Search Results for: oven and shaker

Picks for Portland Dining Month 2019

February 22, 2019 by 7 Comments

Portland Dining Month 2019 takes place all of March in Portland, and includes 133 restaurants participating, each offering 3 course meals for $33. This is Portland Dining Month’s 20th year, and my 7th year taking advantage of the great food at a great deal. Every year I do my due diligence reviewing who are the participants and making my list based on the menu offered and value of the meal. With this post I’m sharing with you my picks for Portland Dining Month 2019.
Portland Dining Month 2019

A full list of participating Portland Dining Month restaurants and their menus can be found at the official Portland Dining Month list and map on the Travel Portland website. As usual, making a reservation though the Portland Dining Month website can also benefit the local community. Besides supporting local businesses and employees in Portland, in addition Travel Portland has partnered with OpenTable. A donation will be made to Oregon Food Bank for every online reservation booked at participating restaurants through PortlandDiningMonth.com – just click on the OpenTable reservation button next to the restaurant listing.

I highly encourage using this, not just for the fact you are doing good to fight hunger by using the OpenTable online reservation systems, but some places can get pretty busy so to avoid an annoying wait, make reservations with whoever takes them to spend less time waiting and more time dining.

Also check back to the blog and follow me on my Instagram social media stories and feed to see where I am eating at @pechluck– I will be dining at one Portland Dining Month restaurant at least once a week through March. I’ll also be doing giveaways that I post on the blog Facebook page and the Instagram page so follow me to be in the know!

Bluehour 3 courses for $33 for Portland Dining Month March 2018: after a complimentary amuse bouche, I enjoyed courses of 1. Farmers Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese, pickled red onions, radish, sunflower seeds, and sherry vinaigrette 2. Parisian Gnocchi with butternut squash, apples, grana padano, sage and 3. Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with salted caramel, creme fraiche, textures of chocolate Bluehour 3 courses for $33 for Portland Dining Month March 2018: after a complimentary amuse bouche, I enjoyed courses of 1. Farmers Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese, pickled red onions, radish, sunflower seeds, and sherry vinaigrette 2. Parisian Gnocchi with butternut squash, apples, grana padano, sage and 3. Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with salted caramel, creme fraiche, textures of chocolate Bluehour 3 courses for $33 for Portland Dining Month March 2018: after a complimentary amuse bouche, I enjoyed courses of 1. Farmers Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese, pickled red onions, radish, sunflower seeds, and sherry vinaigrette 2. Parisian Gnocchi with butternut squash, apples, grana padano, sage and 3. Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with salted caramel, creme fraiche, textures of chocolate Bluehour 3 courses for $33 for Portland Dining Month March 2018: after a complimentary amuse bouche, I enjoyed courses of 1. Farmers Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese, pickled red onions, radish, sunflower seeds, and sherry vinaigrette 2. Parisian Gnocchi with butternut squash, apples, grana padano, sage and 3. Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with salted caramel, creme fraiche, textures of chocolate

Example Portland Dining Month menu of Bluehour 3 courses for $33 for Portland Dining Month March 2018: after a complimentary amuse bouche, I enjoyed courses of 1. Farmers Mixed Green Salad with blue cheese, pickled red onions, radish, sunflower seeds, and sherry vinaigrette 2. Parisian Gnocchi with butternut squash, apples, grana padano, sage and 3. Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with salted caramel, creme fraiche, textures of chocolate

How I made the list of my picks for Portland Dining Month 2019:

[Read more…]

Signature

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Portland Dumpling Week 2017 Recap

February 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment

If you have been following me on Instagram for Dumpling Week, you may have already seen all the dumplings I enjoyed. If not, here is a Portland Dumpling Week 2017 Recap of the dumplings I tried 4 places that were outstanding.
Grassa's Tortellini en brodo with black truffle-ham broth from Grassa for Portland Dumpling Week 2017.

Boke Bowl

Seared garlic chive pork dumplings special for Portland Dumpling Week.
Boke Bowl Seared garlic chive pork dumplings special for Portland Dumpling Week. Collect all the Stickers!
While there, I enjoyed with food friends several other Boke Bowl dishes. I highly encourage you to order more food and drinks at each of your dumplings stops to support the restaurant. Of course, tip well also!
Boke Bowl Boke Bowl Boke Bowl Boke Bowl

Nel Centro

Nel Centro PDX Dumpling Week entry of Canederli, an Italian rye bread dumpling with speck and cabbage, in a Parmigiano Reggiano brodo. Pro tip order their homemade foccacia to dunk into the broth and get all that goodness. Here, the extra dish I recommend ordering is the special cocktail (usually a nod to a show at one of the nearby theaters) and/or the Forest Mushroom & Gorgonzola Pizza.
Nel Centro PDX Dumpling Week entry of Canederli, an Italian rye bread dumpling with speck and cabbage, in a Parmigiano Reggiano brodo. Nel Centro I recommend ordering is the special cocktail (usually a nod to a show at one of the nearby theaters) and/or the Forest Mushroom & Gorgonzola Pizza.

