What is Portland, Ore.? (Part I)

A trip to Portland wouldn't be complete without a stop here.

What is Portland?

It’s where I had my first newspaper internship way back when at the Oregonian…

It’s where I learned it wise to carry an umbrella two out of three months that summer because that’s just how much it rains there…

It’s a pioneering eco-conscious city known for its great public transportation system, including free streetcar and bus rides in the downtown corridor…

And of course, it’s a region blessed with spectacular homegrown produce, world-class Pinot Noirs, incredible microbrews, legions of food carts long before it became trendy, and a vibrant restaurant scene any city would envy…

Thanks to Travel Oregon, a group of 25 food bloggers, including yours truly, recently was invited as guests to wine and dine our way through Portland.

Here are some of the tasty highlights:

A trip to Portland has to include a stop at Voodoo Doughnut, right?

Get in line behind the sign. And there's always a line, even late at night.

Trying to decide which one to order...

The one I had to have. Can ya blame me?

This doughnut shop is known worldwide and its wacky cruellers have even been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.”

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A Taste of Spain in the Heart of Broadway in San Francisco

Meat madness at Txoko.

Txoko restaurant, which opened this summer on San Francisco’s colorful Broadway, is all about the meat.

In fact, the restaurant, named for a traditional members-only Basque gastronomical society, serves up a menu of Spanish-inspired small plates — with only one “big plate.”

And that is a Flintstone-sized “Painted Hills Bone-In Rib Eye Steak for Two.” Two? Seriously, this could easily feed four. Though, my server told me on the night I had been invited in as a guest of the restaurant that she has seen two people actually clean the plate.

We’re talking a splay of meat slices on a platter that is essentially prime rib cut as a steak. It’s incredibly juicy, beefy, and rich as butter.

It’s a he-man portion. But wait — there’s more. The “big plate” also comes with two side dishes, each holding thick slabs of potatoes cooked in butter, of course, as well as heirloom tomatoes, and shishito peppers — ringed by a vibrant chimichurri sauce.

I’m not even a major carnivore, but even I was blown away by how magnificent this steak was. It’s $65, which is a pretty good deal compared to traditional steakhouses elsewhere.

It takes 45 minutes to cook this behemoth over mesquite — time enough to admire or blanch at the quirky decor of what was once the legendary Enrico’s restaurant.

Quite a few have balked at the funky vibe of this place. But considering it’s surrounded by strip joints, can one really complain too much?

The whimsical, slightly twisted mural.

Tables with the flimsy napkins in dispensers.

I kind of liked the eccentricity of this dimly lit place that has a huge bar, bare dark tables, enormous wheel-like steel light fixtures, and a crazy mural by North Beach artist Jeremy Fish that depicts cartoon animals feasting on, um, animals. Yes, nothing like a little cannibalism to whet the appetite, hey?

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Girard’s Giveaway to Dress Up Your Salads

Newly revamped salad dressings from Girard's.

Sometimes we’re in such a rush to put food on the table that we can’t even be bothered with making our own salad dressing.

For times like that, reach for a bottle of tasty, already prepared dressing that’s seasoned with a bit of history, too.

Girard’s Salad Dressings got their start at Girard’s French Restaurant in 1935, located on the third floor of the landmark John’s Grill in downtown San Francisco. There, the Girard family first made their French dressing, which ended up being marketed and eventually sold to a large conglomerate.

Nowadays, Girard dressings come in 17 flavors, four of which have just been rejiggered to contain less sodium.

They are: Light Champagne, Olde Venice Italian, White Balsamic and Greek Feta Vinaigrette

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win samples of each of the four newly revamped Girard’s salad dressings. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight Oct. 1. Winner will be announced Oct. 3.

How to win?

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Pure Pizza Dough Heaven — The Recipe From Pizzeria Mozza

Pizza nirvana.

Hands down, this is the best pizza dough recipe — ever.

I don’t say that lightly, either. And believe you me, I’ve tried many others, some quite good.

But the one from “The Mozza Cookbook” (Alfred A. Knopf) by baker extraordinaire, Nancy Silverton, and her chef, Matt Molina, and food journalist Carolynn Carreno, is truly astounding.

It’s got so much character and developed flavor that I could eat the crust plain. How many pizza crusts can you say that about?

As Silverton explains in the new cookbook, of which I recently received a review copy, it’s not an exact replica of the one served at her Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles that she owns with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. But having enjoyed the real deal at Mozza every time I’ve visited Los Angeles, I can attest that the recipe in the book makes a pretty darn close approximation to the pizzas that come out of the restaurant’s ferociously hot wood-fired ovens.

They both sport one of the most varied crusts around — at times crisp, chewy and airy. Each bite of crust brings a new texture — from the edges, which puff up in the blistering heat of the oven, to the patchwork of air holes like that of a wonderful ciabatta to the cracker-like center. The flavor is that of a great artisan bread. And no wonder since Silverton practically single-handedly started the gourmet bread trend in Los Angeles when she opened her landmark La Brea Bakery.

I’ve loved this pizza crust from the first time I ever sank my teeth into it years ago in Los Angeles. I can’t be more thrilled to know that I can duplicate it at home now, too.

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Macy’s Union Square Mystery Basket Battle

Chef Hoss Zare plating his first dish at the Macy's Union Square cooking challenge.

In one corner, a Swedish chef who cooks Italian food.

In the other, a Persian chef known for his infectious Hoss-pitality.

Of course, I can only be talking about Chef Staffan Terje of San Francisco’s Perbacco and Barbacco restaurants; and Chef Hoss Zare of San Francisco’s Zare at Fly Trap.

These gifted chefs and longtime friends squared off Wednesday night in a packed house in the Cellar at Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco for the ever popular “Mystery Basket Battle.” It was all in good fun for a good cause — ticket proceeds were donated to Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, which provides nutritious meals to home-bound seniors.

Chefs Hoss Zare and Staffan Terje joke around before the battle begins.

The three "mystery'' ingredients that had to be used in a dish

Yours truly was a judge, tasked to determine the winner of this cooking battle, which was as big on flavor as it was on laughs. My fellow judges included Kevin Blum, founder and editor of City Dish; Susannah Chen, associate editor of YumSugar; and Alejandra Schrader, a finalist on “MasterChef’‘ Season 2.  Schrader, a trained architect and urban planner, started her own private chef company, Cucina Cocina in Southern California, following her success on the TV show.

“It’s nice to be on this side this time,” Schrader joked as she watched Terje and Zare chopping and stirring up a storm during the 45-minute battle.

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