Restaurant Recommendations

[brandonpdx]

^I agree about Everett Street
try Isabel's for a good proportionate breakfast that doesn't make you feel like you have to take a nap afterward

[65MAX]

Originally Posted by PDX City-State

Oh, and Alberta Street Oyster Bar reopened in October. It's better than ever.

That's great to hear. I really like that place. Thanks for the info, PDX.

[MarkDaMan]

Wasn't thinking Doogers...yuck! Ummm, name escapes me but it wasn't a chain, just a couple locations up and down the cost...I guess that makes it a chain. No, not Mos either.

I had good food at Fish Grotto, I've heard from many others their experience was not even mediocre.

[PDX City-State]

It's sad that there's not much good food on the Coast. A friend was telling me that with the way seafood distribution works, a lot of seafood consumed in places like Cannon Beach and Newport is actually first send to Portland distribution centers and shipped back to the Coast. Rather bass-ackwards...

There's a place in Cannon Beach owned by the folks who own Everett Street. It's called Gower Street Bistro, and it's absolutely terrible as well. French Bistro fare is pretty hard to screw up. You just need good ingredients (easy in Oregon), and a light touch. Mussels with fries, steak frittes, roasted brussel sprouts, and the like are pretty straight forward, and yet, both of these places manage to screw it up by trying to get inventive with what's already perfect. If you're going to innovate, it had better be better than the original.

[Okstate]

The ecola seafood restaurant (nevermind the name) in Cannon Beach was top notch the time i went. Was never thrilled with Mo's but then again i've never been to the original in Newport...maybe it has a better vibe.

[designpdx]

I would say that Local Ocean in Newport is very good, fresh, and local.

[PDX City-State]

Mo's is terrible. My mother tells me it used to be good.

You're right about Local Ocean. It's pretty good.

[Inkdaub]

Encanto in St. Johns is great New Mexican food.

Also if you come to PDX you have to try a few carts. My current favorite is Eurodish, which is Polish. My old favorite is right next door...I Love Thai Food...but the good people who ran it sold it and now I'm upset because they were my lunch buddies and always took good care of me. Chaat House is everybody's favorite Indian cart...perma-cart I guess. Whatever your taste...there's a cart for you.

[PDX City-State]

Encanto in St. Johns is great New Mexican food.

I'm bummed to hear about I Love Thai Food as that was my favorite cart too. Unfortunately, I have more bad news. Encanto closed in late November and will reopen as a Cuban restaurant.

[Okstate]

You may know the Oregonian has listed on their website "Positively Portland" restaurants including some well known listings...Clyde, Coffeehouse NW, Higgins etc.. I want some atmosphere/foodie reviews of what you guys perceive to be positively Portland places to eat/drink. From the limited couple weeks I've lived in Portland my absolute favorite place right now is Fire on the Mountain (probably the original location)

[nobody]

I used to live across the street from Fire on the Mountain and after a couple visits never went back. Do they have one thing on the menu that isn't fried to death?

[Okstate]

I don't think they fry their wings anymore than any other wing place but i could be wrong.

[Artist]

I've enjoyed Habibi's for good Lebanese food. Anyone know of other great Lebanese restaurants?

[Joeplayer19]

Originally Posted by Artist

I've enjoyed Habibi's for good Lebanese food. Anyone know of other great Lebanese restaurants?

Nicholas is good, they have amazing pizza! http://nicholasrestaurant.com/ I believe Habibi was opened by a chef who worked at Nicholas, but I could be wrong. There is another place called Arabian breeze http://www.arabianbreezeportland.com/ that one is pretty good, I went there while the place was still under construction so I am sure it looks really good now. It was opened by the same people who opened Nicholas.

[urbanlife]

there is a great Lebanese cart at 4th and College and a great little restaurant being it on College as well. Both are worth stopping by. Neither are fancy, but they are damn tasty.

[philopdx]

Originally Posted by Artist

I've enjoyed Habibi's for good Lebanese food. Anyone know of other great Lebanese restaurants?

My favorite place hands down is Karam on Stark Street. Not to be confused with Al-Amir right down the street, which I consider several rungs down on the totem pole.

http://karamrestaurant.com/

http://www.allmenus.com/or/portland/...t/menu/dinner/

[dkealoha]

Email I got today:

Ping Restaurant will open on Tuesday, February 17th.

Our hours of operation are 4pm to 10pm, Monday through Saturday.

We are located at 102 NW 4th Avenue on the corner of NW 4th and Couch in Chinatown.

Sorry, we do not accept reservations.

For more information please visit our website at: www.pingpdx.com

Ping Restaurant
102 NW 4th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209

www.pingpdx.com

It is located in the old Hung Far Low building in China Town. I'm going to try to get a table tonight so I'll write up a little review when I get a chance.

From the Oregonian:

Pok-Pok owner and Wieden + Kennedy partner join forces for Chinatown eatery
Posted by dperry September 07, 2008 13:37PM


Pok Pok owner Andy Ricker is teaming with John C. Jay, Wieden+Kennedy's branding guru, and his fashion-designer wife Janet Jay to open Ping, a restaurant in Chinatown slated for winter 2008-2009.

Anyone who watched Pok Pok transform from take-out shack on Southeast Division to a popular restaurant at the top of Portland's competitive food scene (watch video above) has wondered: What's next for Ricker, a vision guy with impressive drive, business smarts and an uncanny feel for Asian street food.


Ping will be a casual hub for Asian snacking and drinking in the (now vacant) bottom floor of the Hung Far Low Building at 102-106 N.W. Fourth Ave. Unlike Pok Pok, Ricker says Ping will be a cross between a izakaya (Japanese pub) and a Southeast Asian cafe and coffeehouse.

The restaurant is part of the Jays' vision to rejuvenate and modernize Chinatown. Blogging from Beijing on Saturday, Portland mayor-elect Sam Adams wrote: "Portland uber creative guy John C. Jay thinks Portland's Old Town/Chinatown can be the North American hot spot for Asian contemporary culture and art, i.e. a modern Chinatown. To get a sense of what he was talking about, John suggested I check out Beijing's 798 Art District."

Adams found the district "weird and wonderful," and an inspiration for a smarter city. "I see why John Jay sees a fit for modern Asian art and culture in Portland, " writes Adams. "No other U.S. city has a lock on it."

Jay is Executive Creative Director/Partner at Wieden+Kennedy and a star in advertising circles, who travels regularly to China and Tokyo. The Jays will design the space, with Ricker overseeing the food. Another partner, Kurt Huffman, will handle operations. The group, HFL Project LLC, may expand their Chinatown restaurant reach in the future.

Meanwhile, Ricker will stay hands-on at Pok Pok - "that's not going to change," he says. But he sees Ping as a logical extension of his philosophy. "I'm not interested in trendy," says Ricker. "I'm interested in places that are timeless, that last forever, with really good quality."

[bvpcvm]

btw, there's a great forum of food snobs discussing various portland restaurants here. it's worth reading.

[Okstate]

Not a recommendation but a new bistro opening in the Pearl the 1st week of May. Metro Vino Next to Tanner Springs Park where the DF Mexican place used to be for those who remember. WWW.METROVINOPDX.COM