Audrey’s Kitchen

4834 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97206
(503) 233-1121

(no website available at this time)

In search for good brunch one day, I stumbled into Petit Provence, a delightful french bistro/bakery in the middle of southeast Portland! It was an elegant storefront on a street that has known better days. Hopefully, a place like Petit Provence will bring other businesses in to liven up Division street. The wait was considerable on a weekend morning, but well worth it. For the most part, the service was excellent. Our host, however, seemed a little sleepy and wasn’t too bright. While we were 2nd in line, we had a party of 3. A couple was vacating a table for 4, and we thought he was going to seat us there. Along the side the entrance where the booths are, 2 couples were leaving at the same time, so it would have made most sense to seat us at the larger table, and then seat the couple ahead of us at a 2-person table. Instead, he placed the couple at the 4 person table, and squeezed 3 people into a tiny 2-person table.

Cramped quarters aside, the attention to detail was excellent. Each table had their own basket of freezer jams and butter for morning pastries. I ordered the Petit Provence Omlette, soft and fluffy with tender bits of sausage, served with delicately seasoned hashbrown. It came with a choice of toast or muffin-I chose the muffin to my immense satisfation. It piping hot, tender, with slightly crispy edges. The intense poppy seed and lemon flavor off-set the sweetness and was the perfect begining to any rainy Portland morning.

My dining companion, (not the little girl, she and I shared the omlette) ordered their version of Eggs Benedict: fresh ham served atop a croissant instead of the usual english muffin. No picture was taken but it was a sight to behold. Their croissants are tender, flaky, and luciously buttery. It alone is the highlight of the meal, but with the strong poached egg and ham presence, it just didn’t seem to hold its own.

We did like the croissant so much that we tried to order one separately but was told that they were out. The server was so cute and anxious to have us try other varieties, but a plain croisssant was what the Kid wanted, so we declined. 5 minutes later, our waitress came out bearing the beloved crossiant on a dish just beaming with happiness because she managed to track down a croissant for us. That was so unexpected and very much appreciated. When the bill came, we were amazed that she didn’t even charge us for it, so we left her a big tip and vowed to come back often.

On our way out, we stopped to examine their extensive pastry display and purchased several baked goods to take home and share with our friends. Brunch is inexpensive. You could eat a hearty meal for less than $10 here and their impressive array of pastries start out at $1 and some change. This was a wonderful find and I can’t wait for another rainy day to warm up with a delightful brunch at Petit Provence.

411 SW Third Ave
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 228-5686
www.hubers.com

I almost don’t want to blog about Huber’s restaurant in downtown Portland because it is SO good and I would hate to to add to the already extensive wait for their fantastic happy hours! Hubers is without a doubt, my favorite happy hour spot in all of Portland. Their happy hour is so kick-ass good that it may even be my favorite dining spot in ALL of Portland for that reason alone. How do I even start to explain with a cool place this is?

I was invited out with a large group (10+) of people to celebrate one of our friend’s birthdays. We’re used to hanging out at different highly rated restaurants every weekend or so, but when I found out it was Hubers, my initial reaction was, “What? The turkey place?” And turkey place it is! But it is oh! so much more!! Hubers is the oldest restaurant in Portland, and the history of the place adds to the wonderful Old Tyme charm of it. Check out their website, it has a fascinating history section that follows the life of a young Chinese stowaway in the 1800’s whose exuberance and charm helped create the Hubers we know and love today.

Take a good look at your surroundings when you go to Hubers. You enter through a narrow hallway simply framed with black and white pictures of Old Portland and enter a darkly lit, mahagony threshold. With the arched high ceilings, and glossy furniture, it’s almost like stepping back into a 40’s style train station. Happy hour starts promptly at 9:30, but already, there is a buzz in the room as the room begins to fill. By 9:45, the place is packed with gorgeous women dressed in sophisticated afterwork wear, and equally suave men sending orders of Huber’s famous flaming Spanish Coffees to impress them. Thankfully, you will not find Portland’s younger clubbing crowd here. Sequins, flash, and skin have no place in such a tastefully sexy place like Hubers.

