Befuness's Profile
Pastry Chefs of Portland - Techniques, skill... where?
Just to clarify...I think you meant La Petite Provence. I agree that they make some delicious pastries (I have only been to the Alberta spot).
steak in Portland OR
Sounds like a perfect scenario to head to Ringside I agree. Old school and delicious. Based on what the OP mentions, the extra $20 or more spent at El Gaucho would not be needed.
Hollywood district recommendations?
I second both recs. Grain & Gristle also is doing some pretty delicious brunch on weekends and their mussels are very good as well. Du's Grill is also great for the few things they do extremely well (best in P-town IMO, but like Jill-O said, no noodles). Grilled chicken teriyaki, rice, iceberg salad w/poppy seed dressing...delicious, cheap and big enough for leftovers as well.
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Du's Grill
5365 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213
Ludo Just Bites :(
I agree. IMO, I personally could not suffer anyone screaming at me or someone I love like this guy does for any reason really. I would have to bury a chef knife is his eye...just sayin'.
After seeing an episode and a half (had to give up on it), it seems to me this is part of his schtick, and again IMO, he comes off as a bratty little twit. This ends up ruining what I think is a fun idea.
Barbecue Themed Dinner - Any suggestions for mains?
It is all about indirect (BBQing) or direct (grilling) heating. I was hoping someone would jump in with the good sooner. Finally...Thanks bagowater! Good tips there too.
Restaurant with a separate room for small event?
Andina is a great spot in NW. They have a variety of different private rooms and can tailor the menu to the groups' tastes as well. Plus they have great drinks and food.
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Andina Restaurant
1314 NW Glisan, Portland, OR 97209
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Macau
I thought the episode was lacking. IMO they had about a 30 minute episode filmed, then realized it and had to add in the filler. Go-carts and bunjee jumping are not exactly unique things to Macau but did take up about 11 minutes of on air time.
Pie in Portland
I second Random Order! I just had a slice of the Strawberry Rhubarb a couple of days ago, delicious! They also have a fun little cocktail menu to take the end off a Friday afternoon.
2 Nights in Portland--Restaurant Recs Please!
You should not worry too much about traffic on a Fri night. All of these places are for the most part in the close to downtown/Pearl/NW area or close-in East side. You will not even need to get off the surface streets to drive around to all these places. Pick a bridge and cross. That said, if you like to have a few or more cocktails, taking MAX/bus or a cab for late night is the way to go.
Need help with mint juleps
This sounds delicious! Though I am guessing the OP was hoping not to have to wait 10 days for the results since the Kentucky Derby is this Sunday. Although tasty on any sunny day IMO, I cannot think of another big reason to have a Mint Julep party.
Looking for Harvest King flour in PDX
I did a quick search and saw that Walmart usually sells this General Mills brand, though not sure you can find a Walmart in close-in PDX, maybe Gresham or Beaverton. I am guessing you want this flour because it is is unbleached and unbromated. I am also guessing if you cannot find the GM brand product, you should maybe check with Bob's Red Mill which is local and it seems they have everything!
Delivery Options in PDX?
I would like to know more about this as I was under the impression they pay full menu prices and this was the reason the charge anywhere from $5-10 for delivery. Can you share your source?
As far as the timing or it taking too long, I have actually like the option where you can order ahead and pick a specific time for delivery. I have done this a couple times and they have been on time and the food fresh and hot.
portland
I disagree with your characterization of Ciao Vito. While I do agree Nostrana is a tad better (the pizzas alone are great). Ciao Vito is not "old-school Italian-American fare -- think red and white checkered table cloths and dishes that have not changed in 20 years." You are thinking maybe Nona Amelia's? This is not spaghetti and meatballs with over buttered garlic bread. IMO Ciao Vito is far more than that. Dishes like the razor clams in season and the pork sugo are awesome.
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Nostrana
1401 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97214
Ciao Vito Restaurant
2203 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Johannesburg in June
One good resource for dining in both places is http://www.eatout.co.za. It is sort of like Yelp or City Search in the US but for Cape Town, JNB, etc.
Both cities offer loads of diverse options so almost impossible to name a "top 10 list" for example IMO. Being that I travel there a several times a year and have a bunch of friends there, I have been checking out the lay of the land so to speak. According to what I have been hearing, during WC it will depend on where you are staying. There are not great transportation options like buses, trains, etc. There are taxis for sure, but during WC good luck with that!
So for example if you are staying int he Sandton area places like Nelson Mandela Square would be fun because there are about 10 dining options there all with al fresco dining areas anything from seafood, Italian, steak house, Asian, etc. are available. But again, if you are not going to be in Sandton, I would perhaps recommend something closer to your hotel. If you have a car at your disposal, then this makes a big difference.
Chains That Are EAsy to Love
Taco Time is a regional chain in these parts (NW) and I love their crispy burritos. Basically deep fried love. AMAZING in moderation.
