Fine Art, Fine Food, Fine Times
Portland delivers them all.
By Jennifer Nelson, Guest Contributor
A recent trip north to visit family and friends began in Portland, at a restaurant loved by a former work colleague and his wife who now live in nearby Vancouver, Washington. Like many newcomers to Vancouver, Doug and Michelle were drawn from the Bay Area by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, as well as no state income tax in Washington and no sales tax in Oregon, a real help in retirement.
Our plane landed early, so we grabbed the rental car and headed towards the restaurant, in a charming southeast Portland neighborhood. We spent the wait wandering the area and keeping an eye on the door of the restaurant.
Jacqueline is known for small, beautifully curated plates of seafood and vegetables, and offers fresh local oysters for $1 each during Happy Hour. The oysters are sparkling fresh and served with an array of house-made sauces so they draw a crowd. Our task was to make sure we held a place in line until our friends arrived.
It’s a great place to wait, as the block on SE Clinton between SE 2th and 26th offers wonderful shops to explore.
Paper Epiphanies is a woman-owned card shop that makes every card they sell on two beautiful vintage letterpresses, which are on view. The greeting cards are beautiful, hilarious and thoughtful, and the shop also sells paper, notebooks, writing tools and more.
In a small space, Clinton Street Record & Stereo packs in a wide range of genres in their shop, which sells used and new vinyl records and cassettes. They also sell vintage turntables and receivers. Browsing is mandatory, as the sound system they use is incredible. Timmy Thomas’ classic, Why Can’t We Live Together, was playing and never sounded better.
Across the street, Annie Meyer Gallery was closed, but we’ll need to return when she’s open, as Annie’s haunting, magnetic abstracts glow (as seen in the image at the top of this piece). She works primarily in oil and acrylic, but also offers monotype prints and ceramic tiles. For the last 20+ years Annie spends the month of September in France working on plein air paintings, and the rest of the year focuses on Willamette Valley landscapes and waterways.
Our friends Doug and Michelle arrived and Jacqueline’s doors opened. What looked like 50 or 60 trays of a dozen oysters each were prepped and ready for the clearly popular happy hour. The restaurant had a dry Winters Hill pinot gris on tap which we enjoyed with what turned out to be the first of four dozen oysters for our group while we looked at the menus, which change daily.
The four of us shared several small plates: cold smoked scallops in tom kha and fish sauce; hamachi crudo with charred pickled pineapple, lime leaf, mint and peanuts; house-made focaccia; smashed cucumbers with Oregon seaweed and whipped tofu; wild mushroom tempura; and shrimp and pork sausage skewer with perilla and jeow som. Michelle brought a lovely bottle of Balletto pinot noir to share.
It was a joyous way to begin our long weekend and reconnect with friends. The next few days were spent on the central Oregon coast, discovering unexpected pleasures, and when we returned to Portland, we spent a happy hour or two at Powell’s Books. Powell’s may be the only bookstore in the country with a line of 40 or 50 people waiting outside for the doors to open, no special event needed. And they ship, which was a great option as we bought at least a dozen titles.
We finished our long weekend with a dynamite lunch at Eem. I can’t remember the last time I ate among a more enthusiastic group of diners. Waiting in line, sitting at our table, en route to the restroom—no matter where we were, diners were so excited to be eating there, they couldn’t help sharing their menu recommendations and a touch of envy that we were experiencing it for the first time. It’s a very popular spot, with good reason.
Eem serves “Thai barbecue and vacation drinks” which makes for a very happy vibe. We started with a charred carrot salad, an interesting contrast of flavors and textures with cashew romesco, herbed shallots, and a hint of coconut.
Smoked pork krapao (above) with Thai chili, basil and a fried egg had a nice kick, but the showstopper was the white curry with brisket burnt ends in a wondrous bowl of coconut cream and roasted cauliflower. A rich and satisfying dish.
We weren’t in the mood for cocktails (although the drink menu is a delight to read) and instead chose from the Clear Headed list. Approved By Chef is a tangy cucumber yuzu shrub with ginger lime soda that cut the richness and heat of the dishes beautifully. That’s mango nectar behind the soda.
We are looking forward to new adventures, and wish the same for you.
What deliciousness!