Visitor Weekend! Part 1: Mother of a good time

This past weekend was a bust in terms of studying. Zilch got done. Instead, it was pretty much all playtime. M & BB came to visit! On our agenda: shop, eat, shop and eat. We accomplished our goals completely. Good job, us!


Friday night started at Mother's Bistro in downtown Portland. J and I walked by this place during our first week and thought it looked totally charming what with half of the restaurant done up in French country decor and the other half called "The Velvet Lounge." We unfortunately just missed happy hour, but no sweat -- we don't mind drinking past 7pm! It was packed to the gills that evening and our host was a crazy cool half-Asian gay dude who teased us about how tall J was (he didn't believe that tall Asian girls existed).

I was hoping to get a table in the Velvet Lounge (which had that slick sultry vibe thing going on because of its velvet booths and eclectic music) but we were led to a table in the main dining room. I'm not a fan of shabby chic, but the room was very pretty in a cozy, antique way. There were glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling every few feet, including a massive gorgeous one in the front room. The food itself was decent, though not spectacular (so no point in posting the food pics.) This place also falls into the BTDT zone, but it was a lovely way to start the weekend off.