Travel | fabliss

Salt & Straw | Portland, OR

i honestly don’t need to say much about salt & straw since this is a portland staple. portland natives love it, tourists come here just to eat it, and it’s one of oprah’s favorite things! i will, however, confirm what everyone has said before me.

this place is awesome! yes, there are long lines all throughout the day but we really didn’t mind. this was the second place we went to after we got off the plane and ate it every day until we left. too much? we don’t think so.

salt & straw has three locations… we visited two of them. since we went to the one on division after a late lunch at pok pok (and on a weekday), there was no line. we were lucky enough to sample all the flavors!

so they have a their list of permanent flavors and then a few rotating flavors. their featured flavors the week we were there were signature cocktails! backstory: they partner up with local bartenders to come up with awesome ice cream flavors! cool, huh?

our absolute favorites:

cinnamon snickerdoodle
almond brittle ganache

since i don’t love chocolate, i never get to have “cookies” or “cake” in my ice cream (ie. cookies ‘n cream, dreyers thin mint ice cream, etc). so i was ecstatic when i saw snickerdoodle ice cream! large chunks of snickerdoodle cookie in my ice cream? yes, please!

also, waffle cones are a must. you can literally smell them when you are waiting in line. with that said, you wouldn’t be that big of a loser if you didn’t get a waffle cone (or would you? jk). you have the choice of sugar cone or cup. you also have a ton of options with regard to your scoops. single, double, split, kids size or even a sample flight!

this is the little hole you put your “used” spoon in. cool, huh? also, i would like to point out how perfect my ice cream scoop is!

ok, so a few tips. if you get a chance, i would go to the location on division (pictured above). it is new so the decor is stupid cute. fresher and lighter than the original location on 23rd (pictured below). lots of natural light and there’s a hole in the counter wall for your spoon (mentioned and pictured above). it’s the little things.

also, i have to give a shout out to our awesome friend at the division location who welcomed us to portland, gave us the lowdown on city, gave us a list of her favorite restaurants (ava gene’s was her absolute favorite. separate blog post to come), and made us the perfect ice cream cone for my blog! thank you! thank you!

we cannot stop raving about this place. add this to your list if you are in town!

here are some pictures of the location on 23rd. there is always a line around the corner.

Salt & Straw

838 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
Neighborhood: Alphabet District, Northwest

3345 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland, Clinton, Richmond

By fabliss | June 29th, 2014 | Dessert, Food, Photography, Portland, Restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Pok Pok | Portland, OR

what was our first stop after landing in portland? pok pok! everyone raves about pok pok (my cousin included) so we just had to see what all the fuss is about.

it sits on division street, a really, really cute street/area that is definitely up and coming. so… it looks like an unassuming hut. (it made me miss thailand) if you really can’t find the hut… just look for a large crowd of people waiting to eat here.

luckily, we came here on a thursday afternoon (off-peak time). we didn’t have to wait because we just took the counter seats. score! to be honest, we lucked out our whole trip and didn’t have to make any reservations in advance (i.e. salt & straw, ava gene, andina, tasty & adler). good timing?

what we ordered:

khao soi with chicken ($14.50)
spicy wings ($14.50)
neua naam tok ($14) – spicy isaan flank steak salad with fish sauce, lime and chili powder dressing, shallots, lemongrass, mint, cilantro.
sticky rice ($2.50) – it was recommended with the steak salad.
mango alexander ($9.50)
tam whiskey sour ($9.50)

the steak salad with sticky rice was out of this world! the dish itself has familiar tastes but with a little twist. very well done in our opinion. also, the restaurant recommends ordering sticky rice with this. listen to them. the steak salad is salty and is just better with the sticky rice. one of our favorite dishes in portland.

the khao soi was just okay. a little disappointing but it was our fault. we should’ve known when the waitress did not name it as one of her favorites. the curry itself was on the watery side with little taste. due to the watery consistency, it didn’t stick to the noodles or the chicken leaving them bland.

the drinks are okay. not my favorite and on the expensive side. the mango alexander looked like egg nog to me. i honestly tried to get over it’s appearance but just couldn’t do it. kyle liked the whiskey sour but that was about it.

spicy wings are also delicious! perfectly crispy with punch-in-your-face flavor. people are crazy about these and we understand why. for those folks in la who know about ob bear in ktown… think about those chicken wings. very comparable. for those in la who aren’t familiar with ob bear…get yourself a korean friend and head over to ob bear for the best wings of our life. #truth

food: this is the type of place that you just have to know what to order and you will love it. yes, the khao soi was unimpressive but the awesomeness of the steak salad and spicy wings definitely make up for that! these two dishes make pok pok one of our favorite meals in portland.
service: we loved the hostess and our waitress. very helpful and energetic. we regret not going with the boar collar recommendation. shame on us. there are so many more items on the menu that i would like to try! next time!
ambience: very, very casual. reminds me of a hut but i know i am way off with my description. wood beams and wooden tables. there are some tables (with bench seats) that will fit 6-8 people but i really wouldn’t roll any deeper than that.
parking: we found parking in a nearby neighborhood for free. no biggie.
overall: despite this being one of the more expensive meals in portland, i would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone visiting portland.

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202

By fabliss | June 28th, 2014 | Food, Photography, Portland, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Biking Around Vancouver | Part III

we read that the best way to see the city was via a bicycle! so we went to english bay bike rentals on davie street and rented two bikes for the day ($48 total for bikes and helmets. not bad, right?).

vancouver is a great city for cyclists since they have so many bike paths! too bad we only lasted 4 hours! we started in english bay

circled around stanley park (along the seawall).
road past false creek
through granville island
to kitsilano park
then over the burrard street bridge (this one almost killed me)

vancouver is beautiful, right?

By fabliss | June 13th, 2014 | Canada, Photography, Travel | 0 Comments

Vancouver Tourism | Part II

we heard we had to visit grouse mountain (the peak of vancouver) and capilano bridge! we booked our tickets through tourism vancouver for a little bit of a discount.

grouse ultimate experience – $49.95 per person includes a free shuttle to grouse mountain, the skyride and eye of the wind (view of vancouver from top of a wind turbine).
capilano suspension bridge park – $$31.95 per person includes a shuttle and automatic entrance to see the capilano suspension bridge and cliffwalk!