there are too many incredible eating options to name, but here are a few of our favorites:
pacific northwest-style:
- AVA GENES: this is what happens when portland's best chefs go italian. authentic classics gussied up with local ingredients and attitude. our birthday/anniversary go-to. $$$
- KEN'S ARTISAN PIZZA: there are a lot of hotly debated contenders for best pizza in town (apizza scholls, nostrana, firehouse, dove vivi), but ken's is second only to lovely's (below). $$
- LARDO: meat. sandwiches. fried stuff. lardo is portland decadence on a bun. $
- LOVELY'S 50-50: the best dough in portland. so good that they offer almost as many pizzas without sauce as with. options change daily, but save room for dessert since lovely's also happens to make the best ice cream in portland (more on that under 'sweets'). $$
- NAVARRE: great for dinner, but our favorite for no-fuss brunch: navarre's daily-changing menu is based on whatever's fresh off the farm, and it's all cooked in a teeny kitchen with suspended pots and wheels of bread (chels eats a whole loaf with their homemade jam). $$
- NED LUDD: another classic portland eatery with a menu oriented around local ingredients and unexpected combinations. if you stay til monday, they have a weekly pizza night too. $$
- OX: don't be intimidated by the wait. or the giant churrasco fire pit. despite its meaty moniker, ox also has great dishes for fish or veggie-lovers. and for anyone with tastebuds. wait for your table next door at whey bar over oysters and drinks. $$$
- SWEEDEEDEE: just a few blocks from our house, sweedeedee might as well be called 'portland twee'. shelves of jarred pickles and stacks of vinyl aside, this is the best breakfast spot in town. come early and be patient - the corn cakes are especially worthwhile. $$
- TASTY & SONS or TASTY & ALDER: both locations offer farm-fresh interpretations of american comfort foods as well as original, local concoctions. great for brunch - early. $$
pnw-style asian:
- BOLLYWOOD THEATER: bollywood theater embraces the kitsch of its namesake, but doesn't rely on extra flair in its food. seasonal ingredients affect some dishes, but the goan-style shrimp and kati roll are not to be missed. also, it's conveniently next to salt & straw. $$
- LAANG BAAN: 12-courses of haute-thai. this speakeasy restaurant is hidden behind a book and tchotcky-adorned door in the back of an otherwise nondescript thai restaurant. book in advance or be prepared to beg, plead, and offer your first born - either way, it's worth it. $$$
- MEE SEN: mee sen skips classic thai curries in favor of bangkok street food-style noodles and soups. given how fast and delicious it is, we're here at least once a week. $
- NONG'S KHAO MAN GAI: it's just chicken and rice. that's it. nong got her start as a sous chef at pok pok, but her specialty dish became so popular that she left to open her own food cart (now three and counting) and this restaurant. don't be fooled by how simple it sounds - the sauce (an alchemist concoction of ginger, garlic, and spice) brings everything to life. $
- SAMURAI BLUE: the guys who run this japanese restaurant are the nicest food nerds ever. they offer up the usual array of baroque rolls, but they also serve truly gorgeous cuts of fresh fish. sit at the sushi bar and be sure to mention our names - they'll hook you up. $$
pnw-style mediterranean:
- MEDITERRANEAN EXPLORATION CO: come with a crew to try as many dishes as possible. if you think there's better pita anywhere in the us, you're lying to yourself. $$
- WOLF AND BEAR'S: michael scoured the world for the best falafel before discovering it here in portland. add anything from caramelized onions to marinated mushrooms, but the falafel itself (grilled, not fried - and oh so savory) is already close to perfect. $
pnw-style sweets:
- RUBY JEWEL SCOOPS: home of chels' beloved oreo-flavored cookies 'n cream ice cream and close to our regular stops on mississippi (namely samurai blue and mee sen), you'll smell ruby jewel before you see it. don't be shy on the samples - they won't be shy on the servings. $
- SALT & STRAW: yes, they serve crazy ice cream flavors, but salt & straw also does the classics right. mainstays like double-fold vanilla and freckled woodblock chocolate hold up alongside arbequina olive oil, strawberry with black pepper, and who-knows-what-else. $$
- LOVELY'S 50-50: portland's best ice cream parlor is actually hidden in a pizza restaurant. with only a few flavors at a time, lovely's serves deceptively simple basics like salted caramel and mint-chip that will change everything you thought you knew about ice cream. $
- BLUE STAR DONUTS: forget voodoo (unless it's 2am or you can't resist a fruit loop-covered pastry), blue star's brioche dough-based donuts are the real winners. go early - they sell out. $
the portland's farmer's market at PSU is also an amazing destination on Saturday mornings. you can make a meal out of the samples alone - or stop by the pine state biscuits cart to knock yourself out for the rest of the afternoon.
and of course portland's food carts serve everything else you can imagine - and then some: http://www.foodcartsportland.com