So we’ve got ourselves a series! Make sure you’ve eaten before reading on to avoid drooling on your computer…
We were starving by the time we rolled into Portland on Monday afternoon so we went straight to Bunk Sandwiches and ordered the meatball sub and pork belly cuban. These sandwiches were all-caps-worthy. I’m talking GOOD. Straight-forward, hot, filling and delicious. I wish I could try every sandwich on their extensive menu.
We stopped by Lovejoy Bakers in the Pearl District to take a breather in the adirondack chairs that line their patio. This was where we first tried our new favorite coffee, Stumptown. A friend told us about Stumptown in Seattle and after trying the cold brew, we bought a bag for french press mornings at campsites.
Blue Star Donuts wins the award for first restaurant we hit up twice in one city! We had heard that Blue Star was better than the now-famous Portland original Voodoo Doughnut and needed to confirm the rumor (we had Voodoo a few times in Denver). Well, consider it confirmed, folks. On our first try, we got a coconut coffee cheesecake donut that was decadent and just the right density. Interestingly, for a donut, it wasn’t super sweet, so all the subtle flavors were able to come through without being overpowered by tons of sugar. The next day, breakfast was another Blue Star donut, this time the buttermilk lemon poppyseed. Again, just the right density and not too sweet, even with a glaze. These donuts are the real deal.
We drove to Hood River before dinner one night so we ended up having pizza at Double Mountain Brewery. Although you’d probably go there for the beer, it was actually really tasty thin crust pizza. (And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just the beer making it taste so good…)
If I lived in Portland, I would be at Pine State Biscuits at least once a week. The Reggie (fried chicken, bacon and cheese on a biscuit smothered in sausage gravy) gives even a Charleston favorite, the Hominy Grill’s “Big Nasty,” a run for its money. The biscuit was big and fluffy, the chicken was crispy - this was so(ooo) delicious. Mike and I split one - we’re learning self control one meal at a time!
Before meeting our friend AJ for dinner on our last night in town, we stopped at The Sweet Hereafter for a beer and appetizer. It’s a vegan menu, which I would normally roll my eyes at, but everything sounded great and the antipasto plate full of hummus, olives, pickled veggies and piled high with slices of baguette, which we split, was epic. And, it was only $8. Paired with a $2 tallboy PBR, it doesn’t get much better.
We’ve found that local recommendations are almost always the best meals we have. This was true again in Portland when AJ picked the dinner spot and met us at Güero PDX. The food truck is located in a food cart "pod," or lot, an area with three food trucks and a microbrew truck, complete with taps sticking out of the side. Very Portland. We split a torta, which we hear they’re known for. It was big, so splitting it left us both happy and full enough to round out our food tour in Portland.