Portland, Ore: Go for the Food, Stay for the Food

All that salty food cries out for sweet, so check out Cacao which features a carefully curated collection of artisan chocolates.

While many gourmet chocolate shops are all about truffles, Cacao's emphasis is on its large selection of fine chocolate bars. And the knowledgeable staff can offer tastes of any bar in the shop - dark slivers elegantly presented on a white china plate. A popular tasting is of the 100% dark chocolate bars, without any sugar, which give you a direct experience of chocolate on its own. Finish up with a small glass of drinking chocolate. Try the special spicy dark drinking chocolate, made with 72% Arriba dark chocolate, infused with cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and ginger.

If you're short on time, or if you just want to fantasize about what grocery shopping might be like if you lived here, you'll find one-stop shopping at the small but comprehensive City Market, 735 NW 21st Ave., [phone], which sells Pastaworks cheese and fresh made pasta, breads from Pearl Bakery, the Viande meat and sausage counter, Newman's Fish market, and a beautiful array of local produce.

When cocktail hour arrives, it's time to visit Mint 820, which serves creative cocktails inspired by locally-available produce. Good choices include the avocado daiquiris; the surprising Ruby, made with beet infused vodka with a splash of lemon lime; or the Bella, a refreshingly puckery drink made with blackberry puree, vodka and lemon lime. All the drinks are perfect foils to the spicy sweet potato fries, says owner Lucy Brennan. Brennan also makes use of locally made liquors, of which there are several. Examples include Aviation Gin, and Integrity Spirits, which produces vodka, gin and, recently, absinthe.