There are many things to like about Portland, Oregon. I get to visit my son, there are awesome gardens, interesting tours, but I love the food culture. Portland may not be where the food truck culture started but the food trucks have taken it by storm. One nice thing about a food truck caravan is that everyone can have what they like. When in Portland I like to eat out every night, if possible, trying new restaurants. My first night the weather was beautiful and most of the restaurants were booked to capacity so we headed to a food truck pod. We could all pick what we wanted from Italian to vegan to Thai. I had one of the best Thai green curry chicken dishes I have ever eaten.
Portland is always ahead of the curve when it comes to dining. We had reservations at Top Burmese Restaurant where we chose to eat inside because that is where the robots served the food. We didn’t know the name of our robot so, harkening back to the Jetsons, we called her “Rosie.” She delivered our dishes and even though a human took our order the food was served by Rosie. We started with samosas with special Burmese sauce and Tamarind Wings along with a ginger drink in a coconut. There was a lot of greenery around the restaurant because they are in the process of growing their own salad toppings aeropoincally. The technology uses less water than traditional farming and eliminates waste from transporting and shipping plus there are no pesticides used because there is no soil involved. And, the greens are always fresh. The tea leaf salad is always a favorite along with Burmese Chicken with Coco Rice and Chicken Khao Soi. I have been to Myanmar (it was Burma when it was a British colony) nearly a dozen times and miss the people, the unique sites, and food.
Instrumental in my decision to visit Portland it was my son’s birthday and Allison’s was two days later. What better way to celebrate two birthdays than a luncheon cruise on the Portland Spirit. The cruise explored the Willamette River passing under 10 bridges with interesting facts about the bridges, river, and sights along the shore. The Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest vertical lift bridge in the country. The first ever Old Spaghetti Factory was located in an historic carriage building in Portland. The day was beautiful so there were a lot of people swimming, kayaking and just enjoying the beautiful day.
The meal with all you can drink champagne was excellent with a choice of entrée: Scrambled Eggs or Teriyaki Yakisoba. The “all-you-can-eat” sides were yummy and ranged from mac and cheese to chipotle chicken salad to pancakes with maple syrup. After the cruise we went to the Rhododendron Garden that is part of Reed College. Beautiful. There are more than 2500 rhododendrons, azaleas and other plants in the gardens along with a spring-fed waterfalls that empties into a pond.
One night we decided to have a taste of Peru so off we went to Casa Zoraya. They had a lovely patio perfect for a warm sunny day… and social distancing. I started with Pico Sour which is the signature drink of Peru. Loved the Anticuchos de Pollo and for dessert, Picarones (deep fried sweet potatoes with cinnamon, star anise and cloves.)
There is more to Portland than eating. Their gardens are amazing. I think the Chinese Garden is my favorite. I can never pass up a museum. We visited the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City where the importance of the Willamette River was explained in a video along with some interesting displays including a meteor, an early dialysis machine, and a boot with a ball in chain that prevented imprisoned workers from running off. So much to see, so much to learn. Every time I visit there is something new and interesting to do… and to eat!
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