Stumbled Upon Success

After breakfast I decided to walk a couple streets over and check out the cute shops along Hawthrone St. The Belmont district is super cute and filled with tons of interesting spots. While walking and browsing I stumbled across The Waffle Window. Now, I originally had plans to visit this place but I nixed it out in my schedule due to my lack of time. I was so happy that I was able to miraculously fit a visit into my schedule because OMG this place is off the hook.

The Waffle Window

My Selection: The Seasonal Special
Pumpkin Pie Waffle 
pumpkin pie filling on top of a waffles with cinnamon, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.

This place is amazing! They make all sorts of waffle creations: sweet, savory, and simple starters. I am so glad that I was able to find this place. You know what they say, “ You always save the best for last.”

;-)

Unfortunately today marks Day 4 of my Portland trip, which means I am heading back to California. I only had a few hours before I had to head toward the airport so I decided to venture across the river and head to Pine State Biscuits. I had heard a lot about this place so I made sure get there early. 

They are known primarily for their fried chicken and biscuit sandwiches but since that was not an option for me I opted for The Regina, their vegetarian option.

The Regina
A biscuit with an over easy egg, topped with collard greens and doused in Texas Pete hot sauce .

I decided to compliment my sandwich with a nice glass of fresh squeezed OJ.

Burger time

Can you believe I am still going on Day 3? The nice thing about solo traveling is that you don’t have to worry about someone else. So I basically keep on going until I am drop dead tired. Finally, to finish out my day I swung by Little Big Burger. I first spotted this spot on Day 1 but was not able to stop in. It seemed like a simple burger joint with a little Portland flair.

Simple Menu

My meal: Veggie Burger with Tillamonk Cheddar & Fries
The burger was so good! There a crispy edge that I really liked.

They make their own Catsup.
It is super tasty and I think has Chili paste in it.

Tea Time

After my adventures at the Portland Saturday Market, I decided to mellow out and visit the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Old Town. It was pouring down rain at this time but it didn’t really phase me. In fact the rain made this whole experience even more relaxing. After walking through the gardens on my self guided tour I decided to head up to the Tea House and enjoy a nice cup of tea. They had lots of teas but I went with the Golden Monkey, which is a type of black tea.

Lovely ambiance that surrounds the gardens.

Cascading waterfall.

Beautiful Gates

My own kettle of Golden Monkey Tea

Ahh.. nothing hits the spot like a cup of tea on a cold, rainy day.

Big ole sandwich

For Day 3 of my Portland trip I explored the Columbia River Gorge and the Portland Saturday Market. After my tour this morning of some of the amazing waterfalls that Oregon has to offer I headed back into town. I was starving and decided to check out another Portland food truck. This time I went with Big A** Sandwiches. This truck has apparently been on the Food Network so I definitely wanted to see if they were legit. I ordered the Big A** Vegetarian. OMG! I kid you not, this sandwich was HUGE! It was in fact a big a** sandwich.

The Big A** Vegetarian
Field roasted ‘deli’ slices with hand but french fries, grilled and piled into a ciabatta roll and cover with homemade béchamel cheese sauce.

This is one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. And the veggie meat was amazing! (Apparently it comes from Seattle) Plus I appreciate that they made this sandwich spicy. Two thumbs up in my book.

Late night Sizzle

Tonight, after meeting up with a Portland local and new found friend I decided on my way home to pick up some Portland pizza. Apparently Portlanders have a thing for pizza so I decided to swing by Sizzle Pie to pick up a slice. I opted for The Gutenberg, as it was one of their vegetarian options. It had New Deal Vodka Cream Sauce, signature house blend cheese, mushrooms, and goat cheese. At first it looked pretty plain, honestly. But after one bite I was hooked. It was absolutely delicious. I would definitely go back. They even offer vegan options.

The Gutenberg

Street Chowder

Today marked Day 2 of my Portland trip. The plan today was to head downtown to Pioneer Plaza and work at the Apple Store. The store in Portland is much smaller than the one in Berkeley but it gets very busy. All of the people there were very nice and super welcoming. Needless to say my work day was great. While on break, I asked my fellow Apple people what I should grab for lunch. They immediately suggested the local food trucks. Portland has tons, I mean tons of food trucks. The trucks offer all sort of options and have affordable prices. I ended up heading down to 5th and eating at the Salmon Fusion truck. My dad told me earlier in the trip that if I get a chance I should try the chowder. Oregon & Washington both have lots of fresh fish so I made sure to jump at the chance that it got offered. I ended up going with the Smoked Salmon Chowder. Roger, the owner said that he built this truck on two things, one of them being the chowder. He even said he has been offered marriage proposals due to the quality of his chowder. 

Smoked Salmon Chowder w/toasted cheese bread bowl: white whole cream chowder w/roasted corn and Yukon gold potatoes served with Hawaiian slaw and saffron rice

Super tasty ! 
:-)

Portland Must Have

Anyone will tell you, if you visit Portland you must have a Voodoo Doughnut. So I made it one of my objectives to visit Voodoo on my Portland adventure. Now one of their signature doughnuts is the Maple Bacon bar. Since I am now I vegetarian I had to opt out ( it did look pretty tasty but I have been so good with my diet that I didn't want to ruin my progress). I ended up going with the McMinnville Cream ( raised yeast doughnut stuffed with Bavarian cream and topped with maple frosting, 2 eyes and a mustache) and the Captain my Captain ( raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Captain Crunch). Both we super sweet but really good. At first I thought I would like the maple one better but I actually really enjoyed the Captain my Captain, usually I'm not a huge Captain Crunch fan.

The sign from 3rd & Ankeny

Rug as you wait in line. 

Display of the day’s flavors

View of the menu

Some decor

The McMinnville Cream

I was full and ended up eating this the next day. It was still delicious.

If you are ever in Portland and want some Voodoo Doughnuts, make sure to do two things.

1. Bring CASH!
2. Be prepared to wait in line. This is one of the most famous places in Portland, yet it is still a hot spot for locals.

First Portland Meal

Today marked Day 1 of my Portland adventure. As soon as I arrived at my hostel I was starving. I ventured toward downtown and found a place that one of the hostel staff suggested called "Cha Cha Cha!" They had a lot of variety on their menu but I opted to keep it simple and get a few tacos. I ordered 2 veggie tacos and 1 fish taco, both of which were amazing. I can't wait to taste what else Portland has to offer.

2 veggie tacos -roasted poblano peppers, corn, onions, lettuce, black beans, and guacamole
1 fish taco- grilled tilapia topped with cabbage habanero salsa