Best of Portland Survey~Tell Us Who’s Best in 5 Minutes or Less!
It is my impression that the city of Portland kickstarted the infinite improbability drive sometime last fall, and that things have been slightly askew ever since. We now have a monument to minibikes, bikini-clad baristas (the burns!) and city council devoting serious discussion to the merits of giant neon roses. Is it just me, or is Portland exploring a new sort of weirdness?
If you feel that the news has spiraled into the realm of the absurd, we’re here to help. Exercise some modicum of control over the world by naming the city’s best restaurants, bars, band and more in our 2009 Best of Portland Reader Poll. It only takes five minutes, and we promise you’ll feel measurably better when your finished. We’ll print the winners in our Best of Portland issue on July 22.
—Best of Portland Editor Ben Waterhouse
June 8th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Best of Portland? Whitebird, presenting international dance companies for eleven years! Ste Maine, an elegant, decorative inteiror design and retail store in West Moreland; Aequis Spa, new location back in the Pearl, and back to their roots, small, intimate and incredible; Marina Velod, Lake Oswego skin ‘doctor’ aestetician whose clinical treatments and approach to anti-aging works; Nails: The sweet and talented Anna at the Nail Salon at Lloyd Center near Nordstrom; Thomas Lauderdale, for all he does for Portland every day of the year behind and in front of the scene; Bruce Carey, day in and out, keeper of the concept of elegant, hip, chic and delicious dining at each of his four restaurants, quality and ambiance is never compromised; Cheryl Strayed, author, whose Memoir was just picked up by a national publisher!; Michael Hoppe, nationally known new age music composer and grammy nominee, who lives in Portland and records with some of our top and upcoming musicians; Bill Crane, 24/7 — marking 7 years of war event — need I say more? Our music mentor and rose city Music Man who makes the music and supports the musicians who live here every moment of the day; Dr. Dave Magilke, new plastic surgeon on the block for 3 years now who is becoming known as THE doc to go to for the FACE; Walk along the Willamette River — Willamette Park, Oaks Bottom, Esplanades - it’s a treasure; Everyone who voted for Obama!!; Dove Lewis; Oregon Humane Society;
June 9th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
FOOD/DRINK
FOOD: Le Pigeon/Clyde Commons/Por Que No
PATIO: Moloko
NEW BAR/VENUE: Beaker & Flask/Mississippi Studios
GROCERY STORE: New Seasons Interstate
CHEAP FOOD: King Burrito/Carts at 12th and Hawthorne
CULTURE
LOCAL BAND: Yacht
SHOP: Stand Up Comedy
ARTIST/VISIONARY: Flint Jameson (Veneer/Shoe Fit Project)
GALLERY: Fourteen30 Contemporary/ROCKSBOX Fine Art
BOOKSTORE: Ampersand Vintage
ETC
HAIR DRESSERS: (cut) Ryann Bosetti @ 220 Salon (color) Nicci Carannante @ 220 Salon
LOCAL PUBLICATION: Veneer/Plazm
June 9th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Best of Portland Wweek what to cover-
a. Best New Facelift- Portland Saturday Market in Waterfront Park
b. Best House Party-for your closest 2000 friends- Red Dress Party
c. Best Cupcake- Red Velvet at Cupcake Jones
d. Best new piece of Architecture – 937 Condominiums
June 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
How about the best neighborhood newspaper?
June 9th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Favorite website! (or favorite organization, or favorite new way for teens to learn about safe sex!)
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s website for teens, http://www.TakeCareDownThere.org, was named Best Health Website by the 13th Annual Webby Awards!
PPCW is thrilled to have TakeCareDownThere.org, a micro-site created by Leopold Ketel & Partners, recognized with such a prestigious award.
With nearly 10,000 entries and only five nominees per category, the competition for a 2009 Webby Award was tough. Nominated in the health category, TakeCareDownThere.org competed against the likes of Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG.com and WebMD, cementing it among many industry leaders.
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Nominees are chosen by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a group which includes the likes of Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, “Simpson’s” creator Matt Groening, musician David Bowie, and Harvey Weinstein.
“We’re incredibly honored that our site was selected for this esteemed award,” said David Greenberg, PPCW President and CEO. “With TakeCareDownThere.org, we have been able to reach thousands of teens and young adults throughout Oregon and SW Washington with important information about sexual and reproductive health.”
