Portland, Oregon, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most energetic cities, is renowned for its gorgeous forests. Additionally, it is a paradise for artists, with huge murals decorating the city with vibrant hues. Portland has four distinct seasons and one of the top food scenes in the country. Despite being one of the largest in the state, it is still a relaxed, welcoming city. Portland’s high cost of living is not one of its finer qualities. While some cost indices are lower than the national average, many are significantly higher. They cover things like Portland houses for sale, transportation, and other costs. As a result, Portland, Oregon now has a cost of living index of 131/100, which is more than 30% more than the national average. Read on for bars and restaurants you will love in the Portland area.
Langbaan
The restaurateur behind several of Portland’s culinary constellation’s brightest stars, including Langbaan, his supper club within Northwest Portland’s Phuket Cafe, is Akkapong Earl Ninsom. Throughout Thailand’s culinary history, different areas, eras, and dining styles have inspired the tasting menus here; yet, some items never vary regardless of the menu: A crunchy rice cup holds a Hokkaido scallop that is covered in a sweet coconut cream, while jewels of cara cara orange combine with plump shrimp and peanuts, cradled in a betel leaf with fish sauce caramel. Every meal is finished with a dessert prepared by one of the best pastry chefs in the city, Maya Erickson.
St. Jack
Nothing is more joyous than a meal at St. Jack, where guests admire exquisite platters in a bustling dining room with bubbling Champagne glasses on the tables. Here, the straightforward classics are performed amazingly well: A modest meal of steak frites comes with an excellent shallot-red wine demi-glace and tart bearnaise, and the restaurant’s standout chicken liver mousse is velveteen and has a sweetness evocative of rich ice cream. But unusual delicacies like beef tartare with pickled beets and rye crumbs or mushroom vol-au-vent topped with a bouquet of lettuce and nasturtium are what keep St. Jack at the top of mind when thinking about special occasion restaurants.
Arden Restaurant Portland
Formerly owned by Top Chef competitor Sara Hauman, this chic Pearl District restaurant is currently run by veteran Portland chef Erik Van Kley, a chef with a distinctive take on traditional foods from the Pacific Northwest. Consider chanterelle and potato pierogies, which are covered in a bed of Burgundian truffles and parsley leaves, with hot sauce providing orange pops to a creme fraiche. The flavor is instantly recognizable, and the truffle gives the herbed creme fraiche a playful air of froofiness. The extremely extensive wine selection, which includes a few long-cellared options from the Willamette Valley, pairs perfectly with all of the dishes.
Murata Restaurant
It is only appropriate to include Murata, the venerable Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland, when listing the “important” eateries in Portland. Since 1988, Portlanders have entered the restaurant’s tatami room for meals of miso soup, tonkatsu, and broiled mackerel as well as bowls of comforting zosui that are topped with egg ribbons and chirashi that come with plenty of salmon and delicious scallop slices. A sort of Japanese restaurant that is becoming increasingly rarer with time is Murata, which is old-school in the best possible sense. Sitting in its dining room and thinking about crispy tempura or chicken teriyaki causes a reviving nostalgia that is difficult to find elsewhere.