That Portland Life

Portland Lifestyle and Real Estate

Contact Us!

pdx hotspot

Kimura

by Leave a Comment

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!

Quaintrelle

by Leave a Comment

This week I went out to Quaintrelle. I had heard great things from friends and was very excited to visit! Dining outside in the winter isn’t always comfortable with the rain that Portland is so well known for, but Quaintrelle makes it feel comfortable and warm. There is a large white tent on the cobblestone patio with multiple tables, bistro lights, and a large heater to keep the space warm. Regardless of weather, at least one side of the tent is left open to allow for proper air flow.

Our Food

Quaintrelle makes Pacific Northwestern food sourced from local farms and purveyors. Seasonality is a huge part of their menu so it changes frequently which allows you to return over and over and always have a new experience. We started with green curry mussels with house made pickles. The mussels were plump and buttery. The broth they were served in was rich, full bodied, and had just a hint of spice. Next was the “Whiteout”. As the name suggests everything on the plate was completely white. Parsnip, egg, celeriac, pear, yuzu, and wasabi snow. The dish was playful and imaginative. This paired perfectly with my sparkling wine. They also have a small cocktail menu with some of the classics.

We moved into our second course by ordering the whole striped bass with miso and nuac cham, brussels sprouts with ginger, hoisin, and puffed rice, and beets with Meyer lemon custard, barley, and Roquefort powder. The bass was perfectly cooked, it was moist and fell away from the bones effortlessly. Quaintrelle took just as much care with their vegetable sides as they did with their main entrees. Each dish had the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter notes.

I would highly recommend Quaintrelle to anyone that hasn’t had the chance to try it. If you’re in the mood for some great local Northwest cuisine, you will not be disappointed.

Have you tried Quaintrelle yet? Let us know in the comments! If you have yet to try it out, you can check out the menu here. To see what else we have featured, you can check out those here!

Oma’s Takeaway

by 2 Comments

This week we had the pleasure of trying Oma’s Takeaway! Oma’s started as a pop up when the chef/owner of Gado Gado realized his food wasn’t well situated for the take-out only option of the pandemic. He and his sous chef started putting together a menu based on their childhood memories and grandmother’s cooking. They both called their grandmas Oma, so it was an easy name choice. The two restaurants are now ‘sister’ restaurants with a similar southeast Asian style.

Oma's Takeaway exterior

Oma’s Takeaway now stands where Whiskey Soda Lounge used to be. I was unsure before trying Oma’s if they would be able to fill the shoes of the past owners. I didn’t have a chance to try Oma’s when it was just a pop-up so I had a few doubts. The smell wafting from the restaurant as I approached the door was sweet, spicy, and slightly fishy – all things you want from a southeast Asian restaurant! Oma’s has the options right now of either dining on the patio or taking their food away.

The Food

I really wanted the full experience so I tried almost everything on the menu. The standouts for me were the Cumin Curry-spiced Ribs in Tamarind glaze, the Braised and Fried Chicken, and the Corn Fritters. The corn fritters were fried perfection with a sweet and sticky soy dip. Both the ribs and chicken are part of the Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia and means rich rice. The rice is served with peanuts, fried anchovies, and house made sambal. For dessert we tried the rice crispy treat. I don’t know about you, but I hadn’t had one in AGES. They add whole marshmallows and fruity pebbles to the recipe to add a bit of flair. It rounded out the meal extremely well and I can’t wait to go back!

Did you have the chance to try the pop-up? Or have you been to the new brick and mortar? Let us know in the comments! If you are looking for something different you can check out the other restaurants we have featured HERE.

Hawks View Winery

by Leave a Comment

This week we headed to the beautiful suburb of Sherwood to meet with a new client and try some wine. One of our favorite things about Portland is that the city is small enough that you can get out to the suburbs in about 20-30 minutes. That allows us to enjoy some of the amazing places outside of the city. Hawks View is a perfect example of this. They have a gorgeous property in the hills with multiple decks, modern design, and, most importantly, delicious wine.

Haw's view winery

I highly recommend trying a wine flight, for $20 you get 6 different wines. If you are lucky they will be starting the flight off with a sparkling rosé, it’s a dry and crisp sparkling wine and pairs perfectly with the end of the summer. They also had a pinot gris, chardonnay, and 3 pinots on the wine flight while we were visiting. All of their wines are very true to the style and moderately priced if you want to bring some bottles home.

They also serve a bit of food. They have a fantastic charcuterie board that has been a staple at the winery since they opened, but they also just started doing flatbreads. Cleverly named after the color of the wine it will best pair with, all the choices counted delicious.

We decided on “The Red” a flatbread with gorgonzola, figs, prosciutto, and arugula. It was delicious. The flatbread was crisp on the edges and light and fluffy in the middle. The flavors are a classic combination that all balance really well. True to the name, it did pair very well with the pinot noir we had.

The tasting room is by appointment only, but they have a very easy online system to use. You can get to it over on their website. You can also buy bottles, book events, or join the wine club while you are there. Let us know when you go and visit this winery, we would love to know what you think! You can also check out some of the other hotspots we have loved HERE.