• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu

Portland Food and Drink

Restaurant News and Information For Portland Oregon Area Restaurants and Bars

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Send me email!
  • Home
  • About
    • Home
    • About the Site
    • The Authors
    • Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
    • Email me
  • Reviews
    • List of All Reviews
    • Steakhouse Roundup
      • Steakhouse Reviews Introduction
      • El Gaucho Steakhouse
      • Morton’s Steakhouse
      • Ringside Steakhouse
      • Ruth’s Chris
      • Steakhouse – Results
  • Topics
    • Memorials
    • Food Memories
    • Travel Writing
    • Food Writing
      • Alcohol Related
        • Beer
        • Wine
        • Spirits
      • April Fools Stories For Portland
      • Contests and Competition
    • Authors / Book Reviews
    • Cheese information
    • Interviews: Honest dialog with people in the Portland food industry
    • Recipes
  • Guides
    • Portland Coffee Guide
    • Guide to Local Wine Shops
    • Guide to Portland Distilleries
    • Guide to Portland’s Beer Shops

Portland in the Sunset Magazine, Vegans Upset Over Ad Placement

January 23, 2007 by PDX Food Dude 37 Comments

Sunset Magazine seems to like Portland. Barely a year goes by between mentions. In the February issue, they devote six pages to a section called Portland Cooks: This town has turned into a culinary hot spot, thanks to inspired chefs, an adventurous clientele, and some of the country’s best produce. Though some of the photographs leave a lot to be desired, the cover Paley’s Place, clarklewis, Tabla, Andina, etc. Sunset also offers recipes from various places. Overall, a decent view of Portland food. It’s not on their website yet. Elsewhere, the magazine goes on a chocolate binge, mentioning Cacao, Mio Gelato, Moonstruck Chocolates, and Sahagun. Finally, Fubon Shopping Center is mentioned. It must be our month for magazines.


What happens when you do an article on slaughtering a lamb, and accidentally place it next to an advert for a vegan establishment? The sky falls! If you haven’t been following the chaos over at the Mercury’s Blogtown, it’s been… entertaining. In an attempt to placate the vociferous vegan crowd, Matt Davis, who penned the original piece, has gone vegan for two weeks. You can read the story here. Matt, I thought of you as I was chowing down on good pulled pork last weekend.


Those of you who have made it down to Napa Valley to eat at Thomas Keller’s “temporary restaurant”, Ad Hoc, will be glad to know it is going to be permanent. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“The restaurant, which serves just one fixed-price menu family-style each night, opened last year and was supposed to be a sic-month placeholder until Keller could turn it into a “burgers and bottles” restaurant”

He is now looking for a new location to open his burger restaurant (can you imagine what he would do with a burger?!). In the meanwhile, if you haven’t made it to Ad Hoc yet, put it on your list of destinations for your summer travel; It’s great. What, you don’t plan your vacations around restaurants?! My family certainly does.


Downtown’s Virginia Cafe will be closing, to make room for a mega office tower. Will the last dive bar in downtown please turn off the lights?

Related

Filed Under: Portland Food and Restaurant News and Discussion

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marshall Manning says

    January 23, 2007 at 6:40 am

    Since normal people throw fruit and vegetables when they riot, do vegans throw meat?

    Just wondering.

    Reply
  2. Sir Loins says

    January 23, 2007 at 7:52 am

    Dang. The VC has solid old-school character and I’m sad to see it go, even if their drinks were weak.

    Reply
  3. mfkfisher says

    January 23, 2007 at 10:13 am

    Regarding Sunset: The editions are now heavily “zoned,” which means that the Portland content may be going to Portlanders or Oregonians only, or only to the Pacific Northwest, and not to California or Arizona or Colorado. Unless you get a chance to see other regional editions, you can’t know whether all this Portland coverage is circulation-wide, or just going to a fraction of the circulation that they think will be interested. So don’t get too excited about coverage of Portland restaurants, because it may not be as widespread as you think.

    Reply
  4. Food Dude says

    January 23, 2007 at 11:22 am

    mfkfisher: I first heard about the article from a california reader. Sunset is not something I’d normally pick up.

    Reply
  5. pdxeater says

    January 23, 2007 at 10:58 am

    I’ve always loved how self-righteous and dogmatic the vocal vegans are and how they have that fire of religious intolerance in their proselytizing similar to other really scary groups with a socio-political agenda they want to force on everyone else. Reading their responses to the article was hilarious. It’s humorous that they happily eat processed crap like Tofurkey and Quorn, support really horrible restaurants like Food Fight (everything I’ve had there makes me want to give up food, not animals), don’t give a crap about where their 100% non-animal food comes from or who grew and harvested it, and think it makes them better people.

    I also love that most of them are white kids from well-to-do backgrounds.

