In which I spend a lot of time in Oregon City

When Olympia Provisions, Portland’s acclaimed sausage-maker, announced the second permanent location of its hotdog-joint spinoff, OP Wurst, in 2016, the decision was baffling to some. The first location, in downtown Portland’s Pine Street Market, was already a big hit, so an expansion made sense. But why Oregon City?

Why Oregon City’s downtown food scene has become so appealing

In which I tour the Eola Hills AVA by bicyle, finding good views, great tacos, and way too much Pinot.

In this mix of tradition and tumult, old vines and new, there’s still much to discover. Take the scrappy winemakers of the valley’s Eola-Amity Hills region, at play with lesser-known varietals like gamay and Melon de Bourgogne that thrive in these ancient volcanic basalt soils. Here, in the most southern of the Willamette Valley’s six sub-AVAs, find wide-open country roads—less known than the well-charted wine trails to the north—that make easy touring for off-the-map wine-tasters.

A Wine Country Bike Trip in Oregon’s Eola–Amity Hills

In which I attempt to eat my way around Spain from home

We’re home to an unlikely number of good Spanish restaurants, along with hispanophile shops, bars and even wineries. You don’t need a festival to explore the diversity of Spanish food and drink here—you can work your way around the country, from Andalucía to Valencia, any time you like.

Every day is Tapas Day: Where to find Spain’s best regional dishes in Portland

In which I drink an awful lot of stout

St. Patrick’s Day approaches, which means it’s time to break out the flocked top hats, dump dye in the rivers and order the obligatory pint of Guinness. But before you crack the top on that widget-bearing can, consider the 5,000 miles it had to travel to reach you. Wouldn’t you prefer a fresher pint?


On St. Patrick’s Day, ditch Guinness for these Oregon-brewed Irish stouts

Hiro dreams of snack bread

For most of his life, Hiro Horie was an organization man. He spent 25 years working the Japanese baking giant Pasco, starting on the English muffin line and eventually running the company’s American wholesale operations in Los Angeles and, later, Portland. So it took a lot for the soft-spoken baker to leave the corporate fold two years ago and open his own shop.

At Beaverton’s Oyatsupan Bakers, experience translates to smaller scale

So. Much. Mercury.

America’s latest food sensation is raw tuna. Poke, the Hawaiian dish of cubed, marinated raw fish, usually served with seaweed, onion and sesame seeds, is showing up everywhere from grocery store deli counters to Beverly Hills hotel restaurants. In 2014, Yelp declared Da Poke Shack in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, the best place to eat in America. Fast-casual joints serving build-your- own poke-and-rice bowls are opening all over Los Angeles — and, now, Portland.

Poke-mania hits Portland: Where to find the city’s best raw tuna