out & about in the city of roses (portland, or)

The 3-day weekend seemed a perfect time to visit the City of Roses and catch up on hhf-dining and tax-free shopping. However, upon arriving at our hotel, we learned that we weren't the only ones with the Portland bug. Despite the forecasted wind and rain, people were flocking to the city for a late Valentine's celebration, the Portland Jazz Festival, and the Portland Film Festival, resulting in a sold-out weekend for hotels in the downtown area -- it seems I'm making a habit of traveling during peak weekends (remember Indy?). It's times like these when I'm especially pleased with my neurotic tendencies to make dinner reservations weeks in advance. Read on for highlights of our food-centric 51 hours in Portland..

Hello, Portland!

Wong's King: Our first stop in Portland was at Wong's King for potentially the best dim sum in the Northwest. We were starving after the 3-hour drive from Seattle, and we mistakenly assumed that the lunch rush would be over by 1:00 pm. Of course this wasn't true, and we waited with rumbling stomachs for about 20 minutes for a table in the crowded dining room. If you've had dim sum before, you know that it's a socially awkward experience: ladies push steaming carts around the dining room and aggressively try to convince you that you want what they are offering. Har gow (shrimp dumplings in a translucent wrapper)? Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves? Yes, and yes! Chicken feet? No, thank you. Service is practically non-existent, but the food is delicious. It's definitely an experience you shouldn't miss, but I'd advise that you go with someone who's done this before.

Shu mai: Pork dumplings. (Apologies for the subpar photo. We
were so ravenous that we almost forgot to stop and document.)

Brasserie Montmartre: Happy hour is a wonderful thing, and at Brasserie Montmartre it's happy hour practically all day long (2-6:30 pm and 10-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays). I recommend their daily selection of oysters on the half-shell ($1.50 each) and frites -- there are five kinds of preparations to choose from! We went for the duck fat and rosemary frites.. thin, crispy, and very tasty. Service was spotty, but the live music mostly made up for our inattentive waiter.

Duck fat and rosemary frites with garlic aioli.

Laurelhurst Market: A trip to Portland isn't complete without dinner at Laurelhurst Market. A butcher shop by day and lively steakhouse by night, this place is all about the meat. I love the big flavors, playful dishes, and generous cuts of natural, hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats; my only complaint is that they seem to be a bit inconsistent in their execution. On this visit, we ordered the smoked Wagyu brisket and ribeye steak. The brisket, slathered in a sweet and slightly spicy BBQ sauce, was extra smokey and tender. The ribeye was topped with a creamy, tangy blue cheese butter and crisp, golden onion rings; a seemingly unusual combination, each bite was a wonderful burst of flavor and texture. A limited number of advance reservations are now accepted, but you should still plan to arrive early and enjoy a handcrafted cocktail or two before your meal. Whiskey lovers will want to try the Smoke Signals, a whiskey concoction served over a large, chiseled piece of smoked ice.

12-hour smoked Wagyu brisket with a side of cole slaw.
(This is never well-plated.)

Grilled ribeye topped with blue cheese butter and crispy,
fried sweet onion rings.

Papa Haydn: Our day plans on Sunday centered around our Portland Film Festival tickets to see the new sushi movie, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (see below). We ended up at Papa Haydn in the Nob Hill/Alphabet District as it was conveniently located two blocks from the theater and came highly recommended by a reader. We took our server's advice and both ordered the sausage polenta hash, a savory mix of chicken herb sausage, fried polenta bites, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes topped with a poached egg. The dish was good, but I'm hoping it wasn't actually their best dish on the brunch menu. The flavors didn't quite come together, and our poached eggs were overdone with solid, only slightly wet yolks. On the other hand, I happily devoured the entire basket of fluffy and moist breakfast pastries delivered to our table.

Sausage polenta hash: Chicken herb sausage, fried polenta bites,
mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes topped with a poached egg.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: Okay, so we didn't exactly eat here this past weekend. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary about a chef and his Michelin 3-star sushi restaurant in a subway station in Tokyo -- I definitely want to eat here. All I need is a plane ticket and 30,000 yen. Check out the film, and you'll be convinced to go with me. 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi: In theaters March 9.

Urban Farmer: I'm generally not a big fan of hotel restaurants, but Urban Farmer is an excellent exception to the rule. Located on the 8th floor atrium of The Nines hotel, it's sophisticated-chic without the pretentiousness that typically accompanies places of this kind. Urban Farmer self-identifies as a "modern steakhouse," but unless you're there for dinner, you won't get that particular vibe. We dropped by during happy hour to enjoy a few drinks and small plates, and we weren't disappointed.

Overlooking The Nines' atrium lobby and
Urban Farmer restaurant.

Chicken Pops! Trimmed chicken drumsticks with a red pepper
glaze. Served over a blue cheese sauce.

Andina: A last minute change in plans and good luck led us to Andina for dinner on Sunday night. This novo-Peruvian restaurant is always packed regardless of the day or time, but somehow we managed to secure a dinner reservation that evening. There are dozens of tapas to choose from, and I'd say they're hit-or-miss and a bit overpriced. With that in mind, I'd still recommend the conchas a la parilla (grilled diver scallop with tamari-brown sugar butter and crispy onions), chicharrones de langostinos (crispy golden prawns studded with quinoa), and causa mixta nikkei (tuna and crab salad on top of a purée of Yukon gold potato, topped with a crispy breaded shrimp).

Causa mixta nikkei: Tuna and crab salad atop a purée of Yukon
gold potatoes. Topped with a crispy breaded shrimp.

This was my first time here for dinner, and I will definitely be back. Both the seco a la nortena (slow-cooked lamb shank in a cilantro-black beer sauce) and arroz con pato (Peruvian duck served two ways: crispy duck confit and pan-seared duck breast) were flavored beautifully and cooked with expert precision. I now understand why Andina has such a loyal following. (Tip: The full menu is available throughout all areas of the restaurant; arrive early and snag a table in the bar if you aren't able to get a reservation in the main dining room. If you time it right, you can even enjoy some happy hour priced items with your dinner.)

Seco a la nortena: Slow-cooked lamb shank in a cilantro-black

beer sauce. Served with creamy beans and garlic rice. 

Arroz con pato: Crispy duck confit and pan-seared duck breast.
Served with cilantro-infused rice and a sweet passionfruit sauce.

Meat Cheese Bread: I love this place. Meat Cheese Bread is simple, funky, and serves great sandwiches all day. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Inside Meat Cheese Bread.

Breakfast sandwich: Smoked ham, fried egg, gruyère, and
garlic aioli on a housemade roll.

Pulled pork sandwich: Roasted pork shoulder, grilled

broccolini, salsa verde and aioli on a rustic baguette.

hhf says: If you're looking for an easy weekend trip filled with excellent food and drink, look no further than Portland. Consider making dinner reservations in advance, especially if there are places you don't want to miss!

Prada knee-high boots in black stretch nappa leather.
(Relaxing in our room at The Nines.)

Hunter mid-calf rain boots with a wedge heel.
(Outside my favorite paper store in PDX, Oblation Papers & Press.)

Shoes: Boots! It was rainy and we typically do a fair amount of walking throughout the city, so it was Prada and Hunter boots all weekend long.