Category Archives: Product/Business Reviews

Now and then I do a review of a store or commercial product

The Meadow: Singing the Praises of Salt

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Cuisine Bonne Femme

“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 … Continue reading →

Benessere Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Food Dude

6 Comments

Updated: 12/11 – 2nd store. I happened to walk past Benessere yesterday, but I could only take a quick peek, because I had the dog with me. Though the store has been open a month, I never heard about it, so I sent a friend in today to check it out and take some pictures. Benessesre is located downtown at … Continue reading →

Q Tonic vs. Fever-Tree Tonic

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Food Dude

16 Comments

In January, I reviewed Q Tonic. Now Fever-Tree, another gourmet version has hit local store shelves. I thought it was time to go back and update this post with a comparison between the two.

Gin and tonic – what my dad would call “an honest drink.” No fancy juices; direct and to the point. Just about anyone should be able to take the two ingredients and, measuring, come up with a good cocktail. Continue reading →

Sahagun Chocolates

35 Comments

[Note: The retail store closed August 21st, 2010. However you will still be able to find her chocolates at the businesses listed at the end of this post] I recently spent a bit of time in the hospital, and somewhere in a morphine-induced fog, I started daydreaming about chocolate. Not just any bar on the street, but a single, perfect … Continue reading →

Cupcake Jones

Posted on July 18, 2007 by Joanna Miller

67 Comments

It’s not like me to be so Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to the new stuff in town. For example, I got to Clyde Common for the first time just last week (and really liked it, by the way. And the fact that we scored an extra dessert due to a mistake by the kitchen didn’t make me cry, either.) But … Continue reading →

Cacao Chocolate Shop

Posted on October 24, 2006 by Cuisine Bonne Femme

40 Comments

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 … Continue reading →