Those of you who follow my site, know that I am a fan of Vikram Vij, owner of an Indian restaurant in Vancouver BC. There’s a good interview with him on this food blog, about his new cookbook. Interesting reading. Makes me want to go back to Vij for dinner.
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In case you haven’t heard, Rose and Raindrop will be closing for good at the end of the year, which will be a big loss for Portland’s beer geeks. An undisclosed California company has agreed to lease the space for twice the rent. The staff at the Rose and Raindrop said there’s a non-disclosure agreement about plans for the space, but they can report that it will not be a bar or restaurant in its new incarnation. Too bad; I’m told they had one of the best beer selections in Portland.
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The NY Times published an article on how well salt and chocolate go together. Portland’s own Sahagun Chocolates got a mention. You can read it here
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The owner of Imbibe is being sued for copyright infringement because some of the bands that played in the club during 2005 played covers of the Jimi Hendrix classic “The Wind Cries Mary”, Stevie Wonder’s “That Girl”, and a 1971 tune, “Slippin’ into Darkness.” Imbibe owner Michael Dorr didn’t realize he had to pay the musicians and publishers group an estimated $2,000 to cover performances of copyrighted tunes. Now they want between $750 and $30,000 for each song, plus attorney fees. As of Friday, he’ll discontinue live music, and is worried about going out of business.
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Have you ever heard of a “Selmelier”? Now you have, and not only that, there’s an International Selmelier’s Association and a North American chapter, the Selmelier’s Association of America. Figured it out yet? We are talking an expert in salt. Now there is a store in the Mississippi area of Portland called The Meadow Flowers that specializes in salt, claiming to have the largest selection anywhere. Owner Mark Bitterman even has a salt tasting room, with over 35 salts available, and salt tastings with local chefs on the agenda. You can see the website here. We’ll have more information soon.
Excuse me while I go get a glass of water.
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I’m ending the latest poll “Should Reviews Have a Rating?” at 410 votes. “Yes” is the winner, but by a smaller majority than I expected: 56%. For now, I’ll keep things the same, but will try to break down my ratings a bit, so that you can get a better idea of what I’m thinking. Remember, if you’ve eaten at the restaurant in the last six months or so, you should add your vote too. All reviews now have a rating bar right before the comments. Just click on the box to add your score, from 0 to 4 stars (I count the first box as zero.
Finally, a note for those who send in tips, and those who comment. My BS detector is usually set pretty high. If I have any doubt as to the veracity of tips, or hidden agendas in comments, I’ll send an email asking for verification. If it bounces, they aren’t likely to make it into the system. There are just too many people out there with agendas. Note that I will never publish or give out an email address without your permission.
Hunter says
That really is a shame about the Rose and Raindrop, beautiful space (old funeral home), great beer selection (especially Imperial IPAs, a personal favorite) and nice folks. A true loss.
MyNextMeal says
Could you give a quick thumbs up or down to LaVanguardia?
Have colleagues here from out of town and want to know if it’s a place I can take them for lunch or happyhour…it’s just around the corner from work.
Suds Sister says
RE: Rose & Raindrop
I go there frequently and will lament it’s passing as well.
That being said, it ain’t dead yet! I was there last night and they had a couple of x-mas beers out: Lost Coast Winterbraun and Jubel. They always have something from Ninkasi, my new sweetheart brewery.
Because it’s always busy, the tap selection changes weekly, and they always have a few on nitro. So stop in and give them a reason to open in a new location.
Mary Sue says
I eat at the Doug Fir pretty much every other weekend for brunch, and I can definately confirm the breakfast menu’s gotten fabulous.
MCPDXITALIAN says
Regarding the Doug Fir, maybe their kitchen has been taking lessons from the boys at Simpatica considering they do Doug Fir’s event catering. Just a thought….
Food Dude says
MyNextMeal: Vanguardia is much better than it used to be. Not a destination restaurant, but if you are in the area, not a bad choice.
Daaaaave says
I heard a rumor that the Rose & Raindrop space will be used for a bank.
John E says
I’ve eaten at Vij in Vancouver, wonderfully imaginative in flavor and names (“lamb popsicles”). Glad to know of another fan. Go late; the wait is very long until after about 8:30 and they do not take reservations (or didn’t at least).
kitten says
I have eaten at Doug Fir for breakfast since their menu change. I must say i was sad to lose the hashbrowns, but the rosemary potatos proved to be quite good. They did an unfortunate thing by leaving the names of the Black Bird and the Satyricon on the menu – yet changing the content …not a good idea. They rid themselves of the Dutch Baby, which I thought to be unfortunate, it seemed fairly popular. If they had planned to change something, it should have been the coffee cups- stylish they are- but shallow, your coffee easily becomes cold. EJ’s omlet is still amazing as are other things on the menu….and the wait staff still rocks- I still have many reasons for return visits.
Ultra7 says
Not too surprising about the Rose and Raindrop. Great beer selection. Worst service I’ve had in Portland. Received on multiple occasions. One night, instead of getting potato chips with a sandwich, my girlfriend got a pile of crumbs dumped from the bottom of a empty chip bag. And got a pile of attitude for requesting something edible.
Hate to talk bad about places, but man, that place got my goat.
Anyhoo, back to lurking!
tparr says
FYI- I just read in the Hollywood Star (Oct edition) that the former Criollo bakery on Fremont will soon become a Cha Cha Cha taqueria.
Suds Sister says
Dear Ultra7–
The Rose and Raindrop is not leaving by choice. Their lease was not renewed. This is a successful business that will, IMO, have another incarnation elsewhere.
FWIW, the food has never been good; it’s just pub food. I try not to let food get in the way of great beer!
nancy says
Yes, heard yesterday from two Ristretto customers that Cha Cha Cha is going in where Criollo was. Yay! You know the old axion, “cheap, fast and good: pick any two.” Cha Cha Cha, at least in my experience, delivers all three.
casey says
the food at the doug fir has gotten better in large part because they brought in talented chef, amy germain (formerly of andina) to consult. she came in & whipped them into shape.
while i haven’t eaten there yet, i have little doubt that it’s rock solid. amy also opened slow bar, so she’s clearly no slouch with bar food. she could make good food anywhere.
sloppyseconds says
I have eaten at Cha Cha Cha on Fremont and it is much better than expected. Still cheap, but you get service and the decor is great. Yes!!!!!