Neighborhood:
Eastside Industrial With its dilapidated warehouses and crisscrossing railroad tracks, this neighborhood can feel like a working-class ghost town. (read more) But that same undiscovered, after-hours vibe is spawning lots of trendy new growth. Like AudioCinema (226 SE Madison St., 467-4554), a schizophrenic converted warehouse huddled under the Hawthorne Bridge that rents studio and rehearsal space when it’s not hosting art and performance events (like intimate encounters with Ghostface Killah and Cat Power at last year’s Musicfest NW). If you’re saddled with kiddies, try the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (1945 SE Water Ave., 797-6674, omsi.edu), which boasts rotating exhibits, laser light shows, an IMAX theater and its own naval submarine. Afterward, recharge at the Bakery Bar (1028 SE Water Ave., 546-8110) with lattes and decadent chocolate coconut cream puffs. Kidless? Swill Cuba libres at Slow Bar (533 SE Grand Ave., 230-7767) over the molar-rattling, punk-heavy jukebox that belies the bar’s handle. If you’re broke, The Maiden (previously Maiden in the Mist) (639 SE Morrison St., 232-5553) offers inexpensive happy-hour eats. And what else do broke Portlanders love? Bikes, of course. Enter River City Bicycles (706 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 233-5973) and Next Adventure (426 SE Grand Ave., 233-0706), which can cover all your gear needs. Test your wheels out on the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, a 1.5-mile riverfront strip, with a bronze statue of the former mayor beatifically smiling down on the city. —Amanda Waldroupe.
Featured in Restaurant Guide 2008
Sluuuuurp. Mmm. You know, you’d think a ramen bar would be a great date spot, but—chew, chew, chew—it turns out it’s so hard to stop yourself from munching on the—crunch—pickles and bits of grilled pork belly, garlic and seasoned ground chicken on sticks—urp—that it’s kind of tough to get a conversation going. And don’t get me started on the—suuuuuck—miso and udon and incredible housemade noodles. You’re just so engaged in eating that you don’t get to know the person you’re dining with in the warm wood and concrete basement of the La Luna building until, sated and sleepy, you kick back with a glass of sake and watch the cooks at work, trying to remember every moment of the meal. Aaahh.
IDEAL MEAL: Gyoza, pickles, vegetable salad, tsukune, udon.
Ben Waterhouse
