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
Open-Sunday
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.On a recent warm summer evening, I ordered two … [Read more...] about Review: Ox Restaurant
Review: Podnah’s Pit Barbecue
Updated 6/20 I'm indulging myself at the beginning of this review of Podnah's Pit Barbecue by taking a walk down memory lane. Click here if you'd like to jump to the review section. When I was growing up, I spent many summers on a big cattle ranch just down the road from the booming metropolis of Maypearl Texas, population less than 300. We had a sprawling old ranch house … [Read more...] about Review: Podnah’s Pit Barbecue