This past Labor Day weekend I had the privilege of hosting my good friends and former neighbors of 12 years in my last home of Folsom, California for a weekend of fun here in Portland. Kathy and George Fernandez flew in Friday afternoon, and for nearly all of the 88 hours they were visiting with us we were on a whirlwind tour of Portland, seeing the sites, eating the food and listening to some great rock and roll music.
George is my ‘brother from another mother’, and we share a lot of things in common from our love of food, drink, the San Francisco 49ers and good music. I picked them both up at PDX and we headed back to the house for a little downtime after their flight from Sacramento and a nice little tasting of some Westward American Single Malt Whiskeys I had on hand.
After a bit of a respite and some catching up, we jumped in a Lyft and headed to Ringside Steakhouse for our dinner reservations. I had requested one of the tables in the back barrel room where things are a bit quieter, and you can actually hear each other talk. We ordered up what James Beard says are, “…the best I’ve ever had” onion rings, along with some bone marrow over toast points to start. I opted for the dry aged rib eye with garlic mashed potatoes and a chimichurri. Ringside is probably one of the nicest non-chain steakhouses in Portland and the service and food were outstanding this evening.
We were out and about on Friday evening because we had tickets to see Jeff Lynn’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) at the Moda Center.
The staging for the show was well produced, with what must have been at least a 50-ft tall donut-shaped 3-dimensional replica of the spaceship they are known for that was embedded with lights. Jeff is really getting on in age and it’s obvious that his voice isn’t what it once was, so he’s basically saying the lyrics versus doing a lot of singing. With the instrumentation and backup singers and all of the lasers, lights and fog though it was truly a very memorable concert that we all tremendously enjoyed.
I’ve included links below to several of the songs, or clips I recorded from my viewpoint and a setlist with audio/video can also be found at setlist.fm.
One More Time / Do Ya / Sweet Talkin’ Woman / Strange Magic
Can’t Get it Out of My Head / Fire on High / Livin’ Thing
Turn To Stone / Shine a Little Love / Don’t Bring Me Down
Encore Songs
After the concert we made our way over the Steel Bridge
and continued walking until we found our way to Kelly’s Olympian, a bar and music venue that has been around since 1902. While there we ran into a couple of friendly English blokes that had also been at the concert and we ended up talking with them for another hour or more while partaking in Kelly’s vast selection of beers on tap. During that time, I can neither confirm nor deny whether a few Jello shots may have also crossed our lips. Thus ended Day 1 of Labor Day Weekend 2024.
Saturday morning brought an early wakeup so that we could get over to Sweet Bacon Cafe for breakfast at 0800.
We were on a schedule, so after enjoying our breakfast we headed over to the Portland Japanese Garden to walk off breakfast. The Garden was preparing for a festival that included singing.
We did a circuit of the garden then headed out on Hwy 26 towards the ocean before the crowds arrived. After quickly passing through Cannon Beach, we continued south along the coast until the road starts to veer inland through the little roadside towns of Manzanita, Nehalem and Wheeler. It was a sunny day, and my car was pretty dirty, so we pulled over at one of the many roadside espresso “sheds” while also supporting the local high school cheer squad’s car wash. It was hilarious watching them wash the two cars in front of us as they were trying to dry off the one on the left while one of the mom/coaches was spraying the one on the right and over spraying the one on the left countering all the drying efforts that had taken place. In the end I’m not sure how much cleaner my car actually was afterwards as they couldn’t even reach the roof without a piggy back ride, but it was all for a good cause and it gave us time to drink our espressos.
Another 45 minutes or so down the road I had to take George and Kathy to one of my favorite stops in Rockaway Beach, the Original Pronto Pup store, for some good ‘ole fashioned corn dogs.
For the first time that I’ve travelled this route (I think this is maybe my fourth trip down this way) the Cape Meares Lighthouse was actually open, and we were able to head up inside, take the tour and listen to the volunteer talk about its history.
I found the part about the layout of the glass, the alternating white and red and the timing of it all interesting (the light rotated 360 degrees per minute allowing for four white signals, some dead space and four red signals as shown in the demonstration graphic). Apparently, each lighthouse had its own pattern so that sailors not only knew they were close to land but just by the light pattern would know specifically which lighthouse they were near.
We also walked over to the nearby Umbrella Tree and snapped some shots in between the wedding party passing through.
From Cape Meares we made our way over to the Tillamook Creamery to tour the overhead viewing platform that allows visitors to see how Cheddar Cheese is being made and to sample some cheese. It was extremely crowded and we were still full from lunch so we didn’t stop to get any of their ice cream. Pro tip, if you have an electric vehicle there are spots right up front near the door only for EVs. It’s a huge parking lot and every time I’ve been there it’s been full, but I’ve been able to park right up front and get a couple miles of charge to boot.
Given the festivities of the night before and our recuperation we decided to forgo the wine tasting we had scheduled in the afternoon and just head back to the house to relax before dinner.
