Portland Mercury: Food and Drink

The Good Old Days!

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Nel Centro transformed a dive into a modern food palace, but the good old days have a way of echoing back. by Patrick Alan Coleman THE LAST TIME I was in the space currently occupied by Nel Centro, it was an inner-city motel dive bar. I was visiting from out of town on "business," smoking heavily and stirring up an affair in a naugahyde booth. A man played a tinkling, jazzy melody on a small electric piano. The patrons were drunk, haggard, and old. Nothing was clean. Many years later—after a thorough scrubbing and fierce remodel—Nel Centro offers almost no clue of the lowbrow watering…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Winter à la Carts

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

2009 has been the year of the Portland food cart. But can the boom continue as the weather changes? by Patrick Alan Coleman IT'S NEARLY 2 PM on a rainy November afternoon and the smell carried on a sudden wind gust across the intersection of N Mississippi and Skidmore is absolutely incredible. The mouth-watering odor emanates from a cluster of colorful food carts, adjacent to the new bar Prost. This is the Mississippi Marketplace, Portland's newest "cart pod." The carts encircle a covered outdoor eating area and a few people huddle here and there to enjoy a blustery late lunch out of the…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Vodka Harvest

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0800

While not necessarily healthier for you, Highball Distillery's Elemental Vodka blends organic booze with a philosophy of sustainability. by Patrick Alan Coleman ONE DOES NOT necessarily associate farming with intoxication—unless you're particularly fond of a pastoral drunk. For the folks behind Highball Distillery, however, their organic Elemental Vodka is as agrarian as rolling fields of organic wheat. "Alcohol is an agricultural product," says Highball co-owner Michael Heavener. "There are approximately two to three pounds of wheat in every bottle of our vodka." Why, argues Heavener and his partner Michael Klinglesmith, would a person worry so much about the source and environmental impact…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Ghostly Gourmands

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Would you like a little ectoplasm with your entrée? A few haunted restaurants have some ghostly patrons. by Mercury staff White Eagle 836 N Russell, 282-6810 The White Eagle is easily considered one of the more haunted hotel/restaurant/bars in Portland. This saloon is purported to be the most active of all the haunted McMenamin Brothers' properties, with a very long history of paranormal occurrences. The ghost inhabiting the White Eagle is said to be the spirit of a prostitute who was killed there back when the North Portland building held a brothel and opium den during the turn of the…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Dive In

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Take a headlong leap into traditional Cantonese fare (with some definite class) at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant. by Patrick Alan Coleman SOMETIMES "CHOICE" can be overwhelmed by an excess of "options." This may be the case as you hit the fourth page of Ocean City Seafood Restaurant's massive menu. In fact, the word "menu" almost seems inadequate when referring to the extensive list of traditional Cantonese dishes. It's more "book" than "menu," but thankfully it's a good read. In the pages you'll find bird's nest, shark fin, chicken, duck, squab, and all manner of fish. These are roasted, fried, steamed, stir…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Use Your Noodle

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Author and Japanophile Andy Raskin offers some tips for the Japanese-food neophyte. by Patrick Alan Coleman EXPLORING ANY ethnic cuisine can be intimidating. There are challenges surrounding language, pronunciation, etiquette, and new, interesting flavors. Taking an expedition into the flavors of another culture can sometimes lead to disaster. At best, you'll find a new favorite dish; at worst, you'll be forever haunted by textures and tastes for which you were completely unprepared. While sushi is arguably the most popular subset of Japanese cuisine among Americans, the island has produced myriad unique dishes (and taken the dishes…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Roll In

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Mika isn't the best around, but it's a great value for sushi, with some downright delicious options. by Patrick Alan Coleman WALKING IN FROM the chilly dark of downtown Portland to the clean bright dining room of Mika Sushi has an invigorating effect. The exuberant greeting received from the staff is by itself enough to surprise someone from their dim autumn torpor, and by the time you're seated at the sushi bar in a comfortable high-backed chair, your senses seem sharper, your mind more awake. You feel in fact ready to eat large quantities of fish and rice in all of…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Food News

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Two of the most fun-loving places in North Portland are having anniversaries this month, and you're invited to celebrate. by Patrick Alan Coleman Saraveza (1004 N Killingsworth), the bottle shop, pasty purveyor, and beer hall, has been a Midwesterner's Shangri-la for one full year now. Embraced wholeheartedly by the beer community, it's become a kind of sudsy social club for brewers and drinkers alike. On Saturday, October 17, the North Portland beer joint will be celebrating a great first year during a full-day event with cake, bratwurst, a Russian River Consecration toast, and server-selected taps. The beloved (pre-cart trend) waffle cart Flavour Spot…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Livestock

