July 16, 2010
Picnics & Pinots
Portland’s brimming with picnic-perfect perches, but sometimes your neighborhood park simply won’t cut it. You want to lay your red-and-white-checked gingham blanket in a land of open air, rolling hills, and views-a-plenty. With the help of a few wine country picnic-savvy readers, I compiled a list of eight picnic-ready terraces, decks, and grassy knolls in the scenic Northern Willamette Valley, plus a Picnic 911 cheat sheet for the spontaneous or slothful picnicker.
Read full story »
July 15, 2010
8 Fun Weekend To-Dos
If you’ve felt like your summer social calendar has been full lately, it’s certainly not going to slow down this weekend. Dress up like a unicorn and patronize N. Mississippi watering holes, sip international ales and lagers in the North Park blocks, run the mini Médoc and storm the giant Bastille Tower of cream puffs in honor of Bastille Day, eat cupcakes and dance like a monkey’s uncle, discover a newfound appreciation for beer cocktails, drink beer and eat burgers in the streets of the Pearl District, and ride your bike around East Portland one-handed (you’ll need the other to hold your Voodoo Doughnut). Read full story »
July 15, 2010
Green With Ruby Jewel Envy
I love my neighborhood, but I have to admit that N. Mississippi Avenue gets cooler by the minute. Literally. This morning, Portland’s beloved Ruby Jewel opens the doors of their first scoop shop, selling handmade ice creams, sundaes, waffle cones, and of course, their signature ice cream sandwiches. It’s giving me a serious case of neighborhood scoop shop envy. Read full story »
July 14, 2010
Ping Beefs Up Happy Hour
This just in from Ping. Sounds like they are offering even more mouthwatering happy hour delights that you will never get to partake of unless your boss releases you from your Monday-Friday-9-5 prison early. Perhaps you can bribe him with a $5 Kobayashi Hot Dog? Read full story »
July 14, 2010
Spy the Coop
I’ve always thought it’s got to be a pretty swell life, being a chicken. Assuming you aren’t marked for a neck-wringing and subsequent butter massage and roasting, of course. Or a terrifying group bath. Let me explain. Read full story »
July 13, 2010
Root Beer ‘Rama: A Root Beer-Off
Summer has a lot going for it–temperatures above 40 degrees, the proliferation of cute sundresses in your favorite boutique, and floats. While it’s fun to get innovative with these simple, refreshing desserts — after all, who doesn’t love a caramel espresso float or white peach, cassis, and champagne float — fun fancy schmancy recipes aside, the grandaddy of all floats is still Root Beer. Read full story »
July 9, 2010
Five Fun Weekend To-Dos
This weekend, Portland has something for everyone–ice cream lovers, Francophiles, fútbol enthusiasts, those who worship at the altar of Alsatian-style wine ‘n sausage and old-school heavy metal, and last but not least, anyone who has repeatedly eaten their weight in cherries and yet never seems to learn a lesson.
So tie on your finest red neckerchief, start planning the ideal build-your-own Ruby Jewels ice cream sandwich, dig your favorite Black Sabbath t-shirt out of the attic, stock up on Imodium, and practice your little Dutch headbutts–it’s going to be a fun, fabulous, sweaty, delicious weekend in Portland.
Read full story »
July 3, 2010
Tarboush Comes to Hawthorne
Last night we popped into Tarboush, the new Lebanese restaurant on SE Hawthorne, which opened this past Thursday in the beautiful Victorian that Belly Timber vacated in May. Read full story »
July 2, 2010
Table Scraps Volume 21
Today’s Table Scraps newsletter just arrived! If you are being deprived of this weekly dose of restaurant and food event news, your life just isn’t complete. Sign up HERE!
July 2, 2010
The Pink Ladies Rule the Rosé School
With almost two weeks of summer behind us, we’re well into one of the most important seasons of the year–Rosé Season. This past Monday, a bevy of lively pink wine-loving ladies convened at elegant gal-about-town Bette Sinclair’s airy West Hills perch to conduct a thorough tasting of six vibrant Oregon rosés, complete with triple créme Bries and strawberry tartlets, tales of the Bradley Cooper that got away, and a mass pass-out, er, nap. Read full story »
July 1, 2010
One Touch of Pork Belly Buns Makes The Whole World Kin
With new Portland restaurants opening faster than my weary fork can cry uncle, it took us a few weeks to come round to former Food & Wine Best New Chef and Chicago transplant Kevin Shikami’s new Pearl District eatery, Kin, which quietly opened on NW 14th Avenue nearly a month ago. Read full story »
June 30, 2010
Pasties and Pig Ale at Coalition Brewery
After a long wait for Coalition Brewing Company to open on SE Ankeny & SE 28th (in the old Noble Rot space), Buckman neighborhood beer drinkers got their wish last week. I stopped by the new brewpub this afternoon for a midday snack.
June 29, 2010
Vintage Mixer Charms & Lavender Lemonade Mimosas
I cherish my baby-blue KitchenAid mixer with a deep and abiding affection normally reserved for expensive champagne and baby bulldogs. A KitchenAid mixer is a rite of epicurean passage, an objet d’lust, a culinarily-inclined girl’s best friend. After all, what are first marriages for, if not the immediate post-engagement stampede to Williams-Sonoma to register for THIS beauty? And true love, of course. Ahem.
Given my feelings about stand mixers, I couldn’t help but be entranced by this vintage mixer charm ($36), hanging in tiny pretty Verabel Jewelry Studio (3012 NE Alberta St.). It even comes with a cupcake pan for good measure.
June 28, 2010
Water Avenue Coffee Opens Today
Water Avenue Coffee opened bright and early this morning to a steady stream of caffeine-craving folk bearing welcomes and well wishes. Located in the old Q Center space on SE Water Avenue, the coffeehouse is just around the corner from the much-mourned Southeast Bakery Bar outpost, in which WAC set up service temporarily during the buildout of their bright and shiny new coffeehouse/roastery.
June 25, 2010
Table Scraps Is Alive!
I’ve been really busy with some big projects, and my weekly newsletter, Table Scraps, has been neglected. But it lives again this week, and the latest edition landed in an inbox near you a few moments ago. If your inbox has newsletter envy, you should sign up. You can check out this week’s issue here, and sign up here. Happy Friday!
June 25, 2010
Forktown Food Tours
There’s nothing I like more than walking around eating, unless it’s sitting around eating or standing around eating. So I was looking forward to trying brand-new Forktown Food Tour’s foodie whirl around Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District today. Led by fun, food-loving Portland girl Jessica Kleiderman, the tour starts at Besaw’s and ends with a full stomach. Read full story »
June 25, 2010
7 Fun Things To Do This Weekend
Life has given you a weekend, now use it wisely. Here are seven enticing events occurring in Portland this weekend, all of which are almost guaranteed to be a good time, unless you somehow muck it up. You can wax poetic about pie, drink too much organic beer/root beer, pay a visit the Project Grow folks to admire their new garden and pet their pygmy goats and join their CSA, show some cleavage while learning to make medieval stew in the Beaverton Farmers Market’s Shire of Dragon’s Mist, butcher a pig, watch fútbol and stuff crawfish until your belly resembles a soccer ball, or ride your bike around in a vehicle-free NoPo eating pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, and shave ice. Ain’t Portland a kick in the head?! Read full story »
June 24, 2010
FIN To Open in Late July
Here’s the press release announcing “eco-modern seafood restaurant” FIN’s July opening, as well as a few sample menu items.
FIN, an eco-modern seafood restaurant, is slated to open July 28, 2010 under the direction of executive chef Trent Pierce and owner Joan Dumas. FIN will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to close through the summer. Beginning early fall, FIN will move to a seven day schedule. Read full story »
June 24, 2010
Gone Shopping
I was poking around in Memento (formerly Greg’s) on SE Hawthorne, when I came across these two gems.
An excellent gift for the sharkophile or sharkophobe (depending on whether or not you like the giftee) in your life, this Kikkerland shark peeler deftly skins carrots, zucchinis, and cats.* Kikkerland also makes a darling squid peeler, but it didn’t have teeth, so I eschewed it in favor of the shark peeler. Memento carries them both for the low, low price of $3.
.
With barbecue season looming, you now have the perfect host/hostess gift for your favorite cowpatty cook. This delightful hamburger kitchen timer will ensure that they never burn the brioche buns again because they’re engrossed in an overly long anecdote about that time they almost qualified for the Krystal Square Off. Except for the puzzling absence of bacon and blue cheese, it is anatomically correct, and sells for only $5.
Memento
3707 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
503.235.1257
*Just kidding, Mr. Whiskers! Please accept my apology for such insensitivity and go back to napping on that pile of freshly laundered pelts.
June 23, 2010
Belated Summer Birthday Shortcake
My dear Mette’s birthday was last Saturday, and since I seem to have “issues” with “remembering people’s birthdays,” (Sis, I said I was sorry like 7,000 TIMES! And you were in Hawaii that week anyway!!) we celebrated it Monday night, with interesting gifts like a hamburger kitchen timer, and a massive Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake, the official dessert of belated summers and belated birthdays.
June 21, 2010
Picnicking in the Beaverton Farmers Market Labyrinth
Despite the sulky grey skies and morose drizzles that have blanketed our fair city of late, signs of summer were everywhere this Saturday at the Beaverton Farmers Market.
There were rows upon rows of ruby-hued raspberries and strawberries, bushels of Rainier and Chelan cherries, fresh watermelon juice, smoking grills lined with racks of barbecued ribs and juicy German bratwurst, buckets of rosy peony blossoms, coconut gelato, sweet tiny golden cherry tomatoes, crates piled high with fat buttery fava beans, tall cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade on ice, and little red Radio Flyer wagons filled with produce and toddlers displaying diverse levels of agreeability.
