Dress!

My dress has been purchased. I look pretty darn good! And I get to wear feathers in my hair! Sounds bad, but trust me, it'll be good in the long run.

Destination: Brewpub

After much consideration, frustration and eventually giving up and choosing at random (no, not really - we made a logical decision), we have chosen to go with Bridgeport Brewpub as the destination for our reception. For those that haven't been, I hope you will enjoy our local brew product! And, when I DO get stolen, I'd recommend the Rouge Brewery which is a few blocks away. Not that I'm thinking ahead...

BridgePort Brewpub

And now for something completely different... BridgePort Brewpub has the distinct advantage of being a local establishment that has a lot of Portland in its veins. Our fabled streetcar (which I can apparently rent out for a wedding party, but seeing as I don't like you all THAT much...) runs right next to Oregon's oldest brewpub. The brewery was once located in what was a less than desirable neighborhood, but over the years has maintained its physical location while the surrounding real estate has transformed into the sleekest section of town. The Pearl District is home to some of the most expensive property in the city of Portland, and there is always new development occurring just in case you would like to purchase a condo while you are in town. Amidst the boutiques and the high-end restaurants, BridgePort Brewpub decided to undergo a serious makeover a year or two ago. This is a shame, since Andy and I enjoyed their original building, with its exposed rafters and very well used hardwood floors. The brewpub still maintains its original brick exterior, but the interior is now crowded with black tables and chrome accents. Luckily, the room where the reception would be still has its original high beams and even features wooden paneled walls with local art (and note, this is not Art the dog from Hotel Monaco, although he would be a welcome addition). But don't worry - even though the face lift has taken away from the well-worn charm, the place is still primarily a bar. With flat screen TVs, so if we have our reception here, everybody will be able to watch the Huskies take on Oregon State in High Definition. After all, there are priorities!

Red Star Tavern

The quest for a reception site has moved away from the Willamette river and into downtown Portland. The Red Star Tavern is the restaurant associated with the Hotel Monaco which is a boutique hotel fashioned loosely on an "art for everybody" theme. Apparently local art is featured in the rooms, as well as significant pieces on each floor and in the lobby (but, as always, what defines "significant" varies significantly from person to person...). Personally, my favorite piece of art was the lobby dog, an actual live golden retriever named "Art". As Art does live within the hotel, this should satisfy the hotel requirements, but I guess Portland wanted to go above and beyond and feature some, shall we say, "unique" art elsewhere.

Whereas the lobby of the hotel is almost obnoxiously bright, the restaurant is more traditionally covered in dark red and gold colors with mahogany wood. We had an enjoyable dinner there with our friends Sylvia and Paul, allowing us to sample a wider variety of food. The house walnut bread is a welcome and unique item that is deliciously salty and a welcome change from traditional baguettes or focaccia. Paul ordered some jalepeno cornbread with honey butter that came out in a little cast iron skillet. Very cute. Our main meals were all good and distinct from each other -- we enjoyed rabbit, sea scallops with relish, kobe beef and ahi tuna and oxtail barbecue. All of the food was excellent, but at nearly twice the price of a dish at Aquariva for similar sized portions. Too full for dessert, we took a look around the hotel and the reception space.

The reception space at the Red Star Tavern is well appointed, and features one smaller area elevated two or three steps above the larger dining area. There is a handsome bar on the upper area which I am sure would be lovely for our purposes. Looking at the space, squeezing 60 people in may be a bit tight, but the room can apparently hold 90 so I shouldn't worry. Pictures can be found at http://www.monaco-portland.com/monpmn_photo.html#.

Ah, but the downside!! Portland is in the midst of a huge transit mall remodeling. Additionally, there are other construction projects that litter the downtown area, making driving and parking an especially annoying task during the best of times. Sadly, the construction nearest to the Red Star Tavern may be continuing past October 2008. Even if the transit mall is completed by our wedding, parking will be limited and expensive - street meters run at $1.25 per hour until 7PM, and garages are $8 - 12 dollars per day. *sigh* If only they'd spend some more time building parking garages and fewer unnecessary condos!

Let's Eat! Aquariva

As the quest for a reception venue marches on, we have been absolutely forced to consume two rather large and lavish meals. Thereby immediately bypassing all of the working out that we have been doing, but don't tell our trainers... Anyway, thus far we have stopped at Aquariva which is beautifully situated on the Willamette river. At Aquariva the food is served tapas style, which means smaller sized plates. Good for portion control, bad for wallet as the average diner apparently consumes 2-6 plates. There was an extensive wine list; in fact, the menu was divided into dishes that went well with white wines and dishes that went well with red wines. However, my ability to consume and appreciate wine being what it is (namely not so good), I can't report on the quality of their cellar. The food was decent, although Andy's steak came out covered in olive oil and basalmic vinegar. I had a nice butternut squash and Gorgonzola cheese ravioli, but the beet salad was by far the best portion of the main meal (weird, eh?). We enjoyed a chocolate mousse dessert that filled the requisite requirements for fat and chocolate, and then we had the unique experience of enjoying watermelon cotton candy. It is delicious! Strange looking to see a waiter bringing out a cloud of cotton candy in a restaurant that features low lighting, sleek leather and velvet furniture and uber-stylized light fixtures. But, hey, it worked!

But will we have a reception there? Stay tuned...