A really sublime chocolate experience is heavenly. And chocolate is a health food and has been considered such for eons. Only in relatively recent times has chocolate been denigrated to junk food, because of the additions of so much milk and sugar. It shouldn’t surprise you that a self-proclaimed foodie has a bookshelf full of books about food. Many cookbooks, but also a lot of books that focus on a single ingredient, or the cultural aspects of food. So I whipped out my book The Chocolate and Coffee Bible and dug around for some fun facts about chocolate.
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Portland’s Pizza of Many Origins on Restaurant Row
Pizza aficionados are very attached to their favorite type of pizza. I grew up in NY and gorged on pizza for a couple decades, with the occasional hiatus to gorge on bagels, egg creams, and pastrami sandwiches. So, I admittedly have a bias for New York pizza. But when a wave of rationality sweeps over me, I am the first to admit there are other contenders for excellent styles of pizza. And Portland’s pizza is worth taking a closer look at.
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Pambiche – a Slice of Old Havana
I discovered this gem years before I moved to Portland. It came to me through word of mouth in one of those classic “where are the fun restaurants in Portland” conversations. Although I did not purposely move a few blocks from it to be nearby, it’s certainly an added benefit of living in the Kerns. And how terrific that on a rainy Oregon day, I can slip into Pambiche – a slice of old Havana with Cuban hospitality.
So Pambiche, touts itself as Cuban food, which I believe you will find to be very similar to other food from the Caribbean and Central America. Countries in those regions are geographically small, therefore the overlapping of food crops that thrive there is to be expected. And yet, each country develops its own customs of preparing food, creating a sense of national identity.
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GÜERO – The Home of La Torta
It’s a food truck turned restaurant. It may not be the American dream, but it is the Portland dream. Humble beginnings gather a loyal and excited crowd and eventually, the brick and mortar Güero restaurant is born. I love it!
Güero has made its name by serving tortas, and more specifically, torta ahogada, which is a drowned torta. This is the result of a happy accident that happened years ago in Jalisco, Mexico, when the contents of the sandwich fell into a pot of red chile sauce.
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Navarre – A Kerns Neighborhood Bistro
Navarre may be my favorite restaurant on Restaurant Row (NE 28th between Glisan and Burnside). Very European in its presentation – candlelit and cozy, serving creative bistro fare.
The menu is ever changing and all the dishes are offered in small or large portions. The set up is perfect for eating tapas style with a few friends. Which is my favored dining style, hands down. Their bread is from Ken Forkish’s eponymous Ken’s Artisan Bakery.
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