June 18, 2010
Hot Pepper Chicken Vinho Verde Bath at Lucky Strike
Ah Lucky Strike, fiercely fiery den of Sichuan peppercorn power. Until recently, if I craved a Lucky Strike blaze in my belly (pretty literally), I drove all the way out to SE Powell & 122nd and tried not to feel guilty for being sketched out by the restaurant’s shabby storefront, next to a cigarette store.
Last night, that changed, as Lucky Strike threw open the doors at its new location in the west wing of the Hawthorne Theatre, for a soft opening that was anything but–to my stomach lining at least. Read full story »
June 17, 2010
Waffles and Strawberries
Sometimes you wake up with a craving that demands immediate attention. Today, that craving happened to be waffles and strawberries. Seeing as I was plumb out of syrup and this morbid weather has sucked every ounce of my motivation, I thought I’d see what newish waffle cart Wicked Waffles had to offer. Read full story »
June 11, 2010
Windshield Wiper Motor-Churned Beer Slushies at Pok Pok
Before you pull the ol’ Snoopy Snow Cone Machine out of mothballs, I think you should know that your 
favorite icy summer treat might have competition. Beer slushies. Yes, you read that right. Behold the immortal words of Pok Pok Executive Chef Andy Ricker–
“This March, I made a trip to Thailand and shipped back a couple of machines to make “Bia Wun”, or “Jelly Beer” in Thai (because the slushy beer looks like jelly to Thai people). They look like this. Well, they arrived a week or so ago here at the Whiskey Soda Lounge, and after sorting out some problems with converting 110v AC power to 9v DC (they run on windshield wiper motors!), we got one up and running today. They work just as advertised. Bia Wun will be a permanent fixture on the Whiskey Soda Lounge drinks board from now on, featuring Singha 22oz beers. One machine will live out on our new back patio, and one in the lounge itself. I am fairly confident that the WSL will boast the coldest beers in town this summer. Bring on the the hot weather!
Thanks, best, Andy”
I’m actually quite overcome by this announcement. The thought of drinking a Singha slurpee made with windshield wiper motor power is almost too much to bear. Bring on the hot weather, indeed.
June 10, 2010
The Marshmallow Test
This is fascinating. And torturous. And delightful. I love the sniffers, the dancing brothers, and the little blond girl who nibbles at hers until it’s mangled but doesn’t actually eat the whole thing. Not sure how she fared in the end.
June 4, 2010
Dining Month Portland vs WoW Celestial Steed
It’s Friday morning and while you should be hard at work, reading snooze-inducing memos and toiling over Excel spreadsheets, you’d rather browse the internet looking at menus, trying to decide where to take your honey for a romantic dinner out tonight. At least, that better be what my boyfriend is doing at work right now.
This week Travel Portland and a whole host of other sponsors kicked off Dining Month Portland, a month-long celebration of the wonders of prix-fixe dining. During the entire month of June, you can get a special three-course dinner menu for $25 at nearly 50 participating restaurants Portland-wide. Read full story »
May 25, 2010
The Perfect Meal, The Perfect Man
We all have guilty pleasures. Pedicures, romcoms, tawdry chick-lit novels, overpriced handbags, big beautiful glossy cookbooks that you mean to cook out of but never do, eating entire chubs of Olympic Provisions’ salami in one sitting, ordering one of everything on the Fenouil dessert menu, dressing up like a pumpkin and a tomato and walking up and down SE Belmont Avenue handing out strawberries and shilling for the Buckman Portland Farmers’ Market, etc., etc. (Wait, move that last one from Guilty Pleasures to Memories to Repress.) Read full story »
May 7, 2010
Food Writing For Food Lovers
Whether you’re an aspiring or seasoned food writer/blogger, or somewhere in between, this workshop sounds like a great opportunity to hone your craft AND the perfect excuse for a weekend getaway to Seattle!
-J
Blanching, braising, dredging and dicing: words that describe or terms that terrify?
Food writer and editor Dianne Jacob, author of “Will Write for Food,” knows how to navigate the fine line between precision (”sauté”) and dumbing down (”cook”). She’s coming to Seattle next month to share her insights at an all-day workshop entitled “Food Writing for Food Lovers.”
Attendees are expected to include foodies, bloggers, writers, and cookbook authors as well as aspiring columnists, freelancers, journalists , PR professionals, caterers and chefs looking to publish a cookbook or anyone who wants to learn more about the food writing world. Read full story »
May 5, 2010
Giorgio’s Gets Happy
Giorgio’s is one of those restaurants most everyone I know has eaten at, but they can’t quite remember when. Here’s an incentive to get reacquainted with this venerable Pearl District mainstay–for the first time ever since its opening in 2000, Giorgio’s has instituted a daily happy hour. Read full story »
May 5, 2010
Eat Chocolate, Win a Cochon 555 Porkout!
Spotted this on Facebook today. Apparently if you buy one of Xocolatl de Davíd’s Chicharrón bars, you might be lucky enough to find a ticket to the upcoming Cochon 555, where five of Portland’s best chefs will play with nearly a ton of heritage pork as they vie for the title of “Prince/Princess of Porc.” Like you needed another excuse to eat David Briggs’ chocolate.
Xocolatl de Davíd Alright Portland, your time has come. The COCHON 555 US TOUR Golden Ticket contest will be kicking off at 4pm Today!
Purchase one of the specially marked Chicharrón Bars and you could win a ticket to the greatest pork show on earth!
The Chicharrón Bars will be available at the following locations:
Cacao
The Meadow
Cork Wine Shop
Cheese Bar
Meat Cheese Bread
GOOD LUCK!
May 4, 2010
Oregon Has Lowest Rate of Chunks In The U.S.
Last night I was working on an events listing for the Portland Farmers’ Market May newsletter (sign up to get it emailed to you monthly HERE!), when I came across the website for eat.think.grow, a network of state, local, and community partners who support and advocate for better quality school food and garden education in the Portland Public Schools district. These include Ecotrust, Slow Food, Portland State, and the City of Portland. Read full story »
May 4, 2010
COCHON 555
I just got my ticket to the second annual Cochon 555, and I’m hoping you’ll join me next Sunday evening to pig out on more than 750 pounds of pork prepared by five of Portland’s best chefs, sip fine wines from the likes of Elk Cove, Domaine Drouhin, and Domaine Serene, and help crown Portland’s next “Prince of Porc.”
What is Cochon 555? It’s not a fancy car race, as I initially thought when I first heard of it last year. Founded by Brady Lowe of the Taste Network, Cochon 555 is the only heritage breed pig and chef competition in the U.S. Lowe created the event with the intent of raising consumer awareness of heritage breeds, which include Duroc, Berkshire, Landrace, Red Wattle, Gloucester Old Spot, Hampshire, and Yorkshire. Read full story »
April 27, 2010
Worrisome News for Little Meat
Is Big Meat pushing the USDA for burdensome and seemingly unnecessary testing that will ultimately put small meat producers out of business? What do these proposed regulations mean for our local farmers and salumists? Read this informative–and alarming–Salon article.
SALON.COM
Will the USDA doom locally produced meat?
New testing regulations may end small-scale meat production — and keep the market safe for the big boys.
Read article here>>
April 22, 2010
Taste of the Nation Looms!
I’ve been having a terrible recurring nightmare this week. The plot is pretty basic–I’ve just eaten the biggest meal of my life, only to look at my watch and have the horrifying realization that Taste of the Nation starts in mere minutes. My favorite food event of the year has finally arrived and I’M FULL! Suffice to say, I’ll be restricting my diet this Monday to six peas and a small glass of grappa so I’m ready to graze, gorge, sip and socialize all night long.
If you’re wondering what on earth I’m talking about, on Monday, April 26, Share Our Strength’s 23rd Annual Taste of the Nation fundraiser brings its yearly dose of charitable gluttony to Portland. Your ticket includes unlimited tastes and pours from over 50 restaurants, 20 wineries, and five breweries, and with the roll call featuring gastronomic A-listers like Beaker & Flask, Beast, Gruner, andSimpatica Dining Hall, you’ll have to be rolled home a la Violet Beauregarde–just don’t crush the Saint Cupcakes stuffed in your pockets.
Hope to see you there! More info and tickets here>>
April 22, 2010
Free Dessert Tonight at Lucky Strike!
Who says there’s no such thing as free dessert? Lucky Strike (12306 SE Powell Blvd.) is offering all celebrants of its 2nd b-day free dessert tonight! All you have to do is show up.
April 22, 2010
A Book Fair For Foodophiles
Tomorrow’s IACP Book Fair is not the book fair of your youth–there isn’t a Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary tome in sight. But it is a literary food lover’s paradise–meet nearly 60 of your favorite foodie authors, including former Gourmet Editor and food critic Ruth Reichl, New York Times’ writer Kim Severson, actress/food writer Madhur Jaffrey, and local cookbook authors like Diane Morgan, Ivy Manning, and Chef Lisa Schroeder. And, if you weren’t already excited enough, wine will be served.
This event will be held at the Oregon Convention Center from 1:3o-3:30pm tomorrow (4/23) afternoon. For more info and tickets, click here.>>
April 22, 2010
Chef Naoko Bento Opens For Dinner
This just in from Chef Naoko. If you haven’t tried her delicious and carefully-sourced Japanese cuisine in her serene downtown cafe (SW Jefferson & 12th), you really must. Now you can go for lunch OR dinner. For more info on the restaurant, see the Under the Table writeup here.
