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Kachka ▶︎
When was the last time you had your mind blown by Russian food? Deceptively simple, cold appetizers, rooted in home cooking, yet served with skill and fuss one expects from French or Japanese cuisine? Presented in a fun, modern, youthful space? Kachka is all that, and more. Get the zakuski flight and some pelmeni, order vodka and pickle juice to drink. Having grown up on this food, I still found Kachka a revelation.
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Apizza Scholls ▶︎
The best pizza I've ever had, anywhere. Get the margherita or the tartufo bianco. (The caesar salad isn't half bad, either.) Show up by 5 PM or expect a one-hour wait; parties of 1 or 2 may have more luck. Comfy waiting area, drinks served. (Pssst—they also serve brunch at 11:30 on the weekend now, and the crowds don't know it yet.)
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Grassa ▶︎
Casual, modern, punky pasta—the space is modern, the attitude is relaxed, but the food is both creative and masterfully executed. Everything is good: dishes as simple as aglio e olio, or as funky as squid-ink bucatini with smoked tomato, chorizo verde, and clams. If you like pasta, you'll like Grassa.
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Bollywood Theater ▶︎
Indian street food in a fun, bar-like space. Casual and cheap, yet serving lots of diverse food you won't find at many Indian spots in town. If you get one thing, make it the kati roll; but don't get one thing, get eight.
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Nong's Khao Man Gai ▶︎
This one-dish spot started out as a cart, and in the Portland tradition, it blew up quickly. You'll be hearing about Nong's cooking nationally pretty soon. The cart is now gone, but fear not—there's a restaurant just blocks from the original location. Order the signature chicken-and-rice dish, deck it out with bonus fried chicken skin and liver, and marvel at the simple but unforgettable experience.
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Hà VL / Rose VL ▶︎
There's a reason Portland's top chefs have been gathering at this place every morning for over a decade: it's unlike anything else. Set in a tiny, kitschy-charming space, Ha VL serves the best Vietnamese soups you're likely to find anywhere, without an ounce of pretension. While you could go for lunch and hope they haven't sold out, the power move is to do breakfast. There's now a second location, with slightly different soups; the menus change daily, so check my unofficial soup status webpage. (My favorite? The chicken curry.)
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Broder ▶︎
Swedish breakfast executed perfectly, with just enough local flare to make it interesting. Everything is cute and delicious. If you're going to wait in line for breakfast in Portland, wait here. (The new, NE location is larger, and possibly less busy.)
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Akadi ▶︎
The city's only West African restaurant, Akadi is a bright, fun place where the food both comforts and surprises. Order the grilled chicken, and it'll come with a peanut-cutty sauce you won't soon forget; the samosas are crispy and satisfying, even when stuffed with curried lentils; the sweet fried plantains are pure sweet and savory pleasure. Don't skip the whole fried fish with a zingy dressing, the goat curry, and cassava leaves seasoned with lamb, shrimp, and fish.
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Hat Yai ▶︎
Southern Thai food, with strong Malaysian influences—this place was essentially tailored precisely to my needs and cravings. You know how there's never enough sauce left over in a bowl of curry after you've eaten the protein chunks? Hat Yai will serve you fried chicken, a bowl of nothing BUT curry sauce, and addictive roti (buttery flatbread) to dip in. Whatever you get, make sure curry & roti are part of the combo.
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Master Kong ▶︎
Steam buns, several kinds of dumplings, roujiamo chopped-pork sandwiches, jianbing savory crepes, garlicky snow-pea shoots, a variety of congee, and three amazing sauces available by the ladleful. If this sounds like your ideal menu, and you like your dining utterly unpretentious, then Master Kong is for you.
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Güero ▶︎
There's a sandwich renaissance in America. We now stuff them not with deli meats and cheeses, but with complex, long-cooked stews, carefully balancing acidity and crunch. This has given new attention to possibly the greatest sandwich: the wonderful Mexican torta. Güero executes theirs beautifully, packing a dozen flavors into each tightly constructed sandwich on perfect telera and bolillo rolls. I've loved their food since they were a small cart—go see them at their cute new restaurant.
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Pinolo Gelato ▶︎
How good can ice cream get before you have to desperately attempt to improve it with elaborate sprinkles, syrups, cookies and crisps? Does it get better as the number of ingredients in it increases? Pinolo, a very traditional Italian gelateria, sticks to simple, pure flavors: chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, or the milky-simple fior di latte, plainer than "plain vanilla". But their best stuff might be the amazing sorbettos, made with seasonal berries, stone fruit, apples, or whatever is currently ripe. No gimmicks, no overhtinking—this is ice cream that tastes like what it says it is, and it's miles ahead of any other in Portland.
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Nuvrei ▶︎
My default "snack" is a savory pastry, and Nuvrei makes the best ones I've ever had. (You can also get wonderful sweet pastries and coffee.) Sesame-thyme croissants, buns filled with Japanese curry, lox on a pretzel roll… Every single item on the menu features world-class dough, and when they put a spin on a classic (rose croissants, caraway biscuits) it always works.