The Portland Epicurean Tour…
Tomato-orange Soup at Elephants Delicatessen – a Portland legend. Tomato, yes. Orange, a little more nuanced. Not the liquid love it’s hyped up to be.
Bridgeport Beer…delicious. And the entire operation only produces one dumpster of waste per week. Portland has more breweries in its city limits than anywhere on earth. Pretty amazing, and it creates an atmosphere of something for everyone. I learned the history of the IPA – hint, it involves India.
Pearl Bakery…sourdough bread, buttery croissants, and brownies. The best part – an amazing olive oil that is only sold in bulk to large-scale operations. The bread and pastry, while nice, could have been bought at a Whole Foods.
Next up, wine tasting and mustards at the cooking school In Good Taste. The only highlight was curry mustard. We bought some to take home and I forgot it was in my carry-on bag. It sadly made it’s way to the trashcan. We also learned about ceramic knives…I’m intrigued…more on these later.
We then went for tea. Chinese and nothing to do with Portland.
After tea, Hot Lips Pizza. The chefs create seasonal toppings like peaches and feta. Why doesn’t D.C. have this exciting pizza creativity? Forget the giganto sloppy slice! Interestingly, I learned a woman on our trip – who looked like Trey’s mother from Sex and The City – worked for the Reagan White House. How interesting! Food brings everyone together!
It was also here we first tried Dry Soda – in flavors of rhubarb, lavender, and lemon grass to name a few. Inspired with a nice glass of gin.
And finally, we went to Cupcake Jones. Any loyal reader of AEK knows I HATE HATE HATE the cupcake craze! But I will admit, while I didn’t try it, this establishment attempts to make flavors like Root Beer Floats – filling the cupcake with root beer flavored buttercream.
All in all, Portland is a liveable city. The Pearl District, where we primarily ate, was a New York City sized U Street. The tour was great and I suggest you sign up – and then walk around after and explore the area.
AEK
