Urban Park and Romance in the City

Mt. Tabor is a little gem in the eastside of Portland. The park sits on top of an old volcanic cinder cone and has some of the most magnificent views of downtown Portland. The view is especially nice on a clear summer night when you can see lights for miles. On a clear day, the view of Mt. Hood can take your breath away. Or at least it does mine, but any huge crystal clear view of a mountain does. I went there for the first time during the day just this week. They close the gates on Wednesdays for bikers and folks just enjoying a stroll through the park, it’s also opened late into the evening. I would recommend it for a date night. Grab a dessert at Papa Haydn or Pix Patisserie and enjoy the sunset with your significant other.

In addition to great views, it is the home to 3 of the 5 open drinking water reservoirs in Portland. I have heard that these soon might be drained, due to the city or states concern on open reservoirs. Don’t quote me on this, as I cannot remember the details my friend once told me. I was also told this is an active volcano but I think she was full of hogwash. :)

Mt Tabor Park
SE 60th & Salmon St

Dining out for a Local Radio Station with Southern Cuisine at its Finest

Image courtesy of Tapalaya.com

Okay I started this blog so I will make a commitment to update. I keep visiting some great Portland places and really need to start sharing the wealth of my discoveries. One these discoveries, happened last night, on the East side of Portland. It was dine out for KBOO, a not-for-profit community radio station that plays the music of local musicians. 10% of all proceeds from your meal went to the station that produces its programming through volunteers. So I think I at least donated $2 bucks! Not too shabby. Total for our table was probably $6 bucks. I have only listened to the station on a few occasions but the opportunity really brought forth some great restaurants that I have never heard of, such as Tapalaya.

Located on the same corner as the Laurelhurst Theatre, this place full of Southern décor, was quite the treat. As stated on their web page, the restaurant is a “marriage of tapas and New Orleans cuisine brings to Portland the Louisiana city's French, Spanish, Caribbean and African influenced food.” There were three of us and you had to spend a maximum $15 on a credit card so we order about 3 dishes each. It was a mini southern Thanksgiving Feast with Grilled “Sweet-Blackened” Pork Tenderloin, Mac & Cheese, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Crawfish Fritters, Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Puree and Cajun Apple Cole Slaw. We all shared our mini plates and I consider this the best way to go, especially when trying new kinds of food. My favorite was by far the pulled pork and crawfish fritters. First time trying crawfish and as a not very big seafood fan, it was fantastic! Oh and go for the southern waiter, he made the place more authentic. Now if they only had alligator, I would have been thrilled!

What other Portland restaurants are known for their tapas?