Kalaisha Watrous, scooterist and friend, was in a very serious accident on her Vespa Wednesday March 22. She is currently in Intensive Care with multiple injuries: a broken left leg, shattered right knee cap, broken left arm, dislocated right elbow, and several facial fractures.
Recovery from an accident of this severity will be long, painful, and expensive. Twist & Play Scooter Club has set up a donation fund through US Bank.
If you'd like to give a donation, you can do so at any US Bank—just say you would like to make a donation to the Kalaisha Watrous fund.
My point is to show the qualities of Portland's public artwork.
1. There's a lot of public artwork. And it's all over the place.
2. Though most of our public artwork gets inaugurated with a huzzah, much is quickly forgotten. Some of it vanishes (the "Columbia" figures which matched the doorways of the Pioneer Courthouse Post Office, the large multimedia piece which dominated the third floor of the Central Library prior to remodel).
3. Much of our public art has been acquired by corporate or governmental "welfare for the arts" programs. Some pieces clearly were bought to promote a political or aesthetic agenda.
5. On reflection, much of this art turns out to be crap: some is curious, some is incomprehensible, some is evocative, provocative, or tells a story. Some bridges the gap between art and decoration (Portlandia), some is wild seed flying (graffiti tunnel), some is profound and challenging (Coe's Lincoln in the Park Blocks – our great treasure). But as for the crap we've paid for it and often the work is heavy and public and regardless of its quality some folks would never dispose of anything. So it persists. Sometimes for decades. Then a new visitor arrives and says, "what the hell is that!" And you, as an ambassador of this great city, have some explaining to do. Start with 190 ton piece of crap in front of the Standard Insurance Building.
This piece is called Agent Mischief (of the Sprockettes, natch) and it's just one of the bike oriented pieces of art done by Tiago Denczuk (aka Tiago DeJerk) from the show "The Most Ridiculous People I know".
This Thursday from 6pm till close, a group of artist wranglers will be here with supplies to lure as many as possible into a GROUP ART PROJECT. All participants will be responsible for a 4"x6" panel of a great collage to be displayed at Stumptown next month.
*If you can't make it on Thursday, August 23rd, you can stop by another time throughout the week, gather supplies and drop the piece off by Saturday.
*Remember, the deal is that you can visit the Waypost this week to produce a submission which will almost certainly be accepted. Thursday night from 6pm 'til close is the time of the official art party for this project.
#2
You might want to be here Thursday because that's the same night as Castle Danz' LIVE JOURNALISM & EXPERTS presentation on "DIY Bookbinding"(8pm). You may just walk out of here with an empty book of your own making.
With several collections of shorts and 6 films over 40 minutes, and 8 programs, there is lots to see here. Kids on bikes, Brazil’s freestyle underground, fixed gear alleycat, Ines Brunn's Artistic Cycling, tall bikes, biking in the bible belt, messengers, freakbikes, re-enactments of 70s movies, bike thieves, donated bikes in Ghana, mountain bikes, BMX, bike cars, hillbombing, and bike factories.
The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle. We are into all styles of bikes and biking. If you can name it-Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling to Recumbents- we've probably either ridden or screened it. What better way to celebrate these lifestyles than through art, film, music and performance? We bring together all aspects of bicycling together to advocate its ability to transport us in many ways. Ultimately the Fest is about having a good time.
We have been fortunate enough to include works of established artists such as Jorgen Leth, Mike Mills, Jonas Mekas, Blonde Redhead, Swoon and Michel Gondry among others as part of our programming. Many of the artists who have participated in the Bike Film Fest such as Nick Golebiewski, the Neistat Brothers and Lucas Brunelle are gaining more and more recognition for their work.
There is so very much going on this weekend. Let's begin, shall we?
Friday-Saturday: The Bicycle Film Festival at Cinema 21 more details here or below
Friday-Sunday: Muddy Boots Organic Festival at St. Philip Neri Church (18th & Division).
Dave knows and tells all
Saturday: the KBOO book & record sale at the Musician's Union Hall, 325 NE 20th Avenue (1 block south of Sandy Blvd.) from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. KBOO has more details
Saturday: Widmer Oktoberfest from 4pm until late Saturday, September 8th on N. Russell.
Dave knows and tells all
Saturday: Belmont Street Fair (car free!), centered between 33rd and 35th, but will run from 20th-48th.
Dave knows and tells all
Saturday - Sunday: Hempstalk at Sellwood Waterfront Park Dave knows and tells all
Regular readers know that I don't really ever write about fashion, and people who know me know I don't have a clue about it. But I love graphic design, and I've long been a fan of the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). And I really love Queen Bee Creations. You've seen them: their stylish bags hang off the shoulders of about half of the trend-aware women around town.
So when AIGA and Queen Bee come together, what's not to love?
Here's the deal. In April, 2007, 50 local designers produced banners that hung in downtown Portland promoting the Urban Forest Project, with the goal of better awareness of green design. The banners have now been cut up and recycled as really great-looking designer handbags by local artisans at Queen Bee Creations. And Socio XV will have the bags for sale, and offer people a chance to meet the artists in person.
Mind you, I don't know what Socio XV is supposed to mean, but I gotta get my hands on one of the bags. At least one...
It's free for AIGA members, $5 for non-members. The event will include music, snacks, and a cash bar. 21+. The bag sale proceeds will benefit Portland's Friends of Trees.
Friday-Sunday, September 22-24, 2006
SW Ankeny between 2nd and 3rd portlandcarfreeday.org
As you can see, Carfree Day will be a whole weekend long this year. We'll be turning this downtown street into a car-less plaza, and will be providing entertainment and education at various points during the
weekend.
Saturday the 23rd will be the big night, featuring the 20 Foot Man (who is everything you could imagine) and other exciting, danceable local acts.
Friday night will feature food and community. Saturday and Sunday during the day, we'll provide a mellow place to hang out on pillows and chairs and listen to acoustic music and sound experiments.
This weekend will be the first step in permanently shutting that segment of SW Ankeny to car traffic!
10pm, Monday, January 15
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations: Pacific NW
the Travel Channel (basic cable)
Cable channel 65 or C413 or Directv 277 or Dish 215
Hey, we might look like freaks but we're Portland freaks, right? Or some such. Anthony Bourdain comes to town, eats at Apizza Scholls, looks for tattooed cooks, and if you believe the promo, all hell breaks loose. I hope at least he had a good time. And that we look crazy-scary, not crazy-cool.
I'm always curious how Portland gets portrayed in the media, and food television tends to give us this crazy hippy vibe—more than the hippy vibe that we have really have. I mean, the Best of and Old Wives Tales? Rachel Ray and Old Town Pizza? Please.
The promo shows someone riding the Dropout Bike Club's spinner, which gives me a bit of hope. If they can show some of our bike fun culture, I think they have a half a chance to get it right.
Anyways: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation. Seattle and Portland. At least he didn't have to toss fish here.
Two great interviews are at ExtraMSG's site here and here.
Pacific NW
The Pacific Northwest is filled with everything - history, coffee, fresh produce, trees and obsession. Chef Anthony Bourdain is setting-off to visit the land introduced to us by Lewis and Clark, to rediscover it
Beloved Portland blogger, Frykitty, has an up-to-date, no-fun-barred calendar of spooky events and the like. If you're looking for something appropriately scary (or fun), this is a great resource to check out!
I read about the Japanese Garden being free tomorrow, Friday, the observed Veterans Day, and I got all excited. I love the Japanese Garden, of course, but I thought, maybe, there was a cavalcade of free cultural events that those of us who get Veterans Day off could take advantage of.
No such luck. It appears that it's just the Japanese Garden. Still, it's the Japanese Garden!
FREE ADMISSION DAY
The Japanese Garden of Portland
Friday, November 10, 2006
10am-4pm
Come see the Japanese Garden in all its fall colors! Friday, November 10, 2006 is FREE ADMISSION DAY at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. Everyone is welcome.
Take a free Garden tour at 10:45am, 1:00pm or 2:30pm
See Autumn Leaves—the world-renowned Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Exhibit
Visit the Garden Gift Store's fall sale with books, holiday gift ideas, and Japanese cultural and art pieces
Enjoy this magical place of tranquility and beauty
Come and experience the Japanese Garden again or for the first time for free on November 10, 2006.
The Japanese Garden is located on the west side of Washington Park, directly above the International Rose Test Gardens. A free shuttle bus is available to take passengers from the Garden parking lot to the admission gate.
This is the sort of nightmare I lay awake worrying about.
In June, 35-year old Chad Schild, a Portland restaurant worker, went to ER with a bunch of unusual but seemingly routine health complaints. He came out with a stunning diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, an uncommonly aggressive form of cancer.
He is currently receiving as much chemotherapy as his body will tolerate in an attempt to force this disease into remission. Chad has worked at Papa Haydn and Jo Bar on NW 23rd for the past 5 years. Anyone who lives, eats or drinks in this neighborhood would recognize Chad's sandy blonde beard and remember his never-ending wisecracks.
That is just a nightmare in and of itself, but, wait, this only gets worse.
Like 46 million other Americans, and like so many of our fellow Portland restaurant workers, Chad does not have health insurance. While the Oregon Health Plan and Medicare may step up to cover some part of his medical expenses, he is still unable to work, and his monthly bills are piling up. This combination of medical bills and debt threatens to derail Chad's life even if he does make a full recovery from his current condition.
Meanwhile, Chad's family is rearranging their lives to travel to Portland during this battle, stretching everybody's budget to the limit. Chad's story is the ultimate "what if" tale for restaurant workers. As we all know, it is not economically feasible for most restaurants to offer health insurance to all their employees. But we can band together to support a member of our service industry family during this tragedy.
So, of course, there are ways to contribute. There's a paypal general fund for Chad. You can buy a t-shirt ($20 at Jo Bar, talk to the bartender or manager on duty for details). And/or, you can go to Supportland.
This is a benefit concert organized by an amazing core group of Chad’s friends. It promises to be an evening of music, food, drink, and friends. Some big name Portland bands, like Floater, Go Fever, Caves, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, and Federale, will be playing. The space, AudioCinema, is super-cool, with good food and beer on tap. And, it's for a really good cause.
Tickets are on sale now at Trade Up Music (4701 SE Division St., 1834 NE Alberta St.), Clinton Street Video (2501 SE Clinton St), Old Town Music (40 SW 3rd Ave), and Jo Bar (715 NW 23rd Ave).
I just read about this in Metroblogging this morning. Orycon, the Portland scifi and fantasy convention, is coming right up.
Now, if you've never been to a Con before, yes, some folks dress up. Yes, there is filking. Really, there is a full spectrum of geeking. Here's what they have to say:
Orycon 28 will have strong literary and science programming in the tradition of past Orycons.
Additionally in the tradition of Orycon's past, we plan to have a lot of fun, with activities and special interest programming to reflect the diverse range of interests that are integral to or closely associated with science fiction fandom. These include media, art, anime, fanzines, writing, costuming, gaming, and filking, with a smattering of fannish panels as well. We will also have children's programming and some educators programming focused on using Science Fiction in the classroom.
What this quote from their web site don't mention is Cory Doctorow is coming. He's the Writer Guest of Honor. If you aren't familiar with him, he's an author (duh!), internet activist, and a contributor to Wired and BoingBoing. I am so there.
Just a friendly reminder that I would love to see all your beautiful faces at BikeCraft this Thursday night. I've got 20 fantastic vendors lined up...selling all sorts of wonderfully bikey arts and crafts. There will be hot cider and plenty holiday cheer for all, and live music by the Trash Mountain Boys.
Come see and be seen at City Hall (1221 SW 4th) this Thursday night from 4-8pm. We've got the entire first floor atrium all to ourselves and upstairs Commissioner Adams is having a craft fair of his own so it'll be an amazing gathering of great, locally made gifts!
Please tell your friends to join us...the more the merrier...
Support local artists and spread Portland's bike love to the friends and family on your list (or just buy cool stuff for yourself)!
Join us at SCRAP's fifth annual Holiday Bazaar and Bakesale on Saturday, December 9th from 11am to 6pm at SCRAP’s retail location. This unique and cozy holiday bazaar features 15 local artisans that transform normally unwanted materials into cool, creative gifts perfect for your friends and loved ones! All items are made from a minimum of 75% reused materials.
Meet and support local artists working with found objects and be inspired.
* April Alden - Rosewebs
* Doni Barzoloski
* Christine Claringbold - Eye Pop Art
* Ruby Colette - Second Hand Saints
* Liz Dickey
* Sarah Gilbert and Larissa Brown
* Jenn Hill - Robot Candy
* Janet Julian
* Suzannne Keolker - Mugwump
* Megan Klepp
* Sam MacKenzie
* Heather Maharry
* Adrienne McKeehan
* Beth Myrick
* Marc Wilwerth - Perfect Children
The SCRAP Bazaar is combined with a traditional Bake Sale offering homemade goodies to tempt the tummy.
Guaranteed to be more fun and cheaper than the mall!
Canby Asparagus Farm is proud to announce it's (sic) 1st Annual Tamale Festival at Clackamas County Fairgrounds December 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2006 Hours will be from 11:00 am until 8 pm.
Come sample and purchase 50 varieties of home-style tamales. Choose from basic Chicken or Pork to the more exotic Crab Tamale featuring Oregon Dungeness Crab, the Greek Tamale with Alsea Acre goat cheese and don't forget the Asparagus Tamale.
Chef Victor Martinez from Oazaca, and tamale experts Martha Avilez and Edie Guzman will be demonstrating the art of tamale making daily. Another demonstration will be the making of corn tortillas.
This will be a fun-filled 3 day event with entertainment for the whole family.
A donation of a can of food per person is requested for entry to the festival.
TONIGHT!
Don't miss the 3rd Annual OSC Holiday lights ride led by the notorious poster boy Mark Trail.
Join us for a fun-filled evening of scooter riding, light viewing and social fun!
Put on by the Oregon Scooter Club and sponsored by The Lucky Bastards Scooter Club and the Cute Bunnies And Kitties Scooter Club.
Ride leaves at 7:00pm from the Urban Grind Coffee shop at 2214 NE Oregon St. (NE 22nd Ave & NE Oregon St.)
We will head out for an urban adventure in search of the most glorious and silly holiday light displays we can find, taking in short stops on one of Portland's many volcanoes, a well-lit Victorian Mansion, and we will search for the ever popular Columbia River X-Mas Ships!
So, dress up in your warmest riding gear and come on out for the best winter ride of the season.
Late comers can still join in on the fun...
If you can't make the ride departure time, we will be meeting up at the Sextant Bar & Galley for a mid-ride warm up in hopes to see the ships. Expect to find us there around 7:45 - 8:15pm . The Sextant Bar & Galley is located at 4035 NE Marine Dr. (Just east of where NE 33rd Ave intersects with Marine Dr. next to Salty's restaurant)
Okay, so I love me a Russian Imperial Stout, and of the Russian Imperial Stouts made locally.... oh yeah, Laurelwood's is the only one made locally, but it compares favorably to nationally known RISs. And, it's only available after Winter Solstice until it runs out. Last year that happened pretty quick. It's worth braving the children for this.
Chad at Laurelwood writes, via the Brew Crew:
Our Russian Imperial Stout will be available on Friday the 22nd not tomorrow. While Mr. Foyston is correct in his article that solstice starts on Jan 21 we're saving our celebration for the first full day of winter.
Laurelwood rolls out Moose & Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout (into the Wayback Machine, Rocky & Bullwinkle fans) on the solstice, and the pub will also serve the regular porter and stout, Old Reliable barleywine and Vinter Varmer, the pub's much loved strong ale.
Yeah, the Vinter Varmer's good. But Moose & Squirrel? Dude!
The gallery 12x16, near Genies and Modified/Motokitty at 12th & SE Division, is losing their space. The current show is Betty Dodson, and they are planning to mount a Farewell Group show and throw a big party for their last weekend... which is February 1-4 (my kind of weekend, the type that starts on Thursday!).
On Feb 15th I'm putting on a screening of movies/talkumentaries from my DVD "Cantankerous Titles & Obscure Ephemera, Vol 1" for "Thirsty Third Thursday". Many of them have not played in Portland before. They may not again. That's not a hook - merely the honest truth.
Thursday, 15 February, 7:30 pm: The Sounds of Jumptown with Robert Dietsche
Jumptown, Bob Dietsche's wonderful history of the jazz scene that flowered in North Portland 50 years ago, has been our #2 bestseller two years running! When we learned that Bob had finally assembled a companion CD for the book, we were delighted beyond words. On the eve of the Portland Jazz Festival, join us to celebrate the launch of this collection of archival performance recordings from Portland's jazz heyday. A portion of Bob's proceeds from the CD will be donated to the Leroy Vinegar Foundation's music education fund.
Filmed by Bike Headquarters is going on vacation until the end of the month so we've decided to extend the deadline for submissions.
You now officially have SEVEN extra days to make your superfuckingawesomemovie.
Deadline: March 8.
We can't wait to see them!
Ayleen + The Esteemed Jury
// Filmed by Bike
April 13-15, 2007
Clinton Street Theater
BIKE-THEMED FILM SUBMISSIONS WANTED
>>> ABOUT THE CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Fifth Annual Filmed by Bike is open for entries of bike-themed film shorts (8 minutes or under). Deadline is March 1st, 2007. Selected films will be screened on April 2007 in Portland, Oregon.
>>> SUBMISSION DETAILS
...format: DVD only
...length: 8 minutes or under
...deadline: March 1st, 2007
...submit to: Filmed by Bike, 1158 NE Morton, Portland OR 97211 by mail only
Please join us on Thursday, March 15th, at 6pm to Walk Waud Bluff!
Gather to start the walk at N Harvard and N Willamette Blvd at 6:00 pm PDT*
Walk Waud Bluff! and explore a FUNDED TRAIL LINK, to the future Willamette Greenway with members of npGREENWAY (Friends of the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail). While on the walk, explore the location of the planned bridge across the railroad tracks. This new bridge will enable people to safely traverse the bluff between the University Park Neighborhood above and Swan Island below.
Dress for the weather; wear good walking shoes; expect a steep hill down and up the bluff on an unpaved trail; children are welcome; sorry, no wheel chair or stroller accessibility at this time. If you are arriving by automobile, please be considerate of neighbors when you choose your parking spot.
Snacks will be provided for you after the climb back up the hill. ;-)
Christian, Paul and I will be at Concordia Ale House pouring a few special beers for your enjoyment. As it now stands they'll have our UberAltus, Cask Strong Pale (aka Bunny Hop), and the last keg of Green Elephant (this was the lineup as of this morning). The last two beers aren't even available at the brewery so I hope to see you there. I believe the festivities start at 6 or 7.
Longbaugh HQ in 2006 is the Laurelhurst Theater. We'll also have programming at Cinema 21, Clinton Street Theater, McMenamins Bagdad Theater & Pub, McMenamins Kennedy School, McMenamins Mission Theater and the Whitsell Auditorium.
Even as we're having gorgeous sunny weather now, nothing says Spring like a farmers market. And unless you go to Peoples Organic Market, you may well be jonesing for opening day.
Well, opening day for the Portland Farmers Market at PSU is Saturday, like two days from now!
Ah, but what's going to be at the Farmers Market? You know, other than meat, eggs, cheese, breads, plants, prepared foods, and the like?
Well, April is garden month. Every Saturday at 10am, "local gardening gurus will share tips and demonstrations. Dozens of local nursery vendors add to the inspiration with beautiful plant, herb and veggie starts, ready-made container gardens, hanging baskets and summer bulbs. Take advantage of on-site potting stations staffed by volunteers from the local gardening community ready to help shoppers transform flowers, herbs and plants purchased from market growers in container gardens to go."
And this Saturday, 4/07, Heather Flores, author of Food not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community will be sharing the tips and demos.
And should you want to buy fresh produce (and fish), here's what to expect: Abalone, arugula, asian greens, asparagus, basil, bee pollen, beeswax, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chickweed, chives, cider, cilantro, clams, collards, crab, cresses, morels, mushrooms, dill, dried fruits, endive, escarole, fava beans, fennel, nuts, flaxseed, garlic, honey, hubbards, kale, kohlrabi, lavender, leeks, lemongrass, lettuce, maches, maitake, marjoram, mesculun mix, mint, mizuna, mustard greens, oninons, oregano, oysters & oyster mushrooms, parsley, pea shoots, pears, peas, potatoes, prunes, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, romaine, rosemary, rutabagas, sage, salad mix, salmon, shallots, shell beans, shiitake, shrimp, snow peas, spinach, swiss chard, tarragon, tatsoi, thyme, tomatoes, truffles, tuna, and turnips.
And what do you do with chickweed anyways? Maybe you have to go to the market to find out?
You are invited to Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering's annual spring Seed and Plant Swap.
Gardeners and farmers the world over have freely shared their seeds and plants since agriculture began over 12,000 years ago. In a world of genetic engineering and the corporate patenting of the commons we invite you to continue this age-old tradition by sharing your seeds, and plants with your community.
Come meet our special guest: Heather Flores, author of the recently published Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community.
Who: you, gardeners, farmers, seed savers and breeders, et, al.
What: Seed and Plant swap. Please bring empty seed packets and plastic bags or pots for plants.
When: Sunday April 8th from 1-3 pm
Location: Proper Eats Market and Café in St. Johns 8638 N. Lombard St. (phone: 503.445.2007)
Hosted by Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering
POB 15289
Portland, OR 97293
Ph. 503.239.6841
http://www.nwrage.org
info@nwrage.org
All day long on April Fools, Amnesia will donate a percentage of all sales to the Oregon chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Like you needed encouragement!
6:30-8pm, Monday 4/10
McMenamin's Kennedy School
5736 NE 33rd Ave
I am not sure if they are speaking, or just schmoozing. More info when I have it.
Monday night, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong (lefty mega-bloggers from DailyKos.com and MyDD.com) will be in Portland - and you're invited to join them in support of Rob Brading, the Democrat who is taking on Speaker Karen Minnis -- campaigning to defeat her in her own district.
For Oregon progressives, the most important task in 2006 is toppling the Republican majority in the Oregon Legislature. Speaker Karen Minnis and her right-wing cronies have been in control for sixteen years - and they've frustrated just about every progressive reform. They've wiped out school funding, defunded the Oregon Health Plan, destabilized our tax system, and used their power to enrich themselves, their friends, and out-of-state corporations.
The fight against Karen Minnis is critical. I hope you'll come meet these two blogfathers of the progressive blogosphere, and come join us Monday night in support of Rob Brading's campaign.
It's a $20 suggested donation -- either at the door, or online at Rob Brading for State Representative. There's more info at the Oregon House Democrats website.
Filmed by Bike is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is a fundraiser for the Multnomah County Bike Fair, Shift's all-out blowout bike fair in June.
Please note, there are no showings at 9:00 on Sat and Sun due to the theater making a last-minute schedule change.
==> SCHEDULE
Friday - OPENING NIGHT THROWDOWN - April 13, 7:00 and 9:00 pm, 21+
Saturday, April 14, 5:00 (all ages), 7:00 pm (21+)
Sunday, April 15, 7:00 pm (21+)
==> GOOD TO KNOW!
Friday will sell out. There are no advance ticket sales. The line rocks, it's filled with some of the coolest bike people in Portland. Meet a new friend, discover a riding/drinking (or riding+drinking) buddy.
==> WIN AN ELECTRA AMSTERDAM
We've got an online raffle to win an Electra Amsterdam. All raffle tickets purchased on Friday night and all raffle tickets purchased online will go into the drawing for this super hot Euro bike.
Winner will be chosen on Sunday and you don't need to even attend the festival to win.
We have 40 different breweries on hand for this years festival, which means over 80 different beers to sample.
