Pacific Northwest Digging and Eating spots?
paulpoitier
29 Posts
Going to Portland, Seattle, most of the Washington/Oregon Coast for two weeks starting Monday.... I was wondering whether anyone on here had recommendations for digging and eating spots in the Pacific Northwest. Any help would be much obliged. Would be willing to trade for digging, eating, experience spots in the 5 boroughs of New York (from a lifelong native New Yorker).
Comments
There's a place in downtown Portland, just near the Hawthorne Bridge called The Veritable Quandry. Sunday morning brunch is good. Brioche french toast is decadent. Chilaquiles are worth their weight in gold. It may seem a bit stuffy when you walk in, but the chef (a friend) is stupid nice and down to earth.
Call Dan at Jump Jump. He'll invite you into his store. He's a nice man, knowledgable, and has good records.
Crossroads is the other spot. Huge store, 25 separate dealers under one roof. Spend all day.
You can holler at Craig Moerer (Records By Mail). He's expensive, and mail order only, but if you have white whales, you can order them and then tell him you'll stop by to pick them up while in town. He's a nice guy.
Mike2600 and Jeigh and twoply (and others) live in Portland. Buy them beer and coffee and you can talk them out of rares, probably.
The Rose Garden is nice as well. Stretch out and take a nap between two rows of roses, watching clouds pass overhead.
Seriously though, hit Oswald, you'll feel it in your toenails for months following.
Give me a call. I'll be out of town the weekend of the 15th, but otherwise, I can show you around a little.
Crossroads for sure. Right down the street from xroads is Reverb, Jackpot and the CD Exchange and a little further is Sonic and a new spot I haven't hit yet. Mississippi Records is the new spot where Jeigh occasionally leaves something for the rest of us. If your still digging 3 Everyday Musics are open till midnight and have Marina Rock records at $3.60 a pop. Downtown is 360 and 2nd Ave, and out in St Johns is Vinyl Resting Place. Plenty of other spots if you still have the energy.
My current fave food is the Pho Viet Bistro in the Pearl. Near Powell Books which is a must stop.
Alberta Street has plenty of cheap eats and nothing beats a burritto from La Serinetta. There are records on Alberta also. Also Bernie's Southern Bistro for nuvo southern cuisine, expensive (by my standards) but if your looking to spend $$$.
The Laurelhurst Theater has $3 movies and real good pizza and beer. McMennimans have these really cool old buildings they have rehabed into Brewpupresturantbedandbreakfastthearterclubs. I like the Kennedy School, but they are all over the state so get a list and pick one close.
Brew pups should be on your list for NW fun. I'll let some drunken local fill you in on the best beers and where to drink them.
The Oregon Coast is public, the Washington Coast is private, so the Oregon Coast is a better vacation. Leave your beach unbrella at home, we don't tan out here. From Oswald park you can go North to Seaside (upscale artsy town) Seaside (downscale tourist town) and Astoria (mouth of the Columbia fishing town). A few miles north of Astoria in Washington is a 5 star resturant called The Ark. Or you can go south to Tillamook (beach and diary cows) Lincoln city (Ester Lee is my spot) Newport (aquarium). I guess the thing about the Washington Coast is camping in the Olympics.
Check the recent Seattle Architecture thread for some possible side trips. Records arent as good there as Portland but Jive Time is the most groove oriented spot. There is a Thai resturant I like a few blocks from their Freemont store.
Dan
Hit me up if you wanna check out some record spots, play some pinball, or take the Official Tour of Downtown Portland by Way of Skateboard with Mike the 2600 King and Mr. Jeigh??.
Mike
time. Sounds like I may have to bring along my portable
for this trip.
Belltown:
Shiro Sushi, Wasabi (both sushi, I remember shiro as being better), Flying Fish (kinda fancy modern/californian?/frenchbistro seafood. good.)
Int'l District:
Sea Gardens: chinese food, and good too... if one were feeling adventurous, one could eat some pretty fucked-up things here. I didn't.
Capitol Hill:
Tango: great tapas, squid, etc, etc. also a large selection of after dinner drinks to help you feel sophisticated.
