Meg Cotner

March 27, 2018November 24, 2025

It’s National Spanish Paella Day Today in Portland

paella-can-font-portland-oregon — Photo credit: Can Font

Can I admit something? I kind of like these “National [pick your food] Day” holidays. Sure, they are not as serious as Passover or Easter—both coming up soon—but they are not as uncomfortable and awkward (for me, at least) as April Fool’s Day. They are about enjoying a particular dish or food, and that’s good by me. The reason I tell you this is that apparently today is Spanish Paella Day in the US, and I got a nice press release about it. It was so full of useful and interesting things for Portland diners and eaters, I thought I’d share the bulk of it here.

March 23, 2018November 14, 2021

Four Things I Learned This Week (March 23)

Here are another four things I learned this week in Portland food.

Columbia River Brewing Co. is making their barbecue more of a hook. Several months ago (truthfully, it might be more) Columbia River Brewing Co. in the Hollywood District (1728 NE 40th Avenue) started putting out a sandwich board in front of their entrance listing a wide variety of barbecued meat options. I asked them about it early on and they said they got a smoker and were taking advantage of it. This past weekend I noticed they had a new sign up on the northeast corner of Sandy and 40th Avenue with the words “Craft Beer & BBQ.”

You can get a great latte at Blend Coffee Lounge. On Sunday I was wandering around the Overlook neighborhood (with the aim of seeing the western end of N Kilingsworth Street; spoiler: it overlooks—get it?—the railroad tracks and what looks like the ports) and stopped in to Blend Coffee Lounge (2710 N Killingsworth Street) They made a gorgeous latte that tasted smooth and rich, with plenty of depth. The lounge part is super cute and stylish. What a gem in NoPo!

Gawd, she’s talking about those vegan cheeses again. This time it’s about what I wasn’t able to find—I was in New Seasons on 33rd Street in Concordia and looked for the two brands of vegan cheeses I’ve enjoyed—Miyoko’s and Treeline—and neither were to be found! For me, they are at the highest level of taste. There was plenty of Daiya and Chao but these spreadable cheeses I mention above are many levels of deliciousness above them. For now, I’ll do my supermarket vegan cheese shopping at WholeFoods until New Seasons ups their game. Also, where the heck do you buy a nut milk bag in this town?

Toum is magic sauce. This week, on the advice of a friend, I had dinner at Nicholas Restaurant (3223 NE Broadway) and ordered some kebabs, which were served with toum. Toum is a garlic sauce from the Middle East made with garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. I’d had it once before in Queens but it was quite spicy and harsh in a way I don’t like, but the toum I had this week was smooth, garlicky, savory and fairly addictive. I was sad to when I got to the end of it. Looking forward to eating it again (and trying it at other spots around town).

March 16, 2018November 14, 2021

Four Things I Learned This Week (March 16)

Here are four new-to-me things I learned this week in (mostly) Portland food.

On the vegan front, Portland is #blessed. This is a twofer: White Owl Social Club has removed beef and lamb from their menu and are serving the Impossible Burger. And PoMo’s Molly Woodstock put together a nice roundup of recently-ish opened vegan spots in town.

Sous vide eggs are a thing. I had them at Verdigris this past week, and found them very tasty—the whites of the eggs look undercooked but they weren’t. It’s a bit of an optical illusion, of sorts. Plus, did you know that you can sous vide food in certain Instant Pots?

In certain parts of the country they dip cinnamon rolls into chili. This one astounds me, but some people love it. I wonder if this combo will show up on Portland one day (perhaps it already has). While reading about it I was briefly reminded of “The One Where Ross Got High” episode of Friends.

Han Oak’s Service is 💯. I had dinner there this week and could not get over how friendly and quick the service is at the bar—it’s really efficient, and has been swift both times I ate there this past month. BTW, stop by next Tuesday, March 20 for their Spring Patio Party (the day of the Vernal Equinox). Gado Gado PDX will make the food, proceeds benefit Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. 11am-7pm.

March 13, 2018December 7, 2024

Help Yonder and Mae Build Out Their Restaurant in Portland

mae-at-home-starter-kit-kickstarter-mae-yonder-portland-oregon — This “Mae At-Home Starter Kit” is brilliant, and one of the Kickstarter rewards for the Mae and Yonder project. Photo credit: Mae

Today I got an email from Maya and Zach at Mae about their new restaurant, which is really two restaurants in one: Yonder and Mae. The email was about their Kickstarter they launched to crowdfund the restaurants; their goal is $75,000. They know it can be tough to fund an effort like this and are hoping their fans and current customers can pitch in and help financially support this exciting venture—it will be the first brick and mortar for what is now a popup at Old Salt Marketplace.

March 12, 2018December 7, 2024

First Impressions: The Impossible Burger in Troutdale

impossible-burger-memenamis-edgefield — *My first time with an Impossible Burger was a pleasant stroll through the uncanny valley.*

Over the weekend we decided to take advantage of the sunny day with mild temperatures and head to McMenamins Edgefield out in Troutdale. After an easy bus ride we did a fair amount of exploring of the grounds, and decided to get something to eat at the Black Rabbit Bar. And what did I see on the menu? The Impossible Burger. I had been wanting to try it for some time, and this seemed like as good as any an opportunity to do so.