Our weekend trip to Portland was successful on all accounts. In addition to picking up our beans at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market, we also spent time with some of our closest friends, picked up a Harsch crock at the Mirador Community Store, and ate dinner at The Country Cat. The Country Cat was a recommendation from Eugene friends (thanks Brian and Caroline!) and it did not disappoint. We thought that it was a bit like Belly in atmosphere, menu, and price. And in case you don’t know how we feel about Belly, read about it here. Matt ordered their special which was a flat iron steak sliced thin with chanterelles, andouille sausage, and potatoes. I ordered two starters – a citrus salad with avocado and chesnut and potato dumplings. We also placed two orders of their braised greens for the table. They cooked the heck out of them, which is not my style, but they were good, good, good. Another standout dish at the table was the fried chicken. The only complaint was not getting any dark meat.
In summary… I was more blown away by Belly, but our meals were delicious. If there weren’t so many great restaurants in Portland, we would probably return soon. And like many Portland restaurants, it is kid friendly.
Overall, I am really liking this trend (can we call it a trend?) of restaurants serving good local food at reasonable prices. Do you know of other places in the Northwest doing the same? Please tell us about it in the comments!
PS – If you are wondering about the Harsch crock, we already have a batch of sauerkraut brewing in it. I am sure you will be hearing more about that later. I learned about Harsch crocks from Culinaria Eugenius, another Eugene local food blog. I have to say these crocks are really cool.
