What can be more fun than having the better part of a day to just explore the east side of Portland? J and I started off at the corner of SE 13th and Lexington and our friend B's wine shop's Saturday for a little wine tasting and to pick up a case of wine. When hunger hit, we wandered over to the food carts across the street. urban'wiches has a really tasty pressed Cubano sandwich featuring several different kinds of pork, cheese and thinly sliced pickles.
With a fast approaching food coma coming on, a simple cross of the street takes you to coffee at Blue Kangaroo- peek in the back and watch them roasting a batch of coffee beans.
Heading up to Hawthorne, we stop in Lounge Lizard which I have always meant to visit and never have.
We find a great mid century light fixture and the owner goes in the back and brings us out two more- all for just over $100. This place is fun and pretty well edited with vintage kitchenware, sofas and chairs, and of course- a kitschy 1970's painting of a group of owls, which is so awful it's almost enjoyable. Thankfully, now we can replace some horrid builder's lights the previous owner of our home had so egregiously installed in our downstairs.
Further north, there is a great stretch of newish shops on N. Williams just south of Shaver where I headed to buy a gift certificate at Tasty n Son's. All the rage, John Gorham's new undertaking is open for daily 9-3 with a full bar ready to deliver some hair of the dog cocktails with your brunch.
I have lusted after Ink and Peat's edgy floral designs after seeing them at Street of Eames, and have made several orders over the phone, so I was very happy to finally visit the shop in person. I was surprised to see the shop was not strictly modern, nor just floral, but also gift shop with a rather vintage feel, the kind of place one can find a sense of discovery while browsing about. Owner, Pam Zsorsi was (bravely) one of the first businesses on the street shared by Lincoln, Pix Patisserie and the aforementioned Tasty and Son's.
I highly recommend a visit to this enclave.