Portland food news and views
Portland is one of the top cities in the U.S. for vegan eating, with restaurants, cafes, and bakeries having won a number of awards for the high quality plant-based food made in this town. For Salad Week this year, we wanted to feature specifically where to get vegan salads in Portland, because they deserve a proverbial seat at the table.
Continue reading “Where To Find the Vegan Salads in Portland”
Note: We are in the process of updating this SNAP meals list with the most updated offers. some restaurants have decided to pause the program since SNAP was started up again, but you never know if it’s gonna stick…
A number of restaurants, cafes, and food carts in the Portland area are providing what we are calling “SNAP Meals”: They’re stepping up and helping feed folks who will lose their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, AKA food stamps) benefits starting in November. It is heartening to see this community effort and the generosity in our local food scene. We’ve put together a list of places—50 businesses making up 84 locations, at the writing of this roundup—where people can access food to eat while SNAP benefits are unfunded starting next month.
Continue reading “SNAP Meals: Where To Eat, No Questions Asked, During the Suspension of SNAP”Portland Fermentation Fest will not happen in 2022. The organizers behind Portland’s own “Stinkfest” announced they are now holder the Fermentation Festival this year: “The three of us (volunteer organizers Wanpaku Natto, Liz Crain and Urban Cheesecraft Kits) will re-evaluate for 2023. Time will tell. Thank you so much for your support over the years and patience in the last couple of years. We miss our sweet stinkfest and we miss you!”
It’s a great festival (see my writeup from 2019) and I do hope they will return in 2023.
Red Sauce Pizza will open their dining room. It’s coming, and for that I’m glad: the Red Sauce dining room is opening … soon. I’ll be there. 4641 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Future Days will pop up in the old Handsome Pizza space. Kiki and Casey, former employees at Handsome Pizza/Seastar Bakery, are popping up in their old digs this weekend as Future Days. They’ll be making pizza that was a hot ticket item during their time in SLC. Head there Sunday September 25, 5-9pm. It will be nice to have that oven working again. 1603 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
Kalesa Coffee opens tomorrow morning. Head to the new brick & mortal space of former popup Kalesa Coffee tomorrow morning from 9am to 1pm for their grand opening party. There will be coffee, of course (their own roast), with Filipino flavors (ube, for one), plus breakfast sandwiches, toast, and sides from Balong. Definitely check them out! 7024 N Richards Street, Portland
Bonus: NYC’s Cevallos brothers custom made a sign for Laughing Planet in PDX. You can read about these brothers originally from Ecuador who work with many Queens businesses (in Jackson Heights, among other neighborhoods) to make hand-crafted signs as promotional tools. I have to admit I am delighted to see when Queens and Portland intersect. You can check out the sign here.
Over the years, I’ve heard people ask, “So where can I get a big salad in Portland?” If they are a New York transplant, they are probably thinking of those chopped salad and panini spots that were (are?) ubiquitous in Midtown Manhattan. Or the kind of “Big Salad” referred to by Elaine in Seinfeld. But really—sometimes you just want a big salad, no matter where you come from.
Here are some places where you can get the classic “Big Salad”—but instead of a bowl of “big lettuce, carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” a la Seinfeld, you can get a mix of diverse ingredients that will be delicious and satisfying—enough for a whole meal (sometimes two, if you play your lettuce cards right—romaine stands up better overnight compared to mesclun greens).
Note: We’ve updated this roundup of where to find a big salad in Portland for 2026’s Portland Salad Week.
Continue reading “Where to Get a Big Salad in Portland”The title says it all: these are the salads we like in the Portland area. It’s by no means definitive. Want us to know about a salad you like? Fill out this form and we’ll share them at the end of the week.
Key:
JR = Judith Rich
MC = Meg Cotner
Photo credit: Sherman’s Food Adventures
What’s in it: Whole leaf romaine, parmigiano-reggiano, house-made croutons, with house Caesar dressing.
A classic done right, I highly recommend trying Apizza Scholls’ version, which pairs beautifully with any one of their pizza pies. Try it with a meaty sensation such as Apizza Amore or their version of the Amatriciana. The salad dressing is creamy and rich, and a little goes a long way. For those who aren’t anchovy fans, you can ask for them on the side or to simply omit them. –JR
4741 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland. http://apizzascholls.com/
