Skip to main content1469 NE Prescott St. (moving to Northeast 17th Avenue and Killingsworth Street in late 2010), 281-3700, podnahspit.com. 11 am-9 pm Tuesday-Friday, 9 am-9 pm Saturday-Sunday. $-$$ Inexpensive-moderate.
[BETTER BARBECUE] You can take a man out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of a man. When Rodney Muirhead opened Podnah's Pit, indisputably the king of Portland barbecue, in 2006, he dedicated his restaurant to replicating the full Texas barbecue experience, from slow-cooking everything over a fire pit that's never seen electricity of any kind to recently adding Austin-style breakfast tacos to the brunch menu. And it's those small touches that make everything we've ever ordered at Podnah's incredibly delicious. You really can't go wrong with either the smoky brisket, sliced thin and served with barbecue sauce on the side, or pork spareribs, which nearly fall off the bone and will disappear from your plate instantly if you order only the quarter-rack. This is a carnivore's paradise, but Podnah's also does side dishes justice, with the best collard greens in town and a killer potato salad enhanced by more meat. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER.
Ideal meal: Anything with brisket (try the sandwich to spice things up) and a side order of greens before they run out.
Best deal: Podnah's weekend-only brunch is ridiculously cheap ($5.25 for an order of potato, egg and cheese breakfast tacos).
Chef's choice: The Plato Tejano. "Brisket tacos, pinto beans and salsa." (Rodney Muirhead)
WWeek 2015