Isabel on a sunny day

I've got to say, there is something kind of decadent about a place where you can shamelessly people watch without being a weird gawker. I love me some juicy people watching. There is something about being enclosed behind the glass windows of a restaurant or coffee shop that lends a false sense of protection. Don't believe me? Have you ever seen anybody picking their nose while driving? All the time!

Anyway...

This my friends, is half eaten coconut crusted french toast:

The reason it's half eaten, is because I was devouring it so quickly, I forgot to take a picture, so just imagine what it looked like before. :)

At Isabel's Cantina, a glass enclosed restaurant located conveniently street-side on NW 10th, people and dog walkers abound and the people watching potential is unparalleled. They have big glass garage door type walls that roll up on nice days, so it's great for dining outside. So if you're in the mood for some shameless people watching, while simultaneously a dose of vitamin D, Isabel is the place to go!

Summer Wishes

Usually I wake up in the morning and the first thing I think about is everything that needs to get done that day. Emails, clients, school work, projects... It is so easy to become consumed in the minutae of life and what it is we want.

I want a new pair of shoes, I want a day off, I want a new job, I want to take a vacation...

Forget the wants for one day and help make wishes come true for local children with life threatening illnesses at the Make a Wish Foundation Summer Wishes Event !


A dear friend of mine is on the junior board for Make a Wish here in Portland and I hear that in addition to helping grant wishes to local children, you'll have a pretty good time too.

When: June 11, 2010
Time: 7:00 -10:00 p.m.
Where: MotoCorsa
2170 Northwest Wilson St.
Portland, OR 97210

Tickets are $35* until June 10th
$50* after June 10th or at the door.

*price includes food, drink, dj and dancing

Portland Saturday food cart hopping

My brother lives in a ghost town. It's about an hour from Maupin (where many white water rafting trips originate). The town is called Antelope, Oregon, and he works as a videographer at the Young Life Washington Family Ranch (formerly Wildhorse Canyon). It's so far out, the internet signal there is only 3mbs.

So needless to say he's in town for the week and on this first beautiful and warm Saturday of spring he needed a few things: to use fast internet, to experience civilization, and to eat some tasty food. So we went food cart hopping.

So I loaded Regen (my Bernese Mountain Dog) into the car with us and we headed up to the food carts at approximately 42nd and Belmont. It was packed with people and after making the rounds at the carts we decided on try out the Euro Trash cart. My brother ordered the Oregon Doner, inspired by the traditional doner kebab, and I got the fishy chips.

The fishy chips ($6) are whole sardines (no head, but you can get the fried heads only for $3) with seasoning and lemon and "trashy sauce" which is a tangy yogurt sauce.

I would have liked to see the fish come with a small side like some slaw or something to round out the meal. My dog was happy to eat the tails.

The Oregon doner is a falafel waffle (falafel batter made in a waffle iron, with yogurt sauce and tomato, shredded carrots, olives, and cucumber. So it's not really like an authentic doner, but you can get some meat with it. For $7, it's pretty tasty and healthy, but I think probably a tad too expensive.

After the kebab we opted out of Fifty Licks (note to self...maple bacon ice cream). And headed down to Cartopia on 12th & Hawthorne for Wiffies Fried Pies and Potato Champion.

At Wiffies we opted for the basic apple sweet pie. They are like the McDonald's pocket pies, but SO much better. The crust is the perfect flakiness, and not too greasy. The filling is tasty, pretty basic apple filling, but a good consistency. They were also offering a mounds pie (coconut cream and chocolate chips), and I have been in the past when they had peanut butter chocolate chip cream pies and double chocolate pies (to die for). They also have savory pies (yet to try) including brisket and mac and cheese.

My brother being 21 and a growing boy was still not satisfied so he headed over to Potato Champion while Regen hoovered for crumbs underneath the picnic tables. After some debate over their monstrous list of french fry dipping sauces he finally settled on the legendary Potato Champion poutine. Poutine is comfort food to Canadians like like peanut butter and jelly is to Americans (Potato Champion has PB&J fries too). If you haven't tried it yet, it's fries with cheese curd and smothered in gravy. The Original Dinerant downtown also has it and it's also very good. I'd be tempted to mention I prefer the consistency of the gravy, but I really don't like the Portland hipster "dain to serve you" service there, so I'll refrain. :)

There is also a pizza place on 12th and Hawthorne called Pyro Pizza that actually has somehow managed to put a traditional brick pizza oven into a food cart. These pizzas are totally gourmet and who knew you could get real wood fired Italian style pizza from a food cart? They told me the oven renders their cart immobile, so they can probably never move it. The only one I've tried to far is the romano cheese and white truffle oil pizza. I think it ranks highly amongst the best pizzas I've had in this town. (But I haven't been to Apizza Scholls yet.)

IF you make it to 12th & Hawthorne, they stay open late for after bar hopping fun, have heaters to keep you warm while you sit outside, and there's even one of those tiny merry go round's that you used to put a quarter in and play on outside Fred Meyer's when you were a kid. So just picture yourself, gleefully eating a savory pie, a belly full of poutine, riding on a merry go round. It doesn't get much better than that.

