Favorites of 2023: Bakeries, Food Trucks, Restaurants, Bars, Cafes

Truly, one of the most beautiful salads I ate this year. It was a seasonal special of sharp greens, strawberries, daikons, onions, radishes, causa, and a chicha morada lavender vinagreta from Reeva.

Welcome back to another end of year list. Instead of publishing our Four Things column today, I’m giving you a list of my favorite spots of 2023, where I enjoyed happy times eating and drinking. There’s a whole variety of places, some established, some new. This list is in no particular order, aside from alphabetically; in other words, no top pick. Please enjoy!

Cheese and Crack

For my birthday this year we had lunch at Paadee and then headed a couple doors down to Cheese & Crack for their titular sundae. I maintain that they make the best soft serve ice cream in Portland. It is smooth, creamy, and luscious. The toppings on this sundae are classic: chocolate ganache, cinnamon butter cracker crumble, and torched housemade marshmallow fluff. The sundaes really are enough for two, and their seasonal sundaes never cease to impress with their magical toppings combinations. 22 SE 28th Avenue, Portland. cheeseandcrack.com

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Four Things I Learned This Week (September 8)

Happy 10th Anniversary, Peter’s Bar & Grill! This month, Peter’s Bar & Grill marks 10 years in business at the corner of NE Fremont and 57th. You can read some reminiscing on Facebook if you have an account, or read it in this screenshot. Honestly, I was surprised to learn that they’ve been open for only 10 years; it feels like so much more than that. My husband and I love eating there—we were there for lunch today, in fact, and the food was as good as ever. I did hear that they are going to change up the menu in a couple of weeks. Hopefully some of my favorites will not disappear into the ether. In any case, congrats, Peter’s! 5701 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Update: looks like food trucks in the Grant Park neighborhood may not happen. Back in January 2022 I wrote about the proposal/project to bring a food truck pod to the old Burger King space there on NE Broadway near 35th Avenue. I drive past there often and wonder each time when things are going to start. Well, it looks like they will not get off the ground—an Early Assistance permit was filed in late August for a “New ±16,869 square foot veterinary hospital.” At first glance this is a bummer—maybe they’d have some carts/trucks in the parking lot? Maybe that’s just weird. Since I do drive past regularly, I’ll keep an eye on it. 3550 Broadway, Portland

Rumor mill: The Sandy Jug. Over on Facebook I ran across a comment about a potential future for The Sandy Jug, Portland’s most uniquely-shaped former strip club building. It’s for lease right now and the comment in question goes like this: “Some local bar owners are thinking about buying and fixing it up! Stay tuned!” Intriguing, to say the least. 7417 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

PoMo’s “Top 50 Restaurants” list is here. At the end of August, PoMo dropped their 2023 list of the top 50 restos in Portland, as they see to be true. They’ve divided it into five quadrants: North, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest. It’s a fun read and there are a bunch of places I’d like to check out, like Davenport, Thom, G-Love, Akadi (I went to the old location a while back), Berlu, Fermenter, Kaede, Luce, Rangoon Bistro, and Toki. And it was nice to see places on there that I really enjoy, though there are too many to list here, though I’ll make an exception for Oma’s Hideaway, my go-to place to take out-of-town guests, and truly one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Portland. Anyway, check out the list!

Portland Salad Week – Salads We Like, Part One

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

Caesar Salad: Apizza Scholls

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/ 

Continue reading “Portland Salad Week – Salads We Like, Part One”