Favorite
For 22 years, he was the Pasta Guy at the legendary Genoa (read: the course everyone waited for during seder-length dinners). Now Jerry Huisinga is handmaking noodles and performing quiet, old-school Italian magic at this casually modern satellite of Caffe Mingo next door. This is a good spot for wine drinking and power snacking. Get a spread of starters for Read more...
Favorite
In my experience, the key to common-sense morning tippling (the kind that allows you to successfully negotiate your exit without knocking that platter of waffles off the table nearest the door) lies in pairing your potable with sufficient carbohydrates, such as those plated at the Cricket Café. True, a mimosa or bloody mary is standard breakfast-joint fare, but the ever-bustling Read more...
Favorite
Head upstairs for a few games of pool on one of six full-sized billiard tables or settle in downstairs for a late-night dinner. Touché serves up Mediterranean-influenced Italian cuisine with pasta dishes like lamb papadelle, entrees such as grilled lamb served with walnut hot sauce, and an assortment of pizzas. Try the pan-fried calamari appetizer, flavored with capers, chili flakes, Read more...
Favorite
Named for the famed explorer, and housed on the site of the 1905 World’s Fair, Meriwether’s brings a distinctly Pacific Northwest farm-to-table experience with seasonal produce procured from their own Skyline Farm. Even the bar is stocked locally with regional craft beers and artisan spirits. Stone paths and fireplaces, a sunken patio, gazebo with firepit, and a garden ever in Read more...
Favorite
This classy stand-alone bar and grill manages to provide a solid argument for Beaverton gals to slap on Manolos instead of those tired Dansko clogs and go a-drinkin’ right in their own backyard (not that they’d feel out of place wearing the latter here). The soft lighting, dark wood accents, sparkling copper-top bar and lively conversations here justify the effort Read more...
Favorite
It’s a small West Coast chain restaurant. And once you step inside, that becomes entirely, sometimes crushingly, apparent. Which is why it’s utterly surprising that the cocktails are so good, especially when bar manager Bob Brunner has poured them. Indeed, every drink on the menu has been sharply refined by Brunner, each representing a scientifically researched, expertly rendered twist on Read more...
Favorite
Thanks largely to the Civil War, “Free Bird,” and NASCAR, we Yankees tend to think of the South as a rowdy region peopled by good ol’ boys shooting guns in the air. In the interest of smashing stereotypes, the Pope House Bourbon Lounge on NW Glisan Street offers proof (80 proof to be exact) that there’s plenty more to enjoy Read more...
Favorite
Framed by a celebratory skeleton mural, a south-of-the-border sweet spot awaits on SE Belmont St. Tucked behind La Calaca Comelona, a Frida Kahlo-inspired Mexican restaurant, this garden of earthy delights is dotted with whimsical iron sculptures, many of which are fashioned by owner and chef Patricia Cabrera. At the center, a rough stone path leads to a shaded hammock and Read more...
Favorite
A brief perusal of the cocktail menu at Silk reveals a preponderance of purple prose: Jade Julep? Evergreen? Hanoi Summer? Is this a bar or the fragrance counter at Nordstrom? Oh, wait. Here’s something called a Numchuck—which, despite the martial moniker, turns out to be an avocado smoothie with pineapple rum. The frothy nomenclature at this Pearl District drinkery doesn’t Read more...
Favorite
At this cozy, dimly lit restaurant bar on NE Alberta ST, gin martinis are stirred, period. Vodka martinis (which, according to head bartender Christopher Abbott and many other orthodox cocktailians, don’t really count as martinis) are always shaken. And just about every signature cocktail here constitutes a subtle twist on the classics. But in line with the culinary philosophy of Read more...