OurPDX » restaurants http://ourpdx.com Collaborative coverage of news and events, with a focus on community. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:11:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 30 Years of Loving Portland http://ourpdx.com/2010/02/30-years-of-loving-portland/ http://ourpdx.com/2010/02/30-years-of-loving-portland/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:46:32 +0000 Travel Geek http://ourpdx.com/?p=8110

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2010 marks an auspicious moment in my life–I have officially been a Portlander for 30 years.  Learning about Portland is somewhat of an obsession for me, and has hit a new height recently, when I was hired as a Travel Advisor for Travel Oregon.  I work at the Oregon Welcome Center at Portland International Airport, and spend my time there helping people with any and every question they ask me.  For someone who loves Portland as much as I do, there is nothing better than to have someone ask you, “Tell me what is unique about Portland.”

As a Travel Advisor, it is part of my job to direct people to places that are not only uniquely Portland, but easily accessible via mass transit, and simple to locate.  I spend a lot of time talking about Powell’s, Mills End Park, the International Rose Test Garden and Japanese Gardens, and VooDoo Doughnuts.  Sometimes people ask about museums or art galleries, and occasionally I’ll get a unique request, such as the best place to fish near downtown Portland (I directed him to Sauvie Island).

But only rarely do I get a traveler who has the time and interest to listen to the things I love about Portland, and when they do, it is the best part of my day.  I have so many diverse interests, that my favorite places span many neighborhoods and cross all types of people.  I love eating at Clyde Common and Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen, or getting Bhan Mi at the Food Cart pod on 10th & Alder.  I also love the Food Cart pod at 12th & Hawthorne, which is great when you have late night munchies; poutine at Potato Champion and fried pie at Whiffies.  Tin Shed Garden Cafe on Alberta & 14th is an old favorite, and definitely the funky kind of place that makes Portland so unique.

When I need to sit and work on the computer or read, I go to the library at McMenamins Edgefield, or Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop on 97th & Sandy Blvd, or New Deal Cafe on NE Halsey & 52nd.  Portland is a haven for coffee lovers, and there are too many places I love to name them all, but I’m drawn to places with the friendliest people, like Palio Dessert House in Ladd’s Addition.

No one enjoys a sunny day like a Portlander.  When we get weather like we have had recently, everyone begins scurrying to get outside and enjoy it.  I went to Home Depot to get some supplies for the raised garden I’m building, and it was a hive of activity.  I love the off-leash area at Normandale Park; there is plenty of room for my small bichon frise Puka to run around and tire herself out, and plenty of dog-loving Portlanders with whom to talk.  A short drive up to the top of Rocky Butte is always a favorite; I never get tired of that beautiful panoramic view.  And I’m always willing to stroll through the park blocks, where the scenery always changes, and I’m especially excited for the Portland Farmer’s Market to begin again on March 20.  When I’ve had a rough day, I love to get a cup of coffee and drive along Marine Drive, pulling over to watch the planes take off and land, and keeping an eye out for herons.

Although my friends call me “Queen of Portland”, I am the first to admit that there will always be things I need to learn about my city.  My goal for 2010 is to individually research each neighborhood in Portland, including its history, unique shops and restaurants, parks and community spaces, and any other identifying characteristics.  I started with Montavilla, and have nearly completed Sellwood, both of which I will recap soon.  One of my favorite things is to explore places I’ve never been; I recently visited Cacao for some spicy drinking chocolate.

My request to all of you is this:  What would you do to celebrate 30 years in Portland?



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]]> http://ourpdx.com/2010/02/30-years-of-loving-portland/feed/ 3 A Chat with Burgerville http://ourpdx.com/2009/06/a-chat-with-burgerville/ http://ourpdx.com/2009/06/a-chat-with-burgerville/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:41:20 +0000 Aaron http://ourpdx.com/?p=5643

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Over the past few months there have been a couple articles here on OurPDX featuring Burgerville, a local business that does things a bit differently than most of their fast food competitors. Jeremy wrote a piece in April talking about Burgerville’s local, sustainable practices, and last month I wrote a recap of a tweetup where I tried out Burgerville’s new beer and wine service at their Salmon Creek location.

A couple weeks ago, I was invited to chat with Jeff Harvey, CEO of Burgerville, to learn a bit more about the company and their plans. I enjoyed our talk, learning that their composting program actually saves money compared to traditional garbage service. One of the big questions on everyone’s mind is when and if the beer and wine program will expand to other locations. After a couple more months of the trial program at Salmon Creek, they’ll be evaluating the results and looking at rolling it out to other locations. There aren’t any plans to spread the program to every location, but instead they’ll be expanding it to restaurants that make sense from a marketing standpoint as well as physical logistics (the beer and wine service is physically separated from the food service).

