My two visits to Frack Burger so far have resulted in vastly disparate experiences, but the first of those meals convinced me it was perfectly fine to drive 30 miles from home for a cheeseburger twice in one week. More
At Sweedeedee, a newish brunch spot in North Portland, you'll find tradition and the unexpected coexisting harmoniously. Order the hangover-busting corncakes and a slice of honey pie. More
The recent resurgence in popularity of saisons and wild-fermentation ales was celebrated at Portland, Oregon's first Farmhouse and Wild Ales Festival, which featured over 30 different beers (many of them rare or one-offs) from nearly 20 breweries across Oregon and beyond. More
Just in time to compete with McDonald's Shamrock Shake and Dunkin' Donuts' Lucky Mint Coolatta for your neon-green-tinted-drink dollars, Cinnabon is rolling out its limited-time-only Oreo Mint Chillatta. It's a frozen beverage that looks just like a shake but does not at all drink like one. More
For a slow day at the office made even slower as a result of hitting the sauce a little fervently the night before (hey, no one's judging anyone here), a hearty bite of Tex-Mex is just what the doctor ordered. And it's what you'll order, too, if you find yourself in a similar predicament and manage to make your way to the doors of Trigger, the newest place in Portland to procure that soul-pleasing marriage of Texas and Mexican comfort food. More
Something about the combination of lard and fiery spices makes for an ideal opponent against a throbbing cabeza, and few places in Portland get the job done quite as well (or as cheaply) as Tortilleria y Tienda de Leon's, which offers some of the best guisados in the city. More
With winter's grasp upon us, certified Pizza Obsessive Will Fain has finally introduced the world (and hungry Portlanders) to what those who know him say was a long time coming: Handsome Pizza. More
Something about Nutella makes even the most mild mannered horf it down in an animalistic frenzy. And while Pacific Northwest-based Burgerville isn't using any actual Nutella here, the spirit of the transcendent spread is alive and well in the chain's delicious seasonal Chocolate Hazelnut Milkshake. More
Arby's may be known for its fast-food roast beef sandwiches, but that hasn't stopped the national chain from getting in the holiday spirit of things with its new Peppermint Stick Swirl Shake. More
Burgerville sources their pumpkins from Stahlbush Island Farms in Corvallis, Oregon, located 80 miles south of Portland. Because pureed pumpkin reaches a much smoother consistency than, say, blackberries or raspberries, this is Burgerville's easiest-drinking seasonal shake yet. For lovers of milkshakes and pumpkin + spice, Burgerville's fall seasonal shake is an easy recommendation. More
Killer Burger opened in Portland two years ago, and they've since opened three additional restaurants and garnered a fiercely loyal following. Having never tried them before, it was high time to see what all the fuss was about. More
After a night of throwing caution to the wind, why not do the same the next morning by heading to egg-centric food cart Yolk and ordering the chef's-choice, anything-goes, never-the-same-thing-twice breakfast sandwich, the Happy Accidents? Picky eaters, vegetarians, and those with dietary restrictions need not apply. More
There is a certain contingent of people who, like those individuals ready to pounce outside drugstores and supermarkets the instant Cadbury Eggs hit the shelves in the weeks preceding Easter, wait patiently year-round for the autumnal arrival of the pumpkin spiced drinks at coffee houses across the nation. These established lovers of seasonal sips already have their favorites, but for those who don't often order these kinds of drinks, a throwdown is in order! Which pumpkin latte is best? And what are the differences, anyway? More
With strawberries and raspberries under its belt, Burgerville closes out its summer milkshake series with a fruit that almost anyone living in the Pacific Northwest can find growing in their backyard: blackberries. More
It doesn't always happen this way, but often enough a restaurant will prove unsuccessful in meeting perhaps-unattainable expectations. That's exactly what happened when I tried the Griddle Burger at The Woodsman Tavern, after it clinched the #7 spot on GQ's "Ten Best New Restaurants in America" list. More
The egg is often called upon to bridge the gap between breakfast and an entree from either of the other two meals of the day, but drape it over a pile of tater tots, cheese, onions, hot sauce, and jalapeños and you've got one bang-up hangover cure. More
Burgerville's second seasonal shake of the summer features loads of fresh-picked Oregon raspberries. The result, while mildly tasty, is somewhat of a paradox: a milkshake packed to the gills with straw-clogging lumps of fruit but a weak overall raspberry flavor. More
Portland's summers are legendary, if only because the locals make a mass exodus from their homes to soak up as much sun as possible before perpetual overcast returns. Here are 10 of our favorite spots to enjoy a beer outside when the weather is good. More
The latest seasonal milkshake from Burgerville, a chain of fast-food restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, features fresh, locally grown strawberries and ice cream from a Portland dairy. We gave it a try to see if it was worth waiting a year for those fresh berries. More
Steeped in '50s nostalgia, Dickie Jo's Burgers is dedicated to serving up better-than-average fast food-style burgers to residents of western Oregon. But they have some tweaking to do across the board before they can be mentioned in the same breath as Shake Shack or In-N-Out. More
Celebrating beer writer Fred Eckhardt's birthday for the seventh year in a row while raising money for charity, the annual FredFest at Hair of the Dog Brewing showcased rare and one-off beers from 22 breweries for its 2012 extravaganza. Read on to discover our choices for the 8 most memorable sips from FredFest 2012. More
1970s rock gods Jimmy Page and Robert Plant embodied one characteristic above all else: excess. And the aptly named Egg Zeppelin ($8) at the Fried Egg I'm in Love (sensing a pattern here?) food cart on SE Hawthorne in Portland mirrors its namesake's penchant for overkill with a fat, salty, spicy stack of eggs, sausage, cheese, and hot sauce designed to transform your groans of agony into sighs of delight. More
Slow Bar's massive Slowburger, topped with two fat beer-battered onion rings, is a major value, and very few places in Portland serve a burger and fries of this quality at this price point. It's a shame Slow Bar's chefs can't be more consistent, but it's a risk worth taking. Intrigued? Then you'd better start your mouth-stretching exercises right now. More
A cube of fatty pork belly and several hunks of tender pork shoulder first spend several hours in a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil. The meat next undergoes a long braise in a syrup of caramel, garlic, ginger, and chili paste before it's ladled on a bed of steamed white rice. The dish gets a touch of Portland (or is that Portlandia?) with the addition of chopped egg pickled in honey, soy sauce, and star anise. A second egg draped over the pork to allow the yolk to spill over everything beneath it completes the stew and helps nudge it a little closer to the breakfast end of the meal spectrum. More
As part of the company's "Love Bacon? Marry It." advertising campaign, Jack in the Box recently released the BLT Bacon Cheeseburger in conjunction with its thoroughly heinous Bacon Shake. The result? Exactly what you would expect a burger from Jack in the Box to taste like. More
@Erin: I think we need to get Robyn on some accompanying artwork, stat.
