Sunday, May 9, 2010

FAREWELL TO PORTLAND! (MY LAST FOODIE TRIP TO PORTLAND POST!)

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                             Mount Hood and Portland, seen from Pittock Mansion

The day I was leaving Portland for Vancouver on the Amtrak Cascades train, our friends Yongkie and Pokie picked me up from Julie's in the late morning and took me to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant for lunch. Now, you know I love Lebanese food (and it's so easy to eat vegan in a Lebanese restaurant!), and this restaurant, Nicholas, is supposed to be the best in Portland, so I was looking forward to it! I wasn't disappointed! Here are photos of our meal, which consisted of a huge flatbread which we tore into pieces to scoop up food, or to dip in a sauce; a lovely tabouli with LOTS of parsley; a simple salad; a delicious rice and lentil dish with browned onion, stuffed grape leaves and felafel with tahini sauce (instead of the usual yogurt sauce); lemony chickpeas:

Mjeddra-- a delicious rice and lentil dish with mouth-watering browned onions on top


                                                         Lemony chickpeas


                     A large flatbread is placed on each table for the diners to share

                                                  Lebanese Country Salad


                                       Tabouli and felafel with tahini sauce

                                    Stuffed grape leaves with tahini sauce

                                          Pokie and me at Nicholas Restaurant

It was so delicious, but we couldn't finish it all, so Yongkie and Pokie took a "doggie bag" home.  Yongkie wanted to do a little sightseeing with me, but we didn't have alot of time before my train, so he took us up to the 100-year-old French Renaissance chateau, Pittock Mansion, which overlooks Portland and has beautiful gardens.  It has been used in several movies, I've heard.  We just strolled the gardens, enjoying the sunshine and the view, but didn't go inside.  It's looks quite sumptuous in the photographs!


                                        Portland from the Pittock Mansion

                                         Pokie and Yongkie at Pittock Mansion

                                         Yongkie and me at the Pittock Mansion 

Thank you, Yongkie and Pokie, for a lovely last day in Portland!

Cheers!

2 comments:

Devadeva Mirel said...

my favorite foods! drooool. looks like a fun trip!

spiceislandvegan said...

Bryanna,

What a nice trip. I have not been to Pittock Mansion. But I have been to Nicholas. It's a great authentic Lebanese restaurant.

There is one nearby us called Zena which also authentic Lebanese. They serve mutabbal (smoky eggplant dish) that is very good. I also learn that the Lebanese deep fried cauliflower with spices. My husband who doesn't like cauliflower ended up eating a lot of it. It's so good.