That Portland Life

Portland Lifestyle and Real Estate

Contact Us!

Portland dining

Valentine's Day 2020

by Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day 2020 is fast approaching and there are so many amazing things to do to celebrate with your loved ones! You can always go the route of a special dinner out or you could perhaps take your sweetheart dancing. You could go for a walk in one of Portland’s amazing parks or you could sip a delicious cocktail in a sultry speakeasy. Check out the list below for some fun ideas to make your day or evening special!

Where to Dine

Ava Gene’s – Italian eatery serving cocktails & upscale fare, including family-style options, in a chic space.  3377 SE Division St

Blue Hour – Upscale eatery with 16-ft.-long drapes & an outdoor patio serving Mediterranean-New American dishes. 250 NW 13th Ave

Canard – Dishes take their inspiration from all over the world at this stylish venue mixing fresh cocktails. 734 E Burnside St

Davenport – A regularly changing eclectic American menu served against a warm, industrial-hip backdrop. 2215 E Burnside St

Jacqueline – Seasonal, seafood-centric New American fare is offered in an intimate setting with quirky artwork. 2039 SE Clinton St

Urdaneta – Comfortable, chic choice for creative Spanish small plates paired with craft cocktails & wine. 3033 NE Alberta St

Where to Sip

5 and Dime – Playful cocktail menu, draft wines, and yummy bar bites in a Portland-chic neighborhood space. 6535 SE Foster Rd

Box Social – Casually elegant, candlelit bar featuring creative cocktails, nibbles & light bites. 3971 N Williams Ave

Circa 33 – Prohibition-themed cocktail bar with a patio & secret back bar hidden behind a swinging bookshelf. 3348 SE Belmont St

Fireside – Striking gastropub with dual fireplaces serving New American fare, wine & cocktails. 801 NW 23rd Ave

Kask – Cool craft cocktail bar with rustic accents featuring clever, hearty small plates & a nightly punch. 1215 SW Alder St

Wonderly – Classic and creative craft cocktails in a chic, colorful space, featuring a focused but delicious bar menu. 4727 NE Fremont St

Where to be Different

Take your sweetie for a soak at one of Portland’s many soaking pools. Kennedy School, Common Ground, or Knot Springs are all good options.

Challenge your cutie to a puzzle-solving extravaganza at a fun escape room. Both Escapism Portland and Escape Games PDX are top-notch for a brain-bending good time.

Take a hike with your honey within the city limits. Forest Park, Mt. Tabor, or Tryon Creek are all beautiful spots to take in nature and each other’s unique beauty.

Dance the night away with your darling at one of the great dance parties around town. The Goodfoot, Holocene, and Dig-a-Pony all have delightful get-downs going on this weekend.

Does your baby like beer? Take them to Zwicklemania on Saturday for free tastings and brewery tours all over the city!

Where do you plan on celebrating this Valentine’s Day 2020? Let us know in the comments!

Shalom Y'all

by Leave a Comment

Our Hot Spot of the week is the delicious Shalom Y’all! Shalom Y’all is the Israeli street food focused offering from the wildly successful John Gorham restaurant group. It is located in a cute brick building in inner SE Portland. They serve lunch, dinner, happy hour, and even brunch on the weekends, so you can stop in and check them out any time!

We were pretty impressed immediately upon walking in the door by the beautiful design of the space. The black accented bar was a beautiful contrast to the clean, white subway tile and the hanging plants scattered around the space added a lovely, natural feel.

We started with drinks, as always. There was a lovely Spanish Cava on the happy hour menu that I jumped at. It was crisp and dry with nice, small bubbles. My dining companion opted for the Turkish Delight Slushy, which contained limoncello, ceylon tea, and orange blossom water. It was like summer in a glass!

Spanish Cava and Turkish Delight Slushy

Like most of the Gorham restaurant collective, Shalom Y’all is designed for sharing. As small plates for the table is my favorite way to eat, we happily obliged and ordered several dishes. One of our favorites was the Labneh with fried artichokes. The house made yogurt cheese was properly tangy, and the fried artichokes were crispy and tender simultaneously, and smothered in a hearty pile of garlic.

