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.

eden love

sigh...yes, it has finally happened. someone else opened my dream store.

on the plus side, it's the lovely proprietress cindy, of flutter. and on the plus, plus side, it's four blocks away from my work!


eden is cindy's latest endeavour and it opened just today in the pearl. this store is an up-scale flutter, or perhaps even flutter's older sister. but the main thing, it's distinctly different than flutter.


cindy's inspiration came from a book about the 70s english fashion retailer, biba. she also said that the idea came to her while bedridden this last winter with pneumonia. it looks like she put her sick time to good use.

eden is just a lovely, lovely store. i have a feeling i will head over when needing some inspiration in my own store. she has an amazing collection of vintage housewares and apparel, not to mention a fabulous collection of books. i can just see my paycheck going bye bye right now.


i had to get a picture of this tongue in cheek (or shall we say chic) poster in the front of the store. oh that evil, evil mary jane!

eden is at 221 nw 11th ave
503.222.2285

historic portland

back when i had free time to do things like volunteer, i worked with an organization called the bosco-milligan foundation. this foundation is focussed on preserving historic portland artifacts big and small- from the building all the way down to a door knob. bosco and milligan were two gentlemen who's passion was to go around portland collecting old bits of buildings that otherwise were headed to the landfill. they amassed quite a collection of architectural salvage before they both passed away quite prematurely.

for a while the historic preservation league of portland was responsible for their collection but it required more attention than they could give and thus the bosco-milligan foundation was formed and has been run ever since by a close friend of benny and jerry's, cathy gailbraith.

the photo above is a buidling that the two owned and ran their stained glass business out of. for many years it sat untouched lacking the funds it needed to be renovated. if you have been in portland for a while, you will know this building over on se grand ave. well, a few years back, the renovations were completed and the building was reopened as the architectural heritage center and the home base of the bosco-milligan foundation. this building works as a resource center and library for all things old portland.

i mention this now because the archtectural heritage center has some really cool programs on a regular basis and this spring they are hosting walking tours of portland. the tours begin in april and run through the summer. there are some really great neighborhoods on their list of tours-belmont, hollywood, yamhill, vista and reedwood. i can't wait for the reedwood tour, i've always wanted to check out the reed college campus and this tour focusses on the mid-century houses on and near the campus.

many of the tours require pre-registration since there are only so many spaces available. so go to the ahc site for more information and to register for the tours.

when i was in interior design school many years ago, i went on several walking tours of portland and let me tell you, there are some amazing gems in our community often designed by very well-known architects.

so what better way to spend the warm months here than getting out and getting to know the historic neighborhoods of portland!

antler art

speaking of antlers. i was perusing besotted and came across these beautiful images by the artist anne siems.





aren't they beautiful and ethereal? the would fit perfectly in little bird!

le petit oiseau

last night i was finally able to dine at little bird, gabriel rucker's newest restaurant here in portland.

it's really close to my work but i hadn't been able to try it yet, mainly because they reccommend getting reservations. my freind and i were planning on getting together for dinner so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check the place out.

let me tell you, it was soooo good, i really should have gone there sooner!

first off, the interiors are so cute with the perfect mix of woodsy portland meets french bistro. i especially loved the robin's egg blue walls and sparkly candle light reflected in the huge mirrors that frame the main wall of the restaurant.


my friend and i dined in the upstairs dining room which was great because we had a full view of the dining room downstairs. upstairs, i loved the addition of the antlers to the mix. i know the whole antler thing is working it's way out of fashion but it's such a portland thing, i totally love it. i even have a little roe deer mount in my office at work. even if i'm not the least bit outdoorsy, i can still appreciate the decor, right?

anyway, back to our great meal. we started with duck liver mousse, then had moules frites, and their cod beurre blanc for dinner. it all was delish. a fabulous glass of white cote du rhone accompanied our meals nicely. however, i think the best part was the basil leaf creme brulee and one of the best cups of coffee i have ever had. i'm not a huge dessert person but i rarely pass up creme brulee and this was definitely one of the best i have ever had. in fact, i think i need to get back for some as soon as possible. i also can't forget to mention the great service. our server leiv was fantastic.

so if you are even remotely a francophile like i am, check out little bird. c'est tres, tres bien!

little bird is here!

i'm so excited that gabriel rucker's latest endeavor, little bird has opened right down the street from my work.

some coworkers and i popped in for luch last week but they were all booked up so i'm hoping to get there next week to give it a try.

we did scan the menu and everything sounds so good including a daily foie gras special. i love me some foie!

