Noshing Does Portland

Portland is one of my favorite places. The greenery, the cute Craftsman houses, the laid-back 'tude...the vegan options everywhere you go. So yes, I enjoyed my brief vacation there and took some notes for y'all on what got noshed.

Francis Restaurant: the Kimster had recommended this place on Alberta, which later this month will be serving dinner. But JP and I had lunch, and it was pretty great. I tasted JP's whiskey lemonade - tarted up with pureed candied ginger - and found it delightful. My enormous meal consisted of hummus, nice and coarse, with chopped kalamatas mixed in, on some flakey vegan foccaccia; pickled carrot coins; baby greens in a raspberry vinaigrette. JP loved his fish and chips with tartar sauce and horseradish marmalade. He also sucked down a large bottle of Rogue hazelnut nectar ale which listed 'free range coastal water' as one of its ingredients.

Cup and Saucer: a groovy little place in the Concordia/Alberta area. Please, please do not venture in the door without a tattoo. OK, you can, and the staff will be really nice, but you'll feel like a giant dork. Anyway, my Saucer Special had scrambies, vegetarian sausage patties, and a frisbee-sized vegan cornmeal-blueberry pancake. I loved that cake, although I wish real maple syrup had not been $1 extra. JP's breakfast came with a cup of excellent raspberry jam - he made me taste it - and we also made the acquaintance of Secret Aardvark hot sauce via a bottle on the table.

Stumptown Coffee: those of you who know me also know about my coffee habit. It's not crack, but it's close. And if you love good java, you'd best get over to Stumptown and get a fix. JP and I visited the location in the Ace Hotel, after a trip to the overwhelming Powell's Books. Sitting in the window with my iced soy latte, a new book weighing down my shoulder bag, I had a serious moment. Maybe angels singing, I don't know, but it happened.

Moxie RX: this place rocks. Dear lord, what could be better than a converted trailer with a few stools inside, picnic tables outside, and creative food and drinks served on vintage dishes? My Grapefruit Fizz helped cool me down on a hot day: juice, fizzy water and fresh basil over ice in a Mason jar. Ahhh. JP kindly shared his Healthy Glow, a frothy blend of pineapple, cucumber, ginger and apple juice. He also enjoyed his panini: goat cheese on a cute little anise-fig roll. I enjoyed the fence behind us, topped with metal roosters and bird houses.

Jam on Hawthorne: this place was recommended by our bartender at the Kennedy School's Honors Bar, who I liked in spite of his failing to card me. We're so glad we went. I had vegan oatmeal-chai-blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup (the chai is Portland's local Dragonfly Chai, fyi). JP swooned over his lemon ricotta 'cakes with blueberry compote. And yep, Jam makes their own jam, which you can buy...The jars are artfully labeled and, judging by the blueberry jam on our table, they taste like a little bit of fruity heaven.

Prasad: we stopped by this cute food cart on Alberta before we left. I ordered the Beulah Land, a great big cup of grapefruit/apple/celery/mint juice. Refreshing, yes, but I also love food carts so it made me happy on several levels. And I got a vegan bbq wrap at the food co-op across the street, the perfect nosh to tide me over till we got back to foggy San Fran. I'll admit to some post-partin' depression, but I'll be back soon. There's so much more to blog about...