  • Labneh with fried artichoke
  • Hummus Pitryot with Maitake

We also loved the Hummus ‘Pitryot’, which was topped with sauteed maitake mushrooms (YUMMM) plus dill and paprika. The Chard and Feta Safayech was amazing as well. It was almost like a spinach pie inside of a grilled pita with a wonderful tzatziki on the side. Both the Labneh and the Hummus were served with warm, fluffy pita that our wonderful server was happy to provide more of after we quickly devoured the first few.

Chard and Feta Safayech

While many of the dishes at Shalom Y’all are vegetable focused, the presence of hearty additions like fried artichoke to the dishes will leave even the omnivores satisfied. We can’t wait to come back and try so many more delicious items at Shalom Ya’ll! Check out their menus and hours here.

Have you tried any of the restaurants from John Gorham’s restaurant group? Which was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

February Events

by 1 Comment

February 2020 is here and we are excited about so many events all over Portland! Whether you are looking for a fun day with the family or a great new festival to check out, we have you covered below!

Dragons Love Tacos

Saturday February 1st-February 16th

Oregon Children’s Theatre presents a fun and dance-filled tale of a boy, his dog, and a quartet of hungry dragons. Based on the book by Adam Rubin, this show is sure to delight.

1111 SW Broadway, Sat shows at 2 pm and 5 pm, Sundays 11 am and 2pm, $15-$37.

More Info

Portland Winter Light Festival

Portland winter light festival
February 6th-8th

The Winter Light Festival is celebrating it’s 5th year and is an amazing event to attend with the whole family. There are many light installations, performers, pop-up events, and things to do. Check out the website below for all the details!

SW and SE Portland, Free

Website

Zwicklemania

zwicklemania, Portland
Saturday February 15th

More than 100 breweries across the state open their doors for tours, tastings, meet-the-brewer sessions, and of course, free samples. This free event runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.  Check out the website below for all the details about breweries that are participating and to plan your route!

Multiple locations throughout Portland, prices vary

Website

Omsi After Dark: PrOMSI

Saturday, February 15th

Tease your hair to the heavens, take an awkward photo with your date and hit the pre-spiked punch. Shoot off water rockets, concoct chemical creations, and explore the wonders of OMSI with no kids in sight! Enjoy a glass of wine while learning about robots, tornados, or fossils. Talk to a brewer about the science behind beer, or sample products from local artisans.

1945 SE Water Ave, $16

Tickets and Info

Circa 33 9th Annual Prohibition Party

Saturday, February 22nd

Dress up for a swanky night on the town with your best pearls, boas, and beaded flapper dresses- or wear your best suit, suspenders and fedora as a tribute to the mafia and muscle of the bootlegger era. Enjoy themed craft cocktails and food, available for one night only, as a tribute to the most popular 1930s libations and treats.

3348 SE Belmont St, $20

Tickets here

Portland Sinful Walking Tour: Shanghaiers, saloons, skullduggery 

Portland Walking Tour
Saturday, February 29th

It’s the monthly Portland Walking Tour! Learn about all the Sinful past of P-Town, or as we call it – Portland’s naughty bits!! Enjoy walking around Old Town, hearing about the history stuff, and help us celebrate the Leap Year! 

118 NW Couch, $18

Tickets and Info

Brewstillery Festival

Portland Brewstillery Festival
Saturday, February 29th

What better way to stay warm this winter than Breweries and Distilleries teaming up to create the perfect pairings. Each pairing will consist of a 4oz beer pour and a 1/4 oz spirit taste. Only like beer? Then just drink beer. You can pick and choose, although we strongly recommend going for the pairing. 

Stormbeaker Brewing, 832 N Beech st, $25

Tickets and Info

Which of these February events are you most excited for? Did we miss an awesome February event in Portland that you want to tell us about? Let us know in the comments!