This event is all about educating your taste buds by sampling and comparing a variety of drink from hand-crafted beer, wine, cider, mead, and distilled spirits.
We encourage responsible drinking by featuring live music suitable for dancing or listening, food courts with gourmet items, and from the cooking stage renowned Chefs demonstrating cuisine using the "spirits" offered at the festival.
Our venue provides areas for sitting, strolling, and purchasing unique items offered by exhibitors and arts & crafts vendors. We have an attached heated outdoor smoker's tent offering a comfortable area where a cigar vendor offers additional beer and fine tobacco items.
Today most record collectors are in their 20s or 30s. They are DJs, producers, musicians, rockers and jazz fans. They are looking for; jazz from the 50s, easy listening from the 60s, funk from the 70s, hip hop from the 80s and alternate rock from the 90s.
Their problem has been that record shows have been very unfriendly to them. The Sunday morning start time, the blaring of oldies from the sound system and the emphasis on classic rock, have left today's collectors out in the cold.
Portland's Nightowl Record Show is here to save the day! Starting in the evening, providing cheap eats and drinks, DJs and 10s of thousands of the best records in the world, the Nightowl provides what today's record collector is looking for.
Portland has so many great, old theaters! For some reason, this city still has a number of cinemas and vaudeville houses from the 'classic era'--1910's to 30's--still standing, some of which still are active theaters today. This bicycle ride will explore various neighborhood theaters on the east side of the Willamette--some still standing, some only a memory. The entire ride will cover approximately 6 miles in about 3+ hours of time. After the full ride, we hope to take in a movie at one of Portland's classic movie palaces; bring appropriate cash if you would like to join us!
The "Pierogi Extravaganza" last week was a success, then we will repeat it this Sunday. Grandpa's Cafe is serving different kinds of pierogi - potato and cheese, sweet cheese, cabbage and mushrooms - this Sunday from 12PM to 2PM.
Which is your favorite? Mine are the sweet cheese pierogi.
A serving of pierogi is for $5.
Join us for Portland's Annual Festival of the Book, taking place over three days April 21-23, 2006.
This year's festival will include featured readings by bestselling authors, poets and NW writing legends, panels on every conceivable subject, workshops for teachers of writing, dinners with your favorite authors, a two day book fair with hundreds of exhibitors, two days of children's readings and activities, food, music, cooking demonstrations and more!
There's a book fair. A children's festival. Over 250 authors, 11 stages, over 100 publishers, booksellers and writing organizations, a Workshop for Writers and Teachers, even Ira Glass.
I'm confused about the cooking demonstrations, though.
Saturday April 22, from 10am to 4pm, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company will be hosting their first Earth Day Sale. The postcard I received promises Blue Dot Double IPA in bottles! If that's not enough to get you there I'm sure Alan will have some other surprises up his sleeve. Last I heard, there was still some Rose Cassis, a special recipe Rose featuring black currants, which was brewed and bottled last fall.
(If you drive there, the googlemap will give you a good idea where it is, but it makes it look like SE 23rd actually goes through to Holgate. It doesn't! Hair of the Dog's How to get there will help you a lot if you are driving or bicycling.)
It's not everyday you have a potato holiday, is it?
here's what the flyer says:
$5.00 for serving of 4 potato pancakes with choice of
-applesauce
-sour cream sauce
-mushroom sauce
Come join us for this potato holiday, Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 12pm-5pm, 3832 N Interstate (at the Portland Polish Hall and Library Association)
Roux's 1st Annual
Crawfish Boil
& Street Party
Sunday, April 29th
11:30 to 5:00
All-you-can-eat boiled crawfish, andouille sausage po'boys, salads & more, with Louisiana's own Abita Turbo Dog and local micro brews on tap + classic hurricane cocktails.
(must be 21+ and carrying valid identification)
Music and dancing with zydeco band THE NEW IBERIANS and blues artists MARY FLOWER & STEVE CHEESEBOROUGH.
$25.00 Adults ($30.00 Same Day)
$12.00 Children 6 to 12
Free for Children Under 6
This is a tented event held rain or shine with partial proceeds benefiting Self Enhancement Inc., a local organization dedicated to guiding underserved youth to realize their full potential.
While I feel really, really frustrated with the direction that the Cinco de Mayo fiesta is headed (very few artisans and lots of chinese-made jewelery, and a lot of corndogs, elephant ears and gyros sold outside of the rides area), it's still a great place to get a smattering of some good traditional Mexican street foods. Especially when you consider that a lot of the good stuff is unavailable at the restaurants or taco trucks themselves, and there's free entry on Friday before 2pm.
We went on Thursday, and here's what we had and liked.
I'm a big fan of La Flor de Michoacan (Hillsboro), so I always start there with a gordita filled with meat or cheese. It's like a tostada, at least toppings wise, but imminently less messy. Since you're eating a fried masa disk, there's also no crunch, but it is yummy and filling.
I saw several spits with pork al pastor, pork meat marinated and cooked with pineapple. You're looking for pork that looks cooked, but still looks like individual pieces of pork, with pineapple at the top. That can be delicious. Keep sharp for that.
Salvador's Bakery makes churros. Ask for a hot one fresh from frying.
Richi's Tacos is always a hit. Their chicken dishes are delish, and be sure to get a tamale or three - they're moist and luscious, and unavailable at Richi's taco truck.
Yesenia's Market has a number of treats. First, they have these curious fried tortilla things that are puffy and crunchy, and you can get them hot. They have mango on a stick, and they have elote, corn on the cob, Mexican style. You have to at least try it with mayonnaise and fresh Mexican cheese, a sprinkle of chili pepper, and a squeeze or two of lime. It would be even better if it were elote en vaso, elote in a glass, but hey.
Mister Taco is a consistent favorite. Yes, their sign is hand scrawled, but the food is great. Try the pupusas, masa surrounding a filling, generally beans and cheese, but sometimes also pork, from El Salvador -- it's not available at Mister Taco's carts. The huaraches look promising as well. And, they serve the best horchata that we tried... and we tried a few.
Grande Foods of Cornelius have a nice selection of pops and desserts. We tried a pudding variant of the Tres Leches Cake, which was pretty darn good.
There are really two different ways to experience the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.
First, is as just another waterfront festival that involves expensive carny food, rides, and goofy entertainment.
But I'd like to suggest if you appreciate Mexican culture, to take another tack. Seek out the good food, and the great entertainment—it's there, you just have to look. First of all, burritos are not Mexican—they're great, but they are an American intrepretation of Mexican. Don't bother with them at Cinco.
They haven't published the restaurant list yet (sigh), but we had some great grub at La Flor de Michoacan and Mr. Taco. Look for less usual foods, like homemade tortillas, sopes, elote.
The entertainment can be stellar too: lots of Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi, and the Naturalization Ceremony, where new citizens get sworn in (which is really quite touching. Really.)
Interesting bands include
Los Enemigos Del Silencio (what a great name!!), a Woodburn based Mexican Pop band
Los Texmaniacs from San Antonio playing Conjunto, Country-Rock & Cumbias
Las 3 Divas (Cumbia, Tejano & Pop)
Paco Padilla from Guadalajara
Rogelio Martinez from California (Norteno & Banda)
7:30pm, Fri and Sat nights (April 28-May 21)
3pm, Sundays (April 30, May 7, 14, 21)
Do Jump Extremely Physical Theater
Echo Theater
1515 SE 37th Ave. (just south of Hawthorne)
(503) 231-1232 dojump.org googlemap get there via trimet find a bike route
DO JUMP! proudly premieres And then... a new work inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. This visually stunning work of aerial dance, circus arts, video and live music, draws inspiration from Chagall, taking the audience on a playful journey celebrating life, love, color, shape and spirit. Chagall said, "the dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world." Do Jump! concurs with this belief, striving to inspire people with pedestrian images that evoke memory, illuminate the mysterious, and breakdown barriers to time and place.
This show is the 30th new work Robin Lane has created for DO JUMP! After nearly three decades, Do Jump! remains a pioneer in aerial dance, touring throughout North America, including performances on Broadway at the New Victory, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and the Performing Arts Center in Cerritos, CA.
If you aren't familiar with Do Jump, they combine dance, acrobatics and trapeze. Cool. But even cooler that it's unpretentious and the prices for performances are affordable.
8 am, Saturday 5/6
PDX Brewers Big Brew
900 se columbia ridge drive, Vancouver
(360) 258-1469
-beerisgoodfood-at=gmail=dot=com- pdxbrewers.com googlemap
WHAT IS BIG BREW? The Big Brew: National Home Brew Day is Saturday, May 6 th.
Each year on the first Saturday in May, homebrewers unite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate National Homebrew Day, joining with thousands of homebrewers from around the world in brewing the same recipes and sharing a simultaneous toast at noon Central Time.
You may be wondering, what's happening with everyone's favorite scooterist, Kalaisha.
Well, she's outta the hospital, she's recovering, and she's mad as hell, and there ain't nothing you can do about it.
Except come to her benefit which will help offset the massive medical expenses. There'll be bands (the Cha Cha Club, Straitjacket, Rezistor) and a raffle and the warm cozy feeling of knowing you're helping. While you're rockin'.
PORTLAND, Ore. - What started last year as a surprise 80th birthday party for world-renowned beer writer Fred Eckhardt is coming back around this year as a fundraiser to assist a longtime friend and supporter of the state's craft-beer community.
At least a dozen rare and unusual beers created by Oregon breweries will be featured at FredFest 2007. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 12 at Hair of the Dog Brewing, 4509 SE 23rd Avenue in Portland.
The beer menu is still being firmed up, but organizer and beer wrangler Preston Weesner says he has been asking Oregon brewers to pony up something special for the event -- and many already have answered the call.
"I've just been telling them to share something that Fred would like," Weesner says.
Attendees will be treated not only to a selection of hand-selected beers, but also light fare including barbecue and snacks -- and a birthday cake for Eckhardt. Cheeses, chocolate, and even cereal will be on hand so attendees can experience some of Eckhardt's famed beer-and-food pairings.
Cost for the event is $20 in advance or $25 at the door and includes a souvenir glass. To get on the list for advance-purchase tickets, e-mail fredfest@comcast.net.
Eckhardt requested that proceeds from the event go to help longtime craft-beer supporter Merle Gilmore, who has been battling leukemia and faces astronomical medical and prescription bills. Gilmore has been an inexhaustible volunteer at beer fests and often assisted Hair of the Dog owner Alan Sprints in bottling and other duties around the brewery. He is well known for providing his specially made hot-pepper fudge for Eckhardt's beer-and-chocolate tastings, and hopes to have a couple of batches available for FredFest 2007.
When asked to choose a charity for this year's FredFest, Eckhardt suggested that the proceeds go to Gilmore. "Let's keep it in the family," Eckhardt said.
The beers scheduled:
1- BridgePort Brewing. Cask Old Knucklehead
2- Deschutes. Coffee infused 20K Imperial Bourbon Porter
3- Full Sail TBA
4- Hair Of The Dog. Cask Fred
5- Laurelwood TBA.
6- Lucky Lab. Russian Imperial Stout
7- New Old Lompoc. Oak aged LSD
8- Max's Fanno Creek. Belgian Dubbel
9- Pelican Brewing. Gran Cru
10- Racoon Lodge. Sour Wild Blackberry aged in oak
11- Rock Bottom. Ned Flanders Red. ( the original!)
12- Rogue. Dad's Little Helper Malt liquor
13- Roots Organic. Pinot-barrel aged Epic
14- Widmer. Collaborator Continuum Brown
Celebrate your commute with breakfast in Pioneer Courthouse Square
It's all downhill to downtown!
The City of Portland Office of Transportation is hosting a Bike to Work Day party in honor of National Bike Month.
WHAT: Bike to Work Day Party
City Transportation staff will serve free breakfast and coffee for bike commuters and will provide musical entertainment.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 16, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Pioneer Courthouse Square
WHO: Bike commuters
WHY: Join other bicycle commuters to honor National Bike Month and celebrate Portland as the best bicycling city in the United States! Or try bike commuting for the first time with the support of veteran commuters.
The City of Portland Office of Transportation is urging residents to take the stress and hassle out of their commute, put some healthy fun in the mix, and join other bicycle commuters at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Wednesday, May 16, for a Bike to Work Day party.
The Bike to Work Day event, organized by the City's Transportation Options Division, will be held from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square in honor of National Bike Month and in honor of all bicyclists who have helped make Portland a top city for cycling in the United States.
Portland's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) was designed to hold the bursting metropolitan area in check while protecting Willamette Valley orchards and fields from sprawling suburbia. While the boundary has contributed to making Portland one of the nation's most successful and distinctive cities, it has also come under fire from developers, property-rights advocates, and other critics. Over the course of two years, David Oates walked and kayaked the 260-mile boundary that defines Portland to discover how the UGB has contributed both to success and frustration for Portlanders.
Join us to hear more about his engaging and thought-provoking record of the journey. The author will be joined for this event by some of the collaborators—planners, developers, farmers, and others—who joined him on his walks around the edge of town and contributed their perspectives to his understanding of our boundary.
Two-plus weeks of bike fun in and around Portland, Oregon
Over 121 events, starting with Birding by Bike, a Tall Bikes Workshop and the Kickoff Parade, and ending with the Multnomah County Bike Fair. There's an event for just about everyone, and if there isn't an event for you, add yours to the calendar.
Food oriented rides include several pastry patrols, a potluck picnic, gelato, chocolate, conveyor belt sushi, tacos, pizza, and, of course, donuts. There are also dance parties, with or without water and/or minibikes, bar and tavern crawls, chances to up your mad cyclin' skills, bike commuting workshops, graffiti rides, it just goes on and on.
There is so much going on, that, sheesh, I could spend two-plus weeks just doing the data entry on it.
Pedalpalooza is two-plus weeks of bike fun. Wanna do a long ride and learn about transportation policy? Check. Do you need three donut crawl rides or several taco-burrito rides, or even some pub crawls? A parade? Moonlight rides? Another breakfast, this time on an overpass? A bike fair? Opportunities to speak Spanish while riding? To not ride but watch films about riding—or ride in for an outdoor movie? Find the best thai noodles via bike? Ride through public water displays? Go on an Urban Adventure Ride (like the Dead Freeways ride or the Sullivan Gulch Tour)? Do a century on a kid's bike, zoobomber stylee? Explore Portland's Architecture and Urban Design?
Sorry, I got carried away. But I didn't even scratch the surface. There's an awful lot of fun to be had. Don't miss it.
Bicycling Magazine calls Portland the number one bicycling city in all of North America - The League of American Bicyclists rates Portland "Gold" along with four other U.S. cities. Commissioner Sam Adams and the bicycling community want to Go Platinum! No large city has the highest "Platinum" status. You can help get us there.
On Saturday, June 17 from 8:30 to 1:30 pm, you are invited to join neighborhood and bicycling advocates to learn how we got to be the best in the U.S. and find out about all the exciting and fun ways you can get involved to make Portland a world-class bicycling city.
Workshop topics include:
Portland's I Share the Road campaign
Innovations in Bikeways Here and Abroad
Who Put the Fun in Bike Fun? From Breakfast on the Bridges to Pedalpalooza
New Laws for Bikes - What Strategies are on the Horizon
Why Do People Not Ride - Really (or How to Get My Next Door Neighbor/Co-worker/Friend on a Bike)
Just a quick note to let you know about this Sunday's tasting. It does fall on Father's Day, but we will be doing the tasting anyway. Fortunately, it is something Dad might just love. Belgian beer! If you've spent any time at the shop here, you probably know that we view Belgian beer to be one of the finest products made on God's Green Earth. We will be showing the entire lineup of the Van Steenberge brewery — six different brews in all! They make a very diverse line of ales, including a few that are considered to be among the greatest beers made in the world. So come on down and taste the rainbow (is that a Skittles reference? — I'm not quite sure).
Time, as per usual, will be from 3-6pm. Cost will be $8 and will include the mandatory AmberSnacks. Every week she simply outdoes herself. I expect more of the same.
HOT DAMN, WE'RE HAVING A FAIR!
And you're going to want to be there! The Multnomah County Bike Fair brings 2,000 people together to celebrate, in bicycle mayhem-fashion, the close of Shift's Pedalpalooza.
Come to visit fun booths, vendors, and bicycle crafts. And do partake in the competitions because competing is free and it's about the fun, not the winning you know.
LIVE MUSIC STAGE
Featuring local bands like,
Johnny Punchclock
COMPETITIONS
No competing skills are required. There may or may not be awards, yet it's really all about the spectacle anyway. You will get a race number, and that's pretty cool, right?
Fun opportunities for participation:
Chin Down
3 bikes, 2 people, 1 moving entity
Chariot Whiplash
Pie Joust
Figure 8 Foot-down Derby
Tall Bike Jousting
Blind Race
MIDWAY
Food
Bike craft vendors
Stickers + T-shirts
Bike repair
Marry your Bike Booth
And many other activities!
BEER GARDEN
Featuring delicious beer
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED ! !
Yes! Over 50 volunteers are needed. Volunteers receive cool stuff like arm bands and bragging rights. Help is needed in advance and on the day of. Sign up by contacting MCBF's Volunteer Coordinator - VJ, vickijean -at- gmail -dot- com
COST? The Multnomah County Bike Fair is FREE. Totally Free!
About volunteering
We have room in every shift, however, we especially need folks for the 3:30-6:00 and 5:30-8:00 shifts.
Other shifts include 9-1 and 1:30 to 4. Volunteers will be in the heart of the action, setting up the fair, greeting folks entering the midway, helping with t-shirt sales, beer garden, music stage, smoothie
booth, keeping the fair awesome and more. We'll have sunscreen and some snacky bits for volunteers, and folks on the last shift will get pizza, as well as getting the 411 on the afterparty.
The Puddle Cutters, a local moped club, are putting on a moped rally.
In a scooter mecca, the Puddle Cutters prefer the mighty moped. Its small engine and big wheels draw us in. Pedals insure we will never have to push home. Zipping in and out of traffic, at a blistering 25 mph, our love for the slow ride is strong.
7:30PM, Sunday, July 1st (doors open at 7)
Benson High School Auditorium
546 NE 12th Ave. (at Glisan) googlemap
It's not every day you have a presidential candidate come though Portland, and it's even less often that the candidate is in a small intimate space... unless you're paying a lot of money.
Doors open at 7:00 pm! Portland, OR
Join Dennis for a Rally and Presentation at Benson High School
For questions, suggestions, or to volunteer to help with the rally, please
reply to oregon4kucinich08@spiretech.com or call Laird Hastay
971-226-3605.
LIVE Tour de France Viewing at the Hollywood Bike Gallery!
There's nothing like exciting live coverage of the Tour de France to get your heart pumping in the morning especially when enhanced with a flavorful cup of Nossa Familia Coffee.
You can enjoy both for free at the Hollywood Bike Gallery July 1- July 23. The store will open it's doors at 6:00 am for Tour fanatics wanting to watch the day's events unfold on live television. We'll have hot coffee brewed and some light breakfast treats available. During the final 10 days of the tour (July 13-July 20), those that brave the early morning hours are also rewarded with a chance to win a free pound of Nossa Familia coffee in a daily drawing.
King Cycle Group, whose headsets will adorn some Tour favorites, just announced their plans... This year they're moving the party to the new Lucky Lab in Northwest (they've got indoor bike racks) where they'll show replays of the coverage from 5-7PM every day of the Tour (except rest days of course).
St. Honoré has some Tour coverage as well, however, let's just say their web site is not explicit about when the Tour will be shown. Live? Maybe.
In coordination with Commissioner Sam Adams' office I'm organizing, Made in Portland: Bicycle Show and Art Exhibition. It's a night to celebrate our city's rich artisan bicycle culture.
In the beautiful City Hall atrium, nine local independent bicycle builders will display their creations. Ranging from world-renowned Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles to lesser known start-ups like Natalie Ramsland and her Sweetpea Bicycles.
In addition to builders, I have also gathered some fantastics bike-inspired artists whose art will hang for the entire month in three commissioners offices. The artists range from our very own Shawn Granton (of Pedalpalooza and Earth Day event poster fame) to the fun chalk drawings of Bike Matt Cardinal and the vibrant acrylic paintings of Tiago Denczuk.
And a late-breaking development is the addition of a Freak Bike Show outside City Hall (4th street entrance) organized by a representative of the Zoobombers.
The event is from 5-8PM next Thursday July 6th. It's free entry so come and enjoy free Hotlips Pizza and Widmer Beer and get to know some of our local bicycle artisans.
A scooter rally is what you make of it: rides, bar hopping, long rides, scavenger hunts, BBQs, short rides, dance parties, midnight rides, watching the Rose City Rollers, and scenic rides. Eight of Portland's scooter clubs (Twist and Play, the Miss Demeanors, Oregon Scooter Club, Cute Bunnies and Kitties, Displaced Scooterists, Drunken Pirates, the Orphans, and Loose Slots) have gotten together to put on a show, er, rally of mammoth proportions.
It all starts Friday, 5:30 pm, at the Black Cat Pub in Sellwood. Grab some food and drink, buy a patch and raffle tickets, pick up your itinerary, and meet up with your host(s) if you are from out of town.
Nighttime riding in Portland just got a little more interesting! Come over to the dark ride and take a moon-lit urban bicycle adventure through Portland on The Night Ride, a 2,000 person benefit bicycle ride on Saturday, July 8th, 2006 starting at 8:00 pm from the train station. The mostly flat, 15-mile street ride takes you past hootin' and hollerin' night life and fire jugglers, through a disco party rest stop and along spectacular cityscape views to an all-you-can-eat midnight doughnut finish line feast. The ride is sponsored by The Bike Gallery and is a benefit for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
A new surprise and mystery awaits you at every turn on The Night Ride. The well-marked course will guide you through the city on a riding adventure like no other. You're in the nighttime club, and recommended attire includes costumes and pajamas. There will be prizes for the best getup, so come dressed to impress. Free glow-necklaces for all riders.
This ride is perfect for new riders or longtime road warriors. Fire jugglers, bagpipes and drums - oh my! Daytime rides are for chumps, it's time for The Night Ride. Saddle up, you're going for a ride.
Last Regiment Syncopated drums
Fire jugglers
Bagpipes
Disco rest-stop
Midnight donut feed
Those are just a few of the FUN details. Do not miss this once-a-year opportunity to howl at the moon by bike.
Mark your Portland Oregon Beer Festival Summer calendar! PIB is an over-the-top beer festival celebrating the world's most legendary brewing styles and the nations that made them famous. Come taste over 100 world-class beers from more than 15 countries.
Taste the greatest beers you've never heard of! Rarest of the rare: The beers of PIB represent all that's possible in the world of brewing. Many are quite obscure yet hold their own place in world history as the birth of a new brewing style.
It is almost upon us! Geek Fair is Free Geek's annual street party. This year's version will include great bands like Alan Singley and Pants Machine, Johnny Punchclock, a comedy troupe, the ever-lovely and lively Sprockettes dancing minibike troupe, and an awesome kids' area.
Also look forward to a rockin' computer gaming LAN party, classic video games, storytelling, puppet shows, printer smashing, a great silent auction, clowns on tall bikes, the magical t-bike, and water games. Of course, we'll have great food and drink available as well.
Geek Fair at Free Geek
Saturday, July 15
1731 SE 10th Ave, Portland
1pm-7pm
FREE, all ages
The Portland Legal Defense Network and Zoobomb cordially invite yalls to learn about kickass biking:
the Clinton Street Theater,
Wednesday July 26th
@ 9pm | 21+ over | $6
Who doesn't love to get toasted while viewing movies about living free (or maybe just without car insurance)? You are not alone in your desire to have more free fun!
