It is amazing to see what can happen when the heat is not oppressive. I saw peonies blooming in a natural environment. I saw fir trees as tall as mountains. I soaked up up up the sunshine on an eighty degree day when everyone we ran into swore it was unseasonably hot. Perhaps the heat is getting to our heads here in Texas. Perhaps everyone here is just that nice. They all seem to be champions of their way of life and their environment.
This place is special.
Portland, Oregon
When you go to Portland, I suggest you do the following:
- Check into the Ace Hotel. I may not actually cool enough to stay here, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The custom logo Pendleton wool blanket kept me cozy on chilly nights and the stumptown coffee in the lobby made me pine for it after we left.
- Eat lunch at the Clyde Common. Busy, but friendly staff man the lunch-room-like tables serving dishes like baked eggs with creamy polenta or albacore tuna confit with wax beans and cherry tomatoes.
- You MUST eat dinner at Beast. The tiny dining room is shared with the open kitchen so you can watch Naomi Pomeroy as she carefully prepares the plates for the evening. The decor is a mix of necessity, with a bakers rack full of books and glassware, and whimsy, with a chalkboard wall with quotes like "Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled like bacon" and "If we aren't supposed to eat animals then why are they made out of MEAT?" Everything about this meal was comforting and easy and deliciously high-brow at the same time. Here is one of the best-looking and best-tasting plates I have ever had.
- If I won the lottery, I might just fly my private plane to Portland to eat at Ken's Artisan Pizza. They put something in that crust. It might be drugs. It might be love. It is positively intoxicating. If you could mass-produce it, it might make a really good anti-depressant. If you could mass-produce it, it probably wouldn't be Ken's.
- Pine. State. Biscuits. Got it? Do you need me to say it again? Would you like me to spell it for you? Do you need the address? Don't let the line out the door scare you. It moves fast, and it would be worth it even if it didn't. The fried green tomatoes are good too, but don't you dare skimp on the biscuits and gravy.- Le Pigeon. I think our group had mixed reviews because of a few kitchen mix-ups, but I still have to mention this place. My bacon apricot cornbread dessert with maple ice cream (and big fat pieces of bacon on top) was memorable. The Beef Cheek Bourguignon was simple and perfect. The frog legs with gnocchi were on time, maybe even a few minutes early.
- I can't believe that I can't have Pok Pok again until I go back. It really doesn't seem fair. Or legal. If Thailand can export that flavor to SE Division, why can't they export to Houston? I cleaned my plate (or my pot actually) and then ate whatever my fellow diners had left. They have bottled everything that is warm and lovely about life and poured it over the top of the Kaeng Hung Leh. I just don't know what else to tell you.
A few more notes about Portland...
See the coast. You will not regret it.
The men are all friendly. There are also a lot of moustaches.
If you go to the wine country, make an appointment at Brick House. I am pretty sure they make magic there.
PS - I have to send a little shout out to Leif for all of his fabulous suggestions. I felt like I had the insider scoop the whole way through.
