Portland food news and views
Personal views and opinion on food topics of the day.
If I could give those of you attending Feast Portland’s Grand Tasting—or really any of the events that involve a lot of eating—one tip for enjoying the vast amounts of food that will be in front of you, I’d say chew your bites thoroughly. It will force you to slow down just a little bit, and your digestive tract will thank you.
Happy Feasting!
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?
Continue reading “Asian-Style On My Mind”
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.
Updated October 27, 2024.
Welcome, friends! Bridgetown Bites is a friendly place on the internet to learn and read about Portland food news.
In the summer of 2016, I moved to Portland to be near family and slow down after over a decade spent in NYC. I started Bridgetown Bites (Bridgetown is, of course, one of Portland’s nicknames) in September 2016 as an Instagram account, casually and intermittently documenting some of the things I’d eaten in my new town. I’ve spent the last year familiarizing myself with this city and now feel ready to write more about the delicious things you can find here.
Continue reading “Welcome To Bridgetown Bites”