Sunday, April 22, 2012

Today was probably the most beautiful day Portland has seen in 2012. We made it to 80 degrees with blue skies! Since the sunshine is out and is hopefully here to stay, I thought I would start the quest for outdoor dining in the Portland area.

I found a Web site that is a great place to start - Portlandfoodanddrink.com. There is a post about outdoor dining in all the different neighborhoods of Portland. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Two of my favorite restaurants with outdoor dining spaces are Produce Row Cafe in SE and Cha Taqueria in NW.

Monday, April 16, 2012

This was my first time visiting a Trader Vic's and I was too young to know the original Portland restaurant when it was in downtown. The new location is in the heart of Pearl District and has great curb appeal. When you walk in, you feel like you are in paradise on a tropical island. The decor is Polynesian with authentic masks, plants from the tropics, tribal carvings and bright colors.

We decided to visit Trader Vic's for their cocktails because they have an extensive list of exotic drinks, all with creative presentations. Each drink has a signature glass or bowl. Between the six of us, we tried the 1944 Mai Thai, Trader Vic's Passion Cocktail, Trader Vic's Stinker and some other delicious Pina Colada goodness. Let me tell you...the 1944 Mai Thai was strong! One was enough for me. All the drinks were made with different rums and/or gins making them equally delicious.

While we sipped our cocktails, we decided to try a couple starters. We went with two orders of the "Cosmo Tidbits, The Original." This is a sampler of all their popular appetizers - BBQ spareribs, Crab Rangoon (their specialty), Crispy Prawns and sliced Char Sui Pork. I think the spare ribs were my favorite but then again, I usually always like spare ribs.

Overall, good atmosphere and our service was tiptop. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions...we looked to her for our drink recommendations. I think this will be a fun place to visit in the summer!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Just because it doesn't feel like spring in Portland, doesn't mean we still can't participate in spring events! Stay warm inside at the Convention Center for this year's Spring Beer & Wine Fest. Last year I attended this event and had a pretty good time. It felt a bit weird to be inside for a beer festival, but it certainly didn't change how everything tasted!

This year, I am not too crazy about the wineries (maybe I am spoiled because I work in wine country) but I am excited about the breweries. There seems to be a pretty good selection and a variety of brewers I haven't heard of.

Check out the pricing details for more information. Free admission for the first 1000 people each day!