Wow. This is our first trip to Portland. As is our custom when Anne & I travel, day one, a bugout.

Our accomdations are amazing. We're staying in a corporate apartment downtown on the 14th floor, LEED-certified, spacious, convenient & relatively inexpensive with free bicycle usage. Portland is so green, it makes ATX look like Detroit. The weather for day one was perfect.

Higgins, a mainstain here, was delicious and worthy of its praise. We ran into Conde Cox, one of the first Austinites to pack up and move here. I haven't seen him since 2001. Then we walked to Coffeehouse Northwest.

I want psychotic devotion in my coffee (which is one step beyond love). I had 3 espressos; Anne had a cap.
Anne bought a bunch of beautiful things along NW 23rd, and the weather just kept getting nicer. I couldn't resist, I bought a new hat.

Seeing Jesse Bates is wonderful. He remains one of my truest (and only) friends. He is killing it up here, still deadly in wine, he went ahead and became quite the expert on sake. Nice.

Teardrop Cocktail Lounge was everything I heard and more. We hung out with the owner Daniel Shoemaker for a bit. Great guy, great place.

A couple of drinks set the tone.

Paley's Place was an exercise in richness and awesomeness. We went sweetbreads, ecargot with bone marrow, raw oysters, rabbit ravioli, Kobe tartar with Andre Clouet Cuvée 1911, Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner "Steinsetz" Kamptal Reserve 2009, and Domaine Guillot-Broux "La Myotte" Bourgogne Rouge 2007.

Finishing with Clyde Common for a couple more impeccable cocktails and Oregon-made Trillium Absinthe.

Not a good idea means it's a great idea. "Hello. My name is Jesse Bates and I'm about to blackout!"

Bates will be dying at work today. We will be chillin'. The sunrise is gorgeous.

I'm too excited to sleep.

Anthony Garcia
www.wineisdivine.com
http://twitter.com/wineisdivine