Tag: Restaurants in Portland

European Lunch in Portland

Dear Liza,

While we were downtown, Auntie Bridgett and I had lunch at a place we had been eyeing for a long time. Maurice advertises itself as a French/ Scandinavian cafe, and the pastries in the front case looked amazing. So we stepped in.

We loved many things about Maurice. First, our friend Ruth, who manages the Blair Community Garden, works there.

It was fun to see her familiar face, and her colleague Megan was good at explaining everything in the menu to us.

Kristen is the owner and head chef, and runs a quiet, civilized space.

Once we ordered, we took some time to appreciate the simple and very European decor. Open shelving shows off the beauty of the baking utensils and allows the small place to feel open and spacious. Tiny carnations decorate each table.

And the food…. was….. gorgeous. My smorbrod (rye bread, crème frais and gravlax open-faced sandwich with shaved beets on top) was delicious and filling as well as being a work of art.

Auntie Bridgett had hot tea and I had iced tea, and the serving for each was unique, yummy, and lovely.

And dessert was just as wonderful. I had the Meyer Lemon pudding mousse cake, topped with a warm date.

We spent more than an hour in Maurice, enjoying the friendly service, delicious food, and charming decor, and were finally ready to move on with our day. As we paid the bill, Ruth brought us some cookies and a scone as a ‘thank you’.

You can bet we will be back at Maurice before too long. I’ll take you next time you’re in Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

To Modern Times

Dear Liza,

We had walked a few miles towards the river, and there was some sort of disturbance involving lots of Police cars a few blocks north. It seemed like a good time to settle in somewhere.

So we walked into Modern Times, a cafe and restaurant on Belmont Street. We have gone past it hundreds of times on the bus, so I was more than happy to see it from the inside.

We were shown a table by the bar in a high ceilinged, bright room. We were two of only five people in the place. We weren’t hungry, and since this is a brewery, I ordered one if their dark beers which is made on site. Black House coffee stout was sweet and rich and just about perfect.

The decor of Modern Times, as seen through the huge windows, has always intrigued me. It looks as though very clever murals were created out of party decorations!

It was mind bending, actually. Cartoons posters and those puffy paper fans were all over one wall.

On the wall leading up the stairway, dozens of small donkey pinatas were applied right side up and upside down. A sign notified us that touching the art was punishable by death.

And looming over it all was a mural, at least thirty feet high, created out of party streamers. It was bright, bold, and completely unexpected. I stared and stared!

We enjoyed our drinks and learned that Modern Times is actually a chain of eateries and breweries, and employs a staff of artists (much like the McMenamin Brothers do) to create art for their venues as well as beer and cider labels, tee shirts, and other goodies.

We took the elevator up to the roof top patio, and enjoyed more quirky art. These hanging designs, created from plastic kitchen and storage baskets, moved gently in the wind and were just charming.

There were fire pits, as well, and views of downtown across the river. Big Pink, of course, was beautiful seen through the flames.

By the time we had seen everything, the police had managed whatever they needed to manage down on the street, and we walked up to catch the number 15 bus home.

Just another adventure in the city!

Love,

Grandma Judy