Another beautiful sunny Sunday morning in Portland, offering up an opportunity to get out and see some things on the other side of the river.
I allowed myself to sleep in a little, then lounged around a bit because I knew my first stop wouldn’t open before 9am. Leaving the house at 0850 I headed for Honeycuspe, a food cart just across the Ross Island Bridge that specializes in waffles. I was the first one to arrive 5 minutes before opening and had the courtyard to myself.
Now, these aren’t just any waffles though. I would equate them to maybe the famous Cronut that came out in 2013, because they are crispy on the outside and as layered, light and fluffy as a croissant on the inside. I needed to try a couple so I ordered up the Strawberry Lemon Compote for some tartness and for my sweet tooth I ordered the Madeliene, which has warm cookie butter, fresh whipped cream, toasted pecans and a light caramel (they also have savory waffles, which I’ll try next time). I also read about their Pave’ Breakfast Potatoes and had to have them.
If you’ve never had Pave Potatoes (I hadn’t. I had to look them up to even see what they were even though I had seen some pictures online in the Honeycuspe reviews. While doing that I found this incredible recipe from Thomas Keller) they are something to be experienced. Think mandolin-thin scalloped potatoes that have been further compressed, baked, cooled, then cubed and fried. They are crispy crunchy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside (kinda like these waffles). They looked extremely delicious when served, but I feel they were overcooked and while they weren’t directly greasy they felt heavy and I think they needed to change their oil.
But back to the waffles because that was why I was here…. Look, I’m a foodie, I’ve travelled a lot, I love waffles, and I’ve tried quite a few, but these waffles were life changing. Like, forever going forward all waffles will be compared to these. Amazing! And the combination of a tart waffle with a sweet waffle was the perfect combination. For friends and family reading this, I will be bringing you here without a doubt when you come up. This hole-in-the-wall is what Portland is all about, and it is not to be missed.
Feeling very satisfied (aside from the heaviness of the potatoes, the waffles were filling, but I wasn’t stuffed or anything, just happy) I headed to my next stop, the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. I arrived a few minutes before opening so I lined out the rest of my morning, then entered the garden promptly at 10am. Entrance fee is $5, but (spoiler alert) I loved the place so much that upon exit I bought an annual pass for two for $40 and they credited back the $5 I had already spent. Totally worth it as I will be back many times.
Upon entry there is a map that shows the several looping walking routes across the 9+ acre garden set right alongside a beautiful public golf course. I arrived near the beginning of the flowering season but there were already a number of bushes and trees in bloom. With multiple natural spring-fed ponds there were all kinds of waterfowl, and the geese were especially unafraid and you could get within 2-3 feet of them.
With benches all over it was easy to stop and take it all in. This garden will be even more colorful I’m certain over the next couple of months.
Can’t say enough good things about this place, and as I said up front, I loved it so much I signed up for an annual membership and will be taking walks with Kay along the creeks and ponds under the willows and redwoods all year long.
The rest of my day was spent antiquing around Southeast and Northeast Portland. This city is full of Victorian and mid-century antique and architectural recycle stores, (think Victorian door knobs, lights, fireplace mantles and more) and for someone into history like me it’s a blast just walking through these places. With our new home we are looking for a little different vibe than we had in Folsom where our home was stucco sided with ceramic tiled roof and rounded corner walls. Here our home, having been built in 1974 and remodeled since then, has a more mid-century modern feel and for the most part (but not all) that is what we are trying to evoke through furniture, artwork and knick knack selection.
So, while out and about this morning I simply found things that caught my eye, spoke to me, and that I knew I would want to look at and enjoy the lines, colors, textures and shapes on a daily basis going forward. I visited at least 5 stores today (Old Portland Hardware and Architecture, Artifact Creative Recycle, Really Good Stuff, Vintage Pink and Lounge Lizard), but with it being Easter there are quite a few other stores that were closed that I am looking forward to seeing in the future.
Most of these stores are intermixing their own vintage products and consignment, so while they were all pretty much willing to knock 10% off just for asking, they weren’t really willing to negotiate much below that. However, I found the prices to all be very reasonable (most items $25 - $75 bucks) and fairly consistent from store to store. In the end I picked up five items to decorate our fireplace mantle (the mortar and pestle we picked up a couple weeks ago in Cannon Beach) and I’ll continue looking for a new starburst clock for the livingroom (the clock we’ve had for years died this past week so looking at something along these lines. Going for a modern reproduction versus real because I don’t want an electrical cord or aged internals) and some additional artwork for the livingroom, sunroom, guest room and hallways. I’m quite certain I’ve only begun to tap the market that exists here in Portland, and I can’t wait to see what else is out there.