Portland Design Week: What We Ate
During the month of April, the BentoBox design team ventured over to the west coast for Portland Design Week. While attending all the events and filling our brains with design knowledge we were also simultaneously filling our stomachs with delicious local food. Below are some of our recommendations and reviews of local restaurants.
Tilt
If you’re a comfort food seeker with a large appetite for burgers then you need to go to Tilt, our first bite into the Portland food scene. Tilt is a two location blue-collar inspired half-bar, half-lunch counter that prides itself in handcrafting the “finest biscuits, gourmet burgers, and old fashioned pies” for the American workforce. Created with an industrial aesthetic, Tilt has thoughtfully placed their locations to further support their industrial workforce inspiration. Find their first location amongst the shipping yards and loading docks of Swan Island, or head to the Pearl District to find their second location built in an old General Electric distribution plant. All of these details make Tilt unique and stand out amongst the many burger restaurants in Portland.
Now, let’s get into the food. Although we didn’t indulge in their biscuits and pies, we did not miss out on their burgers. Tilt’s burger menu is made up of five “classic” and ten “signature” burgers all topped with unique ingredients from bbq brisket to pineapple, making it easy for anyone to find a burger to satisfy their cravings. If I had to highlight one though, it would have to be the true showstopper, the Big Tilt. It’s a mountainous burger made up of two seasoned patties, crispy bacon, a perfectly runny egg, layers of cheese, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, their signature tilt sauce, and last but not least a three-layer bun! This burger is an experience, and I’m not kidding when I say it’s mountainous. Some may have to accept defeat and throw in the napkin with half a burger left, but for those who come with two stomachs, this is sure to satisfy.
Lastly, I should mention some key supporting menu items that make a trip to Tilt worth your while. First being the fries, these crispy golden potatoes were ranked one of the best in Eater’s “epic guide to readers favorite PDX fries.” Get an order of these with a side of tilt sauce and you’re golden. What is tilt sauce you might ask? It’s a slightly spiced pink sauce that some may say reminds them of a thousand island type dressing. This is the perfect companion for any burger and fry combo you can imagine, and yes you should ask for two. Moral of the story is, go to tilt, get a burger, make sure you order fries and don’t you dare forget the tilt sauce.
Written by Kayla Scheidel.
Pine State Biscuits
https://www.pinestatebiscuits.com/
Pine State Biscuits is a charming, rustic, industrial-chic restaurant specializing in biscuit-driven cuisine inspired by Southern, down-home cooking. Knowing this place is a local favorite, we expected a line out the door and were surely met with one. Once you make your way through the queue, you submit your order at the front counter and are free to seat yourself.
Our group decided on the indoor-outdoor seating area towards the back, filled with communal picnic tables under a tent, which provided the perfect setting for brunch on a cool spring day. A few moments into our visit, our food arrived quicker than anticipated. The biscuit and gravy filled feast commenced!
And on came “The Reggie”: A towering composition of flaky, buttery biscuit, crunchy, juicy chicken, thick, crispy bacon, over-easy eggs, and cheddar cheese, on a bed of rich gravy.
As I cut down the middle of this monster of a sandwich, I was met with a picture-perfect waterfall of yolk, cheese, and gravy that spiked my excitement levels. Needless to say, this resulted in an epic flavor party in my mouth.
I completed my meal with a homemade rhubarb and strawberry pop tart and a tall glass of sweet tea — a combination that left me full and satisfied. Not a single detail fell short of amazing.
Pine State Biscuits delivers on all fronts and does not break the bank. Solid 10 out of 10, will definitely eat there again.
Written by AJ Camara.
Noraneko Ramen
https://www.noranekoramen.com/
One of the restaurants we visited while we were in Portland was a cute ramen joint called Noraneko. Located in a more industrial part of the city, we were welcomed with adorable cat signage and a cozy interior. Their menu had lots of different appetizers, ramen dishes, and even sandwiches. When trying a new ramen spot for the first time, I always like to try their take on a classic shoyu ramen (I don’t go crazy with my order). Alongside that, I split an order of chicken kara-age and a glass of their homemade tea-flavored cream soda.
