worshipping a new saint

a few weeks ago i was finally able to try out gladstone pizza and the saint pizza lounge. 

i had heard about this place quite a while ago but it's a bit off the beaten path so it just was never in the forefront of my mind when trying to think of places to eat.  luckily my friends suggested it and i'm so happy they did.

gladstone pizza is made up of two storefronts at 38th and division.  one is the pizza place and the other is the st. pizza lounge.  being as though i always will sit in the lounge if that option is given, we headed into st. pizza which is like a restaurant version of my home!  anyone who knows me, knows that i collect all sorts of saint icons and frida's as well (she is practically a saint right?).



so of course i had to sit under the giant frida mural!  i'm not sure whose idea it was to paint this on a side wall in a pizza place but i LOVE it.  the lounge is clean and sparse with a bit of a retro feel to it.  i'm not sure if it ever gets very busy on this side of the restaurant, i was surprised there weren't very many people sitting in there but this is where i will head every time i dine at gladstone pizza.



oh and hey, i can't forget to mention that the pizza is phenomenal.  i generally go for a pretty simple margherita pizza but the server suggested this one with sausage and carmelized onions on it.  topped with fresh arugula it was so good and gone in minutes.  we ate every last bit and still made room for a piece of blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream.  yeah baby, it was good!  i can't wait to get back here again soon.

gladstone pizza is at:

3813 se gladstone

open 5pm-midnight

503.775.1537

and they do also have a nice outdoor sitting area in the back so if you enjoy dining alfresco, as to sit out there.

the bent brick

last week my coworker and i were going out for a bite to eat and she suggested checking out this new restaurant called the bent brick.


the bent brick is located in the beautiful brick building that was once home to the oddball/baddoll shoe store. i've always thought that this building needed to be a restaurant instead and i'm so happy it finally is.


there is a great little seating area in the front complete with a giant jengo sculpture. it would be fun to hang out in this lounge over cocktails with friends.


and then the back of the dining room opens up completely. we have so few nice days here in portland and outdoor dining can be somewhat of a challenge. so the perfect solution is just to open up the side of the restaurant. this would even be nice on a rainy night.

we just had a few light snacks but the food is really good. my favorite was the roasted snow peas. these were snow peas in the pods and roasted on the grill. i loved these so much that lorenzo and i went to the farmer's market last week and bought some beautiful snow peas and then roasted them ourselves. this is my new favorite snack. why had i never had this before?

and i can't believe that i didn't get a photo of their wine taps. all of their wines are on tap. now i really need this at home. delicious wines right out of the tap. yes, please!

so get on over and check out the bent brick for yourself. you will be very happy i sent you.

1639 nw marshall
503.688.1655

you don't know jack?

i know, i know, i have seriously been slacking off on my reports of the haps going on in my beloved portlandia. i really have been getting out quite a bit lately but i haven't had very much time to report back to you all. i promise to do my very best to let you in on all of the cool people and places we have here in our fine city. i mean portland is on fire (not literally, thank goodness) right now and i'm not doing a very good job of representing!


so the first thing we need to talk about is the newish restaurant, st. jack. have you been here yet? if not...go...now!

st. jack is housed in that cute little corner spot on clinton that has seen many a coffee shop come and go. i'm so happy they brought this little spot to life because i've always thought it had so much potential.


the interior is simple and white and sparkly. we were there on a rainy night (go figure)and it was so warm and cozy. the candles on the table have dripping wax hanging to the table and it is the quintessential french bistro complete with beautiful pastries housed under big glass domes.

my bff and i sat at the chef's counter and had the cheese plate and pate to start. both were amazing. then we grazed on a delicious butter lettuce salad, and then decided to share moules frites for our dinner. the service was friendly and gracious and i think we probably had our fair share of white wine. we were just having such a good time we didn't want to leave!

i highly recommend st. jack and can't wait to get over there again, very soon.