and the interiors are so frenchy and pretty. the walls are painted in robin's egg blue, there are big chalkboard menus and beautiful sparkly mirrors. i'll try to post some pictures when i finally am able to give it a try.

i hope you all hare having a great holiday season and i'll try to get some more posts and pics up soon.

nell's diner

last weekend was a quintessential portland weekend which means one thing--breakfast.

when the weather here gets yucky, do what portlander's do and head inside for some great coffee and good food. one of my favorite places when i'm craving weekend breakfast is cafe nell.

cafe nell is a little over a year old and resides in the space that formerly housed cafe des amis. i loved cafe des amis as well but the new owners of the space have really done an amazing transformation. what was once tiny and closed in, seems bright and open and spacious thanks to creative interior design and the big wall of mirrors. it may be dark and gloomy outside but certainly not inside this beautiful restaurant.


i like to sit in the bar so i can look out the window into the neighborhood. i also got a good look at the fabulous bloody marys they were making behind the bar.


nothing gets better than a cup of coffee while watching the rain outside.

for breakfast, i ordered the huevos rancheros. i generally do not order huevos in restaurants because being from new mexico, i'm usually disappointed with the huevos up here. well, the waiter assured me they were delicious so i went ahead and tried them because new mexican comfort food was really sounding good to me. and guess what, i was pleasantly surprised! they were really good with the chunky ranchero sauce and just the right amount of kick. the eggs were cooked perfectly and it really hit the spot.


i'm not sure if i'm ready for this everyday but sometimes it's nice to just sit and watch the rain. and cafe nell is a great spot to do this in.

it is located at nw 20th and kearney 503.295.6487

they also have a small parking lot in back which is great when visiting the nw neighborhood.

hop on le train

i was so excited to get an email from one of my fav on-line stores, portland's own, le train bleu. it seems they have installed a pop up shop in their headquarters and will be open this weekend hosting a sale.

i really miss their storefront as they closed it a little over a year ago so i definitely will be heading over tomorrow to check out the selection.

the sale is going on today, tomorrow and sunday from 11-6.
le train bleu 1905 nw 26th (at upshur)

shop vintage portland

as i mentioned over here on my other blog, i'm trying to get more into vintage shopping. i think my mother tortured me as a kid by dragging me to so many flea markets and thrift stores that i vowed i would never shop in a thrift store again. well i do and i will, hopefully even more.

working in the retail industry, i see so much of the same thing out there over and over again. if you want something truly unique, vintage is the way to go.

yesterday i was on line looking for vintage stores and i found this terrific blog called shop vintage portland. this is just want i need, someone to tell me exactly where to go. they list all of the vintage shops in town and have a section for the new vintage stores that are always popping up.

if you enjoy thrifting and vintage shopping in portland, i highly recommend this website to help you navigate your excursions.

funky foster road

last week i was running errands out on southeast foster road and was amazed by all of the great restaurants and shops that have popped up over there lately. but i about slammed on my brakes when i came to an open lot on the corner that had the coolest funky vintage furniture on it. i saw a truck parked next to the lot that said grandma's funky furniture.

sadly, i was in a hurry and did not have time to stop but as i continued heading west on foster, there on the left hand side was a storefront called grandma's funky furniture. behold, i could see inside some of the coolest wares i have seen in a long time.

did you all know about this store? how have i just now found this? i looked on-line but all there was about this fabulous portland gem was a small yelp listing.

well let me tell you, the next day off i get, i'm heading over to foster road to spend the day checking out grandma's as well as the other great new places foster has to offer. i'll let you know what i find!

grandma's funky furniture storefront is at 6852 se foster rd 503.975.6362
the open lot is about eight blocks further up foster on the northwest corner.

photo courtesy of flickr

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.

the gordon house

i'm looking forward to the weather getting a little better so that we can head down to silverton and tour the frank lloyd wright designed gordon house.

i was able to see it in it's original location in wilsonville before they moved it down to the oregon gardens but i have not yet been able to go tour it again since the move.

this is the only flw house in oregon and i highly recommend checking it out, it's very unusual. it doesn't look like much from the outside but when you stand in the living room and look out, it has a really amazing feel. he was the master at connecting the interiors of his homes to the natural landscape and exterior of the house.




the house is in silverton at 879 west main 503.874.6006

it lists on the website that tours are on the hour between 11am and 5pm, may through october and 12pm to 4pm november through april. i would call first, though because the last time we went down, they were requiring reservations made ahead of time so we did not get to tour it.

i'm sure it will be very beautiful here in the next few weeks after more has bloomed so i'm going to wait a little bit longer before visiting it.

