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Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher

Portland’s Best Coffee Shops

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When you first wake up in the morning is there really any better smell than freshly brewed coffee? In our opinion, that answer is no. The only thing that can make it better is not having to make the coffee yourself! This week we decided it was time to share some of our favorites by giving you Portland’s Best Coffee Shops! In no particular order:

Carnelian Coffee

6923 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 
Open 7 days a week 7:30 – 2:00
Menu Here

Speedboat Coffee

5115 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR
Open 7 days a week 7:00 – 1:00
Menu Here

Extracto

2921 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 
Open 7 days a week 8:00 – 2:00
Website Here

Crema

2728 SE Ankeny St, Portland, OR
Open 7 days a week 6:30 – 6:00
Menu Here

Water Ave

1028 SE Water Ave #145, Portland, OR
Open Thursday – Friday 7:00 – 1:00 , Saturday – Sunday 7:00 – 2:00
Website Here

Proud Mary’s

2012 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 
Open 7 days a week 7:00 – 4:00
Website Here

Next time your craving a good cup of joe or an elaborately beautiful latte, check out one of these local shops instead of heading to your quickest drive-through chain. We guarantee that the atmosphere and quality of craftsmanship will be several steps ahead. If we didn’t get your idea of Portland’s Best Coffee Shops on our list make sure to let us know where to check out next by leaving us a comment below! For other local favorites of ours check head Here on our blog.

Tropicale

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Springtime is here with summer just around the corner, and this week’s Hot Spot -Tropicale – is the perfect place to celebrate that fact! We headed here recently to test out their famous pina coladas, margaritas, and snacks, and were positively delighted!

First, let me say – Tropicale has their patio situation dialed in. There is plenty of space, a festive atmosphere, and different styles of outdoor heaters dotted about to make sure you stay warm enough while you imbibe. We actually ended up between a stand-up heater and a long, low fireplace style, and had to take off a couple of layers! A smart move on their part, as it certainly added to the tropical feel of the place!

Tropicale patio.

We started, of course, with the famous pina colada in a whole pineapple. While everything is better when served in a pineapple, I can say that the beverage itself held it’s own. Delicious! Next, I tested out the spicy mango margarita, which was so tasty I had finished it before I knew what had happened. Based on those two, I want to try everything they have!

tropicale Pina colada in a whole pineapple

Next, it was time for some food to balance the bevvies. We tried a lot of the menu and were quite happy. As is tradition, chips and guacamole to start, which here you can add on dueling salsas (do it) to complement. The shrimp tacos were lovely, bright, and well-made. The tostada ahumada (topped with smoked skirt steak, greens, and caper aioli) had an excellent balance of flavors and textures and was quite filling. We ended up adding on the pulpo at the end, because, how can you not? As many know octopus can be diffficult to cook properly, but Tropicale did it right! It was super tender with wonderful flavors.

Tostada

We cannot wait to come back and spend many summer evenings on the patio here. With their tasty food and fresh, fun cocktails, I think this is going to be a spot we re-visit frequently! Check out Tropicale here.

Where should we visit next? Let us know in the comments! If you want to see our other Hot Spots head HERE

Kimura

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This week we headed out to try something new. I’d never had a japanese toast before, but I’d only heard good things. Located on the very popular Williams corridor and next to another favorite hotspot, Kayos Ramen, you can come to Kimura for lunch or dessert! Shokupan, also known as japanese milk bread, is a soft and spongy this bread that you can order with a huge array of toppings.

image courtesy of https://kimuratoast.com

The toast reminded me of a mix of a croissant and french toast. It was thick and spongy like a good french toast, but delicate and buttery like a delicious croissant. I chose to have mine topped with strawberries and cream which perfectly complimented the warm sunny day.

kimura - strawberry toast

Naturally I enjoyed my toast with my favorite beverage, a glass of champagne, but they also have a wide range of other drinks to choose from. There are multiple wine options, coffee and espresso with coffee beans from Proud Mary Coffee, teas from Smith Tea Maker, and of course, Matcha tea and lattes.

We are definitely going to be going back to visit again to try some different toasts and house made butters. Let us know if you have stopped by yet and what your favorite dish is. You can also check out their website and menu Here. If you want to see what else we love, all of our hot spots can be found Here. See you next week!

