Le Bistro Montage
Le Bistro Montage is a Cajun/Creole restaurant that caters to the adventurous, and to night owls. Open until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 a.m. on weekdays, Montage is a wonderfully strange place to have a late-night meal. Appetizers include unusual offerings such as spicy frog legs and crawfish beignets with creole mustard. Entrees are meat-heavy: flat iron steak, pork loin, pan-fried oysters and chicken fried steak, to name a few. Montage is also famous for its extensive menu of macaroni and cheese. Seasonal cocktails include the Rudy Fernandez, made with house-infused hibiscus Herradura tequila, lime and agave syrup, and the Safe Word: house-infused vanilla vodka, Maker's Mark and Godiva cream, served up with a cocoa-powdered rim.
Le Bistro Montage
301 S.E. Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-1324
montageportland.com
Ken's Artisan Pizza
With a 100-bottle wine list, a wood-burning stove and European-inspired pizzas, Ken's Artisan Pizza is no ordinary pizzeria. Freshness permeates each bite of these thin-crusted masterpieces. Try the simple but delicious margherita and arugula pizza or a pizza with savory fennel sausage. You can also order oven-roasted calamari, bruschetta, lamb and pita and smoked salmon salad---hardly your typical pizzeria fare. Large windows and well spaced tables keep this restaurant from feeling stuffy, although Ken's is frequently packed.
Ken's Artisan Pizza
304 S.E. 28th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 517-9951
kensartisan.com
The Tao of Tea
Located on bustling Belmont Steet, The Tao of Tea offers a tiny refuge of polished wood, gentle music and hushed voices. With a tea menu that's almost the size of a novella, tea drinkers will experience a mini-meltdown as they attempt to pick just one beverage. The Tao of Tea serves exclusively vegetarian and vegan fare, with dishes like the Chai Break, a chickpea dal served with a fried samosa. Spinach rolls, salads and green tea tofu are other treats that accentuate the teas. Deserts are exotic: banana with rice, flatbread with oolong honey and green tea-mochi ice cream.
The Tao of Tea
3430 S.E. Belmont St.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-0119
taooftea.com
About The Author
Michelle Wishhart is a writer based out of Astoria, Ore. She has been writing professionally for five years, starting with her position as a staff arts writer for an alternative weekly paper in Santa Cruz. She has a B.A. in fine arts from the University of California in Santa Cruz and a minor in English literature.
