Sweeter

The street was deserted, but the burger joint was jumping!

Eric was looking through the blog the other day and asked, "Honey, why don't you blog about our dates anymore?  People are going to think I don't take you out."  Good question.  We'd certainly been on dates.  Lots of dates.  After giving it some thought, I decided it was because, a) a lot of our dates, while fun for us, were probably not too interesting for people to read about; b) there were other topics to write about that I found more interesting to blog on; and c) I had gotten a little lazy.  So, last Saturday we went on a date and I was determined to blog about it. 

 
The famous Helvetia Tavern.  (They only serve RC Cola...who knew they even still make that stuff?)

Eric has been telling me for years that he'd like to go to the Helvetia Tavern with me.  The HT is a "Portland Must-do" according to many, and I had never done.  Since we were going to be driving all the way out to Helvetia from the 'Couv, we decided we'd go a little further to visit the "Street of Affordable Homes" in Forest Grove as well.

I had to laugh at the name of the event.  I've been to the Street of Dreams....I guess this was the Street of  "c'mon, get real you can never afford those luxury homes...you my friend need a dose of reality."  We arrived about 5:00 pm, since we had read they were doing wine tastings from local wineries from 4 to 6.  We bought our tickets passed through the gates and saw....not a soul (except for the wine people and food vendors).  I guess reality isn't a big draw these days.

Oh, well, we walked to the end of the street and sat down to sample wines from Ardiri vineyards.  They just opened this year, and have a beautiful tasting room.  The wine was pretty good, but the appetizers promised in the ads were no where to be found, so we bought a couple bags of frito's from the food vendors.  Wine and Frito's...not a bad combination.

Wine and Frito's...now that's class!

Next we toured the homes.  Nice, but nothing too outstanding (reality check again).  Two of the homes had casitas -  detached guest suites for guests, elderly parents, or those grown children who keep coming back to the nest.  Great idea, and one was even wheelchair accessible.

One house had a really cool fireplace in the great room.  It was backed with glass on both sides and opened to the covered patio in back...loved it. 

 
See through fireplace from the inside....

 
  ....And on the outside.  Cool, no?

Our favorite home was the "Imagine"  The largest of the group, I loved the open floor plan and the multiple "flex" spaces to use however you wanted (for us one area would be a wine cellar and the other would be a reading room).  It was in this home that we met Neil Frederickson owner of Provincial Vineyards.  He was sampling his wine and since the place was deserted, I took the opportunity to talk with him about his vineyard.  Although he works in the technology field, his passion is growing grapes.  When I asked him if growing grapes was more art or science, he pondered it for a few seconds and said...science.  He went on to explain about the soil, the climate (and micro-climates), irrigation (or not..."the vines must suffer to produce the beautiful grape"...in other words, no water!), pruning...and much more.  He's looking to retire in a few years at which time he'll be able to grow grapes full-time.  A neighboring winery crushes his grapes and makes the wine for him..as Neil is a vine-man only, not a wine maker.  We sampled his Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir...both were outstanding, and affordable.

Neil Frederickson from Provincial Vineyards.

After working up an appetite, we headed out to Helvetia Tavern for one of their world famous burgers.  I had read they were the closest thing Portland has to the flavor of In-and-Out Burgers (which are my very favorite), so I had high hopes.

At the HT bar.  Check out all the baseball caps on the ceiling.

We arrived to a parking lot full of cars, both fancy and otherwise.  The HT is truly a roadside beer and burger joint...nothing fancy here, but lots to look at.  Since all the tables were full we bellied up to the bar, checking out the hundreds of baseball caps stuck to the ceiling, the funny signs and odd decor, and the super small menu.  We both ordered the "small" cheeseburger and decided we'd split a half order of the onion rings.  Good choice, the portions were more than sufficient. 

 
  Not much of a menu, but really, do you need any more than that?

We watched the guys behind the grill cook up our burgers (along with about 60 more).  They were served up hot with melting cheese, "special" sauce, lettuce (iceberg, the classic), onions and tomatoes.  The pickles were served on the side (thank you!  I hate pickles or eating anything a pickle has even touched).  The burgers, were, as promised...outstanding.  And, I'm sorry In-and-Out, but these burgers were even better than yours!  We munched down the sloppy burgers, relishing every delicious bite.

 
Burger heaven!