Just relocated to NE Portland - need recs
For the beer/soccer action, I have had fun at Kell's Irish Pub & Thirsty Lion downtown. on NE Broadway there is a place called Costello's Travel Cafe that also is supposed to have lots of matches on a regular basis. Welcome to town!
Barbara Walters vs. Paula Deen
Interesting how the morphed into a Fast door thread, but I disagree personally. I would never go to a Wendy's and get a baked potato or chili or a salad just about anyone can make much better options at home). For me the whole point of going to a fast food place it to go for the gusto and grease. I am not sure I have ever gone to Wendy's for example and NOT ordered a frosty along with my meal. For me moderate means not easting at these places often (only once or twice a month MAX). I am lucky however as I love to cook, have access to good ingredients and moderates prices, etc. Many people are too busy, live in places that do not offer good access to good food, are less fortunate in regards to cash flow so I am glad there are ways to stay relatively healthy eating food from bodegas and what not.
Easter Brunch, Portland
Portland has LOADS of brunch options in general. Being in PDX on my own, my family has come into to town for Easter a few times over the last few years. I have had success at Mother's and the Heathman downtown. Both have had special Easter menus. On the East side on the Columbia is Salty's. This is a buffet style, but very good, especially with the unlimited dungeness crab available.
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The Heathman Restaurant
1001 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
Taco Bell's "Pacific Shrimp Taco"
Haven't eaten at TB in years, and not sure I will ever try this offering. That being said, I did like the commercial as it really made fun of the pretentious "foodie blog scene". Not saying this is how I feel about all of them, but there are a growing number of these out there that have jumped the shark IMO.
where can you buy whole fruit pies?
Gotta second Leonardo here, Random Order makes amazing pies. They will do larger orders as well. We have pre-ordered a few over the last several holiday seasons. Delish!
Beer/Food rec?
Others here have made great recommendations. I would also add Concordia Ale Hose in NE. Fun and eclectic tap list IMO heavily Oregon focused. Better than avg pub food as well.
Namibia Eats
Thanks very much Kurt! These are great suggestions. We actually were going to splurge for a night at the Hotel Heinitzburg (chose Olive Grove instead to save). But we will at least head over for a drink. Thanks also for the Abyssinia tip this sounds very interesting as well.
We are also excited of course for the bakeries / konditoreis as friends have told us not to miss out.
Thanks again!
Best burger in PDX
Thanks for the reminder! This is place is blocks from me. I was just now thinking of happy hour spots for this evening. Branch is going to ideal. Will report back on the burger for sure.
Namibia Eats
Heading to Namibia for a self-drive adventure around the country with friends in May. We have a pretty flexible schedule and will have a couple of nights in places like Windhoek & Swakpomund along the way. Just wondering if there are any super fun or "can't miss" spots to eat at in these areas.
I know a fair amount about the country and have heard from some that it is a culinary wasteland (comparatively to places like South Africa for example), so I am hoping there might be some alternative points of view and a recommendation or two.
Need Beaverton rec for tonight!
I second the Mingo recommendation. You can have a good time here by sharing some dishes as well. Fun casual, yet still pretty nice atmosphere.
Best burger in PDX
IMO this is very subjective. Castagna is very good, Slow Bar if eaten along with a bourbon OTR also great. My SO loves Stanichs.
Need help for Lunch, Brunch and Late Night Dining in Portland
For a Saturday lunch Bunk (til 3pm) or Meat, Cheese, Bread work well if you are into the gourmet sandwich theme. Another good one can be Kenny & Zuke's. Have had great weekend lunches at Wildwood as well.
For brunch we like Simpatica & Merriweather's.
I am no help for the late night scene as I have a toddler and tend to start fading a bit once midnight hits these days. My opinions here would be a bit out of date I am afraid
I'm looking for the best lamb in PDX. Tried the following
Have you tried any Indian dishes...Rogan Josh for example when made well is a delicious lamb stew-like dish usually made with shanks. Because beef in India is pretty much not an option for obvious reasons, there are lots of great Indian dishes that use lamb or mutton. Have had some pretty great kabobs as well.
Try East India Co, Bombay Cricket Club or Vindalho. They offer a bit more ambiance than other local places which for a date makes sense.
What is your favorite Food TV show?
Top Chef, NR, America's Test Kitchen, Mexico One Plate at a Time, Iron Chef America (depends on the match up), Iron Chef Japan (reruns on FLN), and DDDs. Interesting that many posted here have similar lists. Someitme I will catch a few weekend morning shows on TFN while puttering around the house. Things like Nealys, Aida, etc can be interesting some times.
Bourdain in Istanbul
This is sorta my original point on this. I expect this from a show like BL on a network like NBC. But for a show like NR (the flagship on the TC), IMO, they can do a more creative job of generating ad revenue. Other that, loved the episode for sure. Makes want to head back to Turkey.
