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Andrea Damewood is a food writer and restaurant critic. Her interests include noodle soups, fried chicken, and sparkles.
What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury’s 2026 Food Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. Many of us dream about the day when women run […]
Coming back from life-threatening injuries is never part of anyone’s plans, but for two Portland chefs, that became their reality. A few years after both Darell Preston of LoRell’s Chicken Shack and Jeff Chow of Mama Chow’s Kitchen suffered major trauma, they not only lived to tell the tale, but are thriving. LoRell’s is back […]
I’m always conflicted about how to feel at the end of the year. Like, things were shitty (and for, like, at least the sixth year running). But within that, there are also moments of sweetness. I think that’s where we owe Portland’s restaurants a big debt of gratitude. It’s tough out there, but our chefs […]
[What follows is one of the many merry articles in the Mercury’s Winter Guide 2025. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous this holiday season, support us here.—eds.] Portland is a bountiful haven for delicious, cozy-weather soups. So we’ve gathered up 24 of […]
Finally, some fine art you can put in your mouth.
We all have an idea of Italian American food, whether that’s from growing up eating genre-defining meals of piccata and eggplant parm in Newark, or from memories of our rushed mothers dumping a jar of Ragu onto boxed spaghetti. But to pull off such comfort classics in a restaurant setting is more of an equation: […]
Dani Morales may not yet be a household name, but she’s already recognized at the place that matters the most to her—the Portland Farmers Market. Since becoming the executive chef of downtown’s De Noche in 2023, she’s been at the famed Portland State University farmers market bright and early every Saturday. It’s a habit she […]
Just like a sourdough starter under a cloth, some of the best baked goods in Portland are bubbling away behind the scenes, out of the spotlight. For many bakers, offering subscription or pop-up based carbs is the perfect way to balance work with having a life, and single-handedly reign over quality control. Word spreads via […]
Sitting on the back patio at the new 82 Acres on a lovely warm evening, I couldn’t help but think of the four delightful restaurants that tried to make it work in this very same spot on Southeast Clinton. In 2011, Block’s Café opened, then closed; followed by the beloved Tuscan ristorante, Burrasca; and most […]
Inside a very small sushi restaurant on an unremarkable downtown block, big things are happening. Hamono Sushi has been tucked away on SW 9th, just around the corner from Nordstrom, since 2021. But until last fall, it was merely one of the many sushi-ramen-bento-yada-yada spots you find yourself at when you’re hungry and downtown. Now, […]
[Read all of the articles in our Portland Fun Guide HERE! Looking for a print copy? Look at this handy-dandy map!—eds.] Portland needs a Medieval Times. Like, what city would get MORE into the idea of swigging ale, chomping a turkey leg, and watching people joust in period specific costumes? Feels right up our alley. […]
Jeffrey Kim’s sashimi bowls are perhaps the least flashy in town—but for good reason. The lunchtime bowls at his Aji Fish Butchery are composed of sliced, dry-aged sashimi topped with only maldon flake salt, simply dressed salad greens, and white rice. That’s it. And that’s all it needs to be. Thanks to dry aging—a relatively […]
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