Northwest Culinary

"50 Plates is a restaurant showcasing the cuisine of the American tradition. Of memories real or imagined of grandmothers’ pies, state fair fries, of date shakes and cheese steaks; a Kentucky bourbon fueled culinary road-trip beyond Route 66, from Smithfield Hams to Ipswich Clams. 50 Plates is the best of red states, blue plates, and everything in between."

Nuff said!  This Portland, Oregon restaurant kind of sums up their offerings in one short and very sweet paragraph!  Too late for dinner one evening, we happened upon 50 Plates and decided a margarita and appetizer's sounded perfect.  Chopped Salad with Oregon cheese, apples and nice pork slider for my hubby along with a couple of house margaritas and we were hooked!  A few weeks later we tried 50 Plates again but for dinner this time.  A couple of orders of "Wild Mushroom Stroganoff" and were hooked all over again! 

Slowly eating our way through Portland one restaurant at a time, we have had the opportunity to try just about every type of food but have no where come near to trying even a dozen different places.  I think it's quite possible that Portland, Oregon is the Northwest Culinary capital of the country!  And, attach that awesome title to one of our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild membership inns, and you have the perfect food pairing!

The Heron Haus in the NW district of Portland, The Lion and The Rose B & B and The Cornerstone Bed and Breakfast all of which are in or near Portland, are spanned far enough a part from each other, that one can experience all the tastes of Portland that reach across the Rose City.  Strategically located in very different parts of the city, staying in any one of these inns puts you near some of the best food you'll ever taste!

My faves!...Kenny and Zukes...a Portland Jewish delicatessen with "real" bagels and cream cheese!  Piazza Italia...a place in the Pearl where you could swear you were in Italy the second you walk in the door.  Henry's Tavern is where the beer never stops flowing and the food is absolutely to die for.  Prepare to be so stuffed after dining at Henry's, that you'll have to walk it off!  And then of course 50 Plates.  A big city bistro in the heart of Portland.  Mind you..."my faves" change periodically as we explore even more in to the belly of food beast.  It will be a never ending exploration that will only end we are done.  And hopefully...we won't be done till we're done...well...at least not until we've had dessert!

March brings the southward movement of many migratory land birds and as an avid birder I wanted to share the many birding opportunities that can be found in Oregon.  The Oregon Cascade Birding Trail (OCBT) is a self-guided tour highlighting nearly 200 prime birding destinations designed to showcase the region's birds and spectacular scenery.  This blog will focus on the Mt Hood Loop of the Oregon Cascade Birding Trail.  Let's get settled first before we begin our birding adventure.  There are Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member inns near many an OCBT trailhead where you can begin your day with a northwest culinary breakfast and the geotourism knowledge our innkeepers have to share.

The Mt. Hood Loop of the OCBT rises from the Columbia River to Mt. Hood, the highest point in Oregon, and combines some of the best of the region's birding with legendary Oregon scenery.  This loop traverses the Columbia River National Scenic Area and the Mt. Hood National Forest and visits 19 birding sites.

Lewis and Clark traveled the Columbia Gorge corridor.  The Lewis' Woodpecker, Clark's Nutcracker and Clark's Grebe were named in their honor.  Many species of waterfowl and raptors including the Bald Eagle inhabit the river and further up the mountain you'll observe woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and so many more.

One of my favorite hikes, and I have many, is the Tamanawas Falls trail.  The falls are amazing at 100 feet high and 40 feet wide.  The trailhead footbridge is the midpoint of a 8-mile stretch of the East Fork of the Hood Riverhosting nesting Harlequin Ducks.  A riparian habitat and mature mixed-conifer forest surrounds the trail to the falls.

After you've explored the trails on the north side of Mt. Hood head on around to the south and western flanks where the Sandy and Zig Zag Rivers lead you past Trillium Lake and through Wildwood Recreation Area.  The Brightwood Guest House B&B, the site of a former pioneer way station, can provide a home base while searching for the elusive Pileated Woodpecker.  Bring out the hiking boots and binoculars, pack your bags and begin your Oregon Birdwatching adventure.

