My wife and I are big foodies and we have 1 night to blow in Portland when we go in a month. All the restaurants look amazing so I’m coming here for help!

We are looking for a high end, extravagant meal and full experience. What is the absolute BEST that Portland has to offer.

Bonus points for a tasking menu!

We are currently debating between OX, Le Pigeon, and Jacqueline.

THANK YOU!

Holla, thanks for checking my post where I'm gonna try to get Normandie some of the recognition I think it deserves, because it's IMO a unique (in the best sense of that word) combo of quality+price.

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Need some qualifications/background info in first because for all anyone knows maybe I've never eaten anywhere else but Chili's, or maybe this is an ad:

A) I live 25 min away in WA. and I don't know anyone that has ever worked there. Just a rando, non-food industry person that has eaten there uh 24 times in the last 5 years. B) finding and eating the best food is a huge part of what my life is about because very little else makes me feel that good. So I'm really passionate about this stuff.

The first time I ever had food that's as good as food can be was pizza in Naples when I was 14, it totally blew open my mind & changed my life, spent the next 5 years planning to be a chef. Nowdays I've had like 150 things I think are similarly life changingly good across the world & Normandie has 10 (!!) of those. The type of stuff I take a bite of and just have to close my eyes and try to make the moment last as long as it can. So I'm here to post about how amazing that # is, given Normandie costs 2-4-7x less than the type of restaurant I've come to expect to have food that good (finding a 12/10 in something like a 7 euro pizza at Gino e Toto Sorbillo is exceptionally rare in my experience. Perfect tomatoes are basically cheating. But it'd be great if that changes when I visit Thailand in 3 months)

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This'd be a useless post without some attempts at evidence, & photos are nice to look at, so look here:

https://preview.redd.it/8fh70m7krvah1.png?width=3838&format=png&auto=webp&s=1e5ab16c8c3438775f4d2d4dfc0d49a9ef0f3f79

Describing dishes that aren't on the menu anymore wouldn't be interesting but on the current menu as of 7-1-26 the burger (which never leaves), the asparagus, the oxtail croquettes, the hamachi, and the beets are all world class imo, 11s and 12s/10. Generally whatever they're doing with vegetables is very special - lots of the best asapragus/carrot/broccolini/etc dishes I've ever had have been here. Lots of the best seafood I've ever had has been here too. and meat.

Here's a pic of my ranked list, because I like making lists, of all the 12/10 dishes I've ever had. Normandie in green. Best thing I ever ate at the top (the signature dish at Acquerello in SF).

https://preview.redd.it/zv3742zlrvah1.png?width=794&format=png&auto=webp&s=ed62db78b88b275e678815a4bde75b299a14ebc5

Here's a pic of my top 10 restaurants (based on flavors and ignoring price. don't care about service/location). See how big of a price outlier Normandie is (the other outlier is Baga in Jaen, Spain which I could do a similarly glowing post about). But most places on my ~130 restaurant ranked list fit relatively in line with where their price says they should, besides a few overpriced disappointments in Seattle (maybe I should stop giving Seattle chances...)

FWIW Nodoguro is the other Portland restaurant on this list at #7

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An imaginary tasting of the best 15 things I've ever had at Normandie is just as good as the best meal I've ever had, which was at Oriole in Chicago. I just think chef Heather is an absolute genius when it comes to flavors and flavor/texture combinations, and I don't know how long Normandie will be around but my wife & I are gonna keep going often enough that we can't possibly regret not going often enough when it's gone. 👍

I do think, to be fair, their desserts and drinks are def. weaker than their food. Always nice and good but not as transcendent, with the exception of a gruyere bread pudding and current smoked beet n/a drink.

Hope this inspires at least one person to go try it :-) Peace out sorry if anyone has been and didn't like it, that's valid too

Used to be a regular at food truck pods, exploring different options in one place. Enjoyed the quality and freshness, and took satisfaction in supporting small business. But lately have soured on food trucks - they are expensive, and slow. worse of all the food you get isn’t any special to justify the cost and waiting. Last straw was paying $18 for a burrito that took 30 minutes and made me appreciate Taco Bell.

