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Montelupo

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Hot Spot of the week is very cool Italian Market and
Restaurant, Montelupo! This great NE spot has a very neat business plan and something for every one of your needs. In the mornings, they have coffee and pastries, at night they have dine-in (and heated patio) delicious dinner, and throughout the day they have an excellent grab ‘n go market with wine and wonderful pantry goods. Recently, we took advantage of the heated dining tent and sampled a whole bunch of Montelupo’s dinner service and it was delish!

To start, of course, we tried a cocktail. I opted for the Daisy Chain, a bright and citrusy gin concoction that was too good not to down in about 3 minutes. To follow we ordered a bottle of prosecco, which was pleasantly crisp and complemented the rich food very well.

We wanted to try so many things on the menu that even after a lengthy ‘paring-down’ debate, we still definitely over-ordered. We were not sad about that however, as we got to have Montelupo lunch the next day! To start we went with the Dos Hermanos pull-apart bread, which is a must have in order to mop up sauces as well as eat plain with EVOO. We also got the burrata, which was delicious and fresh, served with olive, tomato aioli, and greens. We also had the arancini, stuffes with rice, bay shrimp, and cheese. Finally, we tried the roasted and carrot with sunchokes (a new favorite) accompanied by tahini and gremolata. The starters were all wonderful and also quite filling.

Even though we were practically stuffed at this point, you can’t go to an Italian restaurant and not try the pasta! We went for the pappardelle, prepared with braised pork ragu and a broccollini-basil pesto for one. For our second choice we tried the fusilli with wild mushrooms, parsnips and cream. The pastas were both well-prepared and the ingredients did not overwhelm with flavor, instead letting the noodles shine.

Too full to even think about dessert, we grabbed an extra bottle of bubbles to go from the market inside and headed home to sip and plan out our next visit. Want to check out Montelupo Italian Market? You can head right over Here.

Do you know a Hot Spot that we should checkout next? Let us know in the comments below!

Sandwich Shops

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Portland excels in many types of cuisine, from fine dining to food carts, but did you know we also have some really phenomenal sandwich shops? Whether you are grabbing a mid-day work meal or packing up a picnic to take to the woods (or coast or mountains) here are some of Portland’s best sandwich shops.

Bodega PDX

6231 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Open Mon-Sat 10am- 11pm, Sunday 9:30am-10pm

Check them out Here.

Devil’s Dill

1711 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

Open Sat-Tues 12pm-11pm, Weds-Fri 12pm-1am

Take a look at those sandos Here.

EastSide Deli

4626 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215

4823 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203

Open Every Day 11am-6pm

Tasty Menu Here.

Lardo

1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

1205 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205

4025 Mercantile Dr, Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Portland Locations Open Every Day 11am-10pm

Lake Oswego Every Day 11am-9pm

Check em all out Here.

Tails and Trotters

525 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232

Open Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm

Get some Deliciousness Here.

Taste Tickler

1704 NE 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97212

Open Daily 11am-7pm.

See Some Great Sammies Here.

Which of these awesome sandwich shops will be your next stop? Let us know in the comments below! Is there a Portland’s Best List you really want to see? Let us know and we’ll make it happen!

Wild Thing

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This week’s Hot Spot is brand new plant-based build-a-bowl restaurant Wild Thing! This delicious Alberta outpost is brought to us by alum from two of our PDX faves, Arden and Tusk. We could not be more excited to have a new grab-n-go option that is not only healthy, but also a nice alternative to the typical rice and bean joints.

Wild Thing’s concept is pretty simple, but done in an elevated way. You start with options for the base, tri-color quinoa, brown rice, or mixed greens, or even a combo. Then you have many options of fun vegetable toppings to choose from. One of my favorite things about Wild Thing is that they made the flavors really diverse – sumac, turmeric, urfa chili – but also made sure that you can easily mix and match and have all of the flavors complement each other.

On our recent visit I went with smoky paprika cauliflower, sumac cabbage, lemony brussel sprouts, roasted delicata squash, and sesame broccoli. Then you get to add some crunch and I definitely went crispy garlic. The sauces are wonderful as well, with options like hazelnut romesco or tahini miso. Again, all of the flavors meld so well! If you want to bulk your bowl up a smidge you can also do add-ons, of which I highly recommend the lentil tempeh ‘chicken’ salad. I am generally not a big fan of tempeh, and this scoop was a game-changer!

