Portland, Oregon is portrayed as a “City of Roses” with a quirky character and a growing reputation as a top foodie destination. WalletHub ranked Portland as the second-best foodie city in 2025. A weekend trip was organized after winning an auction item connected to ODC, San Francisco’s modern dance company, theatre, and school. The trip was curated by Maya Erickson, Executive Pastry Chef at Langbaan, a modern Thai restaurant recognized with a James Beard award. The experience emphasized Portland’s casual atmosphere compared with San Francisco, along with smaller, more intimate restaurants that support attentive, service-oriented evenings. Erickson described Portland’s diversity of cuisines and a city-wide culture of sharing meals as a natural evolution from her food education in San Francisco.
"Portland, Oregon-a short aerial jaunt from our City by the Bay-conjures up so many portrayals. The hit TV show Portlandia captured the town's quirky and eccentric essence, but its beauty is reflected in its namesake, "City of Roses." Add to that its recent emergence as a capital for gourmands. In fact, WalletHub in 2025 named Portland the second-best foodie city in the country (Miami came in first; San Francisco was third)."
"The impetus was an auction item that my husband and I won at a recent benefit for ODC, San Francisco's modern dance company, theatre, and school. It turns out that School Director and Associate Choreographer Kimi Okada's daughter, Maya Erickson, is the acclaimed Executive Pastry Chef at the James Beard award-winning modern Thai restaurant Langbaan. She curated an entire weekend start to finish and fit for a foodie. Plus, I got to see two dear longstanding friends who have moved from San Francisco up there: Larry and Teresa."
""It's been such a thrill to be a part of the Portland dining world," explained Erickson, "and to see how it has truly blossomed in the decade that I've been here. There is such a wonderful diversity of cuisines, a culture of eating, and a true city-wide love for the joy sharing a meal brings. San Francisco was where I learned to love food and to cook, and Portland has been such a natural city to evolve into.""
"Diners enjoying dishes at Kachka One of the common threads throughout the dining experience in Portland that I noticed is that: a) the restaurants are much more casual than San Francisco (so, dining out doesn't feel pretentious, even if it's fine dining); and b) the restaurants are smaller and more intimate, which makes for a more service-oriented evening. All of these are a bonus! Another interesting note abou"
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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