Visit Cork (150 NW Oregon Ave., 541/382-6881, 5:30 p.m.–close Tues.–Sat., $25–33, dinner reservations recommended) for a glass of wine or a full dinner—although somewhat pricey, it’s romantic and serves seriously good, meticulously prepared food. The food is seasonal American with Pacific Rim influences (they call it “upscale American eclectic”). Even if dinner is out of your price range, stop in for appetizers ($11–15), which may include crab cakes with a scallop mousse or saffron-tomato crepes.
Set on a corner in the heart of downtown, 900 Wall (900 NW Wall St., 541/323-6295, 11:30 a.m.–close daily, $10–23) fairly pulses with energy, and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. Good wood-fired pizzas are available at lunch and dinner (the prosciutto, asparagus, and arugula pizza is drizzled with truffle oil and is absolutely delicious), and the rest of the menu tends toward high-class comfort food, such as a pork chops or flatiron steak, with a seasonal and local emphasis. The selection of wines by the glass is huge and well chosen. During summer, the restaurant is usually open until about 10:30 p.m. weeknights, midnight on weekends; in the winter it usually closes a bit earlier.