Portland, OR restaurant recommendations

August 10, 2009 6:17 PM

Looking for Portland, OR restaurant recommendations (I've read the previous posts on this topic).

I've read through the other posts on restaurants and dining in Portland, but they're either fairly old or not specific to what I'm looking for. Mrs. Ga$money and I are going to spend a long weekend in Portland in October for our first year anniversary, and I'm looking for a few good restaurant recommendations, particularly places with exciting newer chefs working with local or seasonal ingredients. I'm definitely not looking for something snooty or where I'm paying for setting and attitude. To give a sense of what I'm talking about, in Seattle it would be the Corson Building, Restaurant Zoe, or one of Tom Douglas's restaurants, but definitely not the Canlis. I'm looking for a night that's memorable because we had great food, not because we bled money pretending we're part of the aristocracy.

posted by ga$money to food & drink (20 comments total)

Higgins, downtown, is basically my favorite restaurant in town. Excellent food, local and temporal focus in ingredients and preparation, classy but not snooty. Greg Higgins is serious about his food. They've also got a fantastic beer list, if that sort of thing matters to you.
posted by cortex at 6:32 PM on August 10 [2 favorites]

I think you should find the Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" episode about Portland. Awesome stuff there.

Good luck.
posted by hal_c_on at 6:35 PM on August 10

I've had a few memorable dinners at Simpatica. There is only one service a night and you will be sharing a table with others if that makes a difference to you. Toro Bravo is excellent for small plates.

I wish I had more to recommend, but two of my favorites along the lines of what you seem to be seeking (Alberta St. Oyster Bar and Grill and Fife) have closed in the past few months.
posted by garden hoe at 6:51 PM on August 10

Another vote for Higgins. Provencal-style cooking made with local, season ingredients. Eat in the bar if you want something more casual than the main dining room - it's still plenty classy.

Then run around the corner to South Park for dessert and wine.
posted by rhiannon at 7:16 PM on August 10

Seconding garden hoe's advice re: Simpatica.
My husband and I had one of the best meals I've had in a long, long time when we were there in May. It's all local, ultra fresh, and the meat is from their own butcher shop (including cured meats).
The quality and quantity of food we were served, was, for the price, also one of the best values I've had in a while - no $100/plate meals hear (Corson, I'm looking at you).
You can sign up for their weekly mailing and thus get your reservations in if you like what you see for the week you're there (they only serve dinner on weekends). Also, if you get there early, you might be able to snag a seat at the table closest to the kitchen, where (if you can tear your eyes off the food in front of you) you can watch them work their magic in the open kitchen. Kick-ass wine selections too.
Have fun - Portland is foodie heaven.
posted by dbmcd at 7:17 PM on August 10

Le Pigeon and Toro Bravocome to mind immediately. The food is not just good, but continually amazing and inventive. And I have never had a snooty experience at either. In fact, during my first visit to Le Pigeon, I sat at the tables that border the kitchen and wondered aloud if it would be gauche for me to pick up and eat the pig's tail in my pig's tail soup. The chef overheard, came over and told me to go right ahead because he wanted it to be the kind of place where you could do that. And so I did, and it was great.

If you go to Toro Bravo, you cannot leave without trying to salt cod fritters.

There are a ton of restaurants that fit your requirements, these 2 are just ones I think would fit the occasion well. Both chefs are also working along the lines you describe.

Laurelhurst Market is another one that I really like. It's new, they focus on steaks, and have mindblowing drinks. Don't let the "and Butcher Block" make you think this is just some butcher shop with tables. When you walk in you will see the counter, but past it is the restaurant. The owner is linked to the team running Simpatica, mentioned above. I haven't had dinner at Simpatica but have had brunch there many times - I'd like to throw it in as a suggestion if you are at all interested in going out for breakfast, as it is easily one of the best breakfast places in town (in my opinion).

Right next door to Simpatica, and also run by one of the guys who originated it, is Biwa. This one is also small plates but Japanese inspired instead of Spanish. And they make their own udon and ramen noodles - in October it's cool enough outside that a big bowl of udon is wonderful.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 7:19 PM on August 10

Some I've been to:
Nostrana
Mingo
Deschutes Brewpub
Russell Street BBQ
Mio Sushi
Carafe
Stanford's
Nicholas
Abhiruchi
Screen Door

Some I've heard good things about:
Andina
Apizza Scholls

And I know there are a lot more than that.
I just can't remember....
posted by nickthetourist at 7:20 PM on August 10

Deschutes and Mio are both pretty average imo, and while deschutes obviously has lots of local beer the food is nothing special.

If you want a local/sustainable kind of sushi experience, bamboo sushi is great. Little bit on the fancy side but generous portions and they have a great selection of "best choices" seafood on the menu.

