Let’s just finish this up, eh? Just look at the pictures.

Gravy
3957 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, Oregon 97227
(503) 287-8800

Blueberry Pecan Pancakes | $8.75

Mmm … yum. Need to remember to make pancakes like these. We all shared this and we thought it’d be two small pancakes. We were very wrong.

The Bacato [bacon, green onion, cream cheese & tomato] | $9.75

You can pick a side of eggs, tofu, house potatoes, or hash browns.

Mum got a side of hash browns. I will DEFINETLY come back for these if I ever had a chance. I’m sure they’re horrible for you since I’m sure they fry them but … holy moly. It’s like eating a giant potato chip!

The Dalise [bacon, sausage, ham, sweet peppers, mushroom, onion, and cheddar covered with sausage gravy] | $10.75

I chose house potatoes. I don’t think I’d pick this again though. The meats made everything too salty for me. It wasn’t a favorite. The house potatoes were tasteless. I guess I got a bad plate?

We then headed to Portland Saturday Market which are opened Sundays as well from March to December.

Portland Saturday Market
2 SW Naito Parkway
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 241-4188
www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com

Don’t get this confused with the Farmer’s Market. Two separate things. Here they sell things they make and there are food carts. I wanted to buy everything.

They had weird statues for everyone to see.

One of the views when walking around the market. How gorgeous.

We got thirsty and got Bubble Tea. Not that amazing compared to Houston of course.

We headed to our next destination. Mum LOVES gardens so we had to make a stop at one before we could go back home. We got a deal off Groupon. Thank you, Groupon!

Lan Su Chinese Garden
239 NW Everett St.
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 228-8131
www.lansugarden.org

How freaking gorgeous.

Sissy and I weren’t really looking forward to go to the gardens. But by golly, I’m thankful we did. What a sight.

We went back to the apartment to rest then headed out for dinner.

Mio Sushi
9757 SE Sunnyside Rd
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
(503) 654-7060
www.miosushi.com

Gyoza [vegetable fried dumplings] | $4.25

They had it with pork but seeing how Sissy is vegetarian …

It was really delicious. Much better than I thought it’d be.

Seafood Yaki Udon [stir fried udon noodles & vegetables (onion, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, red & green peppers), green mussels, scallop, shrimp, yaki noodle sauce] | $15.95

Came with a Miso which tasted way better than the Miso I had back in Sinju Restaurant.

The Udon wasn’t bad either. I would of eaten it all if I didn’t have so much sushi.

Sweet Veggie [cucumber, avocado, asparagus rolled in tonkatsu] | $4.50

Asparagus [asparagus, sesame seeds] | $2.75

Tofu Veggie Roll [cucmber, radish sprout, asparagus, deep fried tofu, sesame seed] | $4.95

Sissy three vegetarian rolls which we didn’t touch. Who wants this when you can get what’s below?! Regardless, Oregon really does have a lot of vegetarian and vegan choices. Makes it much easier to eat out for them!

Tempura [shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, sesame, sweet sauce] | $ 5.25

Spider [deep fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado, sesame, sweet sauce] | $7.75

Beauty & the Beast [spicy tuna, creamy scallop, masago, spicy mayo, sweet sauce] | $8.95

Masago [smelt fish roe] | $3.75 each

Mt. Fuji [cucumber, avocado, crab, baked spicy salmon, sesame, green onion, creamy sauce, sweet sauce] | $9.95

Tiger Roll [krab, avocado, cucumber, shrimp, peanut, sweet chili sauce] | $10.95

Bloody Vampire [spicy tuna, spicy salmon, creamy scallop (deep fried) with sweet chili sauce] | $8.95

Always wanted to order a crap load of sushi on one plate and finally got a chance to! My favorites were Masago (of course!), Beauty & the Beast, and the Bloody Vampire! YUM YUM YUM!

Bruno. I miss you! Him all up in my sleeping bag.

Day 5 … day of goodbyes. Always get the wing seat … unintentionally.

We landed in Phoenix, Arizona for our layover. Mum and I got our early lunch.

Paradise Bakery & Cafe
3400 E Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
(602) 681-0909

Pesto Pasta [with a side of Cesar Salad]

Also came with a chocolate chip cookie! Everything was delicious. Airport food is actually pretty good …

Gah … finally done with Oregon update. It was a fun trip and if I ever had a chance to I would go again to half the places I went. Who wants to go with me? We can make a trip of it!

