Quick Take: Por Que No on Hawthorne

At first it seems silly, like putting a sweater on a Husky or taking wine to a dinner at my brother's. After all, our neighborhood is teeming with taquerias, bursting with burrito carts and swimming in salsa rojo. And there's even the original ¿Por Que No? right down the street on Mississippi.

But trying to get a seat at that tiny closet of a restaurant on a cold winter night is like the people I know who were thinking about going to the inauguration at the last minute. In other words, fuhgeddaboudit. Always hopping, even on early-in-the-week nights, we just can't seem to get there early or late enough when things (might) slow down.

Shrine to curandera Maria Sabina, practitioner of the velada, or healing ceremony.

So the new place, bigger by two or three times and with a large patio out back, makes more sense even though it's several times farther away. And not to mislead you, because it's busy, too, but the tables turn over quickly and we haven't had trouble getting a spot, even with a party of four at peak dinner hour. Plus, if you decide you have room for another taco or one more margarita, they have a second register for reorders so you don't have to stand in line. Brilliant!

I've raved the food before, so won't bother repeating that their carnitas are mind-boggling and the chicken asada is stunning (oops, did it again), so I'll just say that Bryan Steelman and his chef, Josh Kimball, work hard to take advantage of local, organic products whenever they can. And the renovation of this former upholstery shop has been a model of sustainable development, using recycled materials and the latest energy-saving technologies.

The next time you want some great chow and, at the same time, want to support a place that's at the forefront of Portland's enthusiasm for DIY green development, you can't miss by going here.

Details: Por Que No on Hawthorne, 4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 503-954-3138.

¿Por Que No? Makes Gourmet

My favorite spot in the 'hood for carnitas and hibiscus flower tea, ¿Por Que No?, is featured this month in none other than the hoity-toity food magazine, Gourmet. In the cover story on critics' picks of the top Latino restaurants in 14 cities, three Portland spots made the list. Local writer Janie Hibler raved:

"Por Que No Taqueria. This tiny taqueria is located in a converted garage outfitted with a lone counter lined with jars of aqua [sic] fresca and several small tables. While traditional items like tacos, enchiladas, carnitas, and tamales are solid, the best picks are the ones made with local ingredients, such as the Carlton pork carnitas and the line-caught fish tacos served with crèma, cabbage, mango, and cilantro."

Other than the incorrect spelling of "aqua fresca" when they mean "agua fresca," we can't argue with a word. The other places chosen as the city's best? The ones you'd expect, namely Andina and Nuestra Cocina (incorrectly spelled in the magazine as "Nuestra Cucina" - what is up with their copyeditors?). So, once again, the national press is catching on to what we already told you...namely, get in there!

Details: ¿Por Que No?, 3524 N. Mississippi. Phone 503-467-4149.

It's Good to Beat Your Feet

Though there most likely won't be any mud, there are going to be crowds of feet beating their way down to the 6th Annual Mississippi Avenue Street Fair on July 14 (Sat.). A free event to benefit Boise-Eliot Elementary School, it's featuring a wide diversity of music and dance performances, children’s games, snacks galore from Mississippi Avenue restaurants, a fashion show, local arts and crafts and a giant community yard sale.

Taco bar extraordinaire ¿Por Que No? Taqueria will have a Margarita Bar out on the street to quench your thirst, and the music stage will be rocking with the likes of Samba Sol, 5 Fingers of Funk, Samba Feat, Funk Plastic and White Rhino. And if last year is any indication, you won't be able to keep yourself from having a good time. See you there!

Details: Mississippi Avenue Street Fair. July 14, 11 am-7 pm; Free. Mississippi Ave. between N. Fremont and Prescott.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

Two days, two lunches, weather so fabulous you can dine outside in shirtsleeves in early May...does it get better than this? The crowd roars, "NO!"

Picked up a pal and ventured down the street (again) to Mississippi and Bryan Steelman's ¿Por Que No? Taqueria to check out their sidewalk dining scene. The bench along the bright pink stucco wall is now covered by a lovely arbor and lined with tiny lanterns, making it the perfect outdoor dining scene that will remind you of an evening on the malecon in Vallarta.

We started with their Hibicus Flower Tea, a pint of deep ruby liquid with a hint of lime, and some of their guacamole and salsa with house-made chips, crisp wedges of fried tortilla that are thick and light without being leathery. Then came two tacos, a calamari (left in photo) and their amazing carnitas. The calamari, which I'd never had before, is super fresh with a sprinkling of pico de gallo, queso fresca and their smooth, deeply flavored house chile sauce. The day, the sun, the company and a terrific lunch. Suffice it to say I feel like the luckiest of persons!

Then today I picked up the Mama from her bachelorette pad and we drove over to Nostrana for a little pre-Mother's Day celebration. Once again, I was bowled over by the room (maybe half full rather than the crowds it draws at dinner), the service (Mark had my mother's heart fluttering with all the attention) and, of course, their incredible food. If this isn't one of the best places in town to have lunch, then I'll just have to turn in my badge.

We started with an asparagus and sweet pea salad with shaved Parmigiano. Now, on a normal day this would be a great starter salad, but they not only peeled but shaved the barely cooked asparagus into slender slices, picked only the tenderest curls and leaves of the pea shoots and topped it all with a barely poached egg. Yikes!

Then we moved on to the Nostrana salad, their take on a classic Caesar, made with radicchio and with a light, creamy touch on the dressing. Plus a pesto pizza straight from the wood-fired oven that was blazing away behind the bar. Mark had poured us each a glass of the Canalicchio Rosso di Montalcino, though he seemed a little puzzled that we weren't having white wine with our food choices. What can I say? Rosso rocks!

We were going to leave after our coffee, but we saw a panna cotta float by on its way to another table, so since Mom had never had one and it's so hard to explain what makes it so incredibly wonderful, I ordered one for her. "It's small," I said. "Hardly any calories." It came, a little round of creamy perfection, with a drizzling of rhubarb sauce that had us in orbit. Plus Mark's explanation that the texture, according to the Italians, "should be like a mature breast, not a young one." Did I tell you he's great with the ladies or what?

Details: ¿Por Que No? Tacqueria, 3524 N. Mississippi. Phone 503-467-4149. Nostrana, 1401 SE Morrison; Phone 503-234-2427.