Samantha Bakall

With an all-out ban on on-site dining across the state, social service agencies, food pantries, and nonprofits are scrambling to rework their policies in order to continue feeding some of the city’s most vulnerable populations. On Monday, Northwest Portland nonprofit Blanchet House attempted to limit guests in their eatery to only 30 at a time before the restaurant ban forced the nonprofit to shutter its dining room and pivot to to-go meals. Meals on Wheels has drastically altered their services, which relied […]

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A typical Saturday or Sunday morning in Southeast Portland’s Jade District would normally bring crowds of hungry diners and community members to gather and eat at some of the city’s best Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants. But since the outbreak of COVID-19 was first announced at the beginning of the year, many diners and people within the community itself have stayed away from the area whether out of internal fears gleaned from news back home, xenophobic associations with the virus, and now, as the […]

Categories: Writing

As the snowy summit of Mt. Hood rises in the distance, director of ground maintenance Hugo Torii roughly points out a new gingko tree he recently planted near the tea house at the Portland Japanese Garden. “I’m not going to tell you [where it is] until it gets bigger,” Torii laughs, “because what if it dies in two years?” Though the sapling is a new addition to the garden, it’s part of a bigger vision for both Torii and the garden […]

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One of Portland’s older, wealthier neighborhoods, the mostly residential Beaumont offers views of downtown, the Willamette River and the Cascades. In Beaumont Village, a shopping district along Northeast Fremont Street, you can indulge in mini doughnuts, stroopwafels, yoga and more. Taste One of Portland’s most beloved doughnut shops is tucked into Beaumont’s chic retail strip. Yes, you’ll likely have to wait in line at Pip’s Original Doughnuts & Chai, but it’s worth it. Here, the world’s cutest (and most Instagram-worthy) two-bite doughnuts […]

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In a city as food-obsessed as Portland, it should come as no surprise that pickles are a culture unto their own. From jars of locally made pickles to our renowned beer and wine scene, Portlanders loves fermented foods so much we even named one of our baseball teams (the Portland Pickles) after them. Between the city’s many pickle-heavy restaurant menus and its annual Fermentation Festival, there’s certainly no shortage of places to try these top-notch fermented treats across town. Portland-Made Pickles Upgrade your […]

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Click through the 2020 Travel Portland Visitor’s Guide to read stories by me about finding nature in the city, essential Portland dishes, a look at the city’s up-and-coming Filipino restaurant Magna, essential food cart pods, a North Williams Avenue dining guide and the best food souvenirs to take home with you from the airport.

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Less than an hour outside Portland, vineyard-covered hilltops begin to rise in the distance, as tree-lined neighborhoods make way for expansive farm vistas. Here in the Willamette Valley, the prize is world-class wine — paired, of course, with outstanding food — and it’s all made with local ingredients just a hilltop away. If you want to get a full sense of the valley in all of its bounty, a day trip just won’t do. Here’s how to experience the best […]

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A new world opened up above the snow-laden evergreens the first time I crunched toward the summit of Bennett Pass, with Mt. Hood standing sentinel over the sparkling valley. It looked like I was trapped in a snowglobe. As a frequent hiker and paddler, I’m most familiar with the state’s lush forests and cool blue waterways. But in winter, snowshoeing Oregon’s expansive trails and undulating alpine passes has become my next favorite adventure. It makes me eager for each snowfall, […]

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There’s nowhere else like it in the world. Taking up a full city block, the three-story Powell’s Books is one of the greatest landmarks in Portland. It’s home to more than 2 million books, with something for every visitor in the store’s 3,500 sections ranging from botany and maps to LGBTQ erotica and rare books. We asked four employees across the store and its sister locations in Portland what brought them to work at the local hallmark and what books […]

Categories: Writing