A Foodie's Day Out

So I was very lucky this past weekend because my dear husband let me have a "foodie day out."  This is special because I am allowed to go BY MYSELF, without my three year old.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little girl, but it is very difficult to relish in a foodie "festivus" (I love that word) with a three year old constantly asking you the following:
"what's that?", "can we go home?", "mommy can I go potty", "what are they doing?", "what's their name?", "mommy I want cereal", and so on, and so on, and so on...........................
So, to have a day out without that mind numbing torture is wonderful, and I took full advantage of it.  I wonder how my husband would feel if I had a foodie day in Paris..............Anyway, I went to a couple of my favorite spots in Portland and here's a photographic log of my short travels:


Bread at Saint Honore



My first stop was at Saint Honore Boulangerie, which is one of the most wonderful places on earth!  It is a french inspired cafe, started by master baker Dominique Geulin and his wife Stephanie.  They have an amazing assortment of bread, pastries, sandwiches and quiches all baked on site.  I love to go there and get great bread, an espresso, a naughty pastry, and sit outside and watch the world go by.



Treats........Yummmmmmmmmmm

 I might as well tell you that during this little trip my a## did literally grow by the minute, so be forewarned.



Espresso and Naughtiness



 After my caffeine kick and a cellulite inducing treat I wandered across the street and found a jewel that I hadn't notice before, a local food  co-op that was stocked with every and anything local at really reasonable prices.  They had wonderful Oregon lamb, local eggs, and wouldn't you know it, local butter (which I bought since, you know, I pretty much bathe in the stuff).  I also was able to convince them to buy figs from me (I haven't told you about the gargantuous fig tree in my backyard which is both a blessing and a cluster f#$%, but that will come later)!  So there I was, butter and eggs in one hand and warm bread in the other and I still had one more stop to make......could this day get any better (oh, yes, yes it can)!
My next stop was City Market, which carries a little bit of everything that's wonderful.



Can you hear the chorus in the background.....I can



 This market has everything a foodie loves, freshly prepared meats, gourmet cheese, a good selection of local wines, local produce, fresh fish, and great fresh pasta from Pasta Works, which happens to be another one of my favorite foodie spots, but we'll save that for a later date.  When I got there they had something interesting sitting in the display case, something that was tauting me, Porchetta.  For those of you who don't know what Porchetta (pronounced Por-Ketta) is, it is basically a big piece of pig (with the skin still on) stuffed with sausage and herbs.  Another glorious culinary gift from the Italians.  However, that being said, it is a gut buster, but delicious none the less, so of course I had to get some of that!



Delicious fatty succulence!



So then, on to the salami and cheeses.........



Hungry anyone?

So I collected all my treasures and dragged my butt home.....  and on my way home I thought about how great this day was, the people that I talked to, the food I tasted, and the time I got to spend just being myself and enjoying my niche on this planet.  Everyone should have a day for themselves, to do what they love, to savour what's around them, and to just be........you
Then in an instant it seemed I was home, only to get out of the car and be greeted by my little girl with a "what are you doing?", "where did you go?", "what did you see?", "can we go to the park?".  Ah, I think I'm back in Kansas Toto.

My foodie day plunder