Note: since Bluestar opened more stores, the quality has gone down. I no longer stand by this review.When I was in college, I had a passion for bear claws. Working nights, I had an hour to kill before my next job, which happened to take me past Venice Beach and its line of donut shops. Over the course of a year, I tried every bear claw in the area and got to know exactly … [Read more...] about Review: Blue Star Donuts
Restaurant Reviews for the Portland Metro Area
These are in-depth restaurant reviews for the Portland area which we have written over the years. You'll find every restaurant we have covered in this archive. You'll find them in alphabetical order. As restaurants close, we do our best to keep the list current.
Review: Hot Pot City
Completely updated/rewritten 11/2012Welcome to cold season in Portland.Hot Pot City is a constant for many of us, especially in the chilly, gray winter months in Portland. It's warm, it's soothing, it's steamy – perfect medicine for the colds and stuffed sinuses that our climate seems to encourage.Billing itself as Portland’s only Taiwanese Hot Pot Restaurant, … [Read more...] about Review: Hot Pot City
Review: Ned Ludd
The Luddites were 19th-century English textile artisans, who violently protested against the machinery introduced during the Industrial Revolution. Chef Jason French pays homage to their mascot, Ned Ludd, for whom the movement was named, and cooks everything from a wood-fired oven. No other source of heat is used; it's all very Portland.The kitchen is tightly focused on a … [Read more...] about Review: Ned Ludd
Review: Ox Restaurant
OX restaurant is a temple to “the wood-fired grilling tradition of Argentina, and with it, the culinary heritage of Spain, France, and Italy”. Opened in early 2012 by Quiñónez and Greg Denton, Ox has shot to the top of Portland's “must visit” restaurants, and placed number one on my 2012 Best New Restaurant List.One warm summer evening, I ordered two empanadas. The … [Read more...] about Review: Ox Restaurant
Review: Bamboo Sushi
Bamboo Sushi is not your ordinary sushi restaurant. Not only is the fish much better than average, but they have garnered national praise for being the first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant in the world. They take great pains to follow the endangered species guidelines on the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute "avoid" lists. Bamboo Sushi partnered with the … [Read more...] about Review: Bamboo Sushi