I also really like Savoy (the tavern side is super cozy) but it might not be as "locavore" or nice as what you're looking for. Kind of divey with great food.
posted by shownomercy at 8:08 PM on August 10

It sounds like you might enjoy Wildwood. Link goes to the homepage, where there's a blurb about commitment to local ingredients.

"Because we want you to taste the peak of the season, Wildwood’s menu changes weekly."
posted by peep at 8:45 PM on August 10

Two of my favorite restaurants in Portland are Biwa, which has already been mentioned, and Dove Vivi, which serves what is easily the best pizza I've ever had, ever.
posted by Caduceus at 8:48 PM on August 10

I dream of sushiville. A conveyer belt of cheap tasty sushi. Heck yes.

The Pied Cow is an excellent little coffee house. The backyard is quite romantic and magical at night. They serve hookahs as well!
posted by idiotfactory at 10:53 PM on August 10

Screen Door!!!! Awesome comfort food with nice atmosphere, good beers, and great desserts.

and

Waffle Window for dessert is just awesome. We've been thinking about planning another trip up there just to visit Waffle Window. We've also talked about copying the idea here in the Bay Area. (if someone else does this I'll first buy your food and then be pissed that I didn't take action...).
posted by pkingdesign at 10:57 PM on August 10

I had a revelatory dish of roasted lamb in broth with broad beans at Wildwood, and everything else eaten there was outstanding.

I'd also suggest clarklewis. I ate there long after the collapse of the Hebberoy empire and really enjoyed it--meats roasted in a wood-fired oven and simple preparations, like a braised celery dish with chopped egg which was outstanding. Beautiful space.
posted by donovan at 8:04 AM on August 11

I've heard good things about The Farm Cafe.
posted by hilaritas at 8:17 AM on August 11

So many great options! Maybe we need to plan on staying a little longer than the weekend... Thanks all for the suggestions.
posted by ga$money at 8:48 AM on August 11

I haven't been there, but I had some friends visit recently and they raved and raved about Tabla.

I love Toro Bravo. Just upstairs from it is Secret Society, a great place for a nightcap.
posted by medeine at 10:20 AM on August 11

Oh, also, you might want to peruse Portland Food and Drink for reviews and such.
posted by medeine at 10:22 AM on August 11

My favorite nicer restaurants in Portland are:

Screen Door
Jam on Hawthorne
LePigeon
Paradox
Country Cat
The Farm
Bamboo Sushi
Pambiche

My favorite casual/quick eateries:

Laughing Planet
Hot Lips
Red and Black Cafe
Hungry Tiger Too
The Flavor Shack
Ken's Artisan Bakery

But there are a gazillion incredible places to eat here.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:54 AM on August 11

Moderately priced favorites include La Calaca Comelona (the best Mexican in town, IMO) and Sweet Basil (the one on Glisan, not NE Broadway).

While I haven't eaten dinner here, the happy hour at Carafe is solid and they have an affordable $25 prix fixe menu (the executive chef is French and the food is hearty bistro fare, not pretentious "fusion" food like at a lot of the more expensive restaurants in town). I would also recommend Oba--delicious, delicious margaritas and excellent happy hour, so I can only imagine what the full entrees taste like.

Though I realize it is now owned by McCormick and Schmick's, Jake's Famous Crawfish is a Portland landmark and my favorite "special occasion" restaurant in the city. Incredible service, a beautiful location and fresh, fresh seafood.

If you need to eat breakfast while you're in town, do yourself an enormous favor and head straight to Helser's. DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200--instead, eat the MOST delicious breakfast in town. Extremely affordable, fresh and incredible, with options that will please meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.
posted by nonmerci at 11:23 AM on August 11

Here's a tip or two for a memorable food experience in Portland:

Splurge on some really great meals at places like Higgins, Ten01, Le Pigeon, Simpatica...

Go out to brunch (but be prepared to WAIT and WAIT and WAIT) Portlanders love brunch even more than Seattle-ites and it shows in the long lines... Good bets are Screen Door, Belly Timber and Kenny & Zukes but the possibilities are nearly endless.

Explore the wonderful crazy cheap world of Portland Food Carts! Not only does Portland have an explosion of great ethnic food cart but many of those young chefs trying out new fresh ingredients are doing it out of a cart. A scattering of great options include Koi Fusion, Grilled Cheese Grill, The Portland Soup Company, Tabor, JuniorAmbassadors, Garden State... Many of these, esp. the downtown ones are closed on Sat Sun (but not all). And then there are the late night (8pm - 3 am!) (including sat) carts at SE 12th and Hawthorne: Q, Whiffies, Potato Champion, Creperie Perierra etc.

For more detailed advice, reviews and a hot bed of opinions you can always checkout portlandfood.org
posted by rosebengal at 4:10 PM on August 11