Let's backtrack a little to the beginning of my trip. While looking for some places to take Gourmet Pigs, a quick Google search for Portland and pie turned up this Travel+Leisure article on "America's Best Pies" mentioning a vanilla salted caramel apple pie.
Pie! In Portland! I was all over that. Since it was on the northeast side of town, I figured we'd stop off for a late afternoon snack after a morning chasing waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge.
Of course we had to order the aforementioned vanilla salted caramel apple pie.
Brandied peach, flirty berry, and Kentucky pecan. Too many choices!
Coconut cream, banana cream, chocolate cream too? And savory pies? Catalan vegetable, chipotle pork, and old-fashioned chicken pot pie. I should have ordered the chicken pot pie then because it was all out on my next visit. But I was saving room for dinner with my parents.
What I liked about Random Order's pies are that they're made with an all-butter crust, from scratch, from local and seasonal ingredients. Notice the flour is from Bob's Red Mill - Milwaukie - Oregon.
We ended up going with the vanilla salted caramel apple, flirty berry, and banana cream pie.
The banana cream pie was THE BEST BANANA CREAM PIE I'VE EVER HAD! Yes, all caps was completely justified in describing this pie. The crust was flaky and light. You know those butterfly cookies with the flaky layers? The crust was like that. The whipped cream was homemade and not too sweet. I seriously was in awe at how good the pie was.
While the vanilla salted caramel apple pie was good, it wasn't revelatory for me as the BEST BANANA CREAM PIE EVER. I turned down a dollop of whipped cream, but I should have figured out that the whipped cream was homemade so don't pass it up.
The flirty berry, a combination of blueberries and raspberries with lemon and a dash of nutmeg, was good too.
We lingered for a while in the cafe, vowing to return before we left town. I kept looking over the pie menu, trying to decide which ones I wanted to try. I needed reinforcements if I was gonna try them all!
So on my last full day in town, after an epic day that ended at The Tao of Tea - Portland - Oregon, I made a quick run to Bob's Red Mill to grab some spices for my mom, and met up with my second-oldest nephew and Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok for brunch.
Between the four of us, we ordered nine pies. Three savory slices (one of which we sent home with the nephew) and six sweet pies.
Darlene declared the coconut cream pie to be her favorite.
The brandied peach featured peach slices simmered in their own juices with a wee bit of brandy, topped with a lattice crust. I made sure not to pass up the homemade whipped cream this time.
Kentucky bourbon pecan. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Shaker lemon, paper thin slices of whole Meyer lemons in lemony custard. A little tart to counteract all the sweet.
No way was I passing up the chance to have another slice of THE BEST BANANA CREAM PIE EVER!
The chocolate cream pie featured three kinds of chocolate, unsweetened, dark, and semi-sweet. Forget any other chocolate cream pie you've ever had, this was sooo good too. Not too sweet and just perfect.
They were out of the chicken pot pie, so we got Catalan vegetable.
And chipotle pork.
Surprisingly, everyone liked the vegetable pot pie a lot more. Very flavorful and hearty. The chipotle pork was just OK. I'm bummed that I missed out on chicken pot pie.
The sweet pies are about $3.75 a slice and the savory pies are about $4.50. The pie slices are generously portioned and the quality makes it well-worth it. There's a cocktail menu so you can order drinks too. Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery is my new favorite must-visit whenever I'm home.
Random Order caters whole pies for weddings too. Remember that episode of "How I Met Your Mother" when Marshall and Lily were planning their wedding and he smiled at the mention of wedding pies? That would be me. Mmm. Wedding pie.
All Oregon posts can be found with the tag Series: Oregon, but I suggest reading this particular trip in this order:
I'm Coming Home
Bunk Sandwiches - Portland - Oregon
Horsetail Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Multnomah Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Wahkeena Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Bridal Veil Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Shepperd's Dell Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Latourell Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Crown Point Vista House (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon
Stinging Nettle Soup
Stinging Nettle Tea
Nai Xao Xa Cuon Banh Trang (Vietnamese Sauteed Lemongrass Venison Rice Paper Rolls)
Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill - Tigard - Oregon
Reuben Sandwich
Argyle Winery - Dundee - Oregon
Hawks View Cellars - Sherwood - Oregon
Clyde Common - Portland - Oregon
Teardrop Cocktail Lounge - Portland - Oregon
The Secret Society - Portland - Oregon
Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon
Spanish Radicchio Salad with Manchego Olive Vinaigrette
The Tao of Tea - Portland - Oregon
Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery - Portland - Oregon
Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery
1800 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
971-340-6995
Monday 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday to Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
*****
1 year ago today, Las Cunadas Rosticeria and Mexican Restaurant - Alhambra (Closed).
2 years ago today, Earth Machine compost bin.
3 years ago today, Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce).
4 years ago today, Pinkberry - Los Angeles (Koreatown).
Hello WC! I always love your Portland posts! I want to kick myself. This place was on my 'to-visit' list but for the coffee! i didn't know about their pies! Especially the BANANA one! your description of the crust and the chocolate is making me drool, haha. I love crust more than I do pie filling. I like that they have both savory and sweet offerings.
ReplyDeleteOne question - what vegetables were in the Catalan vegetable pie slice?
CC,
ReplyDeleteI told you to go here when you asked me where to eat. I still have the email. You just didn't remember. I remember cauliflower and potatoes in the Catalan vegetable pie.