Im portland local, but never really get into the city to each much. My birthdays next week and my man is treating me to dinner (yay!) Best recs? I want somewhere nice but not too expensive, like $30-50 per meal. I dont drink. I love overdressing so somewhere nice to sit down is preferred, but of course, i want some delicious food :)

I'm planning a special lunch or dinner in the Portland area to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday and would love some recommendations.

We're looking for either:

• A fancy/upscale restaurant that's great for a milestone celebration, or
• Just an incredibly delicious food, even if it's not super fancy.

They especially love Italian food also tapas/small plates, but we're open to other cuisines if the food is exceptional.

What are your favorite places for a memorable birthday meal? Bonus points for great atmosphere or a fun dining experience!

Thanks in advance!

hello all! was just curious if there is a running list of vegan restaurants in portland (and metro). when i google i get some, but the same over and over. there has to be way more than come up in search. thanks so much. this is a great sub 💚

Coming to Portland in mid-August for a non-traditional wedding. We are a party of approximately 12, with the youngest being 14.

We are getting married early on a weekday morning in Hoyt Arboretum, and we would like a nice, local restaurant for lunch afterwards. Reservations would be preferable.

We are staying in Nob Hill, but will have transportation.

Bonus points if you can recommend a florist.

Thanks for your time.

Good evening!

I know this isn’t Portland but hopefully somebody has some insights they would like to share.

Looking for the best clam chowder on the coast. Headed to Pacific city and traveling south from there

Thank you!

Northeast Portland BBQ Pop-Up Drop this Thursday (7/2) on MLK Blvd—Baby Back Ribs & Beef Flanken Ribs!

Pre-order now to reserve your order.

Pre-order link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfE-SUE44U03mBcjFpk4ptxPWUT6uCBvSF__BQ6KtREQpTTw/viewform?usp=dialog

https://preview.redd.it/wkru70g6fw9h1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f3741be902cf84b3175065bbf07e19c1020eea2

https://preview.redd.it/waay4h6afw9h1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=820f8705fda70e948015e375637a40968a86f40d

context - Portland local that used to frequent Ken’s Pizza frequently with adoration and then stopped with procreation (me) covid (world), general amazing pizza and award winning induced lines (restaurant).

query - have wait times gone down? Would a party of 2 be able to be seated in <30 on an early Thursday evening (5 pm) nowadays or ate there still lines before opening and showing up at 5 pm would be like waiting for a 2nd/3rd seating. any tips? how about a party of 4?

I’ve tried smash burgers at Creepy’s, Jojo, MidCity, Farmer and the Beast, Monster Smash, Sandy-O’s, and Smash’d. With the exception of Smash’d (that place pretty much sucks imo) most of these places were fine, so no disrespect, but the unassuming bar burger at Creepy’s smashed it out of the park for me. I was starting to think smash burgers aren’t really my thing and I just prefer traditional cheeseburgers, but I’ve been dreaming about the one at Creepy’s ever since having it.

Wonderlove is already a great spot. Great food carts, cool lighting, fireplace, good cocktails, all that. But Chrissy is honestly the best part. Shes a great bartender, makes a great Daiquiri! and SUPER personable with good hot takes, knows music, will give you good recs for stuff happening around town. Definitely go see her! Try the sushi or Falafel spot both 🔥

I mean properly marinated overnight, cooked over wood coals, great spicy gingery sauce?

We just moved here a year ago and Im slowly exploring the food scene!

Satellite Tavern, which has a really good 16" cheese pizza for $12, garlic cheese bread for $10, a bucket of beers for $21, and jello shots for $3. We played putt-putt on their patio. Our friends treated us there, so I'm looking for a good place to return the favor with a similar price point... a patio with yard games is a plus.