Films to include:
The World Naked Bike Ride
The Cutthroats: Zoobomb's sibling bike cult from Richmond VA
Dead Freeways
Lloyd Center Security
Terrifying On-ramps
Adventures in Hitchhiking
Trojans Imploding
Also, the Portland Legal Defense Network will inform folks about how they can live a more hassled-by-the-cops-free lifestyle. Do you know what to do when the cops bust your bike gang?
All this and more cheap beer than you can heckle at the Clinton Street Theater. Wednesday July 26th @ 9pm
July 28-30, 2006.
Free. All-Ages.
Tons of Portland bands.
48 performances! Running tonight and then all day Saturday and Sunday. Beat that with stick, huh?
Hundreds of cyclists will brave the heat on a soaking, cycling, sundae, Sunday ride in support of the Community Cycling Center. The mostly flat, 15-mile loop route starts and ends at the Lucky Lab Brew Hall, NW 19th and Quimby and features a finish line sundae making party, BBQ and the West's largest water fight (squirt guns provided).
The meandering 15-mile course is flat and perfect for new or experienced riders. A water and snack-stocked rest stop will provide shade and respite along the way. There is also a 40-mile option for hardcore riders who want more of a challenge.
Greens, water make Oregon foreign to us
By VALERIE SCHULTZ, contributing columnist
Friday, Aug 3 2007, The Bakersfield Californian
There is an abundance of water in and around Portland. Bridges span several rivers that form natural boundaries. As our gracious relatives apologized for the wet weather that greeted us, we turned our parched faces to the rain and laughed. What could be more unusual for us central Californians than summer rain? It is so wet in Portland that moss grows on the tree trunks. Later in the week, my sister and brother-in-law took us on a hike through a lush forest next to a rushing river, where blackberries grew like weeds. On our last day, my best childhood friend, who now lives in Portland, took us on a tour of the Columbia River Gorge waterfalls. We walked among smooth stones and greenery and mist, as water poured from the cliffs above us. We ended at the famous Multnomah Falls, which cascades and then cascades again, a two-part waterfall that plunges for 620 feet. So much water! I was again amazed, but, to my friend, the falls seemed a bit meager. "You should see them in the winter," she said.
So what do you do when you have friends or family coming in from out of town, or a colleague in another city is coming? Always, there is the dreaded question, where should they stay? Which hotel or motel is going to be the right combination of price, location, interestingness, and cleanliness?
The Seattle Times asked their readers for recommendations for hotels in Portland recently, so we can all benefit from their advice. They recommend:
Inn @ Northrup Station
The Mark Spencer Hotel
Kennedy School
The Benson Hotel
5th Avenue Suites
A second articlelet has even more suggestions:
72nd Avenue Studios
The Edgefield Manor (I'm not sure I've ever heard it referred to as a manor!)
Let me sing the praises of my local food co-op, Alberta Cooperative Grocery (1500 NE Alberta St, (503) 287-4333; googlemap; get there via trimet). I love my co-op: good beer selection, good snack selection, beautiful produce. And, they stock my favorite high-end cheaper tuna, Bela-Olhao Portugal.
If you want to make a tuna salad where the taste of the tuna is important, like a nicoise or an Italian tuna-bean salad, it's best with a good-quality tuna in extra virgin olive oil. Or at least, that's the way I do it, and while Cook's Illustrated likes the Spanish brand Ortiz, I love Bela-Ohao's Skipjack from Portugal. I'm sure the Ortiz is incredible—and with prices ranging from $4-$7 per tin, I'll stay ignorant. But with Bela-Ohao ringing in around $3, it's a luxury, but seemingly more reasonable. New Seasons used to stock it—but no more. This last weekend, we went on an expedition, checking Zupan's, Elephant's Deli, the NW Freddies, and Whole Foods, and no one had it! So imagine my surprise and joy to see it at Alberta!
This article appeared in the Miami Herald July 1, 2007, and is based on one of David Schargel's (founder of Portland Walking Tours), walking tours called ''Epicurean Excursions''. While the article gets our coffee connections dead wrong, the rest is quite amusing.
Give your taste buds a tour of Portland
BY CAROL PUCCI
The Seattle Times
...
Besides wine, beer and coffee, the city is known for tea. Oregon Chai, Stash Tea and Tazo Tea are all homegrown, and at least a half-dozen cafés around town specialize in exotic Asian blends. One is the Tea Zone, opened seven years ago in the Pearl District by husband-and-wife team Jhanne Jasmine and Grant Cull.
The weather was nice so we gathered at one of the sidewalk tables. Schargel passed out lemon cookies (acid to clear the palate from the mustard), and poured cups of a fragrant jasmine pearl, smoky oolong and a sweet black tea flavored with lychee fruit.
I was beginning to see that there was logical order to the foods we were sampling.
Last month, the economics professor (Stacey Jones) and her business-statistics class at Seattle University compared prices for organic produce at the Broadway Farmers Market with that sold at the local QFC supermarket and Madison Market, one of several cooperatively owned grocery stores in the region.
To their surprise, the farmers market was slightly less expensive pound for pound, on average, for 15 items that included Fuji apples, red potatoes, baby carrots, spinach and salad mix.
"There's sort of a common perception that the farmers market is more expensive. A lot of people feel they're doing the farmers a favor," Jones said.
"I always assumed you pay a premium," said Daniel Robins, one of Jones' students, who regularly shops the West Seattle Farmers Market with his parents.
Blegh. They've discontinued this service. Where is the love?? Can I tell you how much this sucks, exactly, Amazon?
Here's what I said in June of 2006:
I just learned about this and had to share...
A9.com developed new technology to very efficiently capture photographs of places along public streets using trucks equipped with digital cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, and proprietary software and hardware. To view which streets have BlockViewTM images, click on the checkbox next to “Mark Streets Containing BlockViewTM Images” located above the map on your left. Streets with images available will be highlighted in light blue. Click on any street or intersection to see images in the Block View image display area on the lower right.
In many areas you can see images on both sides of the street and virtually walk up and down the street by using the left and right “Go≵ buttons next to the filmstrips. If you place your mouse over any of the thumbnails in the strip of images, the larger image changes to reflect your selection. Clicking on the large or small images pops a new window with an even larger image.
The images are provided to help you find or recognize a place, business, house, public park, or to get a feel for the neighborhood. Block View image coverage is currently more than 30 million images in 20 major cities and metropolitan areas.
I go by AJA frequently, and it never seems full. Sometimes, it seems empty. Not a good advertisement. Yet, it's been at this location for over a year, so there must be something good going on, right? Asian fusion can't be too bad, can it?
We went for Sunday breakfast, at about 11am. There were two other tables in the place. We start by ordering coffee ($2) and iced tea ($1.50). The coffee was diner coffee; the iced tea, some sort of fruit tea, rather than the black tea we were expecting.
The menu only lists breakfast items: half a melon or grapefruit ($3), granola or oatmeal ($5), pancakes or french toast ($7), an egg-meat-starch plate ($8), 3 omelets ($8-$9), a scramble ($7), a hash ($9), 3 benedicts ($8-$9), and a traditional japanese breakfast with miso, koda rice, and fried egg ($6). So we order the Vanilla Crusted French Toast with Real Maple Syrup and the Chinese Sausage and Mustard Greens Omelet with House Potatoes.
Maybe five minutes after we order, the waitress comes back: they don't have any french toast. Huh? She has a new, different menu which has more and different breakfasts (6 different benedicts, 5 different omelets, 5 different egg dishes), plus a couple salads, soup, and sandwiches. So we order a Three Cheese Omelet with chedder (sic), swiss and manchego.
My partner starts to grouse; he would have liked to have ordered a sandwich, like the kobe beef burger, but wasn't given the opportunity. But his scone arrives: 'dry like the desert' he claims.
Then our omelets come. The chinese sausage omelet, with the contrast of the sweet slightly spicy sausage and the bitter greens, should be good, but we realize that in fact it's the chinese sausage, sauteed spinach and manchego omelet listed on the second menu. These things don't taste bad together, but there's no real zing to them, and the melted mess of sausage chunks, spinach and cheese lie beneath a puffy layer of eggs, rather than sandwiched lovely between two layers of eggs.
I'm not really a fan of puffy omelets, but hey. My cheese omelet is okay, just underseasoned. I wonder if the egg even saw any salt or pepper in the kitchen? The potatoes are chunks of yellow potatoes boiled through, then fried, but they don't show much browning from the frying. They too could use a little bit of seasoning. And the toast is like bruschetta. I love bruschetta when there's a contrasting topping, but there's no contrast here.
While everything was okay, nothing about the experience makes me want to go back again.
Every now and again, I go to a place that I really want to recommend, and really want to love. But it'll have a fatal flaw. You know where I'm going...
Appetizers ($2.25-$3.50)
hummus
baba ghanooj
ful madummas
tabboule
feta appetizer
labne
Sandwiches ($4-4.50)
falafel
schawerma (beef)
kafta
chicken
eggplant
vegetable
arayes
luncheon platters ($6.50-$8)
shawerma (beef)
chicken filet
shish kebab (lamb)
chicken kebab
vegetarian kebab
grape leaves
mujadra
munazle
My experience: I'm greeted by the owner who tells me to sit anywhere. All the two-tops are dirty, so I sit at one in the main room. After ten minutes, his wife notices me, and asks if she can help me. He immediately appears, apologizes, and brings hummus, pita, and a glass of water. He says the hummus is gratis.
The hummus is fairly standard Lebanese restaurant hummus, which is to say, perfectly fine. The pita has been reheated, and has the taste and texture of cardboard.
My shawerma with baba ghanooj arrives: the beef is yummy, though thoroughly covered in onions. The baba is smokey and richly eggplanty, which I love.
Too bad about the pita, I think. The owners are nice enough, the atmosphere is a combination of cloth table cloths and the acropolis meets star wars mural—I love that. The lunch prices are great, and the dinner prices just a bit higher. And, they make good on a mistake.
But the problem is, there are now a plethora of Lebanese places that make pita on demand, and it arrives to your table as a pillow of glory. Now, pita that might have been made earlier in the day, or came in a bag, just doesn't cut it.
And then, I get the bill. I can't read the writing (maybe it's arabic?) so I'm not sure what I was charged for, but the $8 meal I was expecting was actually $11. Looks like I was charged for the hummus. At this point, I'm late to be back to work, and I've lost patience—I don't want to argue with them, I just want to get out. So I pay and call it good.
If it weren't for the pita, I'd give them another chance.
We won a school auction of a Acadia gift certificate, so it was time for a splurge.
We were last at Acadia maybe 5 years ago. It was expensive and underwhelming. But, they had donated this gift certificate to a friend's elementary school, and it was time to give them another chance. After all, it's for the kids!
We ordered a decent bottle of wine which didn't seem exorbitantly marked up off the short but sweet wine list, and settled in to try a number of things. We started with the Barbeque Shrimp ($10.95).
Barbeque Shrimp is four large Louisana Gulf head-on shrimp in a butter, worcestershire, garlic, white wine, lemon and pepper sauce. It was terrific, and the sauce was decadent and lovely sopped up with Pearl bakery baguette.
Next was salads. I had the Bleu Note ($8.95), with fourme d'ambert (bleu) cheese, toasted pecans, and pears aside salad greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette. My companion had the House Salad ($6.50), salad greens tossed in a creole mustard vinaigrette topped with crumbled egg. They both were gorgeously presented, perfectly dressed, and really really good.
My companion chose to do the 3-course $25 dinner. You get your choice of the house salad or a caesar, one of the starred entrees (which is everything but the barbecue shrimp, filet mignon, pork chop, or the taste of new orleans [crawfish etouffee and soft-shell crab]) and dessert. What a deal! It's available all night on Tuesday through Thursday, and before 6 and after 9 on Friday and Saturday.
So he had the Shrimp Acadian ($18.50), which was jumbo shrimp with shrimp and crawfish stuffing atop slices of crispy luscious eggplant. Oh, and there was a tomato beurre blanc sauce. Really really good.
I went for broke and had the Royal Street Filet Mignon ($29.95) atop grits. The grits were wedges of crispy-fried goodness, crunchy on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside. The filet: well, that was incredible.
We finished with a slice of the gooey lemon cake which was really one of the most lovely desserts I've had in a dogs year. Wow.
Now, this wasn't inexpensive. Our bill was $119 for two, including a bottle of wine and a bottle of Abita Turbodog. Was it worth it? I think so. It was a really great meal, and for a special occasion, yum.
Now, if you want a cheaper experience, stay away from the sauce, go for the 3 for $25 deal, or better yet, go on Mondays when they offer 8 entrees for $10 each (as well as the regular menu).
First, I'd like to begin with the reasons why you won't want to eat here. One, they close at 8pm. Two, they are way north in NE Portland, far away from anything trendy. Three, they have a limited Lebanese menu—no fancy names you aren't sure how to pronounce. Four, there is no atmosphere, and in cold weather, the dining room is cold. Five, they have some american food items which encourage people to bring children. Six, they have no liquor license. Seven, small dining room. Eight, location is hard to find.
So, that's the downside. The upside is that the food is so good, you won't want to tell anyone about it. It's so reasonable, that, well, you might feel guilty that you're not elbow to elbow with punk rockers. They've applied for the liquor licence, and they take credit cards.
The pita is heads and shoulders above anything in town. It's so flakey and delicate that it melts in your mouth. Pita arrives hot from the kitchen soon after you sit down. Oh! The mezza goodies (falafel, homous, baba ghanouj, grape leaves, labneh, and foul) are each under $5, with a mazza combo for $8.50. The roasted eggplant in the baba is coursely ground, not at all bitter, vibrant with the peppery olive oil that marks all of the dishes. The homous is creamy and smooth and wonderful.
The rest of the menu is sandwiches, soups and salads, safeehas (pita dough with toppings), and grilled things. Nothing fancy, but everything done at a reasonable price. Lentil soup is not soupy lentils as at many restaurants—it's pureed almost smooth, a nice lemony note, and quite possibly addictive. Cheese safeeha—yummy cheesy goodness without falling into cheeziness. The meats—oh! Lamb is tender, chicken is incredibly good, covered in spice and flavor, and the rice is unlike any I've had before, and that's in a good way.
We finished our meal ($26) with a baklava and a turkish coffee, both less cloyingly sweet than usual. This is worth going out of your way for!
Remember Jellyfish? It's gone, and now Alberta Street Oyster Bar and Grill is in its place. Not that anyone would confuse the two.
I know nada from oysters, so I brought someone who does. She was impressed with the oyster selection, and the fact that you could order a half dozen and get one of each type. She started her meal with the Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter with fresh grated horseradish, which was well received.
ASOBG has a good selection of wines and drinks, and they have beer on tap as well. Out of a halfdozen or so taps, I recall Laurelwood's Motherlode Golden, Alameda's Porter, and Rogue Dead Guy. There is also a bar happy hour menu which I've been assured kicks ass. The atmosphere is lovely and darkish, and the service some of the best in the city.
First and second courses looked much more intriguing than entrees, so she decided to get the steamed mussels, pan-fried veal sweetbreads, and fries. These were all very good. The mussels came in a tomato-saffron-chorizo broth. The sweetbreads came in a raisin sauce with chestnuts. I had never had sweetbreads before, but they were tasty, I have to admit. And the fries were quite good.
I ordered the Dungeness Crab Napoleon with Spicy Black Bean Puree, Avocado and Blood Orange Reduction. It was the highlight of the evening for me: huge chunks of crab, avocado, and the intriguing blood orange sauce—sublime! I can't wait to make an excuse to have that again. That was followed with a burger on ciabatta with bleu cheese and bacon, which should have been great, but wasn't. It was cooked to order, and all the components were good, but together, it didn't gel. There was too much ciabatta, the cheese and bacon were lost in the taste of the hamburger, and I lost interest quickly.
Dessert failed to stand up to the first course either. The apple upsidedown cake was good, but its spotlight was stolen by the ginger ice cream, redolent of Ting Ting Jahe. I almost didn't order the donut holes with coffee pot de creme and vanilla froth because of the word froth—am I the only foodie who irritated by turning food into foam?? The donut holes were really disappointing, with the coffee pot de creme the best part.
It would be easy—really easy—to drop a lot of money here. Our total, with a shooter and a beer, was $59.
For those of us in inner NE and inner N Portland, there is always something new. Here's what I've noticed in my travels.
- The BBQ joint with the world's longest name (... Something to Talk About ...) on MLK Jr near Shaver appears to be no more. It's the location, or to be more exact, the building to blame. Please, budding restauranteurs: don't rent it!
- Spice, formerly known as Billy Reeds, is now Venue. Has anyone been?
- Da Rib Shack is now open on Mississippi, next to the Rebuilding Center.
- Toro Bravo, the new tapas joint from John Gorham, formerly of Simpatica, is now open for dinner. Closed Monday nights (of course). 120 NE Russell Street (a block from MLK Jr, next to the Wonder Ballroom).
St Johns also seems to be a hotbed of activity
- Ladybug Coffee is now open on Lombard, and reports are good
- Christie's has new management. I'm curious if the prices have dropped, or?
We went in a while back, while it was owned by someone else, and it was one of those tragic things: someone who obviously didn't have restaurant experience, opening a restaurant, trying to be too many things to too many people. Its claim to fame was a $5 Oregon Country Beef hamburger. It was simply too tragic to write about.
But I heard that they had new owners, and so, back I went, and for breakfast, the meal that is probably hardest to screw up. But they did.
Quick overview: they're open Wednesday-Sunday. They serve breakfast til 2pm, as well as sandwiches, salads, and after 4pm, small plates. The menu does not look overambitious, which is a good sign. They have three beers on tap (one micro) and about a dozen bottled beers, most micros. They also do mixed drinks.
The place is filled with album rock memorabilia, posters, and most notably, album covers: hanging from the ceiling, and covering the menu. I should have seen getting a Grateful Dead album as a bad sign.
Breakfast is eggs+carbs, french toast, and some omelets. We ordered an egg-sausage-toast and cheesy hashbrowns, and a breakfast burrito without sour cream. In a reasonable amount of time, our breakfast came. It wasn't clear if the eggs+carbs had cheese on the hashbrowns, and the waiter wasn't sure either, but the waiter did know that the burrito, served enchilada style but with no sauce, didn't have eggs in it. But they were coming.
The overeasy eggs were overmedium, and the cheesy hashbrowns were just odd. They were browned, but soggy. Surely, adding ricotta, asiago & parmesan didn't help. The eggs had little puddles of grease, as did the burrito. And the eggs for the burrito arrived, scrambled very hard.
The breakfast was inexpensive, at least: $15 before tip. But it will be a while before I give them another chance.
We've had some good Amnesia beer on tap at some other taverns, and decided it was time to revisit the mothership. Amnesia Brewing is a smallish building filled with picnic tables, but most of the seating area is outside under the heated tent where dogs and smoking are welcome. Like the rest of Mississippi, there's wifi. There's not a lot of bike parking, but most folks chain theirs up to the railing around the tent.
Looking out upon Mississippi Street, there's some good people watching. It's an unpretentious place to sit and have a beer. They have seven taps plus cider, with their Desolation IPA, Dusty Trail Pale, Slow Train Porter, and the ESB usually on. When we visited, they also had two seasonals (Copacetic IPA and Belgian Dubbel Whammy), and Caldera Pils filling out the beer menu. Pints are generally $3.50, with 50 cents off during happy hour (4-6 Monday-Friday).
They also have some food, which is pricey and underwhelming. But they do all their cooking on the grill under the tent; in fact, the smoke and charcoal-starter fumes was so thick that I couldn't even drink my beer—which is pretty darn thick. Obviously, the tent is wheelchair accessible, but I'm not sure about the pub itself. And, there is table service, but it's a bit 420 affected.
If you are into the Portland food scene, or you just like a good fight, you could do much worse than Portland Food and Drink. Food Dude's site is just a year old, but it has attracted a lot of attention. And rightfully so. The authors and commenters, foodies all, are passionate. Not a bad thing. And Food Dude and his crew are diligent about reviewing both high-end and lower-end places, and giving them the full 3 chances they deserve.
Looking for a restaurant review? I hope you find what you need here, but if you want the full story, and multiple opinions, check with Food Dude.
Subtitled: Throwing myself on the grenade of bad food to save you, this foodie blog reviews restaurants. And people comment, oh yes they do. If you're thinking about a splurge, or trying to win friends and influence people by judicious restaurant choices, you may want to check in with Food Dude and see what he (and everyone else) have to say.
Portland photographer Andrew Hall has created another excellent resource for Portlandophiles—this time, a guide to Portland neighborhoods.
He doesn't touch on every neighborhood, but he does touch on all the significant ones:
Downtown, Goose Hollow and King's Hill, Northwest Portland, Riverplace and South Waterfront, The Pearl District, Alberta, Irvington, Mississippi, St. Johns, University Park, Hawthorne District, Ladd's Addition, Laurelhurst, Sellwood, Woodstock, Lake Oswego, Orenco Station, Tanasbourne, Tualatin Town Center, Vancouver, WA, Johns Landing and Multnomah Village.
He also touches on the questions that folks have when moving to Portland: Where in Portland should I live?, Random Facts and Portland Trivia, Living in Portland Without A Car, Portland Frequently Asked Questions, Navigating Portland, and Finding an Apartment or Rental in Portland.
In Portland, the zen, and zany happily co-exist
By BETSA MARSH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/27/07
Like a glacial breeze off Oregon's Mount Hood, Portland blows away the cobwebs of same-old travel.
Instead of dutifully slogging through museums, how about pulling up a chair at a sidewalk cafe, sipping chai or a microbrew and asking your server where he'd go? Or renting a bike and seeing how many neighborhoods you could breeze through before happy hour? And you have to love a city that embraces not one, but two, happy hours — from about 5 to 7 each evening and then a second-wind version from about 10 p.m. to midnight.
...
There's so much to do in this city of dual happy hours that it's easy to stay up most of the night, fueled by hard-core Stumptown coffee and Voodoo Doughnuts' best seller, the Bacon Maple Bar. The circumstances are totally different, of course, but Elizabeth Wood, a pioneer on the Oregon Trail in 1851, summed up the whirlwind of a modern Portland trip.
"A lazy person," she wrote, "should never think of going to Oregon."
Anzen has been around forever (or since 1905, and at this location for more than 30 years), and when it was announced that the eastside, store was closing in 1999, people were shocked. The Japanese Consulate General even issued a statement, calling the closure "a pity" . Then one of the brothers decided that he couldn't part with the store, and so it was that he, and it, stayed. Thank heavens! If you're looking for Japanese ingredients, including fresh fish and shellfish, in an unoverwhelming store, this is your place. Though I don't often cook Japanese, shopping at Anzen is a real treat.
They offer hot bento Monday -Saturday, fresh sushi Tuesday-Saturday, Japanese style baked goods on Wednesday and fresh mochi on Saturdays.
Okay, full disclosure: I know the owners socially. I met them after eating at their place several times and being wowed. That said, oh... my... g-d! This place, for me, is like dying and going to heaven! There's Anchor beers on tap, and wines by the bottle or glass—not cheap, but nothing outta line expensive. Bring a couple friends so you can order lots. Begin with a meat or veggie or combo plate. I haven't tried the veggie plate, but man, it looks good. And the meat plate is good. Salami (from Salumi, I believe) to die for. Next, the caesar salad. Garlicky, beautiful, and adorned with anchovy if you wish it. This is one of the three best caesars in town. And the plate is huge, an abundance of riches.
Hope you didn't fill up on appetizers cuz it's time for the 'za. Now, there are lots of arguments about what style pizza this is—is it Italian, is it Connecticut, or New York? I don't know from pizza, I just know that it doesn't get much better than this. Certainly not in Portland, at least. Thin crust that is perfection, crispy and wonderful, baked hot-hot-hot, topped with sparing amounts of exquisite ingredients.
