Credit: Aaron Lee

ITโ€™S FALL IN PORTLAND! The rains are coming, and itโ€™s time to settle in for the season and enjoy the cityโ€”and its environsโ€”in all its soggy glory. Here to help is the brand-new edition of Eat & Drink, the Portland Mercuryโ€™s guide to local eating and drinking!

Weโ€™re here to guide locals to unsung stretches of territory, uncover the best place to grab a glass of wine on the cheap, and get up close and personal with the people who toil behind the lines to make this city one of the leaders in the national dining scene. Weโ€™ll share tales behind some of our top chefsโ€™ tattoos, pair up beers with bites at Portlandโ€™s newest brewpubs, and let you know where to get your country-and-western groove on.

Weโ€™ll also take a look at why NE 42nd Avenue is Portland’s new restaurant row and unveil the secrets to accessing fancy wine lists at a bargain rate. Finally, weโ€™ll take you to our new winter hideaway, the revamped Suttle Lodge & Boathouse. This historic lakeside spot has been tricked out by the owners of the Ace Hotel, with fancy new cocktails and a soon-to-open tasty restaurant to boot. Sure, itโ€™s drizzling, but E & D is here to keep you warm, dry, and sated.

Andrea Damewood is a food writer and restaurant critic. Her interests include noodle soups, fried chicken, and sparkles.