Feed Me Portland!

If the list of restaurants you'd like to try is as long as your arm but your wallet is looking

Yeah, Summer is almost over. Normally, I am a fan of the end of Summer, but this year it’s a little sad because hardly any of our tomatoes have turned red. Maybe five. Total. I’m going to have to

So I'm getting my hair cut yesterday when my phone rings. It's my daughter, from New York. I ask what she has planned for the weekend. She tells me and ask what I'm doing. I tell her, Din is taking me to dinner. "Cool," she says. "Isn't your guys anniversary tomorrow?" Si

When someone comes in from out of town, particularly if they haven't been out for a long time, it's good to take in some sights. My thoughts tend to run to the beach, Mt. Hood, Timberline, the Gorge…places that will put beautiful pictures in someone's mind, places that will give them not only a sense of how

In the past week I had the opportunity to drink several Amontillado Sherries. That's because I've been hanging out with Peter Liem and he likes to drink Sherry a lot. I know essentially nothing about these wines - everything

Imperial IPA fest this long weekend, barrels in Bend, a special dinner at Laurelwood Northwest featuring beers from Walking Man, Upright, Everybody's Brewing and the host, and a busy week at The Beermongers as they celebrate their first year.

A good friend who called me last night to ask me how I make a Negroni. I told him how I make mine, and in so doing, I thought about how tragic it would be if there are others like him out there - otherwise very intelligent people, worldly people who are great in the kitchen

Caesar Salad at Cafe Castagna. We have started a tradition of going out to dinner on Tuesday nights. Originally, we were thinking maybe every other Tuesday, but this month went to three places —

Laurelwood Collaborative Dinner 09/09/10 Laurelwood NW Public House 2327 NW Kearney Portland 503-228-5553 6-10pm $55-8 courses

Farmers Feast Beer Dinner 09/11/10 Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room 901 SW Simpson Bend 541-312-6946 6-10pm $65

I was in New Orleans recently and I had the opportunity to try out some of your recommendations from a while back. Very impressive in general, the eating and drinking in the Crescent City, but you already know that. Just a cou

The gift of a few ears of homegrown corn (above) from my sweet neighbor Susana sent me int

It is commonly said that 2004 is the worst recent vintage for red wine in Burgundy. The weather was not good - lots of rain and a lot of rot. But that in itself is probably not the biggest problem with the 2004's. As Bill Nanson of Burgundy Report

Word rocketed out of the Portland F

There are certain aromas that turn my head when I walk down the aisle of a farmers' market. Ba

Bend Brewfest returns; Andy Crouch has a good new overview of US Craft Brewing, Belmont Station has a couple of good tastings, Full Sail debuts the newest Brewers Reserve beer, Sanctuary and two brewers dinners: Upright and Urban Farmer and Deschutes at 360 Pizzeria in Vancouver...

You know that I'm joking. If I were to list 25 wines that I want to drink in hot weather, I cannot imagine that Cornas would appear. Who wants to drink rustic and earthy northern Rhône Syrah when it's very humid and 94 degrees outside?But the other night I had dinner with a good friend who is somewhat of a shor

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Named after the first chief of the US Forest Service, it covers 1.37 million acres, roughly the size of Delaware and Rhode Island smooshed together. It has one active volcano, Mt. St. Helens, and another snow-capped peak, 12,200-ft. Mt. Adams.

I've been thinking a little bit about birth year wines lately. I'm going to be 40 years old not too long from now (absurd, as I still like to think of myself as a 27 year old) and I hope to find a special bottle from 1971 to share with friends on my birthday. 1971 was a good vintage in Burgundy and also in Piedmonte, so it

The other night a friend and I unexpectedly wound up at Lupa for a light late night dinner. We ordered a few little things to start, Romano beans with ricotta (good), house cured tongue (ridiculously delicious), and clams with Fregola and basil. We then had the best Spagh

The other day, I checked the freezer and discovered a bag of frozen, shelled edamame. Then, I searched online for something interesting to do with it. I found something that was both interesting and deliciou

Straight from the source, Tasty & Son’s, John Gorham’s superb breakfast restau

On the El Gaucho review I was sooooo excited to spend my B-Day At El Gaucho!! I called ahead to let them know it was my B-Day because usually fine dining establishments usually do something about that. My husband and I were there

So last week, Podnah’s BBQ annouced they were moving to NE Killingsworth, and bu

Business travel finds me in Memphis, Tennessee. I'm going for dinner, on my own, to Bari Ristorante e Enoteca. They have a nice sized all-Italian

