Portland Monthly Food Writers’ Best Bites of 2022

For the first time since the pandemic hit, I’ve been spending a lot more time eating out. It hasn’t been an easy year for restaurants (or diners), but there are a slew of new hotspots and old-timers that are fueling Portland’s remarkable food scene. Working hard as a professional eater, there have been many reminders of the joy that dining out can bring.

From the whole crab (pincher to pincher?) approach to fine dining, of course, two examples of pizza that can soothe existential anguish, the heat of Portland’s bubbly Sichuan scene, and Portland’s chef me Up to the anger that is all that has given us.The load on the pores this year. This is what we still dream about.

Belur: The Dungeness Crab Course That Changed Everything

Sometimes the kitchen can change the way you look at the familiar. I thought I knew Dungeness crab, the pinnacle and signature of the Northwest menu. All parts of the crab were used in multiple dishes arranged at once, until when I made Spinach wrapped legs grilled with tamarind and black pepper glaze. Knuckle and claw meat is simmered in crab broth and shell broth and served in a sumptuous hot he chao he porridge. There were also warm popovers and crab butter served with a foie gras and crab fat terrine. A bowl of herbs and lettuce completed the scene. If anyone could do it, it would be Nguyen. That bold idea earned him the 2022 Chef of the Year award. 605 SE Belmont Street — Karen Brooks

cafe oli: Pomodoro pie with stracciatella and anchovies

Walk into Café Olli and you might spot chef-owner Taylor Manning casually standing over steaming pizza on a tray in front of you. He won’t let your pie cool, but it will give the crust a little rest to keep the char in the wood-fired oven from going limp (the cake recipe says to put it on the rack for a crispier crust). It’s details like this that make Olli’s pizza (all dishes) stand out. The Pomodoro Pie is a wonderfully tempting crust adorned with garlic-flecked oven-roasted tomato concentrate and topped with stracciatella and anchovies for the perfect dressing. Each slice has its own mythical cheese (burrata’s cousin) and its own cured anchovy his fillet. Texture, luxury, good sardine thorn dance. 3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd — Matthew Truehearts

davenport: Rabbit Agnolotti’s Quiet Confidence

For nearly a decade, Craig Gibson has quietly put together one of Portland’s most considered menus in the humble and elegant dining room next door to East Burnside Hart Coffee. He’s a real chef’s chef. His cuisine is striking in its restraint, celebrating the non-existent rather than the existing. Agnolotti, Piedmontese folded ravioli, were plumply served with rabbit braised in almost translucent broth this fall. A white bowl of quaint, delicate pasta topped with nothing more than a whisper of Parmesan cheese and shredded carrots. It was a lesson in the power of simplicity: rabbit soup for the soul. 2215 E Burnside Street—MT

Envida PDX: Medianoche Wins Sandwich of the Year

Finding the perfect Cubano is a lifetime’s work. And then there is Medianoche, Cubano’s cousin. It replaces hard, crusty bread with sweet egg bread similar to Hawaiian rolls. Nearby pan-latin spot En Vida delivers the goods: Ham, Swiss cheese and yellow mustard hot pressed into a warm, toasted sandwich. What makes this so special? The pickles inside are sweet and tangy and homemade, while the shredded mojo pork is crispy on the edges and deepens the flavor. Double the pleasure by soaking the medianosh in a little pork fat in your kitchen before grill pressing. dinner at our house. 1303 NE Fremont Street —KB

excellent food: Red rice shrimp roll with a new texture

Rice noodle rolls, or chung fun, are a staple at dim sum tables. In particular, plump prawns are wrapped in silky rice noodles, topped with light and slightly sweet seasoned soy sauce, and cut with scissors.and the classic version is excellent food Often forgotten (the soy sauce is too sweet), the sekihan version breaks new ground in the dim sum world. The red color doesn’t give the rice wrapper a unique flavor, but it’s what’s inside that counts. It’s a juicy minced shrimp filling lightly coated in a fried egg batter reminiscent of Chinese fried dough sticks. Dip it in the provided hoisin sauce, salty soy sauce, or both.WARNING: You may have to track down his one of the carts to get your hands on it. 8733 SE Division St — Catherine Chu Hamilton

