Travel

Traveling with Kids | Portland, OR

04.28.14

The NINES HOTEL 
HEART COFFEE

SALT & STRAW BARISTA (PEARL DISTRICT)

GRASSA

CANOE ALDER + CO.
STUMPTOWN COFFEE
BOXER RAMEN

PORTLAND JAPANESE GARDEN






































































































Coffee+

STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS – multiple cafes throughout portland.
i’ve been to one inside the Ace hotel and one on SW 3rd ave.
HEART COFFEE – great ambiance and large wall size window looking out downtown portland.
good coffee on top of it.
BARISTA – in pearl district nearby salt & straw. really good cappuccino i had.
next time i’ll have to pick up their mug since i started collecting mugs from favorite cafes of mine. 
CLIVE COFFEE – i haven’t been to this one but i hear great things about it.
it’s like a little coffee showroom/museum with cute cafe next door. it’s on east side.

Eateries
GRASSA – great family dinner spot. causal and affordable dining. try their squid ink pasta!
TASTY ‘N ALDER – brunch spot, they opened up sister restaurant to tasty & sons (east side)
in downtown. go early on weekends.
BOXER RAMEN – cute little japanese ramen place in union way (across from Ace hotel).
their spicy miso ramen and okinomiyaki tots and flavor mochi ice cream all worth a try.
great price too! wait can be long but worth it.
GRÜNER – still yet to go. been on my list forever. dinner spot.
SIMPATICA – great brunch spot in east side. they serve coffee in the hallway during wait. nice!
SALT & STRAW  RUBY JEWEL – everyone knows salt & straw, if you can’t make it to salt & straw,
you have ruby jewels in downtown for same type of handcrafted ice cream and
local seasonal ingredients.
MAURICE – didn’t get a chance to try this cute french inspired lunch spot. next time!
LITTLE T BAKER – super cute bakery in union way. sweet potato donut!
LARDO – yet to try.  serious sandwiches with all the usual local ingredients and house cured meats.
POK POK – dinner, late night grab. (east side)

Stay Shop Do
ACE HOTEL – if you are traveling wo kids
THE NINES HOTEL – if you are traveling w kids 🙂
ALDER + CO. – favorite boutque shop.
CANOE – cute shop with home goods and others.
JAPANESE GARDEN – a must visit.
POWELL’S BOOK STORE – largest independent bookstore in nation.
LIVING ROOM THEATERS – full bar service while watching a movie.

Others

#iluvbreakfast

04.07.14

I am so excited to share few of my favorite breakfast ideas on the blog today. Breakfast is one of my favorite meal of the day. I like to make breakfast but also like to meet up for brunch with family and friends. I feel like it’s really hard to go wrong on breakfast. I mean, how can eggs, bacon and pancakes go wrong, right? ;P As you may have notice already, top two are my personal favorite and bottom two are my kids favorite. I also have many more ideas that I can’t wait to share with you. You have some easy and great breakfast ideas? Please tag #iluvbreakfast on instagram and share what you are eating for breakfast to start your day!
1 // Smoked Salmon Tartine
On open-faced toasted country levain bread (or any sourdough bread), layer cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber, tomato, red onions (pickled), capers and watercress. Serve it with milk tea or coffee.
2 // Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg
Pan roasted aspargus (seasoned with salt & pepper) serve with poached egg and shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese served with crostini (just a fancy named for toasted baguette brushed with oil and seasoned with salt & pepper)
3 // Egg Porridge with Soy Sauce Beef
With leftover rice (white rice) from the night before make porridge by keep adding water. Add 1 egg towards the end and stir it so egg blends into the porridge. Serve it with store bought soy sauce braised beef (in Korean, it’s called Jangjorim) and sprinkle some furikake on top. You can season the porridge with little bit of salt but I think soy sauce beef will balance out the flavor. If you want to make your own soy sauce braised beef, here is a link to its receipe on KOREAN BAPSANG.
4 // Honey Toast with Black Coffee
Nothing so special about this toast but it’s actually our house favorite. Find thick sliced bread (like Texas toast or buy a big loaf of bread and slice it thick). I think at least 1″ inch thick would be great. Cut the bread, but not cut all the way through to the bottom but just enough to make a grid like pattern on the surface. This is so that honey can go through the bread. Pan toast the bread on a large skillet with little bit of butter. Toast the bread on low heat for both front and back. Drizzle some honey and sugar before serving.

Hope you enjoy these breakfast ideas and start your day happy. 🙂
Selina