Trips. Trips make me happy. Food makes me happy. Trips to places with yummy food make me ecstatic!
I was excited about my visit to Portland and put together an agenda. What was on my agenda, you ask? To eat as much as possible! I had already heard from a good friend about the Portland food scene, then my blogging friend, Ngan, posted this about her eating adventures there. Oh my gravy, I was on a mission!
Although I don’t always feel comfortable lugging my big camera around to restaurants (never, ever fancy ones!), the food spots I chose all happened to be casual enough for a few quick clicks. Casual eateries with well-prepared, quality foods are my top choice for eating establishments. How great that Portland is chock full of them!!
As I ate my way through Portland, I realized that I would need to break down my visit into manageable chunks for the blog. We (mostly I) made 14 food stops over the course of 2 1/2 days. That is far too much for one post, so I’ll be sharing my adventures by day.
Here it goes for Day 1!
I’ve never been a breakfast person. I am often too tired to chew before 10 AM, so my first meal of the day is usually lunch. Yes, yes, I know, breakfast is healthy, breakfast will rev up your metabolism, breakfast will help you make better food choices later in the day, blah blah blah. But you know what I’ve discovered? On the rare occasion that I eat breakfast, I end up being even hungrier throughout the rest of the day. It’s the darndest thing. Oh well. Anyhow, I’m telling you this to explain why my days in Portland start with lunch, not breakfast. That is all. 🙂
1205 SW Washington Street
Pictured: Pork Belly Gyro and Dirty Fries
Omg, this was so good! Gimme pork belly anything any day! The fries came with small chunks of pork, marinated peppers, fried herbs, and parmesan. Don’t worry, I didn’t eat them all. I had to save room for my next stop!
22 SW 3rd Avenue
Pictured: McMinnville Cream
Custard filled doughnuts are my fav, but despite all the hype over Voodoo, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. The doughnut was good, but didn’t blow me away. I blame Ngan for introducing me to bomboloni and ruining all other doughnuts from here on out! 😉
3377 SE Division Street
Pictured: Assorted pastries and hot chocolate
While waiting for dinner at Pok Pok (there was an hour-long wait), we decided to grab some coffee at a nearby cafe. The pastries and hot chocolate were tasty, and I shall be returning in the future to try their Roman-style pizza, which you get to cut yourself with scissors!
3226 SE Division Street
Pictured: Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings (Spicy) and Kung Op Wun Sen
Fish. Sauce. Wings. That’s all I really need to say about Pok Pok. Please go here and eat these wings. They are life-changing.
3345 SE Division Street
Pictured: Double Fold Vanilla and Chimi Churro
A farm-to-cone ice cream shop. Good thing I don’t live in Portland, or else I’d be a good 50 lbs. heavier. The ice cream here is deeelicious. Mine was swirled with bits of cinnamony churros. A definite repeat and the perfect way to end our first day in Portland!
Don’t forget to check out Days 2 and 3!
Patty Nguyen Zurilgen 
Yummmm. Everything looks so good, Patty, and that pork belly gyro is calling out to me! Cinnamony churro ice cream and those noodles will have to be pinned for my next visit. We didn’t even think to go to Voodoo (how would we fit all that food in?!), but there’s a shop in San Jose that makes similarly crazy donuts. I’ll just bring you some bombolonis next time! Looking forward to the next post!
You didn’t miss out on Voodoo, don’t worry! But the gyro was tasty, especially the crispy parts of the pork belly. There was another sandwich I wanted to try but had zero (make that negative) space in my tummy. 😛
Patty, I am glad you enjoyed Pok Pok so much . . . I have the cookbook and those wings are just about the only thing I could make without multiple trips deep into Little Thailand, if not to my pork farmer for some nasty bits and blood and so forth. Only problem is I don’t like bones . . . I mean I just would rather eat my meat ground or cooked on the bone and then taken off . . . I don’t like dealing with them and feel like some of the meat around bones is kinda slimy for my taste. So I thought I would co-opt the sauce to something else. But wow, I must say you are so fortunate to have the opportunity to sort of “tag along” with Greg . . . you too are doing research though, for your blog!! I’ve heard the food truck scene is outrageously good, too, so I hope you hit some of those up. Can’t wait for #2
Sue, you have the wing recipe?? Lucky you!! I bet you could make chicken strips instead and dunk them into the sauce? Or glaze chicken breasts with them? Or perhaps just eat the sauce by the spoonful. Heheh. And yes, I did check out the food cart scene! I’ll have #2 up by tomorrow. I wish I had an entire day just to devote to the food carts. Can you believe there are over 600 of them? Shoot, I need more than a day–how about a week or two?? You, Ngan, and I can take off and eat ourselves willy nilly in P-town! 😛
I do have the recipe . . . I can sort of send it to you! And I would be so up for that trip in my dreams!
That would be fantastic! I made wings last week and will post them soon. But I don’t know how I can ever go back to them now having had Pok Pok wings!
Wow! You DID eat lots of good food!! 😀
Oh you bet I did! 😛
😛
Patty, Everything looks so enticing especially those chicken wings! thanks for the reviews. What fun! Envy you girl! 🙂
Mmm…I can still taste those wings, Indu! I didn’t talk for a whole ten minutes at dinner as I was chowing down on them. 😉
LOL! Don’t blame you! One does need to concentrate fully while eating – they say it helps with the digestion too! 🙂
Perfect! No more talking necessary. Just deeply focused chewing! 😀
Great photos! Food looks great! Thanks for being there with me.
