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
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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
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: Gilda’s Italian Restaurant
A review of Gilda's Italian Restaurant in Portland Oregon by Roger PorterYou hear all the time that one of the lamentable gaps in Portland’s culinary scene is the absence of great Chinese restaurants. Understandably there is little here to compare with the Chinese food palaces of San Francisco or Vancouver, B.C., but sadly we fall down in that department relative to … [Read more...] about Review: Gilda’s Italian Restaurant
Review: Toro Bravo Restaurant
Note: Toro Bravo closed in 2020.To understand Spanish food, it helps to have a little understanding of the culture behind it Spain tugs at something deep in my soul. Maybe it is because taste, music, and memory are so closely intertwined, but every time I hear flamenco, I flash back to a time 25 years ago.I was living in Healdsburg in the Sonoma Valley, where I … [Read more...] about Review: Toro Bravo Restaurant