Over twenty years ago, I had my first experiece staying at an inn.  The Bath Street Inn in Santa Barbara was lovely.  Flowers, cakes, cookies, wine and yeah...the fact that it was set in Santa Barbara didn't hurt anything either. Well...that was a while ago and a few years back my dream of being an innkeeper came true.  It will be two years on May 1st since we opened our inn and began our new lives as innkeepers.  Wow...what a change from being the guest to being the innkeeper!  Yes...it's romantic, yes...it's even a bit like living in a fantasy world and oh yeah...it's a heck of a lot of work but you know what...we wouldn't have it any other way!

Seeing the changes over the years take place in the B & B industry has been eye opening as well.  And...seeing the changes in how our guests travel, what they want to do here when they get here and seeing how some guests are choosing their vacations based purly on what kind of Oregon Culinary experience they are going to get has changed a lot just in the past two years.  Economy, family time and making the most out of a long planned trip has formed the ideas in our heads that we wanna get the most for our money.  Well...I'm here to tell ya...you have clicked on the right link!  Innkeepers in Oregon and especially our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild innkeepers are pretty awesome!  We love to cook, we love using our local products and most of all, we love to brag about how we are able to use what grows here in our regions to prepare the best food.  That's probably why our guests keep coming back!

In Southern Oregon near Ashland, Jacksonville, and Cottage Grove, our innkeepers are so lucky to have so many choices when it comes to "good food!"  The Rogue Creamery, several wineries, and great restaurants that use local food when preparing their recipes top the list in Southern Oregon. The Willamette Valley is also known for their local booty as well.  Where else can you go to harvest hazelnuts, pick wine grapes, grab a box of organic veggies and go back to your inn and prepare a feast?  Well...we know it's here!  Then there's the Hood River Valley...what can we say about that region?  Yummmmm!  Orchards full of things like pears, organic cherries and apples!

Come check in to one of our inns!  We'll show you a culinary adventure, a little local taste and a Northwest Culinary Vacation you will wanna come back for! Oh yeah...bring mom along too! 

Wow...what a summer it's going to be in the Willamette Valley!

So...you have picked up your three or four, yes...I said three or four bottles of that great Willamette Valley Pinot Noir?  So, now where can you go to enjoy it while listening to some great music.

Funny you should ask...cause we have the perfect solution!

The City of Albany announced today their summer line-up for River Rhythms Summer Concert 2010.  And, yes...Joe Diffie will be here!  Have I mentioned these concerts are only 6 blocks from my inn?  A bit self-serving but hey when we have something this awesome happening in our little Oregon town, it deserved!  And by the way...there are two inns in Albany and so we have a few rooms available for that walk back after the concert, the food and that wine you purchased earlier in the day.

So, if you wanna disco to a little funky "Satin Love Orchestra" or two step to "Sawyer Brown" or "Joe Diffie", sway to some blues with "Too Slim", rock out to "Mother Hips" or just relax to some Surreal Neil with "Super Diamond"...you have come to the right place!  We'll even pack your basket with some of Oregon's Northwest Culinary treasures just perfect for the concert.  You've got the wine so we'll throw in some Rogue Creamery cheese...some Oregonzola perhaps, a wee loaf of crusty bread and a few home made "inn" chocolate chip cookies and you're good to go!

See you with your boots on this summer at River Rhythms 2010!

Greetings from Ashland Oregon!  Mary Pellegrini and I arrived yesterday evening for the start of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild Annual Meeting week.  Today's Monday, March 29, 2010, and we started of the day with a great breakfast at the Oak Hill Bed & Breakfast, one of the Ashland Oregon lodging sites supporting the meeting.

If we weren't here for business we could easily make this a northwest culinary vacation.  Pat & Tom purchased this 5-room bed and breakfast in 1999 and haven't looked back one bit.  This morning Pat thrilled us with fresh pineapple and berries, her specialty herbed baked eggs and some of her fantastic barley flour scones.  Pat's developed her own custom finishing salts--the one today included green tea matcha!

This afternoon is meeting time for the Board of Directors of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild.   We've got plenty on the agenda.  More posts coming!

