Take pleasure in this post, for it will be my last big food photo/experience extravaganza in Portland…I’m retiring after having the most delicious weekend of my life.

Okay so Fat Tuesday = last day to eat chocolate = one giant ass peanut butter chocolate chip cookie that disintegrated into peanuty chocolate creamy crisp on my tongue. good bye chocolate. Also, while walking around looking for the perfect adieu to my love, cocoa, I found this pretty little flower that smells like angels, my grammie, and the secret garden, anyone know what it is?

I had a fun job at work this week and only one day to do it so I received a Monte Cristo sandwich and chai tea from Little T Baker. Great way to end 5 days of work and begin my weekend with two amazing women :)

The next day, Friday, is when my Mom and Peggy Baumer landed in Portland and taxied over to the Courtyard Marriot downtown. I fled work early, literally fled, and met them at the hotel where there were fresh beds, a television, and a big shower. Hallelujah. I think my Mom brought perpetual sunshine with her because there was not a drop of rain and the weather remained between 53 and 60 degrees the entire weekend.

So I’m going to forewarn you that we ate a lot and although our weekend consisted of many activities…food was a major player, food almost outdid us and made us fall over in heavenly comas, food ruled our stomachs until we gave in for more.

To follow that, we started Friday by going to a Soda Fountain/Lunch Counter downtown called Blueplate. All three of us split a small meatloaf sandwich with basil mayo and freshly cooked smoking potatoes. That was lovely beyond belief and to wrap it up we sipped on a chai shake made from green tea ice cream and chai syrup. The light, unusual flavor that hinted at vanilla, tea, and cinnamon was soothingly creamily yummy, especially with the jimmies on top. Such a cute place, not to mention that dude from the Food Network, Guy Fieri, had been there and marked his spot on the wall sealing it as a gem of sodas, shakes and great American food.

Strolling in the warm weather was delightful and we eventually wound up at the infamous Voodoo Doughnut, Portland’s most featured food attraction known for it’s quirky and weird collection of breakfast pastries that in this case, are sold 24 hours a day from inside a wacky bricked building with a twisted chandelier. Quite the experience and the donuts rotating around in the lit case only made your mouth water in awe of the crazy concoctions like bacon and maple bars or “Cock-n-Balls”. We settled for a powdered raspberry and a plain maple bar to split among us. The crowd waiting in line at this place forced us to find a cafe (what else but Stumptown?) to sit and enjoy our sugared fluffs of carb. They were fresh, doughy, flaky and so good they made us shake with voodoo sweetness. Peggy enjoyed Stumptown, she’s a serious (and I mean seriously frequent) coffee drinker who was not in the least bit disappointed at Portland’s roast!

Since Friday was dwindling and we definitely weren’t hungry for dinner, we walked around some more, stopped at the hotel, reserved a car at Hertz for the next day, walked, and explored Powell’s City of Books. I honestly do not think I can walk in there without buying something. Crime and Punishment is now on my list of books to read. Hurrah for literature and low prices!

Since McMenamins is ruler of all fun pubs, dance floors, and theaters out here in Portland, I took us to dinner at the Ringler’s Pub which is underneath the booming Crystal Ballroom. We split an appetizer of goat cheese torta with sundried tomatoes, a mango curry turkey wrap and a pesto chicken sandwich. Thank god we split three ways and even after all of that our tummies were still clinging on to the donuts so we ended up with left overs. These pics are kind of ewy since I had to use a flash…

Back at the hotel Mom and Peggy were asleep at 8:30…still living on Cincinnati time I guess, and I read a bit of Second Glance by Jodi Picoult before shutting my eyes. Morning came fast and as always, I was the early bird – up and showering upon my first breath of sunrise. Our brunch destination didn’t open until 9, so we wandered the city streets, sat at a coffee place for a while and then rounded the corner to wait at the door for the restaurant…but behold, a line stretching around the sidewalk! I knew Mother’s Bistro was a popular destination, but I had no idea that we should have camped out at the entrance. No harm done though, we got a table immediately and proceeded to order a grand breakfast. First we split a cinnamon pecan roll three ways and it literally seeped into my taste buds with gooey, soft flavor. I was tempted to just order another one and screw the eggs, but I’m glad I didn’t. As a threesome (this tended to be our routine, splitting multiple dishes so that we could all try different things on the menu) we ordered the classic Eggs Benedict that had the most succulent and rich hollandaise sauce imaginable and the special Gouda frittata with some kind of greens and meat that made it so good and juicy that I’m having trouble remembering exactly what I was shoveling into my mouth. Never before, and most likely never again, will I experience such whipped, delectable quality in an egg.

