Favorite Eats of 2017

Today is Bridgetown Bites’s six month anniversary! Or is it birthday? Anyway, we thought we’d take this opportunity to roundup our favorite eats of 2017. It’s always fun to look back on the year, and though I tasted my share of straight up duds, there was a lot more that was delicious. Here are some of our favorites from 2017.

Coquine chocolate chip cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookie | Coquine. This cookie is famous, and there’s a good reason for that, as it is more than just an excellent chocolate chip cookie—it features some additional flavors that elevate the whole thing. Those additional elements would be smoked almonds, salted caramel, and chunks (not chips) of high quality chocolate. The texture is both chewy and crisp, and I’d say it’s one of the top sweets in Portland. coquinepdx.com, 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Tusk Hummus

Tusk Hummus | Tusk. One of my favorite meals this year was at Tusk—the whole meal was made of beautiful food with beautiful flavors. I knew I had to get the Tusk Hummus, which I’d heard great things about. I’m glad I did—it was so creamy and smooth, and had chickpeas and tomatoes in the center. They served it with really good flatbread. I dream of this hummus now. tuskpdx.com, 2448 E Burnside Street, Portland

Pumpkin Muffin

Pumpkin Muffin | Fleur de Lis Bakery. Not your normal pumpkin muffin—this one was topped with pepitas, and the muffin itself was quite moist with what I believe to be roasted pumpkin seed oil. I loved the raisins in it—normally I don’t like raisins in baked goods much—that would sort of disintegrate into these rich, sweet puddles. It’s one of the best pumpkin muffins I’ve had. fleurdelisbakery.com, 3930 NE Hancock Street, Portland

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh | Darsalam. I’ve eaten a lot of tabbouleh in my life, and most of it is prepared with primarily bulgar wheat, a little parsley and sad tomatoes. There’s lot of parsley in this one at Darsalam, which makes it a more refreshing dish than usual. This photo was taken in the summer so the tomatoes were nice and ripe. darsalamportland.com, 320 SW Alder Street, Portland

Pork Belly Bite

Pork Belly Bite | Chameleon. About mid-way through the year, Chameleon changed up their menu and added a section of “bites”—small amounts of food, little snacks, made up of only a few… bites. This really made an impression on me—it’s pork belly with hoisin sauce and scallion on toasted brioche. It was quite decadent, rich favors and mouthfeel. Really a joy to eat. chameleonpdx.co, 2000 NE 40th Avenue, Portland

Sichuan Bean Jelly

Sichuan Bean Jelly | Taste of Sichuan. This was a real treat, as I had been missing good Chinese food (Flushing spoiled me). Listed on their “Wild Side” menu, the jelly is made from mung beans and is tossed with a spicy chili sauce. These were satisfying on the flavor, texture, and spicy levels. beaverton.tasteofsichuan.com, 16261 NW Cornell Road, Beaverton

Biscuit Egg Sandwich

Biscuit Egg Sandwich | Jim and Patty’s Coffee People. This is the egg, cheese and bacon sandwich on a scallion cheddar biscuit at Jim and Patty’s, a place that’s been around since the 80s. It’s a big sandwich, filling but not a gut bomb, which is nice. The cheese was nice and melty, the bacon crisp, and the biscuit was soft and savory. This place is hugely popular in the neighborhood, but there’s plenty of room for everyone. jimandpattys.com, 4951 NE Fremont, Portland

Pork and Leek Dumplings

Pork & Leek Dumplings | Chin’s Kitchen. I’m thrilled to have a good dumpling spot in the neighborhood, now that the Feng and Li sisters from Harbin bought Chin’s Kitchen and are serving excellent Dongbei cuisine. These dumplings are made with a homemade skin and are filled with juicy pork with leeks, a classic combination. They are nice and soft but sturdy. Be sure to ask for vinegar and chili oil to accompany your dumplings; its more flavorful than the mildly savory thin sauce that comes with the dish. chinskitchenportland.com, 4126 NE Broadway Street, Portland

Tayberries

Tayberries | Irvington Farmers Market. I picked these tayberries up at the Irvington Farmers Market over the summer and loved them. So what’s a tayberry? Wikipedia has the answer: this berry was “patented in 1979 as a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and named after the river Tay in Scotland.” This warms my Scottish heart for sure; I look forward to eating more of them next summer. irvingtonfarmersmarket.org, 1710 NE 16th Avenue, Portland

