Chef Lisa Schroeder doesn’t mess around when it comes to comfort food, in fact she’s pretty much built an ironclad Portland institution celebrating the stuff at Mother’s, a beautiful, genteel dining room with buttery yellow and white-striped walls, glittery chandeliers, and thoughtful, motherly touches like the little cookies that come with your bill. The moment I feel a cold coming on I head down there for a bowl of savory Belle’s Chicken Noodle Soup, and anybody would be proud to take their mother there for the pate-like Chopped Liver (from the chef’s own mother’s recipe), the hot cheesy mac ‘n cheese du jour, and one of Mother’s signature dishes–chicken & dumplings, beef pot roast with gravy and smashed red potatoes, and Mom’s meatloaf and gravy. Lisa even has a Mother of the Month program (MOM), where she highlights a different mother every month and a few of their traditional recipes. Now, where did I put that application for my mother and her Free-Range Pinto Beans recipe?
