Portland Food

[flavourjunkie]

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything food related in Portland? Great restaurants, marketplaces, bakeries, farms? What are the hot areas right now? My husband and I will be moving there in the fall and are both in the industry. Thanks in advance for any tips!

Flavourjunkie

[trillium]

Portland has great bread. Ken's Artisan Bakery makes the best bread in Portland, in my not so humble opinion, but lots of people like Pearl too.

We also have great grocery stores...right now at my neighborhood New Seasons I can buy organic Seville oranges and kaffir limes...whoopee...for many things I like them better then Whole Foods, though we do make a trip to WF about every other month. I like buying shellfish from the Asian fish markets, Om or ABC are good...but they don't carry oysters. For East Asian groceries we like An Dong (more stuff from Hong Kong) and Pacific Supermarket (more SE Asian stuff) and as a last resort Uwajimaya. We keep meaning to check out Anzen too. So far the South Asian (both restaurant or groceries) scene is pretty dismal, but I hear I need to venture further out in the 'burbs. Haven't found a good latino supermercado yet either, but we haven't been trying that hard. The one thing I really miss is a decent place to buy Italian groceries. So far we've resorted to mail order from AG Ferrari.

The farmer's market downtown is really great, it starts in late April next year. We're still enjoying the organic grass finished, dry aged beef from River Run Farm and the lamb from ?can't remember that we stocked the freezer with. The other thing to look out for is the wonderful beans (coco blanc, borlotti, flagolet, etc.) from Avery Farms.

Boxer Northwest is a good restaurant supply company that also sells to the public. They have great prices on silpats and metro shelving.

This is enough to get you started, right? I'm sure others will pitch in with restaurant stuff, to tell you the truth, we haven't had that many meals at upscale places that really knocked our socks off (Oregon Pho is a different story!). I did really enjoy all three times I ate at Southpark.

regards,

trillium

[flavourjunkie]

Wow, I'm dissapointed to hear that Portland is lacking in the SE Asian foods and Italian (groceries) dept. Not what I had expected....

The downtown farmer's market starts in April, next year? I have to wait till 2004?

Do good cafes exist? This isn't a Starbucks town is it?

Thanks for all the fine tips!

FJ

[trillium]

No, no...the _south_ Asian groceries and restaurants are dismal (that means Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi etc.). There are plenty of south east (Vietnamese, Thai, some Malay stuff) and east asian (Chinese) grocery stores. The south east asian restaurants we've tried have been no worse then Seattle, the Vietnamese might even be better, we have not run into any Malay, Singaporean or Indonesion places and you can find the same plethora of yuppie fusion Thai restaurants here that you find in Seattle. I think Typhoon has an outpost in Seattle as well as two places here. East asian restaurants we've tried (mainly a couple of Hong Kong style seafood places) have been just ok, but that's how we feel about the ones in Seattle as well. Sorry for the confusion.

The farmer's market starts every year in late April, early May. I guess I don't think of the year starting until the farmer's market does.

There are plenty of independently owned cafes in most every neighborhood, but there are lots of Starbucks too.

regards,

trillium

[nightscotsman]

And there's an Uwajimaya (best grocery store ever) in Beaverton.

[trillium]

They really are a last resort when it comes to Asian groceries besides Japanese and for Japanese I would rather go to Anzen here in Portland, instead of the 'burbs. Their markup makes me crazy.... what we really need is a Ranch 99!!! There's one in Kent now, so maybe Portland will get its turn soon.

regards,

trillium

[flavourjunkie]

You all have been very helpful! If you think of anything else, don't hesitate... If you are ever in Vancouver and need some info let me know I'll be happy to get you fed very well......

Thanks again!

Flavourjunkie

[nwells]

There is one Italian market in the Pearl district that you may want to try. It is called Piazza Italia and is on 11th and Johnson. It had a great start maybe two years ago and then dropped a bit in quality. I haven't been in quite a while, but I should check back and see what it is like these days. They had wonderful mountain gorgonzola and good proscuitto. Also, they are the local champions of bocce ball, which is fun to have going on.

I believe that Pastaworks on the east side and City Market on the west side are worth mentioning. They are small markets with a number of vendors selling and/or featured. They frequently have teh best selection of take out desserts in the city. The meat department at City Market is top notch and very different than the one at Pastaworks. The owners are very dedicated to the slow food movement and facilitate a lot of good work in town.

I love Common Grounds Coffee on SE Hawthorne. They have great coffee, a relaxed atmosphere and the best cream scones in town!

Hope this helps...

Neeley

[delilah!]

I think Uwajimaya is fabulous and well worth the tedious trip to the suburbs. I've loved Anzen for years, but by virtue of their small space they are no competition for the quality and selection of produce, seafood, canned goods, sundries and, heaven help us, noodles, available at Uwajimaya.

I agree wholeheartedly with the comments on Pasta Works on Hawthorn and in City Market. They will give you a taste of most everything, including the high end olive oils and balsamic vinegars, before you invest. If you go to Pasta Works at City Market on NW 21st Tuesday through Saturday, ask for Heather—she knows her stuff!

Delilah!