We recently had friends visit us in the Willamette Valley.  Desperately trying to cram everything we love about living here in to just a few days, we had to pick and choose and hopefully give them just enough to make them wanna come back.  Mission accomplished and we think they are now planning their next trip already.

Besides our dining frenzy that began with their arrival into Portland and ending in Albany, two "must see" experiences needed to be experienced.  Off we were and the first stop was actually just a few blocks from our inn.

A fifteen year project now well in to its 9th year, Albany's Carousel Project is shooting for a completion deadline in about 6 years!  One of the most showcased projects in this region, the carousel began as a dream then has flourished as artists, donations, carvers, painters and volunteers are working together to make this dream come true.  On the corner of First Avenue and Washington St. in downtown Albany, you can visit the carousel and see first hand how this vision has come to life.  We watched as artists painted, carver's carved and children as well as adults stood in awe at the life size animals being created.  The museum is open all week but we found that Saturday is the perfect day to go if you want to watch the artists at work. For more info, go to www.albanyvisitors.com!

You can find completed pieces of the carousel all around town as they are being showcased in shop windows, restaurants with The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn  housing the Chinook Salmon!

On a whim, we decided to share one of our other Oregon treasures...hazelnuts!  Hazelnut Hill is located just south of Corvallis and just minutes away from another great inn...The Harrison House.  Minutes away from OSU and Hazelnut Hill, this inn is perfectly situated in the Willamette Valley with easy access to many restaurants, shops, and did we mention OSU???  Side note here...the Civil War game is Saturday, December 4th just in case you haven't reserved your room yet!

"Orchard to table," milk or dark chocolate covered, raw, salted, chopped, or sprinkled over your chocolate shake...Hazelnut Hill offers the freshest example of sustainability and a northwest culinary treasure in the form of a nut!  A delicious one we might add!

Coming to Oregon?...want to experience the local culture?...want to taste a bit of why we are known as one of the best places to eat in the country?...well, consider yourself invited! 

Story by Terry Richards ~ Oregonian

"It may look like a grave marker of a long lost surveyor.  But it's not.

The piece of inscribed stone sunk into the Coast Range forest, not far off U.S. 26, marks the only place in Oregon where four county points meet.


There's another Four Corners in America that is a big-time tourist destination. That would be the only place where four state boundaries meet: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

In Oregon, our Four County Point in the Tillamook State Forest notes the meeting of Clatsop, Columbia, Washington and Tillamook counties.

The trailhead has a brown four counties sign on the north side of U.S. 26, at milepost 34.8 (this is 2.9 miles west of the Timber-Vernonia junction, or about 39 miles west of Portland).

It takes about an hour to make the one mile hike and back to see the marker and stand on all four counties at once. That makes Four County Point a quick leg-stretching hike when you're driving between Portland and the northern Oregon coast."

So let me help you plan your Oregon Geotourism experience.  Spend a day or two in Portland, experience amazing Northwest Culinary treats and the unique Portland bed and breakfasts of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild.  Then head out Hwy 26, visit the Four Counties Marker before traveling on to an Oregon Coast lodging resting spot.  A perfect Seaside Oregon bed and breakfast is the 10th Ave Inn B&B, where panoramic windows provide views of the ocean, Seaside's famous Promenade, beach homes and the coast mountain range.

And then there is the drive down the Oregon Coast.  Talk about an Oregon Geotourism Experience?  But that's another blog.

Some may argue, some may actually disagree and some may even deny it.  But, we all know...it's all about the food!

It's that time of year when the daffodils are in full bloom, my "bleeding hearts" have blossomed and the cherry trees smell heavenly around this town.  And, it's that time of year to book your Oregon vacation, plan your wedding or your party at one of our Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild membership inns!

Many of our inns are places for fun events, some are open for a party now and then but mostly we just love our casual guests wanting to get away for a weekend.  No matter your reasons for staying, your innkeepers know that the dining experience is one of the main reasons our guests stay with us.  It's the reason they come back and probably the reason they tell their friends about us too.  Some of our innkeepers have professional experience in the kitchen.  Chef's, Bakers, you name it and some of us have probably done it! 

