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Andrea Damewood

Andrea Damewood is a food writer and restaurant critic. Her interests include noodle soups, fried chicken, and sparkles.
Posted inFood and Drink

Portland Steakhouses, What’s the Secret?

In the chaos of Portland’s restaurant scene, where foodies chase the hottest dining trends, the long-standing steakhouses endure.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Settling into a plush booth at Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen, I was snacking on the little veggie spread, of carrots and mini corn, that has come with every dinner there since time immemorial, when I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation at the next table over. It was a father and his grown daughter telling the […]

Posted inFood and Drink

Best Bites of 2024: A Portland Pizza That Distilled the Summer Sun

Mercury food critic Andrea Damewood on the 10 best things she tasted this year.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Not gonna lie, I wasn’t blown away by Portland’s overall restaurant scene this year—there were a few promising openings, but the usual frenetic creative pace just wasn’t there. However, there were still some AMAZING bites from newcomers and fun inventions from longer-standing spots. So let’s hurry up and get to the eats; these are 10 […]

Posted inCulture

The Mercury’s Favorite Culture Moments of 2024

Doing something stupid in Ladds, dressing up for the movies, and finding catharsis at live shows, et al.
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo Cameron Crowell, Andrea Damewood, Melissa Locker, Ben Salmon, Dom Sinacola, Corbin Smith, HR Smith, Suzette Smith, and Joe Streckert

We went out a lot this year. We saw bands, rode bikes, ate snacks—all the stuff of life. This list is a hodgepodge of experience, pulling from our culture writing team—who are drawing from both wider and ultra local scenes. This year, we saw PAM CUT join Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street as a spot […]

Posted inBooks

The Mercury’s Favorite Books of 2024

On this list, revolutionary writings share space with Portland zombies and memories of the Barefoot Contessa
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo Andrea Damewood, Cameron Crowell, Melissa Locker, Suzette Smith, Blair Stenvick, and Joe Streckert

Portland as ground zero for a zombie plague. Bisexual exes on a romcom food and wine tour. And how pointless it is to try to guess what happens next in a MIranda July novel. It’s the Mercury’s favorite books of 2024!

Posted inHoliday Guide 2024 🎅

Knives Out: An Extremely
 Sharp Holiday Gift Guide

Everybody wants a good knife.
 Here’s where to find the best in the land.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

[Editor’s note: Read all our holly jolly HOLIDAY GUIDE articles here. Looking for a print copy? Good! You can find it in more than 500 spots across Portland with this handy map!] For your favorite home chef or local line cook, a new knife is a thing of glory—and it’s even better when someone else […]

Posted inFood and Drink

Pasar Is the Snack Sister of Beloved Portland Indonesian Restaurant Wajan

This Northeast Alberta spot is all about sampling smaller plates of Jakartan street food.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Y’all seem to be sleeping on Pasar. And I admit, I did too: This affordable Indonesian snack of a shop on Northeast Alberta has actually been open since the end of last year, and it took me far too long to go in. Thankfully, the bright spicy sambals, stir-fried pickled mustard greens, and crispy, deep-fried […]

Posted inFood and Drink

Remembering Chef Naomi Pomeroy, Whose Vision Cemented Portland’s Rustic Yet Refined Reputation

The culinary force behind Beast, Expatriate, Ripe Cooperative, and recently Cornet Custard, Pomeroy still had so much left to share.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Food critic Andrea Damewood remembers Chef Naomi Pomeroy—”the foundation, then the matriarch, of Portland’s incredibly influential food scene”—in this thoughtful essay.
https://www.portlandmercury.com/food-and-drink/2024/07/16/47306576/remembering-chef-naomi-pomeroy-whose-vision-cemented-portlands-rustic-yet-refined-reputation

Portland Chef Naomi Pomeroy had a hand in making Portland what it is today, writes critic Andrea Damewood. She’s not just talking about food.

The whole time I’ve known her, she’s intimidated the heck out of me. But I love that for her: She elbowed her way through oh-so-many tattooed dudes to become the foundation, then the matriarch, of Portland’s incredibly influential food scene. 

A prix fixe meal at Beast taught food critic Andrea Damewood how food is meant to tell a story. In this piece, the critic remembers Chef Naomi Pomeroy.

Posted inFood and Drink

Where To Get a Great Sandwich AND AN EQUALLY GOOD Chocolate Chip Cookie

Portland is home to many fine sandwich makers; some of them are also cookie bakers!
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Are you—like critic Andrea Damewood—in search of an exquisite pairing of a sandwich and a good chocolate chip cookie? Here’s a list of Portland spots that offer both!

Places in Portland where you can score a phenomenal sandwich AND a scrumptious chocolate chip dessert.

Posted inFood and Drink

Ten Years of Food Reviews (and One Apology)

Portland food critic Andrea Damewood revisits three restaurants and one food cart that have deliciously endured.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Take a moment to remember spring 2014. “Happy” by Pharell topped the Billboard charts, and The Lego Movie was peak cinema. Skinny jeans were awesome, and I was 29 years old. I rented in Northeast Portland, and I also published my first column as the food critic for the Portland Mercury. It’s now 10 years […]

Posted inSay Nice Things 2024

(Portland Chefs) Say Nice Things About… Portland Chefs

Portland’s premier restaurant and cart owners hype up the local food and chefs they love!
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[Welcome to our second annual “SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND” issue! Read it online here, or if you like physical, paper-y things, you can find it in more than 50 locations all around the city!—eds] Community over competition is a phrase you hear a lot if you spend time in the Portland restaurant scene.  For […]

Posted inFood and Drink

L’Orange Culinary Delights Linger on the Mind

It’s French, it’s Pacific Northwest, it’s a little bit Mediterranean, and it’s probably my favorite new restaurant.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

Portland winery restaurant L’Orange is French, it’s Pacific Northwest, it’s a little bit Mediterranean depending on the mood, and it’s probably food critic Andrea Damewood’s favorite new restaurant.

Chef Joel Stocks can charge a mint for his cooking, but at L’Orange, no entree tops $29, with portions that are right sized to allow you to taste around, without feeling like you and your date are splitting peas.

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