PDX: The Healthy Foodie Heaven

Sip Juice Truck

Portland, Oregon has always been and will always be one of my absolute favorite cities in the US.  Not only is it lush with vegetation, art culture, urban living, bike friendly, and well, hip as shit, this city is amongst the most fabulous for foodie mavens, especially the green loving-juice sipping-vegan-gluten free-sustainable living types.  If you haven't been yet or it's been a long time, book your ticket now, take these recommends, and show up on an empty stomach.

canteen for juices and smoothies

Arrive at the beginning of the day.  Don't worry about checking into your hotel until later, check in isn't until 3 anyway.  Toss your backpack on, rent a bike or car or simply bring great walking shoes.  Go to Canteen or Kure for a green smoothie or hit one of the two Sip juice cart for your green fix.  Start the day off light, clean, and green.  We've got a lot of eating to do, Friends.

bollywood coconut beets

Head to NE Alberta's shopping district. Grab a few bites at Bollywood Theater off NE Alberta.  Get the coconut beets, chutneys, and lentils.  They offer lots of small plates of indian street food for $2-$7, as well as larger entrees.  Go easy on their house made hot sauce.  I don't care how much siracha, jalapenos, or mexican hot sauce you can handle, this shizz will blow your eyeballs out of their sockets.  Take my advice on this and pay attention when the sign says XXX hot, they are not lying.

EAT at Blossoming Lotus off NE 15th at Broadway.  I can't stress this enough.  Eat there as much as you can.  Take a friend and order a lot to share so you can try it all.  Get the masala bowl, the live nachos, the sesame beets, and get yourself a piece of their carrot cake.  Yes, you will leave full.  Yes, you may need a nap.  But i promise you, you will be so happy you did.

mmmmm.  Vegan, gluten free carrot cake

Walk off your food.  Shop SE Hawthorne.  Go to Imeldas Shoes.  Visit NW 23rd.  Shop the Pearl and downtown.  Entertain the boutiques on NE Alberta and shop Mississippi.  Go to The Meadow.  It's an incredible little tasting shop in North Portland lined with walls of infused and flavored sea salts, more chocolate than heaven could possibly supply, and a full bitters tasting bar.  Its fun.  It's delicious.  And since bitters are a digestiv it'll be the perfect tasting after your big lunch.  Any foodie pheen will go gah gah for this place.

The Meadow bitters and sea salt tasting and chocolate bar

Get a cocktail.  Portland is a drinking town as much as it is an eating place.  Hit SE Belmont and head to the Sweet Hereafter for a drink and vegan bites or Bar avignon off SE Division for a glass of wine and farm to fork style food.  If you are visiting friends, stop at Cork on NE Alberta and pick up some Rose to bring over.  Sit in the sunshine and sip away your worries.

Fitting that a rose named after me would be described as:
'something different with just enough fizz to funk up your evening'

Sweat it all out.  Take Jill Knouse's class at Core Power Yoga and visit Yoga Pearl.  While at Yoga Pearl chill at Prasad the little healing cafe nestled inside the lobby of the yoga studio.  Genius: Yoga, juice, healing foods, and an awesome community fused together?  I think i've just found my Shang-ra-lah. 

**San Diegans, my partners and I are working diligently to get a lease signed and our construction started ASAP for our variation on this concept...stay tuned!  Contact me at meredith.gnau@gmail.com for investment opportunities.

Or go for a hike on the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park.  There are over 70 miles of hiking trails in this dense fresh air forest to explore.

Finish your night at Yakuza Sushi on NE Killingsworth.  Get the pink nigori infused with vanilla and yellowtail sashimi with strawberry.  OMG...i die.

Sleep well.  If you're on a dime stay at the Crystal.  It's around a hundy, has a soaking pool, very clean shared baths, and is centrally located to downtown, NW, and the pearl.  It's across from whole foods for convenient snacking, by Powell's so you can get lost in book heaven, and right off Burnside, the main thoroughfare that takes you to the other end of town seamlessly.

McMenamins The Crystal Hotel

If you have a couple extra bucks or are a Starwood member stay at the Nines.  It's right in the heart of downtown portland next to pioneer square.  Easy to get to the trolley, the waterfront, and an easy walk to many thriving shops and businesses.  The rooms are beautiful and cozy.

teas at Tea Chai Te

Get your apothocary fix with some healing teas at Tea Chai Te Sellwood.  You have over 100 healing teas and chais to pick from in an old Train Caboose.  Each number represents a listing in the menu.  Sniff, infuse, sip, and get healed.

Go to Tula or New Cascadia Gluten Free Bakeries.  Tula serves up gluten free pizzas, baked goods, and breads.  Their flaxseed banana bread is not to be missed.  Don't devour it all yet...wait for your next stop to enjoy it.

Get a stumptown coffee and a wheat/gluten free poppyseed muffin
at Random Order on NE Alberta

Heart Coffee on SE Burnside

Last but not least, you must have Stumptown coffee (it's really good with your tula banana bread).  This actually should go without saying.   It's pretty impossible not to stumble upon a cafe that serves Stumptown coffee, but in the case you first find Heart coffee on SE Burnside that will also do the trick.  Even if you don't drink coffee (in which case may i recommend you go with decaf), you must when you go to Portland.  Not drinking coffee there is like not sipping a margarita when in Mexico or not putting cheese on your macaroni.  You know what i'm saying:  Go to Portland, Drink the Coffee.