Oven and Shaker

The Portland Dumpling Week 2017 special from Oven and Shaker you can spy on their chalkboard is the Salami and Sausage or Truffle Cheese and Maitake Mushroom (pictured here) pizza dumplings, a upgraded version of the pizza bites of childhood. Don’t forget to order the famous Nostrana salad here.
The Portland Dumpling Week 2017 special from Oven and Shaker you can spy on their chalkboard is the Salami and Sausage or Truffle Cheese and Maitake Mushroom (pictured here) pizza dumplings, a upgraded version of the pizza bites of childhood The Portland Dumpling Week 2017 special from Oven and Shaker you can spy on their chalkboard is the Salami and Sausage or Truffle Cheese and Maitake Mushroom (pictured here) pizza dumplings, a upgraded version of the pizza bites of childhood

Grassa

Grassa’s Tortellini en brodo with black truffle-ham broth from Grassa for Portland Dumpling Week 2017. Get the garlic bread to soak up all the delicious broth.
Grassa's Tortellini en brodo with black truffle-ham broth from Grassa for Portland Dumpling Week 2017. Grassa's Tortellini en brodo with black truffle-ham broth from Grassa for Portland Dumpling Week 2017.

Signature

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , ,

Portland Center Stage presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

January 23, 2015 by 5 Comments

Until February 8 2015, Portland Center Stage is presenting a production of the Broadway hit and 2013 Tony Award winner for Best Play, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike“.

The events of  Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike cover when Masha, the successful youngest sister, returns home with her young lover for a costume party and see her two older siblings (Vanya and Sonia) who stayed behind to take care of their parents and never left the hometown. The play’s themes center around the relationships between adult siblings and the self-awareness of those 3 siblings in knowing they are aging and halfway through their lives.
Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike Art by Julia McNamara
Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, Art by Julia McNamara

As you might guess from the names of the siblings – Vanya, the oldest brother, and his two younger sisters of Sonia and Masha, there are also plenty of references to Chekhov and a bit of mocking of classic theater. If you know a little bit, you will probably get a kick about little twists that are made, such as transformation of a Seagull (one of Chekhov’s famous plays) into references about a wild turkey, allusions about a Cherry Orchard (another Chekhov play, that one also about losing of a family estate) and Vanya being anxious about the future and reminiscing about the past (just like the namesake play Uncle Vanya). If you feel you might be missing some references or inside jokes, you probably are –  I felt I did.

If you are interested, PCS always provides a Resource Guide to all their plays if you want to do a little research ahead of time, and this one for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has a lot of background in it! And, it just so happens tomorrow January 24 you can even join in on a afternoon seminar on Chekhov and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike led by a Yale educated dramaturg Kate Bredeson.

But you don’t have to know anything at all about Chekhov to enjoy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.  Some things, such as how people act before coffee, a hunk stripping (or reverse stripping) to his underwear, seeing over-dramatic crying, and hearing petty sniping between people, are just simply universally understood humor.
Portland Center Stage Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Sharonlee McLean as Sonia, Eden Malyn as Nina, Andrew Sellon as Vanya, Carol Halstead as Masha and Nick Ballard as Spike (front) and in
Portland Center Stage Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Sharonlee McLean as Sonia, Eden Malyn as Nina, Andrew Sellon as Vanya, Carol Halstead as Masha and Nick Ballard as Spike (front) and in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Photo by Patrick Weishampel.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, authored by playwright Christopher Durang, does carry on Chekhov’s emphasis more on dialogue and interesting characters than specific plots and events and everyone being unhappy each in their own way. But if you’ve ever watched any episode of Friends or Seinfeld or How I Met Your Mother, you’re already familiar with spending time with people just talking being entertainment enough for a viewer.
Portland Center Stage Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Nick Ballard as Spike, Carol Halstead as Masha, Andrew Sellon as Vanya and Sharonlee McLean as Sonia in
Portland Center Stage production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike L-R: Nick Ballard as Spike, Carol Halstead as Masha, Andrew Sellon as Vanya and Sharonlee McLean as Sonia in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Photo by Patrick Weishampel.

