Totally Unauthorized

Molly, Toby and Matt

So here’s the secret:  I called Toby to come down from college in Seattle and join us for dinner Saturday night.  Got a room for him and his girlfriend at the Hilton.  He was excited, Gail was agog when she found out.

Then Toby’s oldest friend, Matt, came up from the University of Oregon in Eugene to join us.  He camped out in the room with Toby and Molly–remember when we used to do that at tournaments?

Dinner was at Jakes, one of our favorite restaurants in the world.  The oldest eating establishment in Portland, at 115 or so, Jakes is the quintessential smoke filled room where the state of Oregon has really been run since forever.  Now part of the McCormick and Schmick chain, Jakes is a completely flawless old time, dark wood and heavy upholstery place to get a good solid meal with old fashioned service.

There are really two Jakes–Jakes Crawfish House and Jakes Grill.  We eat at the Crawfish House.  The menu features the freshest Northwest fish and shellfish, immaculately prepared.  I had  a cedar planked King Salmon that was as good as I have ever enjoyed.  Gail doesn’t need the menu–she heads straight for the Crawfish Etouffee, served in a huge cast iron cauldron with bowls of rice.  It features a dark roux, crawfish, shrimp and chicken, and can’t be beaten this side of the Mississippi river or north of Baton Rouge.

Molly is a vegetarian (seemingly like all college girls these days), and was pleased to receive a special vegetarian menu when I asked for one.  She ended up with a vegetable linguine.  Toby had the Coho Silver Salmon, crusted with horseradish. Matt, who has been a picky eater all his life, stuck to bread and butter.  My kind of a cheap date.

We gorged on the dessert cart, enjoying the chocolate box filled with white chocolate mousse and whipped cream and berries, and the triple threat plate of strawberry shortcake, créme brulée and a warm huckleberry cobbler.

Since the kids are still a few month shy of majority the liquor bill was quite low.  We got out for a pretty reasonable amount, even with a heavy tip for great service.

Sunday, we got to enjoy a slow morning with the extra hour.  Then off to breakfast at the hippest hotel in town, Nines, and their upscale restaurant Urban Farmhouse.  Pretty much your standard breakfast fare, just exceptionally well prepared in a very cool setting.  Even Matt managed to down a stack of pancakes.

Then the kids headed back to school to study, and Gail and I shopped the Pearl and Warehouse districts for a couple of hours before our flight.  You know you are in Portland when you are strolling down the street in bright sunlight and getting rained on at the same time.

And now we’re home.  The next super secret mystery weekend is up to Gail–maybe we’ll go to Paris.  Or Fresno.  Stay tuned.