The Mouth wants
to hear from you
Local food is heading into exciting territory,
and the next year holds plenty of adventure
L
ast week I highlighted some of
the top restaurants I reviewed in
$s ¿ ve of those si[ opened
in the last two years, I concluded
that dining in the region is on the
rise.
But you don’t have to take my
word for it.
At the Iron Chef Goes Coastal event in
November I was afforded the opportunity
to chat for a moment with judge Vitaly Pa-
ley, who is known as one of the forefathers
of Portland’s restaurant revolution. I want-
ed to know what the renowned restauran-
teur saw happening with food on the North
Coast.
³I think, by e[tension, Portland is grow-
ing, and all the surrounding communities
take cues and work well off one another,”
Paley said. “(You) have amazing product
here to work with, all the seafood. We’re
right smack in the middle of some of the
best growing area. And this has been the
most amazing growing season, to begin
with.
“Portland is just a bigger city with a lot
more people and a lot more restaurants,”
Paley continued. “It takes the ante up. We
all compete against each other, but it’s a
friendly competition. But the ambition is
high and I think it rubs off on all the sur-
rounding communities.”
I couldn’t agree more.
And, as I see it, the boiling food and
economic climates in Portland — and oth-
er nearby metropolitan areas, like Seattle
— will continue to buoy our local Colum-
bia-Pacific scene. As a growing food des-
tination, more and more chefs are getting
both advanced and eclectic training in Port-
land. And as the cost of living there contin-
ues to grow, and the competition becomes
more intense, the coast becomes a more at-
tractive place to both live and start a busi-
ness. Astoria’s Street 14 Cafe and Frite &
Scoop are e[cellent e[amples of such mi-
gration.
But chefs aren’t the only entrepreneurs
finding value in the North Coast. First-gen-
12 | January 7, 2016 | coastweekend.com
eration farms, farmers and ranchers — like
46 North, R-evolution Gardens and Skama-
kowa Creamery — are producing e[cellent
foods that in turn provide inspiration and
opportunity to local chefs.
So yes, I — like Paley — am e[cited
about where local food is heading. But
enough about me.
I want to know about you.
I want to know your favorite restaurants,
and I want to know your favorite dishes. I
want to know where you’ve been surprised,
impressed, let down, and where you can al-
ways count on.
Also, what kind of cuisine would you
most like to see on the coast? What kind of
food are you sick of? What always ends up
on your plate and never gets eaten? What’s
underrated? What’s overrated?
I also want to know what you think
about this column. What’s most helpful?
Contact The Mouth
Write an email: mouth@coastweekend.com
Read old reviews: coastweekend.com/cw/reviews
Like on Facebook: Coast Weekend or Coast Dining
Submitted image
Where have I gone wrong? Where do I
need to go? What do I need to try? What
restaurant deserves a second look? (This
includes reviews by past Mouths.)
Also, are you interested in columns that
focus on food at large, such as the Food
and Drug Administration’s recent approv-
al of genetically modified salmon as fit for
human consumption? Would a profile of a
farm or farmer be interesting?
Furthermore, are there any vegetarians/
vegans out there reading? I’d love to hear
your thoughts. I don’t want to leave you
out. What are your favorite spots? Who
does the best job not only meeting your
mouth
OF THE COLUMBIA
COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW
Story by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com
needs, but e[ceeding them?
To these questions, I invite you to email
me: mouth@coastweekend.com. But even
that begs another question: Are there better
ways to engage than email? While I abso-
lutely welcome story comments on coast-
weekend.com, I try to respond personally to
every email — even the persnickety ones.
Also, are you able to easily find ar-
chived columns? And while we run a spe-
cific Coast Dining Facebook page, would
any other services or apps — like Twitter,
Instagram, etc. — be helpful, or more con-
ducive to continuing the conversation?
Now, we’ll get back to our regularly
scheduled review programming ne[t week.
But before we do, I want to leave you with
one final thought.
Taking over as The Mouth has been a
marvelous, eye-opening e[perience. I’m
learning so much every day — not only
about restaurants on the North Coast, but
about the nature of food, cooking, dining
and eating. As when I began, I remain hum-
ble, hat in hand, knowing only that I have
so much more to learn.
I suppose that’s one of the things about
food that’s so great — as both an art and
a science, one can never know it all, nor
e[haust its potentials for creativity. It’s the
kind of subject capable of fueling a lifelong
practice and passion. And for the opportu-
nity to further e[plore this world, I remain
your grateful servant.
So, now, tell me about you.