Burgerville's Balsamic Strawberry Goat Cheese Panino

I sampled Burgerville’s two new fresh strawberry dishes; there are strawberry griddle cakes for breakfast ($3.99) and a balsamic strawberry goat cheese panino sandwich (pictured, $4.29). The idea of a strawberry sandwich struck me as strange at first, but the balsamic-marinated strawberries were a nice mixture of tangy and sweet. The goat cheese and arugula worked well with the fruit. I’d definitely recommend that folks check it out.

We talked a bit about Burgerville’s use of social media, and it was refreshing to hear Mr. Harvey respond that the reason they’re using social media is because they “have to be” in order to build relationships with their audience. It’s great to see a local company hold to its local traditions while embracing change in order to grow their business.



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]]> http://ourpdx.com/2009/06/a-chat-with-burgerville/feed/ 1 My first visitor http://ourpdx.com/2008/09/my-first-visitor/ http://ourpdx.com/2008/09/my-first-visitor/#comments Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:51:40 +0000 A. L. Venable http://ourpdx.net/?p=899

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Although I’ve been in Portland for nearly 2 1/2 years, I haven’t had many of my East Coast friends or family visit me. To date, the only person was a high school friend who was in town for a conference earlier this year.

And now, my mother is visiting. Not just any visit, but she arrives in Portland on her birthday. No pressure on me! Over the past several weeks, I’ve become anxious, wanting to make sure my place was in good shape, getting all those home projects that were put off to enjoy the summer closer to done, the fun task of ordering a new bed for the guestroom, and so on.

Of course, that doesn’t even get into, WHERE AM I GOING TO TAKE HER?!?

Because she’s only in town for a long weekend (Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning), I’m torn between running her around town so she can see as much as possible, or picking a few must-see items in Portland that will give her an idea of why her Wacky Spinster™ of a daughter decided to quit her job, pack up her things, and move 2,500 miles away from the rest of her family.

So far, I think I know where I’m going to take her for her birthday dinner. The rest is a jumble of ideas in my head centered around the crafty shops around town since she loves crafts and sewing. The difficulty I’m having is I never really did the “tourist” sightseeing thing, whereas she may enjoy things like that.

And with that, dear Our PDX Network readers, I’m asking you for assistance. For those who’ve been in similar situations (out of town family visiting for the first time), where did you take them? And for anyone else who may not have experienced the same situation, what are your must-see items in town?



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]]> http://ourpdx.com/2008/09/my-first-visitor/feed/ 8 OurPDX shared bookmarks for August 25th http://ourpdx.com/2008/08/ourpdx-shared-bookmarks-for-august-25th/ http://ourpdx.com/2008/08/ourpdx-shared-bookmarks-for-august-25th/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:55:17 +0000 Betsy Richter http://ourpdx.net/?p=399

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Here’s what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web (complete with our comments) for August 25th

Note: you can share bookmarks back to our site if you have a Mag.nolia account – just join our group and then send relevant links to that group when you mark a site, article, or post!



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]]> http://ourpdx.com/2008/08/ourpdx-shared-bookmarks-for-august-25th/feed/ 1 Here comes the new food to replace the old food http://ourpdx.com/2008/08/here-comes-the-new-food-to-replace-the-old-food/ http://ourpdx.com/2008/08/here-comes-the-new-food-to-replace-the-old-food/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:08:02 +0000 A. L. Venable http://ourpdx.net/?p=317

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Upon taking a late lunch this afternoon, I walked over to the Fleur de Lis Bakery. They know my name at the bakery because I’m in there so often. I like to think my enthusiasm about the restaurant sent customers their way. Today, I opted for the roast turkey sandwich and a basil lemonade. From the first sip of the lemonade, I was hooked. It’s good stuff and tastes like summer in a cup. (I’m always trying to capture “summer” in some kind of food or drink…)

On my walk back to the office — sandwich and lemonade in tow — I thought, “I’m going to miss this place.” You see, in September, a job change will take me to a new neighborhood with new-to-me food options. It’s exciting, if only because I will be able to find a new favorite to rave about to friends and co-workers alike. At the same time, it means starting from the beginning on becoming a regular.

In the meantime, I’m doing my best to revisit places in the Hollywood area. Sure, I can always pop in on the weekends, but it’s not the same.



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