portlandia- part 2 {the bike tour}

April 2012- Day 2 of our Portland weekend started with a bike tour.  Not just any bike tour- it was a culinary extravaganza via bikes.  I was excited.  There was debate on whether or not we should wear our running  tights, but quickly decided that might imply we know something about biking which we certainly do not.  After no less than 3 calls to the shop to make our reservations and ask a gazillion questions I'm certain the guys there all drew straws for the un-lucky one that had to be our guide.  Scott drew the short straw.  He was very nice and put up with our wisecracks, a bit of flirting from Jamie, and our unfamiliarity with everything cycling.

The tour consisted of stops at local restaurants and foodie related places in the downtown area.  Most of them were places that had been recommended or we'd seen in the plethora of tourist magazines and handouts but didn't know how we'd make it to all of them.  The bike tour was a great way to hit them all with a local guide and try something great at each one.

First stop- World Cup Roasters.  Mostly a coffee shop but they roast coffee for other shops, stores and businesses in the Portland area.  Since we were there on a Saturday morning they weren't in full roasting mode and we didn't get to speak to anyone that actually does the roasting, but the girl that toured us around was very nice.

She even let me take a picture of this board which I'm certain is some proprietary secrets to roasting coffee.  But maybe it is written in code so be careful if you think this is the ticket to financial freedom.

Stop 2 was Elephant's Delicatessen.  It was my favorite find of the trip.  Kind of like the Central Market carry out food case, but a smaller place.  Meat, cheese, bread, pizza, wine and sooooooo much more.

This is the tray they prepared for us.  Two types of salami, goat cheese and fig preserves all from the San Francisco area.  I was surprised they weren't featuring something local but that didn't stop me from chowing down.  We even went back here after our bike tour to pick up more of these fine foods to take for a picnic snack on our afternoon adventure up to see the waterfalls.  They even have a location at the airport and when my flight was delayed out of Portland I waited {and ate!} there.  

Our next stop was Two Tarts Bakery.  They had a lemon tart and a carrot cake sandwich cookie for us to try.  I let Jamie have my carrot cake cookie and purchased their version of an Oreo.  It was delicious.

They also had this cute vintage baker's table.  The bottom two drawers are flour bins.  I really wanted to ship this piece back to Texas.  I would find the perfect place to put it.  It belongs with me.  But we shall remain separated.

Stop 4- Hot Lips Pizza.  With a name like that how can you pass it up?  It was in a really neat building, once a warehouse or industrial type space that had been re-purposed for a shopping area.  Lots of other environmentally conscious building concepts for this place but I was more interested in the food.  In addition to the pizza they also make their own line of Cokes sodas.  We had the Southwest Pizza and a Raspberry Soda.  It was the best pizza I've ever had and I would have had another slice but we had to move on to our next stop.  

As we were departing Super Scott needed to repair my cycle.  A quick fix to stop the rattle and we were on our way again.

Stop 5- The Farmer's Market.  The uphill climb to this destination was no good for us non-cyclers.  But some coaching from Scott on what gear to use got us there.  We perused for about half an hour.  There were about 200 vendors with everything from fresh flowers and herbs to meat, cheeses, smoked salmon and baked goods.  The farmland in this area is extremely rich and fertile.  I was told it has to do with the ice age and how land was moved and formed, plus a few volcanic eruptions.  Whatever the reason, there was some darn nice flori-horti-agricultural goods to be had.  

Our final stop of the day was a chocolate shop.  Not just any chocolate shop, but a shop with a profound knowledge of it.  The correct word for raw chocolate is cacao.  And we drank some wonderful chocolate made from very fine cacao.  I will never have hot chocolate again without thinking of this place.  It reminded me of the hot chocolate I had in Germany but this was much better.  

I purchased this chocolate bar there.  It may be the best chocolate bar I've ever had.  At least the best one in recent memory.  I wish I'd bought two.

It even came with this love poem inside.

The bike tour was fantastic.  We survived it, and so did Scott.  Not only did he get us through traffic safely, he showed us some of the greatest culinary treats in Portland.  And he made sure our bikes were safely locked up at every stop.  

See Portlandia- part 3 for the next installment of my Girls Trip re-cap.