Portland

Alpine for You...

From Zefiro to Bluehour, Chef Chris Israel's local restaurant lineage is unimpeachable, so his new Grüner Restaurant has inspired a lot of curiosity. Israel's notion of "Alpine" cuisine (as broad-based as Mediterranean, but more northerly) scores some real hits, including tarte flambée, an Alsatian thin-crust pizza with caramelized onions, smoked bacon, and crème fraîche. A deal at $9, it's ample enough for a light dinner for two, paired with a "Grüner salad" of lettuce, fennel, celery, and Chioggia beets. Entrées, though well made, lack the same zing. Cases in point: Grilled Golden Trout with horseradish cream, broccoli, toasted pine nuts, and Yukon gold potatoes, and the bland Kavalierspitz of Viennese braised beef in a broth with baby carrots and turnips. (The accompanying creamed spinach was a hot mess: only the color green indicated "spinach"). Like the monochrome décor, both dishes failed to inspire. But kudos to attentive, efficient waiters who actually know the wines they're serving. My glass of Lagrein Schreckbichl Colterenzio Alto Adige, from the part of Italy closest to Austria, was as food-friendly as any Pinot Noir. I’ll be back to try Grüner’s bar food, especially the "hambürger" with gruyere and bacon.

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Restaurants • All Neighborhoods

Portland's Lost Icon

Downtown Portland's Fifth Avenue transit mall has a lot of what you would expect--buses, trains, and commuters, for instance. Look up, though, and you might notice a giant woman holding a trident. Sitting on the ledge of Michael Grave's postmodern Portland Building is Portlandia, a symbol of Portland that never took root. Installed in 1985, Portlandia was to be Stumptown's icon--a symbol on par with the Space Needle or St. Louis Arch. Well over two decades have passed, though, and the massive copper statue sits in relative obscurity. Most of this can be attributed to artist Raymond Kaskey's retention of Portlandia' copyright. Kaskey never allowed his work to be put on key chains, t-shirts, shot glasses, or calendars. Portlandia was to be in the (not very good) Madonna film Body of Evidence, but Kaskey sued Paramount and had footage of his state removed from the final cut. Say what you will about artistic integrity, the trident-wielder never became the civic symbol city planners hoped her to be. The fact that she's on the Portland Building, a structure often reviled by locals, does not help matters. On SW Fifth and Main, look up, and see Portland's lost icon.

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Landmarks • All Neighborhoods

Ace of Stays

You don't need hipster credentials to stay at Portland's Ace Hotel--the mere act of spending a night here will magically transform even the dweebiest dweeb into a righteous indie rocker. For starters, there's the downtown block it sits on, with Clyde Common and its communal tables anchoring one corner and pastrami palace Kenny & Zuke's anchoring the other. A branch of Stumptown Coffee adjacent to the Ace's lobby completes the food-forward trifecta. Then there are the Ace's guestrooms, which range from singles with shared bathrooms to spacious suites with private clawfoot baths. Furnishings in all rooms could best be described as nouveau Spartan, and original artworks abound, dripping irony. In a nod to the vinyl revival, some rooms feature turntables. If you actually intend to spend any time sleeping, your best bet is a "Standard Back," away from noisy Stark Street. If any part of the Ace retains a loving hint of pre-hipster Portland, it's the comfortable lobby. Relax and enjoy the parade.

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Hotels • All Neighborhoods

Mmmmm...Pastrami

You've got to respect a restaurant critic who puts his money where his mouth is. The "Zuke" of Kenny & Zuke's is Nick Zukin, aka "ExtraMSG," an avid local food blogger who did something unexpected--he went into business with longtime restaurateur Ken Gordon. Together, they're creating world-class pastrami inside a world-class downtown deli on the same block as the uber-hip Ace Hotel. Gordon and Zukin's version may not taste precisely like the pastrami at Katz's in New York, but it's on its way to creating its own legend. You can get it in a Reuben sandwich, a Reuben salad, a "Maven's Meat Sampler," an omelet, or even a hamburger (what a brilliant idea!). This being a full-on deli, you can also order chewy bagels, bialys, blintzes (a real rarity in white-bread Portland), and dozens of different sodas, including 10--yes, 10!--root beers. Don't worry, there's also real beer, bottled and draft, with Oregon brews rotating among four taps. The service is brisk but not brusque, and much as I love the pastrami, I also love the diverse crowd--you'll see as many orthopedic shoes as Doc Martens here.