2039 se clinton
503.360.1281

photos courtesy of the portland mercury and under the table with jen.

cafe velo

i needed to go run an errand today during lunch and took a side street that i don't take very often. this cute little cafe caught my eye on the corner of sw 6th outside of the the big pink and right on the transportation mall. several different lunch counters have occupied this space in the past but i love what this one has done for the curb appeal.

i popped in just for a minute to look over their menu, which sounded really good. when i got back to work, i googled this little gem and this is what i found out about our new neighborhood business.

cafe velo started as a mobile coffee cart over at the portland farmers market in the south park blocks. the owner, rick wilson, quit his high tech job, purchased a european bakfiet bike (the cool three-wheeled kind that looks like a boat) and opened up shop. he felt that this was the perfect business for portland because it involved a bike, coffee, and sustainability. it turns out he was right. his business is booming at the farmers market and now he has a permanent home as well, referred to as cafe velo 2.0.

at cafe velo 2.0, he still offers made-to-order drip and french press coffee by stumptown, but also offers a few other varieties of coffee as well. i have not yet jumped on the portland made-to-order drip coffee bandwagon but now i think i'll give it a shot to see what all of the fuss is about. however, what really caught my eye was the great lunch menu he boasts at the tiny cafe.

the menu is based on rick's time living in paris when he encountered the diverse ethnic selections of parisian street food. he offers flatbread sandwiches, falafel and hummus, soups, tagines and one of my favorites-paella. i cannot wait to go back and try some of these wonderful flavors of spain, morocco and tunisia right here in our very own neighborhood!

cafe velo is at 600 sw pine 503.719.0287 and is cash only. there is a menu listed on their website cafe-velo.

what's in a name?

you all know that i'm fond of a guy named lorenzo. i happen to also love a restaurant named lorenzo's. now if i could only get them together at one time i would be in heaven! (that would be the guy lorenzo in the restaurant lorenzo's).

lorenzo's is this quaint italian restaurant over in my second favorite pdx hood, mississippi. any time i'm over in the neighborhood for lunch, i drag whomever i'm with in for lunch. they have the best lunch specials where you can try a sampling of the dinner menu for a fraction of the dinner menu's cost.

lorenzo's specializes in fresh made pasta, local hormone free meat and local organic ingredients whenever possible. the rustic raviolo is to die for. it's a giant home made raviolo with a special daily filling. the last time i had it the day's filling was roasted asparagus and a tomato/cream sauce. yum!

they also have one of the best caesar salads i've had in a long time. i do consider myself a caesar aficionado and i rarely come across many good ones these days. most restaurants offer the same watered down version with not nearly enough garlic for my liking. lorenzo's caesar is his own version made with arugula and fennel. two ingredients i fell in love with when staying in italy. and while it still is not garlicky enough for me, it's really damn good.


and i'm not sure why but i don't have any shots of the dining room other than this one of the cute little lounge area. the rest of the restaurant is just as comfy.

so if you haven't tried lorenzo's yet, head over for your own little taste of florence right here in portland. great, now i'm hungry!

lorenzo's is at 3807 n mississippi 503.284.6200

abby's table

a few times last month i took a different route home from work because there has been so much construction going on over on mlk and i've been curious about this community kitchen that i just noticed. it's at 609 se ankeny just down the street from the j&m cafe.

well then last week a friend invited me to her birthday dinner and guess where it was? yes, right there at the same community kitchen.


the space that abby's table is located in is shared by at least three other businesses and she runs her vegetarian/gluten free kitchen and dining room there on wednesday and saturday nights.

i had no idea what to expect but was so excited to try something new. i was told that the dinner would be $18 per person and that it was byob. well that sounds pretty good to me so i grabbed some cash and a bottle of wine before heading over to dinner.


the interior of the space is very simple, clean and open but still really warm and cozy. there were 25 of us so we were set up at two tables due to space but it would have been great to be at one long table. however, they were so laid back that they did not mind at all the fact that we were constantly getting up and moving around so as to mingle better.

before the dinner service began, they brought us a wine key so we could start opening our bottles and let us just go over and grab our own glasses. this is ideal for a large group because then there is no waiting around for drinks. it really felt like you were at a catered house party because they were just so relaxed and easy going, yet communicated with us how to go about getting what we needed.