So, now, I have experienced the Helvetia Burger, and it was great!  Only problem is HT is a good 45 min. drive from our house.  I don't imagine I'd make a special trip out there again, just for the burger, but if I'm in the area...clear off a barstool boys, I'm coming in! 

Stepping Stone Cafe vs. Besaw's

There are two restaurants down in the Pearl that are local favorites for breakfast....Besaw's and Stepping Stone Cafe.  We recently tried both of them....here's the lowdown (from my point of view, that is).

Besaw's

George Besaw and Medric Liberty opened Besaw's in 1903 as a saloon and gamblin' hall, and during prohibition converted it to a restaurant.  It's small, but popular, and on this particular Saturday morning, it was sunny and they had a table with free coffee out on the sidewalk for the eclectic group of hungry patrons standing around outside waiting for a seat.  The wait wasn't long as we agreed to sit at the counter, which is actually the original mahogany bar for the saloon.  As we waited for service, I imagined all the lumberjacks who must have rested their elbows on this bar, tipping back a whiskey or two after months in the woods felling the big trees.  I loved the history of this place.

The restaurant was packed and the staff was racing around at break-neck speed.  The staff was a cool "Portland type" group...you know, tatoos, piercings, laid back, friendly and a bit irrevant, but clean, well-groomed and with a great sense of humor  (I liked them).  Eric and I both ordered the two-egg breakfast with pork apple sausage, rosemary potatoes and toast for $9.50.  The portions weren't huge, but enough to satisfy, and every bite was a taste of breakfast heaven.  As I savored my breakfast I noticed on the chalkboard behind the bar, their "Recession Menu"...$6 breakfast served Mon-Thurs. 7 am to 3 pm.  Nice.  Doesn't that just give you a warm feeling?

Stepping Stone Cafe: 

Brianna had been telling me about Stepping Stone Cafe (she loves it) and talked Eric and I into trying it out when she and Ken were down in Portland a few weeks ago. 

Stepping Stone is just as popular as Besaw's.  When we arrived, there was a small crowd clustered around the door waiting for a table.  There was a clipboard propped on the windowsill for you to put your name on the list, which we did.  Waiting for our table, I looked at the young crowd around us, the hand-written sign on the door stating "No Tomatoes!", the dog poop on the parking strip.  The wait wasn't too long and soon we were seated at a cute little table by the window with an odd Christmas ornament with a superhero figure tied to it covered in dust hanging above our head.  A big sign stating "You eat here because we let you" (their tagline) was hanging over the counter and loud, almost-but-not-quite, heavy metal music played.

Brianna told us they were famous for their "Mancakes"...dinnerplate sized whole wheat pancakes. This thing is so big it could feed an entire family!  Eric ordered a mancake with blueberries for $6 and I ordered toast and an egg (I was still feeling not so good from a bad bout with bronchitis).  The wait staff was young, tattoed, pierced, a bit sloppy, and moderately friendly in a "I'm super busy so be patient" sort of way (I didn't care for them too much). 

 
The mancake.

My toast and egg were good.  The nutty, whole wheat, organic bread was to my liking.  Eric's pancake was as huge as Brianna promised.  Made with whole wheat flour, it was a bit too grainy for my taste, but on the good side it was overflowing with big, fat, blueberries inside.

So...who do I choose as the winner...Besaw's or Stepping Stone?  Drumroll, please.........I'm giving the best breakfast place in the Pearl award to Besaws!  Stepping Stone is certainly popular with the young college-age crowd.  I guess they like the music, cheap prices, huge portions, and the fact that they can roll in after a night of drinking and still be better groomed than the wait staff.  I'm glad I tried it, and it's not without it's quirky charms, but I think I'll leave Stepping Stone to the younger crowd. Next time, I'll be eating at Besaws.  Sorry, Brianna. 

What happened in Vegas

Sara and I in front of our hotel, the Luxor..cool sky, huh?

 

Eric had his annual telephone broker conference in Vegas a couple of weeks ago.  This is always a very fun conference because the telephone companies host dinners at amazing restaurants and private parties at exclusive clubs.  It gives us the chance to live like jet-setting C-list stars for a few days.  This year, my daughter Sara flew in from LA to hang with us for a few days.

Our first night, we had tickets to Zumanity, Cirque du Soliel's "sexy" show.  We arrived about 30 minutes early in time to see the pre-show which was a riot!  The show was quite good, and Eric certainly liked it because all the women were topless, he must have seen 100 boobs that night.  The show's hostess, was the fabulous Miss Edna (drag queen extrodianare) who kept us all laughing with her erotic humor.  The show's not for everyone, but if you're not shy about a little nudity and sensual humor, then I'd recommend it.

