About Portland's Sellwood Moreland

Restaurants in Westmoreland

The restaurants in Westmoreland are very eclectic, conveniently located and they offer a wide variety of cuisine and price points. Moreover, unlike many other small communities, you can find breakfast, lunch and dinner on the menus of many of restaurants in Westmoreland. Nothing is worse than seeing that CLOSED sign in the window when you are craving a delicious hot breakfast!

In fact, some of the restaurants in Westmoreland even specialize in delicious breakfasts! I recommend the Breakfast Burrito at the Fat Alberts. Author's note: even though it is technically not one of the restaurants in Westmoreland, The Original Hotcake House is just a few minutes away from Westmoreland and it is also an excellent place to have breakfast.

Ok...enough about breakfast, let's get down to business and talk about lunch and dinner. For such a small area, you will be amazed at the variety and the quality of the food that is available at the restaurants in Westmoreland. Whether it is great Mexican food, amazing sushi, delicious Italian food or just a down home cheese steak sandwich, the restaurants in Westmoreland will not disappoint!

Remember the Seinfeld episode that described that soup restaurant that seemed to always have a line because the food was so delicious? Well, one of the restaurants in Westmoreland has sushi that is so fantastic that there is often a line out the door! If you like sushi, you must visit Saburo’s. Iron Horse on Milwaukie Blvd has some of the best Mexican food in the area, for breakfast/lunch/dinner and fabulous deserts (I recommend the Baccone Dolce) you must visit Papa Haydn and there is nothing like having a hot thin slice of New York style pizza at Pizzacato!

In short, you will find that the restaurants in Westmoreland have nearly everything that you can expect and/or need! Please feel free to contact me for further recommendations!

-Patrick Krause

I've seen the photo of these trolley carmen many times.

Dana Beck, postal worker and member of the Sellwood History Committee, used it in the 2009 SMILE calender he put together. Dana has had it posted at the Sellwood Branch Post Office.

The men work for the Interurban Train Line and, according to Dana's research, "the car went all the way to Cazadero (Estacada), where the Clackamas River produced some of the electricity that powered the cars. It was also the site of a popular park and resort hotel," which, while still located in Estacada got great reviews for the view, but not so good for the food, on Urban Spoon.

Every time I see the photo, I wonder.

I wonder if one of the five men pictured could possibly have been my grandfather. He was a carman for the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company. He lived in Sellwood a few blocks from the Car Barns.

My father was born in 1909 while his parents lived on SE Lexington Street in Sellwood. By 1911 his parents were divorced. Our family research has placed his father living in Sellwood, after the divorce, in a rooming house on SE 11th Avenue. I've driven by, the house is still there. After the mention in the Polk Directory he disapears.

I look at the only photo we have of him, along with my grandmother, which was taken at Council Crest on the day of their engagement. And, I wonder.

I wonder if a facial recognition program would be able to see if there are any of the men's features that are similar to the features of my grandfather, or my father. I wonder if any of these men knew John Douglas Maxwell, or where he went when he disappeared from public records.

I really can't see a similarity between the men in the two photos. Yet, I wonder: if you put a cap on him, or add a mustache, would he look like the man second from the right? Don't the ears look a little similar?

They would have taken a trolley to Council Crest. Did he ride for free? or have a pass for them both? Did they, by chance, ride on one of the two cars that survived the dismantling of Portland's car system, 503 or 506?

I wonder if he'd be glad that trolleys are returning to Portland, and eventually to Sellwood. Or would he be indifferent now, as he seemed to be to the child he fathered then?

History Note: "The City & Suburban Railway of 1891 was not Portland's first interurban but it was the first to consolidate many of the smaller lines that had sprung up in the city dating back to Portland Street Railway of 1872. In 1904 the Portland Consolidated Railway came into existence when the Portland Railway and City & Suburban merged, the city's largest two interurbans up to that time. A year later the line became known as the Portland Railway and by 1906 this company had merged with the Oregon Water Power & Railway to form the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company, the last remaining interurban in the city. Over the subsequent years this system was known by several different names; the Mount Hood Railway & Power Company (1911); Portland Electric Power Company (1924); Portland Traction Company; and lastly the Portland Railroad & Terminal Division (1946). Streetcar service survived until 1950 when it was abandoned in favor of buses." (from the American Rails website)

For more information on Dana Beck's mission to preserve Sellwood and local history through photographs see the article published in the Sellwood Bee, July '07 and updated October '09.

