portlandia- part 4

April 2012- Portland offered quite the culinary adventure that I wasn't really expecting.  There were so many great restaurants to try and so little time to hit them all.  But along the way we tried many places and were not disappointed.  

Our last big dinner of the trip- well, the last one for me since I flew home a day earlier than everyone else- was at this place.  I don't remember the name of it, but it was recommended by our bike tour guide.  He said it was his favorite place to get NorthWest cuisine.  He is originally from New Orleans and knows good food so we took his recommendation.  

I ordered this- Mahi Mahi, wrapped in prosciutto topped with a very tasty hollandaise-type sauce.  I ate every bit of it.

After dinner we walked around for a bit, thought we might have a drink at a bar lounge, but quickly changed our mind once we got in line and sized up the clientele.  Just wasn't our scene.  So we opted for dessert instead.  

Lora ordered this creme brûlée type dessert.  

I had this chocolate cake.  

Our waitress wasn't the most attentive or very nice either.  Probably because it was the end of the night and she knew we were not having dinner.  She even told Laree the gelato she wanted wasn't very good.  Not sure if she really meant it or just wanted her to order something more expensive.  When we tried to close out our ticket there was a bit of confusion- albiet slightly brought on by us.  If we would get separate checks it might not be so confusing but Jamie won't allow that.  We normally just split the total equally; it all works out on  average by the end of the trip, but thoroughly confuses me.  I don't normally get involved in figuring the total or tip and just ask how much I owe.  This gal got the credit cards and cash all screwed up.  I didn't really think we should leave her more than a 10% tip.  We didn't have the right amount of cash to do more than that anyway.  Even though Jamie was embarrassed by this there wasn't much she could do since she was out of cash and didn't want to track down the rude waitress.  Such drama over something so simple.

Our last encounter for the night was with a group that had been slightly over-served at the lounge in our hotel.  One of the guys flirted a bit with Jamie.  When she asked where he was from he said Portland.  To which she replied, "You can't be from Portland, you're not wearing skinny jeans!"  That is by far my favorite quote from the entire trip.  

The next morning we had breakfast at this place.  It was a bit of a wait, and it was nothing comparable to the Red Apple Inn, but the food wasn't bad.  

It was just down the street from Voodoo Doughnut shop.  I don't know much about it but I guess it is pretty famous, at least for tourists.  Not sure about the locals.  We had time so we walked down to try it but the line was out the door and down the street.  We asked a group of girls that had just made their purchase about the wait- they said it was only about 10 minutes and worth it.  We'd just had breakfast and decided we didn't need a doughnut.

But this is what they had purchased.  Yes, that is a doughnut with a thick layer of icing and pieces of crispy BACON on top.  I really wanted to try one.  She offered to sell it to me and I kind of regret not taking her up on it.

Since I had to head to the airport, we walked around the downtown area for a bit and waited for the shops to open.  

I loved the sign for this shop.  Can't wait to go to Pendleton Round-Up with Casey and the boys. "Let'er Buck!"

Our last outing as a group before I had to head to the airport was shopping at Nordstrom Rack.  We all found good deals and with no sales tax it was easy to talk each other into a purchase.  I think a few of us purchased the same pair of capri pants. And Laree got her first pair of skinny jeans!  

One of the last things that struck me funny was this sign in the bathroom at the airport.  The save the environment tone of it definitely fit the culture of Portland, but I think it was the use of "#1 and #2" and the further explanation of each that made me laugh.  

On my flight out of Portland on Sunday afternoon I managed to get a glimpse of some of the mountains.  The guy in the seat next to me said this is Mt. St. Helens.

Mt. Adams (maybe).

And finally, Mt. Hood (but maybe not, this is just what the guy on the airplane said).

I'm declaring Girls Trip 2012 a fun and adventurous success!  We even discussed ideas for next year.  I was ready to vote for Key West again but I've been talked into White Fish, MT.  I hope in a warmer month than April!