June 9th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Best Hot Dog and Italian Beef in Portland. Wayne’s Chicago Red Hots
June 9th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Adult Recreational Sports League must be a category. I’m involved in a couple of leagues for various sports. Underdog is my favorite. So far I’ve played volleyball, bowled and am joining a kickball team with Underdog, but they offer a lot more. It’s a great organization full of adults with fun-loving competative mindsets who also happen to love to BS and drink beer. The prizes and sponsor bars are great and I dig the staff. They even throw some awesome parties, themed and otherwise, i.e. New Years, 80s Prom Night, Cinco de Mayo, etc……… My vote’s for Underdog!
June 9th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Trillium Artisans, eco friendly products from local artists!
June 9th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
KBOO. I can’t say enough great things about KBOO! They are very up to date on what is happening in portland, in oregon and the whole wide world. They do very important work and they are a portland instituton. Cant imagine my days with out them. KBOO is truely one of my favorite things in portland!
PS I am 24 female fourth generation oregonian
June 9th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Hey, Underdog Sports is DEFINETLY one of the best things about Portland. Its social, its althetics, its everything! http://www.underdogportland.com
June 9th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The best recreational sports league in portland
My vote is Underdog Sports League.
They have so much variety - So fave I have only participated in kickball but would to get involved with the other sports they offer.
Thanks Lisa
June 9th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Dante’s!
Talk about best of!
-Best staff: (members of The Epoxies, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House, Kleveland, etc. Also Portland’s own Infamous CoatCheck Girl)
-Best motivational speaker/talk show host: Ed Forman on Tuesday nights
-Best circus sideshow: Wanderlust Circus presents SIDESHOW SPEAKEASY every wednesday.
-Best magician: Reed McClintock, The Illustrated Magician—one of the best close-up magicians in the world, and he performs every Sunday at Sinferno.
-Best place to spot celebrities. Spotted recently: entire cast and crew of Leverage, partying until the wee hours.
-Best place to feed all of your paranoid conspiracy theories: Ground Zero Lounge w/Clyde Lewis (Mondays at 8pm)
-Best pizza.
so many more “Best of…” under one roof.
June 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am
The best party in Portland doesn’t happen on Fridays or Saturdays, it happens on Tuesdays – as long as it’s Sexy Tuesdays, that is.
Sexy Tuesdays are super fun events bringing together like-minded 21-45 year olds to socialize, network, and support the mission of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette. Events are often free, and always inexpensive, and range from a beer and pizza blast in the Pearl District to martinis and music at New Deal Distillery, with a movie night or trivia contest thrown in from time to time to keep things lively.
There’s never a heavy-handed pitch for a big donations. All that is asked is that you share your passion for sexual and reproductive health care rights, and have a good time doing it. Which is not to say a big donation isn’t always welcome since all proceeds from these events go to fund Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s programs and services.
June 10th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s Sexy Tuesdays embodies what I love about Portland: a great cause, civic-minded people, and events in unique Portland places. The Tuesday night events bring together 100 people - mainly 21-40, but also lure in those a bit older (i.e. electeds like Senator Ron Wyden & our mayor Sam Adams) who want to participate in the fun evenings where people come together to show & give their support to Planned Parenthood. And only in Portland can you support a family planning nonprofit by attending fun Portland-style events, such as laughing with Carol Leifer at Darcelle’s, sampling not-yet-released drinks at New Deal Vodka, listening to the local music scene while drinking local brews on the Ecotrust rooftop, and learning more about PPCW through John Doyle’s trivia night at Bye & Bye. And all while meeting other great Portlanders. That’s Portland. PP’s Sexy Tuesdays is definitely one of the best things Portland has to offer (which, by the way, other cities are now trying to copy)
June 10th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Best band that you hate to see “get big” out of the sheer selfishness of wanting to continue seeing small, cheap shows: BLIND PILOT
Favorite non-21 late night spot that is no longer: The Old Pharmacy
Best spot for watching people who are watching drunk girls tying to walk in highheels and too short dresses… while also enjoying a warm cup of coffee: World Cafe in Powell’s Books.
June 10th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Best pool/board games bar
Best happy hour for beer
Best organic pub (Roots)
Best place to watch the game
Best walks in the city
Best bike routes
June 11th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Best Cup of Coffee - Posies Cafe
Best Handmade Jewelery - Locket2You
Best Place to Play Shuffleboard - The Boiler Room Bar (Kennedy School)
Best Place to See a Comedian - Aladdin Theater
Best Way to Feel Nonathletic Compared to Everyone Else - Nike Campus Tour
June 11th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
The only place to buy locally made gifts made out of recycled materials. They are the bomb!
