Portland food news and views
Tomorrow it starts: Dry January 2026 in Portland. This is a time of year when people take the opportunity to scale back on their alcohol drinking after the holiday season. It’s also a great time for those of us who do not drink alcohol on the regular to get out and try some new places and new booze-free drinks. For the sober-curious, it’s also an embarrassment of riches in a whole new world of drinking.
Continue reading “Dry January 2026 in Portland: Mocktails, Zero Proof and More”
Welcome to Dry January 2025. It’s no secret that I’m a big non-alcoholic cocktail fan—AKA mocktails, dry cocktails, zero-proof, no proof. I gave up alcohol in 2018 during breast cancer treatment and I never looked back. So the growth of a robust zero-proof cocktail scene in Portland makes me pretty happy—as well as better access to NA beer. And know many readers here are also fans of this development.
Here’s our 2025 roundup of places that serve non-alcoholic cocktails, beer, and more in Portland, suitable for Dry January (or really any time). Our criteria is that a bar or restaurant has at least four developed mocktails. And if not, they offer other interesting NA options aside from mocktails and beer—they could be juices, teas, etc. We’ve also done the math and found that on the average, a non-alcoholic mixed drink runs about $8 each.
Continue reading “Zero Proof Portland: Dry January 2025”Welcome to another edition of First Tastes, were we showcase good eats at new-to-us spots in Portland. This city is full of delicious food and lots of places to check out, so no doubt this column will run for some time.
Avocado Toast | Radio Room. I’ll start with this because I have been critical of avocado toast for many years as “too precious” and/or “twee.” However, the time was right for me to give it a try, and I’m here to tell you—glad I did. At that moment in time, I wasn’t super hungry and this dish seemed light yet substantial, and it was hard to resist the siren song of the avocado that morning.
Toasted multigrain bread was spread with soft, ripe avocado topped with caramelized onions and a poached egg; nutritional yeast is sprinkled on top. I liked that the eggs had runny yolks and were not overcooked. The avocado tasted fresh with no off flavors. Overall a really satisfying breakfast. Radio Room, 1101 NE Alberta Street, Portland
Continue reading “First Tastes: Late Summer Eats in Portland”