Portland Eats! Day One

So I don't know what happened to my last post about Mistral in Boston.  It was up on our blog successfully for a few days and then suddenly half of it vanished from existence, and it was preventing the other entries from being displayed, so I took it down until I have the chance to correct the issue.   That aside, I have a very full entry planned for today!

CW and I spent the past few days vacationing in Portland, Oregon.  Friends of mine had been there last year and raved about the area's natural beauty, wine, and, of course, food.  We had been looking forward to this trip after a busy summer and it did not disappoint. We had four full days of waterfalls, mountain drives, beautiful wine country (with PLENTY of tasty pours), great local beers, and innovative yet reasonably priced food.

Arriving early Thursday morning, we got our rental car and headed straight out along the Columbia River east of Portland.  Our plan was to drive the Mt. Hood Loop, seeing the waterfalls along the Columbia River and also the famous Timberline Lodge, the exterior of which was used in The Shining.  Exhausted from an early flight, but motivated by the adventure, we drove along the historic part of the Columbia River Highway to see several waterfalls, including Latourell Falls, and Multnomah Falls, pictured below.

Multnomah Falls

Latourell Falls

By the time we reached Multnomah we were starving and grabbed lunch at the Multnomah Falls Lodge.  We each got the soup du jour (minestrone) and split a turkey sandwich with green apples, melted cheese and basil mayo.  Solid sandwich with the apples' sweetness pairing well with the salty melted cheese.  I paired this with my first Oregon brew of the trip: the Double Mountain IRA (for India Red Ale).  It was hoppy and bitter upfront, but with some nice warmth at the finish.  I would later enjoy the Double Mountain Vaporizer pale ale at the hotel bar, which was one of my favorite beers of the trip!

After lunch we enjoyed the view of the falls for a bit before hitting the road and driving south to loop around Mount Hood and visit the Timberline Lodge.  It is a very nice drive, with some sudden and stunning views as the mountain comes in and out of view. 

The lodge itself transports one back to a different time, with its massive wood interior and old ski and mountaineering equipment adorning the walls.  After exploring the lobby a bit we headed to the third floor Ram's Head Bar, which offers great views Mt. Hood, and, equally importantly, a full bar menu.  Obviously, after a turkey sandwich and 90 more minutes of driving, CW and I were Jonesin' for a sipper.  CW went with a "Bee's Knees" cocktail (garnished with fragrant rosemary), while I stuck to locally brewed beer, with a Cloud Cap Amber Ale by the Mt. Hood brewery.  Best thing about these drinks.... we got them to go and were free to stroll around the trails on the up-mountain side of the lodge, where we were treated to amazing views of the peak while surrounded by colorful wildflowers and frolicking chipmunks!

Homemade Pretzel Bread at Gruner

After we'd had our fill of scenery it was time to drive back to Portland and finally check into our hotel and get ready for our first dinner of the trip.  We settled into our room, showered up, and headed out to Gruner, located in Southeast Portland, in downtown.   We chose this place not only for its reviews (which are stellar), but also for its unique cuisine.  The place specializes in Alpine cuisine, which should not be taken as Swiss or Austrian fare.  Rather, the food here is influenced by all nations around the Alps in Europe.  The wine list was particularly diverse, and did include a lot of interesting varietals from Austria, Germany, and Italy.  I started with a wine called Muller Thurgau, a grape I had never heard of.  This particular bottle was Italian, and it has a crisp light body, but a smooth finish.  Definitely a dry wine, but with plenty of floral aroma and flavor.  It paired well with our first courses of crisp polenta croquettes with raclettee cheese and the beautiful and extremely innovative shaved radish salad with pumpkin seed oil, dill, chives, chervil, thyme and pumpkin seeds.

Polenta Croquettes

Radish Salad

For a main course I got the grilled trout with corn ragout, tarragon, crayfish sauce and crispy speck, with CW went with the spatzle with chanterelles, wild mushrooms, chives and a white wine cream sauce.  Both dishes were amazingly tasty.  The spatzle was rich in flavor without being heavy in texture, and the mushrooms added lots of earthy goodness.  My trout was perfectly moist and the speck added just the right amount of salty foil to the smooth crayfish sauce.   The side of corn was incredible - sweet fresh corn with the great herb tarragon lending such freshness.  Suffice to say that we were both very pleased with our meals.

Grilled Trout

Spatzle with Chanterelles

After such a feast, CW and I were too full for dessert.  And after our long day of travel, we were too exhausted to consider going out for more drinks... the horror!  We retired for the night to recharge for the next day's journey to the Williamette Valley wine country.