Jacqueline: Kitsch taste of smoked whole trout

Theatrical cuisine is often more about style than substance, but not Jacqueline’s Whole Smoked Trout. From McFarland Springs in Northern California, our sustainably farmed paragon of trout goes through a smoker and oven for a final sheen before serving. Cooking the whole fish gives it the softest texture ever and a concentrated, delicate flavor that cannot be replicated in any other way. It sits on a cedar plank strewn with some seaweed and shells and is served with grilled lemon wedges. It’s simple, a little celebration.whatof more dignified than the whole fish!— but 100% gimmick-free. 2039 SE Clinton Street—MT

Can: Watermelon granite and peanut cream collard green crudo

Kann has opened up a world of Haitian flavors, real and imagined. I will be back for at least half a dozen dishes but thanks to the kitchen for hitting a star to make room for new ideas fingers crossed at least these he two pantheon dishes is stuck. The summer watermelon shaved ice was glistening over butterfish crudo and finished with fiery watermelon juice poured over tableside. It’s chef Gregory Gourdet’s inventive homage to Haitian frescoes, a classic icy treat drizzled with thick syrup. A variety of seasonal fruits, including autumn green apples, bring the spirit to life. in the meantime, Kann’s rich, nutty collards are an MVP caliberglazed with house peanut butter and coconut cream, then served with an amazing pop and surprise of whole pickled boiled peanuts. 548 SE Ash Street—KB

Lovelies Fifty Fifty: Prada Potato 2-Way and Curly Kale Parsley Pesto Designer-Quality Pizza

To the potato pizza denier who lamented, “Carbohydrates are carbohydrates!” netflix Chef’s Table: Pizza Starring Sarah Minnickpotato pizza may transform them. The tater certainly lives up to its designer label, with creamy, tender, flavorful crumbs at the bottom, paper-thin roasted slices on top, and a hearty herb-like pesto enlivening the whole thing. increase. Her Farmers Like most of her Market-inspired creations, it came and went in a blink of an eye, but each microseason is guaranteed to bring the same intriguing pizza. 4039 N Mississippi Ave —KCH

Taste of Sichuan: Ugly but delicious eggplant with century egg and pepper

In Portland’s steadily growing Szechuan food scene, Sichuan Taste is a newcomer, a sleeper hit, and a quiet downtown outlet that deserves to be at the top of your must-eat list. This cold starter doesn’t look very nice, but the eggplant is cooked until creamy, and the thick, salty chunks of preserved eggs, mashed peppers, seeds, and more all make for an explosive, complex flavor that’s even more enjoyable. . Set an intense mood for a chili-filled meal to follow. 515 SW Fourth Avenue—KCH

Susol: The Bar Hits That No One Talks About

Godzilla lurking even in the shadows Unique dark basement bar, despite sharing a playful Caribbean cabinetry and frenetic mindset.i’m obsessed with A hotbed of candied nuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, and almonds is glazed with syrups of black pepper, habanero, paprika, and thyme, then oven-roasted for a sort of sweet crumb. Trust me, you can’t stop eating it. Samosa-style beef patty Bound with a turmeric curry crust. Tucked inside: Brilliantly spiced beef and toasted breadcrumbs from the plantain muffins of Kang upstairs. Kappa is pineapple. Roasted, juiced and flavored with vanilla, cinnamon and star anise, Pineapple shaved ice tossed with mint leaves and olive oil. Dig deep to find tiny pockets of guava puree and coconut cream. 227 SE 6th Ave — KB

Sweetie Dee: Champion breakfast of scrambled eggs and black beans

At some point reality will come. The bold Frenchman at this indie café can’t live on toast and a pastry of the day. Proteins have a role This year has been a year of love for Sweetie Dee’s kaleidoscope of fluffy scrambled eggs with juicy black beans, crispy fries, pickled red onions and sour cream. Regulars know to add a final blessing: spoon Hot Mama’s hot sauce over the top. 5202 N Albina Ave — KB