tumblin' tumbleweed

my friend kjirsten and i took a "girl's day" yesterday and headed over to the alberta arts district. i don't make it to this neighborhood as much as i would like to and it was a beautiful day so we really enjoyed ourselves.

my favorite store on alberta is the cute little boutique, tumbleweed. and since i don't make it here very often, i love to see it change every time i go in. i think the key is that they keep a relatively small inventory so it is always full of new items. this is also great because you don't have to worry about running into other girls wearing the same thing you are.


hey, that's me in the window! i wish i could learn to take photos without this happening. anyway, they always have the cutest windows.


and again a terrible photo of a beautiful space. i always get nervous taking photos in shops because i'm afraid they will think i'm trying to steal all of their great ideas. no, guys, it's not that, i just have to pass all of my favorites on to my blog friends.

i hardly ever leave this store without making a purchase. yesterday it was a decorating book that i can't wait to get home to and read.

visit tumbleweed at 1812 ne alberta 503.335.3100 open 7 days a week.

portland, i'm back!

well, i was never really gone. this work "trip" got to be local this time. i had a very busy two weeks preparing for and then working the portland spring home and garden show out at the expo center. if you have never attended this show, try to make it next year. if you are planning any home building or remodels, this is an amazing resource for EVERYTHING home and garden related.


of course i loved this portland ace hotel display in the pendleton woolen mills booth. pendleton made custom blankets for the ace portland and ace new york. i especially love the portland blanket because of the famous portland elk. does this elk have a name? i don't know. when i used to bus it downtown, i would pass by the elk every morning and say hello to portland. and of course the elk was featured in my all time favorite film, my own private idaho.

what are your plans and projects for the spring? i must say i was very inspired by the home and garden show and can't wait to tackle a few home projects.

it's good to be back with my little blog, is still heart you dearly (or elkly?) portland!

ink and peat

i've mentioned this shop before but it's never had a proper post of its own so today we're going to one of my favorite stores in town, ink and peat.

ink and peat is in a beautiful renovated space over on n. williams kitty corner from pix. it specializes in flowers, plants and home decor. they have a great book collection, there were at least ten i would have loved to have bought yesterday. and right now is the perfect time to stop in because they have wonderful valentines cards and chocolates. they carry wares from local artists and small independent vendors and just have a truly unique inventory. and most importantly, the shop is full of amazing flowers, air plants and succulents. i mean, you just walk in here and can feel all the oxygen.

they have their own blog that you can see some of their beautiful floral arrangements and wedding photos. so go and check out their work.

if i could, i would just live here. so don't mind me if i'm sitting on their chaise eating chocolates and reading decorating books!

ink and peat is at 3808 n. williams 503.282.2700

obsession

i'm excited to announce that i have started another blog. yes, i'm obsessed!

my newest blog, rouge blanc noir, is a much more general blog than my portland and lucie blogs. as portland and lucie require such specific topics, i wanted to branch out a little more so on rouge, pretty much anything goes--fashion, interior design, art, music, france--you name it. so check it out when you have a chance and thank you all for your dedication and support of my blogging habit. i'm having a lot of fun and constantly finding inspiration.

p.s. don't you just love this photo of jean seberg?

xoxo

ping a ling

since i've been back from my trip, i'm still getting settled in. i haven't yet finished unpacking and all that i have had time to get at the grocery store are staples like milk, cereal and dog food for lulu. because of this fact, i've been going out to lunch way more than usual. this is not a good thing as i generally eat lunch at my desk so that i can afford to eat out for more interesting meals like breakfast on the weekends or dinner. however, i made one great discovery near work that i'm so excited about. it's the newish restaurant, ping.


ping is brought to you by the pok pok folks and is located in the former hung far low location in chinatown. with chinatown's seriously sad restaurant scene, a new addition is happily welcome. ping's decor is a far cry from the old hung far low. i love the use of reclaimed wood and vintage accessories. it is a very warm and cozy atmosphere.

the food at ping is focused around the grill as you have quite a list of skewers to choose from. things like pork meatballs and spicy octopus along with the stand-by chicken breast which was really yummy too. we sampled several different skewers with rice and each of us got out of there for $10 including the tip.

and i cannot forget to mention the service. our server was a sweetheart. he explained the menu to us, made helpful suggestions and really made us feel comfortable and welcome. i'm loving this resurgence of portland restaurants that want to provide good service. i'm so tired of the "you're lucky we let you dine here" attitude.


look at these great radios they have the back wall lined with. the decor was somewhat masculine but with these little touches that i loved and that any girl would notice and appreciate.

so check out chinatown's great new addition ping at 102 nw 4th 503.229.7464