Everytime we go, we order one pie (for two of us—it's good sized) and wish we had ordered a second. Because it tastes so good!
Drawbacks: parking can be a problem. And this place is popular—forget about going during restaurant prime time unless you don't mind waiting in line. The service is sassy and casual (which I appreciate). It's a small place, and it's easy to spend a lot of money because, gosh, you gotta get the caesar, and the meat plate is so good...
Arleta Library is my new favorite place for breakfast. Here's why.
It's a tiny place, and as the name suggests, it is a bakery, and the baked goods shine. Be sure to grab some cookies or a muffin or coffeecake to take home with you, because you won't have room after their mondo breakfasts.
They serve Stumptown coffee, apparently french-pressed. Be still my heart!
The brunch menu on the weekends is short: just 10 items: a hash, biscuits-n-gravy, a fritatta, three scrambles, pancakes, french toast, quiche, and some roasted veggies. And really, I'd rather see a short menu of stuff that is really good, rather than a long menu with a few (or more) duds.
The menus are available online via PDF, so you can follow along at home. Prices range from $7-$9.50.
Sicilian Hash is their signature dish, and the only thing one of my breakfast companions orders. It's made up of slow-braised high-end beef (Painted Hills) sauteed with peppers, onions, and potatoes and topped with a lovely scrambled egg.
Portland’s Best Biscuits-n-Gravy actually probably is. It's an exercise in excess, to be sure, but both the gravy and the biscuits are consistently good. Sweet potato biscuits (! - it works!) are doused in sausage gravy with pork loin. The pork loin is completely gratuitous and unnecessary, but wonderful. These, like most entrees, come with library fries, wedges of delicious pan-cooked potatoes, crusty and seasoned and actually done.
I haven't tried the The Grand Torino, a salmon fritatta, but boy, it sure looks impressive. Nor have I tried the Florentine (a scramble with spicy greens, basil, ricotta, parmesan, and breadcrumbs) or the Portland (a scramble with wild mushrooms, Tillamook cheddar, and crumbled bacon), the Hawthorne (roasted seasonal veggies sauteed with potatoes and cheddar), Pane Dolce (batter dipped and griddle-fried brioche with seasonal fruit), or the Quiche of the Day, but it's just a matter of time.
But I have had the Tuscan (a scramble with roasted red peppers, Italian sausage, and romano cheese). The flavor was incredible, though it was infested with onions. But my pals who love onions love it too, and I bet I could just ask for it without the onions.
The masterstroke may well be the buttermilk semolina griddlecakes which don't sound so special, do they? But add berries and crumbled bacon (!) to the batter, and you might have one of the best combos of sweet, savory and salty that you can find for under 10 bucks. And even without bacon or berries, these are some great pancakes.
They serve Grand Central bread, and make some of the coolest jams imaginable; recently peach/rosemary was one weekend's option, another roasted nectarine.
The staff here is friendly, and if you come in a couple times, you're greeted as a regular: sweet! They also have a couple tables out front, and on a tiny back patio.
Of the 10 entrees for brunch, four are vegetarian. I haven't tried ordering vegan here.
Of all the places to have breakfast in Portland, two of the best are here in this neglected area of Foster-Powell/Mt Scott. And one of those is definitely Arleta Library.
Autentica has been around now for over a year, and for those of us who are fans, it's been a particularly luscious, delicious year.
Not that there haven't been complaints, particularly about service there. I've ordered drinks and had them appear in a flash, and ordered drinks, and waited about twenty minutes for them to appear. That's frustrating, when the food is so damn good.
Let's begin by talking about dinner. The last time we were there, we had great service. Our waiter was congenial and quick, and had the liberty to really serve us in a subtle, excellent way.
The menu (thanks, Food Dude!) is divided into seafood cocktails, soups, small plates, salads, and large plates. Thursday night is pasole blanco night, a more subtle pork pasole than what you might be accoustomed to.
If you're a fan of ceviche or octopus, you have to try them here, because they are among the best in the city—Taqueria Neuve and D.F. have nothing on Autentica. Seafood cocktails range from $7-$9.
There are three soups ($7-8) which come in a good-sized bowl, and three salads ($7-8). The cream of corn soup is vegetarian, as is two of the salads, and another one each features shrimp. I tried the tortilla soup which was delicious and well-worth ordering.
Small plates range from $2 for a taco, to $7 for the queso fundido, a fondue of oaxacan cheese and chorizo, served with fresh corn tortillas, which is just plain wrong, it's so good. I tried the tostada con tinga de pollo ($5) which was really lovely. The tinga, or shredded meat (it can be chicken or pork, traditionally), is cooked with chipotles and guajillo peppers, and it has a really lively pepper taste without being too hot. Add the crispy tortilla beneath, and the lettuce, tomato chunks, queso fresco, and radish on top, and you have a really lovely combination of textures and flavors.
I also tried the vegetarian tamale with poblano peppers ($3.50), which was quite possibly the best tamal I have ever had. It was tender and moist, but tremendously flavorful. The poblano is also subtle, not hot, but mostly I was aware of how delicious the corn masa was.
The large plates range from $12-$17, with two vegetarian options and three seafood options. The shrimp in mojo de ajo (garlic sauce) were also gorgeous, subtle and garlicy, and accompanied by rice ($16). So good! The whole roasted fish ($17) came, and it was gorgeous as well as humongous. It was delicate and sweet, its skin so beautifully brown, and its flesh so pearly white, marinated with dried chili paste. I'm not a fan of fish, but I'm ordering that next time.
But even the less expensive plates are excellent. Take the platillo mexicano ($13), two enchiladas, in red and green moles, with a chile relleno. It sounds like your regular combo plate at your corner mexican joint, right? Wrong. If you're a fan of mole, you have to try this! The green mole is made from pumpkin seeds, tomatillos and serrano peppers, really rich and complex, over a simple chicken in tortilla. The red mole is made from 8 kinds of dried chiles and nuts, and is better than any I've tasted anywhere. And the chile relleno is stuffed with cotija cheese, in a rich tomato sauce. We were glad to have some extra, handmade, fresh corn tortillas to sop up all the extra sauce!
Now, for brunch.
The menu (thanks again, FD) ranges in prices from $2-$13, and ranges from little antojitos like tacos ($2) and sopes ($3), three salads ($7-$8) (two vegetarian), and a pile of delicious brunchy goodies ($7-$13), 5 of them vegetarian.
Brunch begins, first of all, decent coffee and fresh orange juice. Our waitress brings out molletes to try while we were mulling over the menu: soft bolillo rolls with refried beans and fresh housemade mexican cheese. Over time, we've tried just about everything: huevos rancheros con jamon, frijoles y salsa, chilaquiles con salsa picante y bisteck, fish soup, shrimp in spicy broth, quezadilla, menudo, potato omelet, eggs or chicken in red broth, eggs as you like them, enchiladas caseras, pork in chile sauce, and a flat iron steak. Huevos rancheros (eggs ranchero style with ham, beans, and salsa) was pretty darn traditional, with a good ranchero sauce, eggs done right and thin grilled ham. Chilaquiles, fried tortillas in a spicy sauce, served with a little steak and refried beans, was also traditional, lovely, and the steak was small but buttery and good. Really, everything has been so good. I was less than crazy about the fish soup, but fish fans loved it.
We managed to hit Autentica for brunch on the first day of a new menu. As usual, the brunch is quiet, particularly in the morning. If you are on a budget, or are just not crazy about the packedness of the evenings, brunch is a great time to visit Autentica.
I was disappointed to not get fresh, hot molletes (soft bolillo rolls with refried beans and fresh housemade mexican cheese) right off the bat. But we did start with fresh, good coffee.
The menu reflects some of the strong points of dinner—the cocktel con pulpo y camaron, for example, but it also reflects the owner, Oswaldo, listening to his customers. Folks wanted more vegetarian options, and now there are quite a few.
The menu is made up of appetizers and antojitos like ensalada con pacotilla aquacate pepinos y lima (bay shrimp with avocado, cukes and lime, $8); ensalada de berros con queso panela (watercress salad with panela cheese and spicy peanuts, $8); fruit salad ($7); the aforementioned cocktel ($8); sopes ($3 each), a couple different tacos ($2 each), quezadilla ($7), menudo, and several types of soup ($8-$10).
Entrees range from an omelet, eggs in a dried chili broth, huevos rancheros, huevos al gusto (eggs any way you'd like them), chilaquiles, enchiladas caseras, bisteak ranchero, and carne enchilada ($8-$13).
While the menu may have changed, the food is still incredible. We started with the ensalada de frutas: papaya, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and pineapple, with a wedge of lime and a monkey dish of chili powder—everything totally fresh and with vibrant flavors. Next came the sopes: you can order them with chicken or chorizo, I always get chorizo. The handmade grilled corn disk is topped with a hash of diced potatoes and your meat, topped with fresh cheese and crema, and slices of avocado & radish. These are just addictively delicious.
Then came our main dishes. The omelet con papas is indeed an omelet with oaxacan cheese and diced potatoes, with pico de gallo on top. It comes with refried vegetarian black beans topped with fresh cheese, and the beans are as runny, rich and comforting as any of the best mexican refrieds, even without the lard. And, the omelet came with blistering hot homemade corn tortillas. Huevos rancheros (eggs ranchero style with ham, beans, and salsa) was pretty darn traditional, with a good ranchero sauce, eggs done right and thin grilled ham.
Other yummy things include chilaquiles con salsa roja, bisteck o heuvos. Now you can order them vegetarian, with eggs, or with a little steak. This is just fried tortillas in red sauce, and it is some supreme comfort food. The eggs in dried red chili broth is soft poached eggs and nopales (brined cactus paddles) floating in a spicy and intensely flavorful broth that begs to be sopped up with tortillas. The enchiladas caseras are homemade enchiladas with chicken or cheese, a red or green sauce, and casera cheese and crema—it's not the cheeseball production you usually get with enchiladas, but a light and delicious (though filling) version.
Our waitress was having the pollo en consome rojo, chicken in a dried chili broth, which I got a good look at and whiff of. Yum. I'll be ordering that next time.
The food is amazing. And the price: two entrees, an antojito and an ensalada, and two cups of coffee for $30 before tip: also amazing.
Got kids? Picky eaters? Folks who won't set foot into a tienda/taqueria, or who like Chevy's? Need a drink? Or WiFi? Here you go.
Nobody would claim this is great food. But it's very edible, and you get lots of food.
Here's the set-up. Walk in and order from the giant board of burritos, tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, taco salads, nachos and combo plates. Choose from 4 types of chicken (chile verde, mole, asado & chile colorado), chile verde pork or carnitas, carne asada or ground beef. Then there's beans: black, pinto, refried (all vegetarian). There's grilled veggies, and the option to swap in spicy garlic prawns or mahi mahi.
Prices range from $3.50-$9.50, most in the more expensive range.
Just like in a Mission taqueria, you follow your food down the line, so you can specify none of this or more of that, as you wish. (Unfortunately, that's where the resemblance to a Mission taqueria ends) Pay up, and take it back to your table. That's it.
In spite of having a small play area, this is not overrun by children, so it's quite pleasant for the child-averse.
They have maybe a half dozen beers on tap, and, of course, many margarita options. It's non-smoking until 9:30 pm.
Of course, there are downsides. If you want a beer or a drink, you'll need to go into the bar and purchase it, separate from your food. Getting a seat on the sidewalk is hard during good weather—it's popular. There is exactly one table salsa, and it's nothing to write home about.
This is a friendly, smoky tavern, dripping with diy cred. There's the peeling paint, the mismatched bar stools, lights with x-ray screens, tables made from doors, and lights made from drum kits. There are a couple of pinball machines, and a centipede table, as well as a jukebox stocked with Angry Samoans, Mission of Burma, and the Buzzcocks.
A craftbeer on tap is $3.50, and the taps include:
A few weeks ago, the BBC posted a story about Portland called Where the car is not king. The article talks primarily about the role of public transportation in the Portland transportation mix.
Among other things, I found it very interesting that it was written by Sayeeda Warsi, the Vice Chair of Britain's Conservative Party.
The camera crews were also here filming a segment, again hosted by Warsi. It features Sarah Gilbert, a very prolific Portland blogger, as well as shots of Sam Adams explaining the tram, and that most Portlandish event, a bike move.
In the former Russian Food Restaurant space is a pleasant cafe with lots of windows that overlook the gentrifying spector of Foster. You know it's gentrifying when suddenly, there's a Filipeno restaurant, there's a comics book store, there's a Taqueria Urapan, and now, Bar Carlo.
This is the place to get breakfast. Now. Because soon, everyone will know, and there will be lines. So go now, so you can appreciate it, appreciate the casual, pleasant atmosphere, the best Stumptown coffee outside of a Stumptown cafe, and really, some of the best breakfast food in town.
The menu is short, one page. Weekends are fully devoted to yummy breakfasts involving eggs and cheese, for the most part. Vegans will be hard pressed to find anything here they can eat, but there are about 10 options (out of 16) for vegetarians. The menu is made up of about 5 scrambles, 4 omelets, and a handful of house specials like french toast, sweet and savory crepes, and several breakfast sandwiches ($4-$8).
Weekday menus have an abbreviated list of scrambles, omelets, and brekkie sammies, as well as lunch sandwiches.
Start with a cup of Stumptown Coffee. It's self-service, take your cup up to the bar and refill, and lordy, is it good!
We've had Carlo's Scramble, a nice combo of italian sausage, red pepper relish and mozzarella, which is lovely and really tasty. Surprise, Natalie You're in Peppersville! Sandwich gets the award for the longest name, and quite possibly the best breakfast sandwich in town: eggs, roasted red peppers and jalapenos, onions, cotija cheese and avocado spread. In competition for the best breakfast sandwich is Carlo's King Melt: eggs, bacon, mild peppers, mascarpone and tomato-basil relish, yum. And the Omelette del Sur, a baked omelette full of roasted jalapenos, cotija, salsa fresca and either mushrooms or bacon is also filling and delicious.
Most items are accompanied by fruit (a couple small pieces), Grand Central toast, and roast potatoes that are among the best in town. They are easily on the level of Genies or Simpatica.
Of course, everything is not perfect in paradise. Our most recent visit was punctuated by loudish Nu Shoes (80s disco-pop) on the stereo. The buns used for the sandwiches are soft and don't have a lot of integrity. And, it's on Foster, fer heavens sakes, far from my beaten path.
But, in spite of these things, this is my new favorite breakfast spot. Thanks to Chris from Belmont Station who shared the wealth!
Join us for our annual Barleywine & Big Beer Tasting/Festival March 10 & March 11 (Friday and Saturday) from noon to 10 p.m. There is no entry fee, and drink tickets will be $1.50 each (good for a 4 oz. taste). Tickets can be purchased at the bar during the festival.
When it comes to taking visitors out to dinner, there are just a couple places I consider. Cafe Castagna, Ken's Place, and Bastas. These are my special occasion places, places where the atmosphere is good, the service is good, and the food, of course, is good.
Bastas is my favorite Italian. In a former Tasty-Freez. Yeah!
Though once you step foot inside, you might never know it. You enter into the sophisticated bar, and unless you're doing their excellent happy hour, you eat in either the garden room or the other room (I'm sure it has a name). They offer, of course, lots of wine, including by the glass, and a couple beers on tap.
Our downfall is the appetizers. There are quite a few, and they all appear to be yummy. The carpaccio is a full plate of raw thin-sliced beef dressed in olive oil and parmesan, with lemon on the side. The caesar is not as garlicky as I generally like but is still one of the best in town.
Entrees. Yum. The pasta is a little less spectacular than other dishes sometimes, however, it's good. But there is so much to love amongst the entrees. The $19 steak is the best $19 steak in town, cooked to order, nested with the most decadent mashed potatoes around. The crispy fried chicken (is that Italian?) is also so very good, crispy and moist and delicious. Their version of cioppin is a delight, with lots of broth to soak up. And the lamb chops cause my partner to go into fits of pleasure.
Desserts also are good, though a little bit of a let down for me after the whirlwind beauty of the appetizers and entrees. But the fact that you can park in their lot, right there around the restaurant, is pretty darn good.
Downsides: it's a former Tasty-Freez, so when it gets full, it's like a bus station. The chairs are fine if you don't spend too much time in them, but they're torture in a long formal dinner. And, I tend to spend too much money there.
The Beaterville's mix of kooky hipness, decent coffee, and eggs, eggs, eggs ensure that it is always crazy on weekends, but certainly worth a visit. The place still drips atmosphere, what with the automotive decor and the fridge full of newspapers and oddball books. With a cup of decent coffee or one of their espresso drinks, it's quite pleasant to while away some time.
Breakfast entrees are the usual cafe entrees, waffles, scrambles, and omelets, ranging from $3-$10. The Green Eggs and Ham, a frittata-style scramble with pesto, green onions and feta, and served with chunky seasoned red potatoes and toast or croissant, while devastating on the arteries, is a personal fave. Biscuits and gravy features one of the better sausage gravies in town. And huevos, a layering of tortilla, black beans, eggs, sour cream, salsa and green onions, is lacking the ranchero sauce, but it is really addictive all the same.
You can substitute tofu or 2nd Nature eggs, too—nice!
Lunches are the big triple S: soups, salads, and sandwiches, not a huge menu, ranging from $3.25 to $7.
I love this neighborhood market. Sure, prices are more than at the bigger groceries, but they have a full selection of fruit and veg, fresh baked breads from Grand Central and others, frozen foods, packaged goods, fresh pasta, dairy, and meats. Perhaps their best features hides in a walk in beer cooler—an excellent beer supply.
There is nothing better than a beer cooler on a hot day. Well, a dip in a pool or a lake is close, but still. A beer cooler is hard to beat. And especially a beer cooler with some real taste! They have a shelving unit of belgians, a rack of appropriate glassware, and rows and rows of special regionals and imports. They have sixes of all your favorites. And they have a great, though small, collection of lawn mower beers, say if your father-in-law is coming by.
I love being cold when it's 100 degrees outside. And I love having a dilemma when picking out beer.
Mark your calendars! The Holiday Ale Festival is coming up next weekend. If you like winter ales and belgians, this should be right up your alley.
Collaborator, a rotation of different beer recipes homebrewed by the Oregon Brew Crew and produced by Widmer, is on tap permanently at the Rose And Raindrop and Widmer Gasthaus.
The Yamhill Brewing tasting room/pub area is scheduled to open at approx. 3pm on Tuesday, November 22. Wuhoo! Find them on SE 9th street between Yamhill and Taylor (south of Belmont).
Belmont Station has the most beer, and the most interesting beer, on the eastside. They claim 750 beers, while Liquid Solutions claims 660 and John's Marketplace has 800. But Belmont Station is still the premier beer store to my mind on either side of the river.
First of all, there's the Horse Brass connection. Belmont Station usedta be next door and used to be somehow connected to the HB, so a visit to the Horse Brass meant a visit to Belmont Station to bring some goodies home.
There's the fact that this is a store that is all about beer geeks. While the new location has self-serve coolers, they're self-serve coolers with UV protection on the cooler lights. And they rotate their beer. And, given that most of it seems to sell fairly fast, the chances of ending up with a skunky beer is close to nil.
But now there's more space for glasswear and t-shirts and memorabilia. And they have a non-smoking, 4 tap biercafé in one portion.
We've made a couple visits now. The bartender is just as knowledgeable as the staff on the cooler side. The tap selection focuses on things that you can't get in a bottle. The cafe is a comfortable place to enjoy a beer, and you can get a sandwich if you need to (around $8). But the great thing is that you can get yourself a pint from the cafe, and then go shopping. Dude!
The Berlin Inn is one of those places that I remember on the way to some place else, and think, I made the wrong decision. It's not terribly close to home, and I don't eat german all that often, so it's just not on my radar. Which is silly, because it's quite good.
This small place, stuffed to the brim with germanica, is popular with many, though it might be a bit much if you're claustrophobic. Stairs, small rooms, and tight turns make this definitely not wheelchair accessible.
The weekend (or should I say, wockenende) frühstück is a relatively small menu. There are several veggie items, including buttermilk and German pancakes, and blintzes, several meaty dishes like pork chops, chicken schnitzel, or leberkäse with eggs, 3 omelettes, and 3 benedicts. Everything but the pancake/blintze/North Sea Toast comes with your choice of bratkartoffeln (think, German home fries) or potato pancakes.
They offer three German beers on tap: today's selection was Allgaüer Hefeweizen, Spaten Premium Bock, and Salvator Paulaner. If you're interested at all in the local beer scene or German beer, be sure to chat with Marty—he's a wealth of knowledge and loves to share.
Prices range from $6-$12.50 a plate, and portions, as you might imagine, are huge. We got the Best of the Wurst omelet, and the leberkäse plate. Each was a gut bomb of food. Our potato pancakes were unlike any I've ever had: throughly, pan-fried until they were like crocquettes, but the omelet and leberkäse were both good. I needed a nap afterwards.
I love the banh mi at Binh Minh. I love it. But it closes at 5pm everyday of the week, which for me makes it not a very viable option outside the weekends.
Unfortunately, I love banh mi 7 days a week. What's a girl to do?
Well, Best Baguette offers the answer. They appear to be a chain (at least, the place is designed down to the seams) that offers fast food banh mi, sandwiches, vietnamese appetizers, dim sum, gelato, and asian drinks, including bubble and milk teas. But wait, it gets better: they have a drive thru window!
Interestingly, the menu is entirely in english. They offer 15 types of banh mi which include all the typical ones, plus a Saigon Bacon sandwich, a Vegetable sandwich (greens and pickled veg), pork roll and egg (Saigon style), and the one untranslated sandwich, nem nuong (which is a char-broiled pork paste). The prices range from $2.25 to $3.50, and the sandwiches are foot-longs. They also have french sandwiches ($3.75-$5) and croissant sandwiches ($2.50$4.75).
They bake the bread on premises so your sandwich is all warm and freshly made. That said, the ficelles they bake appear to be commercial par-baked ones, like the kind you find that Safeway uses. It makes a very soft bread, and one with no tooth to the crust. Vietnamese baguettes and ficelles do tend to have a softer crust, but usually not this soft. The picked veggies come in a little baggie so you can add as much or as little as you'd like. They were stingy with the jalapeno.
Not realizing they were foot-longs, we ordered a half-dozen, including a parisian ham and cheese (ugh), a pate, a grilled beef, grilled chicken, and bbq pork. As noted, I hated the parisian ham & cheese. It used american cheese— that is so wrong! The pate had an unidentified white lump in it that might have been cheese, so while the pate itself was fine (a little thin, but hey), I shyed away from the white lump. But the grilled meats and bbq pork were fine. They weren't Binh Minh, that's for sure, but in a pinch, it's a banh mi, and it doesn't come wrapped in cellophane.
So, we ordered a half-dozen sandwiches, a couple viet coffees, and the total came to $18. I think they comped us a coffee and threw in an extra baguette.
They have a good selection of gelato, and a huge selection of drinks. Not just the avocado, jackfruit, and durian shakes, but a huge selection of Asian (and not Asian) sodas and the like. Jarritos, for example.
Anyways, this is a great option if you're jonesing for a banh mi after 5pm.
I don't know how it is for you, but for me, there are some Fridays where I'm so exhausted by the week that I can't even think about what fun stuff might be happening on the weekend. However, I've caught a second (or fifth?) wind, and I am psyched about this weekend.
There is so much good stuff this weekend.
If you want to make an event out of getting a pumpkin, make a trip to out to Sauvie Island to pick your own, or just have the farm experience. There are several corn mazes as well!
Transportation geeks—you know I'm talking to you—a Film Celebration of Portland Transportation is happening from 2-4 Saturday. It's a series of locally made short films (5-10 minutes each) and two live historical presentations (10 minutes each) highlighting how our community has created Portland's world class transportation system. And it's free at the Bagdad.
