Julienne is rolling out a prix fixe supper club, called Common Table. Its first dinner was based on favorite restaurants in Portland.
When Chris and Anne heard we were izakaya fans, they insisted we sample the fare at Biwa. And we tried. The first time was the night the kitchen god was testing our mettle. It was raining, Anne was hangry after a long frustrating day, her umbrella broke, and the Biwa was totally full. But we [...]
Ooooof. I could not turn down the opportunity to try the chicken and waffle. Oooof. Four fried chicken breasts on a waffle. Oooof. I ate one. I gave away the second at the table. The third was breakfast at the airport. The fourth was lunch at the airport, wedged into a small loaf of sourdough [...]
Some friends who are #1 fans of food brought us here for dinner on a Saturday night. We also got the prix fixe with assorted supplements. Damn. It was my best meal in Portland. Tabla brought out the subtle purity of its ingredients and the wines paired well. On the chalkboard near the front door [...]
It seems like dinner on a Friday is a tradition best pursued at home. It is near impossible to eat out as a group of five, so why fight it. But our last attempt was at Bar Avignon, and we were seated with a 20 minute wait, and had cocktails to while away that time. [...]
Broder is a cute little Danish/skandinavian restaurant in the SE, and terribly popular. We came here to start off our day, and the wait for a table required much patience. Perhaps it was not the best idea to pitstop en route at Little T Baker, but Amy had such rave reviews for it, and it [...]
After a leisurely afternoon wandering the contemporary art wing of the Portland Art Museum, I started to make my way to the Pearl District to meet up with Shalene and also Ted. I passed through Director’s Park, where a solitary food truck was set up. This was the Violetta food truck, a “slow food” restaurant [...]
This was a cafe recommended to us by Chris. Not because he’d been there, but because he hadn’t, and was curious to know what it’s like. He especially commented on the photographs in the front window of the menu items, noting the photographic quality was of an extremely faded and questionable nature. And that [...]
Pok Pok is remisicent of a Thai food stall, with a combination of street food and dinner dishes served in an outdoor setting that does, indeed, look like a food stall, but with primarily white foodie types lavishing over the dishes. We added little to change that ambiance. Pok Pok also has nationwide recognition for [...]
Dinner was supposed to be at Pok Pok, but unsurprisingly there was a wait to be seated. That is okay, the unofficial waiting space is the Whiskey Soda Lounge across the street. The appetizers are the same menu as are most of the cocktails. Pok Pok will call over to say the table is ready. [...]