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Shop Local

As nice as the Internet is (and it is very nice) being able to click through tons of webcomics and artists' homepages doesn't really replace the feeling of going into a gallery or shop, especially when it comes to locally produced art. Being able to pace around a gallery, or leaf through a zine, is still great, especially in a place where you just might find the very artist whose work you're admiring in the same space with you. The Pony Club offers plenty for anyone interested in Portland's local art scene. The gallery features shows and release parties, and the racks are full of comics and other work, happily written and published by ink-stained Portlanders. This is precisely where you go if you want to find what's uniquely local, what makes Portland Portland. Have a look at the art. Buy a local comic. Ask whoever is in there about the art- they'll have something to say about it. Portland is full of writers and artists, and this is precisely the kind of place to find them.

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Art Galleries • All Neighborhoods

Indian, Elegant

There are only two Indian restaurants in Portland that I would call "handsome." One is the venerable Plainfield's, and the other is East India Co. Grill & Bar. A hideaway across the street from Portland’s Central Library, East India Co. fools you. At the entrance all you see is a long, narrow bar, but it opens onto a softly lit dining room. Plush curtained booths line one wall, and a mandala-like skylight casts a rosy glow over the dining tables. Sometimes a lovely room camouflages a mediocre menu. Not here. From the pakora to the kebabs to the vindaloo, dinner fare is executed with high-quality ingredients and balanced, intricate seasonings. Lunch offers three prix fixe options. The mid-sized Viceroy's Lunch ($12.95) features potato samosas with tamarind chutney; a choice of chicken, lamb, or paneer kebabs; and curry with basmati rice. Naan bread is included (of course!), as is dessert. My sweet tooth favors the classic gulab jamun, a doughnut drizzled in a cardamom/rosewater/saffron syrup. As for cocktails, they also trend towards the sweet. The best antidote to the spiciest dishes? The Sharaabi Lassi, made with Sub Rosa Saffron Vodka (from an Oregon distiller) and mango lassi.

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Restaurants • All Neighborhoods

Keeping It Weird

Various bumper stickers and signage in Portland proclaim, in yellow-on-black letters, that residents should "Keep Portland Weird." The now-popular slogan has become something of a cliché, but landmarks like the 24 Hour Church of Elvis are testament to the city's oddness. Nestled into a wall on Couch, the Church proclaims itself to be "Art for the Smart," and completely coin-operated. Deposit a quarter into the contraption and, well, stuff happens. The screens flicker with images and "sermons," things move, music plays. By day, it is merely weird. Put a coin into the Church at night, in darkest Old Town, and it is downright hallucinatory. Generally (but not reliably) the Church will give you some sort of prize, ranging from an enigmatic bit of plastic to an ID card that proclaims the bearer to be both a saint in the Church of Elvis and (somehow simultaneously) Elvis himself. Portland, yes, is weird, and will remain so as long as Elvis may be paid tribute to with quarters and awe. And yes, it is a real church. You can get married here.

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Places of Worship • All Neighborhoods

The Answer to Everything

Backspace is the answer to many questions. "Where can we get a cup of absolutely wonderful Stumptown coffee?" Backspace. "Where can we take in a concert or poetry slam?" Backspace. "Where can one find awesome local art plastered all over the walls?" Backspace. "What's the coolest spot for LAN parties in Portland?" Backspace. While it is mainly a coffee and sandwich shop, Backspace is more of a nexus for Portland, a venue people go to for the sake of going there. Nestled between the Someday Lounge and Ground Kontrol, it is the heart of Old Town. Music is performed, art is shown, and events of various stripes are held. In the back, Old Town Computers plays hosts to LAN parties, and one may reliably find gaming enthusiasts attached to various screens in the backroom. The walls are a constantly shifting array of works by local artists, and without fail there are an array of open books and laptops, busy locals working away. "Where can I get a cup of coffee in Portland, soak up local culture, and hang out in one of the coolest parts of town?" You know the answer.

