This is the coast portion of a recent Portland-Napa-LA road trip. While we’ve done the SF-LA coast multiple times, the northern parts was a first for us. Good seafood, seals, scenic drives, eyepopping sea stacks, and plenty of redwoods. Here are some of the highlights (food included).
Cannon Beach – Our first stop. Pleasant town to walk around with shops and galleries galore. Good Fish and Chips at Ecola Seafood Restaurant. Nice views from Ecola Point Viewpoint in Ecola State Park. The jaw-dropping Haystack Rock is the perfect welcome to Oregon coast.
Tillamook Creamery – Not exactly a secret, and not exactly the best ice cream I ever had, but this is such a neat place. A factory allowing you to see much of the process cost free. A general store where you can stack up on some gourmet(ish) snacks for the drive. And an artisanal ice cream shop that you can enjoy outside or in. A must stop IMO.
Cape Kiwanda Sand Dune – For city slickers like us, walking to the top of the dune and running down like children was quite the experience.
Clearwater Restaurant (Newport) – Probably our best meal on the coast. Surprisingly tasty Asian inspired dishes like Orange Cauliflower and crab and garlic noodles. A dock full of seals in the back is reason enough to come. It was like watching an episode of Planet Earth
Darlingtonia State Natural Site – A small area where you can see carnivorous cobra lilies. This is one of those perfect pit stops on a drive like that. A short walk to see something so unique and different than anything else on the coast. And its free.
Note, I’m listing highlights only, not necessarily the biggest and most popular attractions like Sea Lion Caves, Heceta Head Lighthouse, and others that werent as memorable.
Nosh Eatery (Florence) – Pleasant surprise considering I was aiming for Mari’s Kitchen next door which was closed. Very solid juicy ribs and salmon bowl. I was intrigued by Mari’s Kitchen Romanian leaning menu, but Nosh did the job.
Shore Acres State Park – I almost wrote the gardens at Shore Acres but the entire park is truly stunning. Its a little out of the way but very much worth it. To see the gardens, head to the gift shop.
Endicott Gardens Bed & Breakfast – If I could only give one tip. We’ve come to realize that we are hotel people, but I still like to mix in experiences such as this in between Holiday Inns. Its such a special and unique place. A super friendly couple that used to own a restaurant in Colorado manages this 4(?) room property. The garden alone worth the price of admission. And to top it all, an outstanding three course garden to table Breakfast. Fantastic value.
Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor – One of the more dramatic parts of the Oregon coast. Highlights are Arch Rock State Park, and “Natural Bridges”
SeaQuake Brewing (Crescent City) – Solid pizza and beer. For pizza snubs from NYC this was as good as I was hoping for a place like this. The rest of the menu is promising as well
Trees of Mystery – A Redwoods theme park with a giant Paul Bunyan at the entrance. For Fargo fans, this is your chance!
Simpson-Reed Trailhead (Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park) – The perfect hike (about a mile) after a longish drive, and a good introduction to the Redwoods.
Avenue of the Giants – How often do you get to drive on a 30 mile road surrounded by Redwoods. It runs parallel to the 101 with multiple exit points when you have enough Forest Bathing
Another trip in the books. A shot one this time to start a road trip to LA. Other than Napa which we didnt care for, we had a fantastic time. Sorbu, yet again was our first stop with a car full of luggage (its 10 mins from the airport). Its the perfect welcome to Portland kind of place. Get the eggplant sandwich, and any of the rotating pastas. But you really cant go wrong here. And now that I tried half of the menu at Scotch Lodge, I’m even more convinced. The Brie (again), Arancini, Semifredo were the standouts this time. Still one of the coolest bars in America.
Best “discovery” this time was Matt’s BBQ. Not exactly a local secret. In fact we showed up before noon on a Sunday and there was already an outdoor party and a line (moves quick). Fantastic Texas style BBQ rivals some of the best we’ve had like Hometown in NYC. Brisket, ribs, Jalapeño cheddar sausage, pulled pork, pork belly burnt ends (wow), all spot on flavors and no dryness in sight.