the dinner was a five course meal and we started with these beautiful roasted vegetables. abby is know for her dips and sauces that she sells at the farmers market and around town and this pesto dip with the veggies was delicious.

after the veggies, we were served a spinach salad, ravioli, the entree of dover sole and portobello mushroom and then a deliciously sweet cake for dessert. my favorites were the veggies and the portobello mushroom.

at the end of our meal, you just stuff your cash in the jars on the table and abby splits it with the all volunteer help in the kitchen.

when it comes down to it, i still love my bread and cheese but the atmosphere was so fun and it was such a unique dining experience that i would definitely go here again. especially with a large group, it's perfect for that.

reservations are required because it is such a small space and you can reserve on line on her website.

fenouil ou non?

i have a wonderful group of work-related girlfriends who get together about once a month for happy hour. while we have our great old stand-bys, it's always fun to try a new place. and, since we all get out between 5 and 5:30 pm, we prefer those happy hours that extend past 6.

i had been meaning to try fenouil for quite some time but it wasn't until our last happy hour outing that i finally gave it a try and i am happy to say that they have a fabulous happy hour that runs monday through saturday from 4 to 6:30 pm and on sunday from 2 to 9 pm.

fenouil opens out onto the pearl's jamison square and i can't wait to go back when the weather is nicer. however, i have a feeling, one of those outside tables may be hard to come by when portland's sun finally decides to come out. but that's ok, because the bar is beautiful and cozy, too, and sometimes i prefer the bar anyway.

there were five of us together for happy hour and their extensive menu listed enough options for each of us to pick something different. and while the portions were not very big, the prices were low and it turned out to be perfect for sharing. we each had small samplings of everything and ordered extra pommes frites to tide us over until dinner.

i highly recommend fenouil for happy hour (i have not tried dinner here, yet) and i look forward to the next girl's night out so we can go back again!


the entrance of fenouil off jamison square complete with my favorite white twinkle lights.


the cooks hard at work on the kitchen line.

fenouil is at 900 nw 11th 503.525.2225

j & m cafe

i think one of the first restaurants i visited after moving to portland was the j & m cafe. my best friend loved to eat breakfast there so she took me there soon after my arrival in town. i think it was the first place i ever dined that let you help yourself to your own mug from the mug tree and pour your own cup of coffee. i loved this concept. just because you need to wait to dine doesn't mean you should have to wait on your coffee!


i have no idea how long j & m has been open. i've been here over 11 years and i'm sure it had been open many years before i came to portland.

one of the things i love about j & m is their consistency, great service, great food, great atmosphere. i have never had a bad experience in this restaurant, they know what they are doing and they do it well.


i love the big open and airy space. even on our darkest days here in portland it seems sunny.


here's the ever famous mug tree. you can choose your mug depending on the days mood.

some of my favorites at the j & m are the mess of potatoes covered in fresh house-made salsa, bagel and lox plate and my very favorite dish, the j & m plate. it's like their own version of eggs benedict. i like to substitute fresh tomato slices for the bacon so it's not so heavy.

when i first moved to town and a few years there after, there was a big group of new mexico transplants living in portland. we liked to meet for brunch at j & m most weekends. as i am the last one to remain here, i really miss my get togethers there. i still go there and think about all of the good times we had--and then i send texts to my friends back in the southwest letting them know i am dining there without them. i do need to guilt them a little bit for abandoning me!

if you have never been to j & m, you must go. it is one of the great old gems that is still survivng.

j & m cafe is located at 537 se ash 503.230.0463

martinotti's

right next door to radish underground is one of the best european markets in portland called martinotti's.

i discovered martinotti's my first weekend in portland when i was staying at the infamous ben stark hotel (now the hipster ace hotel). it's a great little italian market in the heart of downtown just a few blocks from powell's books. it has an espresso bar, cafe and italian market and deli. it's a great place to find many of those items from your trip to italy that you loved so much. and they have an amazing deli counter. my only complaint is they don't have those weird nescafe instant cappuccinos. did you ever see those when you were in italy? you pour it in a cup with hot water and it foams up like a real cappuccino. i don't even want to know what it is that causes the foamyness but i loved those things, i even brought a few packs home. oh please, martinotti's get me some of these!