Date Night at Cafe Mingo

Italian food is not what you find at the Olive Garden. If real Italians actually ate like that, they'd be the most obese nation in the world and not us. For real simple Italian food, head over to Cafe Mingo on NW 21st (there's also a location in Beaverton). There is something very sexy about great rustic food that tastes authentic, like it was grown from your land and prepared for you by somebody very nice to look at! There's something even more sexy and fun about the "la dolce vita" lifestyle of Italy.

Cafe Mingo is the kind of place where the owners know the devil is in the details, which is what makes a great place. They won me over a few summers ago when I was eating at a cafe table and it got chilly. But there were blankets thrown over the backs of the chairs. One of my favorite things to order is the antipasti platter. It's not your typical deli meats and cheeses with some olives thrown in like other run of the mill "Italian" places. It's always different, featuring Northwest seasonal and local fare. Like real antipasti should be. Below is a picture of my ravioli, handmade pasta sheets stuffed with decadent filling and a perfect sauce over the top.

And the winner is...

This my friends, is a fabulous bottle of wine. 2005 Bernard Machado Pinot Noir. I enjoy it so much, I happen to have a limited edition magnum bottle of this stuff in my wine collection. I kid you not. One of you is going to be enjoying a lot of this stuff (and many other kinds as well).

We had a good start to our inaugural Girl About Town Facebook contest. We got some great suggestions from girls about town including: The Spa at The Allison Hotel, Limo Peruvian, Rusty Grape Vineyards, Vie de Boheme wine bar and Vino Paradiso wine bar. But the winning post with the most enthusiastic comments and likes was Marita Martinez for her suggestion of Highland Stillhouse! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to heading out there to get back to my Scottish roots, dance a jig and eat some Scottish eggs.

Congratulations Marita! You won a trip for 4 (you and 3 friends) to Wineworks Oregon (Walnut City Wineworks) in McMinnville Oregon for a VIP tour and tasting, and a gift certificate for free wines! I'll send you more info soon via email. Congratulations!

Thanks to everybody for participating. Please continue to like and share Girl About Town and provide great suggestions. More contests to come, so stay tuned and be sure to check out the show as well as the other great shows on the Earth2World network!

Hankering for a night in? Start with Portland Farmer's market!

After an action packed Saturday, I was feeling a bit tired by dinnertime, but I still wanted to make a yummy dinner. Why? When I returned home, my guy about town had a surprise for me, a 2 lb bag of gorgeous steamer clams and a Delphina's Bakery baguette from the Portland Farmer's Market! I'm lucky enough to live 2 blocks from the market, which is every Saturday March - December. So a Saturday morning leisurely stroll around the market for a coffee, some pastries, and some produce for the week is one of my little luxuries. Sometimes I even treat myself to a big bouquet of flowers.
Needless to say, I had to make these clams! I'm one of those people who really enjoys shellfish, save for oysters and there's a story behind that which I'll spare you. I think there are a few recipes every girl and guy about town should be able to whip up perfectly when called upon, for me, one of these is a fantastic steamer clam recipe. It's not perfect yet, but here's a reliable one that you can usually make with stuff you've already got lying around:

1/2 cup butter (use the real stuff)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dry white wine (this means chardonnay, but I'm not a fan, so I cheat with pinot gris)
2-3 T fresh oregano (1 T dried if no fresh)
2 T fresh parsley (1 T dried)1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional if you want some kick to it)

In a large pot (I like to use a stockpot), melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir around briefly. pour in wine, add seasonings. Add clams and put lid on. Steam until all the clams have opened. Serve them in soup bowls with their broth ladled over them and crusty bread for dipping. If you've got fresh parsley to chop and sprinkle over the top that's pretty good too. Have with the remainder of the wine.
Also try adding: diced tomatoes, cooked pancetta, sausage, fingerling potatoes, pinch of saffron.

And if that doesn't make you hungry, here's a pic, along with daffodils from the market :)

Like the Wineworks glasses? ;)

Portland Farmer's Market
Saturdays, March 19 through December 17
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Mar. through Oct.), 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Nov. & Dec.)
PSU Campus: SW Park Ave & SW Montgomery St

Just a few of my favorite stops at the market. Sadly I can't remember the name of the stand where I get the clams from. I know her when I see her. I'll try to update this next time I'm there.

Cafe Velo Coffee
I love how their website shows a picture of B-line, one of my fave Portland start-ups!

Alma Chocolates

Their store is located on NE 28th off Glisan. Their caramel sauces, the lavender caramel in particular, will change your life.

Jacob's Creamery

Creme Fraiche, marscapone, a variety of cheeses and an amazingly light and decadent blue cheese spread with cranberries.

Nut-tricious Foods
Fabulous soy nut butters and other nut butters that are super healthy.

Gravy on N. Mississippi

When I think of the iconic American breakfast, I think about diners, mounds of hash browns, greasy eggs, and a waitress with big hair. If you're driving Route 66, that's probably pretty close to spot on. But what about in Portland? In a town where foodie tendencies hide in the most unexpected folks, there's a breakfast place where the greasy spoon meets the hip Portlander set.