Chef Naoko is now beginning the third summer season in business, and I have learned so much during this time. I have made some great relationships with Oregon farmers and suppliers, and continue to get creative suggestions from my customers. I thank all my customers for making Chef Naoko a success, and now it is time to graduate to offer dinner service as well as lunches. From May, Chef Naoko will be open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will be a new dinner menu, and I do hope that you get a chance to visit us for dinner. Please see below for our new business hours. Read full story »
April 15, 2010
Sprigs and Foams and Balls In Your Teeth
It’s been a long while since I last passed through the doors of the Castagna dining room, and it seemed like last night was as good a night as any. I was plumb out of champagne and ham sandwiches, my usual Wednesday night dinner. I had a cute new outfit and felt like dressing up a little without enduring the hubbub of the Pearl. And I was curious–as you’ve likely heard unless you live in an earplug factory on Tristan da Cunha, Executive Chef Matt Lightner just won a Food and Wine Best New Chef 2010 award, to keep his 2010 James Beard Rising Star Chef nomination company. Read full story »
April 15, 2010
A Sad Farewell to Half & Half
I type this with a heavy heart, because Portland is losing one of its greatest, quirkiest, most delicious little eateries–after 10 years, Half & Half has been sold to Courier Coffee and will be leaving our lives, taking with it its unparalleled sandwich library, its damn fine pie and deviled eggs, its wonderful coffee, its wacky zine collection, its sea animal squirt guns and retro candy.
I wanted to post this letter, written by Robin Rosenberg, co-founder of Half and Half. It’s a lovely, lovely letter and will quite possibly leave you with a lump in your throat…and a craving for a fluffernutter sandwich and a grape Crush. Read full story »
April 13, 2010
The Best Client Meeting Ever
When I’m not obsessively hunting down new food finds for Under The Table or planning my next fictional trip to Spain or daydreaming about macarons or brainstorming destinations for Mette and I’s new picnic club or writing my upcoming guidebook (more details soon), I’m working with my lovely Wordcake Communications clients.
Normally I wouldn’t blog about a client meeting because well, on average, how interesting is a client meeting? But today, my meeting was exceptional! Not only is my potential client buying a wine club (fun!), but he came to lunch bearing gifts from the recent Spring Beer and Wine Festival, in which he was a participant. Read full story »
April 9, 2010
South Slavic Supper Club Starts Sunday
If you have yet to experience South Slavic home cooking, and I’d venture to guess few of us have, here is your chance–Chef John Goddard of Bistro Luka is kicking off a private supper club series beginning Sunday. Here’s his invite:
April 9, 2010
Food Alliance Scavenger Hunt Tomorrow!
Having trouble committing to Saturday plans because nothing feels quite right? Perhaps that’s because the Food Alliance Scavenger Hunt is that event you’ve been waiting for. Form a team, get free Hot Lips, meet neat people, use your encyclopedic Portland Food Knowledge to win fun prizes.
April 8, 2010
New Digs, Same Delicious Cupcakes
If you have a serious cupcake addiction and live in the vicinity of SE Belmont and 33rd, it’s probably been a difficult past few weeks for you, what with Saint Cupcake being closed for its “super cute” remodel.
The newly (and aptly) named Saint Cupcake Deluxe shares its SE Belmont Street address (3300 SE Belmont to be exact) with magical marvelous wondrous den of treasures Noun: A Person’s Place For Things. Not only does Noun have the most gorgeous refrigerator on earth (a concord grape-purple Big Chill), but it’s also got one of the most lovingly curated collection of non-stinky antiques, jewelry, vintage glassware and other brick-a-brack in Portland. Noun used to occupy the front of the store while Saint Cupcake brought up the very rear, and as part of the remodel, the two have switched spots, so the first thing you see upon entering is cupcakes, glorious cupcakes. And sprinkles, lots of sprinkles. Read full story »
April 1, 2010
A Tasty State of Mind
Jay-Z touts the Empire State of Mind, Steinbeck opined that Texas is a state of mind, and here in Portland, well, Brunch could probably be declared the official state of mind, at least on weekend mornings. So when some of us heard that the team behind one of Portland’s culinary bests, Toro Bravo, was opening a new brunch spot, Tasty n Sons, we dropped in a delighted faint, very nearly losing our spot in the Screen Door line. Read full story »
March 30, 2010
When Life Hands You Cold Wet Muddy Rhubarb, Make a Spring Feast
According to my Justin Bieber wall calendar, it’s supposedly spring, and although all the classic signs of spring are here–the tender young leaves bursting forth and proudly unfurling on the maple trees outside my window seem to be doubling in size every day, I see puppies and lovers slobbering all over each other everywhere, the Portland Beavers open the 2010 season next week at PGE Park, and I ordered a J. Crew swimsuit that will without a doubt not fit–I am having trouble believing. Maybe it’s the 90-mile-an-hour winds and the muddy bootprints all over my kitchen floor. Read full story »
March 18, 2010
A Wondercookie for your Stomach Chakra’s Thoughts
This week we tried two new Northwest lunch spots, sampling Dragon Bowls at Yoga in the Pearl’s new neighbor Prasad, and stuffing sloppy gloppy (in a good way) meatball sandwiches at new Breken Kitchen in NoLo. This sort of hard-hitting food journalism takes energy, and nothing fuels an intrepid foodster quite like the mighty cacao bean, so I’ve also been rather shamefully scarfing Double Chocolate Nibby Wondercookies at Meat Cheese Bread and massive wedges of Mom’s Chocolate Cake at Alma Chocolate. Here’s the sordid tale. Read full story »
March 17, 2010
Olympic Provisions Now Open Saturdays!
This Saturday, celebrate the first day of spring any number of ways–go on a cleaning spree, balance an egg on end, buy a skimpy swimsuit and book a Cancún vacation, dust your collection of sparkling rosés, and join the staff of Olympic Provisions for your first lunch or dinner of the new season.
Beginning March 20, Olympic Provisions will offer Saturday lunch and dinner service, and will now be open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm. The Saturday lunch menu will expand to include a selection of brunch dishes, breakfast sandwiches and sweet and savory pastries, and the bar will be mixing mimosas. Olympic Provisions’ popular Aperitivo Hour menu, offered daily from 3-6 pm, will also be available on Saturday, so stop in and while away the afternoon with a charcuterie plate and a refreshing glass of rosé or Prosecco. Read full story »
March 16, 2010
Ladies Who Brunch
This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a lovely brunch put on by my lovely friends Andrea Slonecker and Lila Martin.
Andrea (left) is an accomplished cook, food writer, and IACP committee member, and is conspiring on a soon-to-published cookbook with local author Diane Morgan. Lila (right) helps promote Portland and its vibrant food scene as the Media Relations Coordinator for Travel Portland and writes a fun food blog called Eat This! Read full story »
March 13, 2010
Banana Bum
This man is wearing banana underpants. Or rather, underpants made from banana tree fibre, courtesy of AussieBum. For all those times you’ve asked your guy “is that a banana in your pants or are you just happy to see me?”
March 10, 2010
Luck Of The Irish Soda Bread
You can tell how old you’re getting by how you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Once upon a time, St. Patty’s Day meant breaking out my green and white striped cropped tube top and plastic drugstore shamrock baubles and drinking enough green beer to turn my belly button emerald from the inside out.
These days, I stay home and watch my Far & Away DVD and make Irish soda bread, with only a smidgen of wistfulness.
Searching for recipes, I found that soda bread is something of a touchy subject, everyone seems to have their own variation, to which they’re very loyal. Going to the source is always a winning strategy when seeking an authentic formula, so I browsed flights to Dublin on Aer Lingus. Then I remembered I was out of vacation time, which squelched that dream, so I started poking around for a more local source. Did I know any Portland Irish? Read full story »
March 9, 2010
Champagne Cleavernova
There are certain party tricks I’d like to master–how to dance the tango, how to turn water into Châteauneuf-du-Pape and loaves into toasted coconut cream cupcakes, and above all else, how to open a bottle of bubbly with a cleaver.
In the video clip below, Olympic Provisions sommelier Carly Laws demonstrates one of her favorite party tricks, a technique known as sabrage, which was apparently very popular with Napoleon Bonaparte’s crowd. Not one to need a fancy saber when a vintage cleaver will do, Carly deftly beheads a bottle of Prosecco with one swift slice, earning our eternal admiration. She also tells me a little bit about how she came to possess this talent in the below interview.
It goes without saying–don’t try this at home. And please excuse my less-than-skillful videography. It’s on my list of things to master.
March 8, 2010
Farmer-Chef Connection
Today my friend Mollie and I attended the 10th Annual Farmer-Chef Connection at Clackamas Community College. We aren’t farmers or chefs, just eaters, but they let regular people come too.
Put on by the Portland Chefs Collaborative and Friends of Family Farmers and sponsored by New Seasons Market, FoodHub, and Cascade Pacific, the event was both informative and inspirational. We were a bit late, rather ironically due to a distracting stop at New Seasons en route, so we missed the opening remarks by HOTLIPS Pizza co-owner David Yudkin and had to slink into seats at separate tables in the standing room-only auditorium. Read full story »
March 8, 2010
Belly Up to Cheese Bar
When Steve Jones announced that he was moving his revered cheese shop from its cozy nook inside Northwest Portland’s Square Deal Wines to the old Parkside Deli digs in Mt. Tabor and fattening it up into a cheese shop/café/neighborhood hangout, you knew instantly which side of the river Portland cheeselovers lived on by the resulting screams of joy/great gulping sobs. Read full story »
March 3, 2010
Tasty & Sons
This just arrived from Toro Bravo, so I thought I’d pass it on.
H
ello from Toro Bravo!
