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| Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon |
Quirky Portland.
Creative Portland. Yummy Portland. All are very apt descriptions at this
young-spirited, upstart of a city in Oregon. Perhaps it’s the mist that swathes the city
three-quarters of the year which motivates contemplation or focus, or perhaps
it’s just the city’s pervasive welcoming attitude that encourages a spirit of
creativity that shines through in personality and product. But no matter what, Portland is a city with a
resulting culture of innovation that appeals to anyone with an entrepreneurial
bent. Or, as they call it, a city of weird.
Restaurants, jewelry makers, and even potmakers have all
found a home here.
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| Chicken wings at Pok Pok |
I made it a point to visit the original
Pok Pok, a frantically popular Northern
Thai restaurant that had evolved from a humble food truck to constant adulation
by foodies everywhere (note that Chef Andy Ricker had opened one in Brooklyn,
now shuttered).
There I found a staff,
every one of whom decorated with creative tattoos and piercings, knowledgeable
to the nth degree about the fire level of each dish and able to recommend the
correct beer or sipping vinegar to accompany. My expectations were met and I
was beginning to get a sense of what Portland was about. My Uber driver,
returning me to the hip, luxurious
Nines
Hotel for an inventive cocktail at Urban Farmer, shared that Portland was a
comfortable, oddball kind of place to live and work in. She liked it a lot, and
I did, too
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The Nines |
Over the next days, I visited a number of makers, a term
that I hadn’t had much exposure to prior. I learned that a maker was
essentially an entrepreneur who had a vision of producing something with
passion, something that meant a lot to him or her and would have purpose to the
ultimate end-user.
At
FINEX Cast Iron Cookware Co., I saw the
production of cast-iron pans with their distinctive coiled handles, a hefty and
solid production that was actually somewhat familiar to me by name (I believe
they are sold in Williams Sonoma on the East Coast).
I also visited the
fabulous whiskey bar,
sidecar 11, and
Irving Street Kitchen where the
impossible burger was just gaining traction (it has since become a mainstay at
high-end burger venues like Five Guys as well as chains like Burger King and
even Dunkin).
And, of course, there were
a number of dispensaries sprinkled throughout the city, where education about
the differences between head and body versions could be had along with a
variety of choice CBD or THC items (marijuana is legal in Portland).
A good choice for beginners is
Serra
Dispensary Downtown but be sure you have a picture ID or you won’t be
allowed in. If you happen to be in Portland on the weekend, the Saturday Market
by the nearby waterfront is a walkable choice for crafts and food alike. You
can try some of the city’s hand-roasted coffees there from artisanal coffee
makers like Spella Caffé.
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Food Truck Pods
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Irving Street Kitchen
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| FINEX |
Foodie creativity reached a new sugary height at
Voodoo
Doughnut in Old Town where the artistic and varied nature of the oversized
donuts made for a visit to remember. Although I was told that other donut shops
had a tastier product, Voodoo’s donuts were the epitome of color and
imagination for me.
Plus, Voodoo was a
quick walk away from one of Portland’s most notable landmarks,
Powell’s City of Books, the largest independent
new and used bookstore in the world, and what has to be the mecca of
inspiration for any aspiring maker, foodie makers included.
After wandering the many aisles and enjoying
the witty sayings on the shelf labels in the various color-coded rooms, you’ll
want to don a Sherlock Holmes type hat to search out the corner of the second
floor where the rare and unusual books are stored. Request the key because the Rare
Book Room’s door is always locked: that’s where you’ll find gems like the
Complete Works of Goethe (illustrated)
for $800 and
The Red Book by C. G.
Jung.
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| Voodoo Doughnut |
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| Rare Book Room at Powell's City of Books |
In addition to high-cuisine restaurants with creative menus
like the Spanish tapas at
Toro Bravo
with its molecularly melting olives, or the medley of Asian fusion bites from Departure
at the Nines atop the former Meier and Frank building, the food scene in
Portland is peppered with a mix of stationary food trucks clustered in pods and
food halls like the
Pine Street Market
in the Carriage and Baggage Building touting bites from pretty much every
culture. I particularly loved
Pollo
Bravo for their hot-as-heck fermented hot sauce, the fiery fare at
Mee Sen Thai and the sugary treats from
Hungry Heart Cupcakes and
Ruby Jewel Scoops.
Even the desserts were
easy to pair with a top Oregon Pinot Noir like the super-juicy 2015 Estate vintage
from Elk Cove Vineyards from the Willamette Valley or another 2015 vintage
(obviously, a good year) from Ponzi Vineyards. Hint: pack some bubble wrap so
you can bring home a few bottles in your suitcase).
For a more interactive dining/cooking experience,
visit the Country Cat where Chef Adam Sappington, assisted by his wife Jackie,
will demonstrate whatever’s most seasonally significant for your table.
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Ruby Jewel
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Mee-Sen Thai
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| sidecar11 |
The music scene in Portland, Oregon has something for everyone, too.
I enjoyed the rooftop bar at the Nines, where live music, outdoor views, and a
great menu gave a glimpse into a dressier part of Portland life. Up the street
and down a rabbit hole-like staircase, the underground bar,
Al’s Den,
accessed through Ringler’s Annex next to the Crystal Hotel, felt more
consistent with what I’d seen among the maker set with live music ranging from
grunge to punk to rock on most nights.
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| Al's Den |
Is it something in the water?
Or perhaps, as I suggested earlier, it’s the
mist that enshrouds the city much of the year that adds a different layer of
water that spurs creativity. I’m not sure. But whatever it is, Portland’s one
really cool city. Or, as they say, “keepin’ it weird in Portland.” Yup, it’s a
pretty weird city.
(all photos by Meryl Pearlstein)
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