In the Zumanity lounge.

 

Next stop was Coyote Ugly.  Sara had never been and wanted to go.  We paid $5 to get in to the crowded, noisy bar.  There were a sea of guys on the floor all looking up at the bar where women (just girls from the audience, not very cute ones either) were dancing - and not very well.  We ordered drinks and then I told Sara she should go up on the bar and show those girls how to dance.  Never one to back down from a dare, Sara made her way to the bar and hopped up.  She danced a couple dances, climbed down and then we left.  We all agreed, that was a huge waste of $5.

Sara shows the girls at Coyote Ugly how to dance!

 

So next we headed over to the Mandalay Bay, where a guy gave us free passes to go to Mix Lounge on the 64th floor.  We rode the glass elevator to Mix and stepped out into a seriously dark lounge with lots of couches and tables and floor to ceiling 3-story glass walls with amazing views of the strip.  We ordered some drinks (5 drinks cost us $73...ouch) and sat and enjoyed the view.  Eric used the restroom and then came back and told me I had to go and check it out.  The restrooms were again very dark with black marble walls and floors and black doors to the stalls.  I opened a door to a stall and there was a black toilet, facing away from the door toward floor to ceiling glass looking out over the strip.  There is no light in the little room, so when you sit on the toilet with all that black marble around you, it feels like your floating in the air.  Best view I've EVER had while peeing.

Next we all (Sara, Eric, a few of our friends and I) decided to get some food (breakfast at 2:00 am).  Our waiter told us they were having 2 for 1 drink specials, so Eric, Sara, and our two friends all ordered rum and cokes...cool, four drinks and we only had to pay for two.  Ummm, no, Juan our waiter brought each of them two rum and cokes!

After eating we started walking back to our hotel.  "You're not going to bed already, are you?  It's only 3:00 am", Sara says to me.  Yup, I'm going to bed!

Next night we had dinner with some telephone folks.  We'd been invited to a couple of private parties, and picked the one at the Foundation Room at the Mandaly Bay to go to.  We showed the elevator guards our invitations and then were escorted up to the 67th floor.  The place was very cool...sort of like an Asian bordello with velvet walls and couches, buddahs and incense burning.  We were shown back to the private party room (Madonna, Dan Akroyd, and Prince all have private wine lockers in this room) and enjoyed a hosted bar, dancing, and again, amazing strip views for the next few hours.  I tried setting Sara up with "Sergio" who was also at the party, but she wasn't too interested.   At about 2 am, too tired to stand anymore, with my throat feeling raspy from the 12 packs of second hand smoke I inhaled, Eric and I headed to our room.  Again, Sara was rolling her eyes at us being such party poopers and decided to stay in the casino to play roulette.  Unfortunately, Sergio followed her and ended up being totally obnoxious.  Sara tried to loose the guy, but he kept following her.  At 3:00 am she called me, "Mom.  I'm trying to loose Sergio, but he keeps finding me.  I'm hiding between the slots, what should I do?" "Just go back to your room, Sweetie." I said.  And then I hear Sergio calling Sara, he found her.  "Crap!" she said and hung up.  Luckily she finally lost the guy and went to bed...alone, thank you very much!

Sara and I at the Foundation Room.

 

The next day Eric treated Sara and I to the spa to recover from the partying the night before.  Sara then got on a plane to go home about 6:00 pm while Eric and I headed to a few private parties.  The big party this night was at Drais.  The vendor had bought the club out for the party.  Again, it was a hosted bar...anything, and I mean anything.  By this point, I was about "Vegased" out and was drinking only ginger ale, but people kept bringing us over champagne or shots of tequila.  Drais was pretty cool, again with a bordello feel.  What was funny about this place, was the wait staff was obsessed with making sure you had a napkin under your drink at all times.  Within seconds of putting your drink down without a napkin, some guy swooped down, picked up your drink and put a fresh napkin under it!  The room we were in was lined with leopard print velvet banquettes.  Two guys sitting next to us had picked up some, ahem, "ladies in the business" and were practically giving an X-rated show right on the couch next to me.  Yuck!  I asked Eric to take me out for some fresh air, and I admitted, "I think I'm too old to party like a rock-star anymore".  Eric was sweet.  He took me back to Drais to get my purse and jacket and then we walked back to our hotel enjoying the fresh air, and pretty lights.