    I guess they find it inconceivable that someone would respect and revere other animals and still want to eat them.

    Reply
  6. Suds Sister says

    January 23, 2007 at 1:01 pm

    I subscribe to Sunset and can tell you that the Portland content that FD mentions is in editions available in our area.

    The PDX article also appears in CA (according to a friend who I just e-mailed).

    Reply
  7. greg says

    January 24, 2007 at 11:23 am

    FD, your dive bar comment is ridiculous! There are hundreds of dank dive bars left! Long live Portland!

    Reply
  8. Food Dude says

    January 24, 2007 at 9:16 pm

    70th! You don’t look at day over 40!
    Get your speed dialing finger ready. There is an art to getting a reservation at the French Laundry. Lunch can be another good option, and is easier to get into.

    Reply
  9. vicki says

    January 24, 2007 at 8:30 pm

    Well, I certainly plan my vacations around restaurants too. My brother has promised me a dinner at the French Laundry for my big 70th birthday in 2007. The problem is that they don’t take reservations until 3 months before the requested date and I have to subit my vacation days from work at the beginning of the year (like right now). I’ve requested the vacation dates and they were granted – now what if we can’t get the reservations during that week??

    Reply
  10. forager says

    January 24, 2007 at 9:48 pm

    also…as for the french laundry…
    something most people don’t know is you can be put on the cancelation list…quite often…a last minute cancelation get’s a suprise dining experience…in a whim…many of industry people get in this way…

    Reply
  11. vicki says

    January 25, 2007 at 6:11 am

    Well, thanks, for the compliment, FD. (Have we ever actually met?)

    The cancellation thingie won’t work for me…I can’t imagine spending the $$ to get down there, reserve car, reserve hotel then NOT get in :-(
    Might try lunch, tho. Can you get the famous Tasting Menu at lunch?

    Reply
  12. atlas says

    January 25, 2007 at 8:56 am

    all tasting all the time

    Here is an interesting “diner’s journal” story regarding reservations at Per Se which share the same process and policy as The Laundry http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=126

    Reply
  13. Apollo says

    January 25, 2007 at 11:11 am

    Hey FD, you want to enlighten your loyal readers on the art of securing a reservation at the french Laundry? The on;y guy I know that didn’t follow the thyree month format or the cancellation list used his american express centurion’s concierge.

    Reply
  14. Food Dude says

    January 25, 2007 at 12:36 pm

    Viki, no we’ve never met. However, years of being around women have taught me, that is always the correct thing to say ;)

    RE: French Laundry. Last I heard, it was still two months to the day. The article referenced above by Atlas pretty much describes the procedure. It helps to have a redial button, and they really do get booked up in about twenty minutes. Another way, is to stay in a nice hotel in the valley. In many of them, the concierge can get you in. Off the top of my head, I don’t know which ones though, and those hotels are pretty darn expensive.

    Lunch is a different menu from dinner.

    Reply
  15. Hunter says

    January 25, 2007 at 3:01 pm

    It’s most of the places in Yountville proper, such as the Vintage Inn, etc.

    Reply
  16. Food Dude says

    January 25, 2007 at 4:32 pm

    Syrah girl, you won’t regret making the short trek over to Cyrus. Nice drive, nice town (I lived there once), and great restaurant.

    Re: laundry, as I recall Vintage Inn was one place that could often get you a reservation.

    Reply
  17. syrah girl says

    January 25, 2007 at 3:32 pm

    We will be staying at the Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville soon. There is also Maison Fleurie and Lavendar, the 3 Sisters properties. The Yountville Inn has a very good concierge that may be able to get you into the Laundry.

    We are looking forward to trying Cindy’s in St. Helena and Redd and Ad Hoc in Yountville before heading over to Cyrus in Healdsburg. :)

    Reply
  18. J Eisenhart says

    January 25, 2007 at 6:14 pm

    Had a great time at Cyrus last month. The Manhattans are deadly. Fantastic Restaurant, but I think the locals really don’t dig what they are all about. The hotel it’s in is really beautiful.

    Reply
  19. Hunter says

    January 26, 2007 at 7:22 am

    The concierge at the Vintage always has 4 reservations available at the Laundry for guests.

    Reply
  20. syrah girl says

    January 26, 2007 at 10:44 am

    The Les Mars Hotel is supposedly very nice. We enjoyed a very nice stay in Healdsburg at the Hotel Healdsburg one Spring, our room included a meal for 2 at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen which was amazing. :)

    Reply
  21. Ellie says

    January 26, 2007 at 4:25 pm

    There is a tiny “hotel” very close to The Laundry – it’s called Petit Logis, and is really just a few sweet rooms with all of the right amenities. It’s stumbling distance from Bistro Jeanty, The Laundry, and Gordon’s.

