Restaurants in Happy Valley

Afrique Bistro boasts a menu of simple, elegant sustenance that will dance atop your tongue with the grace of a gazelle—or when paired with the sweet droplets of wine, beer, or a cocktail, like a smooth Gene Kelly. Prep your palate with a creative Bourbon Tangawizi (Bulliet bourbon, ginger juice, fresh ginger, and soda, $7) or a Serengeti Sipper (Johnnie Walker Red, sweet vermouth, bitters, and an orange twist, $6), coupled with a plate of Afrique chicken wings, doused in your choice of homemade specialty African sauces ($5). Bobotie is a zesty casserole that appeals to sweet and salty teeth, baked with either chicken or beef (your choice) and sweetened with sautéed onions, apricots, apples, and raisins ($12). For an exciting meat-free repast, wake a mixed variety of veggies from their savory coconut-covered dreams atop a bed of rice ($11), or indulge in a mixture of market sea treats steeped in warm spices with a plate of fish stew ($15).

Owned and operated by family members Glenn, Dave, and Shobi Dahl of NatureBake and Dave's Killer Breads, The Healthy Bread Store arms the Portland area with fresh, day-old, and frozen certified-organic baked goods. Dave's Killer Breads, Healthy Bread Store's featured line, offers a wide range of nutritious, whole-grain foodstuffs that are as delectable as they are nourishing. Emblazoned with a guitar-wielding rendering of its burly creator, each loaf of Dave's Killer Bread packs a satisfying punch of grains more beneficial to the body than an unsatisfying punch of clenched fingers.

Big-Ass Sandwiches take the art of the sandwich to skyscraper-esque heights, with a menu of items that are heavy on the ingredients. Plunge face-first into the titular sandwich ($5), a mound of either turkey, roast beef, or ham smothered in handcut fries and then grilled. Herbivores can opt for a veggie version ($6) with meatless meat, while late-risers or late-to-bedders can welcome midday with the Big-Ass Breakfast Sandwich ($6), topped with eggs and bacon or sausage. For diners wishing to test out their surgically-implanted second stomach, Big-Ass Sandwiches serves the Gutbomb ($7), loaded with double meat. Béchamel cheese sauce can be added to any sandwich for $1, with a number of other extras and toppings available, such as coleslaw, jalapeños, horseradish, mushrooms, and grilled onions ($0.50 per topping). Before resuming your marathon race, chase down your eats with a Mexican soda ($1.50).

Everett Street Bistro's tasty array of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options satisfy sustenance seekers at all times of the day, even when plugged into the matrix. Start the day with a hearty breakfast panini with fried eggs, Black Forest ham, Tillamook cheddar, and a side of hash-brown casserole ($8.50), or sink your mouth anchors into the supple stuff of a wild-mushroom scramble with leeks and goat cheese ($9.50). Graduate taste buds to midday maturity with intriguing brunchtime bites such as the caramelized-onion tart served with mixed greens ($10) and the classic bistro burger topped with lemon aioli, avocado, bacon, lettuce, caramelized onions, and a mortarboard-shaped bun ($14). For dinner, start by sharing a plate of garlicky pommes frites ($6) or steak tartare with your tablemates ($10) before indulging in a french-cut pork chop served with braised savoy cabbage and creamy white polenta, topped with dijon-maple vinaigrette ($16).

Pudding on the Rice is an unusual dessert shop that operates on the same principles as an ice-cream parlor—a glass-fronted case full of flavored treats and a friendly employee waiting to scoop them up for individual consumption. However, the devil is in the delicious details, and he knows how to whip up a mean batch of rice pudding. Opt to gobble a panel of kitschy-named sizes, from the bite ($2) and kilobite ($4) to the mega-, giga-, and terabite ($5–$10). The variegated flavor array also comes in a variety of punny monikers, such as Cinnamon Kane, which features plump golden raisins swimming in cinnamon cream, and Ziggy's Stardust, a trip to the outer stratosphere, where fresh oranges and vanilla are harvested by gender-ambiguous musicians and David Bowie. If you're craving a more traditional treat, Pudding also serves cups of tart frozen yogurt (same sizes and pricing as rice pudding) with your choice of toppings ($0.50 each) and makes both sweet and savory crêpes ($5–$6) fresh to order.

Pitxi, pronounced "pea-chee," is as green as the food on its tables, having just opened this past April. The sapling hotspot serves up a petite, specialized variety of robust regional flavors, with each dish prepared with locally sourced and organic ingredients. Turn the closing-day ritual of counting sheep on its head by starting your meal off with some lamb pillows ($9), and then freshen your mouth's crimson hues by adding a bowl of cold beet soup ($9) to your belly. Meat-centered main dishes, such as quail ($18) served with asparagus, potatoes, and quail egg and beer-marinated pork ($18) with broccoli and quinoa, satisfy acute carnivorous palates, while the earthy flavors of Pitxi's mushroom patty ($18) with fresh noodles, stinging nettles, and Oregon truffles happify even the hardest-to-please herbivores. For dessert, treat sweet chompers to a slice of fresh strawberry cheesecake ($7) or a more savory serving of saffron ice cream with olive-oil cookies ($7).