Where to Eat This Week: December 20–27

Chocolate bread pudding (right) with pistachio and lemon cake at Vivienne Kitchen & Pantry.
Image: Benjamin Tepler
Tuck into chocolate pistachio bread pudding at Vivienne
NE Sandy’s Vivienne is the gift that keeps on giving. Our most recent obsession? A super dark chocolate bread pudding. It’s just barely sweet, gooey and rich on the inside, crispy-crunchy on the outside with bits of nutty pistachio, and topped with a cool dollop of whipped cream. This is some next-level bread pudding.
Warm up with weekend brunch at Fireside
For those short on funds and transportation, this cozy Northwest eatery and bar is a fine stand-in for a mountain ski lodge, roaring fires and stacked cordwood included. Start with a mug of spiked Spella coffee, a horseradish-heavy Bloody, and let a sturdy plate of biscuits and over-easy eggs smothered in gravy or an oozy French dip thaw your soul. (10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday–Sunday only; reservations available)
Go whole hog on pork snout at Bar Casa Vale
The best Spanish-inspired bar bite at Nate Tilden's just-opened spot might be the pork snout. It’s served, nostrils and all, draped in a bitter black garlic harissa sauce. Crispy edges surround the fatty, tender offal goodness inside. A side of chickpea mash helps sop the flavor up.
Hop on the toast wagon at Upper Left Roasters
The Ladd’s Addition coffee roaster makes a fine cup o' mud, but the jam here is its trendy toast program. Get the Turkish egg toast: a thick slice of country wheat covered in whipped, garlic-dill yogurt, orange-stained cumin butter, and two poached eggs. Also good: the spicy, tomato-ey, briny romesco toast topped with melted fontina and more eggs. It’s like a miniature shakshuka.