June 11th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Just gotta agree with the Reed McClintock groundswell: Dude is awesome, in the dictionary sense of the word
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:38 am
Family of Friends Mentoring Program.
With a staff of 2 this mentoring program organizes families, singles, and couple young and old to mentor a child in the Portland Metro area. The idea of setting an extra seat at the table, helping a child with homework and just including them in your everyday activities. It is definitely one of the things that make Portland great.
Urban Sports
A group of fun and adventures folks that like to goof off and drink beer. Urban Golf, SantaCon, and many other wild events. How can you not think that they are one of the reasons Portland is great when you see 300 Santa Claus’s walking down the street bar hopping.
Atomic Pizza
A new pizza place opened by native Portlanders on North Killingsworth Street. Homemade original recipe sauce and crust makes for the best hand-tossed pizza in Portland. Friendly people, great pizza and good local beers, what more can you ask for.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Best place to see a summer movie: Bridgeport Cinemas - yeah its Tigard and its in a yuppie shopping village, but it is also the most comfortable, organized and has the best popcorn. Get past the Regal crap and you will enjoy. Oh, and I think the only IMAX screen in the area.
Best place to be annoyed by strangers while seeking serenity - the Japanese Gardens. How can a place be so beautiful, requiring visitors to be ‘respectful’ of its obvious meditative properties - yet be overrun by every noisy local tourist? Get there early or very late, but go - and watch out for free days that are usually promoted in the off season.
Best (and cheapest) place to find a good book - Goodwill off of MLK - enormous used book section and nowhere will you find such a great mix of classics, newer releases and odds and ends. Powells is still the Man so to speak, but getting spendy for some of us - need a book under $5? This is where to go.
Best Burger & Shake - It’s out of the way, off the map & Why Would You go There? But the Blue Coyote Cafe at the Lake Oswego public golf course off of Stafford Road is run by a one-legged chef who has literally been around so much he knows better than the rest how it is done - and is often ably assisted by one of his four sons. Ask him for his milkshake recipe - it will leave you happy and wanting more. No one makes food like this - classic, old-fashioned and well-priced.
Best gallery - GalleryZero. The place is totally ignored by local media which is NUTS since its the most challenging up and coming gallery in Portland, curated by a live-wire pro from LA who speaks in wild run-on sentences and likes his walls blood red. Its in a crappy spot off of Belmont and 34th but this place knows how to bring it. Portland has been in need of this kind of venue for toooo long.
Best reason to be a writer in Portland - Willamette Writers - their annual summer conference is coming up in August and it is the best place to be to meet and greet industry insiders and get your pitches critiqued. It may change your life. Membership is about $35/year and you get all sorts of goodies - great way to make connections in the publishing biz.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Sorry - my bad for spelling:
Best gallery - Gallery Zero. The place is totally ignored by local media which is NUTS since its the most challenging up and coming gallery in Portland, curated by a live-wire pro from LA who speaks in wild run-on sentences and likes his walls blood red. Its in a crappy spot off of Belmont and 34th but this place knows how to bring it. Portland has been in need of this kind of venue for toooo long.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Tea Chai Te on NW 23rd for their comprehensive tea knowledge and selection. Love the atmosphere too , oh and they have free wi-fi.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:44 am
The Best of Portland: Theatre or Theatre (100 seats or less)
CoHo Productions
2257 NW Raleigh Street
Portland, OR 97206
503-220-2646
In the past 12 months, CoHo Productions has delivered a wide range of outstanding performances, including two Drammy winners (Luisa Sermol & Sharonlee McLean). From a one-woman tour-de-force (9 Parts of Desire), an intimate portrait of maybe-lovers (Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune), a tightly woven “comedy with implications (The Receptionist) to the current ensemble Victorian-style comedy with real people (the Uneasy Chair) deemed “handily one of the best of the entire 2008-2009 season”, CoHo Productions has been the place in Portland for diverse, high quality theatre. With its unique co-production model, CoHo relies on submissions from the Portland theatre community, but then selects the productions deemed the best fit for the upcoming season. Outstanding yet affordable live theatre is still readily available in Portland, and CoHo has the best blend of performances and venues around. That pattern promises to continue with next season’s productions of “Fool for Love,” with co-producers Chris Harder & Val Landrum; “Hamlet” trimmed for 5 actors and co-produced with Chris Murray; and “This Lime Tree Bower” which brough Conor McPherson to playgoer’s attention, co-produced with Devon Allen.