Eric and I at Drais.  Notice how I match the couch, and how I look like I've had a bit too much Vegas at this point.

 

All in all...a fun trip.  I got to see some very cool clubs I never would have seen otherwise, had a lot of fun with Sara, got a nice massage, had a few good meals.....but, as much as I hate to admit it, I think I'm kind of "over" Vegas.  It's loud, it's smoky, it seems to bring out the worst in some people.  Not sure if we'll go again next year, but if we do, I think I'll plan on spending my days in the spa, limiting myself to 2 drinks a night, and be in bed by midnight.  Yup, it's official...I'm old.

Arrrgghhhh! Blankety-blank typepad!

I just finished a wonderfully written (in my opinion) blog about Eric's and my wonderful New Year's Eve at Skamania Lodge...complete with photos.  It took me an hour.  I resized some of the photos and then typepad crashed my computer...this has been an on-going problem when I use typepad.  I had thought it might just be the computer I was using...but no, it's happened several times.

So, I'm not in the mood to completely rewrite my masterpiece, so here's the summary.

Skamania Lodge gift certificate.  New Year's Eve.  Freezing rain.  Made it safe. Cozy lobby with fire and rocking chairs. Wine by the fire.  Gazing at the tree.  What's with all the kids?  Dinner...dissppointing, but atmosphere made up for it.  Back to the cozy lobby after dinner.  Hot cocoa.  Piano players.  Bagpipes.  No noisemakers, streamers, or drunks (how wonderful).  Happy.  Relaxed.  Comfortable.  Happy New Year!  Breakfast next day made up for the not so good dinner.  Beautiful views.  Love Skamania Lodge.  Love the Columbia Gorge (one of God's masterpieces). One of our best New Year's ever.

Here's a few photos...huge, because I'm afraid to resize them again.

   

From Dive to Diva

Sometime in early September I was thinking it had been too long since Eric and I had gone on a date alone together.  We were way overdue, so I decided to ask him on a date.  Then I looked at our calendars....let's see there was a fundraiser, a business dinner, a party with our friends, a weekend planned to the beach....our first free weekend was six weeks away!  So, I sent Eric an Outlook invite for a date.  So, how unromantic is that?  Oh, well, it had to be done.  So here's what the invite said, "I'd like to ask you on a date.  I'm getting this on your calendar before something else comes up.  I'll plan everything.  All you need to do is show up and have fun.  Love, Nancy"

So, I figured I had six weeks to plan some kind of awesome surprise date for Eric.  Then...it got busy...the fundraiser, the business dinner, a party, the beach, etc, etc., and before I knew it, it was the week before our date and I had no idea what to do.  Eric is always REALLY good at planning dates....and here it was my turn, and I was coming up with nothing. 

A few days before our date, we were sitting at the kitchen counter, and he asked what he should wear on the date (since I still hadn't told him what we were doing).  I looked up at him, and started bawling.  I had nothing!  No ideas!  What a boring disappointment I am!  Eric was so sweet.  He smiled and hugged me and suggested we plan something together.  He said we worked better as a team and he liked it when we planned things better together anyways (boy was he letting me off easy.)

After some discussion,we decided we'd go downtown and stay the night at the new boutique hotel, the Hotel Modera .  We'd heard it was very cool and amazingly affordable with a nice restaurant.  We'd have a nice dinner, a good bottle of wine, relax, sleep in the next morning, have a leisurely breakfast and stroll downtown the next day to enjoy the autumn colors.  Our date was planned.  I was relieved, and looking forward to it.

So, the Hotel Modera it was.  http://www.hotelmodera.com/  The hotel used to be, get this, a Day's Inn.  I'd been in it when it was a Day's Inn...it was musty, smokey, old, and dingy.  The kind of place you'd see a sad old woman drinking a Tom Collins, at noon on a Wednesday, with a cigarette dangling in her mouth, playing video poker in the bar. The place needed help and  I couldn't wait to see the transformation. 

Arriving at the hotel you pass through an arch that takes you to the entrance courtyard...you leave the hustle and bustle of downtown behind you and enter a cool, hip space with firepits and cozy seating to the left and a modern garden mixing squares of concrete with blocks of plants from the floor, up onto the walls on your right.

 
Check out the "living" wall.

