Looking at the photos I took this weekend, apparently my first weekend living in Portland was all about the food. While food was high on the list, other things happened too. Only I don’t have a single photo to show for it. Maybe I’m feeling a little too shy to take photos of people just yet. Non food related things of the weekend included the official celebration of Sam and Meg’s marriage. There was a gorgeous reception at the Overlook house followed by hours of dancing (and mini ramp skating for those brave enough to drop in) to DJ Hostile Tapeover. He DJ’s 80′s and 90′s tape singles. And to be completely honest, I was a little sore on Saturday. This must mean I’m not dancing often enough.
That was Friday night. Then came Saturday and the food. After Saturday brunch we hopped on our bikes and explored most of the day. We stopped for an oyster shooter and a beer at EaT. We talked about pizza too. After our oyster cocktail (Nick’s first!) and without much of an agenda we headed east, with pizza still on the brain. We heard Ken’s Artisan Pizza opened at 5 and thought it would be perfect for a late lunch/early dinner.
We arrived at Ken’s a few minutes before 5. There was a line of 20+ standing outside before the doors even opened. We opted to wait and ended up with a great spot at a communal table near the large, open windows. Four of us split two Caesars, a Margarita & Arugula Pizza and the Amatriciana Pizza. There was just enough room for dessert. Of course we went for it. Dessert included a blackberry crisp with peach gelato and blackberry sauce. And my favorite, a brownie with salted caramel gelato and toffee crumbled on top. The pizza at Ken’s is well worth the wait (as is the dessert). It’s what I look for in pizza; simple, quality ingredients and a good crust that’s bubbly and even a little charred in places. It’s unpretentious, my kind of food.
Sunday morning after some coffee and a chat with my mom, I walked to Cartola, the coffee shop a few doors down from my house. A few doors down is almost too convenient. I can see myself walking over to pick up a buttery croissant and latte more often than I should. This time, I picked up a mushroom manchego biscuit and an almond apricot muffin for breakfast back at the house, split with Jevan, of course. I don’t want to jump the gun, but I’m in love.
The rest of the day was spent unpacking and errand running. I picked up new sneakers from the Adidas employee store (thanks Meghan!) and went for a run. We played tennis later that afternoon and it really feels like fall around here. For a late lunch, we split a Chickpea sandwich from the Garden State food cart on Mississippi and enjoyed it outside. For dinner and the first one in our new home, we made an End of Summer Salad complete with peaches, arugula, blue cheese and candied walnuts and Jevan made bread. It was a perfect first weekend in Portland. And now it’s drizzling outside and 60 something. Goodbye summer, hello fall. What was your weekend like?