they are celebrating 32 years of business in downtown portland.


just look at this beautiful meat counter.

martinotti's is at 404 sw 10th 503.224.9028

and i apologize in advance but i have a big project at work next week so posts may be slim. i do have some other great european markets i've recently discovered that i want to tell you about so i'll try to get these up asap. in the meantime, have a great weekend and enjoy our rare dose of february sun.

tanti baci!

happy valentine's my sweets!

i hope you all have a happy valentine's weekend with your sweeties. and if you don't have a sweetie (i was single for my share of valentine's days, too), here's a little something to at least make you feel better.




these beauties can be found at the daily cafe at 902 nw 13th ave 503.242.1916

xoxoxo lorenzo
now let's just hope it doesn't keep pouring all weekend!

basta!

ok, i have to admit that as long as i've lived in portland, i had never eaten at the restaurant bastas until last week.

yes, i know, it's been here since 1992 and is still around so clearly it's doing something right. perhaps it's the fact that the exterior looks somewhat like a defunct IHOP that i had not ventured in until last week. not that i have anything against IHOP, it serves it's purpose, it's just a trattoria in the shape of an IHOP is a little bizarre.

a friend suggested we go there for dinner because we were over in nw very close by. i hemmed and hawed a little but then she said that they have happy hour all night every night. well that always get my attention so we decided we would have dinner there. and it was good and it was cheap.

and once you are inside, it's not so much like an IHOP!


yes, i said it, happy hour all evening long.


our spread including italian wine, mussels, caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs and risotto. i was really excited to try the quail on the menu but they were out of it that night. however, everything we did have was very good.


and on the way out, i had to get a shot of one of the nicest fish aquariums i have seen in a long time.

bastas is still located at 410 nw 21st 503.274.1572

pick pok

last night lorenzo and i decided to go out to dinner and i wanted to take him someplace i thought he would really like. he loves to experiment with food and loves asian based foods so i thought we'd go to the restaurant pok pok because he has never been there. i've only been there once before so it was a treat for me as well, since i have a habit of going to the same places over and over.

what i remember from the last time i dined there was the fact that most of their plates were grilled, as they do at ping. this time, however, this did not seem to be the case as i noticed many more options on the menu.


there were quite a few diners braving the cold weather outside under the colorful lights. i'm kind of a wimp, though, and prefer to dine inside.


i do however, love the way they have the patio lit up.


inside the restaurant was warm and cozy. we sat at the bar which i always enjoy and we had really great service from the bartender.


we enjoyed a beer as we waited for our dinner. for dinner, we had the pok pok green papaya salad and had them cut the spice down a little as we knew our entree was going to be very spicy. for our entrees we ordered the boar collar meat rubbed with garlic and with a chili-lime sauce. this was good but very, very spicy. lorenzo was sweating and should be cured of anything that could potentially be coming on for the rest of the winter. we also ordered some curry noodle soup served with grilled chicken and crispy yellow noodles. this was my favorite dish of all. i can't wait to back and try this one again but we both decided we needed our own bowl instead of sharing it, it was that good.

i usually try to take pictures of our dinner but this time we dug right in before i remembered. that's how excited we were.

pok pok was the perfect place for a cool winter's night meal and spicy enough to really warm us up.

3226 se division 503.232.1387

the brasserie is back

i'm so happy the brasserie is back!

originally opened in 1978, the brasserie montmartre closed several years ago as the building underwent some major renovation. then i heard that everything inside had been auctioned off and although there was a sign on the front that said it would re-open, i feared it was gone.

well guess what? it's back and i couldn't be happier. when you need a taste of paris, the brasserie can pacify you until you are able to hop on air france and head over the atlantic.

oh i can't wait for les steak frites, and they have the best stuffed dates. oh my gosh, i'm so hungry!


i love, love love their giant mirror behind the bar. and the rest of the restaurant is beautiful but updated from the original decor, which i think is a good thing.

