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Andrea Damewood is a food writer and restaurant critic. Her interests include noodle soups, fried chicken, and sparkles.
February 14 is a big date, but not for the sappy romantic reasons you may have in mind. Nay, Valentineโs Day marks the end of cuffing season, that time between Thanksgiving and this Hallmark-ass holiday where many of us canโt bear the idea of being alone with our thoughts and Hitachi magic wands.ย If the […]
Every year Portland food critic Andrea Damewood breaks down her favorite dishes found in the city’s hot restaurants (and one pop-up). On the list, you’ll find chocolate truffle dumplings, Tuna Toast you could share (but you won’t), and a French onion soup that lives rent free in her head 24/7.
Top ten restaurant lists are a little overwhelming—so every year Portland food critic Andrea Damewood breaks down her favorite dishes found in the city’s restaurants (and one pop-up). On the list you’ll find chocolate truffle dumplings, Tuna Toast you could share (but you won’t), and a French onion soup that lives rent free in her head 24/7.
A sushi roll that’s what the ocean wishes it tasted like.
I would watch a show named Top Soups.
Opening a mescal and dessert bar on Southeast Clinton was the best damn idea
Xin Ding Dumpling House gives off a sports pub feel around the bar, where TVs hang overhead, but in the kitchen, Liu is rolling out handmade pork and shrimp xiao long bao as good as any in Portland.
the dumplings are the star
Liu hand pulls the noodles for chow mein
Leek and pork potstickers arrive stuck to each other thanks to a crispy, frilly cornstarch skirt that provides a crunchy contrast to the succulent insides
I love giving and receiving gifts, but thereโs always this middle ground of friends, family, or colleagues who are so hard to shop for. In the face of gifting mental block, I say get them something good to eat. Literally no one is mad to receive a bottle of nice olive oil, or an array […]
Owning a food cart in the year of our lord 2023 requires more footwork and power moves than a breakdancer.ย Chef Richard Vฤn Lรช should know: Until recently, he was behind the iconic Matta food cart, which he opened to immediate success in 2019. Critics, myself included, fawned over Lรชโs interpretations of family dishes he […]
Owning a food cart in the year of our lord 2023 requires more footwork and power moves than a breakdancer.ย Chef Richard Vฤn Lรช should know: Until recently, he was behind the iconic Matta food cart, which he opened to immediate success in 2019. Critics, myself included, fawned over Lรชโs interpretations of family dishes he […]
The hand-rolled pasta at the St. John’s Pastificio d’Oro is like a comforting hug, followed by a sexy slap. Like the sound of that? There’s even more in Andrea Damewood’s review.
The extreme handmade and farm-to-table ethos at Pastificio d’Oro could have turned out too Portlandia-precious, but in Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin’s capable, flour-dusted hands, it’s instead a new St. John’s landmark.
The extreme handmade and farm-to-table ethos at Pastificio d’Oro could have turned out too Portlandia-precious, but in Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin’s capable, flour-dusted hands, it’s instead a new St. John’s landmark.
Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin’s capable hands rolled Pastificio d’Oro into a new St. John’s landmark.
[Welcome to our “Say Nice Things About Portland” guide to the city! Did you know that this feature package is also in PRINT?? That’s right, this is our first print product since the start of the pandemic, and we’re psyched to produce a lot more. Find the “Say Nice Things” guide in over 500 locations […]
If you’re served maguro tuna, foie gras, and truffle nigiri beneath a blossoming cherry tree in Portland, you could only be at Janken—the swanky, celebratory Pearl District restaurant that demands. Food critic Andrea Damewood takes us through the drawbacks and delights.
There’s something about Foster-Powell restaurant Street Disco that makes us want to shout, “I”m back, baby! I’m back!” The popular Portland pop-up’s brick-and-mortar success is a sign that independent restaurants are on the rebound.
Itโs the end of the year and a start of a new era for me and the Portland Mercury. I served as this fine publicationโs food critic from 2014 to 2020, when the pandemic made us all step back a bit from writing about food consumed mostly in indoor public spaces. Everything is different now: […]
If this ode to a summer, high tomato season BLT by Andrea Damewood doesn’t make you want a BLT, I will eat a BLT.
August is high tomato season and all around Portland BLT specials are hitting restaurant boards. Andrea Damewood has three time-sensitive sandwiches that exemplify the spirit of ethereal seasonal eating. Plus, she shares her own home recipe for BLT bliss.
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