With the pace I’m going with this Oregon update, I’ll never finish so let’s get to it.

Half a bagel sandwich. Homemade by yours truly. 2 egg whites. Slice of cheese. Ham. Delicious and simple.

Luckily BIL got out of work early as in he was only there for an hour and got sent home since they didn’t need a lot of people today. That meant he got to spend the day with us!

Driving towards our destination we saw gorgeous landscape. What else is new. That mountain pretty much never left our side.

Multnomah Falls
50000 E Historic Columbia River Hwy
Bridal Veil, Oregon 97010
(503) 695-2372

It was already a little cold and this little coffee stall must make a lot of money daily. We got our coffees and went on our hike.

Freaking gorgeous. Reppin’ THON. Coffee in my hand. Next view pictures are just the same waterfall at different angles. All too gorgeous not to share.

We made our way to:

Marchesi Vineyards & Winery
3955 Belmont Drive
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(541) 386-1800
www.marchesivineyards.com

Cutest guy pouring us our wine. Need. To. Come. Back.

They won a lot of awards recently. Pretty cool to see it on their door.

Tagliere Di Legno Con Antipasto (Wooden Antipasto Tray) [freshly sliced Salumi, Italian Pecorino Cheese and sliced Fresh Baquette]

We got the Medium (4-6 people) for $15. Loved the whole tray.

I didn’t take a picture of the wines we took. Who would want to see that. But here’s a list of the ones we tried all for $5.

• Uvaggio, 2012, Columbia Valley (Bianco)
• Dolcetto, 2012, Columbia Gorge (Natal)
• Barbera, 2011, Columbia Valley (Achille) “Bronze Medal” San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, 2013.
• Sangiovese, 2011, Columbia Valley (Emma) My favorite.
• Nebbiolo, 2010, Columbia Valley (Buja Nen) “Best of Class” San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, 2013.

Headed to our next winery …

Pheasant Valley Winery
3890 Acree Dr.
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(866) 357-9463
www.pheasantvalleywinery.com

Antipasto Platter [premium salami, marinated olives and mushrooms, premium sliced cheeses, dolmas and gigante beans, crakcers] | $10

Pesto Hummus [served with bread or crackers] | $7

Mmm .. eating stuff like this and drinking wine for lunch … the best. I wish I had time in the middle of the day to do this during the week.

Sissy and I signed up to try ALL 11 wines they had. BIL and Mum only picked 5. Actually Mum pretty much gave up because she was so tipsy. Too funny.

REDS

• 2011 Estate Organic Pinot Noir
• 2010 Primitivo
• 2011 Barbera Silver Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2013.
• 2009 Tempranillo  90 points – Wine Spectator, November 2012. My favorite.
• 2009 Syrah

WHITES

• 2012 Estate Organic Pinot Gris Silver Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2013.
• 2009 Vino Bianco Bronze Medal, Northwest Wine Summit, 2011.
• 2012 McDuffee Chardonnay
• 2012 Rose de Pinot Noir My favorite.
• 2012 Riesling
• 2011 Organic Pear Wine

We drove back to the apartment where they all slept their wines away. I just sat up and watched Suits with Bruno. By the time everyone was awake and hungry it was late. There was a long wait for our table so we went next door to their bar where we ordered drinks.

le Bistro Montage
301 SE Morrison Street
Portland, Oregon 97214
(503) 234-1324
www.montageportland.com

I don’t remember what BIL got. I just remember we all didn’t like it and left the rest on the table.

Safe Word [Jameson Black Barrel, Vanilla Vodka, Creme de Cocoa, cocoa powdered rim] | $8

They failed at a cocoa powdered rim. This was also very strong. Wasn’t ready for that since um … I hadn’t eaten. I wouldn’t order this again. I don’t think Jameson and I mix well together.

Suffering Bastard [Absolut Mandarin, fresh orange, and soda] | $7

I know Mum well when I picked this out for her. It was a favorite at our table. Everyone loved it.

This place is dark so it’s hard to get pictures of the food without my flash. Didn’t want to bother the other guests. Sorry for the bad picture quality!

BREAD and butter.