Beulahland is a great hangout. It's funky, it's dusty, at times it's almost cranky, in the way you're allowed to be with those you're close to. They've got good beer on tap, sandwiches and soup, a mess of veggie options, a friendly funky place with a pool table, a jukebox, some pinball, a giant dictionary, and a computer with internet access.
I used to fetishize their grilled cheeses. They were made with whatever Grand Central bread they had in the kitchen, so every now and again you'd get a phenomenal one made with yeasted corn. But even the unphenomenal ones were really tasty.
The sad thing is, they do have food, and lots of veggie options, but outside of breakfast, I haven't had anything there that was noteworthy in a month of sundays. Which isn't to say it's bad—it just is. That said, hot and cold sandwiches range from $2.75-$8 and come with chips. They also have burgers ($6-$8), and plates that come with a green salad ($7-$7.75).
But let's talk about the interesting stuff. They have special drinks that are $4.50-$5. Beer on tap is $3.75 a pint. When I was there, they had:
-a rotator (when I was there, it was New Belgium Skinny Dip)
-Rogue Dead Guy
-Mt Hood Cascadian Pale Ale
-Anchor Porter
-Skagit Valley Scullers IPA
-Elysian the Wise ESB
-Anderson Valley Boont Amber
Bottled beers range from Session to imports, from ($2.50-$6)
In the last couple years of beer enjoyment, I've really become a stout fan, and particularly, the imperials.
So last night, at Concordia, when I heard that they had The Abyss Imperial Stout, Deschutes Brewery's Reserve Ale, aged in oak, on tap, I had to get a taster. Wow! A nose you could drink. It was slightly sweet, and complex, with waves of different flavor rolling around your mouth, and unlike many high-alcohol beers, no overwhelming alcohol flavor. The stout is dark in the glass, with a caramel-colored head, leaving beautiful lacing on the glass.
So I ordered a glass with dinner. 11% alcohol. It knocked me out!
In the middle of the night, I awoke to the worst hangover in memory. The Abyss was trying to kill me! So I did the only reasonable thing: I drank a glass of water and went back to bed.
This morning, I'm no worse for the wear, but: beer lovers, you must try this. And you must be respectful! Because this stuff can kick your ass!
Sure, it's easy to get to the Convention Center on your bike or via public transport; the MAX line runs right by, multiple bus lines go within blocks, and you have the bike paths off the Broadway and Steel Bridges, the Eastplace Esplanade, and the entire eastside working for you. The problem becomes actually parking the bicycle nearby.
Exterior Bike Racks at the Oregon Convention Center
There are three exterior bike racks outside the Convention Center. Yes, that's right, three.
On the Holladay Street side, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
On the MLK side, between Pacific and Oregon
On the MLK side, at Hoyt
If an event at the OCC attracts any sort of real crowd, you'll find bicycles locked down to just about anything permanent. So what's a conscientious bicyclist to do?
Luckily, there is also some super-secret bicycle parking.
Bicycle Parking in the OCC parking garage
Like many places, there is bike parking in the OCC parking garage. The benefits are obvious: no weather, racks designed to be locked to, and umm, no weather.
If you enter on level 1 (the south entrance between MLK and 1st on Lloyd Ave) just go by the tollbooth, and there's hanging parking immediately to your right, right in sightline of the parking attendant. Just past that, on the righthand side, some more hanging parking. And by the door to the Convention Center, there are U racks on each side of the door.
On Level 2 below it, there is far less parking—just a couple of the U racks by the OCC door, and in the SW corner of the garage.
His bicycle built for two comes with a tiny covered trailer and his green safety vest is emblazoned with the words "Powered by Potatoes". He's young and lean and bearded and not what you might imagine as a typical Loaves & Fishes Centers volunteer. But Vlad Ionis is making a difference in the lives of homebound seniors in the Hollywood neighborhood by delivering Meals-On-Wheels using his bike.
Ah, Biddy's. In spite of owner changes and venue changes, they've never forgot what makes them tick. It's a modest place, wood and smoke, covered with political posters and beer geegaws, but mostly political posters, some in Gaelic, most in English.
But probably what you're interested in is the beer, irish whiskey, and a smidge of food. We ate, it was nothing really to write home about, everything between $3-$8. They do offer cheese fries, served with steak fries with not quite enough cheese. But the fries were good.
They offer music every night of the week, a quite a bit of it free. Given that this is a reasonably small place, you'll probably actually want to like the music, but they keep the events calendar on the web site up to date.
Now beer, that's something. They serve imperial pints of
-Stella Artois
-Pyramid Hefeweizen
-Harp
-Pilsner Urquell
-Macs
-Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
-Deschutes Black Butte Porter
-PBR
-New Belgium Fat Tire
-Bass
-Smithwicks
-Full Sail Amber
-Bridgeport IPA
with
-Beamish
-Guinness
-Boddingtons
on a beer engine.
The beer we had was good, and as we were there early, it wasn't too smoky. With a Irish jam session happening in the middle of the room, it was tremendously pleasant.
Attention BIG CITY PRODUCE CUSTOMERS:
It is with great sadness that we announce the closing of Big City Produce number one at 722 N, Sumner Ave on September 30, 2007. We have been here for eleven years and can no longer operate due to unforeseen economic conditions. ... We want to thank you all for your great support over the years it has been heartwarming. We really need your support at the New Columbia location (4632 N. Trenton, at Newman) to continue in business and hope you will all come on out and support us.
Rain or shine, the big orange dog that advertises a doggy daycare is out, working his beat. He never slacks, never calls in sick... reliable in a way that only an inanimate object can be. He is so damn... cheerful!
And like those poor folks around tax time who wear statue of liberty costumes while waving a sign on the side of the road, the big orange dog dresses up for halloween. Which he clearly enjoys. Except when it rains.
The summer might be waning, but there are still bicycle organizations that need your love, time, and energy. Oh, and cash. Beth of CityBikes and Slug Velo came up with this excellent list.
SHIFT works to express Portland's creative bike culture and highlight the positive contributions of bicycling to the community. We are a loose-knit and informal bunch of bike-loving folks from all walks of life. There is no membership list, fee, nor dues. We share a passion for the bicycle in all its glory: as toy, as transportation, as tool for social and environmental change! SHIFT is open to everyone sharing in this passion.
The Community Cycling Center was founded in 1994 with a mission of building skills and fostering the personal growth of youth through community-oriented recreational and educational bicycle programs and services. It's the largest non-profit organization that uses the bicycle as a tool for teaching positive life skills to youth. Children in our programs learn bicycle safety and maintenance and earn their own bicycles, locks and helmets. We use the bicycle as a tool for learning because no child can resist the draw of a bicycle.
Donate a kids or adults bike. It makes a big difference, and it's tax-deductable. (503-288-8864 for directions)
dedicated to increasing the number of cyclists at PSU, promoting the bicycle both as recreation and as a superior mode of transportation, and empowering all cyclists with the ability to understand and repair their own bicycle(s). We focus on supplying PSU cyclists affordable, quality, replacement parts and will happily do whatever is in our power to assist you in repairing your own bike!
They reopen September 19, five days a week.
4. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (http://www.bta4bikes.org/)
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is a non-profit organization working to promote bicycle use and to improve bicycling conditions throughout the state of Oregon. Since 1990, the BTA has worked in partnership with citizens, businesses, community groups, government agencies and elected officials to create healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safer, more convenient and more accessible.
When it comes to banh mi, or the addictive little vietnamese sandwiches on french bread, Binh Minh is the name to beat. As of yet, I haven't found anyone who has. And lucky for us, there is now a second location, located in the former Nam's Deli.
If you aren't familiar with banh mi, they are sandwiches with some sort of meat on a french roll, like a hoagie. They all contain mayo, pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, and a couple slices of jalapeno. Meat fillings include cold cuts, pate, BBQ pork, steamed meatball, fried egg, and lemongrass grilled chicken.
The menu board at the SE Binh Minh is more abbreviated than the one in NE, but you can still get all the sandwiches there. Just ask.
On our recent visit, we got 2 BBQ Pork (Banh Mi Xa Xiu) and a Lemongrass Chicken (Banh Mi Ga Nuong), a pate chaud, and an egg roll (cha gio) with a couple of pops (less than $11). The bread at Binh Minh is baked right there, and is excellent: warm, crusty, with the tug of the mildly crunchy crust and the yielding (but not too yielding) bread.
Our BBQ pork was excellent, of course. Just a fine example of Vietnamese BBQ pork. But, even better was the lemongrass chicken, which was moist and really flavorful. The pate chaud was warm, the crust was flakey and got everywhere (as it should), and the combo of the crust with the pate was a rich, lovely treat. And the egg roll, while very small, was a nice representation of a Vietnamese egg roll.
Unlike the NE Binh Minh, the lighting and surroundings are pleasant and not at all cramped; there are plenty of tables to sit down at and enjoy your sandwich(es), though I'm told that they are packed at lunch.
The really bad news about Binh Minh is that they are only open til 5pm everyday. But the good news is that they are open everyday.
Banh Mi! Banh mi are Vietnamese sandwiches made with crispy but tender baguettes. The fillings include pickled carrots and other veggies, spreads, cilantro, jalapeno (sometimes) and traditionally some type of pork. They're typically cheap and addictive.
Like any other type of sandwich, banh mi benefit hugely from being made fresh in front of you. You can frequently get banh mi at Vietnamese groceries and some restaurants as a grab-and-go, wrapped in cellophane, and they just are no where near as good as a fresh sandwich.
Bread makes a difference too—if you can find a place that bakes the bread fresh, you can bet the banh mi is going to be good. And Binh Minh is a bakery as well as a banh mi shop.
Binh Minh is a phone booth of a place around the corner from the Pacific Super Market. They have a couple tables indoors that aren't really designed to be sat at for more than a couple American-sized people, and a couple tables outside. You go to the coolers and pick up your beverage, a gelatin dessert, shrimp flavored chips, etc, and then step over a step and order from the sign board on the wall.
Foodwise, I'm told it's pretty traditional. There are eight sandwiches, most $2.50: the Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi cha thit nguoi, $2), meat ball (banh mi xiu mai), barbeque pork (banh mi xa xiu), lemongrass chicken (banh mi thit ga nuong), Vietnamese pork (banh mi cha lua), fish (banh mi ca), pate (banh mi pate), and shredded pork (banh mi bi).
There are five soups and stews: fish soup (chao ca, tom, $5), Vietnamese rice noodle with pork (bahn cahn tom, xa xiu, $5), egg noodle with beef (mi bo kho, $5), beef stew with french bread (banh mi bo kho, $3.95), and french bread with round egg (banh mi op-la, $3.25). You can add extra meat or vegetables for 50 cents more.
I haven't tried any of the soups or stews, but I've had all of the sandwiches, and, wow, there's not a bad one in the bunch. I particularly enjoy the pate, but the lemongrass chicken is also great, and an option you don't always find elsewhere.
In addition, they always have some stuff in the hot case: steamed pork buns, and spring rolls for sure.
The sandwiches, let's face it, aren't huge: they're about the size of a skinny hoagy, so plan on getting two or supplementing it somehow.
The staff aren't terrifically friendly, but they know english well, and they're really speedy.
Stopping in to Binh Minh is always a treat—I think their banh mi are the ones to beat.
Biwa is a relative rarity in Portland: a Japanese restaurant that doesn't feature sushi. In reality, there is no sushi on the menu at all. Biwa is all about Izakaya food, the simple food that accompanies alcohol in Japanese bars.
Star amongst these is yakimono, or grilled things on sticks, and it is where Biwa really shines. Yakimono ranges from $3-$8, and ranges from miso-grilled scallops, chicken thigh (classic yakitori), lamb genghis kahn, beef hanger steak, to shitake mushrooms, shishito peppers, corn in shoyu and tofu with miso. There is not a loser in the bunch.
Biwa is also the only place in Portland to make their own ramen and udon noodles. Housemade noodles make a big difference, and Biwa has the best ramen and udon in town($7-$16). And of the four different udon variants, you can get all of them vegetarian or vegan. Just short of half the menu can be served vegetarian or vegan.
Rounding out the menu are a number of salads include sunomono (cucumber salad, $7-$9), chijimi, a korean style griddle cake with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce ($7), yakionigiri ($2, grilled rice ball!), and gyoza ($6). Most dumplings around town, whether they are chinese, korean or japanese, are a mixture of meat and cabbage, kind of like a meatball. But Biwa's gyoza are all about the pork, and man, are they ever good.
They serve sake in the traditional way, and they have 8 of the 9 sakes on the menu available by the glass ($6-$19). They also have sake flights, beer, wine, and some nonalcoholic selections.
It's easy, really easy, to run up a big tab here. Dinner for two usually costs about $60, whereas lunch runs $30 and some change for two.
The lunch menu is a bit more limited, same prices but not a lot of yakimono.
Monday is nabe night (hot pot). They set up a hot pot on a burner right on your table. When we were there, it was $20 per person and you got seafood, a huge platter of crablegs and shrimp and salmon and god only knows what else, with vegetables and cellophane noodles. The broth, the meat and the noodles change every week. I can't wait to try that.
Hey! Biwa, the Japanese bar snack place with the best meat and veg on a stick anywhere in Portland, now offers a happy hour. And there's lot to be happy about.
A 20 ouncer of Sapporo is just $3. A six ounce Yuri Masamune sake is just $4,
Yakitori/yakimoni, like chicken breast or thigh, beef hangar steak, pork belly, garlic (which I'm told is really yummy), and corn are just $2 each. Collect them all and save!
And from the izakaya menu, they have buta kani kimchi chahan (which involves pork belly and kimchi and I'm not sure what else), vegetable chijimi (a pancake with a dipping sauce), and onigiri (addictive grilled rice ball) for $3.
These are all small plates, but it's still a substantial savings, so come by early and save...
Okay, I've been totally charmed by the Black Cat Tavern. It's so old Sellwood! It looks like a dive from the outside, and it is a bit of one. It's smoky even in mid-afternoon, and there's this crusty, cranky aura, which seems both friendly and irritable at the same time. When we walked up to the bar, we were warned not to try the stock ale on tap. So of course, we had to ask for a taste... and it was awful. Thanks, bartender!
So, of course there's beer (Terminal Gravity IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale, Widmer Hefeweizen, Fat Tire, and Guinness, among other things). Pints are $3.50 (Guinness, natch, is more). They offer free WiFi, video games, video crack, pool, and shuffleboard(!), as well as a spacious and excellent beergarden, open noon to dusk. I mean, I wish my backyard looked this good. And, you can reserve it for your party, and/or bring your own grillables, which is great since the food there is limited to snacks.
Oh, and need to take away some beer? They're licensed to sell beer to go.
i don't mean to put too fine a point on it. I know lots of folks like Chipotle, and I myself have been lured into repeatedly eating lunch there (my defense: ye Gods, I work downtown!). But has anyone had a good experience at Bleu?
The Blue Monk is a jazz club. Run by a beer fanatic. Okay? There is food, and it's okay, arguably even better during happy hour (5-7 everyday) where a bakers dozen options are all $5. The menu leans heavily on pasta. But really, if you're not a jazz fan, or even if you are, the reason to go there is the beer. 11 taps feature Stella Artois, and 10 not-so-usual American craft brews and European standards (the web site doesn't keep current with what's on now, but it's bound to have several Belgians). They stock an interesting selection of bottled beers, too. They serve food until 1am, and they're open all week long.
Blue Moon is a dangerous store for camera lovers, the epicenter for artsy film photographers. They do occassionally stock digital cameras, but overwhelming, they emphasize film. Whether you're looking for a reliable 35mm, a super-8, a holga, or a handsome handmade wooden pinhole camera, they have it, generally at great prices. They also have accessories, bags, chemicals, and old refurbished typewriters (swoon). Film, of course, including "120mm film modified for your 620 shooting pleasure." And, they do processing, both by hand and by machine, including optical enlargements rather than digital.
They also create a community, both with the friendly and free way the staff exchanges names with customers, and in throwing a customer show annually, which for opening night packs the streets of St Johns as if it were a happening big city.
The Blue Moose has been in the old Leaf & Bean location now for over a year. Like Leaf & Bean, they concentrate on sandwiches, salads, soup and breakfasts. Unlike Leaf & Bean, they're fully vegetarian -- no meat, no eggs. These are the same folks who did the Dogs Dig Deli, vegetarian, natch, in Old Town.
I had read about the Blue Moose in Food Fight's description of Portland's veggie & vegan restaurants. I recall the review saying something along the lines of, "they really like cheese". And it's true, cheese does appear frequently in the menu, but if you don't care for cheese, you can sub in avocado. If you don't like sour cream, you can swap in yougurt, or tofu sauce.
We walked in, and the place looks much more restauranty than it did as Leaf & Bean. It smelled good too. We sat down, and our server immediately brought over glasses of water, and little ramekins of the two soups. I loved that gesture!
They have 8 different sandwiches, including a grilled PB & banana sandwich. They are mostly $8 and come with a mixed green salad, but you can sub a cup of soup for a dollar more. They're made with healthy breads as well: rye, grains galore, spelt, whole wheat double bran, and naturebake organic.
They offer a small and big mixed green salad with a number of options: cruciferous, beans & corn, soylent (hehe, baked tofu with red onion & sunflower seeds), mediterranean, and five others. These are $4-$7 depending on if you go small or large and with or without options.
Burrito and burrito in a bowl is yet another option. Swap out the brown rice for red potatoes. Or polenta. And spinach. $5-$8.
And finally, there are long plates: 4 different large plates, $9. My partner in crime selected the Puebla Long Plate: mixed greens, brown rice, pintos, jack cheese, corn & sour cream with a grilled cheese and salsa quesadilla. It was a platter, really.
I got the Children of the Corn burrito bowl, vegan-stylee: polenta, pintos, corn, sunflower seeds, tofu sauce, hot sauce and avocado.
I have to say that I enjoyed the meal a lot. The beans were well spiced, and nothing was overly salty or oily. It was like home cooking: except, neither of us had to cook, and neither of us had to clean up. It was exciting to have vegan options, and to have some choices that didn't make me feel like I was cheating.
My favorite lunch spot these days is BluePlate. I end up there at least once a week, quite frequently more, because it seems to be all of my friends favorite downtown lunch as well.
And good news: they also serve an early dinner (closing at 8:30) Tuesday-Friday!
This is a tiny place: with six tables (3 four tops) and six stools at the counter. While I love sitting at the counter, this one desperately needs a foot rest for those of us with short legs. If you're on the mailing list, be sure to get there early or late on a day that Jeff sends out an email...
Every now and again, a meal or a part of a meal will miss the mark. But there is something so entirely honest about this place, where food is made from real food. The food items are made to order when that makes sense, and you can really taste that. You can watch the chef/owner Jeff Reiter put together your plate, going from the griddle, slicing fresh lettuce and tomato, ladling out lumping wonderful mashed potatoes. The meats are high-end: Cascade Natural, Draper Valley. It all happens quite fast, but it's quite gratifying to see him take such care. And the results, natch, are quite good.
The drink menu: huge. House sodas, ice cream floats, fountain classics, milkshakes, malteds, and sundaes. But this is no sloach in the soda fountain department. They have three types of ice teas (including a Georgia Sweet and a Hibiscus). Egg creams, brown cows, and black cows. And have you ever had sodas made with hibiscus, allspice, star anise, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, lemongrass, and/or kefir lime leaf? Well, have you? I know it's all the rage to put this stuff into vodka...
To me, the drinks are overkill: a little too intense. But more for you, yes?
The dinner menu changes from week to week. There are three or four entrees; this recent week saw a teriyaki steak with pineapple chutney over rice ($14), a roast chicken over spoon bread, a flank steak sandwich with grilled Walla Walla onions and mashed Yukon Gold potatoes ($12), and Shrimp Louie Louie ($10). I haven't made it there yet, but soon.
The lunch menu is short, but quite reasonable. The everyday menu consists of NW Sliders (2 white castle-sized oniony cheeseburgers) with potatoes, a grilled cheese with tomato soup, a classic caesar (with or without chicken), and a BLT salad.
I've never had homemade tomato soup, but this is what I'd imagine it would taste like: creamy, but with small nuggets of flavorful tomato. The grilled cheese is like your mom would make when you were a kid and didn't eat artisan bread or expensive cheese. No fouffy bread is involved, and probably only a single slice of cheddar. So it really is kinda perfect in its own way.
In addition to the regulars, there is always a $9 blueplate (most recently, a very simple, so yummy, roast chicken with mashed taters and mushroom gravy), and generally two $7 sandwiches which come with some sort of starch. Meatloaf is a favorite sandwich, as is the pulled pork which is really tasty.
The blueplate can be Meatloaf and Gravy with mashed potatoes, but there's also been BBQ Spare Ribs with Corn Bread, Spaghetti and Meatball, Monster Potato (baked potato topped with house Sloppy Joe and cheddar cheese), Shepard's Pie (rich meat stew topped with mashed potatoes), Tamale Pie (slow cooked pork and beef, baked with a cornbread top), Brisket Pot Roast and Cajun Chicken Mac and Cheese with a corn bread gratin.
Recent sandwich specials include BBQ Pulled Pork, Pot Roast Sandwich, Meatloaf Sandwich, Chicken BLT, Italian Chicken Sandwich, Chicken or Pork Tacos, and Sloppy Joe, most frequently served with wonderfully lumpy mashed potatoes.
The chicken BLT, for example is really stellar. It's just a damn good sandwich, with bacon that tastes like bacon and chicken that tastes like chicken and tomato that tastes like tomato, rather than cardboard.
We had heard that breakfast at Bob's was good, so we headed out there one Saturday. Their info isn't kidding: it is only about 15 minutes from Portland by car.
You go into the Whole Grain Store, and the counter to order food is back and to the left. Don't be surprised if there's a line and you have to slowly inch by the breads. Sooner or later, you'll get to the front and you can order.
After you order, you take your number and claim a table, either on the first floor, on the patio, on the second floor. Water, coffee, and pop are self-serve, and the stations also include maple syrup, butter and honey. Someone will deliver your food and make sure you have everything you need.
The breakfast menu is rather sparse: 16 items, omelettes ($7-$8), breakfast eggs ($4.75-$7), cereals ($2.50-$4), a fruit bowl ($6) and a kids plate ($3.50). There is also a vegetarian menu of 10 items ($4-$7), most vegan. All the menus are online.
So where are the carby things that you think of when you think of stone-ground whole grain goodness? It seems they are relegated as sides (or on the veg menu). After all, they offer vegan and non-vegan flapjacks made from buttermilk, 10 grain, or buckwheat, as well as buttermilk waffles, and vegan and non-vegan french toast. I would have liked to have a multiple carb breakfast, but building your own plate is expensive, or so it seemed at the time. We ended up having eggs and cheese grits with scratch biscuits. The grits were excellent, and the whole-grain biscuits were yummy, flakey, and a little messy.
The next time I go back, I'm definitely going to try the flapjacks. Maybe with a side of cheese grits...
The downsides are definitely that Milwaukie isn't so close for those of us who live in town, and it doesn't look like you have a lot of public transit options on Saturdays. And Saturday morning probably means a wait in line. The meat products are turkey based. And everyone from Clackamas County is there on Saturday. Including Bob and Charlee Moore whose grandparently visages appear everywhere, and they eat there too!
This is definitely worth the trip, especially during the week, for Bob's Red Mill fans, vegans, and whole grain enthusiasts.
