PORTLAND:
It has been a while since I have sat down to blog. I have been getting settled at my new job which is going pretty well so far. I start seeing patient's next week. I am looking forward to feeling productive at the office. I would much rather feel busy than bored.
I continued to go on some wonderful adventures in the past two weeks. Even if not at the same level of frequency. My friend came to visit from the coast of Oregon. We decided to just eat all weekend. First she took me to Powell's Books, which is apparently a right of passage if you come to Portland. Powell's is the world's largest independent bookstore with over two million volumes in their inventory. Upon entering, the bookstore was packed with city tourists. I meandered around a bit and was overwhelmed by a combination of the bustle and the amount of books. At first I thought maybe I should find a book to buy, but soon realized that the check out line was so long it was like waiting for a ride at Disney. It went around many corners of the store. There was even a woman with the sole job of marking the end of the line with a sign. Maybe another times.
My friend and I decided that we wanted some delicious carbs. We headed to Grassa for some homemade pasta. I have learned very recently that box pasta is NOTHING compared to homemade pasta.
Side note: Over Christmas break my husband and I went to NYC for a day trip. We ended up at Aunt Jake's another phenomenal hand made pasta restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. I had their rigatoni with marinara sauce, so simply but so fantastic! Hard to go back to boxed pasta after that.
Back to Grassa: The restaurant itself was a small place but full of character. I love the combination of wood and steel elements of a restaurant. The best Portland restaurants provide an experience beyond the level of food. The attention to detail makes is meal that much more exciting. My friend and I split the Spagetti 'Aglio Olio' and some of their amazing garlic bread. The pasta was delicious with garlic, chili flakes, olive oil, grana and breadcrumbs. Our belly's were very carb happy.
My friend had not had the opportunity to go to Bollywood Theater, which I have mentioned before. I knew that she had to try the Vada Pav and the grilled corn! We then went back to Salt & Straw because how could you stay away! I had a scoop of Pear & Blue Cheese and a scoop of the Arbequina Oil ice cream. Both were delicious. My friend had the seasonal Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero which had some heat to it.
We took a break from eating for a brief moment and then headed to Ava Gene's, a Roman restaurant. This restaurant claims to be one of the best in Portland and is on Division street. Reservation were so backed up that we ended up with dinner at 10:30 pm. The top of the menu read "Locally Sourced, Aggressively Seasonal". We started with toasted bread with sheep cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil on top. We ordered a variety of the Giardini and Primi options on the menu. We definitely reached our maximum level of food intake.
In the morning, we went out for a popular Portland past time: brunch! We headed to HunnyMilk which is located on NE 28th Ave. They share the spot with La Buca. We were sat after a little bit of wait and crayons greeted us at the table. There were more adults than kids coloring at this restaurant. This pop up brunch place does a $20 package with drink, a savory dish, and a sweet dish. My friend and I each got something different so we could try everything. Just to give you an idea, one of the sweets was a floating island french toast with lemon-orange curd, honey poached meringue, elderflower strawberries and toasted coconut. My favorite thing on the menu was the home fries! This brunch was definitely the icing on the cake to an amazing foodie weekend!
