Wedding Blog

just came back from there it is a great city!

I love love love the saturday market! http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/
Al Amir is also tastitastic for lebanese food!
and do NOT miss out on the Bijou Cafe! YUM.
There’s also an awesome new tapas bar called Toro Bravo, and if you want a relaxing afternoon, head over to the chinese garden (built by sister city Suzhou, China) - http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/
There’s even a Tao of Tea on the inside, so you can relax with tea, and eat their to-die-for taro moon cakes!

I love Portland!

Papa Haydn…the desserts are to die-for! I would kill to have them do my wedding cake. And it is in cool NW 23rd neighborhood to shop off the calories (or get a new wardrobe).
http://www.papahaydn.com/

Ditto on the Heathman for a meal…the retro cocktails at the bar are great, too!

For a great gourmet meal that is based on local and sustainable foods, go to Higgins
http://higgins.ypguides.net/ . And don’t be distracted by the limited menu…the daily specials are what really shine!

As a former Portlander, I second the Papa Haydn recommendation…YUM. You should also check out the Doug Fir Lounge on the east side, off of Burnside. It’s a funky lounge/restaurant with beautiful wood siding and Northwest food specialties. However, the Max does not run close by it, so you may need to take a cab from your hotel. Check out mcmenamins.com to find one of their pub/movie theaters. (You can drink beer and watch a movie!) Finally, you can get some great shopping in at Pioneer Courthouse Square smack dab in downtown.

I lived in Portland for years before we moved down to Sacto…and miss it every single day. Ho hum.

I definitely second Pambiche (amazing coconut fish!), Saint Cupcake, and Stumptown. If you are in Hawthorne, Chez Machin has fantastic crepes. The Pied Cow has great lavender steamed milk–totally delicious if it is chilly while you’re there. Bernie’s Southern Bistro has good Southern food, po’boys and fried green tomatoes, yum! Le Bistro Montage has delish varieties of macaroni and cheese. Mint has a nice happy hour, as does Bartini (cheap martinis and fondue for happy hour=one happy girl). St Honere Bakery is wonderful–we would go watch the Tour de France there and eat delicious bread type items. Andina is yum if you like Peruvian, Piazza Italia if you like Italian (you MUST order their lasagna if they have it–to die for, I swear. I have dreams about it.), and Alexis for Greek. The first place I go to eat whenever I am in Portland now is Alexis. I plan our vacations with that on the schedule, I love it that much. Oh! And the Berlin Inn–German food, great fondue and this completely wonderful apricot cappuccino cake thing. If you go there, try to get Lisa as your waitress if she is still working there–she is awesome.

And for dessert, my personal favorite is Pix. Completely amazing pastries and truffles (the Amelie and the Caramel Poire are my go-to’s) and they are open until midnight or 2am every night. Sahagun is wonderful also for truffles(and is cute and tiny), or hit Cacao for a large variety of chocolate bars. Staccato Gelato is my fav for ice cream; bonus that it is only a couple of blocks from the Laurelhurst.

Laurelhurst theater is our favorite in the city; we would go often–$7 for a movie, a pint and a bag of popcorn. Washington Park is also fantastic–definitely go to the Rose garden, it has unbelievable views of the city/Mt Hood. The Vista House on the Columbia River is also amazing for views.

Shopping and all that–Northwest 21st/23rd, Hawthorne, the Pearl, NE Alberta/N Mississippi are all good. Sellwood had some nice little shops when I lived in PDX. Go to New Seasons if you need groceries (like for a picnic?).

Sigh. Can you tell I miss it?

All the places I mentioned you will be able to find on Portland City Search, though you would probably need a couple weeks to do it all. Have fun! Portland is such a great city!

(Sorry I am huge overly-enthusiastic nerd–but if you are looking for something specific or want any more of my ridiculously over-the-top opinions, email me!)

I live in Portland too! You picked a fantastic place to stay. Only one room has the round bed, so make sure you’ve got that on reserve if that’s what you’re wanting. If it’s a deal-breaker, I highly recommend the Hotel Vintage Plaza.

Here’s some restaurants that I highly recommend: LePigon, Toro Brovo, Clark Lewis and desert Pix Patisserie.

For cocktails check out Tear Drop Lounge (but don’t go there after 8, that’s when it turns into a meat market) They make their own tonics & bitters. The best cocktail I’ve had in my life is called Bella De something. It has habanero bitters and a SMOKED PEAR CHIP.
If you enjoy wine, the Urban Cellars is pretty fun. You can create your own wine by the bottle there.

To all you Portland Ladies, we need to get together and talk weddings! I just secured my date in Astoria

Yea!! Fall in Portland is Beautiful! I also recommend Pambiche. We ordered our wedding cake there. It was delish!

The Farm on Burnside is also one of my favorite restaurants. I also second Higgins.

There is a limo that will pick you up downtown and take you to several wineries. The wine country in Oregon is beautiful.

I also highly recommend checking out Edgefield. It is a really cool place and a must-do!

Enjoy my wonderful city! Oh and I also stayed at the Hotel Deluxe for my wedding night. The corner rooms are huge! You will love it!