Specializing in local sustainable practices is the goal when planning our meals here at my inn as well as most inn's around The Willamette Valley.  Some of us have the pleasure of being posed in the middle of the most fertile land in the county.  Sitting high among the hills in wine country, resting in our nests amid hazelnut orchards or placed perfectly downtown in a town where "food" is the "word!"  Yes, it's all about the beauty of the feast.  Where can we go to find that perfect meal?  Innkeepers say...right here...in Oregon!

So, our guest checked out this morning and tonight we have booked our inn for a dinner party.  Catered from the best of the best in Italian in this city, our table set with love, cupcakes baked for my guests tonight and all because "my" northwest culinary delights, delight me!  And...I love to share!

Sipping chocolate at Cacao's near The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland was only the beginning of our "Epicurean Tour" last Saturday!  In the works for months, Portland Walking Tours teamed up with a few very interested Oregon innkeepers and we headed out to devour the city!

Led by Bob, tour guide with Portland Walking Tours, we covered about 2 mi. of ground.  And thank goodness we did because it helped walk off all the extra bread I ate at Pearl Bakery!...well, I had help! After donning the hair nets and washing our hands we were led to the bakery's kitchen.  Oh wow...not a good combination.  A bunch of innkeepers in a bakery kitchen?...might have seemed like a good combination at the time.  Thank goodness we have manners, don't mind sharing and the fact that at least two of us had camera's kept us on our good behavior.

On to Elephant's Delicatessen and through the back door, we tasted the best tomato soup.  Specializing in sandwich's, salads, soups, cookies, etc., this sweet deli has a little bit of everything for every visitor! 

Some of us know what Portland has to offer to our visiting guests from out of town. Just ask Pam and Carl over at Heron Haus Bed and Breakfast in Portland or former restaurant owner Patrick over at Forest Springs Bed and Breakfast in Gresham and they will concur...Portland is among the leading cities offering that perfect itinerary for culinary travel and culinary experiences in the nation!  Brew pubs of which we got tastes of, offer so many different tastes and types of beers that it's no wonder that Portland is known as the brew capitol of the world.  Toss in a few wineries and a taste at a local gourmet shop and you have found another reason to come here.  Where else in the world can you go and walk in to some place called The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge and have a cup of hot tea or a mixed drink?...a tea/cocktail....  What a great place and so very unexpected!

So, continuing our noshing fest, we sampled pear and Canadian bacon style pizza all made with local ingredients.  We ate gelato, drank berry soda, ate raspberry tea cookies, tried curried dips with rice crackers, sprinkled finishing salts made of truffles on our palms and lapped them up with flavors so surprising we had to buy some to take home!  A very tasty way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Portland!

So, when you come here to Oregon this year or when you are contemplating on where to vacation or holiday this year, begin with us...your innkeepers that know where all the good food is!  We can tell you, show you, point you in the right direction and help you with your culinary travel plans and help show you how to have that culinary experience of a life time...right here...in Oregon!

Thanks to David and Bob at Portland Walking Tours for our very fun day!  We had a great time!

 



 

Culinary travel makes for some interesting trips.  On Saturday, March 20, 2010, Pacific Northwest Culinary enthusiasts will convene at the Prospect Historic Hotel near Crater Lake, Oregon.  The reason?  A Getaway Beer Tasting Dinner featuring Southern Oregon Brewing and the imaginative cuisine of Prospect Hotel owner Karen Wickman!

The Menu (designed by Karen to complement Tom's and Ander's selections of beers):

Appetizer: Chevre Chaud oozing from within a fluffy pastry purse
Soup:  Smoky Shrimp and Chorizo in tomato base
Salad:  Celery Root and Fennel Matchsticks tossed with hazelnut vinaigrette
Entree:  Rock Cornish Game Hen with spice-rubbed crispy skin and overflowing with Red Potato and Olive Stuffing, accompanied by Braised Brussel Sprouts drenched with Bacon Cider Gastrique
Dessert: Dark Chocolate Tart sprinkled with Sea Salt

Learn more about Southern Oregon Brewing Company while sampling their beers.

Price:  Only $55 per person!

Reservations are required.  Call Fred or Karen at the Prospect Historic Hotel at (541) 560-3664.

