Alex Pond, cutie-pie barista from Fresh Pot, took top honors at the Northwest Regional Barista Challenge last weekend in Tacoma. He shall now be crowned with a laurel of foamed milk and coated in brown sugar before receiving a soothing coffee bath treatment. Wait a second, I’m sorry, that’s just my fantasy. I don’t know […]
Patrick Alan Coleman
Posted inFood and Drink
Ibiza: Raided! (now Updated!)
Ibiza, an Old Town restaurant and lounge with a tapas influenced menu, was raided this morning by Portland police as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent bank transactions. According to the Portland Police bureau, officers arrested one 43 yr old Ramin Zamani in connection with the case on two counts of Theft in […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Pinocchio’s Closes
I wanted so badly to rhyme “noses” at some point in the blog title, but that would have been insensitive. It was reported today that Pinocchio’s, the theater district Italian joint, has closed. It wasn’t much of a surprise around here—The Mercury had received an anonymous call this last fall telling us that Pinnochio’s employees […]
Posted inFood and Drink
The Ultimate in Recession Proof Eating: Foraging
I came across a delightful article this morning from sustainability blog chelseaGreen.com. Largely adapted from the book When Technology Fails, by Mathew Stein, the article offers a wealth of information for folks who’d like to pick their meals off (or out of) the ground rather than shelling out money at their local grocers. There are […]
Posted inUncategorized
Hold the Salt
Tastebud’s Tempting
Half the Time
The taste bud is a complicated chemical receptor resembling a hairy onion. But without food to process, a taste bud is nothing. Tastebud, the tiny 30-seat Southeast Portland eatery, is a simple bistro serving a menu of seasonal, wood-fired dishes. But without its small selection of pizzas, Tastebud would be nothing special. The theme at […]
Posted inDrunk
Beer Goodness. 5th Quadrant. Next Thursday.
Those fine brewers at New Old Lompoc’s 5th Quadrant will be tapping a very special keg of porter tomorrow next Thursday, January 15th, from 3-6 PM. The brew was conditioned for 3 months in fresh bourbon barrels before being blended and aged another three months. It’s called Pagan Porter and just might have you feeling […]
Posted inDrunk
R2D2 vs. Bar2D2: Who Ya Got?
R2D2 is cute and all, but fact remains the little shit is a trouble maker. Sure it’s a clever little droid, but when was the last time R2 served Luke an Altorian milk-ale? I’m guessing never. Bar2D2 on the other hand is less cute and somehow more sinister than R2. It will get you wasted […]
Posted inDrunk
Hate the Smoking Ban?
Probably not as much as this guy: William Gary Wahl was booked into the Jackson County Jail for “reckless burning” after he allegedly destroyed a No Smoking sign at a Southern Oregon club called The Office. According to police reports, Wahl lit a cigarette in the club before being told he wasn’t allowed to smoke […]
Posted inMovies & TV
A Franchise is Born
In a shocking revelation today, it was revealed that the second film in Ned Lannamann’s Chowder Dick series (based on a classic dialogue by Ezra Ace Caraeff) was given up to the artistic control of Patrick Alan Coleman. Coleman, for his part, is the director of today’s Blogtown hit Cheesy Lines. Chowder Dick Two has […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Old Spaghetti Factory fer Cheap
Something about the words “old,” “spaghetti,” and “factory” just don’t seem to go together for me—these are three things I wouldn’t want to enjoy all at once. But for some reason, the name has not kept Ye Olde Spaghetti Factory from staying open (and birthing a franchise) for the last 40 years. I must admit […]
Posted inFood and Drink
When Blog Posts Collide
Yesterday, Ned Lannamann “directed” a film based on an office conversation through the awesome xtranormal text-to-movie website. At the same time, I was judging a cheesy pick-up line contest to give away a Tillamook Cheese Cookbook. Today, I have combined the awesome power of these two posts to bring you a film directed (more skillfully […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Barack’s Got My Back
Whatever happens over the next four to eight years, I know that Barack Obama will keep the food critics in his heart. Why? Because he’s done a little food criticism himself, and on the Tee Vee no less! A forgotten 2001 episode of a Chicago cable access program entitled Check Please features then Senator Barack […]