Thursday, April 28, 2016

Portland, Oregon Day 2

Ashlie and I woke up around noon. Jimmy got up early and headed to Blue Star Donuts. Diane told us that Voodoo Donuts was more of a novelty place, and suggested that we check out Blue Star. So Jimmy got some for us while we slept in.

Chocolate Ganache

Maple Bacon

Raspberry Buttermilk Old Fashion.

Blueberry Bourbon and basil.

All of the donuts were very good, but my favorite was the old fashion.

The room comes with a tablet, which you can use to check for things to do around the area, order room service, check the weather, and other things.


First thing on the agenda was to figure out a place to eat for lunch.

We decided on Pok Pok. Another suggestion from Diane.



It was about a 20 minute wait for a table.

From the outside you would have never thought they had a dining room like this in the back.


While we looked over the menu, they provided some roasted salt and chili peanuts.

They also have an extensive whiskey list.

I ordered the Tamarind Whiskey Sour. It was pretty good, but different.

On the specials menu, they had Fried Tilapia topped with pineapple salad. The fish was good, but had a bit of bones. So it took a little work.

Kaeng Hang Leh: Pork belly and pork shoulder curry. This was good, but I was expecting traditional Thai curry. This was very similar to the Vietnamese dish Thit Kho, pretty much it was stewed pork belly. I didn't get any curry flavors from it. It was good though. I think pork belly is good in general.

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce wings. Seen a lot of people raving about these wings, so we ordered them. They were good also.


They also had a whiskey flight on special. 3 shots of whiskey for $20. Redbreast, Jameson, & Powers


For desert we had the coconut ice cream sandwich.

Down the street there was a huge line forming. So we went to see what it was. Looks like it's an ice cream shop called Salt & Straw. We didn't try it, but I asked Diane about it and she said it was a bit overrated.


After lunch we headed back and played in the game room at the hotel. A big thing in Portland is Craft Beer. A lot of breweries offer tours and tastings, but were not fans of beer so we didn't go.





After video games we took a siesta.

Then woke up and head out for dinner. Screen Door was another place that Diane suggested.

They told us it was an hour and half wait, so we put our name down and walked down the street in search of a place for cocktails.

We ended up stumbling upon Americano. At first I wasn't sure if this place was a bar, but come to find out it's a different kind of bar. They specialize in Bitters and Vermouth. Bitters is like spices to the liquor world. This is my first time seeing a bar that specializes in this.





We ordered the Starry Night press pot. It was Bourbon marinating in a french press with strawberry, vanilla bean, vermouth, and other spices. Serves 3-5 people. $30


The press pot set comes with a carafe of club soda and you mix it with the Bourbon and garnish to your liking.

They also serve food and bottled colas. I saw a Root Beer on their shelf and had to try it.

We went back to Screen Door after an hour. When we got back they told us that they had already called our name, so they put us down for the next available table. I guess it wasn't as long as a wait as they first anticipated.





We started with a dish on the special menu. It was country fried pork belly. This was delicious.

They also offered a flight of Whiskey, but it was at a steal of only $11 for all three.


Screen door is known for their Fried Chicken, but I also saw smoked brisket on their menu and wanted to try it. So we all agreed to order some things and share it.

I wanted to see how good the brisket was compared to Franklin's in Austin. It was pretty good. I think it was better than most of the brisket I had in California so far.

Jimmy ordered the Screen Door plate. So there was a list of items and you get to pick 3. So he got Crispy fried drumsticks, mac & cheese, and potato salad. The chicken & mac were good, but the potato salad was a bit different. It had more of a vinegar taste than a mayonnaise. I prefer the mayonnaise type.

Ashlie order the crispy fried buttermilk battered chicken. This is what Screen Door is known for and it was very good. I would come back just for this. I love country fried steak and this was similar but with chicken.



After dinner we headed back to the hotel. Diane wanted to hang out with us on our last night. So we waited for her at the restaurant patio.



We hung out and had drinks and some snacks.



We headed out around midnight in search of a place to have drinks.

But by the time we found a place it was already almost last call. So we just headed back to the hotel.

I was craving for a hot dog, and we just happened to come across a 7-11. So I got my fix.

That's it for our last night in Portland. It was a pretty relaxing day of just eating and drinking. The way I like my vacations to be.

Tomorrow it's brunch and then we head home.

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