We would like to share with you some exciting news…
We are working on our next project: Tasty n Sons – a Portland brunch restaurant that will be located on 3808 N Williams, at the southern end of the building (in the old Nutshell / Anju space). Read full story »
February 26, 2010
Four Fine Weekend To-Dos
While weekends all too often degenerate into frantic pinballing between sports games, birthday parties, and trips to Ikea, they’re also prime time for new food finds. This weekend Portland has plenty to offer in the way of edible entertainment–Italian wine dinners, Chowder-Offs, new Montavilla sweet spots, and a romantic night at the theater topped off with a nightcap of Hennessy and handcuffs. Read full story »
February 26, 2010
Bella Cupcake Couture
In honor of the pink-bud strewn trees on my street, I must share these “Bird with Cherry Blossoms” cupcake wrappers by Bella Cupcake Couture, possibly the most charming thing since, well, a fresh cherry blossom. Thanks Erin!
February 25, 2010
Avoid Dinner Desperation with Taste Unique
Sometimes, the thought of going home and having to cook dinner seems about as far-fetched as the possibility of you tearing open your belted beige raincoat on the crowded evening Max train to reveal your sexy pink polyester Ann Taylor sweater set and screaming, “Take me, take me NOW, DERANGED SMELLY MAN WHO VERY VAGUELY RESEMBLES JAVIER BARDEM!” **
Fortunately, you don’t have to do either. If you desperately need a date and some nookie, please see this new match.com ad that I am very fond of. If you desperately need an exquisitely fresh, pre-prepared Italian dinner that tastes and smells deliciously homemade (if you were channeling your Umbrian grandmother that is) please exit the Max train immediately and get to Taste Unique as quickly as possible. Read full story »
February 23, 2010
Cuckoo For Coco
Sometimes I really think that if I was poking around my favorite vintage shop and I found a magic brass lamp containing a genie, one of my three wishes would be for a copy of everything Phaidon Press has ever published.
Phaidon produces lavish, beautiful, exceptional works, and their books related to cooking are tremendous additions to any collection. A few months ago I was starry-eyed over the receipt of I Know How to Cook. Read full story »
February 20, 2010
Get Your Groupon and EaT Well
If you don’t get Groupon’s daily updates via email, Twitter or Facebook, you may have missed yesterday’s offer–“$12 for $25 Worth of Seafood and More at EaT: An Oyster Bar.”
February 19, 2010
Pop It Forward
This box came in the mail today. It was for Erin. We both got really excited about it. Erin got excited because she rarely gets interesting looking boxes in the mail at work, and I got excited because there was obviously food inside.
February 18, 2010
Table For Twelve at Mee-Sen: Fill Your Aching Void With Chicken Wings
This year for Valentine’s Day, Michelle and I did not get what we wanted, even though we asked for very simple things.
Michelle wanted a pink Bentley just like Paris Hilton’s, and for her sewer line not to back up into her basement and for her not to walk down into the basement to do laundry without turning on the light first. I wanted a bulldog puppy with a heart-shaped nose, and a villa in France, preferably one that neighbors the Valrhona family estate. Read full story »
February 17, 2010
Sahagun’s Coffee KA-POW!
Whenever I’m loitering in Sahagun Chocolates, scoping out the Luscious Caramels, and owner Elizabeth Montes tells me to wait just a second because she has something for me, I immediately do a little happy dance inside.
Sometimes she gives me a complimentary Sundrop for being the Foursquare mayor of Sahagun, sometimes she shares a sliver of spicy peanut-y dark chocolate bark, and last Sunday, she presented this: Read full story »
February 17, 2010
Pizza on Wheels
The recent re-opening of Wy’east Pizza made me do some thinking about the marvels of Food Cart Pizza. There are huge advantages to pizza on wheels–it’s cheap, it’s fast, and perhaps most importantly, you don’t have to wait in line for 45-90 minutes to get a seat when you’re struck with a craving. Here are my favorite places to get pizza on the go. Read full story »
February 17, 2010
Garden State’s Gone North
The sun was shining and the chickpea patties were frying this afternoon at the new Garden State food cart in North Mississippi Avenue’s Mississippi Marketplace cart cluster.
Read full story »
February 15, 2010
Bakery Bar SE Sold
I read the following letter on Bakery Bar’s blog this morning (to read more about new tenant Bunk Bar, click here):
SE Water Ave Bakery Bar Sold; Will Close March 2
We are finally able to confirm that Bakery Bar’s location on SE Water Ave has been sold. Its final day of business will be Tuesday, March 2. The new owners are currently making arrangements for an entirely new and very different food and beverage venture. Read full story »
February 14, 2010
Man Candy
Yesterday we visited Northwest Sweets on NW 23rd, and found plenty of goodies for our guys, including a bag ‘o MAN CANDY.
What’s Man Candy? I’ll let NW Sweets candyman Steve Gazda explain: Read full story »
February 12, 2010
Foodlove at Match.com
As you may have noticed, I’m a sucker for cute food drawings. So I’m rather fond of this new match.com ad featuring classic food love matches like strawberries & cream, salt & pepper, milk & cookies, knife & fork, and of course, peas & carrots. It is infinitely better than the “I’m just a goof looking for my ball” ad, which used to prompt me to throw my glass of champagne at the television.
Watch for the fish ‘n chip, it’s my favorite. Read full story »
February 12, 2010
Olympic Provisions in Forbes
It’s not every day you get called “a sausage party” in a writeup on Forbes’
America’s Best New Restaurants list.
Congratulations Olympic Provisions!
February 12, 2010
Fried Chicken and JOJOs
Blueplate Chef Jeffery Reiter sent a very succinct email this morning.
Subject: Fried Chicken and JOJO’s
Message: “That’s right. It’s back.”
If you’re thinking that sounds like a fine Friday lunch, you’ll probably want to get going. Blueplate fills up fast.
February 11, 2010
Hungry in Seattle
You can be a lot of things in Seattle–sleepless, wet, caffeinated, a member of a hot, trampy band of medical residents…and of course, hungry. Last weekend sis Michelle and I followed the train tracks to the Emerald City, and had a grand old time.
It occurred to me that our adventure has all the trappings of a romantic mini-break for you and yours this Valentine’s Day weekend. It’s not to late to make the reservations–and won’t you be all the more lauded for your spontaneity? Read full story »
February 11, 2010
Eva Goes to Sky City
Sometimes I feel that the kindergarten set isn’t well enough represented here on Under the Table. So I asked a very special correspondent, 5-year-old Eva, for her impressions of her recent meal at Sky City, the revolving restaurant atop Seattle’s famous Space Needle. Read full story »
February 10, 2010
Mette’s V-Day Picks
Mette Hornung Rankin–my friend, The Bachelor-watching partner, and brilliant designer–sent me a few of her Valentine’s Day foodie gift picks.
When Mette first sent me a picture of this darling “Delicious Dough Mini Wallet” wallet by indie designer FluffyCo, I instantly wished it had a cupcake on the front. Then I remembered that doughnuts are the new cupcake. Plus the brilliant magenta hue matches my new Canon SD1200 camera. I can’t wait to flash this baby the next time I’m at Voodoo. Read full story »
February 10, 2010
Let’s Be Frank–I Want Caramels
I love valentines. Growing up, I could not receive them during my formative grade school years due to being raised in a non-V-Day-celebrating religion, which naturally, made me crave them all the more.
Many moons later, when I became a kindergarten teacher (oh yes, I was a kindergarten teacher for 5 looooong years), I overcompensated with lavish class parties that involved 3-dimensional valentine holders and over the top valentine-making projects that far overutilized doilies and lace and ribbon and GLITTER. Why is it that when you are five years old, you simply cannot use enough glitter? Read full story »
February 8, 2010
Your Sweetie Wants a New Pool Boy, I Mean, Cupcakes and Vodka
This Valentine’s Day, I hope you get your sweetie something scintillating, like a younger hotter pool boy/girl, instead of what you were going to get them–flowers made out of fruit. Fruit flowers are so predictable, and they don’t empty the pump basket.
If you don’t have a pool, don’t despair. This week, I’ll be randomly highlighting some great locally-sourced gifts for you to give your Valentine. Why? Because I’m nice. And because I want my sweetie to get these for ME for Valentine’s Day and nothing says “I hope you get me this” like sending him a link to a posting about neat-o Jen-approved gift ideas.
And without further ado, here are my first two picks for What To Get Me Your Sweetie for Valentine’s Day. Read full story »
February 5, 2010
Tour Thailand with Andy Ricker
If you’ve ever wanted to actually eat Thai street food in Thailand, and with Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker no less, here is your chance: Read full story »
February 4, 2010
Check, Please
Even before you read all the entries found at the currently trending Twitter hashtag #thisdateisover, you know the ugly truth–even the most initially promising of dates can curdle faster than custard in a too-hot double boiler.
Tonight, local personalities will fill the Bagdad with their stories of dates gone bad at Planned Parenthood’s fundraiser “It’s Not Me, It’s You: Stories From the Dark Side of Dating.”
Since many dates involve food and eating, most everyone has a terrible tale in this context. I asked some of my funniest pals to contribute theirs. Names have been changed to protect the innocent/guilty. So here you go, and hope to see you tonight. Read full story »
February 3, 2010
Olympic Provisions in Sunset
Congratulations to Olympic Provisions for their meaty mention in this month’s edition of Sunset Magazine! The magazine praised the OP’s soppressata as “crunchy, yet juicy.” What a coincidence, that’s exactly how we describe supercute Meat Curing Chef Elias Cairo.