The streets of Thailand are now going to be a few miles closer to my house. To quote from a pres

Dwaraka, Brief Review Overall Service Food Quality Atmosphere Vegan Options 8 9 8 8 7 Location: 3962 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214 503-230-1120 Recommended Dish: Masala Dosa Hours: Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 5pm – 9:30pm Open Daily Times Visited: 3 ~ How many …

Some of my favorite wines have just been released in new vintages. I haven't had all of them yet, but I figured I'd share the news about the group that I've had at home with dinner:And by the way, if these wines are representative of what's happening in general, 2009 in Beaujolais really is as awesome as they sa

So I haven't posted in a while - I've been really busy with my real job (you know, just runni

Roscoe's Oregon Craft Beer Summit and Oakshire/Madisons dinner tonight, Brewpublicrawl and Baileys third birthday Saturday, Bones and Brew and the Concordia Cup Saturday and Sunday...and there'll be more...such as Salty's Halibut Fry next Thursday, which I just now added...

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Fin is the new restaurant in the old Sel Gris space. Trent Pierce will be taking the reins as executive chef, the owner is Joan Dumas. An important goal is to source locally, and sustainably. A couple of friends who were invited to private dinners have reported back that the

The other night a few friends helped me to taste through a load of Santorini wines. I've discovered these wines only recently and am still just beginning to understand them. Here are the basics, as I understand them:--Assyrtiko is the most important grape grown on Santorini. It is yellowish and fleshy, and it re

Quite recently, I purchased peanut butter after forgetting it existed for a couple of months.  I was glad I did, because it came to the rescue the other night on an almost too-warm-to-cook, clean-out-the-fridge-for-dinner evening. I was grasping for ideas and near gasping for breath until I remembered that I had just enoug

Once again I pulled out

UPRIGHT BEER DINNER 7/25 The Hop&Vine 1914 N Killingsworth Portland 503-954-3322 $30

A section from a conversation I had with one of Amanda Stott-Smith’s best friends.They have known each other for more than 12 years.   I have here change

BREWERS DINNER 7/24 The Creamery Brewpub & Grill 1320 Main St. Klamath Falls 541-273-5226 $35

We'd just stopped in for a quick drink, but I can't help myself. The moment I see fr

It's been very hot lately in NYC. I don't mind it so much, actually. I prefer very hot to very cold. On a super hot day recently I decided to light the grill and attempt to smoke a hunk of pork shoulder. I know that sounds kind of odd - hot day, several hours of hot grill. But

a perfect July night by the river; breezes various; beers even more various; a good dinner courtesy of Rogue Ales; and a few hundred brewers, bizz folks and Oregon beer fans --- if you dropped a bomb here, someone said...but you wouldn't, because the Oregon Brewers Guild annual dinner is one of those blessed events t

I think I went on a little unplanned hiatus there. Blame it on the Summer, I guess. Anyway, I’m back! And here’s a wonderful tuna salad from the

 This recipe was emailed to me last yea

Delane was the first to get in touch, leaving a message on my

The other night, and for the first time in my life, I drank a bottle of Richebourg. I've tasted Richebourg before, but never opened a bottle and drank it, watched the story unfold in the glass. I have a rather entrepreneurial friend who is investigating the viability of buying and selling luxury wines. He decided that he wa

Yes, we tent camp. But with a car. And a queen-sized blow-up mattress. And a fully stocked bar. It's just the way we roll.

We seem to run into a lot of familiar faces around the neighborhood, all inquiring where and when we

I want to tell you about what I think is one of the best wine values in Champagne, a wine made by René Geoffroy. All of René Geoffroy's wines are compelling, from the wildly energetic Rosé de Saignée to the refined Volupté to the truly fine "entry level" wine, a non-vintage wine called Expression. It is primarily Meuni

HEATER ALLEN BEER DINNER 7/ 18 The Hop& Vine 1914 N Killingsworth St. Portland 503-954-3322 $30 Meet Brewer/Owner Rick Allen+enjoy his hand crafted lagers. Menu: Pilsner w/ Smoked Trout … Coastal Common w/ Bacon dressed Kale & a Soft Boile

 Trey's Mom got him this great rotisserie for our new grill back in June and we hadn't used it

A week so busy this list doesn't even include the ongoing IIPA Fest at Saraveza and Puckerfest at Belmont Station.