The Prospect Historic Hotel is the closest Crater Lake lodging at this time of year.  Plan for a "Play and Stay" trip--enjoy the dinner and stay on for a great breakfast the next morning.  Then take the beautiful drive up to Crater Lake for a little playing in the snow.  It doesn't get more authentic Oregon than this!

If you're a Pacific Northwest culinary enthusiast or an Oregon slow food fan then you know the value of sharp knives.  I rarely blog directly about guests staying at our northeastern Oregon bed and breakfast, but this is definitely a shameless promotion for one of our recent guests.

Michael Keller of White Eagle Studios in Chelan, Washington, recently stayed at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast in Joseph, OR.  When he made his reservation he told me he was a woodcarver who was branching out into bronze statues and was working with one of our local artistic bronze foundries.  He was coming to Joseph to work with the patineur at Parks Bronze Foundry, pick up his completed bronzes and drop off more woodcarvings for casting.

What he didn't tell me (and what I found out from his website) is that Michael Keller also is a knife sharpener extraordinaire!  Everything from kitchen knives to hunting knives, scissors and shears to woodcarving chisels and gouges.  It makes complete sense--a master woodcarver needs very SHARP tools. 

I sent him home with our abused serrated blade tomato knife, knowing that he'll be back to work with Parks Bronze once again.  He even does pinking shears!

If you'd like to see those home-based Oregon culinary experiences improve, give Michael a shout and see about shipping him your knives.  Better yet, plan a trip to beautiful Lake Chelan, WA, and drop them off yourself!

Three days, a daughter and her boyfriend, an inn, snow, hiking trails, shopping and four very well-fed people.  That's pretty much our last few days in a nutshell.  

Talk about a quick trip!  Our daughter and her boyfriend had read a few of our blogs.  Tired of just reading about Oregon, they were determined to do a little exploring for themselves.  In doing so, I realized that four people with determination, drive, a taste for adventure and delightful dining options should grab hold and enjoy the ride...even if we've only got a few days.  So, we did!

We really only planned one day and that was going to be spent snowmobiling near Mt. Bachelor.  So, how to spend the rest of the time our visitor's were here only took a few seconds to figure out.  Leaving PDX...our first stop...a true Portland culinary experience...Voodoo Doughnuts!  Cap'n Crunch doughnuts, Grape Powder doughnuts, Voodoo Doll doughnuts, M&M doughnuts and a few others made it back to Albany.

Our next full day was filled with adventure as we decided to show our guests the OSU College Forest Trails near Corvallis.  Hiking for a short time, we came across an "Old Growth Trail" that if you have never been on before you really must experience it.  We had been on this trail once before in the fall and when you are hiking on it,  you feel like you are on a movie set involving fairies, gnomes and some kind of spectacular magic.  The moss hanging off old spirited trees, emerald ferns, rocks, streams and bridges all throughout this trail make for some of the most awesome sights.  We never knew green had so many shades.  Dinner at our new fav in downtown Albany, Vault 244, as usual made for the perfect Oregon culinary experience and my Rosemary Lime Cooler was tasty too! Time to check in for the night for the snow awaited us the next day!

Ever drove hwy 20?  Well, if you haven't, you must!  It is absolutely the most beautiful hwy I have ever seen.  Again, so many shades of green with the forest everywhere and no surprise this scenic route is called, "Over The Rivers and Through The Woods."  And so we did go over the river and got through the woods and made it all the way to Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Oregon.  Our second time snowmobiling, our first time sharing it with our family and now we are hooked!  The faster the better and the weather?...thee most perfectly sunny day up there on the hill!  I'm ready to go again!

If you are sitting there reading this blog wondering what in the heck the title has to do with anything, well...I will explain.  Several months ago, I happened upon "Word of Mouth Bistro" in Salem, OR.  I was immediately in love with this quaint Northwest Culinary experience.  I love finding these kinds of places to share with my friends and guests so I did just that.  Our friend Jimmie then took his wife to breakfast to "Word of Mouth" and then proceeded to tell me about the Creme Brule' French Toast.  We finally got there this morning on our way back to PDX.  And...oh my gosh!...to die for...literally!  Cream filled bread, soaked in something...who knows what and then brule'd or whatever it is they do.  Crispy, crunchy and sweet goodness on the outside and soft and so very tasty on the inside...yum!  So, Jimmie...you were right...it was delish! 

