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Portland’s Best Florists

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Valentine’s Day is coming up! I love this holiday because it gives me an extra reason to celebrate my loved ones. I try and start each day with a thankful heart. And my heart is exploding with love for this amazing community, and all our local vendors. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not a good florist is always a nice thing to have. Sometimes it is nice just to surprise someone with flowers. Especially these days! This week we searched the city to find some of Portland’s best florists. In no particular order, here are a couple that we loved!

Solabee Flowers and Botanicals

801 N Killingsworth St, Portland OR 97217
Open Monday – Saturday 10 am – 4 pm
Pickup or delivery available
Website Here

Botanica Floral Design

3318 Ne Wasco St, Portland OR 97232
Open Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday 9 am – 4 pm
Pickup available
Website Here

Old Town Florist

old town florist

404 NW 10th Ave LL1, Portland OR 97209
Open Monday – Friday 8 am – 5 pm
Pickup or delivery available
Website Here

Sellwood Flower Company

8215 SE 13th Ave suite A, Portland OR 97202
Open Monday – Saturday 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Pickup or delivery available
Website Here

Goose Hollow Flowers

1219 SW 19th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Open Monday – Friday 9 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 10 am – 2 pm
Pickup and delivery available
Website Here

Starflower

3564 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Open 7 days a week 11 am – 6 pm
Pickup or delivery available
Website Here

Are you ready to pick out your perfect bouquet yet? If flowers aren’t quite what you’re looking for we have a lot of other suggestions around town for you. Just go Here and you might find that something special that you’ve been looking for. If you have any favorite places that we missed please leave us a comment and we will try to add them to our list.

Hammer & Stitch Brewing

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This week we ventured to Slab Town to check out one of Portland newest breweries. Hammer and Stitch opened October 10th with 5 standard beers. The brewery has since added 4 more creations to their collection. The goal of this brewery is to keep it simple, and just make good quality beer. The name Hammer and Stitch is an homage to makers of all sorts, but specifically the late mother and father of some of the partners behind the company. Their mother was an apparel designer and seamstress and their father was an architect and builder. This pairing is what makes up the logo for the brewery.

  • The Front
  • The Deck

The team behind the beer is one of the things that makes this brewery so special. Ben Dobler, who has been making beer in Portland for the past 27 years, brought his skills and expertise to Hammer and Stitch. He isn’t alone in the brew house however. Head Brewer Cam Murphy has been working with beer for several years. These two have worked at many breweries on their way to Hammer and Stitch, those include at places like Widmer, Mt. Tabor Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing and Von Ebert.

  • The Tap House
  • The Brew House

The beers here are all easy drinking and don’t weight you down like so many other beers can. We couldn’t try everything on tap, but we certainly tried. The IPA is hop-forward with piney aromas balanced by citrus notes. The Lager is crisp, clean, and just slightly hoppy in the finish. The Amber has a little bit of everything in it, caramel and chocolate malt flavors with woody floral aromas. The Porter is warm and toasty with chocolate malts but is still incredibly smooth and light in the finish. The Cozy is a Russian Imperial Stout that has bold coffee and chocolate aromas which hit your senses immediately, but it finishes with hoppy, woody, and floral notes. If you’re looking for a fruity finish the Berry Cozy is the same Russian Imperial Stout but they added raspberry puree to it.

Are you feeling thirst for a beer yet? you can get more information about the brewery and their beers Here. If you didn’t quite find what you were looking for you can check out some of our other Hot spot Here

Quaintrelle

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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

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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.

Flower Bomb Floral

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Audrey Hepburn once said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” This quote seemed very fitting as we near the end of 2020. Audrey Hepburn certainly knew what she was talking about and I love flowers. This week we headed to Flower Bomb Floral!

Flower Bomb

Once we walked into the boutique we were welcomed with a warm hello and immediately offered help creating a bouquet. Solara, the shop’s owner, had fun creating a unique and tropical bouquet for us. She was mindful of our budget and what style we were looking for. With all the rain we were thrilled to have something that reminded us of a beach vacation and warmer weather. The bouquet was unlike anything I’d seen before. Solara is a magician with flowers!

The rest of the shop is filled with house plants, both large and small, pre-arranged potted perfections, cards, chocolates, and some awesome local art. Though the shop is small, it was easy to spend much more time in there than expected. While we were waiting we learned that Flower Bomb was Portland’s first mobile plant and flower boutique. Then in early 2020 she opened her very own brick and mortar shop. If you are looking for something to brighten your day or to brighten your home, be sure to go support this amazing local business!

