Review: Westcafe

Westcafé is a a sunny downtown outpost offering brunch, lunch, dinner, happy hour, coffee, take-out, snacks, cocktails, and dog-walking (just kidding on that last one). I am often in that neighborhood, and had been walking by Westcafé for months this past summer, curious to see what was going into the massive space. Westcafé sits on a mini-restaurant row on SW Jefferson,... [Read more]

Review: Paradox Cafe

I might be a pig. I might be a backwards-thinking Tennessee hillbilly. I might be a thick-headed carnivorous pre-human. I might also be committing slow suicide with my diet. And yet I have traveled the world, seen several dozen Dead shows, smoked more than my share of grass, lean way left politically, and think of myself as sensitive and open-minded. Can I be both of these... [Read more]

Portland Food News for October 27, 2006

Not a lot of news this late in the week, at least nothing much that hasn’t been reported on this site before. Here are the few items of interest that I found. Recently, The Hungry Tiger on NE 28th and Burnside was mentioned in the comments. The entire block is being torn down to make way for condos. I guess I’ll scratch that one off of my list. _____________________________________ Apollo,... [Read more]

Cacao Chocolate Shop

By Cuisine Bonne Femme and Joanna Miller There are shops that sell chocolate and then there are Chocolate Shops. The latter, if they are first-rate, can inspire even the most hardened and cynical among us. Take this recent email for example: To: Cuisine Bonne Femme From: Food Dude Marked: URGENT!!!! Drop everything! Are you into chocolate? I just went to Cacao over on SW 13th.... [Read more]

Portland Food News for October 22nd, 2006

When I first saw the ad on Craigslist, the only restaurant I could think of was Lovely Hula Hands. Turns out I was right. This arrived today: “CHANGES AT LOVELY HULA HANDS Saturday October 28th will be our last night in our little pink house. We will also be celebrating our third anniversary this weekend with cupcakes from St Cupcake for all. We obviously have a bittersweet... [Read more]

Regional Barista Competition Awards 2006

The Specialty Coffee Association of America presented the 2006 Northwest Regional Barista Competition over the last three days at Wonder Ballroom in Portland. Incredibly well attended, at many times it was standing room only. The crowd was a who’s who of notable coffee geeks, with attendees from all over the world. Great coffee was provided for all those attending, as... [Read more]

Molecular Gastronomy Meets Coffee… and More

This weekend is the Northwest Regional Barista Competition at Wonder Ballroom. Coffee Geeks from all over the Northwest will be there competing for the overall championship. As part of the competition, each barista has to come up with a signature coffee drink. Billy Wilson of Albina Press is taking the signature drink to new heights with the use of molecular gastronomy, which... [Read more]

Portland Food News for October 18, 2006

Updated 8pm – A new business called Virgo and Pisces Bar and Grill is going into the corner of doom, 500nw 21st Ave. You probably know it as the previous home of Basilico, Zinc Bistro, or Zefiro. ____________________________________________ While I was in NW, I took a stroll by 23 Hoyt. The branding is all gone, the space is much darker and more intimate, lots of candles... [Read more]

Portland Food News for October 16, 2006

I wondered why the Oprah domain was on the site over the summer, and now I know. A reader alerted me they were doing a roundup of restaurants for their November issue. Since buying Oprah Magazine was a direct assault on my masculinity, I hoped to find the article online, but it isn’t there yet. Instead, I threw myself on the grenade by going to the bookstore and buying... [Read more]

The Meadow: Singing the Praises of Salt

“Everyone’s Lives Would Be So Much Better If They Just Used The Right Salt.” Mark Bitterman, Local Selmelier A wonderful thing about Portland is our growing community of small specialty food purveyors. Many of these are based on single obsessions: the perfect latte with foam so pretty and detailed that pictures of it could be framed and hung in a gallery (Albina... [Read more]

First Impressions: Broadway Grill

Broadway Grill and Brewery I *want* to like Broadway Grill and Brewery. It’s clear from the packed house on Day Two that others want to do the same thing. And the hordes of staff – from bussers to waitstaff to managers – are bound and determined, in a kind of ‘grit your teeth and SMILE’ way, to *make* you like them. BUT – the nickel and... [Read more]

Portland Food News for October 12, 2006

The new subscription module is now in place. In addition, you may now become a free registered user of the site (though you certainly don’t have to). A few changes. If you are a previous email subscriber, you will continue to get emails when there is a new post. However, they will only contain the first part, with a link to the site. If you wish to go back to getting... [Read more]

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