So, if you are reading this blog and are wondering what to do in Oregon in only a few days, check out one our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member inns.  Innkeepers know all the best places for fun in Oregon and can certainly treat you to a trip to remember!



 

Linn County is the heart of the Willamette Valley.  In this region, you can find some of the most fertile land in the country.  The soil, the rain and the weather here makes for some of the best conditions for growing just about anything!  So, to capture this natural gift and share it with our visitors and guests to our region, we are getting on that proverbial band wagon and hittin the trails!

Tuesday, February 16th from 12-2pm join us as we treat you to a taste of the Linn Countryside and introduce you to Danuta Pfeiffer.  Owner of Pfeiffer Vineyards, Danuta will be speaking on the Oregon Country Trails and their success with creating some of the most gorgeous trails in this region.  Meet us at the Linn County FairExpo Conference Rooms for a pot luck with a local Northwest Culinary twist.  If you decide to join us in the pot luck, your shared dish must contain only Linn County products.  On our list...hazelnuts, winter veggies, Willamette Valley Cheese Co. cheese's, baked breads, marion berry pies, blueberries and much more!

Find out how these Oregon Country Trails are formed, enjoy a true taste of culinary travel in the Linn Countryside along with restaurant and farm owners and artists from Linn County!

For more info and to rsvp, call Cathy Bradford at 541-928-0911 or email at cbradford@albanyvisitors.com. 

Now here's a real insider's view of what to do for Valentine's Day in Portland Oregon.  "Travel Geek" works at the Oregon Welcome Center at the Portland International Airport.  She's lived in Portland for 30 years, so she knows her way around!

Travel Geek offers a complete Portlander's guide for Valentine's Day with ideas for "Events that Inspire Romance" plus "Places that Fill You with Love" (a Northwest Culinary experience in itself) and "More Pragmatic, Less Romantic (and still fun).  She's taken the time and effort to include extensive links and phone numbers for all her favorites.  This is a must read blog post and you'll find it here. 

If you'd like to round out your Valentine's Day experience, how about skipping on the hotels and trying out a Portland Oregon bed and breakfast?  You'll get an authentic Oregon lodging experience--even if you live in Portland.  You can have a vacation without leaving town! Most innkeepers live in their bed and breakfast and can give you as much (or as little) attention as you'd like. 

In the Portland area you'll find 14 unique inns that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild.  All of them--from the Sandes of Time Bed and Breakfast in Milwaukie or the Rose Cottage B&B in SW Portland,  to the Blue Plum Inn or the Lion & the Rose Victorian B&B in the Irvington District of downtown--and 10 other wonderful Portland Oregon bed and breakfast inns--await your call.

Take Travel Geek's advice and find that Portland Valentine's Day event you want to share with your lovey.  Then put a little icing on the cake with a stay at one of Portland Oregon's best bed and breakfasts!

Tell me if you know, but what can possibly be more romantic than hopping on a train with someone you love and getting away for a night or two? 

There is just something romantic about the historic train station in the town where I live.  My inn is just a short 10 minute walk to the Albany Train Station.  So, when we want a little romantic get-a-way, we take the train! 

The tracks from Albany to Portland are steady, the train ride is smooth and the countryside...well...let's just say, I have had a perpetual grin on my face several times on the trip.  The rolling hills of farmland, passing Linn County, the Grass Seed Capitol of The World you know.  Then on to Salem, our state capital.  More farmland, the Willamette River, the locks, Oregon City, the sweetest historic homes and then...the Rose City...Portland!

Our next favorite city in Oregon, yes we are in love with Portland!  Stepping out of the train and in to Union Station in Portland can give you the feeling of another time, a time long ago when taking the train was the way most people got around.  Situated close to everything, Union Station is a short walk to the MAX line or a just a few blocks from downtown!

