Day Trip {Portland}

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for a day trip down to Portland as we had a few errands to run and wanted to take advantage of some tax-free shopping and a day out of our normal routines.  It was smooth sailing down to Oregon besides a few rainstorms and we arrived just in time for a yummy brunch.  We grabbed food at Paiku which had great reviews and was nearby where we needed to be, and after a very long wait we inhaled our delicious brunch and vowed to not need anymore food for the rest of the day.  We never even made it to downtown Portland, instead stopping off at a BBQ store, Costco, and Target, but it was a fun day spent doing something different and out of the ordinary.  I love that in a few short hours we can be in a totally different state - but I think next time we'll make a whole weekend of it :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Portland {Part III}

Sunday night after resting at the hotel and debating a few different places for dinner we decided to try Tasty n Alder which had come highly recommended and was conveniently located just a few blocks from our hotel.  The restaurant was extremely busy with a long wait but we lucked out by snagging two open seats at the bar and decided to stay there for the night.  After ordering drinks and asking our awesome bartender for dinner recommendations, we decided to get a bunch of stuff to share.  Plate after plate came out of the kitchen of amazingly delicious food that we both agreed was one of the best meals we've ever had, particularly the Radicchio salad with bacon and a 6 minute egg {oh man I could eat this every day of my life!} and the Wagyu Coulotte steak which melted in your mouth like butter.  It was fun sitting at the bar and eating this insane meal and I cannot wait to go back the next time we're in Portland.  After dinner we debated whether or not to grab a drink somewhere before calling it a night but instead ended up getting some drinks in our hotel bar to bring back to the room and drink in bed while watching tv on our 65 inch screen - it was the perfect end to the day :)  Monday morning we woke up early to take advantage of our last day and headed out of downtown to the north side, landing at Besaw's for a delicious brunch sitting at the counter overlooking the kitchen.  Afterwards we walked around the neighborhood before driving up to the sprawling Washington Park and world famous rose garden where we walked around taking in the views of the city and the mountains beyond and spotting a few sporadic roses in bloom.  We made our way down the hill, driving through the fancy neighborhoods and dreaming of the gorgeous old homes before making our way out of the city to do some last minute tax-free shopping {of course we had to hit up Target Ikea, & Costco!}.  It was such a fun weekend exploring an unfamiliar place with my sweetie and I can't wait for our next adventure together!

radicchio salad - amazing

goat cheese dumplings arrabiata

fried brussels sprouts in fish sauce

wagyu coulotte w/ black trumpet compound butter

huevos rancheros at besaws

the deserted rose garden

Thanks for a great weekend, Portland!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Portland {Part II}

Sunday morning we woke up with no real plans but to eat good food and explore Portland on foot.  We walked over the bridge for brunch at Olympia Provisions {highly recommended by many} and after a "coffee crisis" {sorry brunch place - but it can't take you 25 minutes to serve your patrons coffee!} we settled in to a huge meal of the Spanish charcuterie board {with so many kinds of chorizo} to share, a potato hash with veggies for me, and the benedict for C.  Everything was really delicious and despite the coffee issue we left the restaurant completely stuffed.  We wandered into a few shops on that side of the city before heading back over the bridge to continue the day.  We stopped in at Stumptown for coffee and ran into a friend from high school {small world!} then continued our walk around downtown and the Pearl, enjoying the street art on the old buildings and stopping in stores for some tax-free shopping where my sweetie bought me a pretty pair of earrings as a souvenir from our trip.  I'm a lucky girl! :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Portland {Part I}

This past weekend we decided to take advantage of an extra day off {and a babysitter for Nina - thanks Maggie!} and head down to Portland for a long weekend.  We got up bright and early Saturday morning to make the most of our day and in what seemed like no time we were crossing the border into Oregon.  We started out walking around on the northside then quickly realized we were starving and headed over to Por Que No?, a tiny hole in the wall taqueria with a line out the door {always a good sign}.  The line went fast and we were able to squeeze into a table in the back to enjoy our delicious burrito bowls and generous margaritas.  After lunch we went for a walk in the neighborhood and stumbled upon Blue Star Donuts.  Even though we were full from lunch there's always room for donuts so we indulged ourselves and it was oh so worth it.  After walking off the donuts we finally headed downtown to check into our hotel, The Duniway, and after dropping our stuff off headed out to explore the city.  We stopped into Powell's Books and perused the offerings {that place is huge!} then wandered around the Pearl District, ducking in and out of shops until we decided we were thirsty and stopped for a beer at Rogue while we decided what to do with the rest of our evening.  After several calls to restaurants to check wait times, Christian realized that one of the Pok Pok locations was not too far away so we bundled up and headed in that direction.  Luckily there was no line when we walked in to this cute and very famous Thai restaurant and were seated right away next to a group of sweet old men who literally offered us the food off of their plates when they suggested we take some of the wings they had ordered {and that the restaurant is famous for} because they weren't going to finish them - amazing!  The dinner continued to get even better as the night went on, and even though we bit into a few very spicy chilies on accident, it was still such a delicious meal.  After eating {and drinking} well for our first day in Portland we headed back to the hotel, stopping off at the Ace for some photobooth pics {my fave - see above} to top off an excellent first day of vacation.

por que no?

donuts!

my cutest travel partner

cocktails at pok pok

pork shoulder curry and spicy lobster salad

xoxo,
stephanie marie