Want to make sure you don’t miss our monthly events list? Subscribe below and we will email it to you each month!

Lechon

by Leave a Comment

Our hot spot of the week is Lechon! We headed to this fabulous wood-fired South American tapas restaurant recently to finally check it out. Located in SW Portland, this place will blow you away. The flavors, the decor, and the presentation were all spot on when we visited recently, and we are excited to go back!

Check out this incredible jellyfish tank!

Most of our group opted for bubbles to drink (surprise, surprise) but another of Lechon’s great drink options is the Old Fashioned bar, where you can choose your spirit, sugar type, and bitters to really customize your cocktail. We found the wine list and beer options were also well-curated, so we had many options of bottles to share.

When it came to the food I have a confession: We devoured everything so quickly that I completely spaced on snapping many pictures to showcase how lovely and delicious the food was. That being said, the food really was wonderful! Their take on Peru’s quintessential dish, Lomo Saltado, was easily the best version of it that I have ever eaten. Considering I lived in Peru for over 2 years, that says a lot!

Best ever Lomo Saltado

We also loved that there were options from so many South American countries! Argentine asado, Peruvian ceviche, and even some dishes that can usually be found in Spanish tapas restaurants, like Patatas Bravas. These worldly dishes were blended seemingly effortlessly with others more familiar in the Pacific Northwest, like in the Dungeness Crab Astoria.

Now, normally I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but as a group we decided that we had to try the banana caramel pie and the pina colada pisco cake. They were both totally delicious and left us scraping the plates for any remaining morsels.

Don’t skip dessert at Lechon!

We are so excited to go back and try everything else on the menu! Their happy hour looks fantastic, and maybe next time I’ll even remember the pictures. You can check out the menus and location here.

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

January Events

by Leave a Comment

January 2020 is here and we are excited about so many events all over Portland! Whether you are looking for a fun day with the family or a wild night on the town, we’ve got you covered with our list below.

Gorgeous Resolution Run

Thursday, January 2nd

Looking to get a jump start on those resolutions to make this the year that you really start running? Gorgeous Series is here to help get you on track (haha). Meet at Sasquatch Brewing for a 3 or 5 mile run, followed by a raffle of cool swag and a rewarding post-run beer. 2531 NW 30th Ave, 6:30 pm, Free.

More Info

O-Shogatsu Japanese New Year

Sunday January 5th

Portland Japanese Garden celebrates the Japanese New Year with a traditional Lion Dance, tea ceremony, and harp concert. In addition, there will be an ink-wash brush drawing session and Hyakunin Issyu (a poetry game) plus pounded rice cakes to share. 611 SW Kingston Ave, 11am-3pm, Adult $16.95, Youth $11.50, Members Free.

More Info

Biggest Clothing Swap in the NW

Sunday January 5th

Every year, hordes of people descend on the Crystal Ballroom to pass on clothing that no longer works for them and dig through piles to get new duds. There are three floors of swapping goodness and all gender identities and sizes are included. Bring a bag of clean, wearable clothing to trade. 1332 W Burnside St, 12pm-3pm, $8 advance, $10 at the door, $5 for an empty bag.

More Info

Portland Onesie Bar Crawl

Saturday January 11th

What better way to stay warm this winter than to don your favorite fuzzy onesie and hop from bar to bar? There will be drink specials, DJs, a scavenger hunt, and a whole lot of silliness. Registration is at the Barrel Room. 105 NW 3rd Ave, 4 pm -10 pm, $20 in advance.

More Info

Dragons Love Tacos

Saturday January 18th-February 16th

Oregon Children’s Theatre presents a fun and dance-filled tale of a boy, his dog, and a quartet of hungry dragons. Based on the book by Adam Rubin, this show is sure to delight. 1111 SW Broadway, Sat shows at 2 pm and 5 pm, Sundays 11 am and 2pm, $15-$37.

