Seattle vs. Portland: Eat, Drink, Sleep

Leung Kwun Hung and the art of hand pulled noodles.

There have been more than enough articles comparing Seattle to Portland -- or Portland to Seattle depending on your perspective.

Sometimes the scales lean toward Seattle, sometimes they tip toward Portland and sometimes the scales balance out somewhere in the middle. So forgive us if we forgo crowning anyone the champ in this tale of two cities.

Either way, both Seattle and Portland have enough going on to keep residents and visitors alike traipsing back and forth along I-5 to sample the best of both.

Although we've lived in Seattle for the past 11 years, my partner Jenise and I have made our fair share of three hour treks south to the Rose City. In fact, we were recently in Portland and visited some of our favorite haunts and even discovered some new gems along the way.

So without tipping the scales here's Part One of our look at a few areas where Seattle and Portland transcend comparison and simply offer up the best each city has to offer.

Eat

Like the rest of the country, Seattle and Portland have been enjoying a food renaissance over the last decade or so. Both cities lay claim to many award-winning chefs using the best in local and sustainable ingredients. But it's the latest craze sweeping Seattle for the past couple of years - food trucks - that we'll set our sights on.

Arguably, Portland has been in the food truck biz long before it was even a gleam in Seattle's eye. When Jenise and I first visited the Pacific Northwest over 15 years ago, Portland had already established a food truck pod which encompassed an entire city block. I'm happy to report that the pod at SW 10th and Alder is still serving the hungry masses as they file out of their office buildings during the lunch hour.

Seattle, with a big hat tip to Josh Henderson of Skillet (and others after him), has started to raise the food truck game in Seattle. Food pods are still not a reality. But now we can pretty much find our noon time vittles being served up by mobile trucks from just about any corner of the city.

Back in Portland the food trucks - and pods - continue to proliferate.

During our most recent visit we tripped across a new food pod on NE Belmont that not only featured traditional Mexican fare but also was home to some pretty exciting bowling taking place down the long 45-foot pathway that cuts through the handful of food trucks that make up the pod. Luckily this was Wii bowling, so the food trucks - and their customers - were immune to any gutter balls that were thrown by patrons and adventurous passer-bys.

Even as new pods branch out across Portland, the old standbys continue to thrive. Back at the 10th and Alder pod mentioned earlier, one of the newest arrivals is the brainchild of a man who has been in the restaurant biz for more than 15 years. Leung Kwun Hung knows the art of hand pulled noodles and he can't seem to serve them up fast enough to the hungry souls of Portland in his tiny, yet serviceable cart simply called Noodle House.

Ask Leung - or his wife whose friendly greeting welcomes you up to the window - for the best bet on the menu and they will, without hesitation, nudge you toward the Spicy Seafood Noodles. You would be wise to listen (although you'll find you can't go wrong with any of the eight dishes they serve up).

So many noodles, so little time.

With our bellies full, we will explore libations tomorrow in Part II of Seattle vs. Portland: Eat, Drink, Sleep.