Now, when we go to Portland, the first thing we love to do is eat!  Often it's claim to fame, Portland is known for being thee destination for culinary travel, boasting the the best northwest culinary experience and the best place to go for that truly authentic Oregon culinary vacation!  Well...yeah...you could say all that or you could just say..."point me toward downtown,  show me the way to the Pearl, take me to 23rd avenue, the Hawthorne district or wherever, just feed me!"  I have said it before, and I will say it again...there is no place that I know of that has more variety, more tastes or more delicious dining experiences than Portland!

Whether you drive to the Rose City, fly in to PDX or take the train, experiencing Portland just isn't the same if you haven't enjoyed the hospitality of an Oregon Bed and Breakfast!  Talk about a "culinary vacation!"  You haven't had breakfast in Portland if you aren't sitting around the breakfast table enjoying those Marion Berry scones served with Tillamook butter, the eggs from the farmer's market just down the street, the bacon or sausage from the farm on the way to the coast or that awesome hazel nut waffle with just a little something in it that you just can't pinpoint but you know it tastes like something you have never had before.  Well, Clear Creek Distillery in Portland does make the best Pear Liqueur and the best pear liqueur tastes really good in hazelnut waffle batter!

So, Valentine's Day is coming up and if you want to really surprise that special someone, book a romantic train ride to Portland, indulge in the Oregon culinary delights about town and stay in one of our Portland, Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Inns!

Fall in love all over again...in the Rose City!

Ok, so I never and I mean "never" eat doughnuts.  Well, just this one time I ate one.  But it was a vegan doughnut.  So, does that count???

My last 24 hours in Portland have been full.  And I really mean full in every sense of the word.  For my husbands birthday, we headed north and my goal was to check out as many little "out of the way" cafes and restaurants we could.  So I had a doughnut this morning at Voodoo Doughnuts.  I have wanted to try these doughnuts ever since moving to Oregon especially when I found out that it's an Oregon Wedding Site.  I'm serious!  Let me just say it was an experience and we may do it again.  But, our culinary tour created by "me", began last evening at OMSI.  

OMSI is one of those kind of museums that entertains the entire family.  However, last evening it was open only to adults 21 and over.  Serving wine, beer and distilled spirits, the museum offered an OMSI After Dark experience that allowed us to set off rockets, build and fly paper airplanes, control a robot and watch electricity go through your hand and make your hair stand on end.  Well, that could have been the beer or wine but it was still fun to watch.  Star Parties, the CSI Crime Scene Exhibit and the After Dark events are happening at OMSI all summer long.  

Leaving the museum, we needed a little something to start off the "food" part of our tour.  We happened upon The Clarklewis.  This restaurant was a loading dock in a former life and now serves up tasty items such as Blue Bird Farm Farro Soup with Rapini, Pecorina and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Saute'ed Sand Dabs with Oregon Asparagus, Fresh Bay Shrimp and Vermouth Butter.  Wasn't on my list, but it is now!

Stumptown Coffee and our Voodoo Doughnuts got us going this morning as we headed to Portland's Northeast District.  Taking the bus, we landed near La Buca (google for info), and after attending an art show, we sat and dined on several varieties of olives, crusty bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and of course an Oregon Pinot Noir.  This little cafe was not on my list either but you know how lists go.  Two of the cafes on my list have closed, one for remodeling.  So, we made a new list and headed for the Morrison Bridge. The Montage in Portland is directly under the bridge and offers up frog legs, gator bites, and blackened catfish.  The location was worth the walk and with it's interesting menu, it stays on our new list of places to dine.

Didn't eat the Mancakes but saw a Neo Blast Omelet, a BLT and burgers on the menu.  Stepping Stone Cafe is located in the North West area of Portland and serves "Mancakes" with a challenge to finish them all.  If you do, your picture goes on their "wall of shame".  So, we just tried the safe tomato and Gorgonzola soup. 

Gnocchi with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil and an angel hair pasta dish finished our list at the London Grill in the Benson Hotel, downtown Portland. With dining options that include a secret back door that leads to the private cellar,  you can dine surrounded by over 6,000 bottles of wine.  In the lower level of the Benson Hotel, this restaurant was the perfect night cap to end this "foodies" culinary tour of Portland, Oregon.  

