The Englishman and I recently spent a week up in the pacific northwest where we managed to eat and drink our way through Portland and the Willamette Valley.  I could go on and on about the eccentricities about Portland (and how Portlandia isn’t too far off), but what I really want to share is all of the delicious food we ate, starting with our first dinner at Mother’s Bistro and Bar.

The culinary scene is hot in Portland right now and I can see why.  The food truck scene has exploded, and you can pretty much find any type of ethnic cuisine you want in the city.  And many of these places are also quite affordable, with Mother’s Bistro and Bar being one of them.  Plus, you can’t go wrong with the unique decor.

Mother’s Bistro and Bar is known for taking traditional dishes like your mom used to make and putting their own twist on them.  They even have a Mother of the Month where you can nominate one of your mom’s homemade dishes to be featured on the menu.  I also love the motto of the restaurant: Be Nice or Leave.

We were both in the mood for some comfort food with a classic twist, so we were really excited for our dinner at Mother’s Bistro and Bar.  As soon as we were seated we were presented with a basket of biscuits and whipped butter.

These biscuits definitely set the tone for the rest of the evening because they were amazing.  I loved the light and fluffy texture and probably would’ve asked for a second basket if we didn’t have a lot of other dishes coming.

It’s tradition for the Englishman to order fries when we dine out, so he got the french fries with spicy aioli.

I actually didn’t have any of the fries since they were cooked in soybean oil, but the verdict was that they were delicious.

One of the specials of the evening was the macaroni and cheese with prosciutto, so of course we had to order that.

The macaroni and cheese came with a light cream sauce which gave the dish a nice and creamy texture.  I loved the saltiness from the prosciutto mixed with the creamy macaroni.  Definitely a nice take on a traditional dish I loved as a kid.

I have a soft spot for a good roast chicken, so I ordered the roast chicken with green beans and smashed potatoes.

This chicken did not disappoint!  I’ve had some really good roast chickens in my time, but this one may be my new favorite.  The meat was juicy and tender, the skin had a perfect crisp and the smashed potatoes and green beans were the perfect complement.  I had initially told the Englishman I would share this dish with him, but I ended up stealing most of the chicken for myself.

We ended up being too full for dessert, even though the chocolate cake in the dessert case was calling my name.  I swore I even heard the cake say “Allie” when we walked out the door.

Our dinner at Mother’s Bistro and Bar was definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.  Everything was just so good and the service was top-notch.  Next time I am in Portland I will definitely be returning here, and will hopefully be able to try their breakfast some time as well.