Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

Despite its name, Belmont Station Beer Store and Cafe actually sits one block north of Belmont Street in a sleepy residential neighbourhood on Stark Street. Portland appears to have a trifecta of obsessions: food, coffee and beer. Belmont Station, home to a 1000 (that’s right, 1000) beers is a temple dedicated to the latter — the worship of all things beer.

(Above: A bevy of taps on display at Belmont Station’s Bier Cafe.)

On the one side, there’s a Bier Cafe where you can sample a rotating tap of beers paired with a menu of snacks tailored specifically to whet the appetite for drinking beer. Unfortunately, the cafe wasn’t open when we arrived, so we had to settle for wading through a sea of beers instead.

(A small collection of beer from Oregon breweries Deschutes and Upright Brewing.)

Belmont Station is a deceptively small shop. It certainly doesn’t look like it could hold 1000+ variety of beer, but it does. What Belmont lacks in volume (don’t be expecting to grab a crate of Bud here), it makes up in spades with variety. Of course they carry a nice selection of Oregon beers, but that selection also extends across the world from Germany to Italy, Scotland to Belgium. We picked up a number of Oregon brews to bring home: Upright Brewing, Deschutes, Rogue and Pale Horse.

(An Oregon brew just begging to be cracked open.)

There’s a cash discount, so if you put away the plastic you’ll pay the lower of the two sticker prices displayed. The folks at Belmont Station are pretty chill people who like their beer, and enjoy talking about it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of beers when you first step in, but take a moment to gain your composure. You’ll be alright.

Perfect for: Homer Simpson… and anyone else who enjoys beer.

The Details

4500 Southeast Stark Street, Portland
503.232.8538
belmont-station.com

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Original Halibuts II on Northeast Alberta Street in Portland, is a fish and chip restaurant wrapped in a Blues lounge. While Original Halibuts next door resembles what most of us would recognized as a seaside chip shop, Halibuts II marries the odd couple of Blues and fish and chips.

(Above: Deep fried, coconut encrusted prawns on a stick.)

We wandered into Original Halibuts I, the kitschy takeout side of the restaurant with a variety of sea creatures scattered along on the walls. Daily specials are scribbled on a chalk board in the front. Friendly, but stern looking folks with smocks and rubber gloves motioned for us to head to Halibuts II for a sit down meal.

Halibuts II is a Blues lounge furnished with a small bar, a drum set, a microphone and some tables. The walls were covered with photographs of jazz and blues musicians. There’s a slight scent of stale smoke mixed with malt vinegar in the air.

(Above: Happy hour with a pint of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a Pina Colada. Happy indeed.)

We arrived at happy hour, a perfect time to sample what Halibuts II has to offer. We each ordered a basket of one piece fish and chips and three pieces of coconut prawns. Fish and chips wouldn’t be complete without a cold pint of beer (Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap) and a Pina Colada.

The fish was great: crispy, lightly battered and gently seasoned. The fish itself was flaky and moist and quickly devoured. Although slightly under seasoned, the fries were addictive and tasty. The oddly flat shaped, skewered coconut prawns were good, but just a tad overcooked.

(Above: One piece cod and chips.)

Our bill including tips came to just under $22, which is just an insane bargain. The service was friendly and the food decently executed — definitely worth a a return visit.

Perfect for: Fish and Chips with a dash of Blues.

The Details

2527 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland
503.808.9601
halibuts.squarespace.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Ping is Portland’s answer to modern Asian fare, presenting a seemingly unpredictable blend of various Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine with a distinctly contemporary, North American twist. It is fusion cuisine to be sure. Something we tend to avoid, but this is Portland — a city full of surprises.

(Above: Beer Fish — beer braised whole tilapia fried and served with chilies, soy, garlic and green onions.)

Perched on the corner of Northwest 4th and Northwest Couch street, the stylishly minimalistic Ping sits back humbly into the Chinatown cityscape. The inside exhibits more personality, a mix of loud and subtle colour and patterns with an organized chaos of Asian ghetto and modern American.

(Above: Kitsch decor from Ping throw together a little bit of Asian ghetto and Modern American.)

The menu is a modest size with a good portion favouring street food. We started with the daily special –a fried Tilapia braised in beer and garnished with a light soy sauce, chili pepper and garlic. Ping gets extra points for serving this fish whole: skin, bones, head and all. The tender parts were delectable, while the overcooked portions were grievously tough.