Oyster or New Zealand Poached Mussel Shooter [served in a shot glass with cocktail sauce, horseradish & lemon] | $1.95 each

We got one of each. Best one? The Oyster Shooter. A hit of salty and sweet. Wish I ordered more.

Jambalaya [spicy Louisiana rice dish with onions, celery, tomato & Cajun gravy]

Price varies on what you add in it. I believe Mum got it with crawfish which makes it $14. It was delicious. She said that this was her favorite meal out of the whole trip. That’s how great it was. Or we just ate meh food the rest of the trip.

Spold Mac [the perfect blend of spicy (Cajun gravy, parmesan & jalapeno) and old (garlic, heavy cream & parmesan)] | $8.25

It costs more when you add stuff to it. I added Andouille Sausage (extra $2) and Roasted Garlic (extra $2). Total of $12.25.

Their famous for their mac & cheese so that’s why I ordered it. It did not disappoint. The Roasted Garlic was WHOLE. Stinky breath for dayyyyyyys. Their mac & cheese is more of a sauce than usual mac & cheese. If I ever had a chance to go here again I would pick this again and made the pasta Gluten Free Penne for another $2.

 

If you don’t finish your food, they wrap it up in aluminum and sculpt it into something. Sissy got a snail.

This might ruin the rest of the trip updates but this was the best day ever.

We ate our leftover donuts from Voodoo Donuts we bought the day before. Still good. But not my kind of breakfast. Too sugary and definitely not filling.

Went to walk Bruno with Sissy and this was the view I captured right behind her apartment complex. How gorgeous is this?! Right when the sun was rising. The picture does not do it any justice. So foggy and green.

Mum got jealous she missed it so I took her after we all got ready for the day. Still pretty as ever.

We went shopping at some places where they sold local crafts. I love seeing things like this. I just wished Houston had stuff like this. If there is and I’m missing it, let me know! I would of bought some of their stuff it I had more room in my luggage.

Crafty Wonderland
808 SW 10th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 224-9097
www.craftywonderland.com

Tender Loving Empire
412 Southwest 10th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 243-5859
www.tenderlovingempire.com

We made our way to lunch at …

Sinju Sushi Bar Restaurant
1022 NW Johnson Street
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 223-6535
www.sinjurestaurant.com

Beef Tataki Roll [thin strips of seared beef strip loin & green onions on top of a shrimp tempura roll; served with ponzu and plum sauce] | $10.95

I was not a fan of this at all. I felt it had no taste in it other than the shrimp tempura and the beef on top felt very … rough on my palette.

Sinju Stone Bowl (Bibimbap) [seasonal, fresh garden vegetables sauteed and served with Sinju Signature BBQ Beef in sizzling Stone Pot with side of house made Sinju Hot-Chili paste | $10.95

Mum’s bowl came with a side of cucumber. It felt like I was eating cucumbers in vinegar or something.

But her Bibimbap was pretty good. Of course not as great as the ones you get here in Houston.

Silky Tofu in Clay Pot [spicy, organic, locally sourced, non-GMO silky tofu in spicy seasoned soup with a generous serving of assorted seafood and vegetables] | $11.50

Nothing special with this bowl. Wasn’t spicy enough for me either. Was way smaller for the price. But I guess it’s expensive because of the seafood they put in it which they do not skimp on. Filled with lots of seafood.

If I had a choice to choose here or another place, I’d suggest going to another place. Do not think the food here was worth this kind of money.

We then walked over the the:

Museum of Contemporary Craft
724 Northwest Davis Street
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 223-2654
www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org

They had an exhibit opened to where each artist can only use one tool to design their piece. It was pretty cool to see what the people came up with. I don’t think Mum or Sissy found it interesting though. Mum flat out said that she can never understand art like that. *sigh*

We headed back to New Seasons Market to buy things to cook dinner since BIL was going to be off work and tired. Didn’t want to make him go out since he would have work again the next day.

We made salmon, beef, broccoli, French bread, and I got a side of apple something quinoa for myself. SO GOOD. Their quinoa selection is so much better than Whole Foods! Come on Whole Foods. Get on it!

Day two has ended. Day three coming soon!

I hope you all had a great week! It’s been a tough one for me but at least no work tomorrow! Just my side job of creating flyers for people!