If you want to check out their website head HERE to see what they have to offer. And if you make it into the shop, be sure to tag us on social media and let us know! Do you have somewhere else we should visit? Let us know in the comments!

Someday

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Ahhh, Someday. An apt name for a bar that was originally conceived of years ago by the owners, who wanted to open their own bar ‘someday’. An even more appropriate refrain for all of us who are wishing and hoping to return to some sense of normalcy in our daily lives ‘someday’. Yet, while we are waiting for indoor dining to be a safe option again, we are always looking for a great spot to grab a drink and a bite outdoors, particularly as the long winter months approach.

Someday is doing the patio scene right. They have big, well-spaced picnic tables, strands of draped lights across the space, and last we checked, were installing heaters to keep you warm and cozy while you drink. The wine selection is well-curated, the cocktails are balanced and delicious, and there is a selection of tasty snacks. If you are looking for a heartier meal, the patio also offers a few food carts to choose from.

Another really fun and unique thing that they are doing is an Oyster BBQ pickup on Sundays! You all know how much we love oysters, so I can’t wait to grab some of these one of these days.

See more about their menu and hours here.

We are really excited for more visits this winter to this cute tucked-away alley bar! Have you visited Someday yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments!

How to Compete in this Market

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The best words to hear after you have been out house hunting are, “Your offer has been accepted!” You did the hard work of finding your dream home, putting together a thoughtful offer, and waited patiently for what seemed like days to get the news back. Unfortunately, in our current market of high demand and low inventory, it’s becoming more and more rare to hear those fantastic words. Luckily, we have tools in place to help you get your offer accepted and to stand out against the competition, even if that competition is paying all cash.

Portland bungalow

It seems like every offer is competing these days. In the close-in neighborhoods with ‘Pinterest perfect’ homes, you could be competing with 12 or more other people. We know it is tough out there, but before you get discouraged, know that we have quite a few tricks up our sleeves to help make your offer stand out. Here are our top 4 recommendations to help get you that accepted offer phone call.

#1 Make a stronger offer

There is no way to know exactly what the competition is offering, but we can still make our strongest possible offer up front. In most cases, money talks, so offer over the list price and don’t ask for any concessions. Going in with a strong offer up front shows you are serious and that you don’t want to play any games. We can also write in an escalation clause. That allows you to set a cap and offer a set amount over the next best offer.

#2 Write a love letter

I know, its cheesy. But for most people, a home is a sentimental place. They want to know the home is going to someone that will love it just as much as they did. Tell them earnestly why you love the home and how you imagine yourself living there. A sweet case of serendipity may just win over their hearts.

#3 Waive or shorten some contingencies

The contract is written to strongly favor the buyers in the transaction. There are multiple opportunities that allow you back out of buying the house but there are none for the sellers. You can sway the contract a bit more in their favor by shortening or removing some of the contingencies. You can remove the contingency for the seller property disclosures, shorten the inspection period, and waive the right to re-negotiate price based on the appraisal. Discuss each of these options in detail with your agent. There are varying levels of risk with each contingency, so it’s important to know all the options before removing them.

#4 – Pay their closing costs

This isn’t something we see very often which means it could really sway your offer to be more favorable. Sellers have to pay title and escrow fees just like buyers do. We can offer to cover those costs to help bring the sellers net proceeds up just a bit. You could also offer to pay the commission which typically come out of the seller proceeds, but that is a much larger monetary commitment.

#5 – Surprise them

Do you have a special talent? A huge wine collection? Access to lots and lots of pizza? You can offer anything that you would like to get the sellers to accept your offer. I have had clients offer to brew the seller any type of beer that they would like (only in Portland right?). I have had clients offer free pizza for a year, a weekend get away at a beach cabin, the sky is truly the limit! The trick here is that you cannot attach any monetary value to it. We are giving it to them in exchange for the home, but it needs to be as a gift.

Even after doing all of these things, we may still have been beat out by a higher offer but it is important not to give up. The right home is out there, and when it is meant to be, it will be. Though it’s not on this list, having a great real estate agent on your side is crucial. Having positive working relationships with other brokers in the city has gotten our offers chosen over other (higher!) offers on many occasions. IF you want to get to know either or both of us a little better head over to our about us pages. You can read about Jessica here and Tekela here. Also, you can read our quick guide and meet our favorite lenders here. Lastly, if you want to look at the homes available on the market, you can find those here!

Hawks View Winery

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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.