As Parties That Cook ramps up to launch our hands-on cooking parties and corporate team building events in Portland, Oregon this summer, learning about the city’s culture is an important step. What better way to do so than by eating our way through the city?!

On two recent trips to research this progressive, food-loving city, Bibby and Carolyn quickly learned first-hand that Portland is leading the country in food carts (it boasts one of the largest populations of food carts per capita in the U.S.), farm-to-table dining, and innovative chefs satisfying Portland’s hunger for delicious food made with local ingredients!

While Bibby and Carolyn spent most of their time meeting with clients, visiting venues, and picking the brains (and bellies!) of Portland foodies, they were still able to see what the all the buzz is about. Everyone they met with had a tip for them, and the list grew like yeast in a microbrewery!  Some wonderful restaurants they would gladly return to include:

– Clyde Common (at The Ace Hotel) for fresh Arugula Pappardelle and the most “alive” salad they had ever seen
– Gruner for contemporary Austrian fare
– Little Bird Bistro for bar bites and cocktails
– Tasty n Sons for their Chocolate Potato Doughnuts with Crème Anglaise
– Beaker and Flask for spit-roasted whole goat. Every Tuesday night they spit-roast a different animal!

Lunch was more spontaneous – easy to do with food carts sprinkled on every corner and parking lot! The Grilled Cheese Grill was one of their favorites. You can choose to eat on an outdoor patio or inside the old-school school bus with bench seating and tables shellacked with 70’s yearbook pictures. Carolyn had the Meatball Grilled Cheese with Marina Sauce and Pesto – delicious! Bibby went for the Beef and Gruyere on Rye, which was equally amazing.

The rental car reminded them of their eating experiences when they returned to PDX: empty coffee cups from Stumptown Coffee, balled up Porchetta and Arugula sandwich wrappers from The People’s Pig food cart, and pastry aromas from treats at Ken’s Artisan Bakery wafted out as they sadly retrieved their belongings.

The next trip will definitely include a Farm to Table experience, a trip to the Portland Farmer’s Market, lunch at Pok Pok for Vietnamese, and dinner at Castagna… Parties That Cook’s official Portland launch is in September, but the first Portland event is on June 27, 2011 – 3 months ahead of schedule! City of Roses, here comes Parties That Cook!