E-San Thai Cuisine, 133 SW 2nd, 223-4090, daily 4-6 pm, $2-4 food plates, $2 drafts, $3.50 wells Popular Thai restaurant gets cheaper during happy hour. Echo, 2255 NE MLK, 460-3246, daily 4:30-6 pm, $3.50-6.50 food menu, plus cocktail and food specials from 10 pm-close Mac and cheese, stuffed piquillo peppers, and fried plantains all crop […]
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Northwest Pastrami
Kenny and Zuke’s Holds the Grouch
With recent news that the new Ace Hotel in Manhattan may include a branch of Portland’s Stumptown Coffee, it’s fitting that our own Ace on Stark Street should make room downstairs for something quintessentially East Coast: a Jewish deli. When I think “Jewish deli,” I think grouchy old ladies in crowded, condensation-rich rooms, serving surly […]
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Happy Hours
Dockside, 2047 NW Front, 241-6433, Mon-Fri 4:30-7:30 pm, $2 wells, $1.50 domestics, $2.50 micros, plus cheap food A throwbacky bar/restaurant/dive with cheap food and stiff drinks. Dots Café, 2521 SE Clinton, 235-0203, Mon-Fri 5-6:30 pm, beer specials Odds are Dots has been here—and hip—longer than you have. Give the ol’ girl some respect. Doug Fir, […]
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Happy Hours
Blind Onion, 3345 NE Broadway, 284-2825, daily 3-6 pm, 9 pm-close, $2.75 micros Low-key little joint with loads of board games and decent pizza. District, 232 NW 12th, 228-8888, Mon-Sat 3-6 pm, Sun all day, $5 food, $5 specialty cocktails, $5 wine Pan-Asian cuisine, swanky cocktails, posh Pearl District setting. Dixie Tavern, 34 NW 3rd, […]
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Fun to Look at, Fun to Eat
Pretty (Delicious) Food at sel gris
When asked to describe his approach to cooking, Daniel Mondok reels off his mission statement without hesitating: “American contemporary with an emphasis on French techniques and Northwest accents.” It’s no wonder he’s got his spiel down pat: He’s been refining his approach for 20-plus years, from a stint at Napa Valley’s famous The French Laundry […]
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Chasing the Dragon
Green Dragon’s All About the Beer
If you’re fortunate enough to walk into Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub when owner Jim Parker is tending bar—as he often does—do yourself a favor, and let him choose your beer. The man has a beer-soaked resume a mile long: He published a beer magazine in Colorado, ran a brewery-tour operation, was head brewer for […]
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Happy Hours
DF, 1139 NW 11th, 243-4222, Tues-Fri 5-6 pm, drink specials With some of the best margaritas in town, take advantage of drink discounts during DF’s happy hour (no happy hour food menu, but appetizers are available). Dan and Louis Oyster Bar, 208 SW Ankeny, 227-5906, Mon-Fri 4-6 pm, $2.95 food menu, plus Fri-Sat 11 pm-2 […]
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Indian, Incognito
Tandoor’s Too Good to Hide
Anonymity is an important part of a restaurant reviewer’s job: The idea is to get a sense of what the average dining experience is like, not to attract special attention by flaunting press credentials (plus I have a secret fear that most servers wouldn’t be that impressed by my Mercury business card anyway). At Tandoor, […]
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Happy Hours
Biwa, 215 SE 9th, 239-8830, Mon-Fri 5-6:30 pm (or any time at the bar), $2 yakitori, cheap beers; 9 pm-close, $5 ramen and udon, $3 Sapporo Not only does Biwa now have a liquor license, but they just unleashed the raddest happy hour in town: cheap ramen and cheap big beers. Unfuckwithable. Crackerjack’s Pub, 2788 […]
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Happy Hours
Claudia’s, 3006 SE Hawthorne, 232-1744, Mon-Sat 4-7 pm, specials vary daily Venerable sports bar with pool and that golf arcade game the kids like so much. Clinton Street Pub, 2516 SE Clinton, 236-7137 Mon-Fri 4-6 pm, 50 cents off wells and drafts, 25 cents off cans The best bar in the Clinton neighborhood: discuss. Club […]
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Got Cha!
Cha Taquería Aims High
After an unsuccessful attempt a few months back to enjoy some Mexican food on NW 21st (is Taste of Mexico still in business?), I decided to give the strip another shot and hit up Cha Taquería and Bar, a new, relatively upscale venture from the folks who own the burrito chain Cha! Cha! Cha! I […]
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Kitsch with That?
Burger Joints Keep it Old School
The cult of the Fancy Burger has officially taken root in Portland, and every chubby yuppie with too much time on their hands seems to have an opinion on which upscale burger is the best. Now, fancy burgers—with their ciabatta rolls and sun-dried tomato relish—are well and good, but sometimes you just want an honest […]