Portland’s Best Decks

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Springtime in Portland is unbelievably beautiful! Flowers are blooming all around and the blue skies are finally showing themselves again. One of our favorite activities is sipping a drink or two and enjoying some delightful bites while sitting on one of Portland’s best decks! Portland has a few elite options when it comes to dining in the sunshine. We could only choose a few to make our list so we took into consideration the outdoor space, the food, and of course the drink quality! In no particular order, here are our favorites!

Hammer & Stitch Brewing

2377 NW Wilson St., Portland OR 97210
Menu Here
Open Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 12 pm – 7 pm
Friday – Saturday 12 pm – 9 pm
Minors allowed

Revolution Hall Roof Deck

1300 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97214
Menu Here
Open Monday – Thursday 3 pm – Late
Friday – Saturday 12 pm – Late
Minors allowed until 7 pm

Botanist

910 NW 14th Ave. Portland, OR 97209
Menu Here
Open Wednesday – Thursday 4 pm – 10 pm
Friday – Saturday 10 am – 2 pm & 4 pm – 10:30 pm
Sunday 10 am – 2 pm

Tope

15 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Menu Here
Open Thursday – Sunday 4 pm – Late
Minors allowed

Radio Room

1101 NE Alberta St, Portland OR 97211
Menu Here
Open 7 days a week 9 am – 11 pm
Minors allowed

10 Barrell Brewing

 1411 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Menu Here
Open 7 days a week 11 am – 11 pm
Minors allowed

Warm weather has already hit us this spring, so it’s about time to bust out those sandals and hit one of Portland’s Best Decks! Any of these places are guaranteed to show you a good time. If you didn’t see your favorite deck on our list leave us a comment and we will check it out! We also have several other Portland favorites Here.

Yalla

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This week, our Hot Spot is phenomenally delicious Mediterranean BBQ spot Yalla! As Spring gets started and the weather becomes more forgiving, we have been trying to find great outdoor dining options. Both of us independently saw an Instagram post by the one and only @foodiesnitch that featured Yalla’s adorable dining cabanas and decided we had to go!

First of all, we thought these cabanas were so perfect! With one fully open side and a small directional heater, they are totally equipped so that we felt both safe and comfortable. Food was delivered in to go-style boxes to our end table that we then distributed family-style.

We started with drinks of course. Yalla has a nicely curated list of beers and a few canned wines, plus a couple of solid cocktails and their own house-made sodas. I ordered the Prime Manhattan for an opener and Jessica tried out the Ginger soda. Both were great for sipping.

For our meal, we were so excited to try the food that we ordered a bit of everything. For our salad course we tried the Gathering Together Greens with dill, radish, ricotta salata, and walnut vinaigrette. Let me tell you, I don’t normally get very excited about salads, but this one had me scraping the bottoms of the box!

The next course, we tried the Hummus with Burnt Ends and the Yellow Falafel. The falafel was so nicely crunchy on the outside but tender inside and the flavors were on point. The burnt ends seriously melted in your mouth with that perfect amount of smoky fat and the hummus was a great accompaniment. That dish also came with some delicious roasted poblanos that further elevated the flavor profile. We also had a side of the oven roasted carrots with harissa and they were delightful. Cooked perfectly with just the right spice and sauce.

Next was a battle of the fried chickens! We ordered both the chicken wings served with pomegranate molasses and the fried chicken with harissa honey and pickled cauliflower. Both were absolutely top notch, with super succulent meat ensconced in crispy batter with a touch of sweetness. Comparing notes later, we discovered that while we thought both were excellent, I leaned slightly towards the fried chicken and Jessica leaned slightly towards the wings.

We cannot wait to go back and try all of the rest of the menu! In particular, we are very excited to return for the short ribs (a dish recommended for 2-4 people) and the desserts! If you want to decide what to order when you stop in for a visit, check out the menu here. If you want to see where else we have eaten lately, you can find our other Hot Spots here.

Do you have somewhere we should feature next? Let us know in the comments!

