Willamette Week

The 12 Wonders of Portland Food

We asked the people behind the 12 most iconic Portland dishes of the past decade to tell us the stories behind the food we love: the moments of inspiration, the thought behind each ingredient, and the lucky accidents.

Apizza Scholls' Sausage and Mama Lil's Pizza: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“I’d be making pizza, and all the neighbors started yelling at me that I had to get these cars off the side of the highway.”

Holdfast Dining's Cornbread Madeleine: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“As an American, it was tough to explain that though this bread is really sweet, it’s not a dessert.”

Bunk Sandwiches' Pork Belly Cubano: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“Florida, especially at that time, is the desert of morals and the desert of food.”

Screen Door's Fried Chicken and Waffle

“People just couldn’t believe it. It was jaw-dropping to see that much food on one plate.”

Nong's Khao Man Gai: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

““I came to America with the dream that I would have a better life.”

Smallwares' Fried Kale: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“When you have a fryer, you just kind of want to put things in it. “

Aviary's Crispy Pig Ear: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

Crispy Pig Ear at Aviary 1733 NE Alberta St., 287-2400, aviarypdx.com. New York chefs Sarah Pliner, Jasper Shen and Kat Whitehead came to Portland to follow their dream of starting a restaurant, all moving into the same house to plan their menu. The restaurant they finally built, Aviary, was a wonder of imaginative ingredients marrying … Continue reading Aviary’s Crispy Pig Ear: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

Ox's Clam Chowder With Bone Marrow: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“I got the first taste, and it was an emotional response. I can’t tell you what emotion—fear, anxiety, happiness and sadness all mixed together.”

Kachka's Herring Under a Fur Coat: 12 Wonders of Portland Food

“The unctuousness builds on itself until it becomes decadent.”

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