Portland, Summer 2014

It’s been awhile since my last post. Last couple of months went by so fast, and I can’t believe summer is almost over. I thought I share with you what we have been doing this summer.

We make a trip to Portland, Oregon every summer to visit my sister and her family. I absolutely love the city of Portland. I love the culture, the great restaurants, family-friendly establishments, and the lovely people. This trip, like all the others, was packed with fun and family. The two weeks went by so fast, and I can’t wait to go back!

Here are some of the places we went.

Restaurants: 

Lardo: Everything was delicious especially the double burger and dirty fries

Blue Star Donuts: I crave this place all the time. And this is coming from a non-doughnut person. There are some great bakeries in the Bay Area but nowhere that’s even close to Blue Star when it comes to doughnuts. Everything is absolutely divine. Their brioche-based dough is never heavy, not too airy, and never too sweet. I NEED SOME NOW. You can’t go wrong with any of their flavors. My two favs are the glazed and valrhona chocolate doughnuts.

Yuzu: A little hole in the wall restaurant in town of Beaverton. Great ramen.

Sen Yai: My favorite new find on this trip. The newest restaurant by the ever-so talented chef Andy Ricker of the Pok Pok fame. This is an authentic Thai restaurant. I LOVED everything we had. All the rice and noodle dishes were flawless, in my humble opinion. Perfect balance of flavors in the casual setting is definitely what will bring me back. Ohh, want some now!

Salt & Straw: Okay, I’m not a huge ice cream person (gasp!). I know, I love sweets but I’ll usually pick something that’s baked and chocolaty over ice cream. And when I do go for ice cream, I stick to the classic flavors. BUT, I adore all their “crazy” flavors like pear and blue cheese or black berries and habanero. Another place I’m hoping will open in my hood…soon.

Boxer Ramen: Great ramen but their tater okonomiyaki was to die for!

The Waffle Window: Do you love desserts? Do you love waffles? If you answered yes to both then this place is for you. This is a must-eat place every time I visit PDX. They also have savory waffles for those who prefer salty over sweet.

Coffee Shops:

Heart Coffee & Roasters: My FAVORITE coffee. Not just in Portland, but of all the coffee places I’ve ever been to. I know, that’s a big statement. But it’s true. I love the flavor and the mouth feel of their coffee. Not to mention the shop’s beautiful space. Oh please, oh please, come to Northern California.

Coava: My sister’s favorite coffee. What I love more than their coffee is the space. Absolutely beautiful place. I can just hang out there all day…if life allowed.

Barista: How can this town have so many great coffee shops after coffee shops? Great coffee and ambience.

Little t Baker: Great coffee, pastries, and breads.

Courier Coffee Roasters: My sister and I just happened to find this tiny place one day. What lacks in ambience definitely makes up for in their flavorful coffee. I rate it up there with Heart Coffee.

Roman Candle Bakery: Great pastries and coffee (Stumptown, I believe). Their kouign amann was amazing. My son ate two.

Family-Friendly Establishments:

OMSI: A science museum where the kids had a blast! My son was in total awe of their animatronic dinosaurs (current exhibit). Must say, after reading countless number of dinosaur books with him, I was amazed to see them in “real life”, too. They have other great exhibitions and lots of hands-on experiments the kids can get into. We spent about 4 hours here and could’ve stayed longer.

Portland Rose Garden: Located in Washington Park, which is a beautiful place on its own, the rose garden was just stunning. I’ve never been to a rose garden of that size before. The air was literally filled with the scent of roses. Very beautiful and romantic place.

I love you Portland! I will see you soon!

Now here are some pics from our trip. I didn’t have by SLR with me so all the photos are from my iPhone 4s.

 

Lardo: Dirty Fries

Heart Coffee & Roasters: Cappuccino

Heart Coffee & Roasters

Blue Star Donuts

Blue Star Donuts Valrhona Chocolate Donut

Blue Star Donuts

Yuzu

Little t Baker

Sen Yai

Sen Yai

Salt & Straw Ice Cream (and my nieces)

The Waffle Window 

Boxer Ramen
Boxer Ramen: OkonomiyakiBoxer Ramen

Barista (and legos)Roman Candle

OMSI 

Portland Rose Garden
Celebrated both of my nieces’ birthdays. This cake was by Baker & Spice.

Fun Photo Booth time.

Celebrated 4th of July (with juice!)

My favorite kiddies.