Ha, would be glad too, although I'm happy to get a beer, too. Are you going to this year's Fruit Fest?
Finally tried it. You're right, Jim, the sauce is what really makes this pizza. Best NY-style pizza in Portland, no question.
@pigeonheart: Thanks for the link to that recipe. I'm going to have to bake that sometime to see if it tastes like Sweedeedee's.
Brian, super excited to see you on Serious Eats. Are you going to be writing more for us in the future?
I'm sorry we never met in person, Carey, but best of luck to you with your writing! If I may ask, what kind of writing are you pursuing?
Far and away the best maple bar you will ever eat comes from the Cottage Bakery in Long Beach, Washington. One of these days I'll write about it.
Dang, wish I'd known about this place back when I was reviewing soda. Nice find!
@PommeDG: It was a mix of both ice and sweet cream dairy mix. Haven't tried any of the other creamy chillattas to compare, so there's a chance my server screwed up (although without ice cream--or at least some kind of semi-frozen dairy mix--to help solidify the drink, it wouldn't have been any thicker with more liquid dairy mix and no ice).
@RealMenJulienne: Aw, thanks. Now if only I could get the rest of my photos to look as good as that one...
Made this for my wife and friends last night. Very easy to make, and very, very good. Huge hit!
Sweet, this is right down the street from me. Thanks for scoping it out, Jim.
Kills me that some of these options weren't available to me back when I lived in L.A.!
Fantastic piece, Lance. Chris wasn't making the pies at Pizzeria Bianco either time I visited...and it was still the best pizza I've ever had. I was disappointed at first to see that he wasn't there, but once I tasted the pizza, my reservations about those non-Bianco pies vanished. Brian Spangler doesn't make every pie at Apizza Scholls here in Portland, and they knock it out of the park every time. So I guess as long as it's someone competent, I don't really care.
Hit up Gruner for the first time in several months. The burger is as fantastic as it ever was, but it no longer comes with the smashed potatoes as a side. No side at all now, unfortunately. Not that the burger isn't enough to fill you up on its own.
@monopod: That would absolutely be my advice. This is a review of the burgers "as served," but I see no reason not to order the condiments on the side. It'll make a huge difference, I promise!
@pbelardo: Interesting, I'll have to give them a try next time I'm at the coast!
I have! In my tiny hometown of Ilwaco in the southwest corner of Washington State. Nothing but terrible food there growing up, then this great wood-fired pizza stand recently appeared out of nowhere. In a state park, no less. Which reminds me, I really should get around to writing it up for Slice...
I love pineapple and pepperoni pizza, Carey! You're right, it's the sweet 'n' salty interplay that makes it work so well. It's even better with thin slices of fresh pineapple (if you ever get around to making it at home).
@sophist roland: Maybe if you cook them too long, but I always used to cook them al dente so that they had a nice bite to them, whereas I could never hit the al dente mark with the regular mac; it would always turn out hard as a rock or squishy and gross, no middle ground.
Grew up eating Kraft Spiral Mac and could not get enough of it as a kid. Tried both the regular and spiral versions recently and was appalled at how awful they'd both become (or perhaps how awful they always were?). On the rare occasion I eat boxed mac now, it's always Annie's Shells, although I do add a pinch of salt to the mix.
Have to agree with Kenji on this one.
Naomi, I don't know how many times I've been to Tat's, but in all those visits I never once ordered anything other than their glorious Philly Cheesesteak, opting instead to explore the various iterations of cheese/onions/peppers. You've convinced me to broaden my horizons on my next visit. Thank you.
Fruity Pebbles was far and away my favorite cereal growing up. Ate it as often as I could convince my mom to buy it, which was several times a month. Sometimes I'd eat a whole box of it in one sitting, much to the fury of my siblings.
Then something happened to the recipe in the mid 2000s (much like the Honeycomb debacle) and the texture of the rice became much more grainy, with extremely hard bits mixed in. It was so off-putting that I haven't touched Fruity (or Cocoa) Pebbles in probably six or seven years. I'd be curious to know if they've done the smart thing and reverted back to the classic recipe, or if they just had a really bad spell a few years back.
There are burgers, and then there are burgers. The one served at this classy German-inspired eatery is arguably the best in Portland. More
S'mores Grahams/S'mores Crunch. I can still taste it in the furthest caverns of my memory. Would it live up to my expectations if it were to find a re-release? Probably not. But I'm willing to risk setting my nostalgia on fire to find out.