My Portland Adventure

So what do I have to say about my 5 day trip to Portland? A LOT! I had a great time with my friends. We devoured scrumptious food, hydrated ourselves with addictive drinks and bathed in the Portland heat!

Day 1: On route to PDX
We started our drive down to the famous Seattle Premium Outlet. I made a few stops at some of my favorite stores and had my favorite almond flavored Auntie Anne's pretzel. Yummy! Have you ever tried them? I almost always have one when I'm there. It's one thing that I cannot resist!

5PM - HELLO PORTLAND!! We finally made our way to Portland and checked into our hotel: the Portland Marriott City Center. We were lucky to get 2 double beds since there were 3 of us. What a relief! We were a bit concerned that they were going to only give us a king size bed since we used Priceline to purchase the room. We settled down for a bit and decided to roam around the neighborhood. Along our walk we stumbled upon Jake's Seafood Restaurant. It seemed to be quite busy so we walked in not knowing it was HAPPY HOUR!! Cheap drinks and delicious appies! woooohooo. My favorite food there was the Oyster Shooter which consisted of a raw, plump, juicy oyster with some horseradish and cocktail sauce. I never knew it could taste that good!! What else did we have? Ahi tuna roll, calamari, bruschetta, thai curry steamed mussels, fish tacos. 2 Thumbs Up!! Kudos to Jake's. I will definitely visit you again!! It was a great start to our trip!

We then decided to go for stroll downtown to explore and walk off a bit of the calories we took in. Along the way, we discovered the location for the Bite of Oregon. What is the Bite of Oregon you ask? In simple terms, it's a festival of eating, eating, drinking and eating!! You name it, they got it! Food and drink vendors galore! Wine tasting, sake tasting, ice wine, desserts and more desserts, food, really good food. :) I would definitely consider coming again next year. Check it out at www.biteoforegon.com.

Day 2: Let the fun begin.
Breakfast at the Stepping Stone Cafe. They have pancakes that are named "mancakes". You can imagine what they mean by that name. The pancakes are gigantic! Imagine a dinner plate... the pancake covered the entire surface area of the plate. So crazy but so good! We once again stuffed our faces! *burp* This restaurant was showcased on an episode of man vs food. Of course, there was a lineup to get in. www.steppingstonecafe.com

After breakfast, we headed to the Woodburn outlet for some tax-free shopping. The ride was about 45mins which was a bit longer than I had expected but it was worth it. Who doesn't like outlet shopping?? I picked up a few items and felt really awkward when the bill came out to be the exact amount on the price tag. Love tax-free shopping!

We became a tourist and ventured on a Shanghai Tunnel tour. The Shanghai Tunnel tour (aka Portland underground) are a group of passages running underneath Chinatown. They were used to kidnap or "shanghai" laborers and sell them as slaves to waiting ships at the waterfront. A cool part of history that was indeed interesting.

Hello again Bite of Oregon. We bought a weekend pass for the Bite of Oregon so we thought it'd be a good idea to make a trip back out there and have dinner. I again enjoyed some mojito saketinis. That was my favorite drink!!! Let me think about what I had that night: Bratwurst dog, crab cake, bbq ribs, chicken liver, beef slider, and beer steamed mussels. So full. :)

Day 3: More eating and more drinking
The day started off at Bijou Cafe. I tasted my first ever oyster omelette. Oyster Omelette: Where do I find you in Vancouver??? I'm salivating right now as I type this. Another good spot for brunch! After brunch we roamed towards the Pearl district of Portland... comparable to Vancouver's yaletown.

Then our venture of the night began....our pre-drinking started off at the VAULT MARTINI. A hip pub that specializes in martinis. We shared a few sips of our martinis and one that I could not forget and must mention is the Habanero Martini. The ingredient: House infused pineapple-habanero vodka with fresh lemon. What more do I need to say about this drink? It blew me away!! I can feel the tingling sensation on my tongue right now. www.vault-martini.com

Time for dinner at Andina Restaurant - a Peruvian cuisine. This was without a doubt the highlight of my trip. I don't want to describe this experience inaccurately so I will let them tell you what exactly it is that they serve.
"Andina's kitchen creates a rich fusion of tastes and aromas, selecting and preparing only the freshest, with the most authentic ingredients available. Our goal is not only to serve delicious food in a comfortable setting, but also to offer a genuine taste of Peruvian culture as it revolves around and, is transmitted through our cuisine."
I have never tasted Peruvian food and I must admit my palate was stimulated in a positive way. The owner of the restaurant came over and chatted with us. She said her culture is all about the food. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor; they always eat like millionaires. Their food was so fine, so damn good that I'll never forget it. Check it out if you ever make your way to Portland. www.andinarestaurant.com

Off to Arcade Kontrol - the kid in me is out! When was the last time I played an arcade game?!?! Gosh that was many, many moons ago. haha... so fun!

Day 4: Last full day
Finally a resting day (kind of). We walked around downtown again and had a quick bite then took the free streetcar to Lloyd Center which is the largest shopping mall in Oregon. I guess this mall is similar to any other mall but the only difference is that it had an indoor ice rink. I thought that was pretty cool.

Happy Hour at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse!! Ahi tuna, fried lobster bites, prime burger and slider, beef tenderloin. Another great meal!

Movie time! Since this was our last full day in Oregon, we thought we would just relax and catch a movie. We saw the Rise of the Planet of the Apes...and stuffed our face with popcorn and ice cream. haha. Loved it!

Day 5: Goodbye Portland - thanks for the good times!
We weren't ready to say goodbye until we had some VOODOO Donuts!!!! We passed by the store the other days and the lineup was always so long that we had to just walk away in disappointment. Surprisingly on our last day, we walked over there to find that there was no line up!! wooohooo... a dozen donuts here please!!!

All in all, my Portland adventure was indeed superb and fantastic! Yes, my waistline had grown and my wallet shrunk a bit but it was all worth it. I would go back again in a heartbeat. I experienced some of the most amazing food and drinks with a couple of my super fun friends who love to enjoy life. I'm so glad I went on this trip and can't wait to visit again in the new year! :)