I’m back from my one week hiatus. Testing, grading and report cards pulled me under, and I’m only resurfacing because I had a 4-day weekend and was able to catch my breath. Technically, it was only a 3-day weekend, but I took today off to recover from 16 hours on the road/work on lesson plans/prep for conferences.
Thursday evening the hubs and I drove to Yakima to pick up my brother, Jake. Friday morning we kept moving south, and wound up in Albany, Oregon to visit my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin.
We made a brief stop in my favorite tourist town, Hood River, for lunch.
Full Sail Pub has sound reducing tiles on the floor…I totally need those for my classroom!
…hold on to that feelin’…
Once we arrived in Albany, we spent a whirlwind 40 hours catching up, eating delicious food and checking out the Albany Carousel Museum. The Albany Carousel is a community wide project where volunteers are helping to build an amazing carousel. I first learned about the project during my masters program, where I watched a video for a civics class. (when I can find the link to the free curriculum I’ll update y’all!)
The volunteers were very informative and didn’t mind answering our questions.
Did you know that the decorated side of the animal is called the “romance side?” I didn’t until Saturday.
The hubs is checking out my newest addition to his honey-do list: a shelf to hold the kitchen aid that comes out of the cupboard. I want my aunt and uncle’s kitchen!
Our first destination was Deschutes Brewery, located in the Pearl District. Jess is a server there, so we wanted to see her when we arrived after an 11 hour journey from Napa, CA.
Portabella sandwich w/arugula, some sort of cheese and sweet potato fries on the side
(for some reason, this isn’t on their online menu, so I have no idea what the cheese is. But on closer inspection, I realize I totally missed the Beer-a-Misu, which is a real shame because I love Obsidian Stout, and Tiramisu is my fav dessert).
On our way back to our hotel, we swung by the famous Voodoo Doughnut, to pick up some sugar energy to hoof it across the bridge.
I selected the Berry Miami Vice.
It was insanely delicious. And calories don’t count after Midnight, right?
The next morning, Jessica took us to Tasty n Sons, an organic and seasonal restaurant that serves brunch every morning of the week. We started off with Erin’s Sweet Biscuits with fresh berries.
Happiness on a plate.
Jess and I each ordered the Moroccan Chicken Hash with Harissa Cream and an over easy egg.
I ate the entire thing. I refrained from licking my plate, even though I wanted to.
we hit HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery) to taste some brews.
I recommend the Survival Stout.
Then we ventured to Laurelwood Brewery, where we were able to take a tour and learn all about the beer making process. The hubs is a home-brewer, so he already knew a lot of the information, but it was all new to me! Jess is friends with the beer chemist, (fun job, eh?), and he let us add the hops!
Which I thought was really cool, until I realized we were just doing his job for him
While at Laurelwood, we decided to split their chickpea fries, (which I plan to recreate asap), with tzatziki sauce and some sort of spicy aoili.
Again, not on their online menu, so I can’t give specifics. What is it with my choices not being on online menus?
On the walk to our next location, I spotted this awesome advertisement.
That location was the Hair of the Dog Brewery, a few blocks from our hotel. This was, hands down, my favorite beer of the day. Jess and I split some nibbles.
Sidenote, how cute are their tasting glasses? We split 4 of these little guys.
Caprese Salad
Who goes to a bar and orders only veggies? This girl.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find their beer outside of the brewery itself, as they have a limited bottle production. I highly suggest you stop by for a beer and a bite the next time you’re in Portland.
And finally, a little dinner was necessary. A few blocks down the road we found Bunc Sandwiches, a bar serving up amazingly delicious sandwiches.
I ordered the roast beef with horseradish, caramelized onions and cheddar, and a side of summer squash soup instead of the kettle chips.
Holy yum.
I’m still dreaming about that sandwich.
We rolled our full bellies back to our hotel, and were luckily not hit by a biker.
I’m already planning my next trip to Portland, where the dream of the 90′s is still alive.
Have you ever been to Portland? If yes, what is your “must-do” while there?
As a kid, my favorite thing to do was to visit OMSI. But as an adult, my favorite thing to do is to EAT! Portland is home to fabulous restaurants and food trucks
It’s been two weeks since I last posted, which is a major blogger faux pas. Sorry about that bloggettes. I’ll (try to) never let that happen again. I fully intended to blog my two week road trip adventures, but my computer was not cooperating with me. But I’m back, and my camera is full of photos waiting to be unleashed.
Until I get everything sorted out, my house cleaned and my laundry washed, here is a sneak peak at the first few days of our adventure: Spokane to San Diego in 21 hours.
Planning (writers workshop) and snacking…
Fanciest McDonalds ever! We stopped north of Salt Lake City to use their restroom and were confused by the somewhat upscale decor.
Yeah, that is a waterfall…
Eating our first dinner at The Fez
Not to be confused with this Fez:
We stayed in Mesquite, NV the first night. In case you’re wondering, it is a 15 hour jaunt from Spokane. We left at 3:15 a.m. and arrived 17 and a half hours later, tired and ready to attack the penny slots.
The next day we arrived in San Diego, and spent a few days catching up with friends and family.
I'm a lactose intolerant, cheese lovin', lactaid pill poppin' foodie who loves the perfect bite. I spend way too much time in the presentation of my food and often smell like garlic. I make no apologies.
Full Sail Pub has sound reducing tiles on the floor…I totally need those for my classroom!
…hold on to that feelin’…
The volunteers were very informative and didn’t mind answering our questions.
Did you know that the decorated side of the animal is called the “romance side?” I didn’t until Saturday.
The hubs is checking out my newest addition to his honey-do list: a shelf to hold the kitchen aid that comes out of the cupboard. I want my aunt and uncle’s kitchen!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake (I’m still full)
Me, Grandma, Grandpa & Jake
