Downtown

One of the best restaurants in Portland, or possibly anywhere, is the Heathman Hotel Restaurant and Bar. The Northwest cuisine varies from season to season, but always includes amazing seafood, game and local fruit preparations. The atmosphere is clean and elegant.

To experience Portland’s freshest seafood, make a reservation at Jake’s Famous Crawfish, which has not changed much since opening in 1892. Savor a few pre-dinner drinks in the lively bar, then settle into a roomy mahogany booth and be pampered for a while.

Another excellent downtown reservation is Pazzo Ristorante. As the name tells you, the food is Italian and so is the atmosphere, with overhead bouquets of garlic and candlelit tables.

Other sterling downtown choices include Typhoon! On Broadway, Dan and Louis Oyster Bar and Saucebox. Do not miss the dim sum served daily at Fong Chong in Chinatown.

Northwest and Nob Hill

Northwest Portland, the heart of which is called the Pearl District, begins at Burnside Street and is extremely easy to navigate. The area is loaded with the trendiest, most daring restaurants in town, most located in renovated turn-of-the-century homes or warehouses.

When a former trendy Northwest restaurant closed its doors, the owner of Bluehour was quick to assuage the loss with an upscale restaurant worthy of local buzz.

A relative newcomer, Paley’s Place is one of the spots to be seen. Chef Vitaly Paley has put his special mark on Northwest cuisine with a creative menu that speaks to the season. Memorable dishes include Pacific Rock Cod with Truffle Potato Puree.

On Northwest Ninth Avenue, Cafe Azul dispenses authentic Oaxacan cuisine, including hand-patted corn tortillas and starmaking desserts. On 21st Avenue, savor the lovely decor and delicate crab cakes at Wildwood.

Eastside

Pick up the phone and make a reservation for dinner at Caprial’s Bistro and Wine. Chef Caprial Pence cooks her heart out on her television show, and does much the same at her Milwaukie Avenue restaurant. This is a terrific place to sample the finest Oregon wines.

Visit the tiny dining room at Genoa and choose from four- or seven-course meals. Linger over fresh-baked bread, marinated salad, soup, a delectable entree and dessert. It is darkly romantic and delicious.

For more Italian delights, try the Zuppa di Pesce, a hearty Italian fish stew with snapper, mussels and vegetables, at Il Piatto.

Inexpensive

If your pocketbook, rather than your sophisticated palette, influences your dining choices, fear not. Portland is a veritable gold mine of “sleeper” restaurants where you can have it all for very little cash. Here are just a few places to indulge with confidence: The Original Pancake House, Chez Jose and Saigon Kitchen. Although the riverside Old Spaghetti Factory is a chain, it began right here, providing a quintessential Portland experience. You can feed a good-sized crowd for next to nothing, too.

Drinking

Surely you have heard someone ask, “What does a guy have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?” In Portland, the answer is simple: Just take a few steps to the closest latte stand. This is just a sampling of the great coffeehouses in Portland: Rimsky Korsakoffe House, Pappaccino’s and Anna Bannanas. If you like your coffee with more kick than mere caffeine can provide, head over to Huber’s, Portland’s oldest restaurant, where a delightful wait staff will serve you all the Spanish coffee you desire.

There is no shortage of microbrew choices in Portland, and there are even more places to find the brew of your choice. Any McMenamins Pub, right down to the basic McMenamins Tavern, will do nicely, and there is bound to be one within a mile or two. For a genuine pub experience, get involved in the extremely colorful atmosphere of the Horse Brass Pub. Kells is another great choice, offering a bounty for Scotch whiskey aficionados. Those with refined tastes will enjoy the upscale setting at the Harborside Pilsner Room.

For cocktails, do not miss the lobby bar in the Benson Hotel. Drinking does not get more civilized than this. Any of the three bars in the Heathman Hotel are perfect for an intimate evening. For an after-theater experience, visit the Brasserie Montmartre and create a crayon masterpiece while sipping a frosty Lemon Drop and chilling to the jazz.

Finally, for a wild night of drinking, try the upstairs space at the Downtown Deli and Greek Cuisina. Before your eyes, the polite 8pm crowd transforms into an ouzo-snorting, plate-smashing (literally, they sell you the plates to smash), and wild-dancing free-for-all.

There are many more fabulous music and drinking venues, including Berbati’s Pan. Wine bars are sprinkled throughout the city, or you can enjoy the flavors firsthand by visiting wine country, with its endlessly rolling green hills and many gracious tasting rooms. Sokol Blosser Winery will provide a classic start to your tour.