While there are innumerable mom and pop restaurants that are out of this world here in Portland, I still have a soft spot for what is essentially a chain restaurant and part of the Landry’s family of restaurants, The Chart House. Only 3-4 minutes from my house, with a beautiful view of the river, along with an outstanding drink and food menu all encompassed in a cozy and friendly atmosphere, it is one of my consistent go-to hangouts.
We had reservations for 645 and they were ready for us upon arrival. As usual, the crab cakes and calamari appetizers were delicious and filling and that night I opted for a hearty swordfish entree over white beans.
We had a little mix-up with the dessert. We all got the lava cake, which takes about 30 minutes to make, so you need to order well in advance. We did, but apparently they gave it away accidentally to another guest. In the end they comped dessert, we had a fabulous time, and I look forward to my next visit.
We headed back to the house, built a fire in the fire pit and ended Day 2 with great conversation and more music.
Sunday morning requires a cup of coffee and some donuts and if you are going to do it right you get them from Blue Star Donuts. In an effort to give everyone a little taste of what they have to offer I ordered up from Doordash a nice selection and quartered them so everyone could get a little of each (left to right with the fritter mixed in): Lemon Poppyseed Old Fashioned, Blueberry Bourbon Basil, Chocolate Bergamot Old Fashioned, Raspberry Rosemary Old Fashioned and an Apple Cider Fritter.
With a little something in our bellies to stop the grumbling, we headed out for the day, with our first stop at the Original Hotcake House. You’ll notice a theme here with the term “Original” in a lot of restaurants around Portland. Not only does the Rose City have a plethora of great places to eat, but it also has a longstanding history of putting out good food and good restaurants that last over time. The Hotcake House is no different. It’s basically the Waffle House of Portland, open 24 hours a day and putting out some of the fluffiest pancake meals you’ll get for under $11 bucks all in.
If anyone thinks that so far the food seems a little heavy this morning, well you’re right, but we had a long day of walking ahead of us as we headed out to the Columbia River Gorge to see several of the waterfalls along the river.
In another first for me, I knew that this time the Vista House at Crown Point would be open, and we’d have a chance to go inside. I was surprised by how much space there was inside. I had no idea that there was another level below the main level where the gift shop and a little museum resided. It certainly lives up to its name with views up and down the river. As America joined World War I the year it opened, I can imagine the parking lot full of Model-Ts, along with a number of other cars from various manufacturers at the time.
We had two appointments that morning, one for lunch at the Multnomah Falls Lodge, and another to view the falls themselves (we were there on the last day of the year where a timed entry permit was required to be purchased for $2 ahead of time), so we used the time in between to visit some additional falls along the old highway.
Lunch at the Lodge was something I had been wanting to do, but never was quite able to pull off either because it required reservations or because parking is a real pain in the butt. We had troubles with parking this day as well, but eventually were able to find a spot in the parking lot right in the center fdivider of Hwy 84 right across from the Lodge and falls.
I didn’t take any pictures of the buffet because most of the dishes are covered so not too photogenic, then once it hits the plate it’s all stacked up. It ran in the mid $30’s per person and for the price was actually a good meal simply on its own merits, but even more so given that we had a quiet table in the conservatory of the 100-year-old lodge.
After finishing up lunch and viewing the falls we hit the road again and headed around the backside (from Portlanders’ point of view) of Mount Hood. Kathy mentioned that she liked pear cider, so while driving along we saw a sign for the Pear Bloom Farm and made a quick exit, rolling up a beautiful flower-lined dirt road with Mount Adams at the end. We saw lots of pear trees, but no cider. They did have a “secret garden” that required a short walk through the pear grove where visitors can cut a wide variety of U-pick flowers. Kathy found some clippers and picked out a really lovely bouquet for our dining table.
We stopped in at the Draper Girls Country Farm to taste and pick up a growler of my favorite Blueberry Lemon hard cider. Kathy and George got some pics on the tree swing with Mount Hood in the background, and with legs stretched we headed around the rest of the mountain then up it to the Timberline Lodge at an elevation of 6000 feet.
By this point I was running low on electrons and needed a charge. A few minutes down the hill was the Barlow Trail Roadhouse which had some high-speed EV chargers in its parking lot. So, while the Mustang was charging up we headed inside for a local brew and a game of, well bowling, I guess. From talking with the bartender this place has quite the history and I’ll definitely have to stop back in to check out the food the next time I’m in the area.
Charged up and ready to go we headed back the last hour or so bound for Ken’s Artisan Pizza, voted the 5th best pizza in America in 2024. After about an hour wait we were seated and ordered up three pies:
Fennel Sausage & Onions: tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, roasted onions, basil, with Calabrian chiles
Soppressata: tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy Calabrese salami and basil
Mushroom: mushrooms, mozzarella, fontina, pecorino, garlic and thyme
As usual, and per the #5 rating, they were all outstanding. The crust was crunchy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside, with all of the toppings evenly covering the surface edge-to-edge in flavor. You could lift a slice and it wouldn’t droop and wasn’t mushy in the slightest. Just perfectly wood-fired goodness. In fact, we all agreed that none of the pies were our favorite, because all of them were our favorite and that each of them brought something special to the table and to our pallets.