I enjoyed all the characters, and all the performances by all the cast in this group are great, communicating their idiosyncrasies and self-centeredness while being endearing all at the same time.  Every character gets their moment – and each one was handled beautifully by each actor and actress. Although you are conscious about this being a play, each of these people also seemed oddly plausible and real life, not just a character. I chalk it up that even though some the character reactions are over the top, there is some sincerity of emotion coming from the performances that grounds it to more than just acting. The costuming and the stage are full of wonderful details – you can feel that all the objects on the set have a story behind them, and while the costume party costumes were exquisite, I was also coveting Masha’s morning robe.

Besides wondering what references or jokes I might have missed, the only other thing I wondered is when the time period of this play is set. Given the purported age of the characters, how can they reminisce with such strong nostalgia as if they’ve lived through the 50s and also complain about Twittering? 

The play and the production perfectly balances asking thoughtful questions and introspection about life with a tinge of melancholy, all without ever getting too moody. There is always a return to being able to laugh that life and people and our own culture can also be a bit preposterous.

There is some mature language and sexuality so PCS recommends it for ages 13+, and the closer you are to middle age or a Chekhov or theater geek, probably the more references you might enjoy in this play, although it isn’t needed. Performances, which run for the next  2 weeks until February 8, are at

  • Tuesday – Sunday 7:30 PM. ($39-63 for adults Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun, $49-69 on Fri-Sat evening performances)
  • Saturday and Sundays at 2 PM and Thursdays at noon  ($36-52 for adults)

For a discount, save $5 with code word VOODOO. All performances are at the Armory (128 NW 11th Avenue, in the Pearl District) in the U.S. Bank Main Stage.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs for approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission. If you attend one of the 7:30 PM performances and want to have a bite/drink and chat about it, since you are not out until almost 10 PM, may I humbly point out that your closest options include Henry’s, Bluehour, Tilt, Oven and Shaker, and Fathead Brewpub, all within a few blocks.

You can also visit before the show for a drink or a bite at the Armoy. And as always you can pre-order your drink at the bar for intermission. You can bring your drink into the theater as long as it has a lid. I enjoyed a Spiked Punch they offered at the bar with Flor de Cana Silver Rum, Pineapple, Orange, Lime, Grenadine and Sprite. An option I pondered but didn’t try myself was The Cherry Orchard with Wonder Kombucha, New Deal Vodka, Bordeaux Cherry Relish and Lime.

Have you read or seen any Chekhov plays (I admit my knowledge was mainly the Seagull from school), or are there any productions from Portland Center Stage you enjoyed or are looking forward to this year?

Disclosure: I was invited to see this production, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Signature

Filed Under: Sponsored Post, Theater Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Portland Center Stage Show: Lizzie Musical

June 3, 2014 by 8 Comments

Disclosure: I was invited to see this production as part of a complimentary bloggers event, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

The Portland Center Stage has just opened recently a new show called LIZZIE. It’s been a while since I visited Portland Center Stage- the last time I blogged about it was when I reviewed I Love To Eat and did a backstage at Portland Center Stage at the Armory, though I also saw The People’s Republic of Portland. Then summer happened, and Feast, and the holidays, and somehow I didn’t get back to a show. Thankfully they came back to my attention when I was invited to Blogger Night at Portland Center Stage, which was also the official opening night of LIZZIE! The show is playing May 24 — June 29 so it only has a 4 week run!

LIZZIE Art by Julia McNamara May 24–June 29, 2014 pcs.org/lizzie
LIZZIE Art by Julia McNamara

A Review of the LIZZIE Musical

LIZZIE is described as

“A rock-show retelling of the bloody legend of America’s favorite ax-wielding double-murderess and Victorian hometown girl. Lizzie Borden, who has become fodder for jump rope rhymes and TV movies of the week, was a Massachusetts woman who was acquitted in 1892 of the ax murders of her father and stepmother, and lived the rest of her life as American’s first infamous tabloid star. But did she really do it? And if so, why?”

