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Astral and Duality

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Welcome to the ultimate hotspot of the week, where teamwork takes center stage! Picture this: Duality Brewing crafting sensational beer and playing host to natural wines, alongside Astral’s mastery of fresh, delectable small plates. We recently experienced this dynamic duo on a sun-soaked day, and let me tell you, the patio was an absolute paradise.

We started off with a glass of pinot gris, perfectly complementing the sunshine. The rice lager that we tried out next surprised us with its hoppy twist, and felt like a great balance of flavors.

Now, let’s talk about the food – on this visit we tried so many delicious dishes! The Dungeness crab tostada was outstanding, with a swath of avocado mousse, tons of fresh crab, and bursts of rainbow trout roe atop a blue corn tostada. It was sunshine on a plate, fitting for an Oregon spring day. Following suit, the dry-aged Kanpachi crudo was bright and fresh, served with an aguachile of carrot habanero, serrano oil, and shiso, with a rice crisp to scoop it up. For a heartier small plate, we added the nixtamalized sunchokes – rich, earthy, and accompanied by a green goddess dressing and bonito flakes that danced in the breeze. And oh, the grilled fish taco! A generous filet of striped bass, grilled to perfection on their tiny outdoor grill, was a testament to their dedication to freshness and quality.

Every bite and sip at Duality and Astral was a pure delight, heightened by the unbeatable patio setting on a beautiful Portland day. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit, eager to explore more of their menu or simply unwind with a refreshing drink.

You can find more info about Duality Here and Astral Here. Have you checked them out yet? Let us know in the comments!

Oma’s Hideaway

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Our Hot Spot this week is incredible Southeast Asian restaurant Oma’s Hideaway! Originally introduced as a take-out concept, this sister restaurant to already much-talked-about Gado Gado puts a fun and playful spin on food inspired by the chef’s grandmother’s cooking. We were so impressed by the attention to detail and creative flavor combinations! I would definitely encourage you to check out this SE Division powerhouse before it’s too tough to get a seat.

Omas Hideaway

We started with some cocktails, one boozy and one zero proof. We are always big fans of restaurants that take their non-alcoholic drinks seriously, rather than just phoning it in. Oma’s has several options of zero proof drinks that have complex and delightful flavor profiles. This time we went with the Inspector Gadget, which felt like summertime in a glass. On the boozy side, we tried out the Any Fool Can Make Something Complicated. It was delicious and bittersweet, and we thoroughly enjoyed it (and the name).

My favorite problem to have when trying out a new restaurant is when EVERY. SINGLE. THING on the menu sounds amazing. It makes me wish that I could be like the cow and have three more stomachs. Luckily, only having one means that I will just have to keep coming back! This time we decided to start with the Corn Fritters, the Roti Canai, and the Duck Salad.

The Corn Fritters were sweet, fluffy, and crunchy, served with a rich, sweet peanut sauce over the top. A very nice starting snack to go along with those first cocktails. The Roti Canai totally blew our minds. I tend to think of roti as a somewhat dense flatbread, primarily to be used as a vessel to get sauce to your mouth. This roti was a whole other ballgame. Stretched and folded over and over, it was almost like a rounded fried croissant, incredibly flaky and melt-in-your-mouth. The curry dipping sauce was wonderful as well, but I feel like I could eat nothing but that roti every damn day and be happy. The duck salad was another game-changer. We both agreed that it might have been the best salad we have ever eaten. It had spice and crunch, sweetness and freshness, and some phenomenally tender duck on top. So much yum!

Next, we tried out the Duck, Foie, and Pork Sausage as well as the Spot Prawns . The sausage was lovely, with braised greens a warm broth, and a rich hoison-aise for dipping. Now, I have to give you a warning about the Spot Prawns. This is NOT a first date food! Your hands will get messy extricating the delectable shrimp morsels from the shells and you will definitely be licking your fingers. The sauce is so outstanding that you might slurp it from the bowl or at least order a whole second roti to slather it on. Either way, your belly will be happily bursting by the end and you will want nothing more than some very stretchy pants and a comfy couch to stretch out on.

Definitely head over to Oma’s Hideaway and try out their incredible food. Then, let us know in the comments what we need to order next time! Check out Oma’s Hideaway current menu Here.

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