We almost cleaned our plates before taking off to Hertz to pick up our Mazda and drive 1.5 hours to the coast of Oregon. The way to Cannon Beach was treefull, sunny, mountainous, gorgeous, and easy going.

When we finally descended the mountain and got off the highway, we discovered an adorable strip of houses, shops and restaurants. Everything matched and was quaint but still buzzing with the life of people. It somehow avoided the touristy gaudiness of the next town up called Seaside which we drove through and immediately drove out of. At Cannon beach we parked and walked down to the sand where the waves were waving onto the shore in ceaseless layers of violent foam. The lava-formed Haystack rock was in the distance one direction and a lighthouse was through the mist in the other direction. The sun was beating down, warming us and tempting us to stay forever. We walked the beach for a bit, walked through some shops, explored the town and then headed to lunch at the the Wayfarer where we landed a prime seat with a view of Haystack rock which wikipedia defines as :: a 235-foot tall monolith on the Oregon coast, the third-tallest such “intertidal” (meaning it can be reached by land) structure in the world.

We ordered. Ate some SUPER fresh bread with balls o butter. Ate beer battered avocado with blue cheese (interesting right?) and then some fish and fries. Satisfying, but perhaps a little overpriced.

More walking on the beach ensued. We headed down to the base of Haystack rock and watched as crazy teenagers splashed each other in the water. My Mom collected shells and then she insisted that it was necessary and essential that our feet touch the sand and the deep waters of the North Pacific. We stripped of our shoes. I can not tell you how cold that water was, but I held my breath and sucked up my squeals long enough for a picture or two in the iciness.

The next hour or two was filled with dog watching and meandering through the sand. I finally made use of my Canon Rebel and snapped millions of shots of dogs, unsuspecting children and couples, rocks, feet, sand, feathers, wind-bent trees over beach houses… I had so much fun and I actually ended up with some quality shots. It was even more fun to watch the dogs though, so many varieties and sizes from Great Danes to lil waddlers. There was one pack we came across, two dogs and a Border Collie that were absolutely fascinating. The Collie would herd the other two while they ran crazy in the ocean chasing after balls so far into the waves that at some points we feared they wouldn’t come back!

Also, I found the breed of dog I want. A Puggle. Pug + Beagle = a cute, energetic mixture with a slightly squished face but no ugly, weird wrinkles. I WANT ONE.

Eventually we had to leave the sea air and head back to Portland. I directed my Mom to NE Alberta street where we wandered around for a small bite to eat. We split a grilled cheese, buttery and greased with gooey pull-apart chunks of cheddar, Colby, and Swiss. This we did inside of a school bus. The place was called the Grilled Cheese Grill which was an outdoor food cart setup with seating inside of an old bus. Inside was a wacky mural, stools, old seats, and trivial pursuit cards at every table.

Next we walked over to Random Order Coffeehouse, which I had loved before, and had to return to. I ate a slice of caramel apple with sea salt and whipped cream. An almost perfect sweet tooth satisfaction considering I’m not allowed to have chocolate (Lent). Peggy and my Mom had the dark chocolate pecan – which in my opinion beats apple any day.

We tried going to a comedy club after this, but were too late for the show by a half hour so we gave up and crashed at the hotel. Clonking out seemed like the only option for me even though Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was on TV – my poor sun deprived skin didn’t know what to do with all that glorious fresh air.

Sunday arrived. Showers, purchasing of bus passes, and some hotel coffee were in order. We rode the bus over to the SE neighborhood, closer to where I live, to a little place rated rather highly on Yelp. Screen Door was in fact rated highly, as proven by the line and the ensuing hour long wait we endured for a table inside the cajun/creole restaurant. People were friendly and chatty, ready to wait for as long as it took for a seat at this place and I didn’t blame them, the menu was loaded and the food….

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oh the food.

