Portland

Finally!.... And it's still cold!!! 

After being delayed several times, I got in to Portland later than I wanted so I had to get to my hostel to check in and find food cause I was starving and I had an agenda 

Hostel International - Portland Northwest... This was also a nice hostel but Hostel International gives dicounts to members which is a nice incentive to sign up and stay with them if you travel like that often but I don't so I had to pay a little bit more. The 3 days that I was there, there were 5 roomies that changed so you meet lots of people and they were all really nice and mostly respectful. Front desk is manned 24 hours, there's a common room/kitchen where you can store food and cook if you like. Clean bathrooms and shower stalls, lots of things to do on their activity board and a locker for every bunk in the room. The only downside is their bunk beds made a lot of noise, getting on and off or shifting during sleep can keep you up (get earplugs)

So after checking in I decided to walk to my early dinner spot and to see what elsewhere was on Burnside (the main street that connects the west and the east side of Portland as well as separates the north from the south). It's a very nice and clean city to walk in and after being extremely confused about the quadrant divide, I find it gets easier to navigate and to see the difference in cultures/styles. 

Little Bird Bistro

The little sister to Le Pigeon was a good way to start off my trip. Is sat in my usual spot (the bar) and explained my situation to the bartender. He was incredibly nice and made recommendations on what I should order, what other restaurants I should try and what to do while I'm in the city. The young couple sitting next to me chimed in and told me where to steer clear of and about living in the city. I mentioned that I was going to Toro Bravo next and they all told me what I should order, I also said I would be going to Le Pigeon in a couple days and they were helpful with what to order there as well

Escargot, egg noodles, chili marrow butter and gremolata

The texture of the noodles was great, the dish had great flavor and there was a lot of escargot (snails, if you didn't know)

Goat cheese gnocchi, ox tail, piquillo peppers

This dish also had great flavor and was nice and hearty. If you've never had a gnocchi (pronounced nyō-ki) but like mashed potatoes, then you will love gnocchis. It's a potato pasta the comes from Italy, different regions make it with different ingredients but the main ingredients are potato, flour, egg and salt. These had goat cheese mixed in so it had a creamy and luscious mouth feel that made the dish rich but was balanced by the peppers

My bartender at Little Bird told me to ask for a certain bartender when I get to Toro Bravo and that he would look after me while I dine there so off I go.... The busses in this city are extremely easy to use as well, the only issue is that they are usually late. Not to worry, there's an app you can download or call the phone number posted at the stop, it tells you the stop ID for this particular stop and you can track your bus through GPS! So progressive!

Let me first tell you that at this point in the evening it was 43F outside, when I got on the bus it was so nice and warm (I'm sticking to this excuse)... And I was buzzed... I missed my bus stop.... By 10 blocks!!! Uuuughhh..... So I walked back... and in this area it was 32F!!! 😨

Toro Bravo

(Sorry no pics, I'll explain why)... Spanish restaurant... Super busy, almost had to wait an hour for a seat but the host told me I could sit next to their stage (trainee)... For me this means I'm sitting next to a new person with inside scoop on working in this restaurant and about the city! So I took my seat at the bar and the person I was to ask for was bartending... Perfect... The stage was training to be a server so not my area but still good to know... She was so nice and helpful! I ordered a few things and she shared a little of what she had as well. I didn't want to snap pics while chatting with over dinner so I refrained 

🍴French Kiss - Dates stuffed with foie gras... My love affair continues.... This was a lovely little bite of sweetness and richness

🍴Octopus a la Plancha - Octopus cooked on a flat top topped with something awesome (there are only 3 so order accordingly)... I don't even know what was on it and I wish there were more than 3 cause it was delicious!!!

🍴Creamed Mushrooms - Creamed mushrooms on toast... This was good, not my favorite but still tasty

🍴Olive oil Cake... Moderately dense, not in a bad way, and not too sweet. Very nice 

The food was delicious, I had great conversation with the bartender and the stage. I found it very easy to talk to people here and the busses were easy to use... I'd say other than it being extremely cold, this day was a success! Of course at this point I really miss my bed and I really miss my dog.... All my friends in LA are talking about 80F+ weather and I just want to wear a dress! I can't believe I want to move to the PNW... Hahahahaha I better get over it quick!

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