brasserie montmartre is still in it's original location at 626 sw park 503.236.3036

accanto e buono

in italian accanto means "next to" and that is exactly what the charming cafe accanto is in relation to the very well-known restaurant, genoa.

as i mentioned last week, i had the opportunity to tour the newly re-opened genoa. it has been beautifully redecorated and now does'nt look quite so intimidating to go inside.

but my favorite is the cafe next door (where the space sat empty for 30 years) appropriately called accanto.

this is more my dining style!


the cozy corner entry next to genoa.


the charming italian ceramic dinnerware and vino bianco.


the well-stocked bar.



i ordered my wine and then saw that they have a fabulous list of house cocktails of which i will be sampling on my next visit.

the atmosphere and service was really great and i can't wait to go back again. this neighborhood really needed a little wine bar. they have an amazing selection of wines and also small plates and entrees to choose from. my friend and i had a cheese and bread plate that served as dinner due to really large portions of cheese. oh this girl can't live on bread alone, she must have the cheese as well!

oh yeah, and on february 1st, accanto will begin having happy hour twice daily, from 3-5 pm and late night.

accanto is on the corner of se 28th and belmont.

a trip to genoa

one of my funniest memories of my travels in italy was the train ride from pisa to genoa. i had been studying italian in lucca for a month and was headed to paris on the train. i was in a car with five older italian women from sicily. they had been talking about me the entire time, mostly just curious about me and why i was traveling alone. of course none of this was said to me directly because none of them realized i could somewhat understand them, i just nodded and smiled. as i departed to change trains in genoa, i said in the very best italian i could muster that i had enjoyed the ride with them very much and to have a nice trip. they all just looked at me for a moment and then burst out laughing as i got off the train.

i thought of this story every time i would drive past the restaurant, genoa on belmont. well this thought and also, "what the heck is behind those windows?" i never understood why a restaurant would want to cover up their windows so people couldn't see in. and being that i don't go out to seven course meals very often, i had never dared to go inside. i knew the place had a great reputation and had been around for a long time but it just seemed unapproachable like some kind of private club.

well let me tell you, that was the old genoa. driving by the other night i was shocked to see that there is life on that corner now and you can see in the windows!

so last week a friend suggested we visit the cafe side of the restaurant called accanto (more on that later) and i jumped at the chance. after we had a snack at accanto, my friend ran into an acquaintance and he invited us in for a tour of genoa's new digs. and while i still don't often have the opportunity to eat a multiple course meal, my curiosity was satisfied and the restaurant is very lovely.
they just reopened after a three year break and it's so good to see this corner looking fabulous and fresh.

so here's a little tour of the "new" genoa for you (i apologize for the photos, i forgot my camera and took these on my phone).


the bright new sign is so much more inviting.


and the pretty new dining room.





so if you haven't been to genoa lately andiamo, andiamo! let's go to genoa!

2832 se belmont 503.238.1464

it's a trump

greater trumps cigar bar. this photo courtesy of mcmenamins

last night a friend called right as i was leaving work and said she wanted to get together for a few minutes and catch up. she was heading over to powell's books on hawthorne and i had limited time so i suggested we meet for a quick glass of wine at greater trumps.



when i first moved to portland, i lived in this really cute apartment down the street from greater trumps and i would often wander down to sit and read or write and have a glass of wine. i don't know if it's because i've read so much hemingway in my life but i feel like i can be most productive in little cafes. i've always been like this since my late nights studying in college and i still find myself frequenting places like greater trumps so i can get some work done. i often joke and call these little cafes my office.


i've always loved the interior of greater trumps because it's so intimate and cozy. i love how when it's nice out, they can open up the entire front of the cafe. that's so european! and when it's cold outside, the windows fog up and the tiny candles flicker and it takes me away to another place in time.

and i'm not complaining because i will still come here but the smoke can be a little annoying. i mean, even italy and france have gone smoke free in bars! i guess that's why they have so many windows to open. c'est la vie!

