Skip to main contentNostrana means "ours," and this sprawling cafe in a revamped Southeast Portland grocery store is distinguishing itself as a premier staging place for local foods, with at least 20 nearby growers and producers listed on the menu. The scent of smoky dishes; a mixed grill of quail sided with Portland Farmers Market fixture Fred Carlo's sweet Italian sausage, to name one; lures legions of diners to this 1-year-old fledgling. A wood-oven stove turns out thin-crusted pizzas and antipasto, such as a salad of oven-baked Corona beans and olive oil. Slow-fooder chef Cathy Whims shows off her Italianate acumen with local and artisanal ingredients, though Italian wines are always the drinks du jour. (AA)
WWeek 2015