Do I Have Houseguests? It’s summer in the Great Northwest, a time of year when kinfolk flock from far asunder to frolic in the City of Roses. Do you have kinfolk? Are they visiting you from out of town? Take this easy true/false quiz and find out! Good luck! T F There are used glasses […]
Uncategorized
Posted inUncategorized
Best Bar Food in Portland
Critic Awards Shanghai Tunnel Coveted Honor
If bars were books, the Shanghai Tunnel would exist in the genre we call “Dive Bar.Ó It’s a wonderful place to hang out, bustling and lively, with a hip downtown location and an admirable booze selection–but it’s also a dive bar. It’s poorly lit, and it’s primarily underground with poor air circulation, which means it […]
Posted inUncategorized
Crazy Haute Cuisine
Lauro: Mysterious, Intriguing
by Steve Lanning What do you want for dinner tonight? Italian, Greek Middle Eastern? Or how about something totally different? How about culinary fusion? Hybrid dishes that combine flavors and recipes from places like Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, and the Middle East? How about a restaurant whose specials might include a dinner called “Lamb […]
Posted inUncategorized
Parallels Everywhere
Malanga Strives For Upper-Crust
Pambiche and its sister restaurant Canita used to have a monopoly on the Cuban food market in Portland. But suddenly, the soulful sister restaurants have some competition; but then again, not much. Malanga, one of the newest additions to Portland’s highbrow restaurants makes Cuban food of a different breed entirely. At Pambiche you enjoy huge […]
Posted inUncategorized
Self-Hell
Analysis for People on the Go
Should I Run for Governor of California? After months of waffling, Arnold Schwarzenegger has officially joined the ranks of California gubernatorial candidates. The lineup just gets curiouser and curiouser. Think you have what it takes to throw your hat in the mix? Take this easy true/false quiz and find out! Good luck! T F I […]
Posted inUncategorized
Trump Card
Lemongrass Dazzles
by Karen Green Lemongrass is hot. They rate their spiciness from one to 20–but don’t even think of ordering anything in the double digits. I’ve watched my tongue shrivel up and fall off after doing battle with a dish rated at a pathetic five. On one of many occasions the owner explained the rating system […]
Posted inUncategorized
Ode to the Oyster
Dan and Louis Seduces Your Mouth
Dan & Louis Oyster Bar 208 SW Ankeny 227-5906 The oyster. People either love it or they hate it. The slithery, gelatinous texture; the salty, seawater taste; the cocktail sauce and horseradish to dress it. Personally, I love the oyster. It’s raw and wet and completely unprocessed; the evidence is the barnacle-coated shell. Plus, oysters […]
Posted inUncategorized
Con-Fusion
La Bella Nonna Flounders
In Portland, you can look through the window of a restaurant and know if it’s any good. Pambiche is constantly overflowing with people, at the Delta you have to wait a half-hour during the week, and La Bonita always has at least a few tables filled. One of my friends thinks this is because Portlanders […]
Posted inUncategorized
Self-Hell
Analysis for People on the Go
Do I Have Rats? It is true that most people who have rats are sad sacks with sick habits, no education, and questionable sexual practices. However, there ARE some people who, regardless of their status, home environment, and hygiene practices–through a series of cosmic jokes and poor luck–can still suffer the indignities of a vermin […]
Posted inUncategorized
Simple Satisfaction
The John Street: Fresh and Clean
Sometimes you just want to eat normal stuff. No cheese-logged chile rellenos, no mammoth steaks, no burgers with fries dripping in grease, no vegan salad dressing; just the basics preserved in their natural state, like old people eat. Well, regular old food is the specialty at the John Street Café. Sandwiches come with a healthy […]
Posted inUncategorized
Two Steps From Japan
Sushi Heaven Just A Few Stops Away
by Nicole Warren Sushi used to scare me. The first time I ate it, I was riding a train in Japan and my choice was either some long, white, giant sperm-looking tentacles (squid) or what seemed to be part of a white and purple tire (octopus). Not a good introduction. However, I had no choice […]
Posted inUncategorized
Stealing Food Samples
Fun, Rewarding, Filling
by Liam Singer Shakespeare once wrote, “Methinks there is nothing better than free food / except, perhaps, for a hypothetical kind of free food / that doth also be stuffed full of cigarettes and pornography.” While Shakespeare’s “dream food” is not yet a reality, free food is all around us in tiny, sample-sized pieces. Walking […]