Like the other "must eat" places in town, you'll wait. To avoid this, you can arrive a little before 9am. The one characteristic of the classic American greasy spoon that you'll find at Gravy is the portions. They're ginormous. If you want leftovers to take home (trust me, you do) this is the place to be.

These massive pieces of brioche are what they call a "half order" of french toast. A full order is 4 of these bad boys on a big platter.













I credit the oatmeal brulee bowls with making oatmeal cool again. At Gravy they have a caramelized sugar crust over the top that you have to break through with your spoon to discover the hot oozing deliciousness inside. I guarantee you'll find yourself lusting after the memory of this oatmeal on your next cold drizzly morning commute.





When it comes to their biscuits & gravy, the biscuit is nothing to write home about, it's all about the gravy. It comes in both vegetarian and sausage gravy, just the right consistency, and enough spice to give it the necessary kick.

I also highly recommend the Monte Cristo sandwich.




It's fun to peruse the garden shop down the street afterward, (the one with loose chickens running around in it) and explore the Recycling Center for fun vintage fixtures and inspiration for home projects.

Toro Bravo: Spanish Inspired Tapas in NE Portland

Toro Bravo is a Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant on NE Russel St near the popular Russell St. BBQ. The plates are small, but shareable. The prices are moderate, but if you're really hungry your bill will get high quickly, especially since you'll be ordering and sharing multiple items.

There is guaranteed to be a wait here, while I'd argue it's worth the wait, it's pretty substantial, even on weeknights. They only take reservations for groups of 7 or more, and it's walk-ins only on Fridays and Saturdays. Arrive early or later on these nights if you've got a big group. I found the tips on Foursquare to be pretty accurate, so check them out if you're checking in.

What I ate:
Spanish anchovies fried with fennel and lemon
North African sausage with french fries, harissa and sour cream
bacon and manchego burger with romesco and pickled vegetables
almond ice cream with espresso

I should have regarded the Foursquare tips on desserts, I don't particularly recommend the almond ice cream with espresso, at least against the other menu offerings! But I might have developed a bit of a burger crush at Toro Bravo...can you blame me?

On my next trip I plan to get the paella and the bacon wrapped dates. Who's with me?

Great swanky modern happy hour at Pinot American Brasserie

Pinot American Brasserie is located on SW 12th and Washington in the bottom of the Indigo 12 West building, right around the corner from Jake's Crawfish. A great after-work happy hour spot, especially if you can walk because you're gonna circle the block more than a few times. The atmosphere was what I'd describe as "swanky modern" and their waitstaff was friendly, but not overly so.

Happy hour is weekdays 3-6pm and 9pm to close and features half off a red and white wine and a beer selection, a $2 menu and a $5 menu. The $2 menu features fairly typical items such as hummus plate, caesar salad, fries, and olives with orange zest; however I found the $5 menu to be have some non-typical happy hour additions such as a chicken pot pie, and steak tartare, in addition to the expected burger, calamari, and sandwich selections. I ordered the roast mussels with sausage and basil pesto off the $5 menu and the seafood spread with flatbread off the $2 menu (What can I say, I'm a seafood fan). I found the spread to be a bit bland, but for $2 I'm not going to complain! However the mussels came in a cast iron pan with their broth and juices, they were extremely flavorful and there was a ton of them. I'm looking forward to ordering them again! I definitely think Pinot is a great place for happy hour, it's got a great environment, friendly waitstaff and a good selection on the menu. Just don't drive if you can help it, unless it's late-night when parking is easier!
Check out their Happy Hour Menu Here.

Deep Fried Adventure

Fire on the Mountain (www.portlandwings.com) is a classic Portland hot-wing mecca. Excuse the annoying website because the wings are worth it. Their first location on Interstate Ave is usually standing room only, but their new location on East Burnside has a lot more room, although oftentimes that location is standing room only as well!

Expect to cozy up at a table or the bar next to some other enthusiastic wing consumers and prepare to gulp down water in between bites of delicious wings. Although they have the basic wing sauce in varying levels of spicyness, their sauces branch into flavors such as Raspberry Habanero, Buffalo Cilantro Lime, Jamaican Jerk, and my personal favorite, The "soon to be famous spicy peanut." For non wing lovers there's salads, sandwiches, pastas, and a wonderful assortment of tater tots, sweet potato fries, and many other items of deep fried deliciousness. (highly recommend the deep fried pickle spears.)

Deep fried Twinkies, Oreos, Snickers Bars, etc have been stuff of food lore for quite a while. Honestly who really wants to subject their gut to such torture? As one who tries to eat healthy most of the time, I feel that eating one of those items could very well erase all my dilligent discipline. I might as well start smoking, drinking Miller High Life and eating buckets of fried chicken for breakfast.... But who can resist the temptation to at least try it once?




Ok so I cut it in half, but if we're being truthful, I think I did eat the other half as well. I can't quite remember. Mmmm it was good, like a warm Oreo cloud... I don't even feel that guilty.