January 29, 2010
The Cheese Girl Strikes Again
Cheese Czarina Lisa Jacobs of Jacobs Creamery has big news this week. She’s starting a blog, she’s “rent-able” for parties and private gigs, and she even mentions our upcoming Oregon Cheese Festival adventure this March.
January 29, 2010
And The Winners Are…
And the winners of Wednesday’s “Will Fan For Chocolate” contest have been chosen!
Winner of ChocolateFest Tickets–Brooke Bailey!
Winner of Chocolate Smarts, the question-and-answer-game that will make you a chocolate expert in the time it takes to snarf a bar of Scharffen Berger–Mindy Novesky!
And the winner of a perfectly whole, unopened, not even nibbled on Xocolatl de David Raleigh Bar–Danny Pettey!
Now if that doesn’t start your weekend off right, I don’t know what will. Besides a lot of champagne, which is why I’m drinking a mimosa under my desk right now.
January 28, 2010
Dear Jen
Sometimes, people send me letters. I love getting letters, especially funny letters and letters with money in them. Yesterday, I received this in my inbox.
Dear Jen,
I enjoy reading your website and feel that you might be able to help with a very difficult problem I have. For many years now I have been dating a very special girl and she enjoys food. My problem is that Valentine’s Day is approaching and I’m trying to decide where to take her. She’s been to most of the restaurants in Portland, loves food, is romantic, fun, pretty, sexy…you get the idea. I want to impress her but don’t have the money of the Kardashians or the Jersey Shore group. I thought “Hey! Maybe Beast…but thought my chances were slim and not sure I would want to spend V-Day at a community table. VooDoo doughuts would be fun…the Globetrotter’s apparently went there but not sure about the romance. The Food Carts would be fun…but again…the romance. There’s Paley’s, there’s the Ringside, there’s Higgins…what would you do to ensure a Happy Ending? Thanks for your help Jen!
Signed,
Anonymous
Dear Brian, I mean, “Anonymous,” Read full story »
January 27, 2010
Will Fan For Chocolate!
Unlike moldy cheese, debtors, and incontinence, chocolate is probably something you want more of in your life.
So, in honor of this weekend’s ChocolateFest, I am giving away some fun chocolatey prizes, and all you have to do to enter to win is become a fan of Under the Table With Jen on Facebook or sign up for my weekly newsletter, Table Scraps! Or both, if you want, you overachiever you.
1st: A pair of tickets to this weekend’s ChocolateFest at the World Forestry Center!
2nd: Your very own copy of “Chocolate Smarts!”
3rd: A half eaten Xocolatl de Davíd Raleigh bar! Just kidding, I didn’t even open it.
Deadline for me to tell the WFC who gets to pick up the tickets at Will Call is Friday at 9am, so you must be an Under the Table With Jen Facebook Fan or Table Scraps subscriber by then! I will announce the winner tomorrow morning on the blog, and I will send them a Facebook message/email too, so if you enter, make sure you check your inbox tomorrow.
Thank you, as always, for reading. You are more precious to me than my imaginary family cacao plantation, and believe me, that is saying a lot.
January 26, 2010
Eat, Help, Love
Roasted goat and rum—eat like a pirate and raise money for Haiti at the same time this Saturday night at Olympic Provisions.
I just held a supper club event at Olympic Provisions last week and it was one of the best dinner parties I’ve ever had. The space is gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is A++. You’ll not be disappointed!
January 25, 2010
Etta in the Park
The mobile outpost of someday-to-open Violetta restaurant, the “Etta” truck’s cheery bright yellow and blue visage was a beacon of lunch in the midst of downtown Director Park’s cool granite and glass facade this afternoon.
January 24, 2010
Big Pink Chill HALF OFF!
My birthday is a mere nine months away, so you’ve probably started thinking about what to get me. I’m happy to say your search is over. Because the thing I have lusted over more than anything else in the entire universe, including George Clooney, has just gone on sale. HALF OFF!
I am Half Off. Jen really, really wants me. This seems like a simple equation.
January 21, 2010
Three A+ Lunches Under $10
Round these parts, you can get a lot of lunch bang for your sawbuck. Food carts, downtown dens of midday dining like Blueplate and Hush Hush Cafe, and even some of the fancier restaurants offer plenty–and plentiful–lunch specials that keep you well fed and your bill in the single digits.
Do NOT print this and attempt to buy your lunch with it.
I like to keep my lunch life both cheap and interesting, so I’m always on the lookout for new lunch spots with good deals. Here are three new places where I’ve been eating well and eating cheap these past couple of weeks. Read full story »
January 20, 2010
Pie Thunder From Down Under
When I try a new restaurant or food that captures the affections of my taste buds, I feel the need to spread my joy immediately, via telephone, via text, via departing comments to people in line and passerby near the door.
After all, when you’re in love, you want to sing it from the rooftops, be your l’amour the brooding, surprisingly-muscular-under-all-those-layers-of-black hipster you enjoyed a brief but torrid affair with on the 15 between SW 2nd Avenue and SE 39th Avenue, or be your l’amour a Pie. Yes, a Pie. Pie deserves true love too, or at least a chance at it. Read full story »
January 19, 2010
Dovetail Bakery Open, Pastrygirl Not Open (Yet)
Dovetail Bakery opened their first brick ‘n mortar retail bakery this past Friday at the corner of NE 31st and Alberta, offering long-suffering fans a permanent place to enjoy a hot cup of Courier Coffee and some of the finest vegan pastries in town.
January 15, 2010
Culinary Nooners Part II
This is part two of an Under the Table series entitled “Culinary Nooners,” where I find out-of-the-ordinary lunchtime destinations so you can have a little midday mini-adventure. You know, spice up your lunch life.
Ever have a nostalgic flashback to your good old high school cafeteria, pining for the days when your iceberg lettuce salad with extra ranch and concave grilled cheese sandwich and 600-oz fountain Coke came on a red plastic tray for the whopping price tag of $5? Yeah, me neither.
But while I may not miss high school “cuisine,” or anything about high school for that matter, there’s just something about a cafeteria. Maybe it’s the comforting lack of atmosphere, the predictably unpalatable but incredibly cheap food, the little cartons of chocolate milk, the 101 stories you can make up about the people sitting in rows at long plastic tables gossiping about work or playing cards or reading romance novels while chewing their rubber hamburger cud.
In this installment of Culinary Nooners, you’ll get a blast into the past, and a Nestlé Drumstick too, at the Express Cafe in the United States Post Office in the Pearl District, a hidden gem (I use this term lightly, mind you) where your grilled cheesesteak comes with a free bodice-ripper, and you just might be invited to join a rousing game of Uno by a guy wearing a t-shirt that says “I used up all my sick days, so I just called in Dead.” Read full story »
January 14, 2010
Table For Twelve Returns With A Big, Fat Fibula
Dear Food Friends**,
Once upon a time sis Michelle and I had a supper club. It was called Table For Twelve and it was a rollicking good time. We ate, we drank, we met fun new people who also loved to eat and drink, sometimes we conducted ourselves with grace and dignity like our governess Nonna taught us, sometimes we flashed our wunderpants to the occupants of Le Pigeon and ran home barefoot. It was the best supper club in Portland.
Then, Hollywood came calling. Read full story »
January 14, 2010
Lovely’s Lovely
We had a lovely dinner indeed at just-opened Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, the newest dining venture from the Minnick sisters, who delighted Portlanders with their charming North Portland dinner den Lovely Hula Hands for many years before closing the doors Dec. 31 for personal and staff-related reasons. You can read their farewell letter here. Read full story »
January 13, 2010
Table for Twelve Returns
Table For Twelve is back. Why should you care? Because it’s the best supper club in Portland, that’s why, bucko.
Here is how it works, in a nutshell. Once a month, me and sis Michelle join 10 of our closest friends/people we’ve never even met before and patronize one of the most interesting restaurants in Portland. We eat, we drink, we laugh, we meet new people, we share desserts with them even though for all we know they have the heebeejeebees, we drink too much, we embarrass ourselves, we run home barefoot, etc. The experience varies a little each time.
We print up meal rating/comment cards for you to fill out after the meal, which Michelle almost always loses, meaning she then has to make up the ratings and comments in our post-meal “review,” which is why a lot of the “comments” say something like “my favorite part of the meal was when michelle flipped jen’s dress up in front of the front window of le pigeon and everyone saw her wunderpants.” This is a true story, actually, which now causes me to wonder why it is we’re resurrecting TFT? Oh right, because it’s the best supper club in Portland. (Note to self: Wear pants on the second Wednesday of every month.) If you want to more about how it works, please click here to see details and our commandments of etiquette. We have 10 of them, just like Mt. Sinai.
While the ship has sort of sailed as far as having TFT tomorrow night, we will be having an amazing dinner next week at a very fun meaty new restaurant. You might be able to guess which one. I’ll be sending out the official invite for next week’s dinner, and subsequent dinners, in my weekly newsletter, Table Scraps. If you don’t already get Table Scraps, you can sign up here. It’s pretty painless. You input your name and email address, which I would never ever sell for money or even chocolate, and every Thursday you get Table Scraps in your inbox. And you get first dibs on Table For Twelve. It seems like a win-win to me.
Looking forward to seeing you at the table!
January 10, 2010
Gratin and Glücklich Endes at Grüner
I went out of town for the holidays, so sis Michelle and I celebrated a belated Christmas dinner at Grüner last week. Read full story »
January 7, 2010
Lucy Loves Bacon
Mette’s dog Lucy, the official Under the Table mascot, is caught in a moment of pure bacon lust.
Lucy Gets the Last Piece of Bacon
January 4, 2010
Foster Burger Open
I’ve been off the grid for a couple of weeks, which was lovely. No tweets, no updates, no posts, no check-ins, not much of anything really. Just me, my new book Far Flung and Well Fed: The Food Writing of R.W. Apple, Jr., and a bottle of champagne. Okay, a few bottles.
