Pouring Up Perfection in Portland

I have a childlike enthusiasm for everything, even the most mundane things, such as hand sanitizer. Thankfully the majority of my life is more interesting than rubbing my palms together, for instance the diverse opportunities and destinations I visit. When someone recently invited me to stay at an oasis of calm in the epicenter of a thriving food scene, I put my dietary restrictions on hold, booked a direct flight from Santa Barbara, and pointed my eclectic appetite towards downtown Portland.

A two hour flight and I’m in an amazing corner, five stories above ground in Hotel Lucia. The panoramic view from my room looks up and down Broadway and Stark. It’s walking distance from everything you’d ever need—shops, food, breweries, donuts. With a hungry, eager heart and my girlfriend in tow, we depart for our first of many feasts.

We head down Stark on foot and within minutes we come upon a menagerie of food trucks. Without a word being spoken we break apart, headed for separate vendors. When we reconvene, I have a fried coconut tofu dish that has an insane aroma of coconut and yellow curry. The tofu is probably the best I’ve ever had, crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. When I was a kid, my brother and I called tofu toad food, in only two bites my mind has been permanently changed. My girlfriend offers a traditional spicy tuna roll that’s surprisingly fresh and has one of the most flavorful and spicy sauces I’ve had. With our appetites temporarily appeased we move on.

Start your day at 4 p.m., I dare you. We are two sips into the Nitro Hair Bender Cold Brew at Stumptown Coffee Rosters and very quickly becoming aware that this won’t be our traditional Thursday afternoon. We didn’t come to Portland to be passive. We are here to feast and be merry.

We retrace our steps back across Broadway and end up at Beer O’Clock for happy hour. An eclectic beer bar with over 30 rotating taps on draft and the best retro wallpaper I’ve seen in recent memory. The space is crowded, full of life and both the indoor and outdoor seating is full. We grab two pints and head to the outdoor picnic tables. We cheers, pull our beanies a little lower and breathe in the crisp air. We have more beers than I can remember. The first: Bone Clouds-N- Harmony. It offers a juicy tangerine aroma with quick tropical notes. It’s a 7.2% IPA but has a subtle bitterness and more juicy mango flavor on the finish. If there weren’t 30 other beers on draft I would stick with this all day. We conclude our bender off with a round of Dos Mas, a Mexican lager that’s straightforward, light and easy to drink.

Just a few doors down we pop into Lardo for the tail-end of their evening happy hour. For $15 we get a mountain of garlic fries and two juicy IPAs. We watch the evening commuters, our sobriety quickly rotating out of sight like the flow of people, and before long we retire early to the subtle calm and comfort of our Hotel Lucia room. We eagerly search for a movie and I begin browsing the pillow menu, one of many unique Provenance offerings. We watch Talladega Nights, both happy and content in our king size bed, we order a simple room service meal of calamari and a burger before calling it a night.

VooDoo Doughnuts

Hotel Lucia lobby

I’m a restless sleeper. Unless I’m completely exhausted I fidget, roll around, do mountain climbers, amongst other things, while attempting to get five hours of sleep in an eight hour night. At Hotel Lucia I sprawl horizontally, I have no idea if my girlfriend is in bed or not, the bed seems to go on and on forever. Not to mention I sleep like a comatose princess, the mattress a doughy cloud of comfort.

My half asleep brain can only process one thing: don’t wake me up until I’ve had a donut. Everybody and I truly mean everybody deserves some Voodoo magic when in Portland. I don’t usually reach for donuts, they aren’t really my thing, but Voodoo Doughnuts aren’t donuts they’re a way of life, and everyone has a personal invite. For breakfast we lethargically climb out of bed and walk five minutes to Voodoo Doughnuts. The morning line is dwindling and we quickly order a traditional maple bar and an O Captain My Captain, because it’s breakfast.