A specialty health food store featuring, not surprisingly, Bob's Red Mill whole-grain and organic products in their huge depth and breadth. The store features
flours and meals
oats
cereals
mixes
grains, beans & seeds
gluten-free products
baking aids
kitchen gear
herbs & spices
books
as well as breakfast, lunch, and cooking classes. Many of the more popular products are available in bulk, and they have lots of fact sheets on hand if you are trying to figure out how to cook with something. They have a huge selection of products for celiacs and vegans. If you like BRM products, or whole grains in general, this is definitely worth a visit.
I was attending an event at the Oregon Convention Center, and the "restaurants" in the OCC were closed. I couldn't bare the thought of going to Burgerville or Big Town Hero, nor could I stand the thought of seeing if American Cowgirls served lunch. The OCC was kind enough to provide a restaurant list, and of the three non-chains listed, I picked Bogarts.
Bogarts is a neighborhood bar, and it appears to have been here long before Metro and the State of Oregon built their buildings. It's tiny and dingy and redolent of stale smoke and the desperation of people playing video crack. I sat myself in the small non-smoking section (what a joke), looking over the giant grill that makes up the heart of the business.
It became immediately clear that its a family business: the daughter got me a beer, her mother cooked my burger, her aunt was doing something else. Micros on tap included Black Butte Porter, Fat Tire, Widmer Hefeweizen and Drop Top Amber.
Everything on the menu ranges from $6.50-$8: 1/3# burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, salads. Sandwiches come with chips, potato salad or cottage cheese. And while my burger was nothing to write home about, it wasn't bad—and I loved the option of cottage cheese!
I really appreciated the human touch there: the staff calling me honey, watching them interact, and give directions to someone who wandered in off the street. And in the end, I liked the quiet, the feeling I wouldn't be rushed out, the chance to sit and think and embellish my notes.
The other day, Ayleen told me that her favorite breakfast spot was on Alberta, but it was cheap, good and there was never a line. I made a few guesses, but never guessed La Bonita—until she told me. Damn!
Of course, she wasn't kidding. La Bonita is great for breakfast.
You basically have 5 options: 4 entrees for $6, and a breakfast burrito for $4.50. But what options these are! The egg dishes are heuvos rancheros, heuvos con chorizo, and heuvos a la mexicana, served with beans, rice, and warm tortillas. Chilaquiles round out the entrees, the luscious stale tortilla chips cooked in sauce, yum, yum, yum.
But for me, the breakfast burrito, while being atraditional, is the highlight. You have a large burrito filled with eggs, beans, hashbrowns and cheese. Add chorizo for a buck if you're a meat eater—you'll be glad you did. Talk about good. Add a little red or green salsa, and you have a tasty, filling meal.
But of course, La Bonita is not a slouch when it comes to other meals, either. If you haven't been there in a while, the interior has been updated with custom wooden booths and tables. Big upgrade from the orange fastfood booths! And as you might expect from Alberta St., they have bilingual staff cashiering.
They have menudo and pozole ($5-$7) every day!
Tacos are either $1.50 or $1.95 depending on the choice of meat (chicken, beef and pork carnitas are cheap; carne asada, tongue, fish, shrimp, machaca and al pastor are more pricey).
Of course, there are also quesadillas ($4-$6 depending on the filling), tostada ($3-$5), tortas ($5-$6), chimichangas (?)($6-$7), and tamales ($2: pollo, vegan, carnitas, and chile verde).
Meat burritos are $4.50 or $5 (with a chile relleno & meat sneaking in at $5 and fajita burrito sneaking in at $6), and meatless burritos ranging from $2.50-$5 for bean & cheese, bean & cheese & rice, chile relleno, veggie and fajita veggie. Get it enchilado (or a La Bonita) for another $2.
Platters include the three taco ($8 or $9), tamales ($8 or$9), carne asada ($10), chile relleno ($8), Mole (Friday-Sunday, $9 or $11), enchiladas ($8 or $9), and finally, a sampler with enchilada, chile relleno, and a tamale ($11).
Did I mention breakfast is all day?
I need to eat something other than breakfast there, but damn, I do love their breakfasts.
Interesting blurb on our 82nd Ave, and the role that ungentrified, unplanned spaces play in cities.
Portland's real Chinatown is growing around 82nd, not in Old Town, where the Portland Development Commission's streetscape project hopes curb extensions and exotic trees will substitute for a lively, growing community.
Numbers confirm the impressions rolling past our windshields. According to the 2000 census, Multnomah County has 18 census tracts (out of nearly 200) where at least 20 percent of the residents are foreign-born. Half of these tracts border 82nd Avenue.
Portland Food Group member Veronica has created this brilliant google map listing of places to get brekkie in Portland. The map contains a capsule review, address, and, breakfast hours. She's been to well over half of the places listed. It's a great resource.
Itchin' for eggs? Jonesin' for java? Here's a nigh-comprehensive list of breakfast joints in Portland. I skipped over chains (with the exception of the Original Pancake House since it's, you know, original) and mandated that these places must serve hot breakfast (i.e., no muffin peddlers). Green means I've been there, yellow means I have not and red means, "Please don't go here -- I want it all for myself!" Hours listed are hours that the establishments serve breakfast. They may be open additional non-breakfast hours.
There are so many things to love about Portland, and our bike culture is certainly one of them. Shift, an informal social bike fun group, is responsible or affliated with an awful lot of bike fun in this town, and perhaps the most visible of their events is the monthly Breakfast on the Bridges.
The last Friday of every month, Shift volunteers serve breakfast to bicyclists on the Broadway and Hawthorne bridges. Many bike commuters have come to look forward to hot coffee and delicious pastries on their way to work once a month - and you can't beat the view!
Coffee is provided by Red Wing Cafe, a local fair-trade coffee roaster; and pastries are donated by local bakeries including Red Wing, Grand Central Baking Company and others.
We generally arrive on the bridges around 7:00 a.m. and stay till 9:00.
Join us for this fun, community-building event. Stop by on your way to work, school, shopping, or whereever you and your bike are going. Just stop on by.
It's incredibly humane. Drink coffee or tea from a porcelain cup! Nibble on some good carbs! And chat with someone you don't know about anything you want.
The Bridgeport Brew Pub in NW has been closed since Christmas 2004, leaving only the (yuppie-esque) Bridgeport Ale House on Hawthorne. And so for a certain sort of craftbrew drinker, there hasn't been a significant argument to go to Hawthorne. Not that I'm going to make one now. But the original Brew Pub will reopen in February (hopefully, without total and complete yuppification).
I know that a lot of people look at Bridgeport, and Widmer, with some derision because of corporate funding. Yes, Gambrinus Co, owner of Corona, Pete's Wicked, Shiner and Moosehead, also owns Bridgeport (and Anheuser-Busch owns a minority share of Widmer). So do they suck? It doesn't appear so. I miss the funky old Brew Pub, but their beer, in bottle and on tap, is still good. In fact, last week there was an article lauding Bridgeport's ESB... in (of all places) the Dallas-Fort Worth Star Telegram:
With lashings of creamy head, this English-style bitter pours a warm, deep amber and delivers a beautiful balance of hops and malted barley with hints of fruit and caramel. It leaves a pleasant lacing about the glass.
It also sang the praises of the India Pale Ale, and the Black Strap Stout.
Bridgeport makes Blue Heron Pale Ale, Ropewalk Amber, Pintail Copper, Old Knucklehead (a barley wine), and Ebenezer (winter) Ale as well.
I hate to damn Bridges with faint praise, but it's a neighborhood joint. Mind you, they're reasonably friendly, generous with the food, relatively popular, so much so that there's frequently a wait, and their food is consistently not bad. It's just inconsistent about being great.
Bridges is a sunny little corner breakfast joint. There are a couple booths, and quite a few tables, but it's crowded enough that wheelchair access would be a hassle.
It's smoke-free inside, and they have an awning hanging over some picnic tables on the Russell Street side if you prefer the company of your dog, or want to people-watch the folks going in and out of the Nike Outlet store. There is some exposed bike parking, and a gravel parking lot behind for the motor vehicles.
The menu is split into Benedicts ($9.50-$10.25), Omelettes ($8-$9), and Specialties ($7.25-$9.25). There's a dazzling selection of food items: burritos, french toast, fruit plates. You can also get cocktails and mimosas ($4.50-$6.50), bottled beer ($2.75-$3.25, selection varies, though usually it's some Wolaver's Organic Pale, Deschutes ales, Fat Tire, and Henry's), and wine by the glass.
Most non-carboload dishes come with potatoes. These are garden variety roasted potatoes, and like most places in town that serve them, they're not very good. They tend towards mushy.
This morning, we ordered a classic Benedict, and the Eggs Fiesta. The latter seems like it should have an exclamation point—whadda name! But sadly, the Fiesta, while its individual components were okay, there was nothing about the combination to write home about.
The benedict was fine. No complaints. Local canadian bacon, nice sauce, eggs just right. If only the potatoes were better.
filled under hair of the dog, breakfast, brekkie, benedict, omelette, omellette, omelet, Bridges, Eliot
June 7, 2006 |
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You know, there are some addresses where you just think, oh g-d, what rubbish is here now? You know, addresses that are cursed? The former location of Epicure, La Prima Pizzeria, Irvington Corner Table, Rustica, and probably a half-dozen other places whose names I've blocked out because it was such an underwhelming experience, is now the locale for an underwhelming brewpub. Or it will be a brewpub once they get the brewery properly licensed.
If you are familiar with Old Market Pub, and/or like their beer and food, well, there you go. I'm told that the menu is the same at Broadway. I'm not surprised at all that places like Old Market Pub survive on the west side; the west side is so underserved for any type of edible inexpensive food that places that have no excuse for surviving hang on for years.
The space is dotted by big screen TVs and has the ambiance of a bus station; except in this bus station, there's lots of unfinished wood.
Let us begin with the menu. Appetizers and the beer list make up the front page. There is an artichoke-spinach-cheese dip, onion rings, 2 types of fries, 3 quesadillas, hot wings, and nachos. Prices range from $3.95 to $9.95, with most things, including the corn chips and salsa, ringing in at $6.95-$7.95.
We didn't order the $6.95 corn chips and salsa. There's TOFTT and then there's sheer stupidity.
Soups & Salads range from $3.95-$9.95, that lowest price being a cup of pub-made soup, the latter being an entree caesar with a 1/4 pound of shrimp. Are they cocktail style or deepfried, prawns or bay shrimp? Who knows?
Entrees vary widely. There's a pasta ($12.95-$13.95), gyros ($8.95-$10.95), chicken fingers ($9.50), 10 inch pizzas ($9.95), fish-n-chips ($9.95-$12.95), burgers ($6.95-$9.45), and sandwiches ($8.60-$9.90. Vegetarian options (a garden burger, 3 veggie pizzas, and the gyros) are few and far between. Just about everything comes with potato chips, and there are up-charges galore: to sub in fries, to get dipping sauce, to add salsa (!) to your nachos.
Broadway Grill has about a dozen taps of Old Market Pub beers. We asked our teenage waitress for her recommendation, and that worked about as well as you might expect. We ended up with a couple of lackluster beers. Then we ordered food.
Now, honestly, I hadn't heard anything good about this place, but I was hoping in the way that I always do, that this would be a good place to get dinner. So with that inherent, unproven optimistism...
I had the "1/2-pound beer-battered fish & chips", halibut with the shoestring fries. The fries were okay, but the fish, yikes. It was an awful grade of halibut, if it was halibut; it had no taste, and a distinctly wrong texture. Halibut is a firm white meat fish with a fine texture. It should flake into chunks when you cut it, or put it in your mouth, and it should have a sweet mild flavor. The deep-frying and beer batter were adequate. Wait a minute, scratch that. At 12.95 for a half-pound, what a rip off!
My companion got a "big corned beef reuben" ($8.95), which he described as the worst reuben he had ever had. For one thing, it wasn't big. The sandwich had too little corned beef, and what little corned beef it had wasn't very good. It wasn't bad, it was just something you'd expect in a Denny's reuben, if they served reubens (do they? I have no idea). The overall sandwich was greasy. Well, at least we had our fries.
What I don't get is that when we were there, the joint was jumping. Lots of folks there, eating and drinking. Is NE Broadway this starved for pub grub? I guess so.
Let's face facts—into every life a little fast food must fall. Even those of us who have read Fast Food Nation find the need for a quickie drivethru meal every now and again. And you really could do worse than eating at Burgerville. They're local, they tend to use good ingredients (like Oregon Country Beef and Tillamook Cheese), and they offer seasonal goodies like Walla Walla Onion Rings, Berry Shakes, and Sweet Potato fries. That said, they vary in cooking quality from store to store—but any of them are better than the other fastfood nearby
First, I'd like to thank each and everyone for dining with us for 16 long years. But the sad news is, we are being forced to close our business due to the owner of the building. He wants us to vacate the premises by July 31, 2007. We hate to close the doors to you at this location. But you may visit us at 3126 N.E. 82nd Ave. across from Madison High School (503-252-1343). We would appreciate it if you would not dine here in honor of El Burrito Loco. I feel we were robbed of our business and you continuing to dine here would support the building owner if he try's to open here with our same food recipes. Thank You once again. Hope to see you soon!!!
The Original El Burrito Loco owner's
I stopped by this evening to try to pick up a burrito, and saw the place emptied out, with the owners hanging out at the door. It appears, according to the owners, that they've been forced out by their landlord. They're asking folks to please:
1. Do buy food at the Burrito Loco on 82nd, across from Marshall High
and
2. Don't buy food at whatever goes into their new space.
The Bus Project and Demos are pleased to bring author Tamara Draut to town to talk about why it's harder than ever for America's 20- and 30-somethings to get ahead. Her new book, Strapped, is out in stores now.
One in three 18 to 34 year olds doesn't have health insurance. We youngsters average $9000 in credit card debt. And the maximum Pell Grant award, the nation's premier program for helping poor kids pay for college, covers about one-third of the costs of a four-year college today. It covered three-quarters in the 1970s. What's the deal? Has our political apathy shot us in our collective Converse-bedecked foot?
It's been disheartening to see Music Millennium reduced to its original store, to see the great record store triangle winnowed to one store, and to see yarn shops bite the dust. Likewise, it's sad to see the independent booksellers who aren't Powells packing up and moving out of downtown (or out of business).
So, why am I writing this? Just to remind you to buy where you shop. If you like the bricks and mortar experience, then support it.
Sure, it's fun to order online -- one click and you know there'll be a present brought to you at work by the hunky UPS guy. But if you like the experience of browsing, picking up the merchandise and feeling it, and having that lucky discovery of something new, then do the right thing.
Here's something that Tim O'Reilly wrote a couple years back that sums it up nicely (emphasis is mine, natch):
If you value the bookstore experience, my advice is this: buy where you shop. I buy lots of books online. I read about them on a blog or a mailing list, and buy with one click. But when I shop for books in bookstores, I buy them there, and so should you. Don't just look for the best price. Look for the best value. And if that value, for you, includes the ability to page through a book, support your local bookseller.
Byways is, by all appearances, a kitschy diner. But it's a really good kitschy diner. It's been in the Pearl since before the Pearl was called the Pearl.
First, let's look at breakfast, which runs til 11am on weekdays and all day on the weekends. The coffee is good, and hot. The menu looks like the usual greasy spoon fare: eggs & protein, omelettes, pancakes, hash. In fact they serve four different types of hash which look beautiful and taste even better. Griddle fare includes buttermilk pancakes, but also amaretto french toast, and super fabulous blue corn hotcakes with pecan butter. Eggs are treated respectfully and are always tasty. Potatoes are well-cooked home fries—not my fav, but hey. And, I don't know that this is the best bacon in town, but it's sure the best bacon I've had in town for quite a while.
Lunch is more of the same, stuff that sounds unassuming and unexciting until it's in front of you. They have malts, brown cows (coke with vanilla ice cream), rootbeer floats, stewarts sodas and arnold palmers (lemonade & iced tea). The lunch menu is the three Ss: soup, salads, sandwiches. The prices range from $3-$9, and the salads range from tuna salad, chef, cobb, greek, back to chicken salad. French fries accompany all the sandwiches, and they're thick on one side, thin on the other!
The counter makes great seating if you're there by yourself, and the booths, by the display case of vintage travel souvenirs are great if it's quiet or you're in a small group.
This is a small place and popular, so on the weekends, bring the paper and plan on a wait.
Almost a year after they opened, we thought it was time to revisit Cafe Wonder, in the daylight basement of the Wonder Ballroom. I'm happy to say that while there have been some shifts in the menu, it's still good, and still reasonable.
On the bar side (and realistically, the entire place is in sight of the bar) they have 4 beers on tap (Lagunitas IPA, Pyramid Hefeweizen, Fat TIre Amber, and Miller High Life). Luckily, they also have good selection of bottled beers, wine, and cocktails, including an afterschool special for welldrinks, $2, 5-6:30 pm, which packs the place.
The menu is short and simple: the east side's cheapest steakfrites (steak and fries, $14.50), mac-n-cheese, fish-n-chips, fried chicken, veggie risotto, caesar salad, a chicken sandwich and a hamburger, with a range of prices starting at $7.
We ordered the caesar, which was tasty and huge. It's not the city's best caesar, but it's quite edible all the same. We also ordered the fried chicken. According to the menu, it's a quarter chicken, so we were a little surprised to have it come as a breast and a leg. Still, I suppose those are probably the favorite parts of chicken. The chicken was fine, but the real standout was the tiny serving of greens, which may well be the best in town. Rich with pork, complex and slightly bitter, these are what greens are supposed to be.
Servings are generous and there is none of this well-intentioned but badly executed fusion cuisine one sees in other parts of Albina. And, the fries are great.
We also had great service: a waitress who seemed to have a degree in mindreading, always at the ready to get us more alcohol or more napkins. The room is quite lovely as well. Oh, smoke-free and free wifi, too. Now, if only it was also child-free...
Calling it a "bittersweet moment," brother and sister Edward and Annette Campbell are selling their Campbell's Bar-B-Q, a culinary landmark on Southeast Powell.
After 16 years as a "workaholic," says Annette, she needs to spend more time as a mom.
By Jan. 23, a new owner will be in place. Current plans call for no changes in name... or sauce.
I wasn't expecting much with this cute space just outside of Hillsdale. You can eat downstairs, or in the more bistro-like upstairs. They offer a weekend brunch, of about 12 breakfasty things and 11 lunchy things, as well as champagne, coffee nudge, bloody marys, and mimosas.
So it all started well: greeted at the door, immediately brought menus, coffee and water. The coffee, eh, okay, nothing to write home about. We order, and as we wait to eat, the upstairs fills. And still, one waitress. So, I wasn't terribly surprised when my meal came to the table cold, or that I never got a coffee refill. I watched as the folks behind us waited to get the tab, then waited for the waitress to pick up their credit card, then waited for it to come back—all in all, about 20 minutes!
Unfortunately, the food was similarly lackluster. My cold ham and cheese omellette was very overdone. It was accompanied by potatoes (a handful of smushy pan fried potatoes) and "fresh fruit" (three very thin, very dry slices of melon, one of starfruit). The Hillsdale Heap (potatoes with veggies, egg, and cheese) had eggplant mixed in with the veggies—just not the most harmonious combination. To add insult to injury, I was still hungry afterwards!
Happy Hour or France on the Cheap
If a Paris café seems too far to travel for your evening repast, Carafe offers food and drink specials during happy hour —Monday through Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pair a Slow-roasted Pork Sandwich ($3) or Goat Cheese Spread on walnut crostini ($3) with a French Martini with vodka, crème de Framboise and pineapple juice or a Jupa Gin with gin, fresh squeezed lime juice, sugar syrup and tonic. Carafe's Happy Hour menu also offers beer, wine and aperitifs...and of course, pommes frites ($3).
Think of a Parisian sidewalk cafe. It might be just like Carafe. There are drinks, and beer (I believe), but the emphasis is on wine by the carafe. This place is not cheap, but it's pretty reasonable, all things considered. The lunch menu is quite a bit cheaper than dinner, with most of the same entrees. I have yet to have something that didn't thrill me to my toes here—mussels, charcuterie, confit, salad, sandwiches, entrees, dessert—yum!
I was there most recently on a romantic lunch, so I didn't get a chance to take notes on prices (though the two of us ate to bursting, sans alcool, for $26). It's got great ambience, and good service, and lunch entree prices top out around $13 (for the bifsteak/frites), with dinner entrees are a bit more (like $20ish for the bifsteak/frites). I keep coming back for the hamburger and the steak, both with great fries. And no one will hold your bad high school French against you.
The downside here is that it's small, so if you really want to get in, make reservations. When it's full, it's noisy. And, like so many French bistros in France, the bathrooms are an adventure. Ask for the key at the hostess stand, and you'll find the washrooms in the parking structure. Hey, but if you've been in a Turkish toilet, you know you've got nothing to complain about.
One of the joys of long-distance walking, running or cycling is carboloading. If you need that important prerace meal, go to Justa Pasta (http://www.justapasta.com/, (503) 229-0646, 1336 NW 19th Ave). Really cheap, really good, and Roland, the owner, will be running this year's Portland Marathon, so you know he feels for you. Their super-garlicy caesar is one of the best in the city.
If you're looking for fancier carboloading, try Mama Mia's (http://www.mamamiatrattoria.com/, (503) 295-6464, SW 2nd & Washington) for the east coast/NJ style Italian-American cheese fest. The caesar here is nothing to write home about, but the pasta servings are quite generous. They serve a good stiff foofy drink too.
Basta's (http://bastastrattoria.citysearch.com/, (503) 274-1572, NW 21st and Flanders) also makes a good drink, has an excellent wine selection, and is higher-end than Mama Mias and also higher quality for a more authentic tuscan meal. They offer—gasp!—free parking in their lot. And, another excellent caesar.
There is a Catalina, Virginia, and she, with her son, Eddie, oversee the goings on at Catalina's. Come in a couple times, and even if you speak lousy spanish, you'll be part of the extended family. When the Catalina's cooks are on, this is some of the best homestyle tex-mex in town. Other times, you feel like you're eating right in some one's kitchen. What they serve is solid tex-mex, with an emphasis on seafood. The pollo and carne asada are both strong, but if you really want good, go for shrimp. The prices are reasonable -- $6-9 for the non-seafood entries, $9-11 for seafood; portions are generous, and most important, everything is good.
The prices are similar to those at La Sirenita, but Catalina's offers table service, chips and (piquant, homemade, cilantro-y, not onion-y,) salsa, beer, and mixed drinks. Oh, and it's clean. A covered porch offers a nice place to eat in good weather and the takeaway window features $1.50 tacos, $5 tortas, and tamales, which aren't on the menu but are worth a visit. Which is enough to sway me. On the downside, there's video crack, which can make the parade of the poker-addicted an interesting feature of dining there.
Well, it's getting to be that time of year. Time that our electric and gas bills will go skyhigh, time that there will be a thousand obligations and parties, etc. Time that your neighbors will have their christmas trees up before Thanksgiving. Friends, that's just wrong.
There are a couple of great things about this time of year. I have a weakness for homemade christmas light displays which can be found all over the central city. There is of course the holiday beers, winter warmers, and such, that are so yummy.
But for me, this time of year brings up the trinity of winter holidays: Thanksgiving, Dec. 25, and New Years Day. These are wonderful days on their own, made even better with dim sum. Dim sum!
Yes, Wong's King is exquisite, but if your table is fully non-asian, you might have a hard time getting all the carts to come by. Legin is supposed to be very good, but again, the level of service and food is variable. So I stick to downtown. House of Louie is your place if you're into atmosphere and funky jello desserts. But Fong Chong, with its diner like atmosphere and total lack of jello desserts, is my fav. Last year saw the entrance of a new dim sum chef, and it was lovely and cheap. It's hard to spend more than $12 a person. Try getting a holiday meal anywhere else in town for that price.
