Portland, Oregon Dining: Food, Wine and Beer
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Restaurants: Northwest Fresh
Eat it Up, Drink it in
by Linda Nygaard
There was a time — Portlanders today shudder to think — when the city’s best restaurants could be counted on one hand… with fingers to spare. Ancient history? Hardly. A mere 15 years ago in Portland, food was food. It wasn’t an art, it wasn’t a passion and it certainly wasn’t a reason to visit.
Fortunately, things have changed. Big time. Drinking and eating in Portland have evolved into a culinary adventure. It’s not just the restaurants, emerging neighborhoods, markets, cooking schools, microbreweries and nearby wineries; it’s an attitude that Portlanders have for what ends up on their plates. Fresh ingredients are key — whether you’re talking microbrews or seafood. And anything caught, made or grown in the surrounding region is a source of tremendous local pride.
Portland owes much of its food passion to noted chef James Beard, recognized as the “father of American gastronomy.” Beard grew up in Portland. Throughout his distinguished career as a chef, cookbook author, and teacher, he wrote and spoke often of the Pacific Northwest’s bounty. The region’s seafood, berries, pears, cherries, hazelnuts, wild game and vegetables of all kinds inspired him. They also laid the foundation for his lifelong dedication to fine cooking, simple menus and fresh ingredients.
Today, Portland’s top chefs echo that sentiment. Caprial Pence, owner of Caprial’s Bistro in the city’s Westmoreland district says, “Chefs here like to go to the farmers’ market on their days off. They talk food, they fish, they garden, they hunt for mushrooms, they love cooking here.”
Talking about fresh ingredients spawns another observation from Pence. “New York may have fine restaurants, but our products are better. They’re local — they’re not flown in from some other region. They’re fresh from the source and it shows up in the quality of food you eat here.”
Starting at the source is an excellent beginning for any culinary journey. May through November, visitors can get to the heart of Portland’s food scene at the Portland Farmers’ Market. Among artfully displayed produce and aromatic food stands, shoppers can visit with the farmers, many of whom harvested their wares only hours before. Feel free to ask about that dark-green curly stuff next to the beets, or those funny-looking mushrooms you don’t recognize. Area growers love to talk about their products, and you will undoubtedly learn something new.
Since these are the same farmers who fill many of Portland’s restaurant larders, you can also pick up great tips on the best places to dine. And, don’t worry, the farmers’ market offers plenty of souvenirs to take home. Lavender jelly, dried cherries, smoked salmon, artisan cheeses.
The market — which operates seasonally in three locations — is just the tip of the urban food experience in Portland. Locals are known for their love of learning and that streak is reflected in the city’s many “learn-to-cook” opportunities. Cooking classes can be found all over town — many offering one-time afternoon or evening options that are perfect for visitors.
Two of the best locations are In Good Taste in the eclectic Pearl District and Caprial & John’s Kitchen in Westmoreland. At In Good Taste, you can learn to cook African, Mediterranean, even Scandinavian specialties. Classes are expertly taught by some of Portland’s top chefs in a commercial kitchen setting. (Side note: You can drop a wad on cooking gadgets and wine in the attached kitchen store and wine shop. It’s a cook’s paradise!)
Caprial and John Pence offer instruction — supplemented by classes conducted by guest chefs — in their new demonstration kitchen. If the classroom looks familiar, that’s because the location doubles as the set for the Pences’ new PBS cooking show Caprial and John’s Kitchen. Whether watching the Pences on TV or in person, students come away with recipes and ideas to use at home, as well as the courage to try something new.
It’s a well-known fact that Portland boasts many fine wineries within an hour’s drive. However, time-crunched travelers can try their hands at blending their very own wine at Portland’s Urban Wineworks. It’s a winery experience — complete with tasting room and barrel-themed décor — without the drive to the country.
Portland is also known as the motherland of microbrews. Portland’s oldest microbrewery resides in the Pearl District. BridgePort is the place to go to learn about beer made in the English tradition. Tour guides, well-versed in beer-geek speak, will show you the back of the house as they educate you about esters and hops and ales and lagers, oh my! If you want to develop your own pub crawl, add in stops at Portland Brewing Company’s Taproom, Widmer Brothers Gasthaus or McMenamins Kennedy School.
Not far from BridgePort, Clear Creek Distillery makes exquisite use of pears from Oregon’s orchards. Known mostly for its eaux de vie, Clear Creek distills nine different pure-fruit spirits. Make an appointment and the owners will happily introduce you to the art of old-world distilling, complete with oak barrels and copper distillers. Look for Clear Creek’s signature “Pear-in-the-Bottle” brandy. (Yes, the pears grow right in the bottles!)