Which is my excuse for not posting this press release sooner.
FOSTER BURGER IS NOW OPEN- DECEMBER 29, 2009
Foster Burger, 5339 SE Foster Road, Portland, 97206, (503) 775-2077, opens its doors tonight.
Chef Daniel Mondok (Sel Gris Restaurant and James Beard Nominee) has put together a short and sweet menu (see attached) featuring house ground burgers, hand cut fries, meal size salads and milkshakes. Foster Burger will be open for seven consecutive days (December 29th to January 4th) and then will phase into its normal opening schedule:
Thursday to Monday – Open 5pm to 11pm
Open until midnight on Friday and Saturday
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Here is the menu, in case you want to torment yourself reading it while eating your healthy New Year’s Resolution dinner of lettuce leaf-wrapped tofu.
Read full story »
December 21, 2009
Culinary Nooners Part 1
This is part one of a new Under the Table series entitled “Culinary Nooners,” where I find out-of-the-ordinary lunchtime destinations so you can have a little midday mini-adventure. You know, spice up your lunch life. And at the end of the article, you can enter to WIN A FUN PRIZE.
I try to eat lunch out every day. I know the financial whiz people who write bestselling books about how every time you so much as sniff your morning latte you take one symbolic step closer to the poorhouse would scorn me, but I don’t care. My retirement plan has always been to die young and beautiful and in mid-sip of Grande Dame anyway.
When I was little, eating lunch out on the town was an rare thrill, a welcome change of scenery from my own kitchen counter, an adventure that transcended my usual noon routine of a sorrowful, concave peanut butter and jam sandwich served on my mom’s hideous floral print plates. But now that I’m all growed up and can eat lunch out whenever I want, sometimes it gets boring. The thrill is gone. I needed to spice up my lunch life.
So come lunchtime, I went to China.
December 19, 2009
Cheesy Good Fun
I sincerely hope you are a fan of my dear friend Lisa Jacob’s tremendously good cheeses, if you aren’t yet, make a point of stopping by her Jacob’s Creamery booth at the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market this winter (the Hillsdale market runs bimonthly year-round) for a taste of her delectable feta, crumbled mozzarella, cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and new Irish Cashel blue cheese. And please don’t pass up the pudding.
Lisa writes one of the funniest newsletters in town, and was gracious enough to let me reprint it. Recently, Lisa took a position as cheesemaker at Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheeses, setting off a whole new adventure that involves cheesemaking to the strains of Edith Piaf, learning to make blue cheese with noted cheesemaker-down-under Neville McNaughton, and living in a drafty old farmhouse in “Nowheresville” without luxuries like kitchen plugs.
Here’s the latest installation of Lisa’s hilarious chronicling of her life as a Cheese Czarina. If you want to be included in her mailing list, email her at lisa@jacobscreamery.com.
Read full story »
December 18, 2009
Belly Timber’s David Siegel Talks Pork (And Other Things)
Once upon a time, when someone mentioned Belly Timber Executive Chef David Siegel, I immediately thought of candied bacon.
December 17, 2009
Big-A** Sandwiches Is Here
It seems like everyone’s buzzing about Big-A** Sandwiches, a highly anticipated addition to Portland’s seemingly bottomless food cart community. Of course, with a name like Big-A** Sandwiches, curiosity and Big-A** expectations are only natural.
After a few Twitter-chronicled setbacks, Big-A** Sandwiches looks set to open downtown at SW 3rd and SW Ash on Monday, Dec. 21, for both breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, and on Thursday-Saturday nights they’ll be dishing up late night grub as well.
The menu is simple and fun, offering four hearty sandwiches on Fleur de Lis bread and the option to douse any of them in creamy béchamel sauce for an extra dollar. Sides include coleslaw and three kinds of fries, from plain to bacon cheese, and you can wash everything down with a Mexican Coke. Big-A** Sandwich heaven. Read full story »
December 16, 2009
Come On, Get Slappy
Slappy Cakes, the newish make-pancakes-right-at-your-table restaurant on SE Belmont Avenue, was the most fun I’ve had for $10 in a long time, even trumping my last good paw through the Walgreen’s clearance section. And that’s high praise.
December 15, 2009
A Christmas Prank
My friend Laura sent me this clip. It’s a prank of great ambition–wait until you see the gift-wrapped refrigerator and paper towels…priceless. I don’t know if the perpetrator deserves coal or a Zhu Zhu Hamster in their stocking.
December 15, 2009
New Chocoutique on SE Belmont?
I’ve been accused in the past of seeing, smelling, and tasting chocolate where no chocolate exists. I suppose there are worst hallucinations to be had. But I could just swear there was cacao in the air when I left Slappycakes (SE Belmont & 42nd) Sunday morning, and a few peeks inside the sleek space next door caused a hopeful theobromine rush.
Read full story »
December 14, 2009
Danish For a Day
Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending a bona fide Julefrokost, a traditional Danish Christmas Lunch, hosted by Under the Table’s very own Mette Hornung Rankin, designer extraordinaire and honest to goodness Dane, and her husband Darin, an honorary Dane.
December 13, 2009
Cake, Steak and Lobster
I sure do love Martha Rich.
And I love her new website. I think you will too, because who doesn’t love vivid paintings and illustrations of cake, steak, & lobster (and so much more), especially those with a story? Seems like the perfect Christmas present to me. HINT HINT.
December 12, 2009
A Merry Salty Christmas
Christmas trees are probably like babies, you’re certain yours is the most beautiful, even if realistically, it looks kind of like a constipated monkey. But seriously, my tree is the fairest of them all.
Sure, it’s a little lopsided, and someone didn’t distribute the blue lights all that evenly, and I’ve only dug up 11 ornaments thus far, and–as evidenced by the lone gift–I am waaaaay behind on the Christmas shopping, but all that just adds character.
Plus, my Big Gay Ice Cream Truck ornament is in the mail.
Read full story »
December 11, 2009
Where Should I Go For Dinner?
This post is inspired by an email written by my coworker Heather, the shortest email she has ever written, in fact.
From: Heather
Subject: Dinner?
Date: December 9, 2009 12:58:59 PM PST
To: Jen
where should I go for dinner?
I am always happy to help when someone asks me this question. In fact, I tend to drop everything I’m currently working on (in this case, my expense reports, which is my least favorite activity, narrowly edging out ‘picking up the dog’s doody just as the street car goes by’) and devote myself to finding the person a perfect dining venue.
In this case, Heather wanted to try something new. This is the list I made her. Perhaps you will find it useful too.
December 10, 2009
Northwest Sweets Opens
With the exception of a defibrillator, nothing warms the heart faster than a good old-fashioned candy shop. Thus, my heart went a-thumpin’ when it heard that Northwest Sweets had opened on NW 23rd Avenue.
December 8, 2009
First Impressions: The People’s Pig
Sometimes, you don’t know what you’re craving until a nice pork-loving man named Cliff Allen wraps it in foil and hands it to you.
Today, I was shivering and chattering my way to Blueplate for Pot Roast Tuesday when I was sidetracked by The People’s Pig, a new food cart at SW 2nd & SW Stark, tucked into a parking lot right next to Al-Amir Lebanese Restaurant. It’s a cheerful cart, painted yellow with red stripes, with a nice porky logo that’s difficult to see when the awning is up. I tried to take a picture for you, but I’m only 5′2″ and I didn’t think the owner of the shiny black SUV in front of The People’s Pig would appreciate my bootprints in his/her hood so this is what you get. I scanned the menu and noticed they had two very tasty sandwiches on it. Plus, I’m such a sucker for a new food cart. My pot roast run was suddenly derailed.
Read full story »
December 3, 2009
Got Crabs?
In honor of this past Tuesday being the first day of Oregon’s crab season, I made a card for my friend Rob.
For myself, I made a crab dinner. I love, love, LOVE fresh Dungeness crab. Is there anything more satisfying than cracking open a crab leg and gently tugging out a fat, gorgeous hunk of sweet flesh? (Gosh, re-reading that, I feel kind of cruel. Sorry. Click here to join the Facebook Group “Against Cruelty to Crabs;” motto: “Go pick on a prawn.” )
Just in case you’d like to celebrate the onset of crab season yourself, I thought I’d share my perfect crab dinner.
December 3, 2009
No Prickles at Thistle
City girl that I am, I like to joke that I try to leave city limits as little as possible, but in all truth, I don’t get out of town nearly as often as I’d like to. Last week, as part of the Parents-in-Town holiday weekend curriculum, we drove out to the Willamette Valley wine country, where a day of wine tasting, fresh country air-breathing, and driving around in circles on random unpaved roads was capped by an exceptional supper at McMinnville’s Thistle restaurant.
Thistle opened this past July, helmed by chef/owner Eric Bechard and his partner Emily Howard, a wine buyer and McMinnville native. You might remember the talented Bechard from his days behind the stove at now-closed Alberta Street Oyster Bar and Grill. He’s super cute, has a way with roasted beets, and was named the Oregonian’s Rising Star in 2006. In summer 2008, he defected to Seattle to work at Opal Bistro, but it wasn’t long before he returned to Oregon, eschewing Portland in favor of going west into wine country to open his own place.
December 2, 2009
Repeal Day at Teardrop Lounge
This sounds awfully fun, what with the whiskey prescriptions and secret passwords.
December 1, 2009
Olympic Provisions Sneak Preview
Mette, Shellie & I attended the Olympic Provisions’ Friends & Family Sneak Preview lunch this afternoon, so I thought that in the spirit of the season, I’d share my pictures.