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

A unique event shines a light on the reality of butchery and the emotions that surround the life and death of our food. by Patrick Alan Coleman IT'S NOT OFTEN in our modern world that we actually come face to face with what feeds us, but in 2003, outside of Auckland on a stretch of New Zealand highway, public relations executive Lisa Donoughe was confronted by what, and how, she'd been eating. "I'd been eating lamb or venison three times a day for the first few days of my trip," Donoughe explains. "I was by myself in a rental car when I came across a truck of…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

On and Off Distillery Row

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Two joints on Distillery Row gear up for new booze releases and two top bartenders give us a peek at the fall cocktail list. by Patrick Alan Coleman WHILE "DISTILLERY ROW" is still a concept in the making, the roughly half-mile stretch in Southeast Portland from House Spirits Distillery (2025 SE 7th) to Highball Distillery (610 SE 10th) includes five shops producing everything from whiskey to absinthe. As we move into the colder seasons, activity in the distilleries is heating up with some new releases in the near future. House Spirits Health Care Plan I've always been a proponent of booze as medicine. Headache? Booze. Head cold? Booze.…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Rare Beauty

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

"Affordable" and "steak" in the same sentence? Laurelhurst Market is a rare combination. by Patrick Alan Coleman BELGIAN-STYLE mussels frites are piled high in an earthenware dish. Resting below a tumble of golden french fries, black shells glisten and yawn, revealing glimpses of large, plumped, lightly coral-colored shellfish. In the dish, the broth shimmers and steams, sending up the fragrance of cippolini onion and Samurai Rice Ale. On top, a dollop of white aioli has begun to settle down through the layers. I work through the flavors and textures: The soft briny meat of the mussel follows…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Get Over It

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Snap out of it, East Coast pizza snobs! Al Forno Ferruzza and Wy'east are worthy of your love. by Patrick Alan Coleman I'D LIKE TO TAKE this opportunity to speak to a certain brand of East Coast pizza snob. I understand back in New York you had some great pizza. Okay, maybe even transcendent pizza. Good for you. Now you live in Portland and, I hate to tell you, you're in the worst kind of long-distance relationship. You may be roaming our streets thinking fondly of your favorite slice back in your old neighborhood, but right now, that pizza is having a…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Travels in Tacoville

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

The final installment of a monthly series dedicated to taco trucks and the tacos they make. by Patrick Alan Coleman AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, I tasked myself to explore Portland's taco trucks and hunt down the city's best tacos. I set out with little direction and no itinerary, wending my way through the summer streets and stopping every time I saw hand-lettered signage pronouncing, "Tacos, Tortas, Burritos." The exploration lasted the entire season, and I found three outstanding tacos. However, I'm only one food editor in a beautiful, sprawling tacoville. In order to provide the broadest view possible,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Lasagna Love

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

How you eat your lasagna from Taste Unique is your own business, but lunch is an experience not to be missed. by Patrick Alan Coleman IF ANYONE SAW the way you ate that lasagna—sitting there hunched over the aluminum tray, one arm shielding the saucy goodness, shoveling forkful after forkful into your face between plaintive moans of pleasure—it would've been necessary to kill them out of shame. You should've just been reasonable and eaten a serving or two, but this was not reasonable lasagna. It was light and yet rich and creamy, with paper-thin noodles acting as a balanced component of the dish rather than…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

A Fine Mess

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Ruining khakis at Kenny & Zuke's SandwichWorks. by Patrick Alan Coleman A MAN STUMBLES through the front door of Kenny and Zuke's SandwichWorks looking slightly dazed. He holds his hands out, palms up, fingers splayed. His face and shirt are spotted with red. He glances around the restaurant, his gaze shifting from his messy hands to various employees. They are calm. They've seen this kind of thing before. "Do you need napkins?" one asks. The man nods gratefully, accepts a pile of paper napkins, and wipes marinara from his hands and…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Sandwich Sanctuary

news@portlandmercury.com (Patrick Alan Coleman) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0700

The simplicity and quietude at Petisco. by Patrick Alan Coleman WHEN PETISCO says "sandwich," there's a continental inflection to the word (more like "sahndweech"). The flavors are simple: muted nuttiness from a creamy brie, slight smokiness from thinly sliced ham, and gentle sweetness and tanginess from ripe tomato. In various combinations the flavors of these and other basic constituents are mixed, matched, and stuffed neatly into bread from Fleur de Lis Bakery. The end results are understated, balanced, and delicious comestibles. It's easy to associate quiet simplicity with mediocrity. But…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]