More Info

Ramen and Whisky Fest

Sunday January 19th

Willamette Week and Fubonn team up to bring us a battle for the ages. Six of Portland’s best ramen chefs compete to take home the title, as voted by you. Your ticket gets you a sample ramen and paired whisky cocktail from each table, plus the right to cast your vote for the coveted People’s Choice award. 101 N Weidler St, 12 pm- 2:30 pm and 3 pm- 5:30 pm, $45.

More Info

Wizard World

Friday January 24th- Sunday the 26th

The Oregon Convention Center will once again fill up with cos-players galore to celebrate all things nerd. Celebrity guests include Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes, and Emily Swallow. 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Fri 4 pm- Sun 4 pm, $30-$150.

More Info

Stout Bout

Saturday January 25th

Stout Bout is one of my favorite events every January. Portland Brewer’s Collective hosts this annual all Stout homebrewers competition. Show up to taste and vote on 12 or more homebrews. Sometimes traditional, often experimental, you’re sure to find something you like. There is a People’s Choice award and a raffle to boot! 2235 SE 11th Ave, 2 pm- 5 pm, Free.

More Info

OMSI After Dark: Cards and Consoles

Wednesday January 29th

OMSI After Dark this month focuses on all things gaming, with demos on counting cards, board game mechanics, and drunken goggle gaming. Food and drink vendors and samples, plus admission to the current featured exhibit, Exquisite Creatures. Is this my dream event? Yes, yes it is. 1945 SE Water Ave, 6 pm-10 pm, $16.

More Info

Portland Seafood and Wine Festival

Friday January 31st-Saturday February 1st

Head over to the Oregon Convention Center at the end of the month for a celebration of delicious seafood and wines. There will be over 190 exhibitors, including 60 wineries, plus it is the very height of Dungeness Crab season. Yum!!! 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Fri 2 pm-10 pm, Sat 12 pm- 10 pm, $13 advance, $15 at the door.

More Info

Which of these January events are you most excited for? Did we miss an awesome January event in Portland that you want to tell us about? Let us know in the comments!

Hat Yai – Belmont

by Leave a Comment

For our Hot Spot of the Week, we decided to check out the newly opened SE branch of Southern Thai spot Hat Yai. With counter service and checkered plastic tablecloths, this casual eatery is a perfect spot to grab a bite while checking out the great bars along the Belmont strip with friends. If you want to check out the menu, or see more information, you can do that here

As usual, we each got a cocktail to start. While the cocktail list here isn’t extensive (3 options and a seasonal special) we were both able to easily choose something that catered to our preferences. The Turmeric Sweet Tea was a lovely Thai twist on the classic, and was perfect alongside the fried chicken. The Tamarind Whiskey Smash made me seriously wish it were a hot sunny afternoon. If cocktails aren’t your thing, there is also a no-frills wine and beer list to choose from.

For dinner, we decided to share the famous fried chicken. We opted for the half-chicken portion so we could try several different dishes. The dark meat was, of course, the winner. Even the breast was tasty when doused with the Thai chili dipping sauce. We also shared the Goong Tom Gati, a shrimp and clam curry served with sticky rice. The curry was fine, but we wished we had gone with our instincts and ordered the special Jungle Curry. With trout belly and Chanterelles, it sounded outstanding. However, the person at the counter somewhat warned us off of it saying, “It’s a 9/10 on the spicy scale.” Sometimes in Thai restaurants, that would mean inedible, but once we had tasted the other curry, we felt that we certainly could have handled it.

Our surprise winner of favorite dish of the evening was the seasonal special pea tips. Simply sauteed and served in a light curry sauce, pea tips have been an exciting discovery for me in restaurants this year. They were my favorite of this evening, as well as another spent at delicious newcomer Eem a few months ago. After this experience, I know I will be ordering them every time I see them on a menu! Have you been to Hat Yai yet? What should we order next time?

What Hot Spot should we try out next? Let us know in the comments!

