Potbelly Sandwich Shop (SW 6th Ave.) - Portland - Oregon

My dad's been down in SoCal for the past few weeks working on the house so I thought I'd go home and and surprise my mom. A few days before, one of my childhood friends checked into Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Facebook. What?! There's a Potbelly now in Oregon?! I was all over that.

A few years ago when I was in Washington, D.C. and stumbled upon a Potbelly, I literally jumped for joy. Mmm. A Wreck with extra peppers. One of the things I missed about living in Chicago and in which I indulged in regularly the summer I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. It's pretty funny to see the Yelp page littered with Midwest transplants all waxing nostalgic too.

But first, there was pie. Mmm. Pie.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters (SE Division St. Original Location) - Portland - Oregon

After brunch at Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery - Portland - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I decided to get some work done at Stumptown Coffee Roasters.


Of course, I insisted that it be at their original location on Division Street.

Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery - Portland - Oregon

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.

The Tao of Tea - Portland - Oregon

After dinner at Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon, I suggested one last stop before we finally ended the night. In the late 1990s, a college friend introduced me to The Tao of Tea when we were looking for a place to just sit while catching up.


I really enjoyed the quaint tea house with fresh brewed teas, including a foamy matcha green tea shake before it became so popular and ubiquitous. I've gone back a few times over the years, and even visited their tea house at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. So, a nice calming cuppa seemed just the thing to end what was a long day of too much out and about.

Spanish Radicchio Salad with Manchego Olive Vinaigrette

I loved the Radicchio Salad with Green Olive Toast and a Manchego Vinaigrette at Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon so much that I had to try re-creating it at home. But, at $14 for the ingredients, this was definitely one of the most expensive salads I've ever made so it's not something I'd make often. Although, the Manchego cheese and the jar of olives were used for several other recipes, and still have some left, so there is that in its favor.

I found a small wedge of Manchego cheese at Fresh and Easy for about $4. If you can't find any where you are, I'd suggest substituting with fresh Parmesan cheese. The Manchego tasted very mild, and I don't feel it was as crucial to the recipe as were the radicchio or olives. Instead of cocktail olives, I splurged on a $5 jar of Italian Castelvetrano whole green olives, which looked less salty and fresher, the type that seemed to be in Toro Bravo's version. You can find radicchio for $2 a head sometimes at Fresh and Easy, otherwise, it was a whopping $8 a pound at the regular grocery store. Radicchio leaves aren't as heavy or compact as cabbage so hopefully it won't cost you that much.

Once you've splurged on all those ingredients, and made a basic vinaigrette, the contrasts of the slightly bitter radicchio leaves with the saltiness of the olives makes this a simple, but flavorful salad.

Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon

While having our third round of cocktails at The Secret Society - Portland, Dylan's phone rang, signaling that our table at Toro Bravo was ready.


Tapas in Portland! OK, I know I've been away too long, or just left good old PDX way too young because the thought of a yummy tapas bar in Portland was just too exciting.

The Secret Society - Portland - Oregon

After round two of drinks at Teardrop Cocktail Lounge - Portland - Oregon, we headed across the river for dinner at Toro Bravo. There was a bit of wait, so Dylan left his phone number and we went upstairs to The Secret Society for more cocktails.





Although, it's not much of a secret any more if there's a big old sign pointing the way. :P The Secret Society is a 1907 Victorian-era hall that once housed two men's clubs. These days, it's a lounge, ball room, and recording studio.

Teardrop Cocktail Lounge - Portland - Oregon

After the first set of drinks at Clyde Common - Portland - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I took Wandering Chopsticks reader Dylan's suggestion and hit up Teardrop Cocktail Lounge for its old-fashioned cocktails and homemade bitters and tinctures.

The bar was pretty small, with some stools at the counter and along the wall. So we sat at the bar, overlooking the array of Teardrop Cocktail Lounge's homemade bitters and tinctures.

Clyde Common - Portland - Oregon

After leaving Hawks View Cellars - Sherwood, Gourmet Pigs and I made our way to downtown Portland to cross off #3 on her list of things to do in town -- cocktails. Actually, we ended up hitting up three cocktail bars this evening. And yes, if you were keeping track, that's after two wine tastings.

I should preface this post, and the subsequent drinking ones, by telling you that since I was driving, I merely took a sip to taste and handed off the rest of my drinks to others.




Gourmet Pigs wanted to check out Clyde Common because the bartender/bar manager, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, has gained quite a bit of renown for his old-fashioned cocktails. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the day we visited.

Nonetheless, even without the famed bartender, one of the best parts of going to Portland bars during happy hours and late nights is the cheap eats. Seriously. I'm talking $2 to $5 for appetizers and desserts. So I was really more excited to try the food than the drinks anyway.

Hawks View Cellars - Sherwood - Oregon

After our sparkling wine tasting at Argyle Winery - Dundee - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I took the wine guy's suggestion and visited Hawks View Cellars in Sherwood, Oregon. As we approached the winery, row after row of grape vines spread out in front of us. If only spring didn't come so late to Oregon, I'd love to see the vineyard in full bloom.

Isn't it just so gorgeous? And we hadn't even gotten to the tasting room yet. Trust me, it got even better.