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Coffee • All Neighborhoods

FDA Approved & Addicting

Doughnuts. Doughnuts of profuse and myriad variety, of staggering, sugary diversity. Nestled between a pornographic theater and a night club, Voodoo Doughnut has gone from being an obscure, tiny shop in Old Town to being one of Portland's most iconic and successful businesses. It is easy to see why. Looking at the variety of doughnuts, not a single one seems unaltered. There are the eponymous Voodoo doughnuts, shaped like hapless dolls. They are run through with pretzel sticks, and bleed jelly when skewered. There are doughnuts crowned with bacon, Capn' Crunch and whole bits of chocolate, doughnuts bedecked with pentagrams and arcane symbols, doughnuts shaped like provocative bits of human anatomy. The enormous Tex-ASS doughnut sits like a glazed tire, a monstrosity of potential gluttony. If you can eat it in a minute and a half, it's free. The shop used to sell Pepto Bismol and Nyquil doughnuts, until the FDA forced them to stop mixing OTC medication with pastries. The shop is tiny, crammed with photographs and ornamentation, and frequently crammed customers, and you may have to wait. Voodoo Doughnut, though, is a monument to Portland's inventiveness and oddness, in circular snacks and elsewhere.

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Shopping • All Neighborhoods

Weekday Wonder

Just to get this out of the way first: Yes, you'll see plenty of tourists at Huber's. It is Portland's oldest restaurant, and if you're there on the weekend you'll probably see plenty of tipsy out-of-towners downing its trademark Spanish coffees. Go during the week, though, and you'll be surrounded by locals in a handsome wooden room with not a single window but plenty of ambiance and good food. The place is a dark-wooded room full of dim light fixtures, and if smoking were still allowed in Oregon bars, it would be filled with a nicotine-scented cloud. The food is a delicious hodgepodge of items ranging from turkey quesadillas to Mongolian skewers to fried calamari. Those Spanish coffees, though, are what Huber's is most known for. Order one, and you'll have an elaborate pouring ceremony wherein delicious beverage bits are set on fire. Avoid the weekend rush, but check it out on a quiet Tuesday to get a bit of Portland history and drink booze that's been set on fire.

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Joystick Memories

Remember Joust? You know--that game where you play a guy on a bird and you're fighting other guys on birds? That one. At any point did you say to yourself, "Hey, this game would be a lot better with DJs and beer"? Yes? Well, Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade is just the place for you! Ground Kontrol is a retro gamer's dream: It's all here: Asteroids, Galaga, Centipede, and Ms. Pac-Man. There's Street Fighter II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the huge six-player X-Men cabinet. Go upstairs, and pinball machines abound. If you insist on playing "new" games then Soul Calibur II and Marvel Vs Capcom II are both readily available. It's not just about video games, though. DJs and live shows are a regular feature in the arcade, for pinball addicts there's Pinbrawl, an annual tournament, and Joy Stick, an LGBT night. Ground Kontrol is not a geek-hole. Well, okay, it is. But it's a really, really cool, hip, fun geek-hole.

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Nightlife • All Neighborhoods

Ping's the Thing

Given the crowds drawn to Ping by the monster success of its sister restaurant, Pok Pok, we hit Ping during its quieter Happy Hour. Dave ordered a Singapore Sling and I opted for a cocktail made with shochu (a ubiquitous Asian spirit) and a drinking vinegar fermented from yams and honey. At my puzzled questions, our very accommodating waiter brought me a little tumbler of the syrupy vinegar to sample. The cocktail proved delicious, bracing company for peppery skewers of chicken breast and baby octopus. We also ordered the "deep-fried tiny fish." What can I tell you? They taste exactly like bacon. For dessert, Ping offered several choices, including pandanus ice cream. I ordered serradura, a Portuguese-Macanese pudding of cream and sweetened condensed milk, dusted with cocoa powder and a crunchy topping of crushed tea biscuits. You might be thinking "baby food," but I adored it. I also adored the artfully casual decor and sounds that ranged from Mavis Staples to techno. The tab ran to $30 for four skewers, the tiny fish, the serradura, the two cocktails, and a draft beer. My only quibble? The rolls of paper suspended over the bar resemble gas-station towel racks. Weird. But I'll be back.

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Restaurants • All Neighborhoods