Apparently, this garden is the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan, and it really was quite beautiful:
It was another gorgeous day, sunny and low 70s, so we just strolled around and enjoyed the outdoor activity. So much nature. It probably would have been beneficial to have taken the guided tour, but we missed it so what can ya do. After we made our way down the hill on the bus, we found our bikes and rode over to 21st Avenue, which is a hoppin street near our hotel (ish). Since we had been indulging for 5 days, we thought sushi would be a nice option. We found a rando sushi spot, SanSai, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch al fresco.
After lunch, we rode downtown to check out Powell's City of Books, which I had read about and had come recommended. This place is a site to be seen! There are at least 6 "rooms," each named a different color throughout 3 floors, that housed hundreds of thousands of books on every topic imaginable. In these days of e-readers and the internet, it's no secret book sales are suffering. However, this place makes you want to buy a book on every topic of interest, even though you know you can quickly just Google the information you are seeking. They also have plenty of funky/unique gag gifts (a la Urban Outfitters), so that's always fun. We ended up leaving empty handed and took a stroll down to Stumptown Roasters, the apparent best coffee in Portland (except I just found out while writing this post there are many other locations including a couple in Manhattan- I feel excited yet slightly duped). I opted for an iced coffee, and it was in fact quite delicious.
We enjoyed that on our way back to where we parked the bikes and then set off to take advantage of happy hour. I always wonder who these people are that can make it to the bar in time to catch happy hour. Whelp, that was us this time! We found a great spot with a patio called Pope House Bourbon Lounge to enjoy the weather and a few cocktails.
The only downside was that I had to tipsily ride my bike back to the hotel, but don't worry, I made it without a scratch (however the hotel room wall I nicked while putting my bike away can't say the same). My B.
Anyways, we got ready for dinner and set out for the east side. We took a seemingly easy bus route, but apparently it's the preferred route for the crazies and crackheads! My oh my, this was the ride from hell. There were these 2 old ladies with their granny carts full of worldly possessions taking up the aisle space which caused some bitter words between them and the crazy crackhead lady who had to stand. Mind you, she was wearing Cookie Monster pants among other colorful wardrobe choices, but hey, it's Portland. Their bickering went on until one of them reached their stop, which then provided a fun game of musical chairs between the cart ladies and the handicapped man in a wheel chair (but he had his own sound system attached to the chair, so it was really entertainment for all). Meanwhile, a nice looking young man climbed aboard and apparently flashed some special bus pass that prompted the old grouchy man behind us to bitch and moan about this guy's free ride. He literally said "hope you enjoy your free ride, you piece of shit" to the young guy. This then turned into some heated words between to the two. I mean really, it was surround sound entertainment the entire way.
So we finally arrive at our stop and find Le Pigeon, an adorable little place with maybe 35 seats. After discussing whether or not to hit up the Chef's tasting menu, we decided to just order from the menu. My calamari appetizer was plentiful and thankfully not fried. It was actually the curliest calamari I have ever seen, and it was cooked well with a delicious orange based sauce. Jeremy ordered the Duck Cuit Sur un Plaque with soft boiled egg, truffle, and frisée. This is cooked very uniquely. The raw duck is sliced paper thin and the plate is heated to a very high temperature. When the raw duck is placed on the plate, the heat of it lightly cooks the duck to the perfect temperature. We enjoyed this dish. Then for our entrees, Jeremy ordered the Beef Cheek Bourguignon, which was incredibly tender and super tasty. I had the special for the night, which was a grand mix of seafood over a creamy risotto. Everything was cooked very well and the sauce was delicious.
Now for dessert. We had heard about the magic of these Foie Gras Profiteroles, so we decided we had to try it.
Wowww is my first reaction. This might be the most interesting, unique, and delicious dessert I have ever tasted! It came with 3 "puffs" of flaky dough with foie gras ice cream sandwiched in between. These were all swimming in a dreamy pool of salted caramel sauce and chocolate flakes. The salty-sweet combo was incredible. I even heard Jeremy describe it as "evil genius." Needless to say, we licked the plate (not actually, but might as well have).
So we finished up and Jeremy wanted to check out some of the bars nearby before heading back. We walked past a few kind of scary biker-esk bars, but settled on a nice looking establishment called Burnside Brewing Company. They offer their own brews, plus have an assortment of other options. Obviously one should always try the house brew when present, so Jeremy went with the IPA, and I for some reason ordered something called Sweet Heat. This is made with apricot (yummy!) and Scotch Bonnet (YIKES). On first sip, it's like "oo sweet apricot.... HOLY HELL that's hot!" WTF bartender, I did not feel adequately prepared for this selection. So I tried one more sip to try and man up, but just couldn't do it. I was worried about burning a hole straight through my stomach. So, that was that. Jer happily sipped his brew and a few others and we watched the Golden State Warriors game. After that, we headed back on the bus, but with a much less eventful ride, phew!
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