Argyle Winery - Dundee - Oregon

After lunch at Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill - Tigard - Oregon, we continued making our way along 99W. Our first stop was Argyle Winery, which Gourmet Pigs chose for its sparkling wine tastings.




Since I had never gone wine tasting in Oregon before, I asked cousin T if she had any recommendations. She hadn't been either, so she asked a coworker, who emailed her a list of recommendations. I forwarded the list to GP, who looked them up and narrowed down our choices. I was armed with an old wine guide from the Oregonian and some pamphlets put out by the tourist information office from when I stopped in to ask for the cross street of the smallest park in the world, but it was still nice to have a list of wineries to work from.

We passed a lot of wineries along 99W, so I was pleased to see that the tasting room for Argyle Winery was in a quaint converted house. Sparkling wine is great, but the aesthetics make it better.

Reuben Sandwich

The week after I got back from Oregon, I couldn't stop thinking about the Reuben sandwich I had at Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill - Tigard - Oregon. I wasn't up for paying $13 or for driving out to Langer's Delicatessen-Restaurant - Los Angeles.

So I bought Jewish rye bread, thick-cut pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut from the grocery store. Then made a quick version by popping it into the toaster oven. It just wasn't the same. I needed the thousand island dressing! And my cheat of mixing ketchup with mayonnaise just wasn't going to cut it.

The next day, I went back again. Because when I get a craaaving, I get craaavings! This time, I got corned beef, and asked for it to be cut as thin as possible. That was the first big difference. The second was buying both thousand island and Russian dressings, neither of which do I actually eat on salads, but were both essential for a really good Reuben sandwich.

All the proper components in place, I then toasted the sandwich before pan-grilling it with a pat of butter.

So good! Cravings finally satisfied.

Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill - Tigard - Oregon

When we last left off, Gourmet Pigs and I had hiked the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge and then enjoyed a Vietnamese venison and rice paper wrap dinner at home with my parents.

On her list of things she wanted to do in Oregon, eating at Bunk Sandwiches - Portland was #1. Second was going wine tasting. Since were going to be on that side of the river for the wineries, we also met up with my cousin T and baby M3 at Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill in Tigard, a restaurant my cousin had been wanting to try.




GP was a little weirded out that my cousin wanted to meet us at a pub with her baby, but I reassured her that Portland pubs are very family-friendly, leaning more toward restaurants than bars actually.

Nai Xao Xa Cuon Banh Trang (Vietnamese Sauteed Lemongrass Venison Rice Paper Rolls)

I've mentioned before that when I'm home, I try not to eat out for dinner, but save it for spending time with my parents. And so after a long day of chasing waterfalls in the drizzle and a late afternoon snack of pie, we sat down to Nai Xao Xa (Vietnamese Sauteed Venison with Lemongrass) to cook at the table and to wrap with rice paper. The venison was shot by my dad. The wine was made by my mom from blackberries she picked in the hiking trails around the neighborhood.

Crown Point Vista House (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

When I visit the waterfalls, I like driving on I-84 past Multnomah Falls, and then backtracking on the old highway to end at Crown Point Vista House because it is the perfect spot to look back over the Columbia River Gorge. Of course, the view is much bluer and greener during the summer, but I still think it's pretty impressive nonetheless.

We briefly went inside the Vista House.

Latourell Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

I always save my favorite waterfall for last.

I've blogged Latourell Falls before, that post has video if you want to hear and get another sense of the water. During the summer though, the waterfall is almost a trickle in comparison to the sheer power cascading down this day after a series of recent rainstorms.

Another bridge.

Shepperd's Dell Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

Perhaps it was a good thing that it was so drizzly that day. I drove much more slowly than usual on the windy shaded old highway. After leaving Bridal Veil Falls, my sedate pace meant I managed to spot the sign for Shepperd's Dell Falls.


Finally!

My first visit to this waterfall. The reason why I've never been able to stop before is that there's really no room to park, just a slightly wider shoulder that only fits a few cars. Once you pass the sign, there's a bridge over the very steep and narrow canyon. And there's no place to turn around. So I've always missed it every other time I've gone.

Bridal Veil Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

After Wahkeena Falls, we stopped off at Bridal Veil Falls.





Unlike most of the others, Bridal Veil Falls isn't visible from the old Columbia River Highway. But it's just a short half mile hike down to the falls.

Of course, I've also blogged Bridal Veil Falls before in the summer when everything is lush and green. And while these shots have more barren trees, the water pictures are much better. I love how I can almost see how fast and furiously the water crashed between the rocks.

Wahkeena Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

Not much to say about Wahkeena Falls. Just a super quick drive past Multnomah Falls and right up on the freeway. So hop off, snap photo, and back in the car again.

Gee, I said virtually the same thing when I blogged Wahkeena Falls the first time.

Multnomah Falls (Winter) - Columbia River Gorge - Oregon

After Horsetail Falls, we made our way to Oregon's most visited tourist attraction.

Again, I've written about Multnomah Falls before, so read that post for more details about the legend. There are also more pictures of the falls from various angles that I didn't capture this time simply because it was too wet. And everything I had to say about Multnomah Falls is in that previous post because evidently I don't have any new stories for ya. But how about some pictures of moss, fern, and drizzle?