From Wed 11-09 on, Stumptown Coffee Downtown (SW 3rd and Ash) is going to have Celebration Ale on tap from various vintages (the last 4 years). (They are only open til 9pm, for what that's worth)
Had enough Celebration? Thought not. There's a vertical tasting on Celebration at Woodstock Wine & Deli on Saturday, featuring Sierra Nevada Founder, executive brewmaster and owner, Ken Grossman, a keg from 2001, as well as a new one. Starts at 1pm, til about 6.
A friend mentioned Cha! Cha! Cha! the other day, that she and her vegetarian husband loved it. I hadn't gone because I just haven't been that excited about Cha! Cha! Cha! in the past, but I decided I needed to see for myself.
And after going there, I'm still not very excited. The Fremont store has table service, and it's quite pleasant inside, in spite of a lot of 2-top tables that are very close together and easily tip, and fiesta-colored plastic chairs that are very uncomfortable, and the very loud music. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that pleasant. The menu seemed promising: not much over $10, beer, wine and margaritas, and the place seemed good for both young families and grumpy DINKs.
I was there with my pal who can't bear sour cream. The menu mentioned sour cream only briefly, so we ordered taquitos with mashed potatoes, mama (an enchilada), tamales, and two tacos. I ordered mine without onions or pico de gallo, he mentioned that any sour cream should be on the side.
So, I'm drinking my excellent margarita, feeling very optimistic when the taquitos arrive... covered with raw onions and sour cream. My companion makes the best of it. I make the best of it. They're taquitos, dang it!
Our entrees come covered in a salsa verde, topped with sour cream and raw onions. So we sent them back. And they come back to us, obviously scraped. That's fine, I don't care, until I realized that no one had bothered to scrape the raw onions off the bottom of mine. Sigh!
Our tacos ($1.50 each) are good. The pastor is sweet, maybe a little too sweet, but tasty. The chorizo is full of onions, but the meat is good, spicy, not greasy. There was a lot of meat in those tacos.
I had ordered the mama, a tortilla covered with chopped carne asada and mexican rice. This was topped enchilada style with the salsa verde, which didn't have any strong flavor, but was very rich. The mama was fine, particularly for $5.50. The tamales were okay too. Nothing to write home about necessarily, just okay.
Service, however, was awful. I'm not sure about the whole onion or sour cream thing: was there a language issue? The ticket was written in english. But why didn't our server check for these things, before she brought them to the table? A request to turn down the music brought a similar rolling of the eyes, like she just didn't want to deal with it. But you know, I didn't want to deal with acoustic guitar that was so loud that I'd have to shout at my companion.
Within ten minutes of leaving the restaurant, both my companion and I had some fierce heartburn. I can only blame the salsa verde which (like it was made with a lot of cream or pepitas) had flowed around all of the food save the tacos that we had eaten.
So. It is really cheap, and if you don't need to make any special requests, you'll probably be fine. But if you're expecting any level of service, or you do need to make a special request, forget it.
Wallbangers (915 SW 2nd Ave), the bar with dueling pianos, appears to be no more. At least, there's paper over the windows, and not a lot left in the building.
And in Pho Van news, the Pho Van on Hawthorne (3404 SE Hawthorne Blvd) is now open as of lunch today (Wednesday, March 1, 2006). They're open everyday (but Monday!) for lunch and dinner, with the same menu as Pho Van on 82nd's lunch menu (eg, no Bo bay mon, or whole catfish).
Pho Van Bistro (1012 NW Glisan St) in the Pearl might be closing for remodeling. When? Hmm, not entirely sure. It may not even close. Who knows? Anyhow, the rumor is that they want to incorporate the popular dishes into a new menu for a new high-end restaurant called Silk.
Mama Mia Trattoria (439 SW 2nd at Washington, 503/295-6464) is no longer open for lunch
Buckman Grill is no longer open at all
La Buca now has only one location: 40 NE 28th (at Couch, 503/238-1058). They lost their lease on their NW 23rd location.
There are now two Chipotles open downtown: one at 2nd & Yamhill, and the other by PSU at 1948 SW Broadway. And yes, they are majority owned by McDonalds. Baja Fresh is majority owned by Wendy's. That's just how it is.
A chilango is someone from Mexico City. And Chilango's is a taqueria at 15th & Prescott.
We ordered a couple of gorditas and a chile relleno burrito on a recent visit. Prices here are pretty reasonable as long as you stay away from the soup and meals. Burritos range from $3.75-$4.75, tacos from $1.50-$1.75, tortas in the $4 range (except the Cubana, $7), tostadas, sopes and gorditas from $2.50-$3.
They offer some meats that are a little out of the ordinary for most innercity taquerias: suadero, the tender beef from the lower-part of a rib; buche, pork stomach cooked in lard; and tripas, the tube that connects the two stomachs in beef cattle. They also make their tortillas for tacos by hand, which is always a good sign.
The telenovella was on the TV, so we enjoyed our Jarritos while waiting for the food. And then, out it came, along with some red and green salsas.
The chile relleno burrito was good. It has pinto beans, rice, cheese, lettuce and the chile relleno, and it's a filling meal.
The gorditas were a little disappointing. I like to pick my gorditas up and eat them, which I couldn't do with these, because the structural integrity wasn't there. They were a little crispy, but to my mind, gorditas should be just a little more gorda than these were. I had tinga in one, which is pork or chicken stewed in chipotle in adobado sauce. Chilango's uses chicken in their tinga, and while you usually find it shredded, Chilango's serves chunks of stewed chicken. It was tasty, but if I hadn't ordered tinga, I might just think it was pollo; it wasn't terribly very spicy or flavorful.
I had carne asada in the other gordita, which had very good flavor, but wasn't completely cut up, and was very chewy. Still, I appreciated the slice of fresh avocado in each gordita—a really nice touch.
So. I was less than wowed, but everything was okay really.
When you see the sign for Chinese Delicacy, you might notice that it includes chinese logograms and korean hangul. You might notice that all the Asians have kim-chi with their meals, and that they do a brisk walk-in and carry-out business. The recipes seem typically chinese, so what's going on, exactly?
ExtraMSG has noted that they serve the food of the ethnic Koreans in China. The thing is, you don't see that much reflected in the menu. I'm told once you're trusted, or once you're persistent enough, you get some pretty damn incredible stuff that isn't on the menu.
This was our first time, so we ordered off the menu. We ordered BBQ pork, a good-sized serving with dipping sauce for $5, and potstickers. The potstickers were crunchy and thoroughly steaming hot when they came to the table—we inhaled them, in spite of the temperature.
The atmosphere is post-fast food. A couple of fridges are in the dining room, and everything is clean, but not showy. Signs in chinese and korean advertise specials, while crabs scuttle around their tank.
I had the seafood & bean curd in clay pot, which was excellent and very mild: a lovely flavorful sauce, fresh seafood perfectly cooked, lots of veg and tofu which had absorbed the sauce. My copilot ordered the seafood noodles with gravy, a new-to-us concoction of broth, egg noodles, more perfectly cooked, perfectly fresh seafood, egg, and of course, a moo goo gai pan-like sauce—very mild, curious, and quite good.
They offer two free refills on sodas as well as beer, wine and sake.
At the end of the meal, I offered that the kim-chi really looked good, and it was like I had said the magic words. Oh! Just ask for it next time, the waitress said, clearly pleased that I had some lick of sense. Next time I will ask about the signs, oh yes...
Sometimes, you see the over-the-top neon, and you just gotta go there. That's me, at least. Latest in my tour of Chinese-American dives is Chinese Village. From the outside, other than the neon, it doesn't look all that interesting. Walk into the dining room and try to get used to the odd blueish light from the translucent koi and dragon ceiling tiles. While this place is a little down about the heels, it's nowhere as bad (or as baroque) as the Pagoda. And while I wasn't expecting a lot, we were pleasantly surprised by the food. Mar far chicken wings had great presentation (and were tasty), and the shrimp we had in several dishes was fresh. Crispy chicken was just that, with delightful skin and tender meat. And the Singapore Fried Rice Noodles were stocked with good mushrooms. The menu features something for everyone: combo plates, chow mein, foo yung, even American food. Go next door to the lounge if you can't take the blue ambiance—it's loud and smokey, but they have booths under little fake rooves that are too goofy. Would I go out of my way for this? No.
Since I had such a lackluster experience at a Viet-Chinese restaurant the other day, I'm not sure what inspired me to want to go to another one. But we had just gotten home from a cartrip, and just wanted something quick and easy in the neighborhood.
Chino Sai-Gon was formerly Saigon Kitchen, and like the old inhabitant, Chino serves from a Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai menu. When we were there, the place was fairly quiet: a couple of families, us, a latina who ordered five or six entrees (they looked good, too), a parking garage attendent eating white rice and drinking hot water.
We ordered pot stickers (6 for $4.95), charcoal chicken ($7.50), a bowl of wonton soup (large, $5.95) and wonton egg noodle soup ($5.95).
The charcoal chicken came first. It's a classic play-with-your-food handroll experience, and one of my favorite things from the old Saigon Kitchen menu. This included a large oval plate of sweet and spicy grilled chicken covered in sesame seeds, a large salad plate with lettuce, cilantro, diced carrot & daikon, mung bean sprouts, and thin rice noodles, and of course, the rice paper circles to wrap everything in.
While some places (Pho Van pops to mind) have elegant hot water sleeves to soften your rice paper, Chino gives you a giant plastic bowl of steaming water. It works fine, it just takes up a lot of space... especially when you consider that the handrolls take up the whole table by itself.
So, you dip the rice paper until it's pliable, you fill it with stuff, and then roll it up like a salad roll (or a burrito), and dip it in the accompanying peanut sauce. Yum. If you like playing with your food, I definitely recommend this: it's generous and tasty.
Pot stickers were another big success. These came straight from the pan, toasty brown on several sides, and really rather big, stuffed full of some unidentified meat, probably pork. They were the best pot stickers I've had in recent memory.
So, of course, we hadn't even finished our appetizers and the soup comes, and at this point, I'm almost full. Our table is completely full of dishes.
Now you might be wondering, what is the difference between wonton soup and wonton egg noodle soup? Well, the former has a spicier broth, and a lot of iceberg lettuce. Both have the wonton and the bbq pork and the occasional shrimp. The wonton egg noodle had a nice chickeny broth and thin egg noodles, and it came with its own small salad plate of cilantro, leaf lettuce, sliced jalapeno and quartered lime.
The soup in the end was fine, just nothing to write home about. It really could be a meal in itself.
So. The menu is huge, with over 150 items on the Chinese-Vietnamese menu, with just about everything under $10. The thai menu has an additional 17 items. Menu items are in English, overwhelmingly, so don't bother looking for pho or bun, look for beef noodle soup or vermicelli noodles. Still, some things are unclear: hot & sour soup: Vietnamese or Chinese?
We will definitely return, especially for those potstickers and charcoal chicken. But the rest of the menu is a crap shoot. I'll update this entry as we try new things.
Looks like an updated coffee shop, like Denny's might be if it's were a little nicer. But I dare say that you're likely to have a better dining experience at Denny's: it'll be faster, cheaper, and the food will taste better. And you won't have to stir your coffee with a knife.
True, you won't be able to order espresso at Denny's (or can you?).
Where should I begin? We saw the Under new Management sign, and came in. There was one other table; otherwise, the large restaurant was empty. We were seated at a table that had some maple syrup smeared on it, probably from the day before.
Prices range from $4-$15 for breakfast (they also offer lunch and dinner), and the menu seemed pretty typical: omelets, french toast, pancakes. We ordered chicken fried steak & a green-chili/cheese omelet, with coffee.
The coffee was okay, nothing worth seeking out. The cream came in darigold half-n-half tubs. And while the table was pre-set with napkins and flatware, there are no spoons, which explains why everyone who used cream used their knife to stir it in.
And so began our long wait for food. Perhaps the waitress didn't put the order in? Perhaps the cook went out to buy ingredients? No explanation was offered, but we managed to drink several cups of coffee slowly while we waited.
Finally, our food came out. The omelet was not over or undercooked, though it was made in a very small pan which made the egg very thick. There were a lot of green chilis in the omelet. It was served with a sea of home fries and two halved pieces of toast.
The home fries were actually pretty good. Not crisp, but done in the middle. The toast was typical sliced bread, served with a variety of tubs of jams and marmalades.
The chicken fried steak was very good, and good sized, but it was covered with some non-descript gravy studded with largish chunks of sausage, ham and bacon. Somehow, all of the flavor of the meat had somehow been removed, but still, the gravy was better than a lot of sausage gravy in town, just not a lot of flavor or umph there.
It's the little things that make the experience, though. The waitresses who all talked loudly as if the restaurant was empty. The overly sweet ketchup that comes in ramekins. The sprinkled parsley that is not only all over the food, but also on the toast and orange slices.
As we were finishing our meals, people started to come in. One couple asked the waitress directly about the management change. It has the same owner... but the old manager quit. So now they have a new manager.
We chatted with them for a couple of minutes. A transformer had blown, knocking out power in a lot of North Portland, and it apparently had fried their new big screen TV. There were a number of smaller calamities as well, and they were clearly going out to eat to change their fortunes. I didn't want to tell them to run, run far away, and I also didn't want to be there when their food came.
This is a charming full-service film and digital photo center. It's located in one of the City's Water Offices, and you enter through heavy wooden doors. Your first view in is over beautiful old blond wood cabinetry, which houses new and used cameras and camera supplies.
While it's not as huge as Pro Photo Supply, it's also less crowded, and more charming. You can get the smallest, coolest digital, or a wide variety of film cameras, new and used. They have all the chemicals to set up your own dark room, and they do photo processing as well. You can get prints of your digital photos while you wait on weekdays too. Honestly, I was kinda overwhelmed by the level of service, by adult men who had worked in photography for a good portion of their adult lives.
They have a nice collection of new and used camera bags. Perhaps best of all is the collection of student cameras.
If you're a fan of old film cameras, you have to visit here.
Filmmaker (and New Yorker) Clarence Eckerson (featured at the Transportation Film Festival) loves Portland. No, he hasn't told me so, but it's obvious in his short films about the Portland bike and transportation scene.
Eckerson's work has been featured in BikePortland.org and Portland Transport, and this week, it's also being featured in NYC's StreetsBlog. That's right. Each day, there's a new filmlet about Portland posted. So far, there's been one about our new Festival Streets in Chinatown, and one on Bike Boulevards.
Clays is a little place, with a couple picnic tables out front, and a number of tables and booths built for people who tend to routinely overeat. It's not fancy, and everything is nicely mismatched and vaguely, humanly, kitschy.
The menu is impressive: smoked BBQ hot wings as a starter ($8), chowder/chili/gumbo ($3.75-$4.75), salads ($3.75-$10.25), sandwiches ($7.75-$9.75), BBQ platters ($10.75-$14.75), and even veggie delights (their words, $7.75-$9.75). BBQ purists will freak: there's catfish and salmon, and that's wrong. But I'm not a purist—I don't care unless someone makes me eat it.
When I was there, they had a bunch of beers on tap:
Bayern Doppelbock
Widmer Hefeweizen
Amnesia IPA
Anchor Steam
Bud
Jamaican Red
I ordered the brisket platter, and my companion the BBQ sparerib platter, and naturally, these are huge portions, piles of meat smothered in a sweet, not terribly hot sauce, with chunks of potatoes in ranch sauce (aka, home fries with garlic sauce), a vinegary slaw, and not-quite Texas toast.
My brisket seemed a bit lean, and the sauce bugged me, but it was nicely cooked. It just blanches before fattier, crustier briskets like Campbells or LOW. The pork ribs, however, were sweet, juicy, and moist, very tasty ribs. The slaw was sharp and complex. The potatoes—eh. Value for the meal, though, was very good.
Our service was incredible. Our server was the sort who was there when you needed him, and if he was there when you didn't, you sure didn't know. It was the sort of effortless seeming service that you should get with a very good meal, and here in Portland, frequently don't. So that was a tremendous pleasure.
I'm curious about the wings, and I've heard great things about the cold smoked seafood platter (like a lox platter, just not), and the turkey in the garden salad.
The highlight for me was the dessert. We got the apple crisp ($4.75), topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and wow! It was just a modest crisp, nothing fancy, but so very good, a combination of soft and crunchy and creamy. Next time, I'm gonna leave more room for that!
It's a tiny theatre, the longest running theatre in Oregon, and the state's smallest brewpub. And, of course, the Clinton Street Theater has been showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday night (except for foul weather, holidays, etc.) since April 1978, which makes it the longest running in the world!
A landmark of Portland cinema history, The Clinton Street Theater is one of the oldest operating moviehouses in the United States.
Opening in 1915 as the Clinton, the theater became the 26th Avenue Theatre in 1945 and the Encore in 1969. In 1976 it reverted to its original name.
Famous for its long-standing exhibition of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the theater is currently a magnet for independent / revival films.
It's a tiny theatre, the longest running theatre in Oregon, and the state's smallest brewpub. It's also very cold during the winter... and be careful where you put your feet. I ended up with the tops of my new shoes covered in a nice layer of green bubble gum.
cash only -- beer theatre with a couple of taps (most guest)
Close Knit is a phenomena. It's a gorgeous little store, stuffed full of gorgeous yarns. And I do mean stuffed: Yarn is everywhere, in baskets on the couch, baskets on the floor, yarn on the kitchen table. And even in the cubbies, different yarns are enticingly, beautifully thrown together. Knit things are everywhere as well, if you're looking for inspiration, or what a yarn might look like knit up.
And yet, things are easy enough to find. Lamb's Pride and Cascade 220 are right by the door; Manos del Uruguay, by the emergency exit; sock yarns, in the top of the china cabinet, or in one of the baskets along the floor; Noro has its own bookcase, right by the sales desk.
They seem to be finding all sorts of lesser known yarns. Last night, they had the most deliciously handpainted Uruguan wool from a brand I had never heard of. It took a lot of resilience to only buy what I had come in for, some Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb, a 50/50 wool silk blend.
And every time I go in, it's full of people. I mean, full. Claustrophobes, beware. Luckily, the sales people know their stuff and are tremendously helpful.
Okay, so, the comments should be working again. I hope you'll give them a workout, as they really need to be tested by someone other than myself.
Why not consider this an open thread to talk amongst yourselves? What's on your mind?
My favorite mega-tapped tavern is the Concordia Ale House. However you've got to get there, it's worth it. They have 22 taps, and they have a really interesting selection of regional and international beers that you're not likely to have had on tap before. They also have the best pub grub in the city. It's nonsmoking, the wait staff know their beer and are free with the tasters.
They have 20some taps—and they have nothing commonplace on those taps. You know, the stuff that's on tap consistently around town - Widmer, Full Sail, Deschutes - you won't find it at Concordia. But there is this constantly turning over selection of really interesting things. They almost always have a double IPA, a cream ale, a weizen, a couple strong beers - really interesting stuff! There have been times when there hasn't been anything on the menu that I've tried before!
Another great thing is that they give you a draft list, which gives you the name, the style, the brewery, the country. The wait staff seem really into the beer, so they can give you a good description but it's nice not to have to guess from the name. They are also very free with the tasters.
In the cooler, they have over 100 bottled beers, also described in some detail in the bottled beer menu.
Their prices are really pretty reasonable for what you're getting, and you can choose a glass, pint, imperial pint... I love that you can specifically order an imperial pint.
They also have pool tables! It's kinda noisy at times, but gosh, it's awfully good.
Do you like fish? Or are you celiac (gluten-allergic to you, bud)? Or pining for the northern midwest? Need to feel that Green Bay Packers spirit? Get thee to Corbett Fish House. If you don't like fish, you could have chicken, a gardenburger or a salad. But if you like fish, well, you could sure do a lot worse than here.
The menu online isn't up to date, sadly. Appetizers include a number of seafood you'd expect, plus sweet potato fries, packer fries and deep fried cheese curd. Now, the latter is just plain wrong, which explains why it disappeared off our table as soon as it arrived. Packer Fries are their great french fries covered in melted cheddar and pickled jalapeno. The jalapeno is easy to pick off, for those who chose to. Prices range from $2.50-$12.
They offer soups, salads, sandwiches, which I'm sure are great ($3.75-$13). But the fish and chips are the thing ($10-$18). For those of you who care, they follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium guidelines. They have:
prawns
oysters
yellow perch
walleye
halibut
chile-fried catfish
served with the World's Greatest Fries (and they really are some of the best in town). They have combos, too, if you can't decide.
They also have fish tacos, three different types made with halibut and chile-fried catfish, which are yummy, huge and filling.
Everything that is gluten-free is clearly marked, and that is most of the menu, so celiacs have lots of choices here. It's also wheelchair accessible (though there is a lip at the front door).
Of course, fish and chips requires beer, and Corbett offers a full bar. When we were there, they had on tap:
Mirror Pond
Alaskan Amber
Fish Mudshark Porter
Widmer Hefeweizen
Terminal Gravity ESG
Walking Man IPA
PBR
Michelob Light
Pilsner Urquell
Guinness
They pour 20 oz-ers here, $2.50 for macros, $4.50 for craft brews and $5 for imports. No gluten-free beers, sadly, though they do offer a hard cider.
Happy hour is 3-5 daily; no drink specials, but they do offer 8 items for $3.95:
We went by County Cork the other night, and happened upon their happy hour (4-6pm). The menu is all about food, ranging from $2-$4.50. The HH menu includes a burger, BLT, scotch egg, banger and mash, fish-n-chips, plain ole chips, wraps, and a fish sandwich. Be forewarned, the tables are sticky—it used to be that the tables were covered by plexiglass, but now the tables and their sticky paint is exposed, and well, sticky. The food was by and large good, not exceptional, with the exception of the scotch egg which had the life cooked out of it (I guess that'll learn me about ordering a scotch egg at an Irish tavern). And a hamburger, banger & mash, scotch egg, and two pints were $17.50—pretty exceptional, really.
And if you're going for beer, particularly Irish beer, the County Cork can be pretty good. Compare Beamish, Guinness & Murphy's for example. Of their 20 taps and several cask engines, there's most always a cider, a couple lagers (Harp & Miller), and generally a broad selection of beers, some familiar, some less so.
"Welcome! The DIY Lounge is your place in Portland, Oregon to meet new people and learn new skills, whether it be voice lessons, tacky crafts or hip crochet. Check out the class list to see what we have to offer. And if you’re interested in teaching a class of your own, the “Want to Teach” page will tell you what you need to know."
Upcoming classes include Embroidery Samplers, Beginning Poker - Just for fun!, Valentine Pasties!!, and Small Business Series:Session 3 – Stores & Sales.
We used to go to Daddy Mojos pretty frequently. It wasn't that it had the best breakfast, or the nicest surroundings, or the best prices. Rather, it was in the neighborhood, there was always a table open, and the breakfast was reliable. And, you could have a breakfast beer, always a nice thing.
So we went back after maybe a year and a half away. Dear g-d! First of all, new owners. What was the restaurant side is now the bar side. You walk in, into the bar (because the restaurant door is locked), and the louvered doors to the restaurant are shut. Hmmm, looks like you can't eat in the restaurant, right? No, you can, if you don't mind being in an oddly unfinished room with no heat.
That said, I would have prefered that to sitting in the bar. Three TVs, with three different channels, compete with neon and the video crack addicts for your attention. And, it's smokey. Really smokey.
They of course have a full bar, a wall of wine, and maybe 6 taps of unexceptional stuff. Maybe half of those are micros you can get anywhere (Widmer, Redhook, New Belgium). The wonderful Widmer KGB imperial stout is no longer there.
Breakfast was reasonable and okay, which is to say, nowhere as decent as it used to be, and not recommended. The "sausage and pepper bacon" gravy tasted of neither (but there was a lot of it). The ragin' cajun omelette was completely overdone, with icky so-called andouille, lackluster overdone home fries, and not really toasted english muffin. Coffee—Denny's stylee. Service was friendly, however.