The kara-age was lightly seasoned and crispy — delicious with a generous squeeze of lemon. The cream soda was definitely funky, so I’d recommend for big tea fans or anyone adventurous enough to give it a try: It’s a unique mix of vanilla and nutty roasted tea flavors that might not gel with everyone’s palates.
Once the ramen came I found that the noodles were nice and chewy. But while the broth was tasty, it was not memorable. Certain staple ingredients in ramen such as the marinated egg and chashu pork, had to be ordered separately as add-ons. My key factors for judging ramen are the quality of the egg and pork, which were very pleasing despite the extra charges for them. The egg was jammy and definitely seasoned from the marinade, while the pork was thickly cut and fatty. Next time I’m in Portland, I’d love to come back here to try their other appetizers and perhaps… a new style of ramen?
Written by Robine Nucum.
Rimsky-Korsakoffee House
After a long day filled with Portland’s Design Week events, we decided to visit a haunted coffee house. Rimsky-Korsakoffee House is a cafe in Portland named after the famous Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov. When you arrive at the coffee house, you are greeted by an old worn-out craftsman style house. The stairs leading to the door creak as you walk up to the entrance, giving off a spooky vibe. The cafe itself is situated in the living room of the house and is filled with antique furniture. The lighting is very dim and the walls are covered in Christmas lights and old paintings. We were greeted by a host and seated at a large round table in the back room. The table had a glass covering with old newspaper clippings underneath.
Since this is a coffee house, they only serve cafe items such as coffee, hot cocoa, tea, pastries, and desserts. We ended up ordering hot cocoa, espressos, blueberry cobbler, and tiramisu. All of the items came out of the kitchen quickly. The hot cocoa was super chocolatey and came with whipped cream on top. The blueberry cobbler was juicy and melted in your mouth. While we were eating and scaring each other with bone-chilling scary stories, we noticed that our food and drinks were slowly moving away from us. At first, we were spooked, but the waiter ended up explaining that the table slowly rotates to confuse customers. After finishing our drinks and food and ending the scary storytelling we decided to visit the bathroom.
The bathroom is located on the second floor. To get there you have to climb upstairs that are surrounded by more newspaper clippings and a clown menacingly staring down at you. Getting past the clown was definitely more difficult than climbing up the stairs. Once you reach the second floor there is a narrow hallway with about 4 doors marked “do not enter”. The bathroom door was the only door open, and you might not be prepared for what you are about to see. Starting directly at you is a puppet in a kayak. The walls are covered in writing and painted an ocean blue. The ceiling has legs sticking out of it. Overall the bathroom is the star of the cafe. If you’re ever around in that area of Portland, we would definitely recommend visiting this coffee house for good eats and spooky haunts.
Written by Anastasiya “Stacy” Krokha.
The Pink Rabbit
https://www.pinkrabbitpdx.com/
Located in the Pearl District, the Pink Rabbit cocktail bar opened in January of this year flaunting a kitschy 80s aesthetic complete with an infinity mirror, blue velvet furniture, and a whole lot of pink neon. While a pink rabbit is a drink made popular by a song of the same name by the band The National, the drink itself is not featured on the bar’s menu. However, that does not mean the cocktail list isn’t filled with equally amazing drinks with equally quirky names. Browsing through the groovily designed menu pages you will come across cocktails like, “Tea Kettle Love”, “Needle in the Dark”, and “What did Harvard Teach You?”, all named after lyrics from various songs by The National. I myself landed on a drink called “Quiet Company” which is ironic because that is the opposite of what we brought to the bar that night.
Quiet Company is a highball with a mezcal base mixed with tonic water and pomegranate juice, topped with a bouquet of fresh herbs to “keep you company”. The smoky, vegetal concoction is the brainchild of famed Portland mixologist, Tyler Stevens himself. Inspiration for the drink name comes from the song “Terrible Love” and I can wittily say I loved this drink terribly. My not-so-quiet company had similar feelings about their drink selections so if mezcal isn’t your thing (shame on you if it isn’t) then fear not! You will not be disappointed thumbing through this album art-esque cocktail menu.
Written by James Coviello.
While we learned a lot about design, we were also able to learn a lot about Portland’s food scene. With a heavy heart, we bid farewell to Portland and their yummy foods.
