Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/362765
Crai S Bower contributes urban and soft adventure stories to more than 30 publications, including The Globe and Mail, UP! and National Geographic Traveler. He blogs about Seattle and Portland for Virgin Atlantic Airways. See FlowingStreamMedia.net for more and keep up @craisbower. 49 F A L L | PHOTOS OX RESTAURANT & MULTNOMAH WHISKEY LIBRARY DINA AVILA PHOTOGRAPHY; DISTILLERY ROW TRAVELPORTLAND.COM travel OX Restaurant OX Restaurant D Fresh clam chowder, smoked marrow bone, spring onion, jalapeño Clam chowder along the Willamette River? Absolutely – should you eat at OX, where this traditional New England soup gets twisted with smoked marrow bone, spring onion and jalapeño to create a broth so delectable, foodies have been known to revoke sharing privileges around a common table. Chefs Greg and Gabrielle Denton keep the tradi- tional Argentine focus simple: wood- red grilled meat, can't-miss rib-eye and a variety of sides, such as heirloom hominy, that are perfect for sharing. e brick walls and dark-stained oors complement the menu as nicely as the broad wine list. 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 503-284-3366; oxpdx.com Pepe le Moko Bar Just when we thought the Ace Hotel couldn't be any cooler, along comes chef/ owner Nate Tilden's Pepe le Moko. Located "below stairs" in the idiosyncratic hotel, the intrepid step into a dark and steamy locale to sip an Amaretto Sour or Hotel Nacional Special in secret. Upstairs, Tilden's Clyde Common is the place to go should you crave a Caesar with your brunch. Pepe le Moko: 407 SW 10th Ave.; 503-546-8537; pepele mokopdx.com | Clyde Common: 1014 SW Stark St.; clydecommon.com Voodoo Doughnuts It appears that nobody departs Portland these days without a pink box, standard issue for Voodoo Doughnuts, fi lled with those irreverent confec- tions that draw lines almost every hour (they are open 24 hours) of every day, though the shop does close for certain holi- days. Bacon Maple Bars, Captain Crunch-covered doughnuts or the Marshall Mathers version with, you guessed it, M&M's are some of the tamer selec- tions in the case. 22 SW 3rd Ave.; 503-241-4704; voodoodoughnut.com Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library Like the Alberta and Mississippi neigbour- hoods before it, Port- land's West End has gone from forgotten industrial area to trendy track in just a few months. The Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library, a room fi lled with overstu ed chairs, a large brick fi replace and, of course, lots of whiskey, seems well-suited among the lumberjack-styled boutiques and farm-to- table dining rooms along this stretch. 1124 SW Alder St.; 503-954-1381; mwlpdx.com Distillery Row Forget for a moment the Portland breweries (quite the task considering there is more than one hop masher for every week of the year), Rose City's pop- up distilleries are equally deserving of your thirst. Seven distilleries make up "Distillery Row," located on the city's trendy Eastside. Many, like New Deal Distillery's Hot Monkey Pepper-fl avoured Vodka, have already garnered national awards. Down- load your special discount Distillery Row Passport and go forth prepared. distilleryrowpdx.com The Commons Brewery You can't visit Portland without putting a little time into a brewery. Or 12. The Commons captures everything good about the Portland brewing scene and was opened by a former home brewer who's transformed his passion for crisp ales into a neighbourhood celebration. Sip in the tasting room, fi ll a growler or take home a seasonal bottle that blends the Portland aesthetic with signature Cascade hops. 1810 SE 10th Ave.; 503- 343-5501; commons brewery.com ■ 1 2 3 4 5 Nibbles and Sips Need a drink or snack break? Here are some tasty selections to tide you over between meals