The lobby was bright and spacious...modern furniture, a patchwork cowhide rug (sounds awful, but looked very cool), and amazing local photography and art.  We checked in (uhh, only $107 a night!) and went to our room on the top floor (there are only five floors).  The room was small, but made great use of space.  I loved the warm orange and brown tones (a bit of a flashback to my grandma's 70's living room minus the owls and mushrooms).  The faux fur blanket on the bed made me want to purrrrr. 

Don't you just want to sink into that bed!

After setting our things down and looking around a bit, we went down to the restaurant, Nel Centro for dinner.  The space fits in nicely with the rest of the hotel...clean and modern with a decidedly Northwest twist.  We each ordered a delmonico steak with a mushroom sauce with scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus....heavenly!  Eric was loving the potatoes, and he said to me, "Have you ever made scalloped potatoes for me?"  "Nope."  I reply.  "Then these are the best scalloped potatoes I've ever had"....that made me laugh!  The steak dinners were right around $22 each...a bargain, especially when you consider just a steak without any sides at Ruth's Chris runs you $50 easy.

This photo doesn't do the restaurant justice.  Trust me, Nel Centro is warm, congenial, cool, and delicious!

After we finished eating, we took the rest of our bottle of wine out into the courtyard and pulled up a couple of chairs next to one of the warm firepits (which have glass "rocks" in the bottom that glow like amber when the fire is lit...nice touch).  While sitting around the fire we met two other couples about our age.  It was funny, because neither of the couples knew each other but both had been to Powell's earlier in the day (they both had Powell's bags with them), both were from Colorado, both had daughters in school in Portland, and both loved, loved, loved the Hotel Modera....telling us it had been their home away from home whenever they visited their daughter at school.

Relaxing by the firepit in the courtyard.

Yes, we both liked the Hotel Modera.  What a transformation!  What was once tired and rundown, is now vibrant and hip.  It's luxurious but down-to-earth.   The former dive is now downtown's most lovable diva!

Po'Shines - It's not health food, but you'll still feel good about eating here

Eric came home from work the other day all excited about a soul food restaurant he visited in North Portland with a customer of his.  He loved the atmosphere, and wanted to go back on the weekend and try their "off the hook" biscuits n' gravy.

I am a HUGE biscuits and gravy fan, always have been.  I'd order them everytime I went out to breakfast.  Then I tasted Eric's biscuits n' gravy...and I've never been able eat biscuits n' gravy at a restaurant again...Eric's are the best I've ever had.  So when he told me he wanted to take me to Po'Shines for biscuits n' gravy, I was willing, but skeptical.

 

On Saturday morning, we made the trek across the river to Po'Shines. www.poshines.com   It's a smallish place on the corner of N. Denver and N. Kilpatrick in Portland.  I immediately loved it when I walked in.  Cute diner furniture, warmly painted walls, bookshelves full of community newspapers and flyers and board games, an eclectic assortment of wall art, and, best of all, the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. 

 

We walked up to the counter and checked out the b'fast menu on a chalkboard over the counter.  The chef spying us from the open kitchen came around and greeted us with a big smile and asked what we'd like.  Biscuits n' gravy we said.  He grinned ear to ear and told us we were in for a real treat...but to be careful, we'd be so full after eating, we'd probably feel like a nap afterwards.  We decided to split an order, and then the chef got us some coffee and tea and motioned to the tables and chairs, telling us to take a seat anywhere we liked...he'd get to work on our breakfast.

While we waited for our breakfast we talked with a few of the other customers (equally as friendly as the chef) and met Michael who works at Po'Shines.  He told us his family runs the place and that they love being a part of the community.  He told us about how Po'Shines help teach at risk youth job skills and about  Thanksgiving Day, when they open their doors to anyone looking for a good hot meal, and a warm welcome.  Michael left to help a few other customers, and at this point I spied a newspaper article, framed and on the counter.  I learned that Michael was being humble in his comments.  Po'Shines is actually a non-profit restaurant that gives back to the community in a multitude of ways from job training, to neighborhood festivals designed to strengthen the community.  And, I learned, in fact, that our friendly chef was a volunteer.

 

Out came the biscuits and gravy....totally different than Eric's version, but every bit as good...in a different way.  There were two deep-fried cornmeal biscuits smothered with savory bacon gravy with bits of onion and sausage in it and on top...crumbled bacon.  Am I in heaven or what!  It was far from the healthiest breakfast I've ever eaten, but my mouth appreciated the meaty flavor, my stomach appreciated how full I was, and my heart...well, it appreciated that my purchase was helping a community.  Our breakfast, including our coffee and tea, was a miserly $9.00.  So a big tip was in order! 

