We duck into the austere building, narrowly escaping a typical Pacific Northwest rain shower. The room is small and simply furnished. The glass display counter is framed with distressed wood and several large barrels are arranged throughout the room. A collection of what appear to be medicinal bottles neatly line one shelf. Other shelves display bottles that are tall, sleek and frosted.We are
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Portland’s Food Cart Ambassador
Blogger Brett Burmeister chronicles the Porland food cart culture.This is how far my truck food obsession has gone. I’m standing on the edge of Pioneer Square in Portland, Oregon – some 2,500 miles from home – about to meet up with one of the city’s leading experts on food carts for a bite of lunch.I’ve been advised to watch for a guy who is 6’ 2” tall – with mutton chops – who goes by the
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Bewitched by Voodoo Doughnut
I am a very sensible, high-fiber cereal guy. That’s my breakfast, plain and simple. Yet, on this particular morning in Portland, Oregon I am compelled to leave my lodgings at an early hour and seek out something wildly improbable for my morning meal. An irresistible, supernatural force draws me towards SW Third Avenue. I start to perspire. I feel my pulse racing. Is it witchcraft?No, it’s
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Oregon Pinot Noir
My first impression of Oregon’s Williamette Valley is that the setting seems somewhat ordinary. There’s a typical interstate highway, a Dairy Queen here or there and plenty of weekend traffic congestion.But turn down a country road and the scene changes. More than 200 wineries are tucked into the surrounding hills. Garlands of shimmering green grape vines tier gently upwards, hugging the low
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Potatoes! Sweet!
The harvest at Restoration Farm has taken on an autumnal hue. Heaps of sweet potatoes shine like burnished copper nuggets in the mid-morning sun. How to prepare? Savory or sweet? Sweet Potato Walnut Bread is a hearty autumn treat, scented with whole wheat, cinnamon and earthy walnuts. The sugars in the grated sweet potato caramelize as the bread bakes, creating a luscious sticky-toffee
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Strange Visitors
Halloween is approaching and it’s time to revisit those spine-chilling horror film classics like War of the Worlds and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. At Restoration Farm, there has been an invasion of extraterrestrial produce. Are you ready for Attack of the Kohlrabi? Invasion of the Daikon Radish?Night of the Chinese Cabbage?We have two options, Earthlings. Run for our lives … or make
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