Mary Kate Morrissey, who will play Lizzie Borden in Portland Center Stage's upcoming production of LIZZIE - a rock musical about the legendary ax murderess. Please credit: Patrick Weishampel LIZZIE By Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt Directed by Rose Riordan May 24–June 29, 2014 on the Main Stage
Mary Kate Morrissey, who will play Lizzie Borden in Portland Center Stage’s production of “LIZZIE” – a rock musical about the legendary ax murderess. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel

My friend M and I went to the opening night last week and had a lot of fun. It turns out that the play is more like a rock concert / musical telling a story with four women fronting a six-piece rock band. Yeah! It was awesome watching these women taking command of the stage with strong performances and crossing genres with their exquisite voices, varying from operatic drama and sweet love ballads to head banging classic rock and roll tinged even with a little punk through the 28 songs that evening.

The first third of the performance starts out slow and a little discordant as the audience (at least IMHO) is presented with the visuals of these four proper ladies in Victorian mannerisms and long dresses and pinned hair singing the story exposition (as you would expect in a musical). At the start it seems to really pile on the background of the situation and characters and possible motivations all seemingly too quickly.

Perhaps part of it was I had to try to adjust so quickly of them switching from singing of longing and desire for freedom and love, which meets normal musical story expectations, to already hiking up their skirts and pulling out a microphone to belt lyrics ranging of the father’s disappointment of not having a son and being a penny-pinching control freak to struggles of inheritance and implied incest and lesbian love.
LIZZIE Clockwise from top: Kacie Sheik (Alice Russell), Leslie McDonel (Emma Borden), Carrie Cimma (Bridget Sullivan) and Mary Kate Morrissey (Lizzie Borden) in LIZZI
Clockwise from top: Kacie Sheik (Alice Russell), Leslie McDonel (Emma Borden), Carrie Cimma (Bridget Sullivan) and Mary Kate Morrissey (Lizzie Borden) in “LIZZIE” at Portland Center Stage. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel

Thankfully, after that initial 1/3 of the act, the script seems satisfied with having established rational and emotional motives and enough broad brushstrokes of who each of the characters are to begin having fun. Starting at the point where we begin to contemplate the murder alongside with Lizzie with the beautiful song Shattercane and Velvet Grass, LIZZIE begins to hit its stride.

It’s an admirable feat, balancing tragic drama with a few lines here and there of touches of clever dark  humor along with quite a bit of over the top visuals, varying from bloody pigeons to a spurting ax and head banging to a song titled “What the F**K Now, Lizzie?!”. Yet, it seems not so jarring now, but in line with the yearning for and expression for freedom that the audience now has bought into and is right with Lizzie Bordon in supporting rebellion and yes, reveling in it. I think everyone walked out at the end with a smile.

LIZZIE l-r: Mary Kate Morrissey (Lizzie Borden) and Kacie Sheik (Alice Russell) in LIZZIE at Portland Center Stage. Please credit: Patrick Weishampel LIZZIE By Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt Directed by Rose Riordan May 24–June 29, 2014 on the Main Stage
LIZZIE l-r: Mary Kate Morrissey (Lizzie Borden) and Kacie Sheik (Alice Russell) in “LIZZIE” at Portland Center Stage. Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel

LIZZIE Show and Ticket Details

The show is playing May 24 — June 29 on the Main Stage of Portland Center Stage. LIZZIE is written by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt and Directed by Rose Riordan.

Note: This production features a live rock band, along with theatrical effects such as strobe lights, fake blood and fog. LIZZIE contains mature content, strong language and sexuality; It is recommended for ages 16+ and children under 6 are not permitted.

Performance times:

  • Tuesday – Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
  • Thursday matinees at noon

Ticket prices range from $34- $72 depending on the seats and date/time of performance. Sunday and Thursday matinees are the most affordable ($38-52 matinee), followed by Sunday evenings ($44-54) and weekday evenings ($44-66), and Friday and Saturday being prime show nights ($54-72).

I have a special deal to offer in that you can use the promo code PDXBLOGS to get $10 off each ticket to LIZZIE when you purchase online through the PCS ticketing website. Also, if you lucky enough to be in time, they are having a special Beer, Bikes, and Blood promotion on this Friday June 6 as part of Pedalpalooza where you can get bike parking, Deschutes’ Chainbreaker White IPA brew and snacks in a private party at 5:30pm on the PCS mezzanine before the show AND a ticket to see the 7:30 evening LIZZIE all for just $20!

Portland Center Stage Lizzie production, Opening night of #lizzieborden #lizzie #pcs_lizzie @PCS_Armory

You can find Portland Center Stage (PCS) online at Facebook PDXcenterstage, Instagram @portlandcenterstage and Twitter @PCS_Armory. You’ll also find more about LIZZIE and other Portland Center Stage shows on the PCS blog.

