Dining Out in Portland

The Nines Hotel
525 SW Morrison
There are two restaurants in this super-posh boutique hotel on 4th Ave. On the 8th Floor is Urban Farmer, a modern steak house that does just about everything on its menu superbly. The beet salad is actually comprised of heirloom beets (rather than a heap of packaged lettuce with a few shaved beets on the bottom) and is beautifully dressed. Like many Portland restaurants, the emphasis here is on Local and organic, and the chef knows how to bring out the best in his ingredients. Featuring simple decor, a video art installation (it's kinda cool) and leafy palms, the ambience is cool and hip. Because it's set in the atrium of the Nines hotel, the noise level is a little high, but somehow the tables manage to maintain a sense of privacy. This one is a five starer fo shizzle.

Three weeks ago, the Nines opened Departures -- a trendy, lounge-like, Portland knock-off version of Nobu with a futuristic air-travel themed design. The decor takes advantage of the restaurant's position on the 15th floor of the hotel and large windows overlook the Willamette River. This is where all the pretty people in Portland serve and are served (best look bartenders I've seen anywhere, hands down). Purple, white, silver and black are the colors and the entrance way is like a set from the film Gattaca. Overall, I loved the ambience -- it was bright (though watch out for a few tabled crowded into cubby holes near the bar -- they're hot, dark and cramped), and easy to talk. While the service, sake menu, and decor score a 10, the food leaves a little to be desired. The kitchen is clearly still working out the chinks in the menu. Apparently the executive chef, Bryan Emperor worked under the famous Nobu and he is clearly trying to recreate the immensely successful modern Japanese fare that made the master chef and the restaurants that bear his name so famous. But it does fall a bit short. The menu looks fantastic with things like savory pork buns and calamari tenpura (a reinterpretation of Nobu's super yummy rock-shrimp tenpura) and the idea of a sort of pan-Asian tapas restaurant is very appealing. Everything is well presented but I would be honest in saying that nothing is memorable, except the Liquid Gold Sake which really is just incredible. The prices are more than reasonable, way more modest that Nobu, and I highly recommend stopping in at the bar for a drink, a few appetizer dishes and the view then head down stairs for dinner.

SouthPark Seafood Grill and Wine Bar
SouthPark is a place for an easy dinner. Featuring fresh, local, wild fish and a great selection of wines, it's a good choice for a quality meal without a lot of frills (with good proximity to the theater and museum). I really enjoyed the Local Organic Roasted Beets with Shaved Fennel,Watercress and Pistachio Pesto salad and my rock fish was well cooked with crisp grilled asparagus and a lovely tapendade that was not overpowering. A safe bet but not necessarily a splurge dinner.

Everett Street Bistro
Nestled in the heart of the Pearl district and only a stone's throw from Powell's Books, Everett Street Bistro is a great place to grab lunch between gallery tours and book browsing. It feels tres Parisian and is light and airy. good food and a casual atmosphere (though the sandwiches are a little over sized -- forget about trying to get your mouth around them). The pomme frites are a must.

The Red Star Tavern and Roast House
Attached to the Hotel Monaco this is where I got breakfast most mornings. The Red Star has a great menu and an earthy, Northwest feel with its large wood tables, ruff-n-tumble earthenware table settings and sturdy silverware. The housemade granola is delicious and the vegetable frittata hearty and tastey. There is nothing more dissapointing than bad breakfast potatoes, and the Red Star's homefries are about as good as they get. Being a tea snob, I love the fact my English Breakfast came as loose-leaf in its own pot -- they take their caffiene seriously (the coffee is free trade and smelled delicious). Apparently, they have a great happy hour, which I would believe and they also have a wood-burning brick oven which i would imagine produces some pretty flavourful lunch/dinner dishes.

Portland City Grill
Perched on the 30th floor of a 43 story building on SW 5th Ave, Portland City Grill offers spectacular views of Portland and the surrounding Cascade Mountains, Mount St. Helens and Mt. Hood. The food is average or just above. The kitchen paired wild salmon with a heavy risotto -- a big mistake, since the risotto, in both texture and taste, overwhelmed the fish (which was also slightly over cooked). However the drinks are tasty as are the appetizers -- go here for Happy Hour, watch the sun go down and enjoy a 10 Sage (a drink made with tanqueray 10 and sage).

Planting a Change Garden

During the First and Second World Wars, Americans were forced to deal with food rationing and limited accessibility to items that had, for the entirety of their lifetimes, been used on a daily basis. "Working your own little patch of ground is part of the home front fighter's front-line assignment," wrote horticulturist Dr. Frank Thorne in 1943, "Chief weapon should be tomatoes."

Today, we're at war in Iraq but more devastating is the war we face at home -- the one against a crumbling economy. Then there's the war against global warming. Might it be time again to resurrect the Victory Garden?

Alice Waters and the group behind Revive the Victory Garden certainly think so. The farm to table trend in food doesn't have to be limited to high-end restaurants, or the economically sound who can afford all organic produce all the time. Plant a vegetable garden, and your home can be the next Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

As someone who is so very into organic and local produce, this is now my new project. I have a half acre of empty property (that had once been a highly productive apple orchard) and as of May 3rd, an indeterminate amount of time to tend to my tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, and zucchinis.

So anyone out there know how to work a plow?