eating portland (part 2 of 2)

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I still didn’t have much of an appetite as a result of the food onslaught from the previous day.  But duty calls, so off I went.  And what better way to start the morning than doughnuts?  Well I can actually think of about a hundred better ways, but I’m a huge Anthony Bourdain fanboy so I had to make the pilgrimage to Voodoo Doughnut and see what the hype was all about.

The shop was tiny and staffed by freaks and smelled delicious.  The menu was particularly high-minded, with designations such as “No Name Doughnuts”, “Old Dirty Bastards” and “Cock & Balls”.  I was intrigued by the infamous bacon maple bar, but in the end couldn’t bring myself to order it.  We were meeting a group of friends, so we decided on a Voodoo Dozen which is essentially pastry omakase.  I may have mentioned previously that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but these doughnuts were so over the top that I could only manage a bite or two before my teeth were falling out of my head.  Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about doughnuts covered in Fruit Loops.  If that’s your thing, then by all means you should stop by on your next trip to Portland.  You can also get legally married there, FYI.

We eventually met up with our friends and decided on a late lunch somewhere inoffensive.  The consensus from the locals was that Mother’s Bistro & Bar downtown would have the broad appeal we were seeking.  I was also advised to go early and get reservations because the place was apparently crazy popular.  They weren’t kidding.  What was initially quoted as a 45 minute wait stretched into an hour and a half.  Lord.  We all vaguely remembered similar situations in previous trips to Portland (I’ve always thought the town was a little zombified).  Anyhow once we were seated and ordered up, the food came quickly enough.

The space was enormous, taking up almost an entire city block.  The décor was hotel lobby chic, with heavy, ornate curtains and lounge chairs and gilded everything.  Mother’s is a burger and omelettes sort of place, and I happily munched away on a surprisingly decent Reuben sandwich – the corned beef brisket was lean and flavorful, the sauerkraut was tangy and the thousand island dressing was used sparingly (which is how I like it).  The whole premise behind chef Lisa Schroeder’s restaurant is to serve traditional home-cooked meals like MOM USED TO MAKE.  I’m not kidding.  But while the concept may be hackneyed, the food certainly was not.  And the menu was colossal – pot roast, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, multiple varieties of macaroni & cheese.  The textbook definition of comfort food.

We had waited so long that I had finally regained my appetite, and we all scarfed down our food and raced out to the next destination.  Overall, I really enjoyed this particular trip down to PDX, and the restaurant scene has just exploded in the last few years, so I’m sure I’ll be back soon.  I really want to eat at Beast and Le Pigeon and Sel Gris and Toro Bravo and…