When I see an Oriental Chop Chop or a Secret Asian Man, I feel … weary. Because the language of the Asian salad is revealing of the dangers of bland, disembodied generalization: When you fail to see countries and cultures as discrete entities, what kind of consideration could you be expected to give to individual people?
–Bonnie Tsui, author of the essay, Why Is Asian Salad Still on the Menu?
The other night in Portland I ate a downright delicious thing called the Crispy Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. Along with the pleasantly moist chicken with a crackly crust, the condiments hit all my favorite notes—creamy, tangy, savory, spicy—and the bun held the sandwich together without getting in the way of its filling. In the sandwich’s menu description there was a list of elements and they included, among other things, “Asian-style coleslaw.” What?
This afternoon I heard the news of the Big’s Chicken fire, and my heart sank. I’ve been meaning to stop by, telling myself, “Oh, I’ll get around to it soon.” Obviously I’ll have to wait to try their food, but my slight inconvenience is nothing compared to what Ben Dyer, co-owner of Big’s, is forced to deal with.
Each week we will bring you a roundup of public food events in the Portland metro area. It’s not every single event that’s going on, but the ones in particular that catch our eye. Want to submit an event? Fill out this form. Listings curated by Meg Cotner.
Vive La France Bastille Day Dinner Thursday, July 13, 5:30pm and 7:45pm Bergerac Bistro, 5520 NE Woodstock, Portland
Bergerac Bistro Chef and Owner Joris Barbaray creates and serves a four-course summer menu just in time pour la Fête Nat. He’ll recreate some of his favorite French seasonal dishes from his hometown of Bergerac, France. $45 per person. To book your table, call 503-777-6399; credit card required to confirm booking.
La Ruta PDX: A Gastronomic Festival Thursday, July 13-Sunday, July 16, various times Multiple locations
Celebrate Spain for four days in “one of the most innovative cities in the United States,” our own Portland Oregon. Spanish and Portland-based chefs “will showcase Spanish products, purveyors, and specialty equipment” to encourage collaboration and cultural/intellectual exchange on the topic of food and in the form of dinners, tastings, seminars and a Feria & Trade Show. Ticket pricing varies.
As I mentioned in the Welcome to Bridgetown Bites post, I lived many years and started my food writing career in Astoria, Queens. By the way, the neighborhood is home to two magnificent bridges—the Hell Gate Bridge (above) and the Triboro Bridge—intersecting the waterfront at Astoria Park (I find similarities between the St. John’s Bridge at Cathedral Park in Portland and the Triboro Bridge in Astoria Park).
Those of you who know me are aware that I spent the whole of my life in Astoria in the Ditmars area, where this bridge is located. I think it’s apt that this website uses the word “Bridgetown” in it.
One of the first Greek foods I had when I moved to Astoria was a gyro, but the cookies I remember best from my time in Astoria were melomakarona–sweet, earthy, nutty. Ironically, some of the best were from an Italian bakery called Rose & Joe’s. I’ve had the ones from Artopolis (RIP), too, and they are excellent. I think when it cools down here in Portland I’ll try to make them myself.
And former Astoria restauranteur Michael Psilakis is right about octopus being the “chicken of the Greek restaurant.” It’s on every menu at the local tavernas, and consequentially locals have virtually no tolerance for badly prepared octopus (while I’m no longer a local, I do not have much interest in eating poorly cooked octopus anywhere).
His MP Taverna made one of my favorite versions in the neighborhood—it’s tender and meaty with a tasty external char (tentacle tips are often crispy), and I love the chickpea salad and yogurt bed he used to support the octopus. I always ordered it when I would dine there (along with the dumplings with lamb sausage).
Not far is Taverna Kyclades—they make a much simpler version (cooked on the grill and served with olive oil and lemon), and it’s also very good.
Here’s to finding good Greek food in Portland. As I update this in 2024, my hopes are on Tréla.
Last year when I moved to Portland, I came to know about Feast Portland embarrassingly (but understandably so) late in the game—pretty much all events were sold out by August, and I was still recovering from the intense move across the country, so attending was just too much to consider.
I’m pleased to say that I’ll be there this year, just not as an attendee—I’ll be a volunteer!
I’m pretty psyched, to say the least. I attended numerous food events as press over the years in NYC, and I saw how hard the volunteers and staff work to make each event a success. It’s my time to give back and be a volunteer myself. I think it’s going to be a great experience.
