Just got back from a couple of days in Portland (attended a food safety conference for organic farmers). Took the opportunity to check out some new restaurants. Thanks to everyone who provided recommendations.
We arrived in Portland in time for lunch. As I’ve been sampling biscuits & gravy around town we went to Stepping Stone, where they serve breakfast all day and it’s also close to our hotel. We had read about their “attitude”, but we didn’t detect any adverse behavior (in fact, the service was pretty good). Becca had a cup of chili, a grilled cheese & fries; she didn’t care for the chili at all, but enjoyed both the sandwich & the fries. I had chicken-fried steak, which came with fried potatoes, eggs, biscuit & sausage gravy. The eggs were fine, the steak was a bit greasy, but decent; the potatoes were also good, as were the eggs; the biscuit was a little flatter than I usually see them, but ok; the gravy was mediocre and almost tasted as if it came out of a can.
Dinner our fist night was at a Peruvian place call del Inti. The chef previously worked at Andina. The place was basically empty (I think they had 4 tables of guests during the time we were there). We started with sangria & a Pisco sour, both of which were refreshing. Our apps were chicken skewers and some potato croquettes, both tasty but lacking salt. Becca’s entrée was Peruvian paella with which she had a glass of unoaked Washington chardonnay; I had braised lamb shoulder on white beans with rice and a glass of Las Perdices cab (Argentina). Dishes were ok, but nothing special (again, needed salt). Nothing on the dessert menu rang our chimes, so we passed.
Thursday breakfast was at our hotel (one of those eminently forgettable affairs with fix your own waffle, pastries, cold cereal, etc.). Our lunch was provided as part of the conference (hotel prepared croissant sandwiches & salad).
For Thursday dinner we went to Carafe (recommended by both Bob Wood & Melissa). Nice choice. Becca started with a frisée salad that she really enjoyed; I had onion soup, which hit the spot on a cool night with some rain. Next, we both had the steak frites (hanger steak, béarnaise sauce) with a 2006 Tempier Bandol. The steak & fries were great, although the sauce was slightly broken. The wine was super good, but pretty tight even though we had the server splash decant it. Note: the wine prices here were most reasonable. Nothing on the dessert menu that we were interested in, so we didn’t get anything (although the dessert listed on the prie fixe menu was something I usually like: pear & almond tart).
Friday morning we passed up the free hotel breakfast and decided to try Mother’s Bistro. This was a good decision, as the food at Mother’s was good. Becca had an egg scramble that came with toast and a huge portion of potatoes; I had biscuits & sausage gravy with a couple of eggs & bacon. Becca enjoyed her dish, but it was WAY to much food (could have fed 2, maybe 3 people); my eggs & bacon were fine, as were the biscuits & gravy; however, the biscuits were split & griddled, which was kind of unusual, and the gravy was flavored with a little too much herb (like they were trying a bit too hard to make a special dish where it wasn’t really needed). Consider these comments minor nit-picks though, as we liked the food. We stopped at Ken’s Bakery for a couple of ham & cheese croissants to have for lunch on our way home.
All in all, another nice time in Portland. Maybe next time we’ll get together with a few of you folks.