    The few times I’ve been to the French Laundry, it was when Laura Cunningham was running the dining room – she used to keep a few reservations for folks in the wine industry. Good luck with the phone system. If you don’t get in, La Toque is (IMO) every bit as good, but without the crazy hype. Hoop-de-hoop tasting menu, amazing service, and very a very cool wine list.

    Reply
  22. fuyuk says

    January 26, 2007 at 8:01 pm

    Laura Cunningham has left French Laundry and I agree, La Toque is great as is Terra in St. Helena. Lavender is excellent B&B.

    Reply
  23. seanmcm says

    February 1, 2007 at 9:11 am

    Olea for restaurant of the year, no doubt!

    Reply
  24. Food Dude says

    February 1, 2007 at 10:45 am

    seanmcm: fyi, the chef is leaving Olea

    Reply
  25. Christopher says

    February 4, 2007 at 10:28 pm

    as is everyone else I hear

    Reply
  26. Ellie says

    February 5, 2007 at 5:55 am

    Bummer. Another “jinxed” location? Other than one night when we were plagued by a certifiably insane server, we’ve had some solid meals at Olea. Scott’s a talented dude, I feel.

    Reply
  27. WineOH says

    February 5, 2007 at 9:24 am

    Does anyone else think PDX has too many restaurants? I agree, Olea is a great place, and the food there has been great, as it is (almost) everywhere. But the Chef’s can’t stay put, I feel, because there are just too many options! It is like the proverbial kid in a candy store, and they seem to want one of everything! And yet, PDX is such a small town, and as such, is very gossipy, hence the popularity of this site. I just think there are too many restaurants, which makes the chosen few stay packed every night, and the rest look empty at 7 p.m., which is the kiss of death. Agree? Disagree?

    Reply
  28. atlas says

    February 5, 2007 at 11:29 am

    I would disagree that Portland has too many restaurants. One thing to keep in mind especially in the Pearl District is that with each new building (which are typically selling out) the area adds the equivalent of a whole neighborhood.

    So from my perspective, the amount of people coming into the Pearl and therefore the central city is fantastically large… making for possible revenue in the restaurants of all quarters of the city.

    Reply
  29. sidemeat says

    February 5, 2007 at 12:06 pm

    consider the lillies in the field, do they crash, do they burn?
    some will flower, some will come to fruit
    few will spread their seed
    enjoy the riot of color

    Reply
  30. WineOH says

    February 5, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    good point, atlas, on the new buildings in the Pearl. I wonder tho, are those people full time residents? Or are they single ppl, or wealthy couples, buying a weedend getaway crash pad? I have met quite a few that fall into the second category. And so can they be counted on to dine out regularly? It is an interesting conversation, and thanks for participating! I look forward to all replys

    Reply
  31. sidemeat says

    February 5, 2007 at 1:44 pm

    Seinfield aside, it”s not like eveyone wants to eat at the restaurant downstairs 5 nights a week anyhow.

    Reply
  32. Hunter says

    February 5, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    Whoa, Scott’s leaving Olea FD? When did this come about?

    Reply
  33. Food Dude says

    February 5, 2007 at 3:22 pm

    Hunter – Yes, scott is leaving (if he hasn’t already left) for (brace yourself): Gracies in the old Mallory hotel. Olea is now looking for a new chef. Willamette Week reported on it er.. I think last week, and little tidbits have been floating in every since. I suppose I should mention it in my next news roundup

    Reply
  34. atlas says

    February 5, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    WineOH, I would suspect the segment of the people in the Pearl that use their places as homes away from homes is the minority. My point is not limited to the Pearl however, I use it as an example… there are many other parts of town where dense housing is coming in and selling out almost upon announcement. SE- NW- NE- and even parts of SW are building up. All of which bring that many more residents to within 5-10 miles of any given restaurant.

    Sidemeat, the larger point I was trying to make is even Pok Pok is going to benefit from somebody living above say Fenouil just as Fenouil may benefit from the new mississipi condo project going in.

    BTW sidemeat, yes indeed… “enjoy the riot of color”

    Reply
  35. atlas says

    February 5, 2007 at 3:25 pm

    Regarding Scott Shampine leaving Olea, I would imagine the Aspen Group of Gracie’s made him an offer he could not refuse. It will be interesting to see what direction Olea takes and also what Shampine does for Gracie’s. I look forward to both.

    Reply
  36. Hunter says

    February 5, 2007 at 3:40 pm

    That’s what I get for going out of town for a while.

    Reply
  37. vicki says

    February 5, 2007 at 4:02 pm

    Well! I guess you’ll just have to review Gracie’s once he’s settled in. I haven’t been there – even before the changeover. But if Scott’s there, I may go.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2025 · PortlandFoodandDrink.com • See Terms of Service and Privacy Policy