portland!

Oh, Portland. Where do I even begin.

So after spending a tense evening driving the 3+ hours from Seattle to Portland so that Brett could make his early meeting? Well, the lady he was supposed to meet got stuck in traffic, so she had to reschedule for the next morning instead. He had a little bit of time to eat breakfast somewhere before his next meeting with a different company. Meanwhile I got to "sleep in" which wasn't much since I woke up incredibly early since I was still on central time. Eventually, after watching some HGTV and working on the BSF lesson, I set out to explore Portland. So many interesting stores; so many amazing looking restaurants and unique coffee shops! It was a lot to take in. I was thankful when Brett was eventually done with his meetings and could meet up with me. We went to Powell's World of Books, the International Rose Test Garden, and the Japanese gardens.

View from our room at the Kimpton Vintage Hotel Portland

In our hotel lobby. I've got the first 5 S's down

Stately Presbyterian church

Lavender glazed donut

Powell's immense bookstore 

International Rose Test Garden

Japanese gardens

That evening we had the amazing opportunity to dine at a French bistro, Le Pigeon. Wow, was it good! We decided on the five-course tasting menu. Among our favorite dishes were Foie Gras Teriyaki, Beef Cheek Bourguignon, and a dessert that featured foie gras ice cream and caramel. Brett asked the server if he could thank the chef personally, and he said yes, and would you like to have a picture taken with him in the kitchen? Brett was so overjoyed. I thought it was going to be just him and Brett, so I made a trip to the restroom, but when I came out, the server said, "Ready for your photo op?" And then I turned the corner into the kitchen and Brett was standing next to the James Beard award-winning chef, Gabriel Rucker, and the next thing I knew, the server was taking pictures of us, and the chef, who was the friendliest guy, was asking us about Minneapolis and Spoon and Stable. As he chatted, he threw some food on the stove and cooked. Such a cool experience!

The next morning Brett had his rescheduled meeting at 7 a.m., and then we walked to Tasty 'n Alder for brunch. Wow, what another incredible food experience!

Migas

We stopped in at Blue Star Donuts to pick up a few donuts to eat later. Cointreau creme brûlée, blueberry bourbon basil, and strawberry rhubarb, anyone?

Then we checked out of the hotel and headed out to Willamette Valley for the next leg of our trip. On the way, we stopped at two wineries: Penner-Ash Wine Cellars and Adelsheim Vineyard. I took the pictures below at Penner-Ash. This day was the best day weather-wise.

Mt Hood in the distance