Need Seattle and Portland rec's PLEASE!
My boyfriend and I are spending 3 nights in Seattle and 1-2 nights in Portland 1st week of june. We would really appreciate recommendations for some memorable dining experiences. He is a chef in NYC so we would be most interested in innovative chefs/restaurant concepts, cool chill ambience, local seasonal menu, etc. We also welcome local neighborhood favorites loved for just about anything (we love dives, no need for dessert spots). We prefer to stay away from anything resembling a tourist trap by the way. Also need cool drink spots.
nolonnyc
May 11, 2008 12:32AM
Seattle Chowhounds vote each year for their top Chowhound destinations. Here is how the 2007 tally fared:
1. Harvest Vine
2. Lark
3. Green Leaf
4. Union
5. Salumi
6. Volterra
7. Boat Street
8.Tamarind Tree
9. La Carta Oaxaca
10. Paseo
Also on the list are Seven Star Pepper, Tilth and Palace Kitchen. All represent Seattle well. Enjoy your visit!
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Thanks so much. Any ideas for Portland?
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The usual suspects are Pok Pok, Le Pigeon, Sel Gris, Kenny & Zuke's Deli and Toro Bravo.
In fact, every time I've been to Sel Gris and Le Pigeon, there seems to be some visiting chef in the room, though typically from SF.
Other classic Northwest grand-dames include Carlyle, Higgins, Paley's and Wildwood. I figure you'll get plenty of that in SEA so while I wouldn't be mad at you if you went, I wouldn't necessarily push you to go there, especially if you only have a few nights.
I'd also add Clyde Common and Tanuki.
I've not been to NYC, but apparently Pok Pok smokes Sripraphai and Kenny & Zukes is on par with Katz. They're also both open for lunch.
For drinks, Teardrop Lounge, Clyde Common and ten-01 are the city's best mixologists. Pok Pok has a cool bar scene, also, but it's a tiny space compared to the other three. If you're looking for beer, you really just have to close your eyes and throw a rock and you'll hit a brewery. The most recent opening is Deschutes in the Pearl. If it's wine, I think ten-01 has an awesome wine list.
Slightly outdated, but this should help:
http://www.extramsg.com/uploaded_misc/portland_tipsheet.html
And of course you should see this:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/...
(Almost all of the other Portlanders post on a different message board, but there are a few of us here who keep the PNW board from being purely Seattle.)
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Chefs at Tilth, Union (+Tavolata + HowtoCookaWolf), Crush, and Sitka and Sprcue have all been nationally recognized by James Beard, Food and Wine, etc. In particular, I think Matt at Sitka is doing some really interesting things, and you won't find anyone in town more focused on local/seasonal. OK, that will start a debate, but is my opinion. The Tom Douglas restaurants are up against the Batali for the James Beard best empire award. Don't perceive these as a chain - they are all good food! Veil is also on my top list these days.
Don't miss Salumi if you have a M-F lunch. Matt's in the Market gets continual review here, and there are many many restaurants around the market (Jack's, Emmet Watsons, etc) worthy of a lunch stop.
Enjoy!
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thanks so much, your rec's seem right up our alley. Can't wait!
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Can you give me a link to the more popular board for Portland? I'll be visiting for a couple of days in August and would really like to do a bit of research first. I'll be coming with a small, well behaved and culinarily adventurous child (oh, and a well behaved and similarly adventurous husband).
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The chowhound moderators tend to delete these posts, but you'll find more info at http://www.portlandfoodanddrink.com and http://www.portlandfood.org.
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Fantastic Nettie - thanks so much.
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I'll add Simpatica dining hall and Beast for different communal dining experiences in Portland. I think Beast does two seatings per night and Simpatica does one, but both have you sit at long communal tables and serve a set menu to everyone at once. It's a great way to meet locals. Reservations are essential for both.
http://www.beastpdx.com/
http://www.simpaticacatering.com/
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Go to Screen Door for brunch in Portland - oyster and bacon eggs Benedict? Yep!
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