eat & drink...

Portland may not have “traditional” roots in frying chicken, but it doesn’t take an expert to grasp that fried chicken is “finger lickin’ good.” And although KFC ditched that slogan of 50 years for something “healthier” sounding, Portland knows fried chicken is just that. Luckily, we have our own deliciously crispy fried chicken scene (yep, we said it, there is one) going strong, and then more...

Why waste your neighborhood-dive order at Portland's craft cocktail bars? Shake up your 'usual' with a snappier alternative. more...

It’s getting cold out there, fellow drinkers, and soon, the rains will come. We have two choices: to despair at the impending sunless months or to reacquaint ourselves with everyone’s old winter friend, the hot toddy. But let’s be honest; there’s an obvious winner here. Portland loves a good toddy, as evidenced by the beverage’s regular seasonal appearance on our bar menus. Sure, most dives can make you a more...

Welcome back, rainy fall days! Perfect timing, because we’ve been looking for a better excuse than a hangover to get back into our weeklyphơhabit. And what a town to do it in! Not only is there a lot of this savory Vietnamese beef noodle soup in Portland, we also have a surfeit of regional variations on the dish, ranging from a soup with escargot to one featuring pig’s feet. With this bounty comes a lot of people swearing more...

Well, this topic has been a long time coming. We’ve been to a lot of patio bars, had a few too many punch bowls, and we might have tried to drink our nocino way too early. So what can you do with your heavy, nauseated sack of a body when you’re hung over? Your choices are to sit quietly and hope to die or ingest something. We think that doing the latter—really taking charge of one’s self-imposed state—is more...

Portland's bookish persona even extends to our drinking. Two new bars, The Jack London Bar and The Lovecraft, take their names from famous writers and incorporate literary themes into their decor, events, and menus. They join a small battery of established lit bars. Buckman The Lovecraft is like the corner bar in the friendliest neighborhood of hell. Named after Old Evil fabulist H.P. Lovecraft, the bar takes its horror theme more...

We heard once that Portland doesn’t have any good Chinese food. Fellow food enthusiasts, this, to our collective delight, is categorically untrue. Dim sum devotees already flock to Wong’s King and Ocean City every weekend (be sure to take six of your closest friends), and everyone seems to know a solid neighborhood joint or two. We thought we’d pick some dishes that we love to eat when we’re getting more...

Better late than never, right? Summer, that is, and all the foods with which we associate the season. Owing to the impact of late storms and fluctuating temperatures, local farmers’ most reliable summer crops are just now starting to fill market stalls and CSA boxes. What does all of this mean for you, your kitchen, and your belly? It’s time to take full advantage of the flavors of late summer by sourcing your goods close more...