 

Po'Shines does have some healthy breakfast options including a huge, fresh fruit bowl for only $3.00 and a a huge veggie breakfast burrito that would probably feed me both breakfast and lunch.  They also serve lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.  Catfish, barbecue beef brisket and ribs plus hush puppies, hoppin' john, cornbread and more!  I can't wait to go back, not only for the tasty food and super-friendly staff, but because this is not only an amazing soul food restaurant....it's a restaurant with an amazing soul.

Overheard in the Pearl

Eric and I had the rare opportunity to do one of my favorite things last week, go to First Thursday in the Pearl.  For those of you who may not know what this is, the "Pearl" is a trendy area in downtown Portland.  It used to be full of warehouses and other rundown industrial buildings, but today is full of galleries, boutiques, restaurants, cool lofts, and new towering condominums.  Basically, the ugly oyster was opened to expose the Pearl inside.  The first thursday of every month, the art galleries stay open late and host open houses.  Also, along 13th Ave., up and coming artists of all kinds, waiting to be discovered, show and sell their wares.

I thought this artist's display on 13th Ave. was cute.

I love perusing through the galleries to see the latest exhibits, stopping in at the little shops, and watching all the people.  Our first stop was the Lawrence Gallery...one of the more established ones.  They always serve wine (you have to pay for it) and have music.  Along with featured artists, you can also view and purchase a Picasso, Rembrandt, or Salvador Dali (totally out of my price range).  This week they were showcasing Jeff Winter, one of my very favorite artists.  His landscapes are both powerful and dreamy.  Sadly, they too are also out of my price range going for about $2000 for a smaller canvas up to about $7000 for the larger ones...but I do love them.

Eric browsing the art at the Lawrence Gallery.

After the Lawrence Gallery, sadly the art went downhill from there.  Now, I think I'm pretty open minded when it comes to art, but so much of what we saw was just ridiculous.  I understand the artist is trying to make a statement of some kind, yadda, yadda, yadda...but seriously, who would ever buy this stuff, let alone put it in their home.  Now, I don't want to name names or post pictures of some of the more bizarre things we saw, but to give you a little flavor, here are some things we overhead people saying as they viewed the art.....

- I think the artist should be in therapy.

- Looks like someone stole the doodles off my desk and framed them.

- Free wine!?  This is the best exhibit yet!

And here's a sample of a conversation between Eric and I.

Eric:  Hmmm....well that's kind of cool.  Nancy:  Yeah, I guess so.  Eric:  But, really, where would you put something like that?  Nancy:  On the mantle?  Eric:  What about that one over there with the faces?  Where would you put that?  Nancy:  In the trash.

Although we were having fun guessing what things were and who on earth would ever buy them, we'd finally had enough so we headed over to 13th to the look at the "struggling artists" wares on street and watch the parade of people and dogs.  We were getting hungry, so we managed to snag a prime patio seat at Paragon  http://www.paragonrestaurant.com/html/pd_home.htm  which sits right on 13th Ave., so we had a front row seat of all the goings on.  We've eaten there before, but it's been awhile and we wondered why we waited so long!  The food was spectacular.  Eric had sauteed covina (the waiter had to tell us it was South American sea bass) and I had roasted chicken with mac and cheese and sauteed spinach...heavenly! 

 

Patio dining at Paragon

It was a beautiful night, so after dinner we headed down to the waterfront for a moonlight stroll along the river.  Blues Fest was going on, so of course there were plenty of people out, but since it was getting ready to close down, they let us in for free and we listened to some fun Zydaco music for a few minutes before continuing our walk.  Hand in hand, strolling along the river glowing in the moonlight, each bridge we passed looked like a massive sculpture in the evening light...perhaps that was the best art we saw all night.

 

I took this shot from our table at dinner.  I love the contrast between the old warehouses and watertowers with the newer condo buildings.  And, don't you love that moon hanging ever so romantically over it all!

Eric says, "Tastes like ass"

 

Interesting title for the blog post, don't you think?  What on earth would make Eric say such a thing? 

We spent the weekend on the coast to celebrate our second anniversary and while there, visited the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival.  Towards the end of the afternoon Eric was waiting in line for a tasting for a "to be nameless" winery.  He overheard the pourer tell someone they were offering special tastings from their best wine, a 2006 Zinfandel (usually not a good wine for the Pacific Northwest).  Most of the tastes at the event were $1, but this was $2.  So Eric gave it a try.  He took a taste and said, "Tastes like ass" and dumped the rest of the taste out.  As you can guess, we didn't buy a bottle.

