Quote:
Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
Hipster places I haven't visited:
clarklewis (http://www.ripepdx.com/page2/page2.html
Andina (Peruvian joint in the Pearl District
Places I like:
Higgins (northwest cuisine, whatever that means); located downtown.
Paley's Place (in northwest portland; "northwest" with a slight French twist)
Castagna (good and fairly upscale; I actually prefer the attached lower-key bistro, Cafe Castagna; great steak frites)
Capriel's (haven't been there in ages, but have had great food there)
For Italian, there are a bunch of good-to-very good places along 21st in Northwest Portland.
I like Taqueria Nueve on NE 28th for upscale latin; NE 28th is kinda a hip restuarant scene these days. Couple of good "small plates" places thereabouts as well.
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We also haven't been to clarklewis or Andina yet. Sheesh--back when we were childless and lived in the Pearl, we tried out every new restaurant.
Higgins is my absolute favorite--we lived a couple blocks from it when we were first married and went there for most special occasions and when friends and family were visiting. But then, "Northwest" is my favorite cuisine.
Paley's we've only been to once or twice, but it was very very good. Wildwood is another classic in the neighborhood, but I would choose Higgins over it most days.
The places on NW 21st are Caffe Mingo, Serratto and one other. I'm pretty sure they're all related, with varying price points and degrees of formality. I haven't been there, but apparently Genoa (downtown) is where you have to go if you want some serious Italian. It's something like 9 courses in a tasting menu, and tres cher.
Another Italian-ish place we've liked in the past (haven't been there since we used to live around the corner) is Fratelli, in the Pearl.
We recently tried Aja in NE (21st and Fremont? Something like that--it's Pan-Asian eclectic), and thought it gave really good bang for the buck. Some unusual combinations, well executed, including succulent duck spring rolls.
Other places we've tried in the last several months: Carlyle (quite good but not a good value, ie. quite expensive), Gotham Building Tavern (same people as clarklewis; some good ideas but still a bit spotty in the execution--my halibut was cooked to buttery perfection, but the sides left something to be desired).
I'm sure there are others, and lots more that are more just neighborhood joints and not destinations in and of themselves. We've had pretty good luck with the restaurant ratings and reviews on portland.citysearch.com.
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