When can we go again?? 🙂
I’ve been dying to go to Portland, so these photos make me want to go even more! I think I’ll have to follow your exact same eating regimen because everything you ate looks sooo good, and I’ve always wanted to try all those places!! Yum! Glad you had so much fun…eating! 😉
Neely, you need to go soon! As soon as possible! You’ll fall in love with the food scene there. I’ll post my Day 2 tomorrow. There were a couple of misses and I was astonished that I didn’t love everything in Portland. I didn’t think that was possible! 😉
OMG…everything looks too good!! I so want to go to Portland to check to all these places now! =)
You need to go, Bonnie! I just commented on your Hawaii post that I thought of you when I had this super yummy matcha green tea brownie. I’ll post about it tomorrow! 🙂
Can’t wait!!
Wow, it’s a Feast Patty, everything look tempting and succulent!
It was, Linda! 🙂
I agree on the pork belly – any time and I love it in gyros! No thanks on the chicken wings as I like them without the bones, but I bet the sauce was delicious and that is what counts 🙂
Oh yes…that sauce…Judi, it was amazing!!
I just “googled” the recipes for the wings and gyros from both restaurants. I will have fun trying out these recipes some time soon I hope 🙂 Thanks for sharing Patty!
Ooh, I can’t wait to see your versions of those recipes, Judi! I’ll be trying my hand at those wings soon! 🙂
Also, Patty on the subject of breakfast, I refer you to google “intermittent fasting” . . . . breakfast is not necessarily the most important meal and there are differing views on the subject . . . . now back to work on transcribing the wings recipe (not super simple!) stay tuned
Oh hey, I learned something new today! Now I feel better about skipping breakfast. It just isn’t my cup of tea! And you are awesome-blossom for transcribing the wings recipe for me!! Thank you!!
Awww. You went to Pok Pok! Nice. Portland is such a beautiful city isn’t it? I love all the bridges and it’s so beautiful at night. I look forward to reading your next post. 🙂
Yes, Portland is wonderful! Are you from there, Seana?
No, but Seattle is only a 3 hours drive from Portland. We used to spend some time there, but, haven’t been in a few years. The two cities are very similar. 🙂 I love Portland.
We actually flew into Seattle and spent an evening with my family there!
All of this looks wonderful! You go Patty! Hehe. I look forward to touring Portland and pigging out with you! Oh, and I rarely eat breakfast during the work week because it is just to early for me. By the time I get around to it and am feeling hungry it is almost lunch. So I skip right along with you …except for the weekends. 🙂
Hurrah! Another non-breakfast buddy! 😀
Sounds like you had a great time eating your way through Portland 🙂
Oh, yes I did, Fida! 😀
hah i love this, oh my you dont eat breakfast though? tut tut i cant get out of bed without eating by 7/8am or I pass out lol, really. amazing pictures as always oddly i love the coffee one best though i dont drink it xx
Thanks, Justine! Nope, no breakfast for me. Good thing because I eat enough as it is! 😉
haha your joking, you look very slim!
Been putting on weight the last few months. Eating too well! 😉
Ah well summer months it will just melt off! 🙂
It hit 88 degrees here yesterday and I nearly died. We’ll get to 100 degree weather soon enough. Ahhh!
yikes thats hot!
You’re tellin’ me!! 😉
Wow that’s hot you will literally be melting!
Wow–14 food stops in 2 days! 🙂 The places you shared today sound really good!
Thanks, Nancy! I wish I had more time there!
[…] for Day 2 of my trip to Portlandia! If you missed it, click here for Day […]
Love it! When we are travelling we wonder most of the times that there is so much to eat and so little time!
You know the Voodoo Doughnuts picture reminded me of Rick’s Dessert Diner in Sacramento- I don’t know why but it just did!
It’s the rotating dessert display!!
Ahh– that’s right! I loved that place so much I remember the layout in my head.
Haha that’s too funny!
Those dirty fries – oh my. I’ve got to say it all looks delicious Patty and that you did very well considering no breakfasts were involved! Fish sauce wings (I’m going to have to ask Birgerbird for the recipe)…churros ice-cream…Not sure I can cope with the second day of your trip – I’m dyin’ over here…
I think the first day was better than the second day, Selma! Overall, anyway. 🙂
Of course I have clicked through and read it Patty! You still had some gems there though and let’s be honest; there is a limit to how much you can eat!
Unfortunately! Perhaps if I had gotten up for breakfast… 😉
I love Lardo and can’t believe I haven’t yet been to Pok Pok (sounds divine). I am glad you had a good time and ate your way through. Thanks for sharing too.
Oh, you’ll have to go to Pok Pok and then tell me all about your visit, Stacey! Ngan first told me about it in her Portland post and I am soo glad I went. I swear I can still taste them!
My goodness everything looks delectable!! That gyro and chips are out-of-control-amazing. I’ll be dreaming of those tonight. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Thanks, Frankie! The trip is already over but I’m still dreaming as well! 🙂
[…] food. (Not really! 😉 ) If you missed the first two days of my Portland food extravaganza, click here and here to get caught up on all the good […]
[…] almond croissant or haute dog next time. Speaking of food, be sure to check out my blogging friend, Patty Nguyen, and her 3-post trip to Portland where she managed to eat at 14 places in two and half days! That […]