For me the winner of the day was Sweetcheeks 2007 Pinot Gris http://www.sweetcheekswinery.com/.  It won a silver medal at the event, and was only $15 a bottle. 

Elsewhere in Newport.

Deathrow inmates

They had a big bin of live crab for sale down on the docks.  No one was around, so I wanted grab them, toss them back in the ocean, and set them free.  Eric wouldn't let me.  I hope he can live with the deaths of 100 crabs on his conscience.

 

 

Don't you just want to hug him?

I loooove sealions.  Everytime we are in Newport I have to go down to the sealion dock and watch them.  I could watch them for hours and never get tired of it. I love the way they lay in the sun, scratching, yawning and sleeping.  Occassionally barking at each other.  I loved this guy.  He kept pointing his head up to the sky, waiting for the sun to warm him, but the sun never came.   Interesting, both his front flippers had tags on them.  Another one we saw was branded with an ID number. 

We had a ball at the Governor's Ball

Somehow Eric made the invite list for Governor Gregoire's Inaugral Ball, and we went last night.  What a great time we had!  It was held at the Capitol building...and it was gorgeous!  We got to wander around the entire building...senate chambers, Secretary of State's office, Governor's office...everything...how cool!

The invite said the attire was "black tie" or "historical costume"...thank god we went with black tie...there were only about 10 people in costume.  My brother Chad and his friends helped me pick out my dress...and they apparently have very good taste because I got tons of compliments...and of course it didn't hurt that I was on the arm of the most handsome man at the ball.

Here we are entering the ball.

Eric with friend, State Rep., Jim Jacks.  We strongly suspect it was Jim who put our name on the invite list....thanks Jim!

  Putting lipstick on George Washington (I didn't really!)

 

Color guard enters the rotunda before the Governor.

Slight glimpse of the Governor (lady in the middle with silver dress).

We're a little closer now, but still no luck.

No luck meeting the Governor yet, so after the ceremony we try to track her down in her office.

I finally get my picture taken with the Governor!

Me, with my good buddy, Governor Gregoire (doesn't she look great?)

Fancy French Food at Fenouil

   

A nice stranger took our picture in front of the Christmas tree in Jamison Square.

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I was craving a little one on one time with Eric. Friends of ours gave us a gift card to Fenouil for our wedding (two years ago)...so we thought it was about time we used it.  Fenouil is in the pearl across from Jamison Square.  http://www.fenouilinthepearl.com/  We parked a few blocks up and walked in the cold, clear night to the restaurant.  Quiet and unassuming from the outside, once inside you are enveloped in warm, elegant, comfort.  Two fireplaces, gorgeous stone columns, cove ceiling, and serene neutral colors...you can't help but sigh.

We were seated by a window (actually glass "garage doors" they can open in the summer) overlooking the Christmas tree in Jamison Square.  Our complimentary appetizer arrived and was yummy, but I have no idea what it was.  Next we ordered lobster bisque, delicious but too salty.  For entrees Eric had the pheasant ravoli and I had the steak frittes...both were heavenly.  We ordered an affordable bottle of Rhone Valley wine (Eric's favorite) to drink it with.  The entire bill came to about $120...not too bad (especially since we had a gift card), but high enough to make this special occasion dining for us.

As we ate our dinner I watched the other patrons.  I was surprised at how many were very casually dressed....jeans or khakis, sweatshirts, sneakers...that type of thing.  Now, I am all one for comfort, but I guess I'm old-fashioned enough that when I go out to a nice restaurant, I like to get dressed up...at least a little.  But I suppose, this is Portland, and folks here just tend to be more casual.  All the same, I like to put on something pretty or festive....it just makes the evening seem more special.

As we were leaving the restaurant we grabbed two complimentary gourmet dog biscuits that the pastry chef makes.  Our dogs loved them!  I'll have to see if I can buy some more.

After dinner we walked around Jamison Square to admire the Christmas tree.  A stranger was nice enough to take our picture.  Next off to Olive or Twist for a martini and then Papa Hayden for desert.  It was a wonderful evening...having my hubby all to myself.  We talked, laughed, flirted, held hands, and kissed under the Christmas tree.  Nice date...yes, nice date, all around.