Wild Thing also has their own branded cans of wine, a light chilled red and a crisp white, plus kombucha, cold brew, and other tasty options. Open Weds- Sat 11-7 with a happy hour from 3-5. Check them out next time you are looking for a delicious and hearty bowl in NE Portland! Visit virtually Here.

Where should we check out for our next Hot Spot? Let us know in the comments!

Deadshot

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Our Hot Spot of the week this week is outstanding SE cocktail spot Deadshot! We had been hearing about this one for ages, in particular from one of our favorite cocktail-loving friends, so it was time for a pop in. Long story short, it was awesome.

We headed in for happy hour and grabbed a spot on the patio. Like many Portland establishments, they have an extended outdoor dining plaza currently, and we sure do hope those stick around! We started off with the happy hour cocktail of the day, an Americano, in part because Campari is delicious and in part because it was going to take a LOT more time to make our decisions. Deadshot is dangerous, as basically every single thing on both the food and cocktail menus sounds amazing.

Once our thirst had been quenched, we moved on to the slightly higher proof Tom and Artemis. This one was a super delicious blend of Old Tom gin, Genepy (an herbal, Alpine liqueur) lime, and absinthe served over a king cube. It was very spirit forward, but also crisp, bright, and drinkable. We also decided to get some tasty snacks and started with the Cha Gio from the happy hour menu. The description of these as ‘crispy pork and shrimp spring rolls did not prepare us for how delicious they were. We honestly considered immediately ordering a second portion. They were crispy, but also tender, and positively juicy inside. The dipping sauce was a great balance of spicy and sweet and the pickled carrots and daikon on the side was a fresh and tangy complement.

Instead, we decided to try out more things from the menu. We went with the Crying Tiger, which was a nicely grilled bone-in slab of short rib, and the Dragon Dumplings. The dumplings were recommended by our server and were outstanding. Ground pork and shrimp stuffed into some nicely toothsome dumplings were tossed in a delicious sauce with grilled long beans and crunchy peanuts. The bowl was nearly clean when it returned to the kitchen. Along with this round of food, we also tested out the Heart of Cyn, a tamarind take on a Whiskey sour that had us puckering but pleased.

We are definitely excited to head back to Deadshot and try out everything else on the menus. Their cocktails are creative and the food is wonderful and we just want more! If you haven’t been yet, check them out Here. If you want to check out our other Hot Spots, you can find them Here. Where should we go next? Let us know in the comments!

How to Pick your Price

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Whether you are a first-time home buyer, or it’s just been awhile here are some quick tips on how to pick your purchase price! Watch the 2 minute video or just read on below!

1. Get Pre-approved

The first step in your process of choosing your purchase price is to talk to a lender. You will want to get your pre-approval going. Knowing your maximum purchase price, as well as where there may be any wiggle room, will help you determine a range that you will want to be shopping in.

2. Think about what Monthly Payment will be Comfortable

Regardless of what your preapproval amount is, you don’t have to spend the top of your budget! Ask your lender to give you a breakdown of what the monthly payments will look like. It’s best to look at a few different increments within your range. Then decide what feels like a comfortable monthly payment for your mortgage and aim for spending around that amount. Remember that current interest rates are most often going to make a bigger difference in your monthly payment than the purchase price! You could be paying LESS per month for a house that costs MORE if you lock in a good low rate. Be sure to check with your lender and realtor regarding current rates and trends.

3. Factor in Competition

Recently in Portland, we had homes selling for an AVERAGE of 10-12% over list price. While this won’t always be the case, it is important to know what the competition looks like and how much over list you may have to go to win the house of your dreams. For example, if target price you want to spend is $450k but homes are generally selling at 10-12% over, you may want to focus your search between $375-$400k. Again, chat with your realtor to find out what’s happening in your market at the moment and they will help guide you on this.

Hope this helps you to pick your price! If you need any other tips and tricks for buying or selling, feel free to reach out or look Here.

June 2021

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The latest market update is out for June of 2021. Inventory is starting to creep back up and the buying frenzy is starting to calm down. This is really good news for buyers that are still in the market. We are seeing homes get a couple of offers instead of 20 and houses selling for 100K over list price are becoming increasingly rare. If you are a seller, there is still a good market out there and plenty of buyers, it just isn’t the feeding frenzy it was back in March. If you want to get into the details, continue on below!