(Top to bottom: 1. Marionberry drinking vinegar. 2. Taiwan beer, FTW.)

Our meal was accompanied by a Marionberry flavoured drinking vinegar: a refreshing selzter concoction with the tartness of a light lemonade, and isn’t as acrid as the drink’s name would suggest. Taiwan Beer, a light (very light) brew I’ve rarely seen outside of Taiwan, paired nicely with the fried fish.

(Above: Kopitiam toast, spread with kaya, a pandanus flavoured coconut jam.)

We finished with a Kopitiam toast which was similar to the Hong Kong style toast and sweetened condensed milk we were more familiar with, but was instead topped with the more viscous, coconut flavoured Kaya spread.

Our meal came to just over $40 including tips. The service was amiable, and the dishes at Ping were enjoyable. We’d certainly look into trying out some of their more street food inspired fare.

Perfect for: stepping outside of PDX for a brief moment.

The Details:

102 Northweast 4th, Portland
503.229.7464
pingpdx.com

Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

Pine State Biscuits on Southeast Belmont Street is a cute, older storefront located on a residential block in Portland. This was the first location to open up. It may be smaller and older than their newer sister restaurant on Alberta Street, but that doesn’t stop the people from lining up out the door for their biscuits.

Inside is cozy and feels like an old corner store. Hard wood floors cover the tiny space that only has a few tables and a side counter. You order at the front counter, pay, and then wait on the other side with the rest of the crowd. We could see the large sacks of flour piled up in the kitchen next to the folks making the biscuits.

(Above: The Reggie Deluxe: Fried Chicken, Bacon, Egg, Cheese and Gravy — all lovingly hugged by two fluffy biscuits.)

Tre ordered the Reggie: bacon, egg and cheese on top of a crispy fried chicken and smothered with gravy — all lovingly hugged between two freshly baked biscuits. It was off the hook. The thick piece of fried chicken was tender and juicy with a nice a crunch. And the gravy simply elevated the Reggie to an all new level.

(Above: Despite the cramped and limited space, people are surprisingly civil.)

My curiosity was piqued when the McIsley caught my eye — a strange, yet intriguing combination of fried chicken, homemade pickles, mustard and honey. Odd as it sounds, this savoury biscuit sandwich is a winning combination of  salty and sweet. The mustard provided a gentle boost of flavour marrying well with the honey, while the homemade pickles set this sandwich off.

(Above: The McIsley — a curious, but delicious combination of fried chicken, mustard, honey, and topped with homemade pickles. Sandwiched between two beautiful biscuits, of course.)

Our bill including tips and two cups of Stumptown’s finest came to $20. Breakfast was awesome and helped get our day off to a great start. Similar to their Alberta Street location, a little patience is recommended as line ups are inevitable.

Perfect for: knife and forking delicious biscuit sandwich combinations.

The Details:

3640 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland
503.236.3346
pinestatebiscuits.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Francisco Tacqueria is a Portland Mexican food cart stationed on the corner of the 3rd and Stark Pod. Decorated with hand painted signage, duct taped menus and unlit Christmas lights, we felt this might be the place for some street tacos.

(Above: Shrimp Fajitas with beans and rice and served with limes, fresh slices of avocado and tortillas.)

After perusing the menu above and the photographed offerings below, Case and I settled on the shrimp fajitas. Served in a divided plastic take out container was a generous amount of gently seasoned shrimp loaded with grilled onions, bell peppers and topped with a remarkably fresh assortments of sliced avocados, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. The rice and beans on the side were nice, but nothing special. The corn tortillas wrapped in foil were soft and steaming hot.

(Top to bottom: 1. Taco Pastor loaded with pulled pork, shredded lettuce, sour cream and cheese. 2 . Mexican grapefruit soda.)

We also had a pastor taco: beautifully flavoured and tender pulled pork topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream and cheese and double wrapped in soft corn tortillas — nicely portioned and unbeatable at $1.50 a pop.

(Above: Ok, might not be five-star facilities, but it’s al fresco.)

Our meal including a grapefruit soda and tip came to a respectable $11. It doesn’t get much cheaper than this, and the food is actually quite good. What might throw some folks off are the decidedly un-five-star like accommodations: rickety bar table and stools cramped under plastic cover between two carts. So unless you need to, grab the goods to go.

Perfect for: awesome tacos… on the run.

The Details

Southwest 3rd Avenue & Southwest Stark Street, Portland
503.757.3984