Enjoyed Phuket Cafe overall, but probably not as much as I hoped. I think I prefer sister Eem (below). With that said, I would come back for the fish salad and Panang curry with beef. The signature Paella was a little off. Way too much Socarrat and flavors just didn’t pop. Sides, smaller dishes were just ok, and I didnt care for their Sticky rice/mango interpretation. Pure Thai Cookhouse spoiled us forever.
September 2023 Post
Portland Oregon doesnt have a particular cuisine that I know. But for a city the population size of Staten Island, NY it has probably the best concentration of great eats per capita in the US. With an amazing array of restaurants and over 500 distinct food carts, trucks, and even double decker buses dispersed all over the city, you are within minutes away from great food no matter where you are. The challenges as a tourist is to sort all of this out and come up with a balanced plan. Heck, I had to quit online chess for a week for this. I think we did alright….
Lets start with the carts…
Sorbu
Went here straight after landing (after checking out McMenamins Kennedy School hotel – what a neat place). Sorbu is Tuscan inspired sandwiches recommended to me by a friend who lives in Livorno (Tuscany) years ago. A very nice combination of flavors, textures and quality homemade bread. Supremely juicy and crispy Porchetta. Eggplant with Torta di Ceci (Tuscan coast chickpea pancake) and Mozzarella was probably even better. These two are the menu staples while the rest rotate. If I have to pick one cart of the bunch, this is it. But the rest are not too shabby.
Bing Mi
Sexy name, sassy snack. I believe its the only pod (a cluster of carts) in the more upscale Northwest District. The specialty is Jianbing (“bing”), a Chinese crepe that was part of my Brooklyn food tours (RIP). I opted for the Chinese sausage and extra egg and this was a typical yet solid version. Got the crisp, flavor and spice level just right.
Bake on the Run
Indo-Guyanese cart in the new Lil’ America pod, though the cart has been around for a while and seemingly popular. We sampled a few items but settled on a lovely, thick Dahl, served like soup. Very rich, deep flavors that stay with you for a while. Really one of the better Dahls I’ve ever had.
Baon Kainan
Some of these carts like this Filipino cart serve different menus on different days and times just like restaurants. Baon Kainan brunch on Sundays may include Talongsilog, fried eggplant with garlic rice, veggies and perfectly cooked sunny side eggs. Or the similar Tosilog with pork belly. Just good ol’ solid comfort food. Even better is the sweet Ube (purple yam) rice cake. I’d come back just for this.
Tov Coffee & Tea
I believe that every city should have an Egyptian caffe inside a double decker bus. Tov is not a gimmick for tourists as the product quality is very important to the owner. The specialty here is a cold brew they make with cardamom and the various drinks they make with it like the “Nectar of the gods” with caramel. But just sitting inside the insta-bus is pretty cool.
The restaurants…
Petite Provence
This became our reliable morning delight as it was right near our apartment. Whether for pastries, eggy breakfasts or waterfall picnic supplies, namely Baguette with butter and jams.
Scotch Lodge
A four year old basement speakeasy/whisky bar, voted one of the best bars in the US by Esquire. Probably the most interesting drink menu I’ve ever seen with great inventive food. Although favorite drink turned out to be gin based, “Remain in Light”
Highlights were the house specialty Fried Brie, like mozzarella sticks on crack. Dill fries (dehydrated pickle seasoning) are like the perfect McDonald’s fries. A silky smooth Albacore crudo was probably our favorite overall. Skip the pastas and get more fries.
Kann
This elevated Haitian is one of the hottest tables in the country as of this writing. Making reservations was like reserving Taylor Swift tix, though if you time it right and got mad “refresh” skills, it’s doable. The national dish, twice cooked pork app is a must. The tomato, stone fruit and berry salad will make you rethink fruit salads.
Mixed feelings on the duck. Flavor and texture was there, and the bed of cane syrup was particularly addictive, but the leg and breast had widely different temps. Enjoyed it nonetheless, though it didn’t quite match the brilliance of the chicken. If you ever had good jerk in the Caribbean or elsewhere, this will be a revelation. I give this one three Habaneros. Speaking of which, just about every dish has it.
Eem
As a New Yorker, without knowing the full history, it seems like Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom is thew new Andy Ricker. Just about every Thai I considered is fully or partially owned by Earl. I strongly considered the latest venture Phuket Cafe, but opted to play it safe here. It’s essentially a marriage between Thai and Texas BBQ with “vacation drinks” to help with the consummation. Start with the awesome Pina Colada.