Find out more about this musical at www.lizziethemusical.com, where you can even listen to a bit of the music to get an idea of what’s in store for you, and that studio album includes Storm Large as one of the Borden sisters and Carrie Manolakas as Lizzie Borden (you might know Carrie from her YouTube cover of Radiohead’s Creep)! Carrie Cimma who plays the housemaid on that album is the same Carrie who plays the housemaid in the Portland Center Stage production! You can also see a few sneak peak videos of other productions at the Portland Center Stage blog, as well as a preview of what the staging and costumes will be for the performance here in Portland.

Tips and Trivia

As a bonus, a few other tip and tidbits.

1. Show up a bit early for the show to enjoy a cocktail! They have a full bar, and also have a few special cocktails created to reflect these last shows of the season, LIZZIE and THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I ordered the one that was LIZZIE themed, a cocktail dubbed Life Ain’t Pear with house-infused pear brandy, triple sec, lemon, and splash of orange. Yes, there is a pear reference in the performance! Also, the bartendress Jamie who created our drinks was fabulous. You can pre-order your drink for intermission, btw. No need to chug your beverage before entering the theater- just make sure to grab a top for your drink and a straw!
Portland Center Stage Lizzie production, Ooooo the special cocktail for #lizzieborden #pcs_Lizzie Life Ain't Pear with house-infused pear brandy, triple sec, lemon, and splash of orange. #pdxcocktail #pdxdrinks Portland Center Stage Lizzie production, Ooooo the special cocktail for #lizzieborden #pcs_Lizzie Life Ain't Pear with house-infused pear brandy, triple sec, lemon, and splash of orange. #pdxcocktail #pdxdrinks

2. If you are in the neighborhood. I highly recommend Oven and Shaker as one option for a meal after the show so you can chat with your other theater companions about the fun you just had and the story. I’ve blogged about the Oven and Shaker great salad and pizzas and cocktails several times. If you just want a few cocktails after the show, within a 2 block radius besides Oven and Shaker I recommend Teardrop Lounge or Vault Martini for some cocktails. The pics below are from Oven and Shaker (Wild Fennel Sausage – potato, tomato, chilies, scallions, smoked mozzarella; the Nostrana Salad; and a Pepper Smash cocktail) and example cocktail from Teardrop.

There are many other options in the area, since Portland Center Stage is so well located in the Pearl and easy walking distance to downtown- so make it a great girls’ night or date night or night out with friends!

Wild Fennel Sausage with potato, tomato, chilies, scallions, smoked mozzarella Oven and Shaker, Cathy Whims, Pearl DistrictOven and Shaker offers as part of their happy hour the iconic Nostrana Radicchio Caeser, a small portion for half price. Clearly the portion is very generous Oven and Shaker Pepper Smash cocktail, Oven & Shaker, Cathy Whims, Wood fired pizza, Portland San Francisco Swell, Appleton Reserve rum, lime, mint, blackberry honey, Angostura bitters, egg white, Chandon brut sparkling, Teardrop Lounge, happy hour, cocktails

3. Some trivia I learned from the back stage tour, guided by Chris, I took that evening as part of the Bloggers Night. If you check the This Week at PCS Blog, they will sometimes list extra information sessions or tours you can join in on- not just for LIZZIE but for any production they have year round.

LIZZIE behind the scenes tour with guide Chris

  • They use two different kinds of blood in the LIZZIE production. There’s the usual stage kind with corn syrup which stays, but there is also another kind that has non-bleach detergent in it in order to be easy to clean. During one of the blood splattering scenes the actress playing LIZZIE has that detergent blood getting everywhere- including her eyes – but she has to finish singing through the scene before she gets a chance to run offstage to the eye rinse! That scene is already intense, now that you know that how much more crazy is it!?
     They use two kinds of blood during the Portland Center Stage production of LIZZIE, the kind with corn syrup for color/lasting and the kind with bleach to easily wash out Decapitated pigeons are pretty gross in the Portland Center Stage production of LIZZIE
  • The decapitated pigeons are really gross. They are soaked with blood- so either have to wear gloves when you handle them or as you’ll see in the production, you get bloody hands really fast!
  • There are microphones hidden in the actresses’ hair (and it is all their real hair, no wigs are used), but those hand microphones they use are also real and help them rock out above the sound level of the band. They have to do sound checks on ALL the microphones before every performance- and use thousands of batteries so order them in bulk!
  • Two of the musicians were in the band Everclear!
  • Once a performance has an opening night, there is no more changes- it is locked down and so what you will see if you see this show is going to be what I saw! It is also the first time everyone gets paid!