So, I encourage you to make your list, don't feel obligated to stick to it, and enjoy a "full" day exploring one of the most sought after culinary tourist destinations in the Pacific Northwest.  

It's always an intense but fun & rewarding experience when the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild board gets together for a meeting and the meeting this week was no exception.  Since we're a small group we could forego the Salem Oregon hotels and hold our meeting at our Administrative Assistant's home in Salem Oregon.
































Pictured back row (L to R): Wayne Bailey (Youngberg Hill Vineyards & Inn); Debbie Lusk (The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn); Sandy Parker (Britannia at Terwilliger Vista); Patrick Arbuckle (Forest Springs B&B @ The Historic Heiney House); Tana Phemester (Nob Hill Riverview B&B); Anne-Marie Lizet (C'est la Vie Inn).  Pictured front row (L to R): Fred Wickman (Prospect Historic Hotel, Motel & Dinner House); Mary Pellegrini (Old Parkdale Inn); Heather Tyreman (Bronze Antler B&B).  Not pictured: Suzanne Hansche (Blue Plum Inn); Jane Nichols (Hood River B&B); Pam Walter (Heron House B&B).

So, what'd we do?  The short list:

1.  Welcomed 5 new board members and one President-Elect (!)
2.  Discussed our collaboration with Travel Oregon's Culinary Tourism program, National Geographic's Central Cascades Geo-Tourism Project and the Northwest Coalition of Bed & Breakfast Associations.
3.  Heard a report from our board members attending the recent Oregon Governor's Conference on Tourism.
4.  Discussed our new OBBG website under development.
5.  Had a wonderful potluck lunch including wines supplied by one of our Oregon wine country lodging members, Youngberg Hill Vineyards.  Thank you, Wayne!

Our next meeting will be Monday & Tuesday, November 9-10, 2009 at the Lobenhaus Bed Breakfast and Vineyard near Carlton, Oregon.  If you're an OBBG member and would like to learn more about the board and what a great time we have working for you, give a call--there are still three positions vacant!

It's early Spring and the Astoria Oregon Bed and Breakfast members of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild are ready for guests.  Plan your weekend or weekday getaway now to take advantage of these out-of-the-mainstream events.

Festivals and concerts are already planned through April 2009!

Fisher Poets Gathering, February 27 – March 1. The large festival of lilting literature is returning to the north Oregon coast town. The Fisher Poets Gathering has been an annual event in Astoria the last full weekend of February since 1998. It offers a program of readings and music from fishing industry people bringing their original poems, stories and songs to the stage. The 2008 event gathered near 70 presenters, along with several local music groups, all with fishing industry ties and added a fourth venue to the event.  The Gathering is growing in popularity each year.

Folk Artist Dougie MacLean, March 25. He’s beloved around the world, with a gift for touching one’s life and deepest feelings with his gentle music and lyrics. The immensely popular folk artist from Scotland performs at Astoria’s Liberty Theater on Wednesday, March 25. Doors open at 6:45 PM and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Astoria Warrenton Crab and Seafood Festival, April 24 – 26. The Astoria Warrenton Crab and Seafood Festival will celebrate its 27th anniversary this year, and again, as always, it happens on the last full weekend in April.  Festivalgoers can enjoy live music from northwest Bands, an enormous selection of seafood and other culinary delights (including the Rotary club’s traditional crab dinner), almost 50 Oregon Wineries and about 100 booths filled with handmade arts and crafts from Pacific Northwest artisans.

Where to stay when enjoying all this frivolity?  Oregon coast lodging offers many options.  Of course we recommend our inspected, approved member inns of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild.  Here are three inns located in Astoria, ready and waiting to pamper you:

• The Rose River Inn B&B is only 3 blocks from historic downtown Astoria and features a Finlandia dry sauna.
• Clementine's Bed & Breakfast is both children and pet friendly so you can bring along the kids and dog for a family fun vacation.
• For a more romantic stay, consider the Benjamin Young Inn.  This B&B is a graciously restored Victorian home.

There's so much to see and do on the Oregon Coast.  Be sure to ask your innkeepers about his or her favorites to get the local view!