But sometimes, you just want to know what's happening today. And that's where Jonathan's BikePortland comes in. Everyday of Pedalpalooza, he'll have a post about the day's events in an unthreatening yet come hither-sort of way. Check it out!!
Dalo's offers cheap & tasty ethiopian food every night but Sunday. Or, you can get a BLT.
Vegan friends of mine have been crazy about Dalo's since it was the San Rafael Cafe. For the longest time, I haven't been eating Ethiopian after having some severe stomach distress after eating (primarily incendiary dishes like kitfo), and recently, my doc has had me on a vegan plant-based regime of no oil, no salt, and no sugar. So if it sounds like I'm not totally myself, that's thoroughly true.
Anyhow, we ended up Dalo's on a rainy Monday night. The dining room is nothing to write home about: lineoleum floors, tables and chairs, tourism posters from Ethiopia taped up next to folk art. And when I was there, there were exactly two people working, in spite of having five full tables and a lot of regular walk-in pick-up business. So to say that service was relaxed and leisurely is quite possibly stretching it. One of the two rooms has a TV if you need to catch Larry King. We didn't, so we sat in the front half.
The clientele is very interesting. Being an African restaurant, I expect Reed students and lesbians, but there were also hipsters and white guys and African-Americans just coming in to pick up their dinner. I also noticed that the staff and some of the clientele recognized each other -- this is obviously a hang out for some.
The menu is simple: a couple of American sandwiches, a handful of meat dishes, and a handful of vegetarian dishes. They have several types of Ethiopian beer as well. We ordered the vegetarian platter ($8.99) with jalapeno paste. The meat dishes include my old favorite, kitfo ($6.99/$11.99), awaze tibbs (beef or chicken in a spicy sauce,
$5.99/$9.99), and tibbs (beef, chicken or lamb [+$2] in a mild sauce, $5.99/$9.99).
Now, the press hasn't been terribly kind to them when it comes to meat dishes, and chicken in particular. Just be warned. And online blogs warn that other places are tastier. But the combo of taste and price is pretty winning to me.
When our food arrived, it came on a huge platter. Ethiopian food is all about family style, and that's the case here as well. Two huge pieces of injera (flatbread made from fermented teff) lined the platter, and our vegetarian entrees came in small dishes: atkilt (stewed cabbage, carrot & potato), gomen (spinach sauteed with onions), kay misir (spicy lentils), and alicha misir (mild lentils). Now, I might have the names wrong as I didn't steal a menu! While the spicy lentils and the jalapeno paste were spicy, neither was insanely hot, so those of you aiming for a kitfo endorphin rush will want to ask for it spicy when you order.
The injera was room temperature, but the entrees were nice and warm, and very tasty. We were both swooning over the contrasts of tastes, the 180 degree difference between the two lentil dishes, the sweet soothing cabbage, the almost greens-like gomen. We ate until we were both groaning, and we still had food to take home. The staff were as attentive as they could be, refilling water, and offering additional injera and jalapeno paste. And when I went to pay up, our total was $13, for a vegetarian platter, a beer, and some extra injera and jalapeno paste. Whoa!
That's cheaper than food!
Now, I didn't ask the hard questions about butter. Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines both value a clarified, berbered butter which can often be the basis of the cuisine. The Willamette Week, in an undated article online, claims that everything on the vegetarian platter is vegan, but they also list different dishes in vegetarian platter. I wanted to ask, but my sweetie wouldn't let me -- I'm sure so if I choose to stay vegan, that we can come back.
Mission: pool useful information for tourists and locals alike while minimizing personal economic damage in the process.
This opinionated, frequently-updated web site is great: full of information, succintly put, with a very human voice. An added bonus is the fact that it's easily printable because the site is one long page.
Among the areas explored: Avoid these tourist attractions, 17 Things: Portland in a couple days, Getting Around, Food (with an emphasis on items under $8!), Entertainment, Business Districts, Lodging (again, on the cheap), The Suburbs, Services, and Links.
Jessica Roberts of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance is looking for employers with bike incentive programs
Congressman Blumenauer's office is championing national legislation to provide tax benefits for workplace bicycling incentive programs. They've asked us to help them find out more about current bike benefit programs and how they could be improved.
Does your employer offer any benefits for bicycling? That could be extra vacation days, credit at a bike shop, free tune-ups, tasty treats, a bonus in your paycheck, or other benefits.
If you participate in a program like this and if would be willing to chat with us about the details, please contact Jessica at -jessica- at -bta4bikes- dot -org-
It's easy to damn a small tienda to faint praise. Of course they aren't going to have everything a panaderia is going to have, or a supermarket like Grande. But Don Poncho is a small mercado, and as such, it's a great one.
The highlight is the carniceria, to be certain. Lots of cuts of meat, some of it prepped for fajitas, al pastor, and adovado. There is house-made chorizo. You can get queso fresco cut to order.
But they also have a fridge case full of mexican pops and beer. A produce and bulk section with excellent prices on produce (we got 4 limes for a buck, and a bunch of cilantro for a buck). Another fridge case with cheeses and yogurts. A good supply of mexican and american canned and packaged goods. A small selection of pan dulce. A big selection of tortillas. And mexican kitchen ware like tortillas presses and lime juicers are in attendence.
If you need saint or hoodoo candles or Powerful Indian floor wax, they also have a good supply.
For such a tiny place, they have just about everything you might possibly need. Including premade masa fina, and bacon or shrimp bouillon!
I mention to the barber that I'm hungry, and immediately, Du's is mentioned. Have I been to Du's? OMG, Du's is so good, blah blah blah. And I admit that I've smelled Du's when I've ridden my bicycle by. The aroma of grilled meats coming out of that place is incredible, the sort to make you hungry again when you've just eaten. And suddenly, Du's sounds like the best idea EVAR.
They claim they have the best grilled teriyaki in town. They may just be right. They have 9 menu items, not counting sides or drinks, each between $5.50 and $8. Mostly, it's chicken, beef or pork teriyaki, though they also have a tofu bowl and yakisoba. I didn't see anyone order the tofu bowl or the chicken teriyaki salad; the resounding favorite was the chicken & beef teriyaki.
In no time flat, and I mean, less than five minutes, I had a groaning container of salad, rice, and teriyaki. The salad is dressed with a poppyseed dressing that I had been warned about— it's good, though all iceberg lettuce. The rice was rice, and the teriyaki was steaming hot grilled meat, a little dry but really tasty with the rice and a bit of teriyaki sauce. You can also get hot sauce, or a side of kim chee ($2.25).
The dining room has nothing going aesthetically, but hey, do you need that really? Especially since it appears they stuff even more food on the plates, and two people can eat and drink pop for under $20? No beer, but hey, you don't come here to hang out. You come here to eat teriyaki.
A little girl glued herself to the counter, watching a woman cleaver chop up pieces of chicken with big eyes. "I've been coming here since before you were born", a business man said to her, obviously just having pulled himself away from work at 8 o'clock at night. And even at 8, there were a steady stream of customers.
You know, there are places that are charming, where the folks are nice, and the prices are okay, and then you eat the food and it's a deep disappointment. Sadly, for brunch, Echo is one of these places.
Let's start with the restaurant itself: with brick walls and an insanely high ceiling, a beautiful wood bar, and some nice wood accents. Wood booths line the floor to ceiling windows. The atmosphere is cozy. The outside eating area is in a space between two buildings, with bamboo at the end that faces MLK, heaters, and homemade lanterns and a fountain. It manages to be shady and breezy and thoroughly pleasant.
When we went for brunch, there were two folks working the front of the house: the bartender, and a waiter. This was fine initially, but as the patrons started streaming in, they were in the weeds.
The menu is varied and inexpensive: biscuits and gravy, french toast, pancakes, eggs & meat, frittata, as well as small plates, salads and sandwiches, most in the $5.50-$8 range. Some of these things seemed to be different just to be different, like the french toast, made from zucchini-carrot bread in an orange juice-rum batter. We ordered a cup of coffee (a bad idea: stick with espresso or alcohol), the dos heuvos (2 eggs, bacon, potatoes or grits and biscuit or bagel) with grits and biscuit, and the frittata with salad.
While we waited for food, the staff kept our coffee and water glasses full. The water carafes have slices of cucumber floating in the water—nice.
About a half hour later, out came the food. The frittata was overdone, browned, on the outside, and too thin. The crab filling tasted fishy, and the hollandaise that topped it was gelatinous and had a muddy flavor. The accompanying salad was almost dry, with very little sign of a dressing, nonetheless balsalmic vinagrette.
The dos heuvos were good, cooked to order, though the biscuit was drier than dry and didn't really taste like anything. I opted for grits, which were made with a white sharp cheddar and thyme: my dining partner thought they tasted weird, but for me, they were the highlight of the meal, and some of the best grits I've had in Portland.
In the end, I think the recommendation that I've heard for dinner at Echo also applies to brunch: keep it simple and you're likely to be happy.
Until recently, if you wanted to buy an earthfriendly car, you had to go down to Salem, or, to a conventional car dealer. But now we have an "earth-friendly new and pre-owned vehicles" dealer conveniently located in inner NE Portland. They have priuses, natch, and what appears to be the full line of Zap scooters and cars, as well as Myers Motors' NMG. Yes, they have an electric scooter. Dude!
I haven't driven any of these vehicles, or been there yet, or done business with them, but I'm very glad they're here.
Walking in the door of Edelweiss on a Saturday can be intimidating. You'd be forgiven for not trusting that there is a deli. You have to walk into the place, past the German speaking shopladies, through the tight aisleways, and squeeze past the hoards of people who are in getting their sausages and cold cuts for the weekend. The whole experience can be a bit overwhelming. And it doesn't help if the shop ladies laugh at you. Remember, it's nothing personal, they mean well, it's just German humor.
Make your life easier, and make an immediate right by the magazines. You'll see the fast food tables set up, as well as a cooler of beers and pop. You can grab something there but keep in mind that there are three beers on tap.
Now, head to the back of the shop, to the Northwest corner, and there's where you can buy lunch, and no, you don't need a number.
When we were there, the Russian or Ukrainian woman behind the counter treated us with soviet efficiency. She glared at us for not ordering something to drink, and then she glared when we changed our minds and went back to get some pilsner on tap. And yes, while it seems like a simple thing to put a sausage in a bun, and then put sauerkraut on top, she'll give you a number and someone will bring it out. Ten minutes later.
For $4, you can get a sausage with sauerkraut on a bun. They have three different kinds, but we were only offered mild or spicy, and honestly, I was afraid to ask for the weisswurst that I love. But our spicy sausages were good, with a nice snap.
You can also get sandwiches and 9 different salads, but I can't speak to that.
Supposably they offer the best reuben in town, and I suspect when it's less busy, they're probably happy to practice German with you. My pal Heather has lots of fond memories of going in and practicing Kinderdeutsch. We overheard someone haplessly telling the shoplady that he was from the Zoo (as in, he lived in the Zoo. No reports on if he looked like a monkey), and to their credit, they didn't laugh at him (though we did).
When my parents are in town (Portland, Oregon), I finally get around to seeing local areas of interest. Yesterday we checked out the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, which was full of Oregon Trail trivia. Here are some of my favorite bits.
1. Awesome hairstyles were par for the course ...
2. Emigrants didn't know how to handle their guns ...
3. Oregon City was a big deal ...
4. The first Oregonian woman to vote arrived via the Oregon Trail ...
5. The Oregon Boot was not something you wanted on your foot ...
There's lots more to learn at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, should you find yourself near Portland with an afternoon to kill!
I gotta say, this made me quite a bit more excited than looking at the official EotOTIC web site, which just seemed to be designed to frustrate and annoy. After way too long, I found this text which I think is supposed to sum up the Interpretive Center.
Beginning in the 1840's more than 300,000 people began their Oregon Trail journey, living and writing their stories, one day at a time.
Share in these stories with a visit to the dynamic End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Living history presentations, "Bound for Oregon", an experience in digital cinema, exhibits of artifacts and heirlooms from the trail and pioneer living activities provide a unique and one-of-a-kind experience.
Each visit to the Interpretive Center includes a time-specific living history presentation and "Bound for Oregon" show in a theater setting. Hands-on activites from pioneer life and exhibits complete the experience. Visitors spend an average of 2 hours at the Center.
That official web site, I hope, is not representative of the Interpretative Center itself.
If you've ever wondered about the Spanish voice-overs on the MAX, advising you to exit to your right or your left, and to give up your seat for handicappers, Enrique Andrade is that voice. This couple minute interview/MP3, done by the Oregonian, is, of course, conducted on the MAX.
Essence of China is one of those restaurants tucked inside a building—except for the sandwich board, and the stencil on the door glass, you'd never know it was there. When I hear combination plate, I think dive. And I love combination plates. But this place is quite pleasant and clean and definitely undivey, though they do have a full bar. Lunch there recently was pleasant and good—not the best Chinese food, but reasonable and fast.
I learned a few things while there. Fried wonton are what are more commonly known as Crab Rangoon. Shanghai wonton, however, are wonton, filled with shrimp and pork with a gingery dipping sauce, very tasty and quite a few of them. And, stay away from the combo plates! I got Plate B, aka egg foo yong, pork fried rice, and fried shrimp. The fried shrimp were great, but the pork fried rice neither tasted nor appeared to contain any pork. The egg foo yong was deep-fried and covered with a yellow gravy.
Everyone else at the table must have gotten the memo, because they all ordered off the Specials menu and did fine. An order of Tofu and Vegetables came to the table as Shrimp and Vegetables, but was otherwise fine: shrimp cooked appropriately with an interesting array of fresh veg in a white sauce. General Tso's Chicken was rated an 8.5 of 10, sweet and spicey as expected. The Sesame Chicken was lovely but not really very sesamey or similar to other dishes of the name. And Kung Pao Chicken was solid, filling and good, everything diced into cubes.
I wouldn't go out of my way for this, but 5 of us ate lunch for about $30, which is nothing to scoff at.
There is something so inherently dissatisfying about this fountain. Yes, you can play in it, and yes, it does appear lots of folks bring their kids there, but it's so... blegh. It taunts you. You want water, and it toys with you. Grrrrr!
Here's some official info that the Rose Garden Arena sends to potential clients:
Your guests can enjoy the sights and sounds of the elliptical water and fire feature, "Essential Forces"- a one-of-a-kind fountain composed of nearly 500 kinetic water jets. The two pillars of water and fire welcome guests to Rose Quarter events with its magnetic aura.
One of those timed, computer-controlled fountains beloved by casinos and some (but by no means all) small children (and by them only on hot days). Actively anxiety-inducing, which is really remarkable for something made entirely of running water. And that's even without the "fire feature" running, which only happens before big sports events at the arena.
The Failing Pedestrian Bridge is one of my favorite footbridges in North Portland. It provides easy access from the Interstate MAX Yellow Line Overlook Park stop to the glories of Mississippi Street. In just a flash, you can travel from Grand Central, say, to Grandpa's Cafe in St Stanislaus Polish Church. Both stairs and a ramp are provided, so bicyclists, wheelchair users, and pedestrians alike can cross the bridge.
It has long been a part of the collective subconscious of Portland. One example is Lli Wilburn's Atop the Failing Pedestrian Bridge, a miniature that she painted when she made her home in North Portland.
Of course, there are two glorious aspects of the Failing footbridge. One is the name, named for Mayor Josiah Failing, an early proponent of public education in Portland. Failing lends his name to both the footbridge, and the street. The formal name, until recently, was the Failing Pedestrian Bridge. Recently, someone woke up and added the word Street. Uh-huh.
But the best thing about the Failing footbridge is crossing it during rush hour, and looking down at all the people stuck in gridlock in their cars.
It was only reopened in 2003, after neighborhood activists waged a fight to be able to access the Interstate MAX. It was closed in 1991 because it was felt that crimes were committed in Overlook (the west side of the bridge) by people of Boise (the east side of the bridge), who would evade police by fleeing across the footbridge.
It's not the first or last time that a footbridge has been considered an aid to or indicator of crime. Mistrust of pedestrians, perhaps?
filled under footbridges of North Portland
January 11, 2007 |
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Long ago and far away, we used to list farmers markets in the grocery section. And then, I took them down because it was winter. And, umm, I got distracted and they didn't go back up. My bad.
So. We've got a new, expanded, extra-spanky, nouveau Farmer's Market section. It lists all the markets in Portland. No, really, it does! And it lists some of the markets in the 'burbs.
It's the first new section in the Portland guide in a couple of years. I know, a couple of years too long. Not to worry, we're continuing to beef up existing sections, or redoing existing sections, and we're even working on some new stuff as well. Enjoy!
At Farmhouse, they're flying under the radar. The place seems small from the outside, but there are four good-sized rooms of non-stop yarn. They have huge collection of Anny Blatt and, supposeably the largest selection of Blue Moon Fiber Arts, as well lots of high-end to-die-for yarns. Interestingly, outside of the Anny Blatts and the sock yarn, yarns are arranged by color, which I admit I love and find frustrating at the same time. The place is tremendously comfortable, practically demanding that you sit and knit: by the fire, on the front porch, at the table, and the owner is very helpful.
This westmoreland haunt is a favorite, and for good reason. Like the name suggests, they don't hold back. So don't be surprised if you have a line ahead of you of Starbucks drinking hipster young families, hipster elderly people, and just hipsters, as well as runners and bicyclists who are rewarding themselves for their virtuousness. It generally isn't too long of a wait because the folks that work there are merciless about moving campers along.
I asked for a suggestion, and was told to order the Kim's Fav, an omelet with cheddar cheese, bacon, and avocado with sour cream and salsa. Which is how I ended up with a breakfast that should have quite rightly killed me. I felt like I should feel like I had participated in a Roman orgy while eating it, and truth be told, it was very good, but didn't feel very decadent (which I quess just tells you how low I've fallen).
Biscuits and gravy should have been better. The biscuits were fresh and huge, but the gravy was bland and barely tasted of sausage. I remember it being better, so maybe its just an off day.
The salad eater omelet, filled with veggies, comes sauteed on request, and man, that was good. The veggies were perfectly cooked, right on that line between raw and overdone. Hashbrowns are shreddy and nice, especially with the Special Aardvark Habanero sauce on all the tables. Coffee was good, not exceptional, and breads are from Grand Central. Oh! And, they have a housemade raspberry jam that is addictive.
All in all, a solid breakfast joint with some real care put into it. The downsides, of course, are how popular it is, how chock-a-block full of tables it is (while it probably is wheelchair accessible, I wouldn't try it during primetime on a weekend). But, once you get seated, the kitchen is fast, the staff sassy and constantly bringing coffee and water, and it's a fun funky place.
This is a great time of year to see movies, and lucky for us, we have a couple of film festivals happening.
PINE Festival January 27-February 5
Portland International Nature and Environmental is the name, and while the web site is maddening, there are some interesting things happening, like a Children's Program (Saturday noon-2pm [w/ breaks]), and a Bike and Adventure Film Festival tonight!
Reel Music January 6-February 12 I'm late with this, I know. But 7 films remain, including LOMAX THE SONGHUNTER, COLTRANE LEGACY, MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER, and THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON.
Cascade Festival of African Films February 3-March 4 28 films from the African Diaspora, most from the last five years. They have a dynamite selection of films, including Darwin's Nightmare, Tasuma, The Fighter, From Florida To Coahuila, Coming to England (based on the book of the same name), and Ko-Falen / The Gift Exchange (which involves Jackson Middle School[!!!!])
And, unlike all the other festivals mentioned, these films are free.
Yes, it's a Grateful Dead reference, and a Mount St. Helens reference.
This place is unassuming from the street, except, for all the cars parked around it. It's small—you walk in and order at the counter. They offer chicken wings and all manner of other deepfried things, like french fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, tater tots, mushrooms, pickles, twinkies. They also offer 12 excellent sauces, including a couple that will blow the back of your head off (and I'm a hothead)—lucky for us, they provide celery matchsticks that you can try all the sauces for your favorite combination of hot, sweet, and flavor.
You can order wings by the half dozen, and that's how they do the saucing as well. Each order comes with blue cheese dressing or ranch—your choice.
There are tables, natch, and some reading material. Usually, the food arrives soonish. Of course, if you're eating spicy deep-fried food, you need something to wash it down, which is where the 7 taps of microbrews and Rainer come in handy. And, they even have "Portland Wings" (sheesh, it's tempeh) for vegetarians. Damn. While I can't speak to tempeh and pickles, the wings and fries—it's all good.
I admit, I was drawn in by the offer of free waffles. This last Saturday, they had a free waffle day.
I told a friend who lives in Arbor Lodge about it. "Oh, I've been there", she said. "It's good, but $3 is a lot for a waffle."
Hmmm. So I go early on Saturday morning and am pleased to see a clump of folks standing and sitting outside who are clearing enjoying their waffles. Neighborhood folks who are regulars, who have no idea that today is free waffle day, are ordering waffles and $1 coffee, or lattes, americanos, and mochas. The atmosphere is pure neighborhood.
So here's the deal: it's a waffle stand in a parking lot. You go up to the window and order. A few minutes later, you get your espresso drink, if you ordered one, and your ste
Regular readers know that I don't really ever write about fashion, and people who know me know I don't have a clue about it. But I love graphic design, and I've long been a fan of the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). And I really love Queen Bee Creations. You've seen them: their stylish bags hang off the shoulders of about half of the trend-aware women around town.
Haunts in and around Portland, Oregon!
I read about the Japanese Garden being free tomorrow, Friday, the observed Veterans Day, and I got all excited. I love the Japanese Garden, of course, but I thought, maybe, there was a cavalcade of free cultural events that those of us who get Veterans Day off could take advantage of. 
Join us at SCRAP's fifth annual Holiday Bazaar and Bakesale on Saturday, December 9th from 11am to 6pm at SCRAP’s retail location. This unique and cozy holiday bazaar features 15 local artisans that transform normally unwanted materials into cool, creative gifts perfect for your friends and loved ones! All items are made from a minimum of 75% reused materials.
If you're a scooterist or motorcyclist and you haven't been on a toy run, you really haven't lived. This is truly big fun.
Okay, so I love me a Russian Imperial Stout, and of the Russian Imperial Stouts made locally.... oh yeah, Laurelwood's is the only one made locally, but it compares favorably to nationally known RISs. And, it's only available after Winter Solstice until it runs out. Last year that happened pretty quick. It's worth braving the children for this. 
While I feel really, really frustrated with the direction that the Cinco de Mayo fiesta is headed (very few artisans and lots of chinese-made jewelery, and a lot of corndogs, elephant ears and gyros sold outside of the rides area), it's still a great place to get a smattering of some good traditional Mexican street foods. Especially when you consider that a lot of the good stuff is unavailable at the restaurants or taco trucks themselves, and there's free entry on Friday before 2pm.
Two-plus weeks of bike fun in and around Portland, Oregon
Two-plus weeks of bike fun!!!
It's not every day you have a presidential candidate come though Portland, and it's even less often that the candidate is in a small intimate space... unless you're paying a lot of money. 
July 28-30, 2006. 
In the last couple years of beer enjoyment, I've really become a stout fan, and particularly, the imperials. 
We had heard that breakfast at Bob's was good, so we headed out there one Saturday. Their info isn't kidding: it is only about 15 minutes from Portland by car. 
Portland Food Group member Veronica has created this brilliant google map listing of places to get brekkie in Portland. The map contains a capsule review, address, and, breakfast hours. She's been to well over half of the places listed. It's a great resource. 
Filmmaker (and New Yorker) Clarence Eckerson (featured at the 
Yes, it's a Grateful Dead reference, and a Mount St. Helens reference. 