The white curry with brisket is one of their best sellers and I can see why. Beautiful, milky, well balanced curry with that smoky brisket. Same with the chopped brisket fried rice with plenty of socarrat action. Smoked pork Krapao is another winner. A sloppy fried egg but superb tasting pork belly. Very solid sweet and sour (and hot) boneless fried chicken thighs. Nothing wrong with it but not as distinct as the others.
Cabezon
Portland excels in so many things that you might overlook some important ones, like seafood. Since 2009 Cabezon established itself as a premier seafood specialist. Comfortable room with ample space between tables. Feels almost like old school in a new school setting. Other than perhaps the meh Blinis, everything was fantastic.
The basil and phyllo wrapped shrimp was superb. Beautiful Asian flavors from the Thai basil, glass noodles and curry sauce. The mussels were even better. While not the best mussels I ever had, one of the better mussel dishes, thanks to the fries soaking up the great sauce, beans, and bits of chorizo. It’s good size too, more of an entree.
The house specialty Cioppino was fresh tasting and just about flawless. The grilled Tomba tuna was nicely cooked but since it wasn’t seasoned much it needs to be eaten quickly before it dried. And this is not the time to overlook dessert. Get the Creme brûlée and a peach cake when in season and call me in the morning. Not too early.
Yes, Portland Oregon is weird. Even for a New Yorker. Some of the quirkiness you see in East Village or Washington Square Park like ask a puppet for advice is just another corner in Portland. Same for how people generally look and dress. All you need is a 5 minute walk down Alberta Arts District to see that you are not in Kansas anymore. They have an annual nude bike race for Christ’s sake. Even the birds are weird, and possibly stoned. You’d think when a car is approaching they’d scoot faster out of the way, but they take their time and sometimes cause mini traffic jams.
For a place with the population size of Staten Island, the food scene is just ridiculous. They dont just have food trucks or carts, they got islands of them called pods. Like outdoor food courts. Around 500 food carts dispersed all over the city, and none are the same. Add a tremendous restaurant scene to the mix and you got a foodie paradise. I may have lost some sleep trying to sort out the food schedule. Being close to food rich Alberta complicated matters more. More on the food later.
Japanese Gardens
But that’s not nearly all. Portland is not the most attractive city I’ve seen. But it’s parks and gardens like the Japanese garden are world class. You can do some serious forest bathing here between Mt Tabor, the Grotto (62 acres sanctuary), and the mother of all forests, Forest Park where you can hike to the picture perfect Pittock Mansion. Portland’s collection of trees are impressive to say the least.
Other than the parks, Portland’s charm is in it’s neighborhoods. The Northwest District, especially the area around 23rd Ave is fun to explore, day or night. You’ll get a different feel once you cross the river to the lively Mississippi Ave, Williams, and the vibrant Alberta. Staying in one of those areas instead of the downtown area where most tourists (and many homeless) stay is the conventional wisdom these days.
Multnomah
But to me the biggest draw other than the food scene, is the proximity to various natural wonders. Half an hour away is Columbia River Gorge and its very accessible world class waterfalls. If you wont get Iceland vibes at Latourell Falls with its basalt, you will surely get it at Multnomah. You dont need to walk much from the parking lot for the classic shot. After chasing waterfalls, the town of Hood River conveniently awaits with its breweries and art galleries. You can either continue to Mt Hood, or come back from the Washington side of the river for another picturesque drive.
70 miles south you have Silver Falls State Park and its stunning South Fall. Dont even bother looking at pictures of this one, as its something you need to see and experience. A dramatic ending (or beginning) to a beautiful 3-5 mile hike. Then after a coffee stop in Salem, proceed to Willamette Valley, Oregon’s Wine Country. From little Iceland to little Tuscany, though with more than 500 wineries perhaps not that little. Consider Trisaetum winery, for the wine and the above average Charcuterie board.
Portland’s problems are in full display. But so is everything else that’s not going away, and that you wont see mentioned in the media. Cant wait to come back to see the rest.
Eating With Ziggy 