November 30, 2009
Blogvana
There are a lot of neat food blogs out there, but every once in a while I stumble up on one that’s irresistible. Like Bakerella. Beware, clicking into her site right now may cause you to fritter away most of your Monday morning looking at cake pops. This post in particular might pique your interest, provided you are a fan of Sesame Street. Which everyone should be.
Tall Tales
The kitchen door swung open and Jen gasped as an ancient ham and gruyere omelette hissed menacingly and darted behind the refrigerator. She surveyed the carnage. It was never pretty when the leftovers went on a rampage.
November 25, 2009
Every Time a Restaurant Opens, a Foodie Gets Her (Third) Chin
The ripping and tearing sounds you’ll hear in the week following Thanksgiving aren’t your favorite jeans finally giving up the post-11-helpings-of-leftover-stuffing good fight, it’s the brown paper coming off the windows of four new Portland restaurants. Or so we hope. Keep your fingers crossed for the following eateries to throw open their doors as scheduled. Read full story »
November 24, 2009
Grüner & Foster Burger Updates
This is probably old news to most of you, I accidentally let both of these press releases age in my inbox for a few days, but they caught my eye this morning while I was trolling for job offer emails from French champagne houses in need of tasters, so I will post them now, old news or not.
First up, Foster Burger.
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show details Nov 20 (4 days ago)
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Next, good news from Chris Israel about Grüner, which is only blocks from my apartment, so I’m extra excited about it. It’s a long one, but just click to keep reading. Read full story »
November 21, 2009
Five Food Funnies
Here are my favorite food funnies of November, thus far.
1. Girls in cute dresses making Ham Daquiris
November 19, 2009
The Scoop on Fifty Licks
Ice cream lovers (and I hope that’s all of you), put down that tub of Haagen Dazs or Coconut Bliss and pay attention–there’s a new ice cream maker in town, and he and his trusty Carpigiani have big plans to seduce you with their cold, creamy creations, passion for excellent local ingredients, and maybe even the sweet strains of the ukelele.
I sat down this week with Fifty Licks‘ Chad Draizin in the marvelous smelling Lower East Burnside kitchen he shares with Abby’s Table and Salt, Fire & Time, over a bowl of soup generously provided by kitchenmate Tressa Yellig, and we talked about Chad’s winding path from college dropout to beer brewer to ice cream man (all before the age of 30), his passion for the “science nerd” aspects of ice cream making, the impromptu tequila and chocolate-fueled think tank that resulted in the name Fifty Licks, and his dreams of his very own scoop shop filled with retro waffle makers, shoestring fry-studded malted ice cream, and of course, plenty of jimmies. Read full story »
November 19, 2009
Lovejoy Bakers Opens Today!
The line wasn’t quite out the door yet this morning when I arrived at brand new Lovejoy Bakers, but it was getting close.
A partnership between former Pearl Bakery head baker Dan Griffin and the owners of Pizzicato Pizza, Lovejoy Bakers’ opening was eagerly anticipated by neighbors, industry folks, and curious food lovers alike. I’ve been peeking through the brown paper on the windows for weeks, myself. Maybe even months. Having suffered through meals at three of the four restaurants who occupied and then unoccupied the space before the arrival of Lovejoy Bakers, I was sincerely hoping the fifth time would be a charm. It’s certainly looking, and tasting, hopeful.
Inside the beautiful glass and steel-framed bakery, tantalizing freshly baked breads and pastries were lined up in neat rows, a full coffee bar fueled those on their way to work with Ristretto Roasters brews, and a selection of fresh fruit, natural juices and sodas, sparkling water, and Nancy’s organic yogurt filled the cold case by the registers.
I ogled the lunch menu, which includes 17 sandwich selections like open-faced smoked salmon tartine with creme fraiche and egg salad with lemon zest and chives, a few soups, house cheese and charcuterie plates, breakfast sandwiches served all day, and salads like roasted beet and citrus with chevre and the Lovejoy Salad–Bleu d’ Auvergne, San Daniele proscuitto, house-roasted turkey, sliced egg, and cured olives in a tarragon dressing. For pictures and menu click here>> Read full story »
November 18, 2009
They Eat, They Tweet: 12 Food Tweeps You Should Follow
@jenlikestoeat
What with Twitter being all the rage these days, it’s hard not to be a follower, even though Mom told us it was a bad idea because no good comes those who channel their inner lemming. Just the other day, overwhelmed by the relentless tide of incoming tweets rolling down my @jenlikestoeat page, I cleaned out my “following” box, and in the process took stock of my favorite existing tweeps, and added a few new must-reads.
Here’s my list of 12 of today’s tastiest Tweeters. If you aren’t already following them, you probably would enjoy doing so, assuming you give two twits about food. (I know. I’m sorry. I could not help myself.) Read full story »
November 17, 2009
Julefrokost 2009
I got this invite from Mette today. In true Mette style, it was exquisite.
A traditional Danish Christmas lunch, Julefrokost starts at 1 pm, and from what Mette tells me, lasts at least seven hours.
“You are invited to our Annual Holiday Lunch for victuals and cheer. Arrive prepared for good food, drinks, and conversation,” reads the invite in both Danish and English when you lift up the four tiny doors that Mette painstakingly crafted with an X-Acto knife. Then it spells out a few menu teasers. “Schnapps, herring, fish, liverpaste, cucumber salad, beer, ryebread, mackerel, and more.”
Apparently, Danish Christmas lunch also involves a great deal of Aquavit. Oh my.
November 16, 2009
Confessions of a Snack Smuggler
Last week, my boyfriend and I went to see The September Issue, a rare treat since neither of us ever seem to have the time for the luxury of a movie-theater movie. I was set for movie snacks, I’d just gotten a sampler pack of Theo chocolate bars as a birthday gift and it was securely buried in my handbag beneath a scarf. Eschewing my stash of chocolate, he bought a small soda and a small popcorn at the theater snack counter, the total for which came to $11, which sent him into spasms of indignity. To which I said, “That is why you SMOS–Smuggle Your Own Snacks.”
I’ll probably get my Regal Crown Club card pulled for this post, but I’m a firm believer in packing in your own movie snacks. It’s not just the outrageous cost associated with in-theater snacks, it’s the selection and quality control. It’s true that a few theaters around town, like The Academy Theater in Montavilla or downtown’s plush Living Room Theater or (depending on how you feel about the McMenamin’s menu), any of the McMenamin’s theaters, serve up a decent spread at a not-too-ungodly markup, but almost invariably the first-run theaters serve up the same tired boxed candy, oversalted popcorn, and conventional soda. The food-lover needs more.
Michelle and I are huge advocates of the above-and-beyond theater repast. We shared a bag of freshly made cart tacos at Wolverine, we feasted on strawberries, chocolate and Brie in The Proposal, and we took a bottle of Veuve and Riedel flutes to the Sex & the City screening, unintentionally popping the cork at a pivotal point in the opening sequence and earning a theater-wide ovation for it. A few weeks ago we went somewhat thematic and smuggled hot Altengartz bratwursts into New York, I Love You, and packed a French picnic for Coco Before Chanel–ham & gruyere sandwiches, green olives, crisp apples, good dark chocolate, little cans of Sofia Blanc de Blancs, and tiny bottles of Segura Viudas cava. The picnic fit in a small Banana Republic bag, and the ticket-checker didn’t give it a second glance.
It made me wonder what other people smuggle into the movies. Please, do share your Confessions of a Snack Smuggler. What’s the finest feast you’ve taken into a movie? Do you smuggle your snacks in the giant purse you reserve for moviegoing excursions, in your back pocket (oops), in your scarf-with-pockets? Email them to jen@underthetablewithjen.com. I will compile the best ones and post them, sort of a la Cosmo confessions, but less raunchy. Well, I think they’ll be less raunchy, anyways. Who knows what memories people might dredge up about what they snacked on at the screening of 9 1/2 weeks.
November 12, 2009
Getting To Know Elias Cairo and His Meat
As the eagerly anticipated restaurant and salumeria Olympic Provisions prepares to open in the Produce Row neighborhood of the Southeast waterfront next week, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the OP and its roster of influential and accomplished partners, which include Clyde Common owner Nate Tilden, Clyde Common Executive Chef Jason Barwikowski, and former Executive Chef of Castagna Elias Cairo, who will assume the unique title of “meat-curing chef.”
Last weekend Eli, Michelle (Eli’s sister and OP co-owner) and I went to breakfast at Broder (one of Eli’s favorite breakfast spots) and talked a little bit about his globe-trotting meat-loving adventures, his taste in meat-curing music, his favorite spot to get meat, his ironic stint as a happy teenage vegan, and why Olympic Provisions will be the biggest and most exciting challenge of his career.
November 12, 2009
Are You Playing Foursquare?
Once upon a time, I was not fond of Foursquare. When you are forced to wear glasses AND a headgear in elementary school (why yes, this did scar me for life, thanks for asking), you develop a wariness of games involving hard rubber balls being bounced in the vicinity of your face.
But time changes everything. Teeth get straightened. Nearsighted eyes get Lasiked. The scars of youth are replaced by those inflicted by adulthood. And one day, you wake up and Foursquare is the most compelling thing since bacon-infused chocolate–Foursquare the location-based social network, that is.
I’m new to the Foursquare scene, myself. My first introduction came this summer, as I read Whiffies Fried Pies owner Gregg Abbott’s tweets declaring himself mayor of this or that. At first, I ignored them. I thought he had delusions of grandeur, or was living out some sort of weird twisted mayoral recall-gone-wild fantasy. Au contraire, he was “playing” Foursquare, a fast-growing mobile social networking phenomenon with a loyal and quickly expanding Portland following and strong implications for social food lovers about town. Read full story »
November 12, 2009
Tale of Two Pie Heavens: Part 1
Once upon a time a wise man, I think it was Jack Handy, said: “When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it’s not, mmmmmmmm, boy.”
