Room With a View; and a Taste of Peru

Saturday night always calls for something special to get things off right, so Dick and I decided to take our friend Carol's advice and head for the Portland City Grille. Situated on the 30th floor of an office high rise (the Big Pink as the locals call it), PCG has an awesome view of downtown Portland, the Willamette River and beyond. The decor is sort of Arts and Crafts chic, with slate tile, warm natural woods and amber lighting. Dick had a so-so mojito, but my Manhattan was so fab I had to order another (surprise!). The piano player performed a nice mix of the familiar (The Girl from Ipanema) and the unexpected (Across the Universe?).

Word is the food at PCG is good, but we had other plans, as in South of the Equator kind-of-food plans. One of the most talked about and well reviewed restaurants in Portland is Andina. Serving a mix of Peruvian classics and Nuevo Peruvian dishes, it's one of those hip places that is hard to describe, but oh so worth it to visit.

Dick had the duck breast and confit served with rice mixed with cilantro and peas. I had the pork tenderloin in an adobo sauce with blue cheese filled mini crepes. Outstanding! We both had a glass of Chilean Pinot Noir (in the Willamette Valley? Sacrilege!). Dessert was an order of to-die-for churros with chocolate ice cream. And, since the couple seated next to us didn't drink (!?!) they gave us their glasses of dessert wine. Score!

A few words of advice about Andina. Make reservations, it's that busy. And be prepared to talk loud, it's that noisy. But it's also colorful, intriguing and definitely a step out of the ordinary.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it an early night. But what would you expect after a night in the clouds and a quick trip to an exotic locale?