My husband and I made a quick midweek trip to Portland this week and managed to squeeze in some quality time with friends, family and each other in the two days and two nights we were there. Harry enjoyed a night out with several friends from his high school days one night while I enjoyed time with our granddaughters. The next evening we hit the town, trying one of a plethora of restaurants in Portland’s Pearl District, a post-industrial neighborhood just outside the downtown core in the northwest corner of the city. This district boasts a lively mix of professional businesses, retail shops, restaurants, breweries and residential buildings. Portland’s famous Powell’s City of Books resides there, and we noted a Whole Foods Market shared the block with the parking garage where we left our car for the evening.

We strolled a few blocks to the restaurant, enjoying the beautiful warm summer evening along with lots of other visitors and residents. The city is in the midst of its annual Rose Festival celebration, culminating in the Grand Floral Parade today, and there is always a contingent of naval vessels in town for the festivities. We enjoyed experiencing the upbeat, fun vibe running  throughout the city.

Our destination was Mediterranean Exploration Company, a restaurant recommended to us by our daughter. She and her husband love good food as much as we do, and they are really dialed in on the culinary scene in Portland. MEC serves up elevated Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food in an older industrial building (outdoor seating is on a former loading dock), but we found the clean, spare room bright with the evening sun shining through the large windows. We were seated at a table in view of the open-hearth kitchen, which was edged with bar seating for those who wanted a close-up view of the chefs’ activities.

The menu presented so many delectable-sounding dishes, I found it hard to choose from among them. This is one of those restaurants where you want to come with a bunch of friends so you can order a variety of dishes to share. They range from salads (shaved fennel and strawberries!) and mezze (dips, hummus, olives) to vegetable dishes (potatoes, lentils, grilled asparagus) and roasted and grilled items (seafood, meats and vegetables, too). They also offer an intriguing range of cocktails, and the wine list is impressive in its scope and length. (We noted the prices and wondered if they reflected a reaction to the promised tariffs . . . a bit high.)

We finally chose to start by sharing a dish of tabil-spiced roasted carrots, served with a pink peppercorn feta mousse and crispy chickpeas. This dish could have easily provided a healthy portion for four, and we really enjoyed the subtle flavors and complementary textures. Harry then ordered the Persian Chicken Meatballs, which incorporated jalapenos and pistachios and a really nice toasted paprika aioli. They had a refined little kick that didn’t overwhelm the tastebuds. I opted for the Sephardic Lamb and Beef Kebab, served over a roasted eggplant relish (more like a chutney, with golden raisins in the mix) and surrounded by a bright yellow pool of labneh. Again, the use of spices and herbs was masterful; nothing overpowered, and everything worked together to create a wonderful whole. I would also have to add that the service was prompt and friendly, and they were considerate in keeping in mind we had a show to get to and made sure we got out the door with time to spare.

We then made our way a few blocks over to the old Portland Armory building, built in 1891 and once the home of the Oregon National Guard, now home to Portland Center Stage. It’s a massive, fortress-like stone building, on the National Register of Historic Places since 2000. It’s been the home of the theater company since 2006, when a $36.1 million renovation beautifully transformed the interior to house two theaters and a large, three-level lobby and gallery space. It was the first building on the National Register to receive Platinum LEED status, and I was awed by its soaring, curved trusses; skylights; and graceful, curving stairways.   We settled into our seats in the 590-seat auditorium, not a bad seat in the house, and prepared for The Importance of Being Earnest. 

This production of Oscar Wilde’s comedy of manners is an adaptation by Kamilah Bush, set in and around Washington, D.C., in the 1910s, rather than in 1890s London. It also brings to the fore the homosexual allusions, “codes” and slang Wilde sprinkled throughout the play (which went over the heads of most of the audience of his day) and gives us an entirely different way of looking at the relationships between Jack, Algernon, Cecily and Gwendolyn. It was as silly and fun and socially critical as a more traditional reading of the play while also showing how much more Wilde was saying and how much depth there is in the play.

All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better few days in Portland!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor