Restaurant suggestions?
So my bf and I are looking to hit a fabulous, quirky, delicious, reasonably priced restaurant for our anniversary. I've been scouring the intar-webs for some good guides but am only coming up with impersonal travel guide ones which are no help at all, since the majority of restaurants listed haven't even been reviewed
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2. Portland has many really good restaurants, but my absolute favorites are these:
Colosso (NE Broadway around 19th): A tapas bar, so, loud, dark, and potentially smoky - but the food is amazing. Not just little bite-size items (though they have that too), but real food. Try the pollo moroqui (Moroccan chicken stew, with lemon peels, olives, and saffron, over couscous). It's amazing.
Clarklewis (SE Water Ave): This is the new, trendy, up-and-coming place in a district primed for gentrification, but you mustn't hold that against them. It really is very good - regional cuisine, heavily focused on local, organic ingredients, and as such, fairly vegetarian-friendly. And if you can't decide what to order, the chef will gladly select a menu for you.
Khun Pic's Bahn Thai (SE Belmont at 35th): This is the best restaurant in Portland. Period. In between some restaurants and bars and the nickel arcade, its facade is well-hidden behind a lush garden set in the wall. The restaurant itself is built into an old house, full of mismatched - but spotless - plates and glasses. It's run by just two people, a husband and wife team: He does all the waiting; she, a Thai immigrant and daughter of a master chef, does all the cooking. So service can be rather slow on busy nights. Deal with it. Bring company you can converse with. Be polite and kind to John, the perpetually harassed, overwhelmed waiter/majordomo/suis chef, as he apologizes for any delays. Take the time for a luxuriant dinner. It is worth it. Khun Pic (as she is styled for her professional life) is a genius, a sorceress, a woman at the uttermost peak of her craft. She could kick Anthony Bourdain in his macho ass and make Bobby Flay cry like a little girl. You think I'm exaggerating? You haven't been to Khun Pic's. Get the spring rolls with some peanut sauce. You have never had peanut sauce like this. I can't explain it. Just go.
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