Straightaway Cocktails

by Leave a Comment

We headed out to try the relatively new tasting room for straightaway cocktails this week. You may have seen some of the cans of white wine spritzer on the shelves of your local new seasons and that had me very curious!

straightaway cocktails building, Portland Oregon

We sampled both the cocktail flight and the spritzer flight, both of which come paired with a little snack. The cocktails were all delicious, perfectly strong, and less sweet than you would imagine for a pre-made cocktail.

Straightaway Cocktails has 6 pre-mixed cocktails tat you can sample or buy. These 6 classic cocktails are the Lintik, a gin martini, a cosmo, a negroni, an old fashioned, or a paper plane. Each cocktail has a unique twist on to give you a little surprise, as an example, the martini also has a dash of orange bitters. My favorite of the bunch was the cosmo, not just because I am a vodka girl, but also because it had a really nice dry citrus bite to it. Each cocktail comes with it’s own pairing snack, which for the most part, were wonderfully flavored popcorns. We tried a mexican chocolate popcorn with the negroni and they both really complimented each other.

The Spritzers are served on a tray with a nice amount of kettle chips. These help you get that salty element you crave while drinking a white wine spritzer. There are 4 choices; the last word, the apertivo, the fiore, and the negroni. They are all made with sparkling pinot gris, a liqueur, and some bitters that vary drink to drink.

The staff was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and very excited that we were in to visit. We were given really great pairing notes and information about where all the delicious snacks and flavors were sourced from. You can’t get a full sized cocktail in the tasting room, but just doing the smaller platters was a ton of fun! they have a small shop inside the tasting room so you can bring a bottle home with you. I bought a sample pack just in time for the holidays.

Have you tried this awesome new distillery yet? Check out the menu and website here! Let us know what you think in the comments!

Portland’s Best – Steakhouses

by Leave a Comment

In a city that claims to be “one of the best for vegans” there are still many residents that love to enjoy a delicious steak. We have our fair share of places to get a perfectly seared steak so we wanted to share our favorites with you.

We love to support locally owned businesses so everything on this list is a true Portland steakhouse. Listed Alphabetically, here are our favorites!

Clyde's prime rib steak

Clyde’s Prime Rib

5474 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213

Website

Clyde’s keeps it old school. With a dimly lit dining room it brings us back to what Portland used to be. While the prime rib is reason enough to go, they also have many other cuts of beef that are sure to please. Clyde’s also offers live music in the bar overnight of the week.

Imperial PDX steak and sides

Imperial

410 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205

Website

Vitaly Paley’s wood fired restaurant, you will find tons of delicious cuts of meat on this menu. They have a trusty flat iron and ribeye always on the menu, and they frequently will pass out a specialty cuts list with the menus.

Laurelhurst market steak

Laurelhurst Market

3155 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214

Website

Laurelhurst Market is frequently named the city’s best steak house. Everyone that works here can give you the fine details about every cut of steak on the menu. They also serve them with wonderful accoutrement – like the pictured grilled flatiron with chanterelles and shrimp.

ox portland steak for 2

Ox

2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Portland, OR 97212

Website

This James Beard Award winning Latin American restaurant is all about the smoky flavors. There is a wood fired oven front and center in the restaurant which they use to cook all their steaks. The steak is served with the best chimichurri you have ever had and you can order a myriad of amazing vegetable sides.

portland city grill steak

Portland City Grill

30, 111 5th Ave
Portland, OR 97204

Website

This restaurant should be on your must visit list. The 30th floor restaurant offers panoramic views of the city. Whether you are a long time local, or a new visitor, the crew never gets old. They have a variety of steaks you can order from along with sauces and sides for your choice of beef.

urban farmer portland steakhouse

Urban Farmer

525 SW Morrison St
Portland, OR 97204

Website

This open-concept lobby/restaurant serves up some delightful steaks. You have a variety of options once you have chosen the cut of steak you’d like to enjoy. For example, you can have 8oz, grass fed, Oregon tenderloin, or you can have the 8oz, grain finished, California tenderloin.

We hope that you are able to get out and enjoy some of these great steak houses! Are you interested in seeing our other “Best of” lists? Check them all out here

Did we miss your favorite? Add it in the comments!