Thank you to Portland Center Stage for inviting me to Bloggers Night. And one last little thing… I loved the centerpieces they had for the cocktail tables of snacks for opening night, aren’t they awesome (and don’t you want to reuse that for your Halloween party?!)
Portland Center Stage Lizzie production, Opening night of #lizzieborden #lizzie #pcs_lizzie @PCS_Armory I loved the centerpieces they had for the cocktail tables of snacks for opening night, aren't they awesome?

Disclosure: I was invited to see this production as part of a complimentary bloggers event, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Signature

Filed Under: Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post, Theater Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March Portland Dining Month: 3 Courses for $29 + Dinner for 2 Giveaway!

February 28, 2014 by 29 Comments

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post, and the Gift Certificate was won by me from a Rafflecopter via Portland Bloggers/Watershed Communications, and I am passing it on to you. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

I’m so excited! This is my first giveaway on the blog! I’ll be giving away via Rafflecopter to a random entrant a gift certificate for two to have a Portland Dining Month dinner! Giveaway has ended

Portland Dining Month is back, moved up from what has been previously been the month of June to now be in the month of March! During this month, almost 100 restaurants in Portland will be offering a special menu of 3 courses for the low price of $29. In most cases, this prix fixed menu may have multiple options for the three courses.

Portland Dining Month 2014 is in March- 3 Courses for $29

I’ve been participating in Portland Dining Month as a diner for several years. Last year, in 2013 I visited and recapped as example Portland Dining month experiences dinners at Firehouse Restaurant, Quartet, Accanto, Urban Fondue, Fratelli (since closed but still a great example of what a great way to discover and make yourself visit restaurants Portland Dining Month is), and H50 out of my initial 2013 Restaurant Highlight list.

Images from Prix Fixe dining at Firehouse, Urban Fondue in 2013

Meanwhile, in 2012 Portland Dining Month experiences include the posts I did at Oven and Shaker, and Clyde Common. Except for Fratelli, H50, and Clyde Common, all those restaurants I named are back in the 2014 Portland Dining month list.

Images from Oven and Shaker in 2012

As I do every year, I like to share a few of my personal highlights of restaurants/prix fixed offerings in March that catch my eye. I usually will pick restaurants based on food options in their 3 courses that sound good, as in some cases the restaurant will offer dishes are special for Dining Month, or you are getting a tremendous value on the price of normally dining there. Of course remember that the menus are subject to change by the restaurant at any time.

There are many excellent choices- about 100 in fact- of restaurants participating in Portland Dining Month. I just couldn’t highlight them all!