Quirky Boutiques

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One of our favorite things to do on a nice spring day in Portland is to go window shopping. We aren’t usually looking for anything specific, and don’t always plan on buying anything on these adventures, but somehow we always manage to come back with something new and exciting! Portland is full of shops, but there are a select few that fall into our list of Portland’s best Quirky Boutiques. For us, these shops need to have a little of everything. We are looking for clothing, jewelry, gifts, and greeting cards. Just to name a few qualifications.

Memento PDX

3707 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Open 7 days a week 10 am – 6 pm
Website Here

Presents of Mind

3633 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, Oregon 97214
Monday-Friday 11 am -6 pm
Saturday & Sunday 10 am -6 pm
Website Here

Flutter

3948 N Mississippi Ave, Portland OR 97227
Reopening in May 2021!
Website Here

Redux Boutique

811 E Burnside St #116, Portland, OR 97214
Wednesday – Saturday 12 pm – 6 pm
Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm
Website Here

Moments Have You

1724 NE 40th AVE, Portland, OR 97212
Tuesday-Friday 12 pm -4:30 pm, Saturday 12 pm -4 pm
Just knock on the door when you arrive
Website Here

If you find yourself in need of a gift, but you’re just not sure what to get. Any of these shops are sure to have what you’re looking for. Sometimes you just need to walk into one of Portland’s Quirky Boutiques to stumble upon the perfect thing. If you want some more of Portland Best Shopping check out some of our other favorites Here.

Crumbl Cookies

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Portland is full of amazing dessert shops that we know and love. In fact we’ve talked about a lot of them. Today we are stepping just outside of Portland, because our suburbs have some pretty great stuff as well. This week we went to Crumbl Cookies in Lake Oswego! Crumbl Cookies also has shops in Beaverton, Clackamas, Hillsboro, and Wilsonville.

The first thing you should know about Crumbl is that they are serving you warm cookies! Each cookie is thick and just slightly gooey in the center. Before you even walk into the shop, the smell of freshly baked cookies takes over all of your senses. It’s impossible to not fall in love right away! These are not your average cookies that we are talking about. Crumbl has a rotation of 120 delicious flavors. Some of these flavors include red velvet, carrot cake, sea salt toffee, funfetti, and so many more. The number one staple here is the milk chocolate chip cookie. Check out their current selection Here. Crumbl claims to have the world’s best chocolate chip cookie. This is a big statement to make and while we haven’t had all the cookies in the world yet. We agree with their bold claim.

Crumbl Cookies was started in Utah by two cousins who sought out to just make the best cookies they could. After several failed attempts they went back to the drawing board and A/B tested each cookie at their local gas stations and grocery stores until they found the perfect combination of ingredients and bake time. The original shop opened up in 2017 in Utah, Since that point 75 more locations have opened and they show no sign of slowing down! If you’re ready to give “the world’s best cookie” a try let us know in the comment below which flavor you’re most excited about. Also check out some of our other Hot Spots Here.

March Market Update

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The real estate market in Portland is showing no signs of slowing down. As we head into spring we fully expect to see the same trends continue. If you are on the fence about buying, I’d jump off now even though it is competitive. Interest rates will keep climbing as we continue through the year and that will only lessen your buying power as home prices also continue to climb.

Breakdown

The average sales price jumped up to $542,000 from $514,000 in just a month. That also gives us a 14% increase from last year. Portland has been seeing a 10-14% increase in sales price since way back in 2018. Even if you are buying at these higher prices, you are still going to be gaining equity over the next couple years.

As we see the weather change we are also seeing more homes come onto the market. This is good news for buyers, but things are still very competitive out there. Homes are selling for an average of 8.5% over list price, in some neighborhoods this is close to 12%. Make sure you are taking to your realtor about specifics so you can be making informed decisions whether you are writing offers or planning on listing your home.

As we mentioned above, if you are waiting for the bubble to pop or the other shoe to drop, you may be waiting for a long time. The market is healthy and climbing and most economists agree this will continue for at least another year. Once inventory finally starts to stabilize we will see a slow down and plateau, but it shouldn’t cause prices to drop. If you have specific questions feel free to reach out and we would love to chat with you! Lastly, if you need some tips to get your offer accepted, head over to THIS POST to read all the things we are doing to win for our buyers.