As such, no list of Portland must eats is comprehensive, but I figured I'd give you the best of what I had on a recent weekend visit to the city. Here are three signposts for your stomach, where I guarantee you'll leave happy.
Largo Patch has the story of Deuces Sports Bar & Grill (426 West Bay Drive), a restaurant he co-owns with his father, Marcus, and mother, Wendy Hall — the manager and a native of the Florida town.
The Good You, Kansas City's organic mobile food truck, spent this past weekend at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Now, while chef Kelli Daniels has yet to reveal the exact composition of her secret sauce in the best burger, she did offer some hints in an interview with Eric Alvarez of Nashville's WZTV Fox 17.
"It has unicorns and smurfs in it," Daniels joked.
At some poin,t we got too old for summer camp. But you can recapture a bit of the magic this June by attending Grill Camp in Alberta, Canada.
Oklahoma Joe's co-founder, Joe Davidson, is hosting a Grill Camp with chef Scott Hergott of the Fairmont Banff Springs June 17-19. Over a hot grill in Banff National Park, he'll teach you the secrets to developing proper technique.
If you've never been to a particular coffee shop, there are often a few clues in plain sight that can let you know what to expect. Odds are, you're in the right place if you see mismatched furniture, there's a board game seemingly left mid-game on a table and, perhaps most importantly, the smell of roasting coffee wafts out when you open the door.
Hazel's Gourmet Coffee & Tea (4001 Frederick Avenue) in St. Joseph roasts Arabica beans daily. And the smell is practically ingrained in the wood. When you add in the chess set, where white appears to be beating black in the split dining room, I think it's fair to say I was predisposed to liking Hazel's before I stepped up to the counter.
It's time to put the myth to rest that we all drive hamburger-shaped cars and eat a Tomahawk Chop for lunch every day in Kansas City. We're good at cooking meat. We might be the best. But that hasn't stopped a burgeoning vegetarian community from springing up here and a host of understanding chefs who are willing to knock out some seriously killer food that is sans meat.
But David Grossman sees KC as a vegan-food desert in his latest column for USA Today. In the piece about the hassles of traveling with diet restrictions, he writes:
In Kansas City, I found few restaurants near the convention center serving items I could eat, so I spent $30 on a taxi ride to and from the nearest supermarket to stock up.
Until yesterday, I never even knew that Meat Week existed. And I call myself a carnivore. But Meat Week is very real. That's why the domain name is meatweekisreal.com. The annual celebration of meat runs from January 31 to February 6 and, just like Fight Club, has spread under the radar to 15 cities in six years.
Founders Chris Cantey and Erni Walker decided that Meat Week "would be a holiday during which BBQ was eaten every night of the week." And so the status quo in Kansas City is slowly steamrolling into a national celebration. I think it's time we got involved.
Most Americans seek out the comfort of a known burger at McDonald's when traveling. Well, Kansas Citians can now get a bite of home in Omaha, Nebraska. Blanc Burgers + Bottles opened its newest location at Midtown Crossing (3157 Farnam Street) on Thursday, and KETV has video of the restaurant.
The opening comes only weeks after the Circle Restaurant Group decided to shutter B:2 A Burger Boutique in Lee's Summit.
A Florida man was kicked off a plane last week after passengers became concerned about strange noises coming from a "suspicious package" in an overhead compartment.
NBC Miami reports that Ognjen Milatovic's suspicious package turned out to be a plastic bag filled with keys, a hat, his wallet, and a bagel with cream cheese.
Pappadeaux, Whataburger, Raising Cane's, Krystals
Portillos, Goodtimes burgers from Denver, Maggianos,
Chovy's Italian from Meadville, PA!
Is there going to be a parade?
Chop't! DC/NYC-based chain that makes the most incredible chopped salad combos with local, healthy ingredients…
Which out-of-town restaurant would you lobby to bring to KC?
The Gaf has closed in Waldo
OSHA orders reinstatement of Wolf Creek whistle-blower
KC Pride Festival 2013? Yes, it's still on
DelHi Soul Food Buffet closes in KCK
Giovanni's Deli goes big in the Northland
Police leave Union Station after suspicious package found
Boulevard's Saison-Brett hits store shelves and taps Tuesday