The Star Pizza in Portland

Deep dish pizza recently arrived in the Pearl District via The Star Pizza in Portland, an offshoot of the San Francisco darling Little Star and second location The Star on Grand (a mainstay of the Eater’s Essential Pizzas of the East Bay list and ranked #1 for deep dish pizza in the Bay Area on one list). The Star Pizza Portland’s specialty is Chicago style deep dish and thin crust pizzas with signature cornmeal crust.
The Star Pizza in Portland - ALL-STAR deep dish pizza with bacon, meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella The Star Pizza in Portland - ALL-STAR deep dish pizza with bacon, meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella

As a Chicago transplant, I do think The Star’s deep dish pizza stands up to the buttery tasting cornmeal dough, though not quite as buttery and cheesey as the Chicago originals – but the plus is they use more cornmeal so you could even say this is a “healthy” pizza. Yeah I’m going with that? It is still Chicago deep dish inspired enough to be hella tasty and satisfying, so overall the Star Pizza in Portland is worth a visit. Here’s a deeper look from my 3 visits so far.

When you first enter The Star Pizza in Portland, you can’t help but notice the dramatic Bar with its mural and inviting cushy bar seats with a supportive back.
The Star Pizza in Portland - located in the Pearl The Star Pizza in Portland - located in the Pearl

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Bite of Oregon 2017

This year, the Bite of Oregon 2017 food festival, which usually tastes place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in August, has shifted to this weekend – Labor Day weekend September 1, 2, 3, and 4 – so it can be 4 days and has moved away from the dusty grounds of the park to the Rose Quarter.  The festival is still outside so you are still dining al fresco, but now boasts lots of shade, more tables, and it still benefits the worthy cause of the Special Olympics Oregon. Bite of Oregon  is a huge fundraiser for the Special Olympics Oregon which can help sustain the activities they offer of Special Olympics Athletes all year round.
Entrance of Bite of Oregon 2017 Entrance of Bite of Oregon 2017

As every year, expect to be able to progressively eat through various vendors who offer sample sizes ($4ish) and whole sizes of food you can purchase at Bite of Oregon 2017. With the more compact Rose Quarter location there is now a central area where you can imbibe at the Oregon Wine Pavilion with 7 wineries, 4 distilleries, or 28 beers from 14 different featured local breweries the Craft Beer Garden to enjoy along with your food.
Chicagoland Chicago style deep dish pizza

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