Portland. OR for a couple days, suggestions on food/wineries would be appreciated

I will second (third? fourth?) the recs for Coquine and Davenport. Both feature cooking that’s deceptively simple, but executed at a very high level. Service at both is great (for Portland) and both have fabulous wine lists.

Also, I’d echo Lee’s idea that you grab some pizza one of the nights you’re here. Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty is where I go with out-of-town friends because it’s a style that I haven’t really seen anywhere else. It’s very seasonal-veg focused (Sarah is the queen of the farmers market), with very creative topping combinations. I’m a pizza purist in many regards, but Lovely’s works. The ice cream is also fabulous. I also love Apizza Scholls (new haven style, I think [as a purist] the best pizza in the city) and Gracies, though I think they close in January.

All the Earl Ninsom restaurants are worth your time: Hat Yai’s southern-Thai fried chicken and roti makes for a fantastic casual lunch or dinner, Phuket Cafe for a hipper, more complete menu, and Eem’s Thai-meets-barbeque collab is one of those things that you wonder why it hadn’t happened before.

Both Shalom Y’all and Mediterranean Exploration Company (the original in the group) do fantastic modern-Middle-Eastern food. MEC is a bit more upscale and has a broader menu. I also like Tusk for a bit more veg-focused take on the genre.

OK Omens and Canard have two of my favorite wine lists–well selected, often with a couple years of age-- and the food at both is pretty good to quite good.

As far as wine shopping goes: E&R, Taborly Wines, and Vinopolis would be my picks. The first two have really great customer service, with really knowledgeable staff/ownership, and very well-thought-out selections. Vinopolis goes deeper, but service probably depends a bit more on who is there that day.

As for things to look for on the wine front: I secretly think PDX is one of the best markets in the country to buy wine. Lots of cool stuff comes in from Europe, and demand for allocations isn’t as fierce as many bigger cities, so interesting wines end up on store shelves (with the caveat that I don’t know what you love to drink). For local wines, I’d be on the hunt for some of the lower-tier Cameron wines (which don’t generally see distribution outside the PNW) and also some of their rarer wines (eg: Nebbiolo, Friulano). Also a few of the shops I mentioned get Thomas allocations, which is a nice way to try those wines without committing to a six-pack.

As for Portland wineries, Division is making very good stuff and has a tasting room, as is/does Teutonic and Portland Wine Company (Love and Squalor). Cutter Cascadia rents space from PWC and if Michael is around he’d be worth reaching out to for an appointment, his wines are really well done in styles/forms that aren’t as common for the area. I’m also Portland-based (though the winery is in Amity) so depending on schedules I’d be happy to host you at the house and go through some current releases. Obviously there are tons of wineries out in the valley, with many strong recs from the board. Not sure if you’ll have a car or not, but if you do it might be worth your time to sneak out and visit one or two. It’s definitely worth renting a car to get out and do a hike or two in the gorge (depending on weather) and/or on the coast.

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I’ll add Slabtown/NW 23 area to the list. 23rd is a nice walk at night with the lights on the trees. Plenty of places to eat too. G-love being my favorite (get the tasting menu). Liner and Elsen (mentioned) wine shop is there and a couple of distilleries. Life of Pie and Please Louise for pizza. West for small plates. Bamboo sushi, Phuket cafe (already mentioned). Just a Pasta, Seratto or Fillmore Trattoria for Italian. St. Jack for French. Great dessert at papa Haydns (must try) or salt n straw.

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As long as we are discussing NW area of Portland, Cafe Mingo (next to Bar Mingo) is top-notch.
Phil Jones

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I second Arden. Walked in solo a couple of weeks ago and had the prix fixe at the bar and a couple of glasses. Wine by the glass list was interesting and the food excellent.

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A bit late to the party, and am huge fans of Coquine, Higgins, Le Pigeon/Canard & Maurice for eats as well as FLOR and E&R wine shop.

I am not sure when you will be in town, but Coquine has their annual Goose Holiday dinner going on and it is off the charts and I think you can still snag a seat depending on the number in the party and day/time.

As to wineries, there is an embarrassment of riches to be sure. Off the top of my head, but by no means complete, Goodfellow, Belle Pente, Patricia Green, Evesham Wood/Haden Fig, Shiba Wichern, Martin Wood, Hundred Suns, Violin, and Granville come to mind.

I have never met Ayla and Jackson Holstein of Granville, but loved and purchased their Holstein Pinot and Koosah Chardonnay in April and just tasted, was floored by, and purchased their Louie Reserve Pinot and O’Della Reserve Chardonnay.

Have fun!

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Anyone have a rec for a raw oyster bar for lunch?

Wife found Dan and Louis just by searching the internet, but wondering if there are better options?

Flying in tomorrow morning. Sorry for the last minute request

Don’t know how long you’re staying because they’re not open Mondays but Higgins always has awesome oysters and great seafood all the time. And it’s an awesome place. Sit in the bar.

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Head over to flying fish. You will not be disappointed (it’s really casual fyi)

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I can second both flying fish and Higgins. Jacqueline is my favorite place for oysters in Portland but is only open for dinner.

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We did Flying Fish for lunch yesterday. Very good rec, thanks!

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Time for an update. We will be spending 5 nights in Portland next month staying at the Benson with our 18 year old granddaughter. Any other restaurant recommendations?

I had great meals this year at Jacqueline’s and Wajan.

Allora is very good, and within walking distance.

As always, Higgins. It’s just up Broadway maybe 8-9 blocks. It’s still awesome and way more inventive than people think. Sit in the bar in the back. Consider getting one of the soups for sure. If they tell you in the specials that they have salmon dashi fight everyone in the restaurant to get it all.

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I have booked Higgins and Davenport and am looking forward to both.

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Just had dinner at St. Jack a couple weeks ago while I was in town and was impressed. Great atmosphere, really good food, decent wine list in the $80-$120 category for whites (we brought a Northern Rhone red). Can’t wait to go back!

Some favorites: Arden, St. Jack, Nostrana, Le Pigeon & Canard, Republica, L’Orange, Kann, Eem

Eem. (Go hungry. Thank me later.)
Nimblefish was great as well. Save some time to amble through the nearby Ladd’s Addition neighborhood.
Shalom Y’All was fun as well.

Langbaan has become my go to “fancy” restaurant here. Went again a few weeks ago and it was amazing. It’s the flagship of the same chef who does Eem (which is indeed fantastic; constantly dreaming of the white curry brisket). They have a very interesting and reasonably priced wine list, but also a $30 corkage if you want to BYO.