Portland Restaurant: The Alameda Cafe

What: The Alameda Cafe 
Where: 4641 NE Fremont St
When: Wednesday - Sunday 5 - 10 PM
Honeys Heart: Steamed Mussels 

The Alameda Cafe and I go way back. I ate there with Mimi and Papa as a kid, I bussed tables there in college, I blogged about their happy hour in 2009, but it has since been reborn and deserves a blog revisit in a big way.

The restaurant has been an Alameda neighborhood joint for 30 years- hence the new owners hope to keep the name, but revive the image- but for the last few years it has struggled with it's identity, consistency, and ownership. Cameron Addy, formerly a chef at Ava Gene's and Papa Haydn and owner of Belly has, with partners, purchased the cafe, remodeled the dining room and kitchen, and gave the menu a much needed overhaul. The small, but particular menu has a Pacific Northwest focus with occasional southern influences (Addy's roots).

We had a family dinner there a few weeks ago and left pretty impressed. Mimi opted for the Pan-roasted Halibut ($22) which was arguably the best dish at the table. The generous portion was cooked perfectly with crispy edges and a sauce worth eating in spoonfuls.

Adam and I shared the 40 Day Dry Aged Ribeye (for two- $40) with "twice-baked potato" which were really once baked, once fried, but who cares- they were delicious! The meat was really flavorful, though Adam felt it was a little too fatty making the $40 price tag seem a bit steep. 

Pork Chop ($24), one of the six main dishes to choose from, was my mom's pick. I believe her exact words were "this is the best pork chop I've ever had." I tried it, it was pretty damn good. The pumpkin puree and pear mustard gave it a taste of fall and it, like the fish and steak was perfectly cooked.

A unique option is the Primetime Special which is served every night around 7pm until it is gone, allowing the chef to feature dishes that are best served immediately. The dish and price varies. On this particular night it was a White Lasagna ($14) with homemade pasta, chicken, braised greens, and a white sauce. Definitely a great comfort food.

Of course all of this was accompanied with bottles of wine or, in Adam's case, Manhattans. I started taking pictures too late so you're missing Steamed Mussels ($11) with salsa verde aioli and grilled bread, Roasted Cauliflower Salad ($7), Cheese Sticks ($8) of crispy fried taleggio with apple butter, and Apple Salad ($7).

I'm sure we'll be back as Fremont Street and The Alameda Cafe hold a special place in our hearts. The menu will evolve and I'm waiting for a happy hour (hopefully!), but I'm liking what I see, and taste. I could go for those mussels again soon. So good.

Portland Brunch: Ned Ludd

What: Ned Ludd
Where: 3925 NE MLK Blvd.
When: Sunday Brunch 9am-2pm
Honeys Heart: Strawberry Butter

My sister Sarah came to Portland in May for the Portland Rock'n'Roll half marathon, which she ROCKED (pun intended.) Not only did she visit for an extended weekend, we were joined by her close friend from college, Isabel, and a weekend of hitting up the Portland food scene ensued. Sarah ran 13.1 miles so that was basically enough for all of us, right?

The race ended and we refused to take Sarah anywhere until she stretched and showered. Following some serious foam rolling (Isabel and I laid on the couch) we ended up at Ned Ludd. The space has an interesting rustic feel, with pops of colors, a man outside chopping firewood, and the darkest bathroom I've ever been in at noon, but I liked the vibe and felt totally comfortable there. We took some time with the food menu, but it only took a couple seconds to decide on Bloody Marys - a toast to Sarah's accomplishment! The jars had a chili rim and some fun pickled vegetables. Of course we had 2-3 more. 

Sarah ordered the Hard Cooked Egg, Avocado, Cress, Radish on Volkorn Brot ($9) which was drizzled with olive oil and generously salted. It was really amazing for being so simple. This is totally a dish I could recreate at home. It's on my to-do list.

Isabel and I shared an order of the same dish that Sarah ordered as well as the Fried Polenta, Charred Rabes, Fried Duck Egg and Chile Conserva ($11.) This was such a comforting dish, but at the same time it didn't feel heavy. 

So, to be honest, Adam, Isabel and I already had breakfast sandwiches while cheering Sarah on so while Isabel and I called this lunch, Adam went for a "lighter" option. Well, less food, but between the Strawberry Butter and the Bacon it was pretty rich! Though I think we're all glad he ordered that strawberry butter...it was so tasty!

I don't make it up to N/NE for brunch often enough (maybe it's more like I don't make it up for weekend brunch often enough), but this is a great option and I would gladly return!

Portland Restaurant: Cocotte

What: Cocotte
Where: 2930 NE Killingsworth St
Honeys Heart: Chicken liver mousse 


A couple of weeks ago, Doug mentioned that he had never tried escargot, but really wanted to. So when we realized we had a weekend night free (a rarity these days with wedding season in full swing), I decided that needed to change.

Doug is pretty much the best at planning surprise dates (see: this and this and this) so I always feel a little inferior when it's my turn to figure where to go and what to do. This time, however, I was pretty sure I had it in the bag. 

We started things off with a drink at Barwares, the just-added full bar connected to Johanna Ware's Smallwares.

The drinks were good but I would skip the food the next time around. We were hungry so we tried the chicken lollipops and mu shu pork pancakes. Nothing special for being a bit pricey.

After that, it was off to our dinner destination. Doug guessed we were going Cafe Castagna (we've been wanting to try their burgers) but nope! Instead we headed for Cocotte.

Cocotte is a little French bistro that first caught my eye when Doug took me to dinner at Beast. I've been wanting to try it ever since, so when I spotted escargot on their menu, I thought it would be the perfect choice.

Cocotte greets all diners with a warm baguette served with apricot and mustard butter. Sounds a little strange but it was very tasty.

Of course, we had to get the Escargot sur Champ Vert  ($8) made with garlic butter, herb pistou (think: French pesto) & leeks on brioche. 

The only experience I had with escargot before was of cruise-ship variety so I was pleasantly surprised with the texture of these escargot. They were soft and not at all chewy, similar to well-cooked scallops (which I guess makes sense. Yay mollusks!). The herb pistou and leeks lent a freshness to the dish that was perfect for an almost-summer night. Doug wasn't a huge fan of the brioche but I never say no to bread so I was happy. 

We decided to round out our meal with another French delicacy: Chicken Liver Mousse ($8) served with house pickles, mustard, port cherries and a baguette.  

Though we both liked the escargot, Doug and I agreed that the mousse was our favorite dish. With so many accoutrements, there were many flavor combinations to be tried and each was delicious in its own way. We'd definitely order this dish again. 

As we were paying our bill, our waitress mentioned that Cocotte has a happy hour. They offer $3, $5, and $8 food specials Tues-Sat 4-6pm & 9pm-close and all day Sunday. Need to hit that up ASAP!

Oh! And I almost forgot. Cocotte ends each meal with the gift of sugared Madeleine cookies (my second favorite French cookie). Such a lovely ending to a great dinner!