Pullout: The Food Issue
Paul Leschen
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Don’t Fear the Germans
Berlin Inn Serves More than Grease and Gravy
The Berlin Inn 3131 SE 12th Ave (at Powell Blvd.) 236-6761 Most sane Americans have gotten over WWII-era paranoia. My Uncle Myron, however, won’t go near a German restaurant; I think he’s convinced that a submarine will appear in the parking lot and launch a torpedo at his Oldsmobile. But most Amer-icans’ prejudice against German […]
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Gold Garden is Fantastic
Only, It’s on 82nd Ave
Gold Garden Seafood Restaurant 3016 SE 82nd Avenue 777-3399 Gold Garden, on 82nd Avenue, shares a parking lot with an unsightly motel. The neighboring bar, the Gold Coin Lounge, is home to grumbling old alcoholics, and the dining area overlooks Budget Used Car Lots. How typically 82nd Avenue, then, that some of the best Chinese […]
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Say Hello to PDX-Mex
Think it Sounds Weird? It is.
El Zaguan 1338 NW Hoyt 222-0742 Portland’s Mexican food scene runs the gamut, from seedy little taquerias to the precious and pricey Café Azul. But recently, several upstarts have come along to challenge the yucky chains and the crunchy/healthy places for the mid-priced market. Taqueria Nueve, on NE 28th, has succeeded at raising the bar […]
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Welcome to the A-List
Scarlet Begonias Makes it With the Details
Scarlet Begonias 2108 NW Glisan St. 274-7926 Fine dining often comes down to the details. Sure, there are countless dining facilities capable of producing delicious, well-prepared food. But who can wrap it all up in a pretty package and present it to you as if a precious gift to a foreign dignitary? Who can make […]
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Hungry for a Huge Raw Clam?
Look No Further than Bush Garden
Bush Garden 900 SW Morrison Street 226-7181 Before eating at Bush Garden, I made sure that the restaurant had no affiliation with President Bush or the Bush family. Heck, these days I can’t even look a Busch beer in the eye without developing a case of the hebegebees. Not that I would drink that swill […]
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Baan Thai
Baan Thai1924 SW Broadway (Second Floor) 224-THAI I was initially disappointed to learn that a Thai restaurant was to occupy the space formerly inhabited by the only Pakistani teahouse in this city. After all, Portland has hundreds of Thai restaurants. But after I ate at Baan Thai–and went back several times–my disappointment turned to elation. […]
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Portland City Grill
Portland City Grill 111 SW 5th, 30th floor I settled into the slickly furnished bar area at the recently opened Portland City Grill–on the 30th floor of Big Pink building (formerly Atwater’s)–with just enough time to let Mt. Hood fade away and be supplanted by flickering street lights and the neon Wentworth Chevrolet sign. It’s […]
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Country Morning Cafe
Country Morning Cafe 8202 SE Flavel, 771-0088 If I were to write a book consisting of little anecdotes and stories meant to comfort and uplift the weary mind, I would call it Cantonese Roast Duck and Wonton Noodle Soup for the Soul. Nothing–not even my mother’s Matzo Balls–calms my nerves more than a steaming bowl […]
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Abol Café
Abol Café 923L NE Broadway, 281-7961 Lost among three other worthy Ethiopian restaurants in the Lloyd District, four-month-old Abol Café faces an uphill battle for recognition–it’s easy to walk by without even noticing it. Lucky for me, I spotted the cuneiform signage from the no-fee ATMs at the Teachers Credit Union, and we descended the […]
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Bombay Palace
Bombay Palace 7901 NE Glisan, 257-3509 Bombay Palace looks like the prototypical, downscale Indian restaurant; cheap red and gold décor, year-round Christmas lights, and Bollywood films playing on the big screen television in the corner. Considering this appearance, I had high hopes… hopes that were dashed as soon as I took a forkful of rice […]