I am glad to hear it is still a favorite.

And, no worries re: The Heathman...we gave up on that years ago. It was Great in about 1992 and for many years after. But IMHO, the Hotel and restaurant service went downhill several years ago.

bettetim

bettetim--Definitely Fenouil! You will be kicking yourself for not going last year And I agree about the Heathman. Even though we live here, we stay in downtown several times a year. In October the Monaco was full, so we settled on the Heathman. The suite there was not near as nice as the Monaco.

since this is your first post - what did you call yourself last year? Then we can see what was recommended before.

We gave the Heathman plenty of chances and it never really made the grade.
We did enjoy the bar a couple of times for pre and post theatre drinks/snacks.

Also...I probably gave you this tip last time too but Vault on NW 12th between Davis and Everett is great for late afternoon, early evening drinks. They make fantastic martinis, I loved the Blood Orange Margaritas and they have a fireplace and cozy seating..

I'm guessing we also mentioned Carlyle and Paley's Place last year too, huh? How about Hurley's? None are new - at least by Portland standards - but all are good. For something less formal, try Le Pigeon or Alberta Street Oyster Bar, both places that have more of a casual, neighborhood vibe. But great food. The "romantic" part is a little more up to you, though.

Not really Mexican, but you could be one of the first to try Tondero, a Nuevo Latino place that just opened last week. Gotta plug it because it's managed by a friend of mine. ;-)

I think that was a Del Sol Cruiser, lcuy. ;-)

Sunstroke..... I could use some of that about now.

It's not really Mexican--it's tapas--but Toro Bravo is fantastic. Really awesome food.
Cha Cha Cha has opened a nicer, more upscale restaurant called Cha Taqueria on NW 21st. It has great food (not your typical menu of tacos and enchiladas. They have some interesting things) and the ambience is great and romantic.
The Gilt Club is also pretty cozy and romantic.
Urban Fondue is also cozy. They have large booths that you can get lost in.
I have not been to 23 Hoyt for dinner (just happy hour) but they have a great environment too.
Say what you will about PCG (Portland City Grill), but they have a great happy hour.

thank you for the continuing suggestions..

janisj...in re: to your question..last year i was posting under the name minnie17.it has been a hectic year, and i have not been on this forum much at all...
decided to start fresh with a new screen name.

and beachbum.. we will go to your friends place....it sounds fun...i love latin food.

and urban fondue sounds interesting..may have to give it a try...

and what I am thinking is that 5 days in Portland is really not going to be nearly long enough!

When are you coming, bettetim? I might wanna retract that Tondero recommendation, but need to talk with my friend first.

Oh, and I agree with Toro Bravo. Really good!!!! Especially, if you like tapas. The one problem; they don't take reservations. So, best show up 15 minutes before they open, otherwise you might be in for a long wait.