Coin Toss Cocktail

Coin Toss Cocktail | Jackrabbit PDX. Seriously, this is the funnest cocktail ever. It’s made with gin, yellow chartreuse, Gifford Crème de Pamplemousse, ginger, and lime in a grapefruit bowl and crushed ice. It hit some of my favorite taste points: citrusy, bright, fresh. I look forward to enjoying more of these this year. gojackrabbitgo.com, 830 SW 6th Avenue, Portland

Sausage Breakfast Taco

Sausage Breakfast Taco | Taco Pedaler. I hadn’t eaten much in the way of breakfast tacos before this one, and now I finally understand what the big deal is. Compared to the street tacos at Taco Pedaler, these are more stuffed, and felt softer because of the eggs. The sausage had nice crisp bits on it, and I loved the spicy crema. tacopedalerpdx.com, 2225 NE Broadway Street, Portland

Quiche Lorraine from Suzette Creperie Suzette Creperie

Quiche Lorraine | Suzette Creperie. Hands down the best Quiche Lorraine I’ve ever had, and they have spoiled me for any future Quiche Lorraines. IT was savory but not salty, and pretty much melted in your mouth. It’s amazing how something so simple can be so ridiculously delicious. suzettepdx.com, 3342 SE Belmont Street, Portland

lemon-curd-general-porpoise-donuts-seattle-feast-portland-2017

Lemon Curd Donuts | General Porpoise Donuts at Feast. As an avowed cake donut connoisseur, yeasted donuts are not really my jam, though I do enjoy them. these lemon curd donuts from General Porpoise could change that, though. Their yeasted filled donuts were light and soft and the lemon curd was actually tart and lemony. They were a huge hit at Feast.

kushi-oyster-pono-soul-farm-kitchen-hollywood-portland-oregon

Kushi Oyster | Pono Soul Farm Kitchen. I’m a relative newcomer to oysters, embracing them after spending time immersed in the traditional foods subculture of NYC. I’ve really come to enjoy them and this Kushi oyster was unique in my oyster eating days. It was small yet extremely plump and meaty. It tasted like it should—clean, like the ocean. I’m sorry Pono Soul Farm Kitchen has closed; I’ll have to find these oysters elsewhere in Portland.

chaat-bollywood-theater-alberta-ne-portland

Dahi Papri Chaat | Bollywood Theater. What a wonderful combination of herbal, sour, sweet, creamy and crunchy. I’m a big fan of chaat and this did not disappoint. bollywoodtheaterpdx.com, 2039 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Mexican Chicken

Mexican Rotisserie Chicken | Pollo Norte. I ate this at the now shuttered 42nd Ave location (they are still open on NE Glisan) sitting outside on the picnic tables, and it made for a lovely afternoon meal. The chickens are moist and meaty, seasoned well, and come with great condiments—especially that green sauce in the background. I’ve had plenty of Peruvian rotisserie chicken, but this Mexican-style is pretty tasty. pollonorte.com,  2935 NE Glisan Street, PortlandGnocchi

Gnocchi | Fire and Stone. People often wash poetic about gnocchi that is “light and pillowy” and I never understood how that could be. This gnocchi in a pork ragu was exactly that—I couldn’t believe how light they actually were! And they didn’t fall apart, either. I try to get them each time I’m in. fireandstonepdx.com, 3707 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Chinese Sausage Bao

Chinese Sausage Bao | Wares PDX. This simple combination of bread and meat is an all out flavor bomb. I believe it was steamed then fried, and stuffed with rich, savory chopped Chinese sausage. I remember eating this the day after having some very blah soup dumplings, and this really rocked my tastebuds. Super yum! warespdx.com, 2713 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

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Bridgetown Bites is written by Meg Cotner, a food loving freelance editor, writer, and published author in Portland, Oregon.

5 Replies to “Favorite Eats of 2017”

  1. It was dangerous to look at this post on an empty stomach! I’m especially hankering for that bean jelly (so curious!) and that chocolate chip cookie, of course. Thanks for sharing!

  2. YEEESSSS the Chinese Sausage Bao and the Tusk Hummus are the best of each of their kind that I’ve had. I didn’t know hummus could be that fluffy? Why isn’t there more Chinese Sausage in my life? On the other hand, I haven’t had but now desperately want that Biscuit Egg Sandwich from Jim and Patty’s now that you reminded me of it…

  3. Oh my gosh this post made me SO hungry! I started off good on the list, having tried your first two nominations, but after that I dropped off and hit a solid zero. I’ll definitely have to get out there and try more of these Meg!

  4. Oh my word! Everything looks delish! Tusk is on my list to visit and now so is Chameleon! You aren’t kidding with that Pork Belly bite!!! and my favorite and run dont stop post is the Coin Toss Cocktail from Jack Rabbits. I’m IN!

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