The Portland Pickle

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

See it for yourself.  The last days at Gourmet magazine as documented by art director Kevin Demaria.

Tired of the same old blogs? I still love those listed over on the right.  But the newbies below have been keeping me well-informed and entertained lately. Check them out! What’s on your blogroll?

Eater Portland -
Launched last week. PDX chapter of the national dining, drinking, and gossip weblog.

Eat Me Daily -
Anything food related.

Ginkgo Acupuncture -
Chicago based acupuncturistMJ Neumann.  Excellent tips for healthy living.

Food Lovers Guide to Portland -
Written by writer Liz Crain.  She’s researching a book by the same name.

Robert Reynolds Chefs Studio Blog -
Student/teacher blog with great snaps.  Sometimes featuring posts by yours truly.

Amazingly our little house hasn’t washed of its foundation, yet. It’s been raining pretty much constantly for the last seven days in Portland.  I can’t think of the last time I saw the sun for longer than 30 minutes. Wah, wah, wah.  But don’t feel sorry for me.  It turns out this is perfect weather for lentil soup.  This one happens to be quicker than most.  I cheat a little and buy an instant lentil soup mix in the bulk bins at New Seasons.  Add sauted carrot, celery, onion, chicken stock, and presto!  It’s ready is 15 minutes.  Top with a spoonful of sour cream and handful of sliced green onions. The best! Go getcha some.

Someone on Yelp described the atmosphere in this place perfectly: “Somewhere between M*A*S*H and I Dream of Jeanie”.  From the blowfish lights over the bar to the low hanging thatch ceiling and wooden tiki gods, I can’t think of a better place in this town to have a tropical drink. I had the Chi Chi in a coconut cup and my hunny enjoyed a potent Mai Tai.  Check it out on Broadway in NE Portland.  Maybe we hit it at a strange hour, but this place seems to fly below the radar.

This weekend, get your caffeine fix at the World Forestry Center in Washington Park. Learn how to brew the perfect cup o’ joe, see if your sniffer compares to the experts in the Aroma Challenge, and sip, sip, sip.  The event is part of the ongoing exhibit Coffee: The World in Your Cup which runs into January.

I sat on this one a little too long, sorry. It’s Portland’s first ever “Livestock,” a literary and culinary event ridding the coattails of the Annual Wordstock Festival.  It’s being put on by Watershed Culinary Productions and local food writer Camas Davis, who will soon launch the Portland Meat Collective.  There is still time to reserve your seat at “the butchery of a pig” on Wednesday night featuring Nostrana Chef Kathy Whims.

You must check this out.  They promise to keep your feet extra toasty this winter. The kids styles are my favorite! Good find, Johnny.

What had I been waiting for? It’s taken me months to check out the Cacao chocolate shop in SW Portland.  We popped in last week to try their European style “drinking chocolates”.  A $2 shot of spicy drinking chocolate was the perfect mid afternoon treat for my visiting family.  The superbly informed and friendly staff took us on an educational tour of the store, which features specialty chocolates from around the world.  It’s the perfect place for the chocolate connoisseur or wanna be aficionado.  I was truly impressed.  Fellas, I can’t think of a better ending to a date. But grab a sweater – the temp is kept at a cool 66 degrees to preserve the goods.

* Read more about Cacao in the NYT.