Isn't hummus getting a little bit played as an appetizer? I mean I like it as much as the next person, that creamy garlicky bite is actually pretty damn delicious. And if you need something a hurry, it is about the easiest starter to whip up.' [...] 
You know and I know there's a good chance you'll be having turkey burnout after Thanksgiving....or just plain burnout leading up to the day. Given how heavy everything is going to be, you don't really need to be piling onto a body already screaming for relief. [...] 
At the tail end of our dinner party last night, after the protein fest and the most insane mashed potatoes ever (future posts coming on those two!), we didn't need to be brought to our knees by some super-rich dessert. The only thing keeping my blood' [...] 
There's something enjoyable about writing about a new cocktail find at ten in the morning. It seems somehow wrong and right at the same time. There's that ingrained guilt over thinking about booze so early in the morning, the "should I be worried about this?", countered [...] 
Whenever I question the efficacy of having so many bottles of wine rolling around in my basement (which admittedly I don't do too often in my pleasure-centered world) I'm going to have to refer to this post. If ever I needed a reminder of the amazing [...] 
When I was in New York City a few years ago I stumbled across this tiny Italian joint in Soho called Pepe Rosso To Go. I wandered in about lunch time and saw they had about six tables absolutely crammed together. Pastas were listed on [...] 
"Braising: A method of cooking food in a closed vessel with very little liquid 
No corkscrew, and you're not quite drunk enough? Leave it to the canny French to solve this vexing problem....
Un-fucking-believable. Over a 180' waterfall in a kayak. Dude, more power to you....I guess. Wow!!
Besides stuffing my face with leftover Halloween candy....damn my newfound love of $100Grand bars!!...I've had a couple of worth-mentioning eating experiences here in Portland that you should take note of....
If ever you wanted to throw the trendy word "seasonal" around and seem like a hip "foodie" (have we reached over-saturation on those two terms, especially the second one? I've gotta think so. It's become kind of cringe-inducing. I'm in the wine business, and it's like [...] 
That pot of braised lamb shanks too salty? Grab a potato. Your hollandaise breaking apart like the Titanic? Fear not because Michelin starred Euro chef Michel Roux Jr., in an article in the U.K. Guardian, has some advice to enable you to pull your [...] 
Tired of looking at that piece of fried chicken from the previous post that has been staring at you for the past week and a half? Me too, so it's time to get off the blogging slacker seat and get some fresh material up here. I' [...] 
GARDEN STATE CART
It was about six years ago that I walked up to the bar at Castagna Café here in Portland, feeling much like I have these past few days with a cold waging battle inside my head, and I asked their bartender at that time, Suzanne, [...] 
I have to not so humbly say that I make the best roast chicken I have ever tasted. As such I also don't buy pre-made rotisserie chickens from the store. But late yesterday afternoon after stumbling around the house in a daze from this pain-in-the-ass cold' [...] 
I'm not saying this Bhindi Masala from the goddess of Indian vegetarian cooking Manjula Jain will have you dancing and singing like Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai (to see her in action check out the video below the recipe. One word: AWESOME!!), but once your' [...] 
It was halfway through the main course of spice crusted pork (recipe to come this week) last night during a dinner party at our house when my friend Amy said "This is delicious, but I wish I had some raita." I instantly had that "oh shit" [...] 
Any country that uses a drink competition to name its Trago Nacional, or "national swig." because "Nicaragua needs a new identity that doesn't have anything to do with revolution." deserves my respect and attention. Hell, any country that has a national drink is to be be' [...] 
And dammit, if I want to live in a pineapple, then that's what I'm going to do! Although I personally like the picnic basket building in this fun collage of buildings that look like food. Although what I'm really pining for is a three bedrrom [...] 
Not only do I love the picture above of workers in Pakistan preparing noodles for the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of Ramadan (thanks to @ivysfeast on twitter), I love the accompanying article from the UK Guardian about one person's plans [...] 
You've got to be feeling some serious pressure tight now, don't you? Summer is winding down...actually over officially two hours ago (and still 90 freakish degrees here in Portland!)...and that means the bounty that is filling farmer's market stalls and bursting out of gardens everywhere is [...] 
I know it's Monday morning, but yesterday I was too busy scarfing down fresh huckleberry pancakes at home to post this delicious pic. Huckleberries....yet another reason for late summer love! [...] 
That which you see above is my escape hatch for the next 9 days. Needless to say I LOVE my vintage trailer, so w and I are off for a little road trip around Oregon and blogging will most likely be on hiatus (although you never [...] 
In my continuing effort to rid your pantries of those pesky piles of excessive seasonal produce and give you fabulously satisfying reasons to spend quality time in your kitchens, may I supply you with another recipe that I guarantee will draw admiring looks and choice compliments [...] 
ALBA OSTERIA
A few favorite places where I've been getting my PDX food and drink on....
Some quick thoughts/observations from eating around town.....
THE DECK
Too funny!