On October 2nd, our flight from Houston to Denver for our layover. Funny story. Houston has two airports. We went to the wrong one. Whoops. What you get for not looking at detail. Luckily we made it to the other one in time.

Arrived in Denver airport. Loving the view. Hopefully I can visit here soon. Split a Pesto Chicken Multigrain Ciabatta with Mum and got myself a water.

Landing in Portland. Look at all those trees. Gorgeous. I always seem to sit at the wing of the plane unintentionally.

Found Sissy and BIL’s car and we headed for lunch.

Deschutes Brewery
210 NW 11th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 296-4906
www.deschutesbrewery.com

Sample Tray [6 (4oz) glasses of either the Classic Six, Brewer’s Choice, or Choose Your Own] | $8

We chose our own six as listed above. My favorite is the Gluten Free Beer.

Beer Cheese Soup [seasonal potato cheese soup featuring local potatoes, speciality cheeses and one of our specialty ales] | $5.5 cup $7.5 bowl

Sissy got this with her meal so I snagged some. So freaking good especially on this day since it was rainy. Super cheesy that a lot of the cheese residue stuck on the spoon!

Brewery Burger [seared Coleman Ranch beef, Mirror Pond Pale Ale aioli, Tillamook cheddar, butter leaf lettuce, hot house tomatoes, shaved red onion, and brewery made pickles with your choice of pub fries, sweet potato fries, house salad, or cup of soup] | $12

Got the pub fries since Mum got the sweet potato fries and Sissy got the soup. Both the fries were good. They were crispy and thick but soft on the inside just like great fries should be! I’d chose the sweet potato ones next time though. They had a sweet and salty combination. Perfect.

The burger on the other hand was a bit bitter for my taste and kind of wished the bun was softer so that I didn’t have to try so hard to bite through it. Let’s just say stuff were falling left and right. I resulted in cutting it with my knife and fork sans top bun.

After lunch we went on a walk to the ever so famous:

Powell’s Bookstore
40 NW 10th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 228-4651
www.powells.com

Books among books. Underground and over to the other side. I could stay here forever. They have Powell’s all over the state! Even in the airports! People in Oregon seem to really love to read. It was a Wednesday afternoon and there were a lot of people in the bookstore. They’re definitely not going to be going bankrupt anytime soon.

They even sold Cupcake Toothpaste. I would of bought it but I didn’t want it to be another Bacon Necklace incident.

Went walking to our next destination. Elephant statue. So cute. And Chinatown. (duh.)

Voodoo Doughnut
22 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205
(503) 241-4704
www.voodoodoughnut.com

We all picked random donuts we wanted to eat. We ended up with … too much.

The two pictured are:

Voodoo Doll Doughnut [raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake]

All their Voodoo Dolls had different characteristics. Was not a big fan of the raspberry jelly.

Cock-N-Balls Doughnut [cock-n-balls shaped raised yeast doughnut triple filled with Bavarian cream and topped with chocolate frosting]

It was their Cocktoberfest. ha So silly.

I wish I had more time to look at the menu. I suggest if you go here, go online and look up what you want first. You cannot see what you’re order. Just the names are written on the board. Online, it describes what they are.

I don’t think they’re as great as people say they are but if I ever do go back I’ll order all the Apple Fritter Doughnuts and Blueberry Cake Doughnuts. They were the best. And be aware of the donuts with cereal on top. Sissy and BIL got those previously and told us that they were stale. Gross.

We walked back to our car and drove to the top of Rocky Butte which had a park (Joseph Wood Hill Park) where you can see the gorgeous landscape of Oregon.

They have a rock? statue? with different places like Mt. Hood, Columbia River, and Mt. Tabor. Apparently this has been replaced (I guess updated?) November of 2002.

No words. Pictures don’t do it any justice.

We drove to their apartment where we got to see Bruno!! and we relaxed for a good while. Then headed to dinner. It was rainy and dark so I couldn’t get a picture of the market until the next day.

New Seasons Market
15861 SE Happy Valley Town Center
Happy Valley, 97086
(503) 558-9214
www.newseasonsmarket.com

This place is like Whole Foods in which you can get food from the Hot and Cold bar. Split a Minestrone with Sissy and got myself a big ol’ amazing salad. YUM!

We headed back to the apartment and just went lazy and into bed.

Great first night. Day 2 coming up …