greater trumps is at 1520 se 37th 503.235.4530

viva la france

with the upcoming bastille day fetes taking place this weekend, i thought i would mention a few other frenchie events going on as well as a great little french restaurant for you to check out.

this saturday night at vinideus, french chanteuse sophie delmas will be performing. i'm not familiar with her music but i'm always looking to hear new music so i thought i would go check her out. vinideus 4759 ne fremont

saturday july 11th, 7-9 pm

another event taking place this weekend is the showing of the agnes varda film "cleo from five to seven".

agnes varda is an early member of the french new wave and worked with the likes of catherine deneuve, jane birkin, jean-luc godard and michel piccoli to name a few.

the film shows at whitsell auditorium at the portland art museum 1219 sw park 503.226.2811.

friday july 10th, 7 pm

saturday july 11th, 7 pm

www.portlandartmuseum.org

www.nwfilm.org

chez joly is a french restaurant that opened about a year and a half ago. their menu offers up many of the french classics and boasts a great wine list as well. look for the restaurant in the upcoming season of leverage that is being filmed around town.
135 nw broadway 503.200.5544
http://www.chezjoly.com/



the cute deux chevaux that is often in front of chez joly



bon weekend!

ladd walk

something thing i have always loved about portland are all of the great neighborhoods that we have. portland neighborhoods remind me of the quartiers in paris. one of my most favorite neighborhoods is ladd's addition over in southeast. here is a map of the way the neighborhood is situated. the central point marked "lc" is the park in the center of the neighborhood. if you show up to this park on wednesday nights, you will happen upon a neighborhood jam session that receives quite an audience. the diamonds off the center are the four rose gardens. ladd's addition is bordered by hawthorne, 20th ave, division and 12th ave. let's go for a walk!

here is the center of the west garden. hey look, it's little lulu! we like to walk to this garden in the afternoon.

this is the church for the deaf. a few years back, the original structure was sadly a victim of arson but they rebuilt the church and this is the beautiful entry. the angels always remind me of the wim wenders film "wings of desire".

over in the center of the neighborhood by ladd park, is a great coffee shop called palio. in spite of being in a hard to find location, it's packed every night. they finally expanded into the space next door. the menu offers things like panini and quiche as well as vegan desserts that are good and don't taste like cardboard.

1996 se ladd 503.232.9412

www.palio-in-ladds.com

i have always admired this duplex on ladd. it reminds me of places you would see in new mexico. except it has grass!

if you walk out of the neighborhood over to hawthorne, you will find some of the best restaurants in town. i absolutely love the bombay cricket club and go here almost every year for my birthday. they are known for their mango margaritas but i prefer the masala margarita. you can't go wrong with either one, however, as they both have enough kick to make you very happy. my favorite dish is the coconut curry chicken, i especially love it on a cold winter night. i always want to try something else but i love this one so much that i rarely do. they do take reservations and i recommend that you make one any time you want to go there as it is so tiny, it fills up fast.

1925 se hawthorne 503.231.0740

www.bombaycricketclubrestaurant.com

across the street from the cricket club is a newer restaurant called sel gris. it offers some of the best french cuisine in town. lately is has been the target of anti foie gras protesters but that doesn't stop people. they have some of the best foie in town, especially the foie gras three ways. je l'aime le foie gras!

it is a tiny matchbox of a restaurant so get there early. if possible sit at the bar so you can watch the chef do his thing. it's the best seat in the house.

1852 se hawthorne 503.517.7770

www.selgrisrestaurant.com

and just west down hawthorne is castagna and cafe castagna. i prefer the more casual of the two, the cafe. this has been a hawthorne establishment for many years now and seems to always be full. "castagna" is one of the first italian words i ever learned. it means chestnut and in "my own private idaho", the girl in italy taught it to river's character. the have great caesars, pizzas and hamburgers.

1758 se hawthorne 503.231.9959

www.castagnarestaurant.com

heading back into ladd's from hawthorne is this beautiful residence that has been under renovation for many years. i wish i would have taken a before shot. it's right across from the north garden.

i hope you have enjoyed your walk through ladd's addition as much as lulu and i have. check it out the next time you're in southeast.