Once finally seated we split a Cajun egg scramble, orange ricotta pancakes, brioche vanilla bean French toast, and a side of praline bacon. Now, let me explain this bacon. Other than simply saying salty candy, it’s a slice of bacon cooked crisp, sprinkled with pralines (a Louisiana recipe of pecans, sugar cane, and cream blended into candied nuts) resulting in an extra crunch of sweet, spicy, caramelized salt and juice. My one strip was enough to send me into sugar shakes and the orange pancakes…AHH OMG. One bite of that steaming creamy, moist, velvety texture spiked with the aroma and tang of tender oranges and a Grand Mariner lemon sauce drizzled lusciously over top…bah I died and sang praises to pancake creations.

Yea…so anyway we barely finished all that and then we waddled back to the bus and off to Forest Park to see the Japanese Gardens. I’m sure this place is drop dead gorgeous in the spring and summer, but the winter…eh, it was neat, but didn’t quite have that “wow” factor I was expecting for such a steep admission price. The garden was relatively small, spotted with knotted trunks and budding flowers. A scent of calm saturated the sand gardens and the ponds and the twisting stone paths. It was still beautiful and made me want to be there alone, to meditate or imagine, but there were banshee children galloping around and screaming “can we leave yet?” into the supposed serenity of the gardens.

After exploring, relaxing, and chatting in front of the glamorously colossal view of the snow capped mountains, we walked a good 2 miles to a local coffee shop called Anna Banana. This is where my sacrifice of chocolate really started to pain me – the mocha flavors at this place were absolutely unique and mouth watering. I settled for an iced banana latte and surprisingly it had those opposing flavors that lavished together like true love.

So unfortunately when we were waiting at the bus stop ready to depart for our next destination, I discovered I had left my backpack at the banana place. I sprinted back for it and my next discovery was : Amanda you are out of shape and your lungs despise you. I think if I were being chased by a murderer I would be caught and slaughtered. I need to work out.

We descended from the bus and walked down to Hawthorne where we ate at the praised Apizza Scholls where they make the dough daily (it’s never frozen) and put it through a 24 hour fermenting process – “this produces acidity in the final dough which gives the pizza crust a creamy flavor and a complex texture ranging from crackly and flaky to soft and chewy.” Their website details further about the process and even says (as other people in Portland have said as well) that they sometimes run out of dough due to their popularity and the freshness of their menu. Well it lived up to these standards, that’s for sure. Never again LaRosas…you have failed in the face of pure ingredients served upon a pie crust of impeccable creation. Our classic Margherita was devoured and enjoyed.

Sunday night, to wrap up our last day together, we headed to Pioneer Place to see Shutter Island. Through some overt music and acting, the thriller itself was fascinating and I loved the ending. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but didn’t send me flying over into the next row out of fear or suspense. And my mom survived. That’s a huge feat considering she doesn’t particularly enjoy movies that have blood, scariness, suspense, weirdness…etc. hehe. I teased her so much this weekend, all in good fun, she knows I love her and she’s my best friend. I was so sad the night was ending, but I could do nothing else but fall to the freshly made hotel bed, fearing not a mental institution on an island, but work the next day. ew.

On Monday we had time for one last brunch together. One last hour or two of great conversation. Peggy and my Mom are so easy to spend time with and so much fun to explore with. I think I’m going to define us as epicureans who find our pleasure from chatting with good company in gardens or cafes, eating sensational meals, and walking in the the sunlight – that is satisfactory to the senses, that is the good life.

My last bite of the incredible weekend was from a short stack of gooey banana and crunchy pecan pancakes steaming with sweet fruity flavor at Lorn and Dottie’s Luncheonette downtown.

We continued to stretch out the morning with some bashing of mine and Mrs. Baumer’s daughter’s old high school superiors, cups of coffee, drizzles of syrup, and plate cleaning. No more could be done except face the beautiful day knowing I had to leave the two spectacular women and go inside a dark studio and sit at a computer. We hugged, said good byes and before I knew it my suitcase was back at my house and I was walking to work. Three and a half more weeks left. I’m going to love it while I’m here, but I can’t wait to be home again! Thank you so much to Peggy and my Mom for visiting, it’s been one of my best weekends yet and I couldn’t have asked for a better pair of people to share it with.

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