We get our goodies to-go and stop at Stumptown for coffees on the way back to the hotel. We eat our treats and sip our brew in the lobby. It’s quiet, spacious and the decor and art make it feel like an art gallery turned contemporary luxury hotel lobby. The art includes the largest single black and white collection of photographs by Pulitzer Prize winner David Hume Kennerly, a silver underwear sculpture made from crayons, which is easily the most unique piece of art I’ve ever encountered, as well as countless other pieces, coffee table books, and architectural finishes. The lobby is both unique and unforgettable— two standards Provenance Hotels work tirelessly to regenerate for each guest.

After a slow breakfast we drive out to the Columbia River Gorge, one of my all-time favorite outdoor destinations. A recent fire has left many of the falls inaccessible but three of the towering waterfalls are open. We visit each, catching crisp chills from the spray of water. The morning sun backlights the different viewpoints, creating an ethereal feel. There aren’t many visitors, so we take our time at each destination. Walking in close proximity at times and at others exploring on our own. This is a sacred place, full of trails, hidden swimming pools, backwoods waterfalls, and so much more. But for today we car hop between the three relatively close waterfalls. It’s tranquil, mellow and easy.

On the way back into town we stop at Shut Up and Eat. We start with a boozy gin punch and order two Whole In The Wall Breakfast Lunch Sandwiches. When the sandwich arrives I realize why it has been named such, served on a huge 3-inch biscuit, with applewood sausage and eggs, this meal is everything. It combines everything I love about Portland, it’s simple, rustic, comforting, and filling.

We split the afternoon between shop hopping around Broadway and reading in our comfy corner room. Half of the room is composed of windows and the natural light in the afternoon is bright and refreshing. We open the windows to let in some of the street noise. This is the most relaxing afternoon I’ve had in quite some time and I couldn’t be more content.

It isn’t long before we are called to dinner at the in-hotel dining venue Imperial. We’ve dismissed our casual clothing and dress the part of luxury hotel aficionados. Sitting at the bar top we get a first-hand glimpse of the kitchen and can feel the heat coming off of the exposed ovens. It’s cozy and inviting, yet offers an upbeat feeling to dining that I enjoy. We start with cocktails and the server recommends the New Money, Imperial’s variation of a Manhattan. This is so much more than a single drink, it’s an entire experience. Beginning with the way that it’s crafted. The concoction’s base is single barrel Four Roses bourbon, blended with Nardini Amaro, an Italian digestif, Cocchi Vermouth is added, then the fun really begins. They begin carving a massive crystal clear ice cube off of a block of ice. When the drink is set before you, your anticipation and excitement is hand sanitizer level. The drink itself is softer and more delicate than I expect, with a boozy punch. It’s dangerously good.

We need food to accompany our spirits. We start with oysters that seem to disappear from our table as quickly as they arrive, they’re fresh and delicious. For dinner my girlfriend orders the fried chicken while I opt for the 33-ounce rib eye. Which sounds ridiculous. I’m not entirely sure how we finished off the entire rib eye. But somewhere in-between multiple rounds of drinks, a conversation fit for Ernest Hemingway, and a plethora of table-side banter, we did just that. I’m a little confused, embarrassed, proud, and forgetful of the manner in which we ate 33-ounces of the most memorable steak I’ve ever consumed. But grateful that this experience, like so many in Portland, won’t soon be forgotten.

Hotel Lucia is so many great things. The recently renovated rooms offer luxurious respite, an organic mini bar, natural brand toiletries, and a Bluetooth clock radio. It’s a boutique hotel that is on the National Register of Historic Places with contemporary decor and an art collection that even the artsiest of us can appreciate. While all of these things made a cumulative impression on my hotel experience, why this trip lingers so positively in my mind is due to the unforgettable moments and at the apex of each was our Provenance host. The consumption of a 33oz steak, Voodoo magic in bed, a Pulitzer Prize winning photography collection, a visit to the Columbia River Gorge…all of these things can’t and won’t be easily forgotten. If you’re still unconvinced, go see the silver crayon underwear, like Hotel Lucia they’re unforgettable.

Shut Up And Eat

Tov Coffee

hotellucia.com

Photographed & Written by Silas Fallstich