HAPPY REVIEWSDAY!
Because I was away all last week, I feel like it’s been quite a minute since I’ve sat down and chatted with you all. How are you doing? What’s shaking? Any food adventures you’ve had?
We went to Portland last week to scope it out and we LOVED it. Oregon is absolutely beautiful and the vibe in that state is right in sync with us. I can’t wait until we go again! I just want to be there right now.
The food in the Portland area is so varied and just all seems amazing. Two things in the Portland food scene excite me most.
1.Local is king. It seems like food producers are all about those local ingredients and locals are all about supporting those local food establishments.
2.Asian food is abundant. I lived in Alaska a large portion of my childhood and so, even though there was a large Asian population, I never was able to experience the variety of foods they brought to the state. I am so excited to try foods I’ve never had before as I explore Portland’s Asian food community in the future.
Those two things being said, here is a small run-down of the local food stops we made while traveling in Oregon. (Keep in mind we are a family with little disposable income, so we hit A FEW of the top places we heard about.)
1. Pok Pok. Might sound like a funny name, but this place is seriously amazing. This was my only “must eat” on the list and I ended up loving the food here! It is a Thai restaurant with multiple locations in Portland. There are two branches of Pok Pok to choose from; Pok Pok Wing or Pok Pok. Pok Pok Wing specializes in, you guessed it, wings and I would imagine it would be a little friendlier on a budget. We went for Pok Pok and it is a pricey place (we both had an entrée and specialty drink and it was about $45 before tip), but the food was delicious, and the drinks were divine. I was in heaven. I ordered a Muslim beef curry noodle dish and loved every bite. (Albie loved it too! He ate so much of it!) It is mild and smooth and hearty. So satisfying! I also ordered the Thai Hibiscus drink which was so full of flavor. I was expecting it to be similar to the Latino variety of Hibiscus drinks, having experienced a year and a half of those which generally were weak in flavor. This was a strong flavor which was worth the trip to Pok Pok on its own to be honest. I wanted to try the desserts there too, but Albie was getting antsy, so we left, but the menu looked great!
2. Camp 18. Camp 18 is more of an experience than a quality food establishment. It’s on the way from Portland to Seaside, OR and is a huge log structure full of history and fun things to look at. The food there is okay. I could go to any variety of breakfast food chains and order about the same things we ordered there. The most exciting thing they have on the menu is a giant, dinner plate sized, cinnamon roll you can split with your family and friends. I think Camp 18 is definitely worth the stop on your way to the coast because it’s a fun place, but I recommend only ordering a cinnamon roll to snack on if you’re buying food there.
3. Tillamook Creamery. It’s no secret to anyone who follows me on Instagram that I love Tillamook products. It’s nearly the only dairy company we buy in our household (and that’s only because they don’t sell milk). The factory is fun to visit! You can watch workers make cheese and learn a little about the cows who produce their milk. The building is so impressive and beautifully designed. I was in awe of how lovely it was. As far as food you can purchase in the building (besides their base, packaged, products) I have two recommendations. First, I would not recommend buying your meal there. Take this critique with a grain of salt, because we did not purchase many items on the menu, but what we did buy we were left disappointed. The kid’s meal we bought had a small main course and a huge amount of fries (which is not what I want my child to be filled up on) and the two other items we bought were ridiculously large and just “eeehhhh” in flavor. All the food was pretty expensive for us as well. (I bought an appetizer for my meal and it was about $13) The ice cream, on the other hand, was great as usual and they even had different flavors than what you can find in the grocery store. Long story short buy the ice cream not the food.
4. Blue Star Donuts. There are many donut shops in Portland, but because we couldn’t hit up all of them, we went to the one with the best rating on Google. Google did not disappoint! The shop itself is so clean and modern, I loved how it was designed. But more importantly, these donuts were delish! I enjoyed all the ones we bought, but the one I can’t get out of my head is the one with passionfruit glaze and a cocoa/cayenne pepper dusting. IT WAS FANTASTIC. I literally will think about this donut every time I see another donut, I’m sure. If you’re going to Blue Star Donuts buy it, you will not regret it. It is reminiscent of mango sprinkled with Tajin, so if you like that you’ll definitely like this. Cannot recommend this donut shop enough.
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