You can pair your brandy, wine or microbrewed beer with a huge range of culinary choices in Portland. After all, no matter how you slice it, it’s all about eating. Deciding where to eat, however, can be a visitor’s most difficult decision. That’s because the offerings are so plentiful. Whether it’s a taco truck on the corner or a gourmet restaurant on the hill, you can be guaranteed a satisfying experience.
Chef David Machado, one of Portland’s culinary icons, created Lauro (Italian for “bay leaf”) Kitchen on the east side in 2003. Machado takes his inspiration from the Mediterranean region and its recipes. In recreating those dishes, he uses only the freshest local products. Flavors from Spain, Morocco, Italy and Portugal infuse the food, while music from Brazil plays in the background. Lauro Kitchen’s hybrid fare beguiles those who crave authenticity at a reasonable price.
On Northwest 21st Avenue, Wildwood features Northwest specialties hand tended from farm to table. One thing is clear here: Cory Schreiber, Wildwood’s chef/owner, lives and breathes the “cooking from the source” mantra. A James Beard Award-winning chef, Schreiber embodies Beard’s philosophy. So much so that he wrote a book about it, Wildwood: Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest.
Besides Wildwood, Northwest Portland (aka “Nob Hill”) is packed with great restaurants. Just across the street from Wildwood is Paley’s Place, offering upscale cuisine served in an historic Victorian home. Other Northwest favorites are Besaw’s Café (historic setting; great breakfasts); Lucy’s Table (named after the owner’s grandmother’s dining room table, which graces the center of the restaurant); and Papa Haydn (glorious desserts, need I say more?).
To spice up your dining aspirations, head to one of Portland’s many Thai restaurants. Thai Noon, in the Alberta Arts district, cooks up simple and authentic Thai food in a bright, airy former garage. Hospitable staff dish up Thai comfort food laced with rich flavors and intense heat. More upscale, downtown’s Typhoon! defines elegance. Chef Bo Lohasawat Kline, who draws inspiration for her dishes from the pushcarts of the peasants to the palaces of her native Thailand, is an award-winning chef herself. Tip: Try the miang kum, a sweet and spicy signature hors d’oeuvre with a kick.
Walking into OBA! (Portuguese for “right on!”) is like entering another world. Here, you get a lush South American plantation feel, with food that hits the mark. Chef Scott Newman capitalizes on his love of authentic food from South America, Portugal and points in between. Handmade cocktails (there’s not a blender in the place) often feature some of the world’s finest rums.
Like a too-small serving of your favorite dish, you may find your culinary adventure ending before you’ve quite satisfied your hunger. Not to worry. Return visits are highly encouraged. As the tag line for Oregon’s Culinary Tourism Alliance aptly notes “Oregon: You’ll be back for seconds.”
Beer
You also won’t lack for variety when it comes to beer in Portland, long
recognized as America’s craft-brewing mecca. Pure water from the Cascade
Mountains, tall barley and bitter hops all set the stage for a beer-lover’s
region.
Many of Portland’s best brew houses are also the most unique. BridgePort
Brewing Co., Oregon’s first craft brewery, is housed in an historic
building – formerly a cordage factory that made ropes for turn-of-the-century
sailing vessels – that sits smack on the route of the new Portland
Streetcar. Nearby, Portland
Brewing Company’s tasting room overlooks beautiful copper brewing tanks
that were imported from a 16th century Bavarian brewery.
Meanwhile, canine visitors are always welcome in the outdoor seating area of
the Lucky Labrador Brewing
Company, which resides in an historic warehouse in the ultra-funky Hawthorne
District. And Full
Sail Brewing Co. at RiverPlace affords one of the best views of the busy
Willamette River waterway and RiverPlace Marina.Scattered throughout the Portland
area, McMenamins pubs
and breweries mix historic ambience with great beer and casual fare. Each McMenamins
pub is literally covered, from ceiling beams to floorboards, with a profusion
of decorative art created by local artists. Star properties include the Kennedy
School, a former elementary school; McMenamins Edgefield, once the county poor
farm; and Ringlers, located downstairs from the legendary Crystal Ballroom with
its “floating” dance floor.
It almost seems unfair that Portland should boast a region so perfect for producing excellent food and beer as well as support a climate ideal for some of the world’s most exquisite wines. It’s the truth, though, and we know our visitors wouldn’t have it any other way.
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