• Restaurant website
  • Location: SE Portland
  • Price to fill up two people (with coupon): $40

“I’ve got a coupon from the Chinook Book,” said Robyn, and she read off a list of interesting-sounding restaurants. We decided to try Wild Abandon, mostly because of the name.

It was a pretty good choice. Wild Abandon is an unpretentious place with a friendly staff and a wall mural full of nudes in back. I guess the mural’s the “wild abandon” part because otherwise it’s a pretty typical Portland restaurant. They offer fresh-caught seafood dishes, lots of Italian, and also vegan and gluten-free options.

Robyn ordered a ziti-scallop dish that she said was very good; I got the cioppino. Both were served with a little crusty French bread and some very fresh olive oil. The cioppino was just as it should be: a fresh tomato broth, pepper-spicy, full of salmon and clams and shrimp and scallops.

It’s not a huge restaurant, but it was quiet enough for us to chat awhile. Wild Abandon is supposed to be famous for their breakfasts, and given the tastiness of the dinner, I think we’ll try it at some point.