Bakeries
Considered by restaurateurs and food bloggers alike to have the finest breads in Portland, Ken's Artisan Bakery also makes some superb pastries (try their croissants and stunning canneles). Ken Forkish's breads are justly acclaimed; the delicious apple-laden pain Normand (available only on Saturday) is my personal favourite. It's a great place for a light lunch, albeit somewhat far from the Reed campus.
In the Southeast, there's Grand Central Bakery, a venerable chain which spurred the growth of artisan baking in the Pacific NW during the early 90s. Nowadays their ovens pump out dependable, if uninspiring, baked goods. Tasty rustic baguettes sit alongside loaves of so-so como and frankly insipid ciabatta. Nevertheless, you can find Grand Central breads at Limbo, and they're the best you'll get near Reed. Grand Central's stores also make tempting sandwiches and soups.
A few blocks from Powell's Books, Pearl Bakery is another of the city's most esteemed artisan bakeries. Less usual offerings like the anise and orange gibassiers and chocolate panini are quite lovely. Breads are also good, though perhaps better looking than tasting – see their impressive 4-pound pugliese specimens. If you're not in the mood for a cross town trek, Pastaworks on Hawthorne conveniently stocks selections from all three bakeries.
There have been a few recent arrivals on Portland's bakery scene; two are particularly notable. St. Honoré Boulangerie specialises in French breads and pastries. While their breads range from shocking (baguettes with a worse crust than those at Safeway's) to passable (nicely tangy pain de campagne), their pastries are almost all very enjoyable. Croissants and pains au chocolat compete favourably with Ken's, as do their myriad beautiful tarts and cakes. Do not miss the bags of dainty rock-sugar-encrusted pastry puffs (chouquettes), which are the very definition of delectable. The gorgeous space makes St. Honoré an enticing, albeit dauntingly busy, place for Sunday brunch.
Closer to home, the best bakery in SE Portland is probably Crema. Breads aside, the cookies are amazing and, as befits a place named after espresso foam, the coffee is faultless. Light meals, floor-to-ceiling windows, wireless internet, and a panoply of power points also make it a good place to work.
Finally, at the time of writing, Lake Oswego-based La Provence was on the verge of opening a Portland location. Judging from its mother store's reputation, the new one promises to be very good indeed.
Crema: 2728 SE Ankeny St $-$$
Grand Central Bakery: 7987 SE 13th Ave; 2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd; and other locations $
Ken's Artisan Bakery: 338 NW 21st Ave $-$$ R
La Provence : 4834 SE Division
Pearl Bakery: 102 NW 9th Ave $
St. Honoré Boulangerie: 2335 NW Thurman St $-$$
See also: An Xuyen Bakery.