A Food Lover’s Visit to Portland

A friend of mine is visiting Seattle in September and has asked me to guide her in sampling all of the great foods the city has to offer. This is a request I can manage pretty well on my own, but when we decided to do a road trip down to Portland, too, I admitted I wasn’t as well versed in the city’s hot spots as I might like to be. What to do? I could go on an Internet wild goose chase—trying to rustle up the best of the best through various searches—or I could just consult a great resource that is already at my fingertips: Food Lover’s Guide to Portland by Liz Crain.

And consult it I did. In fact, after doing so, the toughest part was trying to narrow down what sounded great to what was reasonable for a short visit! In true Portland DIY style, we will primarily pick and choose ingredients rather than limit ourselves to more formal sit-down meals.

Naturally, we’ll have to hit up the farmers market at Portland State University, which features more than 170 stalls (!) and a huge variety of offerings. We can pick out some fresh fruits and vegetables that might make for a nice picnic.

I’m torn about which bakery to visit and may have to sample the goods from more than one. I think we’ll grab a savory loaf from Pearl Bakery and some sweet breakfast treats from Pix Patisserie. Both earn rave reviews for their quality and specialty items.

We’ll certainly need some cheese to pair with our bread, so a stop at Cheese Bar (formerly Steve’s Cheese) for a staff recommendation will be in order. And then off to Laurelhurst Market Butcher Shop we’ll go for cured meats to top it all. Depending on the time of day, we can either wash the meal down with a coffee from Stumptown or a wine from Boedecker Cellars.

We’ll also have to partake in the booming food cart trend by browsing the pod at Alder Street (near the downtown library). I’m thinking about a garlicky gyro from Aybla Grill, but I could easily be swayed by the other delicious displays . . .

Finally, since I’m a sucker for truffles (and, let’s be honest, any chocolate), I must swing by Moonstruck Chocolate. I dare you to look at Moonstruck’s website and not drool on your keyboard.

Although this list doesn’t even come close to running the gamut of what Portland has to offer, I’m sure both my friend and I will be pleased with what we are able to sample. And anyway, it just means we’ll have to plan future trips to try all of the rest!

Where do you think we should we go next time?