The first things we notice is the average sales price. We haven’t quite hit 600k as our average to live in Portland proper, but we will by next month. This is over a 20% increase from last year and a 2% increase from just last month. I know we say this a lot, but if you are on the fence about buying, get off of it. Things are going to continue to climb and gain equity, so waiting is only making it harder to buy.

The other big stat that jumps out is the amount that things are selling over the list price. Earlier I mentioned that things were starting to cool off. That is true though this number doesn’t show it. The thing to remember is that 13% average is from homes that went pending in May and closed in June. May was one of our busiest months. Things have settled back down between 8-10% over as of recently.

The other bit of good news for buyers is that listings are finally starting to climb up above the closed sales. Things are still selling quickly, but at least everyone has multiple options when they are deciding what to buy. If you are a seller, make sure you are situating yourself with the right listing agent, the right price, and the right marketing so you can stand out among the crowd.

If you want to chat about specifics whether it is buying or selling, we are happy to do so! Just call or email us and we would love to talk with you about your unique situation! You can also look for homes HERE if you are ready to get started.

2021 Summer Tips

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Hey Friends, Today we are going to be talking about summer home maintenance tips for 2021! If you prefer to see the video, you can do that HERE

Today we have 5 tips to help you ensure you extend the life of your home, appliances and make ti though the summer in style!  

Tip 1: HVAC

Have your furnace and AC serviced. There is nothing worse than having your AC go out during a heat wave.  If you don’t think you need a technician to come out, make sure to replace all your filters so things are running efficiently.  

Summer AC
Tip 2: Windows and Doors

Check your window screens and weatherstripping around the house.  Even the smallest holes in the screens can allow mosquitos and other pests into your home while you are trying to get a some fresh air. Also check the seals around your windows and doors, if you do have the AC running we want to be sure we aren’t wasting precious cold air by allowing it to escape outside.  This will also help your energy bills go down, so its a win-win. 

window sealing
Tip 3: Power Wash

Power wash and reseal your deck or patio.  We want to make sure your deck and patio make it through the whole summer.  Power washing can remove any pollen, grime, or buildup that may have accumulated during the spring and winter months.  If you have a wooden deck resealing it will ensure that you get many more seasons out of your deck and it will look great. 

power washing
Tip 4: Dishwasher

This is an easy, but often overlooked one.  Clean your dishwasher. We don’t think of this often because it cleans our dishes, but it can get food buildup and soap scum which leads to a less than ideal clean. Run the dishwasher on the highest heat setting with a bowl of white vinegar in the top rack. Your dishes will have never sparkled so much. 

dishwasher
Tip 5: Gutters

And lastly, clean out your gutters.  They likely have some buildup from the spring and winter and need to be cleaned out.  This ensure that when those rare heavy summer rains do show up, everything is draining the way it is supposed to. 

gutters

Hopefully this gives you a couple quick things to do to spruce up your house, if you think we missed any really important tips, let us know in the comments!  Otherwise have a great weekend and enjoy your summer of 2021! 

Arden

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We had the pleasure of dining at Arden last week, and it was phenomenal. I’m a true portlander when it comes to food. I LOVE farm to table NW Cuisine. After following Arden on instagram and participating in some of the weekly wine talks, I was beyond excited to try this pearl district gem.

Arden Patio

They have a great wine list with multiple options in all styles, including sparkling (yay!). A temporary patio if you are not yet comfortable dining indoors, and a waitstaff that is both friendly and helpful when its time to make a decision.

We wanted to try basically everything on the menu, but luckily our waiter helped us narrow things down to items that would pair well with each other and our sparkling wine. We ended up choosing a burrata salad, smoked trout toast, and foie gras to start with.

The vegetables were all fresh, crisp and absolutely shined in these dishes. The trout toast was my favorite of the three. It featured toast with a smoked trout aioli, smoked trout slices, peas, radishes, lemon zest and a bit of dill. I highly recommend you trying this one!

To finish out the meal we shared the goat cheese gnocchi and a side of blistered radishes. The gnocchi was light and fluffy and complimented by a fabulous pea puree, parmesan cheese and prosciutto. The radishes were simple, but delicious! And to finish the meal we just had to try a dessert. They had a basque style cheesecake served with rhubarb that was absolutely divine.

The menu changes frequently and I know I will be back to try some things again soon. If you want to check out the menu before you head in, you can find that here. If you do go check them out, let us know what you think!