Sellwood History Committee Photo used with permission.

Springwater Grill used to be a favorite spot to stop and have happy hour, invite a client for a quick lunch, or meet a friend for a casual meal. The owner sold and closed a few months ago, and a new restaurant and bar, Moreland House, has opened in the location.

Just open since Friday, and with the Grand Opening not planned until Friday a week, a colleague and I stopped in today to check it out. Votes: a new favorite!

There's a new layout in the familiar floor plan. It's much more open and the raised landing has been treated with curtains at the corners, resulting in a feeling of intimacy not far from the bar.

Along the walls are a set of "Windows" with candle like light behind them which add a sense of hominess and distant vistas, without being able to see anything in particular. I liked the feel.

While the wine list currently is limited, their shipment arrives this Friday, we did have a nice Chardonnay by A to Z Winery. Also sampled their Coconut Prawns and the Cheese Drizzled French Fries. Both are a great success.

Will definitely go back and check out the Buffalo Sliders, although Nick, the owner says that those sliders may shift to Elk in the coming weeks! Didn't have a chance to check out the entire menu, but many of the dishes look interesting - in a good way!

There was a wide variety of options including a couple of halibut choices, steak, chowder, buffalo chili,salads and several appetizer options that look good.

As much as possible the owner says, they plan to use local products onthe menu and are looking forward to becoming the new favorite in the Sellwood Moreland neighborhood.

Moreland House is located at

6716 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland OR 97202

First published at Alexsandra Stewart, Portland Oregon Real Estate Blog

 

Before I became a REALTOR®, when looking for homes, I did it all wrong. My husband and I would go out searching the neighborhoods we liked, pull flyers and if one caught our eye, we would call the number on the sign and ask to get inside. Often the agent would meet us there and show us around, chat as we walked through. In fact, we would even ask that question..."if you represented us, would you lower the commission since you would be getting both sides of the sale? I had no clue how it all worked.

Now, the agent could have said yes..and had us sign a dual agency agreement saying that we agreed that she would represent both the seller and us, and that our Brokers would oversee things so all kept confidential. All legal and many agents do it all the time.Would this have to to our best interest though?

As an agent that does both listings as well as represent buyers, I can say that I won't ever do dual agency. I'll say that some agents can do this well, but for me, I have a very hard time with it. For example, I know all the information that the seller has told me..bottom line on price, why they have to move, etc. If I represent you as well, I now know all of your private information. For me, I feel that I can't represent you as a buyer and the seller fully to how you both should be represented.

So, I am holding an open house tomorrow in the Sellwood/Westmoreland neighborhood for the listing agent who is an associate with Prudential NW Properties. When I greet you, I will give you a flyer on the home, as well as a copy of the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet. You probably won't read the disclosure pamphlet there, but hopefully when you get home, you will take the time to read how us agents work.

I will be holding the open house so that should you come into this home, and you have no representation of your own, I can represent you. When buying a home, you need to have your own agent to represent only you and your best interests. This is why I am there if I am not the listing agent.

So stop by tomorrow should you be in one of my favorite neighborhoods and ask me if I am the listing agent. I'll be holding the open house at 6523 SE 17th Ave., Portland OR 97202. MLS # 10087952. Mild fixer so get your imagination out, but great location a short hop to restaurants and shops.

Here is a copy of the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet so you can print it up.

 

 Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet  

 

 

At the top o' the mornin' on Saturday March 13th --

in the temporary Irish village of Sellwood - the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade marched down 13th Ave.

Sponsored by St. Agatha Catholic School and Church, the police and red fire engine escorted parade was led by the Sellwood Middle School Marching Band.

The parade featured lots of green, including a decked out, green sprayed dog,

as well as a bagpiper and dancers from the Portland Irish Dance Academy.

Neighborhood families participated by decorating bikes, wagons, pets and themselves!

By the looks of the marchers and bystanders - a grand Irish time was had!

Following the parade a St. Patrick’s Day festival was held on the St. Agatha grounds and featured hot Irish food, a beer garden, and the old-fashioned fun of a children’s carnival, balloon animals, and a cakewalk.