Since my last visit, I have gone back two times, but I have since wised up. We get there at a quarter to 9:30, grab a table, and order their famous Spanish Coffees prepared tableside by gentlemen bartenders garbed in traditional ware complete with armbands. These guys go way out in preparing these drinks so be prepared for serious fire and pizazz.

In the 3 times that I’ve had happy hour at Hubers, I have tried everything (yes, seriously) on their extensive happy hour menu at least once. Prices are insane, ranging from just $1.99-$3.99 for the best happy hour fare to be found in Portland. Behold their spinich dip: a mountain of tri-colored tortilla chips with a generous side of creamy spinich and artichoke dip.

One theme that is prevalent throughout the entire menu is that many of the dishes has some turkey element to it. It’s a good thing! Afterall, they are serious for their turkeys, so when they do turkey, they do it well. Such was the case with their deep fried turkey wings. Two meltingly tender turkey wings served atop a bed of greens. It was so good! The 2nd time I came here, they were sold out of these things. Please make sure you try this if you come here too!

Lastly, let me share with you, the BEST dish of mussels you will ever have. I was so surprised when they brought over a giant plate to my table–this is happy hour mind you–but with a flourish, they set this dish down and from then on, it was mine. The covered plate kept the dish piping hot from kitchen to table, and the mussels were melt-in-your mouth tender. It was cooked in a garlicky white wine broth with just a touch of butter. It is served with a dish of clarified butter and lemons, but you must taste the purity of the dish. It is utterly sublime! I could drink it up with a spoon! Unfortunately, my dining companion looked aghast at the idea, so I settled for dunking pieces of bread from a turkey sandwich into it. Oh man, it is good.

I would highly highly highly recommend giving Huber’s happy hour a try if you are ever in Portland. The service is unbelievable and the staff is charming. On every occasion, the present owner of Hubers, a gentlemanly Chinese man impeccably dressed in a fitting pin-striped suit and mustache, was there to shake hands with patrons and thank everyone for being there. Now how’s that for nostalgia?

We went to Tucci Restaurant in downtown Lake Oswego the other day, and if you have not ventured into Lake Oswego lately, you are missing a lovely surprise! Along “A” street is a quaint shopping and dining area that has reserved a small town charm while housing upscale stores and restaurants in brand new brick and glass buildings. Among them is Tucci, a fine restaurant with european rustic charm serving up delectible seafood and pasta dishes with flare. The restaurant is beautiful-the foyer into the dining area is cozy with a fireplace flickering in the corner and luxe drapery framing the windows and walls. Our group went passed the bar area into an open room that was reserved for our group of 16. Colorful dupiono curtains framed the front entrance way and provided unobtrusive privacy.

Appetizer: steamed mussels. Do you see the size of this dish? It is well worth it for $12! Tender mussels in a light borth served with chewy toasted hunks of buttery bread. yum.

A seafood ciopino is also delish-with a rich seafod and tomato broth.

This is one of their signature salads: an arugula salad with fresh orange segments and goat cheese. I wanted to like this salad but the endive was a little wilted and the dressing was not discernible. For $8, it was not worth the price.

Mushroom risotto with chanterelles and black truffle oil-Excellent command of this dish! The risotto was creamy without being sticky and an intense mushroom flavor resonated throughout the dish.

One of the specials of the evening: rock fish over creamy polenta and greens. The fish was lighly sauteed in oil with just a sprinkle of salt and fresh black pepper. It was light, flaky, and again very good. This was probably my favorite dish of the evening.

Pappardell of Lamb- This dish was solid. The lamb was tender without that “lamby” taste, and the fresh pasta was firm, eggy, and soaked up the delectable sauce

Overall, the dining experience at Tucci was lovely. It is a bit expensive to go there often, and the drive into Lake Oswego may be intimidating for those who are not familiar with the area. Main dishes run in the mid-high $20’s, so add in drinks and dessert, the bill could easily go up to $100 per couple. Neverless, the decor and service really made our dining experience at Tucci outstanding. If you’re looking for a romantic place for a rehearsal dinner, this is a lovely place to treat your guests.