Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream is a chain with locations in 10 states, but that was started in 1945 in Youngstown, Ohio. Oregon has three locations, but we went to the one on NW Cornell Rd and Murray. (Oregon's other two shops are in Sherwood and Eugene.)

The menu is huge, so it is probably a good idea to plan ahead. Business is brisk, but so is the service; you can't count on having a long wait to make up your mind.

They can easily have over 100 flavors of ice cream available, as well as some frozen yogurt options. This appears to be through mixing the varieties in with the bases as you order. That sounds similar to Cold Stone, but instead of having your choice of a base and mix-ins, your choice is of the combinations, which is a lot to take in.

For example, one section of the menu lists five caramel variations: Caramel Apple, Caramel Cashew, Caramel Latte, Caramel Pretzel Crunch, and Caramel Corn w/ Nuts. From the descriptions, two of those start with caramel ice cream, but one with caramel espresso (probably a mix-in to the base, before the ripple is added), and then one that starts with green apple ice cream and one that starts with popcorn-flavored ice cream.

Obviously, making the ice cream fresh daily is not just a promise, but a necessity for that level of variety. It also means that there is no browsing the tubs and seeing how delicious each flavor looks. Also, even  before COVID, I am not sure that it would work to have those little spoons for sampling.

Again, it makes sense to think about what you want before you go, or it will be easy to be overwhelmed. Clearly that has not been a problem. Handel's has fans and merch and was listed as number 1 in National Geographic's 10 Best Ice Creams.

I don't know that it is really that much better than anywhere else. I would like to go back, but also now I realize I kind of want to go back to Cold Stone, and I wish my favorite Tillamook flavor (Fireside S'mores) had not been discontinued. Maybe ice cream is usually good. I am not making "hallelujah" jokes, but Handel's is good.

One helpful option is their Four Scoop Flight, where you can choose any four flavors together. My sisters were especially fond of the Coconut Cream Pie.

They had two benches out front that seem like they could be good places to linger with a cone or dish.

Some day soon.

https://www.handelsicecream.com/

https://www.facebook.com/handelshomemadeicecream/

Old Town, Portland: Voodoo Doughnut

 We got doughnuts!

You have all seen the classic pink box.

I like the rotating case. The doughnuts within really do look delicious. The mugs with a hole going through them are clever, though I am guessing they don't hold very much of your beverage of choice.

I would say that it is weird that it is so popular and so hated, but that's kind of normal.

It started as a late hours place where you could get weird doughnuts with cereal and Nyquil (the cereal doughnuts are still there), get married, or learn Swahili. It fit in well with the ethos of keeping Portland weird, and with all of the music venues in the area, the odds of people wanting a late-night snack were pretty good.

Now you can go in the day, and they take cards (it used to be cash only), and they brought in a guy with restaurant experience as CEO. I think some of the criticism comes from the hype and then the expansion that the hype enabled. Just because something started as a business venture, intended to make money, does not mean that people will not see success as a sign of selling out.

Some of the doughnuts are still pretty unique, but it is more to the point that they are also pretty good. Would we go downtown (or to one of the other eight locations) specifically for doughnuts? No, we have Doughnut Day nearby. But if we are in the area, sure, we will get doughnuts there. And, as a part of Portland's history, we would make a point of going there when in the area.

You can still get married there, but I don't think they still give Swahili lessons. Too many people have switched to Duolingo. Staff no longer rushes you -- they were really nice -- but I am not sure if that is a pandemic thing or permanent.

https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/

Pioneer Place and Bridge City Bakery

 We stopped by Pioneer Place on a recent Saturday to check out the food court.

There are tables and chairs now, though the increased spacing is noticeable.

Only Bridge City Bakery was open. I thought perhaps that was a Saturday thing, but that does not appear to be the case:

https://www.pioneerplace.com/en/dining.html

Lower volume has led to some adjustments, but they still have really good cookies, and at much better prices than some of these trendy newer places.

Some of the sandwiches and salads are not currently available, but they also offered a choice of the cookie included with a meal purchase. It used to be automatically Chocolate Chip (which is what I wanted anyway), but my sisters got their favorites, which normally requires buying additional cookies. (Which we did anyway. We have another sister.)

Staff was really friendly and helpful. Really, it feels like everyone is trying to do their best. Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel, let's all be really good to each other. 

Wear your masks, wash your hands, socially distance, and get your vaccine as soon as you can.

It's for everyone.

Portland, Oregon -- Lan Su Chinese Garden

We could not get tickets for the Lantern Festival itself, but decided to go to the garden during it, because the lanterns are still present, even if they are not lit. That included this handsome phoenix.

There are some flowers at the garden but the biggest influence is water. That does not mean just the central pond, but also the falling water here, creating sound and shaping stone.

Naturally the pond creates the shape, and is the base for many of the lanterns, but the waterfall allows a focus for one type of meditation.

I know many people who come to the garden more to sit and listen than to look.

The wood carving is exquisite, reminding one of harmony of design...

... but rockes carved by time show another facet of that.

Sometimes it all comes together, like when the shape of a doorway is reflected in the stones on the ground.

I appreciate all of that, but sometimes I like the colorful showiness of a giant dragon.

Photos and videos have shown us that the Lantern Festival would be well worth seeing. The tickets sell out fast, but that makes sense.

We were glad to still be able to get an idea of it. A lot of what we had hoped to see for February activities got iced out.

That's Portland.

https://lansugarden.org/