Shiro's is still the best spot for sushi and Saito's, also in Belltown, is very good as well. Wasabi Bistro is fusion bullshit.
Flying Fish may have been better a few years ago, but I can???t really recommend it now.
Hing Loon is a good place for Chinese food in Chinatown. Sea Garden is not as good as it was a few years ago. The original owners sold it and it went down hill.
Good cheap Japanese food in the International District would be Maneki, Takohachi and Maekawa Bar. Maekawa bar is an Izakaya. Lots of little Japanese dishes and drinks.
Never been to Tango. Best Spanish food/Tapas is at the Harvest Vine in Madison park. A little spendy, but INCREDIBLE food. San Sebastian style tapas. Sit at the copper top bar and watch all the food being cooked in front of you at the open kitchen. Wine list is CRAZY! HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED.
You should hit up Respect records on Capitol hill, the Fremont antique mall, Jive time - both locations, Fremont and Capitol hill. Fremont farmer???s market on the weekends can have records as well. Lots of Thai food in Fremont and the Cuban food at Paseo???s in Fremont is excellent.
You should also PM Dee Rock and Jacob Wizzle and see if they have and records for sale.
Paul, I???ll be in town in Seattle next week, but will be busy getting ready to leave for Tokyo on the 15th. Hit me up on PM if you have any questions and I would be glad to help.
Chan
you mean on 26, but yeah, that's the real world mind garden. . .
also food wise in portland check Taqueria Nueve on ne 28th near burnside
Dan's right, Bernie's southern bistro is a little spendy, but they have a really nice
deck out back with a bar out there and shit, it's nice this time of year.
also the pho in the pearl he was talking about is crucial, and he's also right
about stopping at powell's books, it's worth a trip to portland on it's own. . .
Pambiche on NE Glisan just past 28th is the ill cuban food.
if you're travelling with your lady, Le Happy on NW 16th is the romantic
wine and crepe jumpoff.
Ringside on w burnside at about 20th is the place for steaks
Higgen's on broadway has the best burger in town (ground on the spot)
and uses all local organic seasonal ingredients for their whole menu,
sit in the bar, it's more comfortable than the dining room.
the Stepping Stone at nw 24th and vaughn is good breakfast,
but so is the Cup and Saucer on Hawthorne, Tin Shed on Alberta,
Bridges at MLK and Knott, and Juniors on 12th just south of hawthorne in SE.
as to what dan said about the beer, yeah, portlands got that on lock.
Hit the Rouge pub on 13th and glisan in the pearl, John Meir their brewmaster
pretty much created the NW brewing style (along with John Harris formerly of
Deschutes, currently with Full Sail). There's basically great local beer everywhere
you go, so there's actually no reason to seek it out unless you're a total
beer head. i mean, you can get Chimay on draft at a fucking coffee shop
downtown. . .
Seconded, that place is out of control. One of these days I'll get invited to a party in the wine cellar -
I'll hit you up next time we're going Joe. A large group of us will go, sit at the big table in the wine cellar and order one of everything on the menu to start with. Then lots of Spanish Riojas and good port for dessert. We'll be going next month late August when my brother and his wife are in town from New York.
SW, NE or NW?
I go to Staniches when I need a burger. The beef isn't any good, but by the time they get done stacking everything on it your in grease city.
I used to like to eat burgers at McMennimens, but mad cow and all I try to keep away from beef. Sometimes you got to have it; so where is this Higgens of which you speak.
Staniches is dope for sure.
Higgens is on SW Broadway at Jefferson. the burger is kind of hard to find on the menu,
it's called like: broiled house ground sirloin on a hearth baked roll or some shit.
it's a $10 burger, 11 if you want cheese (bleu or aged ny sharp cheddar), and it
comes with a delicious little side salad and some weird little pickles that i dont eat,
but erryone says they're the shit.
beware though, if you order it rare, they're not afraid to serve it
oh, and they have like 200 different belgian beers and for local stuff,
they have a custom ale from Hair of the Dog that's made with the
innards of Squash from the restaurant when it's in season, it's called
Greg, after Mr. Higgens himself.
BREAD PUDDING!!!!! Grand Central Bakery YO!!!!