Best restaurant in Portland for a first date For me, after the obligatory coffee meetup, the first real date gives me enough information to decide whether we should go out again. I want to know 1) do they like dogs, 2) have a sense of humor and 3) how adventurous their palate is. These things are – Read more…
OX Restaurant
Top Ten Portland Restaurants – and Overrated – May 2017
New Year, New List: Zusman’s Best Restaurants in Portland – and the Overrated Ones As Jerome J. Garcia and Robert C. Hunter once wrote, “The winter was so hard and cold, froze ten feet ‘neath the ground.” Portland’s darkest season made me want to flee or sleep, in turns. But at last Springy things are – Read more…
OX Chefs Win James Beard 2017 Award
Though Portland restaurants and chefs received many nominations this year, the final results of the James Beard Foundation Awards were disappointing. However, we did have some winners: After three years of nominations, Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, owners and chefs of OX and Superbite, have won a James Beard award for Best Chef: Northwest. The – Read more…
More James Beard 2017 Finalists
No idea why the James Beard Foundation broke the finalists for 2017 into two press releases, but it’s my fault for not wanting to sit through the long streaming announcement – there just wasn’t enough wine in the house. Here are a few more: Best Chef: Northwest Portland Nominees: Katy Millard of Coquine Restaurant. Justin – Read more…
Best Meals of 2016 – Michael Zusman
Worldwide: Best Meals of 2016 – Another Year of Eating Furiously Ah, 2016. Another 10 pounds around the middle after another year of eating furiously. Portland remains my home base, but airplanes fly, frequently with me on them. I’ve managed maybe 150,000 BIS (butt-in-seat) miles and more than a handful of delicious destinations. I’ll share – Read more…
Top 10 Portland Restaurants – September 2016
My Top 10 Portland Restaurants along with my next 15 for September 2016 This is the first update to my Top 10 Portland restaurants list since it was originally published in March. It’s the only local list that’s immune from p.r. and advertising pressures and is actually written by someone who’s lived in Portland forever, has been eating out – Read more…
Oregon Loses 2016 James Beard Awards
Oregon is shut out of the 2016 James Beard Awards Is the bloom off the rose? Perhaps Portland is experiencing some backlash after years of good press. Here are the final results out of the 20 original 2016 James Beard Awards nominations that we started with: Justin Woodward of Castagna restaurant, and Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez – Read more…
Latest Turn Right at the Fork Makes a Point
When I was listening to the latest episode of the popular podcast, Right at the Fork, I was struck by a similarity between some of the most successful restaurateurs in Portland – John Gorham of Tasty n Sons/Alder, Toro Bravo, MEC and Greg Denton of OX and the upcoming Kask and Superbite. They both place – Read more…