On the recent fig story, a commenter asks, "I am looking to find a place I can go and u pick some figs? I work in a Alzheimer’s facility and my residents loved the figs we got last year. They brought back so many memories for them when they where children. Last year we had a nursery donate a couple of boxes to us… Except this year they had to cut down their trees so they could … [Read more...] about Catching Up – Bits of Portland Restaurant News
Mise-en-Place Makes for a Better Life
A few weeks ago, NPR's The Salt, ran a story titled "For A More Ordered Life, Organize Like A Chef". Mis-en-place is a technique used by good chefs to keep their stations organized. Before the restaurant opens, everything is prepped, everything in its place. The same organization is true for bartenders - notice how they can pour many drinks without having to look for things? … [Read more...] about Mise-en-Place Makes for a Better Life
Book Review: Breakfast in Bridgetown 3rd Edition
In 2006, Paul Gerald contacted me, asking if I would like to run some reviews he had written about places to eat breakfast in Portland. I was dubious, as I frequently get approached by folks with great ideas that they never follow up on, people with personal agendas, and quite a few who have a sense of taste that varies greatly from mine. However, I took a look, enjoyed the … [Read more...] about Book Review: Breakfast in Bridgetown 3rd Edition
Pearl District Restaurants Cooking for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis
A worthwhile benefit, so it gets promoted to the home page.Savor the Pearl week-long dining event offers tastes of the neighborhood’s finest dishes WHAT: An incredible tasting menu featuring twenty-seven of the Pearl District’s best restaurants awaits attendees at Savor the Pearl, a week-long neighborhood tasting event benefitting children and adults … [Read more...] about Pearl District Restaurants Cooking for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis
Sunday Dinner with Betty – A Memorial to Lauren Bacall
In the mid-1990s, I was living in Sonoma County California. The AIDS crisis was in full fury, and I spent time working in a hospice - counseling patients, walking their dogs, cooking, cleaning their houses, arranging memorials... whatever I could do. It was a fulfilling yet mentally exhausting job sharing the last days with patients, many of whom became my friends during their … [Read more...] about Sunday Dinner with Betty – A Memorial to Lauren Bacall