Michael Novak is the Art Director of Portland Monthly. Over a 20-year career, he’s been an editorial AD at Time Warner and Portland Monthly, as well as an illustrator, designer, animator, photographer and storyboard artist. His duties at Portland Monthly consist of making things look fantastic by designing, assigning, and photographing most of the stories we tell. In his free time he likes to sleep.

Recipe

Make Café Olli’s Dungeness Crab, Green Garlic, and Meyer Lemon Pasta

The Northeast Portland bakery and pizza destination lets seasonal ingredients shine.

02/13/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton Photography by Michael Novak

Dining Picks

Portland’s Best Chinese Food

Where to chow down on Sichuan spicy bullfrog, handmade dumplings, street food snacks, and more

12/09/2022 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Museums

10 Can't-Miss Oregon Museums Outside of Portland

Could we interest you in the world's largest pig hairball? Perhaps a gravity-defying ‘X-Files’ fixation?

09/09/2022 By Conner Reed, Julia Silverman, Nick Campigli, and Katherine Hamilton

Dining Picks

12 Favorite Budget-Friendly Dishes Under $12

Inflation got you down? From panuchos to burgers to fried chicken, these are our go-tos for filling Rose City meals that won’t break the bank.

08/05/2022 By Matthew Trueherz and Katherine Chew Hamilton

Flour Power

The 8 Best Pastries to Make Your Morning

From classic cinnamon rolls to raspberry rose cruffins, pair these numbers with coffee for an excellent start to the day.

06/15/2022 By Karen Brooks and Katherine Chew Hamilton

Taste Test

We Put Top Chef Alum Sara Hauman’s Tinned Seafood to the Test

Known for their in-your-face spices and sustainability, we tried and ranked Portland's Tiny Fish Co.'s first four flavors–which are available at Wellspent Market.

06/09/2022 By Karen Brooks

Ice Cream

Kate’s Ice Cream Offers Pastel-Hued, Plant-Based Desserts Everyone Can Enjoy

Pistachio to cotton candy ice cream, cookies to brownies—it’s all plant-based and gluten-free for this Portland brand and its new shop on N Mississippi.

04/20/2022 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Trick or Treat

Level Up This Halloween with Local Candy

From salty black licorice to creepy chocolate baby heads, Portland makers have everything you need for a sweet Halloween season.

10/05/2021 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Back to School

The Application Boom at Portland's Private Schools

After more than a year of disrupted education, more families are seeking out private alternatives.

08/04/2021 By Julia Silverman

Politics

Portland Might Need a New Mayor Soon

Just in case, let's speculate wildly on the potential candidates.

07/22/2021 By Julia Silverman

Pizza

Portland’s Got the Best Pizza in the Country, Says a New Book. Yeah. We Knew That.

PDX has been anointed the best pizza city in America. Here’s a reminder of why we agree.

07/08/2021 By Karen Brooks, Kelly Clarke, Katherine Hamilton, Fiona McCann, Jordan Michelman, and Ben Tepler

Beer

Where to Drink Beer in Washington County

PoMo’s handy guide to the best beer in the burbs

05/14/2021 By Jason Notte

Where to Live Now

Neighborhood Guide: Division and Clinton

Stress-melting spas, restaurant empires, and Rocky Horror forever

02/25/2021 By Fiona McCann and Margaret Seiler

Where to live now

Neighborhood Guide: Montavilla

Northwest-inspired muffulettas, home improvement tools, and pizza and a movie

02/25/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Booze

7 Amazing To-Go Cocktails from Portland Bars

You can get boozy drinks to-go now. Here are our favorites.

02/19/2021 By Katherine Chew Hamilton, Gabriel Granillo, Aurora Biggers, Conner Reed, and Fiona McCann

Year in Review

PoMo’s Top 10 Arts & Culture Stories of 2020

In a year that sent the arts scrambling, our readers clung to joy: a hometown opera success story, a sterling album from a Portland rap giant, the meaty tale...

12/17/2020 By Conner Reed