If you are looking for a gourmet food store in Portland Irvington neighborhood, Foster & Dobbs is a good choice.
When Foster & Dobbs first opened in 2005, it made an impact just because it was the first “gourmet” food store anywhere in northeast Portland. They had a few rough edges, but over the years they have worked hard on making it a full service shop with all the ingredients you need to put together a quick meal, or as a source for that hard to find ingredient you’ve been looking for. At this point they run like a well oiled machine.
The store itself is beautiful, everything is nicely displayed and easy to reach. A large cheese case dominates the space. They have a good selection of cheeses rotating in and out that will appeal to most people, one of the standouts being the Rogue River Blue. All are available for a taste if you are serious about buying, and if you want an education, sign up for their Cheese of the Month, where you receive three cheeses along with a history and notes for each one. If someone wants to find their way into my heart, that’s the way to do it!
Foster & Dobbs also carries a good selection of Salumi Salami (by Mario Batali’s father in Seattle – try the Mole!), in addition to local favorites like Chop, and the international Spanish Iberico. A meat case holds pâté, foie gras and cured seafoods.
They have excellent sandwiches – some of my favorites in Portland. Try the Beecher’s Cheddar with Mango Chutney and Sweet and Hot Mustard, hot from the press, or the Mole Salame of Beecher’s Cheddar, Three Figs Tomato Chili Jam and greens. They’ll be made while you wait, and with plenty of other goods available, it’s easy to find all the makings for a good picnic. Try a cheese or charcuterie board to accompany your meal.
A small selection of mostly Oregon wines are available, and they have an in-store wine club which seems to be popular. You’ll find gourmet canned or bottled items such as olive oils, organic tea, good salts (the truffle salt is great), and the typical things you find in all good food stores. They sweeten the deal with high quality cocktail bitters, and a selection of chocolate.
The only negatives with Foster & Dobbs is that their prices seem a bit high, though less now than when they first opened. Still, it is a good/classy addition to the Irvington neighborhood and I’m sure I’ll be stopping in from time to time.
- Address: 2518 NE 15th Ave Portland OR. 97212
- Phone: (503) 284-1157
- Hours: Mon-Sat 7AM-8PM, Sun 8AM-6PM
- Website: FosterAndDobbs.com
Chris says
Regarding Salumi salumi, the cheese maven at Pastaworks recently told me that it’s only recently that the stuff has been available in Portland through a distributor.
Pastaworks sells Salumi salumi for $26 a pound, so $20 at Foster & Dobbes is sort of a bargain (yeah, right). On the other hand, some of the things I’ve tried (lomo, oregano) didn’t strike me as all that special. If I’m paying $20+ a pound, I want Prosciutto San Daniele or better, darn it! On the other hand, the Salumi salami is pretty amazing, and worth the money–to me, anyway.
mczlaw says
Thx for mentioning this place. I almost stopped in on Saturday, but was driving with la nina from whom stinky cheese elicits mock shrieks of terror. It’s wonderful to have this place, Steve’s Cheese in NW and Curds and Whey in SE carrying wonderful new varieties of artisan and imported cheese.
As for salami,the stuff that transported me was not the Salumi brand, but something from a producer called Columbus. Their thing is using only fresh, not frozen, meat. Whatever it is, the taste was better than any other I have tried. I got it at City Market, but Steve Jones is trying to get his hands on some too.
–mcz
Chris Heinonen says
The Salumi meats are $17/lb down at Curds and Whey, and they can also order the other meats offered by Salumi for you if you want as well. However, as this store is only a few blocks from me, I’m far more likely to go here now than Curds and Whey, though paying extra isn’t something I’m really a fan of, and I do like Curds and Whey. I’ll probably try to support them both.
Food Dude says
I’ve been buying Salumi at Curds & Whey.. as I recall they were $16.50lb last time, so this is a bit more expensive. However, the convenience of D&D is great.
girl_cook says
I’m a big fan of the culatello and the pancetta with cinnamon and man…the lardo. Are any of these places carrying this stuff?
Dino never wanted to really expand or grow as large as they’ve become-it was more his daughter’s idea/desire which I believe is why she bought into the place. He was always fearful it would affect the quality. I can’t really say yet if it has or hasn’t.
david karl says
The correct price of the Salumi salamis at Curds & Whey is 16.00 lb. The lamb proscuitto is 33.00 lb. Quite a wide margin here, eh?
Court says
I’ve been doing the same thing! Just this afternoon I was driving past and thought, again, that I had to stop in…what about the place right next to it (not Mio Gelato) – what’s that all about?
Chris Heinonen says
Well, considering that to order the lamb proscuitto from Salumi direct, it’s 5-7 lbs at $25/lb, where the Salami can be bought a pound at a time for $15/lb, that’s not that bad. I’d like to try the Culatello, but since that’s $35/lb to order, I’d hate to think what a store would sell it for, but it’s better than ordering 5 pounds and having half go to waste.
tha-krza says
Nice place. The service is great and they have some really good stuff in there–plus they were generous with the sampling of pretty much whatever we wanted to try. We bought a $12 jar of pickles (yeah, they were amazing) and a little bit of poacher. YUM.
Paul Meyers says
I live in Washington and don’t make it to 15th and Brazee during the day. Would someone please tell me what the store hours are? The closest thing we have here to fine food is the Safeway deli. Please help. Thanks, Paul
Food Dude says
Paul: Foster & Dobbs
2518 NE 15th Avenue
Portland, OR 97212
Hours
Monday through Saturday 11AM – 7 PM
Sunday Noon – 6PM
Doctor Stu says
Although the people that own the place are very nice, almost everything sold here can be purchased elsewhere for less.
Jon says
Although the people that own the place are very nice, almost everything sold here can be purchased elsewhere for less.
Yes, but certainly not for significantly less, and certainly not in one location.
The advantage of Foster & Dobbs is the one-stop-shopping for quality goods that otherwise would require visits to various places. The slight premium there is more than offset by the expense of driving all over town to collect what is already under one roof at F&D.