Thursday Tours: PDX Power Couples

How was your Valentine’s Day?! I had a great time touring around Bend celebrating “Palentine’s Day”! Did you end up skipping a night on the town for one reason or another? Life gets busy, plus V-Day is one of the craziest days of the year to go out to eat, so if you’re playing catch up and still looking for a date night, look no further. We’ve got recommendations for you from the Portland culinary power couple, Jackie and Adam Sappington!

They own The Country Cat, which now has two locations with their original SE shop and also one now in the PDX airport (seriously how cool is our airport?!). These two are so incredibly sweet, modest and welcoming.

Their Southern-inspired, farm-to-table restaurant is delicious for both dinner and brunch, with Adam as Executive Chef and Jackie manning the sweets as Executive Pastry Chef. Even though it’s been a few years now, I still remember how they showed off their respective talents making guests at Taste of the Nation fried chicken lollipops AND an insanely good honey vanilla hot fudge sundae.

While this couple is often really busy running these two places, they occasionally are able to get out there and enjoy the delicious Portland cuisine. Their recommendations are spot-on with awesome suggestions of things to order. I strongly agree Ava Gene’s is one of the best places in town and love seeing it represented by other great chefs.

Over on Meredith’s blog Martha Chartreuse, we’ve got Cristina Baéz and José Chesa sharing their favorites. Those two own Ataula, the incredible Spanish restaurant in NW Portland, and the new sensation 180 serving up freshly made churros, drinking chocolate and espresso. Daaaammmnnnn (that is the appropriate response to a place like that, by the way).

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Date Night Recommendations by Jackie + Adam Sappington of The Country Cat:

Aside from going to The Country Cat and sinking your teeth into some of Adam’s Grandma-inspired fried chicken, here are some of our go to’s.

Ava Gene’s:

We love this place. Our favorite meal here is to order one of their great cocktails, order their whole vegetable menu, have some wine, and finish with gelato.

Laurelhurst Market:

Nothing beats a good steak frites and a great bottle of wine.

Por Que No:

We love to have carnitas tacos, chips and guacamole, and margaritas. This is our “let the kids be at home for minute” dinner spot. If the line isn’t too long, you can slink in and slink out.

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#ThursdayToursPDX is a collaborative series between Portland, OR bloggers {Erin} Bakery Bingo + {Meredith} Martha Chartreuse. In a city filled with amazing restaurants, artisan experiences, and fantastic tastemakers the inside scoop is a must. We will be asking our friends and fellow bloggers for their recommendations and tips for all the City of Roses has to offer.