Portland Restaurant Roundup: 4 Fantastic Places to Eat In and Around PDX

Portland is a great town and there are some spectacular restaurants in the city. On my last trip down there, I had a chance to hit 4 fantastic restaurants/cafes in a little less than three days and I'm going to share them with you here.

1. Broder

Broder is a pan-Scandinavian cafe on the east side of the river which has been on my list of places to visit for awhile. This time around, I ended up over there for breakfast and was thrilled to find that this is more than just a cafe that serves cinnamon buns with a little extra cardamon. Literally everything on the menu looked fantastic and authentic. My particular dish, above, is the Pytt i Panna which is a classic breakfast dish: Potato, onion, and beef fried up with egg and beets on top. Usually, I like my savory breakfasts with a little Tabasco for flavor, but in this case it would have spoiled this perfect piece of Scandinavia. The cafe is small and popular, but fortunately they've worked out a deal with the bar next door to provide a waiting area with serve yourself coffee.  [Broder]

2. Nuvrei

Nuvrei also made a good impression, with fresh and flaky croissants, a generous croque monsieur, and flavorful macaroons. The shop is located in the Pearl District, a short walk from downtown, and exudes high quality. Their pastry case is full of tempting pastries and is well worth a visit. Pictured above is a pretzel sesame seed croissant, along with a pistachio and orange macaroon. [Nuvrei]

3. Adina

What is "neoperuvian" cuisine? In a word, delicious. In more words, deliciously unexpected. We originally came in for a happy hour snack, but after seeing the menu ended up with a full tapas-style dinner. Pictured above, we have the anticucho de pollo (Chicken kebab), pimiento piquillo relleno (sweet ham and cheese stuffed peppers), tabule de quinua (quinoa based salad with avacado, olives, and cotija cheese), and the de batarraga (beet salad). The happy hour is actually a good deal for drinks, which includes South American classics such as the ever famous caipirinha and newer takes such as the Melone con Aji, which is a melon, gin, and pepper infused drink. Their dessert menu is also quite amazing, with this Peruvian take on Tiramisu being our choice. (...And for guests who need to abstain from gluten, there's also a sizable and delicious gluten-free menu to choose from.) [Adina]

4. Red Hills Market (Dundee, OR)

Out trip down to Portland included a swing through the wine country of Willamette Valley and there we came across this fantastic option for a lunch between wine tastings. Red Hills Market is located in Dundee, Oregon near about a dozen plus wineries. It offers up very fresh and very delicious sandwiches and brick oven pizzas. It's a great place to stop and likely the best deal in the area for what you get, plus the cafe has a light and welcoming design. [Red Hills Market]