Once again satiated by great Portland eats, we headed west across the river to the Lan Su Chinese Garden to see the last bits of the Mid-Summer Festival and Market. I had seen an article earlier in the week about Coraline’s Cats and we ran across one of them at the entrance to the Garden.
Given that it took us some time to get seated and to eat at Ken’s we missed the various show’s that had been put on that evening at Lan Shu like the Lion Dance, but by the time we arrived (about 25 min before they closed) all the crowds were gone (they were expecting at least 1000 people) so we were able to walk peacefully through the Garden at night and take pictures unobstructed.
Back to the house to relax and end the penultimate Day 3 of Labor Day 2024.
Monday was Kathy and George’s last full day in Portland, but it would prove to not be the least adventuresome. We started the day with a quick trip to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden when they opened at 10am. The garden was mostly empty, and it provided a beautiful way to work up an appetite and see some scenery all at the same time. I couldn’t get pictures because they moved away as soon as they saw us, but about 50 yards away from us there were river otters frolicking in the pond, which was another first.
Our reservation at Olympia Provisions was for 1130, but we got there a little early, so we walked the two blocks over to My Father’s Place to have some Bloody Mary’s (I ended up getting the Light Blue Hawaiian instead). It’s a rousing hole in the wall (in a good way) with history that is full of regulars and is a place that I’m definitely going to be checking out again for breakfast when I have time.
With time counting down we made our way back to Olympia Provisions and got settled in. Normally, this is one of those places that is always packed (and thus the reservation) but today being a Monday I guess (even though it was a holiday) it was practically empty.
We started out with a charcuterie board and some beef tartar on buttered, toasted baguette. All their sausages and smoked meats are made on premises, and it makes a huge difference. I knew dinner was going to be a big meal, so I went light with a small salad and a cup of the most delicious, chilled gazpacho made with heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, piquillo peppers and miticana (a soft ripened Spanish goat cheese). I was not disappointed, and in fact I’ve never had a bad meal or experience here.
Right next door to Olympia Provisions is one of my stomping grounds, Westward Whiskey Distillery (I didn’t even have to move the car). Having provided George a tasting of three of their products upon arrival to Portland I wanted to bookend the experience with a visit to where the Whiskey was made. We popped in and they set Kathy and George up with a lovely sample of five of their products. As a member the tasting was comped, but because both of them loved the Stout barrel finished Whiskey I ended up picking up a bottle for them to take home to remember this trip for many months and another for me to replace at least one that was almost empty at home.
We headed home and took the rest of the afternoon off to relax outside in the backyard, rest and get ready for the last big evening. A little after 515 our Lyft driver picked us up and we headed to Ox Restaurant for what I thought was the culinary highlight of the week.
Arriving a few minutes early, they seated us in their outdoor bar where we had a drink, anticipating what was to come. At 545 they seated us in a small alleyway between the restaurant and the building next door off the main dining room. It had been an add-on early in the restaurant’s history, but it felt cozy and it was much quieter than the main dining area. The waiter brought out a small cup of some kind of garlic soup with a basil oil on top. I didn’t quite catch what it was, but it caught my attention and I could have eaten more than the thimble full, but I had to pace myself (well, that and they only offered the one free cup).
For appetizers we started out with a beef empanada that George swore tasted just like his taco Tuesday meat (in a good way I think). Next, I convinced George and Kathy to try the Beef Tongue a la Vinegreta, a smoked beef tongue carpaccio topped with an Argentinian potato salad of sorts, with a caper vinaigrette, horseradish and crispy sweetbreads. I swear it tasted like a pastrami sandwich with a side of potato salad and the plate was cleaned out. Unfortunately I dug in before taking the picture so it doesn’t show off well, but man was it good and everyone seemed to enjoy both the experience of something new and the taste of the food itself.
Everything at Ox is served family style, so we all got to enjoy a little of everything. Kathy ordered a big bowl of Clam Chowder with a large bone marrow on top, George got the Maple brined pork chop and I ordered the Peking Duck with ginger jus, fried scallion buns, foie gras torchon, giblet confit and golden plum preserves.
The pork chop without a doubt is at least in the top 3 I’ve ever eaten and the duck with the plum sauce and scallion buns was the best I’ve ever had. Time was running short and we were stuffed so we skipped dessert and walked the 6-8 blocks over to the Moda Center for the event of the evening.
We were back just three days after having previously seen ELO, this time to listen to Journey and Def Leppard. While there aren’t really any bad seats in the Moda Center, we were in the nosebleed section so while I have some video I’m going to just post a few pictures here and you can imagine how well Journey sounded.
As much as I do love Journey, I was really excited to see Def Leppard, and they did not disappoint. They sang all the greats and for the most part they sounded great, but as with Jeff Lynn you could tell these were aging rockers.
Still, it was yet another night to remember. We left the Moda at the completion of the concert and walked over the Burnside Bridge this time. We headed over to the Saturday Market area along the waterfront, through Ankeny Plaza and over to Voodoo Donuts which still had a line of customers after midnight. More cats were found before we decided to call it a night, capping off a magical four days in Portland with great friends.