  • With March also being the month of Mardi Gras, it only seems right to consider Acadia with its New Orleans/Creole food from Louisiana on your dining list and it’s generous 4 (four!) courses that include Louisiana BBQ Gulf shrimp, Crawfish tails, Louisiana caught sea bream, and Creole bread pudding. Just don’t go on March 4, which is when they have a special and separate Fat Tuesday celebration planned if you have your sights set on the Dining Month menu.
  • Accanto on Belmont was one of my favorite dining month experiences last year with its fresh pastas and very seasonal, unusual ingredients (they introduced me to Wrinkle Crinkle Crumple Cress). Their second course pasta course options of Cacio e pepe with Meyer lemon tagliatelle and Pecorino or Capellini with chili, garlic, anchovy and pea shoots sound amazing. I had the second dish last year, as you can see below. Also, next door you can check out Genoa instead if you want something a bit more upscale but still at the $29 for 3 courses price point, huge bargain here! Reservations available on OpenTable both for Accanto and for Genoa.
  • Aviary is a good value at this price with its sublime French and Asian influenced offerings on NE Alberta. This is a great chance to try out a previous Restaurant of the Year award winner and they offers pretty creative food. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Everyone thinks of Besaws for brunch, but they use their own farm to also source the dishes on their dinner menu and are worth checking out – they have a special chicken roulade dish they don’t usually have for Portland Dining Month.
    Besaw's Portland, photo by Sunpech Photography Besaw's Portland, photo by Sunpech Photography
  • You get your choice of Heirloom beet salad with walnuts, grilled chicory and Hannah Bridge cheese  or Oregon black truffle salad with crispy pig’s ear, frisée and poached egg as firsts at Bent Brick, so I’m already sold. I also have to tell you they have incredible cocktails here. I would be disappointed in you if you visit here and don’t try at least one cocktail. Its sibling restaurant Park Kitchen in the North Park Blocks is also participating and whose 2nd course option of Milk braised pork with Your Kitchen Gardens leeks, curds and whey alone is $29 on their regular menu. Reservations for Park Kitchen available on OpenTable.
    the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland On The Veranda Cocktail from the Bent Brick, Portland OR with mint, strawberry, simple syrup, rhubarb cordial, sage liquor, white verjus, and gin
  • You can get a pretty good deal at the sweet Cocotte Bistro, where the third course offering of Poulet En Cocotte with milk-fed half-bird, farro risotto, market produce, poached farm egg, jus is normally already $25 on the menu! You can add a wine flight for $12 or a dessert for just $5 more.  Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Shouldn’t be a surprise that Departure is a recommendation of the participating restaurants given the incredible flavor combinations and innovation that Chef  Gregory Gourdet offers on the pan-Asian menu. For their menu, they are offering choices for main course of Crispy rockfish with green papaya, roasted garlic and sweet chili glaze  or Grilled beef coulette with toasted broccoli, Korean chili and fermented black bean jus. One of the dessert options is a tasty sounding Pineapple icebox cake with banana ice cream, candied almond and spiced caramel. Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • Higgins offers classic Northwest cuisine and is one of the founders of Northwest cuisine. If you haven’t been yet, you should go at least once to this Portland institution, especially since the dishes they are offering include an Alsatian country-style terrine of duck and pork with dries cherries and hazelnuts for their first course. All the dishes are part of Higgins’ 20th anniversary celebration menu comprised of dishes from it’s March 1994 opening.
  • For some traditional Japanese, check out Hokusei where you can be transported to another country for a dining spell. The second course of Nijimasu teriyaki: Oregon steelhead with rye bourbon teriyaki sounds very alluring, and their third course are five pieces of nigiri if you are not a big dessert fan and would just rather have more food!
  • Ever since revisiting Imperial during Feast, I’ve been back several times and have been pretty enamored of various specials they offer. They have a special entree for dining month of Braised lamb shoulder with cauliflower “cous cous,” olives, preserved lemon and curried cashew brittle. No matter what, get that Parker House roll. It is worth that extra $1. I also recommend the cocktail below, A Radish Walks Into A Bar that uses radish gastrique as a nod to Chef Paley’s win of Battle Radish on Iron Chef. Also participating is Paley’s Place, his more upscale restaurant. Reservations available on OpenTable both for Imperial and Paley’s Place.
    A Radish Walks into a Bar cocktail, ransom old tom gin, carpano antica vermouth, radish gastrique, lemon, and cracked peppercorns, Imperial PDX, Vitaly Paley
  • Little Bird recently revamped their menu to offer more of a French perspective than before, as I covered recently when I stopped by for their new burger. One of the offerings for their second course is the Chicken Fried Trout you see below with gribiche, herbs, radishes and pickled carrots that I wrote about before. Reservations available on OpenTable.
    Little Bird Bistro's Chicken-Fried Trout, gribiche, fines herbes, radishes, pickled carrots
  • Ned Ludd is very Northwest and seasonal, and I love the beautiful atmosphere there. Pricewise, you are getting a bargain with 3 courses for $29 here since their entrees are typically in the $20 range already
  • Both the NW and SE locations of Olympic Provisions are participating, usually their entrees at dinner are already in the $20 range so you are getting some savings here with 3 courses. I would not be surprised if you walked out after dinner with a salami or two. For their third course, they are offering a Saucisson au chocolate, aka chocolate salami with French style dark chocolate ganache and warm baking spices, nuts, candied ginger, and red wine, which Portland Monthly previous highlighted the intensive recipe! Reservations available on OpenTable.
    Portland Farmers Market PSU Olympic Provisions
  • If you haven’t been to Oven & Shaker, check out all my previous reviews of their excellent seasonal pizzas
  • I’m a big fan of Picnic House, as you might have guessed from these previous raves I’ve written. I don’t know what they are offering for Dining Month, but whether it’s on their prix fixe menu or not, do not, do not miss getting dessert. That chocolate bundt cake is my favorite chocolate cake in Portland. Also, don’t you want a selfie with that monocled bear? Reservations available on OpenTable.
    Picnic House, Portland, picnic restaurant Picnic House, Portland, picnic restaurant chocolate cake, chocolate sour cream bundt cake with chocolate ganache Picnic House, Portland, picnic restaurant
  • Punch Box Social is stepping it up because besides 3 courses, their Portland Dining month dinner offers a cocktail- a choice of either Monk’s Vacation (Portland potato vodka, green chartreuse, pineapple juice, lime juice and simple syrup shaken and served chilled with a lime garnish) or Heart of the Union (Union gin, triple sec, beet syrup, lemon juice and orange bitters shaken and served over ice with a lemon wheel). Reservations available on OpenTable.
  • I have Ración at the top of my Portland Dining Month list- they have a 3rd course offering of Wagyu culotte steak with heirloom carrots, smoked apple cider, turnip and cocoa. Usually you have to have everyone at your table spend $50 for the chef’s tasting menu, and with Portland Dining Month you are getting 3 of the 5 courses for $29. Look for a recap in the next couple weeks! For a similar deal what is usually a spendy multiple course, check out Biwa who is offering their omakase (all chef’s choice, so be ready and open for anything) for $29 a person instead of the usual $40.
  • Serratto is on the list offering seasonal slow food that brings together local Northwest with France and Italy and the Mediterranean that results in something familiar and comforting but yet new (I visited and reviewed them here as part of a Bloggers Group). Given how much I loved the courses during that visit, I think their entree options of either Braised Carlton Farms beef cheek with porcini-potato gnocchi, smoked cipollini onions, braised leeks and carrots or the vegetarian Ravioli with forest mushroom, caramelized onion and goat cheese filling, grilled asparagus and preserved lemon cream sound incredible. Reservations available on OpenTable.
    Serratto Bloggers Dinner, Ahi Tuna Tartare 'Nicoise' chopped egg, capers, olives, housemade potato chips, tarragon aioli
  • The excellent fare at Smallwares is also complimented by some great cocktails. They make sure that there is a vegetarian option for each of the courses of the prix fixe, so if you can’t enjoy the Braised pork shoulder with squash puree, roasted mushrooms, smoked honey and Chinese mustard, the vegetarian option of Spicy tofu noodles, Thai basil, pickled pineapple and salted black bean promises a lot of flavor without the meat. Reservations available on OpenTable.
    Smallwares PDX, restaurant The Gin, with plymouth gin, mango, yogurt, rose water, cardamom, shaked and served on the rocks, Smallwares PDX
  • Tabla offers the best tarjarin in Portland and that is one of the five pastas they offer as a possible primi pasta course (after a choice of 6 possible starters and then third course featuring 4 entrée options). Next to the half order of tarjarin below you can see the starter from a previous visit of a gorgeous Fall Vegetable Salad. A good choice if there several of you and you want to enjoy Portland Dining Month prices but have a good choice of different things to eat still. Other participants of Portland Dining Month offering many options for the prix fixe include Firehouse Restaurant (which I recapped a visit here) and Gracie’s. Reservations for all three of these available on OpenTable.
    Tabla Bistro, Fall Vegetable Salad with turnip greens mousse, feta, market vegetables, mustard seeds  Tabla Bistro, Tajarin with truffle butter, parmigiano reggiano

