There are shops that sell chocolate and then there is the Cacao chocolate shop in Portland. The latter can inspire even the most hardened and cynical among us. When we first heard about the Cacao chocolate shops, it clearly sounded like it was worth our attention. Serious enough to warrant not one, but two reporters for further journalistic investigation. That's when Joanna … [Read more...] about Cacao Chocolate Shop in Portland Oregon
Downtown
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: Ringside Steakhouse Portland
[updated 2017] Ringside Steakhouse was been closed, extensively remodeled and has reopened. I thought it was time to go back and take another look.In the early 90's, I had my first dinner at Ringside, yet I remember the night like it was yesterday. It was a cool, crisp winter evening. I wanted to impress a date, and knowing nothing about the Portland food scene, was told it … [Read more...] about Review: Ringside Steakhouse Portland
Review: Andina Restaurant in Portland
2017: this restaurant has tobogganed downhill since my original review was written. The food lacks the polish it used to have, and the prices have risen. The restaurant has been expanded over the years to use every square inch of space for seating - basement, upstairs and mid-level. At the same time, the kitchen doesn't seem to have been enlarged to handle the additional … [Read more...] about Review: Andina Restaurant in Portland
Review: Higgins Restaurant
Minor updates 7/21. Going back soon for a full review.On the way home from dinner at Nel Centro one evening, I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t had a good meal since I reviewed Tabla. At that moment, we drove past Higgins Restaurant, which looked completely full. It had been at least five years since my last dinner there, but it used to be one of my favorite … [Read more...] about Review: Higgins Restaurant