Some people’s idea of pie heaven is holing up in a warm kitchen with a lot of cold butter, a rolling pin, a heaping fruit basket, and a library of spices, while other people’s idea of pie heaven is walking into Random Order bakery, pointing to the brandied peach pie and handing over their money. Let’s not quibble–there’s no right or wrong pie heaven.
But with Thanksgiving on the horizon, it’s time to think about where you stand, because while the turkey gets a lot of space on the T-Day playbill, it’s the pie that brings down the house–warm spicy pumpkin pie, could-die-happy-now chocolate pecan pie, cinnamon and nutmeg-laced good-old-fashioned apple pie.
Whether you believe the road to pie heaven is paved with good intentions, Grandma’s secret lard-laden crust recipe, or cold hard cash, Portland’s pie scene has something for you. Read full story »
November 12, 2009
Tale of Two Pie Heavens: Part 2
Not wanting to make pie is nothing to be ashamed of. Not everyone has pie-making in their blood, or even a remote interest in breaking cold butter into a willing mound of flour, rolling out a flaky dough, wrestling it into a pie pan, crimping it, and filling it with deliciousness.
Fine. So be it. But there must be pie on the Thanksgiving table, so you are going to have to go out and forage in the urban wilds of Portland to find it. Fortunately many fine local bakeries are opening their pie-making arms to you. Here they are.
November 11, 2009
Nostalgia
Someone cute just sent me this. Considering I paid $6.25 for a ham sandwich at lunch today, I feel wistful. I could sure go for a 25-cent deluxe tulip sundae right about now.
November 5, 2009
Love at First Bite: The Sugar Cube
I woke up so all aflutter this morning, I half expected to see plane tickets to Paris on the nightstand. But then I realized that my morning butterflies were just preemptive insulin spikes resulting from my anticipation of the Grand Opening of much-missed The Sugar Cube food cart, the newest and sweetest addition to North Portland’s Mississippi Marketplace.
November 4, 2009
Chef Ben Bettinger Tells All
(Okay, so maybe Ben didn’t tell all, but he did tell me what it’s like being named Restaurant of the Year when your kitchen is barely four months old, he revealed his early affinity for melted Brie and apple sandwiches, and he admitted that while he works at one of Portland’s premiere cocktail hotspots, after a long night in the kitchen he drinks Coors from the can.)
After nearly a decade spent in the kitchens of some of Portland’s most respected restaurants, 30-year-old chef Ben Bettinger has come into his own at four-month-old Beaker & Flask, a much-anticipated cocktail bar and restaurant that garnered a significant buzz around town leading up to its rather prolonged opening on June 25th. Read full story »
November 3, 2009
A Dish-Free Thanksgiving
Dear Dishwasher,
I’m sorry to break it to you like this, but your services won’t be required this Thanksgiving. Yes, I know you’re accustomed to full racks four times over on Turkey Day, I know you were ready and willing to bravely spray, wash, rinse and pulverize at least 25 pounds of turkey gristle, butternut squash soup smears, port and tangerine zest-accented cranberry sauce glops, pecan pie crusts, and the half-eaten remnants of Aunt Martha’s dreaded leaden corn muffins like you do faithfully every year, but this year Mother has asked that we dine out, and Mother always get her way.
Cordially,
Jen
PS: If you’re thinking of picking up some freelance work on T-day, you might try one of the following bastions of Turkey Day gluttony:
November 3, 2009
Do You Have What It Takes to Get Yelled At by Chef Tom Colicchio?
Bravo TV’s Top Chef combines two of my favorite things–food and reality tv–and affords me the opportunity to gape at sexy Chef Tom Colicchio, so it was exciting to hear that Top Chef is holding auditions for the show’s 7th Season right in here in our dear Portland, next Sunday, Nov. 15, between 10am – 2pm, at the Benson Hotel.
The stakes are high and so are the producers’ expectations. Contestants must have “a passion for food, creativity, a thorough knowledge of cooking techniques and trends and oodles of charisma.” According to the 24-page application, hopefuls must also:
*Create a culinary interpretation of the lyric “Eleven Pipers Piping” from the song “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
*Create a dish based on the color yellow.
*Dish on who your least favorite chef is and why.
*Describe your most embarrassing moment.
*Reveal an odd fact about yourself or talent you possess.
*List any celebrity chef contacts you have.
You also have to submit a five minute video, in which you are directed to “show off.”
“We want to be impressed with you as a chef, but we also need to get to know you as a person and your personality–make us laugh, cry, have fun…most of all, be YOU,” requests the network.
That’s all very nice, but after reading through all 24 pages of the application, my one question was not answered: Is Tom Colicchio going to be there giving out free smooches or what? Because if he is, even I could be persuaded to make a video revealing my passionate, charismatic rendering of yuzu pancakes with corn and yellow bell pepper salsa in a French’s mustard & lemon reduction.
November 1, 2009
All You Can Eat Tastebud Pizza and Salad
If you’re prone to the Sunday evening blues, and are known to stay home alone eating leftover lo mein, watching Ace of Cakes reruns, and trying to forget that you are working class and thus have to return to your cubicle in roughly 12 hours, take heart–starting TONIGHT, Tastebud Pizza has brightened your Sunday nights considerably with their new All-You-Can-Eat Pizza and Salad extravaganza.
Each and every Sunday night from 5-10pm, at Tastebud’s pretty little hidden dining room at 3220 SE Milwaukie (across the street from the Aladdin Theater), for $15 you can choose from 4-5 kinds of seasonal brick-oven-baked pizzas (think roasted squash, pancetta, pears, and spicy kale) and a variety of winter salads, and then keep on with the pizza and salad-eating force and don’t stop ’til you get enough.
October 29, 2009
Don’t Pigeonhole Pumpkin
Come autumn, the mighty and annually-anticipated pumpkin—great golden gourd of fairy tale, Charlie Brown, and state fair lore—can sometimes fall victim to the indignity of epicurean profiling. Pumpkin ‘pie, pie, pie, soup!’ is the repetitive rumble heard round the patch, er, kitchen. But our favorite fall fruit has so much more going for it than being smashed, mashed, mixed with cream and warming spices and baked in a flaky shell, although that sounds quite nice. Read full story »
October 28, 2009
Today is My Birthday, now Gimme Some PickleCake!
Today is my birthday. I won’t tell you how old I am, because after a certain age, a lady should never tell, unless the Trader Joe’s clerk asks you because you’re buying a case of Blanc de Blancs, which by the way is the best $4.99 bottle of sparkly ever.
The day is going well. I had a round of La Tur and a small bar of Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate (both from Pastaworks) for breakfast, because, it’s my birthday and I can.
October 24, 2009
I Got Lucky at the Hot Pepper Spa
It was Friday night, work was a rapidly fading memory, and my tumbly was rumbly. Time to play the ‘where do you want to eat tonight?’ game. I had a few ideas, I usually do.
“Some people like to come home after a long week, put their feet up, watch a little TV, relax,” my boyfriend said wearily. “You want to go drive around and look for food.”
October 23, 2009
Friday Breakfast Club: Byways Cafe
Every Friday morning at 7:15 am, Bethie and I (and Michelle if she can get out of bed), meet for Friday Breakfast Club. It can be a little tricky to find a good breakfast joint that’s open before 8 am, but we ferret them out. We both work downtown, so we aim for west side destinations, in a largely futile attempt not to be later to work than usual.
This week we met at Byways Cafe on NW Glisan Street, in the Pearl. Byways is a cheerfully eclectic diner with an old fashioned soda counter and wonderful sparkly red vinyl booths to sink into on a rainy morning such as this. Hot coffee comes almost immediately, and you can hear the scrambles a’sizzling and the line cooks ribbing each other. A motley collection of regulars sit silently at a table or on a barstool and leisurely read the paper. It’s a great place to wake up and smell the bacon.
October 19, 2009
Look Ma, Wallpaper Loves PDX! AlsoIgotatattoo.
Oh, the things I do for my job. Today, I volunteered to have my leg tattooed with henna, for a video shoot we’re doing this week. Laura was supposed to be the victim but whoever got the tattoo couldn’t shower until tomorrow morning and she wanted to work out tonight. At first I objected but she bribed me with a bottle of champagne. We all have our price. Read full story »
October 19, 2009
PFM Makes Food Dreams Come True
Like me, you probably have food dreams yet unfulfilled. Cooking school in Montalcino, dinner at elBulli, centipede skewers at Beijing’s Dong Hua Men Night Market, a steamy snog session with Jamie Oliver, I could go on and on. Perhaps your yet-to-be-realized food dreams include a year’s worth of Portland Farmer’s Market shopping sprees (yes, please!), or making dinner with famous Portland chef… Read full story »
Tall Tales
The kitchen door swung open and Jen gasped as an ancient ham and gruyere omelette hissed menacingly and darted behind the refrigerator. She surveyed the carnage. It was never pretty when the leftovers went on a rampage.
August 15, 2009
My Summer Essay
I knew it would be a good summer when my mother called me up and asked if I wanted to take a little road trip–up to the esteemed The Herb Farm in Woodinville, Washington, for their summer Basil Banquet dinner and then down to Yountville, California to dine at the famed French Laundry, a meal I have dreamed about for many moons. My momma didn’t raise no fools, so I had my Dora the Explorer duffel bag Goyard vintage travel bag out and half-packed before she’d even finished her sentence. Read full story »