I mention Opentable reservations because if you make you reservation through OpenTable,  Downtown Portland will also make a donation to the Oregon Food Bank as long as you use this link. I love OpenTable to see availability of restaurants at times I am interested in, to easily make reservations using online, and also collect points for dining certificates. A great majority- 68 last I looked- of the participating Portland Dining month restaurants accept reservations over OpenTable.  Last year, more than $1,800 was donated to the Oregon Food Bank to assist with their work of distributing emergency food to hungry families- we can do better this year!

Check out the Downtown Portland Portland Dining Month website for a map of where the various participating restaurants are located to be convenient for you, as well as menu listings. If you are interested specifically in which ones have vegetarian or gluten-free options, Portland Monthly has put together a list.

Let me help you enjoy Portland Dining Month by giving away one gift certificate for you a dinner for two! This gift certificate was something I won courtesy of Portland Bloggers and Watershed Communications and rather than using it myself, I am passing it on to you!

Giveaway has ended Use the Rafflecopter below to participate- this will run for 1 week, so a random winner will be chosen next Friday at 12:01 am! Come back to tweet about the giveaway in order to enter daily! Winner must respond within 24 hours and the gift certificate will be mailed. The gift certificate is good for two people to enjoy Portland Dining Month dinner at one of the participating restaurants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post, and the Gift Certificate was won by me from a Rafflecopter via Portland Bloggers/Watershed Communications, and I am passing it on to you. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Signature

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »