Sunshine on a Rainy Day

Dave and I had our first date at a tavern in The Dalles called the Sugar Bowl. These days it would be one of those neighborhood dives, with its smoke and stale beer smell, but back then it was a place to go after work and share a pitcher. This was before the advent of microbrews, when rebels drank Miller instead of Bud and Tuesday was Dollar Taco night.

Since then the old neighborhood tavern with its don't-look-too-close shag carpeting, worn barstools and pre-noon regulars leaning over the bar has become a disappearing species, replaced by bright brewpubs and shiny upscale restaurants with downscale menus that serve beer and wine. And I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing.

Take the Sunshine Tavern, the new Division Street venture of Lincoln's Jenn Louis. Decidedly casual, with a shuffleboard table as a retro-tavern centerpiece, it's aiming to attract that je ne sais quoi eastside Portland crowd of young families and hipsters.

We went with a friend the other night to have a bite and a beer and found it populated with the aforementioned demographic plus a sprinkling of gray-hairs like us. Dave's roasted pork belly was rich and very well made, though he could only finish half due to the fat content, and the fries were decent. I had their version of an oyster po' boy (top photo) with a fennel slaw that didn't overwhelm the crunchy freshness of the fried oysters, though the bun was just kind of bready and uninteresting.

The drawback here is the noise level, which even when half-full can get deafening, so my advice would be to go mid-afternoon when it's not as busy if you want to have a conversation with your tablemates. I've also heard the burger is good, and the rest of the extensive menu looks worth exploring. Expect a rotating selection of draft beers from NW breweries, as well as bottled beers and a selection of shandies and cocktails.

While it's not exactly the Sugar Bowl, I could see someone meeting a co-worker here for a post-work pint. After all, you never know what might develop after a few beers.

Details: Sunshine Tavern, 3111 SE Division St. 503-688-1750.

Lovely Lincoln

Sometimes I'm a little behind. As in late to the party, the last to know, maybe even a little slow on the uptake. But better late than never, right? Right?

So it was that when friends called to see if we'd like to join them for dinner at Lincoln, I had to admit that, no, though it's a mere five-minute drive from our door to theirs, we had yet to have dinner at the now 2-year-old establishment. And we'd even heard very complimentary things about the food, the service and the Northwest-meets-midcentury design of the place.

We walked in right on time for our 7:15 pm reservation and found our friends already ensconced at the bar with drinks in hand (one of many reasons we love them), so we sat down and ordered a round for ourselves. The maître d' stopped by to let us know our table was ready, but said there was no hurry if we wanted to hang at the bar for a few minutes, and she was as good as her word.

We moved the party to the table, our drinks floating behind us care of the able staff, and ordered the octopus salad (meaty and delicious) and thyme flatbread with tonnato (a tuna-based spread), heirloom tomatoes and a spoonful of fennel salad…fresh and totally seasonal. I noticed that padron peppers were featured on another salad and, because our friends had never tasted them, I asked our waitress if the chef could possibly fry up a few for them to sample.

Within moments a plate piled with the peppers arrived and as we nibbled…who am I kidding?…inhaled them we ordered our entrées, two of us going for rabbit, one for albacore (two large pieces seared on green beans and bottarga, above) and the other rounding it out with a lamb ragu. My rabbit (above right), a confit of two legs on soft polenta with padron peppers and pimenton, was tender and juicy, a nice trick to pull off with the leanness of this meat, even considering it's the juiciest part of the bunny.

I found out later that this place is known for its housemade pastas, and our experience confirmed that in spades. The malloreddus pasta, which came with a rabbit ragu, was a new one on me, looking for all the world like a pile of little white caterpillars. Which put none of us off of it in the least, since we all passed bites around for the table to sample. Dave had also ordered a pasta dish, this one with sorcetti, similar to gnocchi and made with potatoes, that came topped by a lamb ragu. The rich stew was mixed with plenty of pecorino and was the sneaker hit of the evening.

The bottle of Chateau Trinquevedel Tavel Rosé that we chose was light enough for the albacore but had enough body and acid to take on the ragus, so the group was more than happy on that front. After dinner it was shots of scotch and __ for the guys (no cigars, alas…I love that smell with scotch!) and a dessert for the table, a light meringue layered with creme fraiche and slathered with blueberries (above left). A nigh perfect finish.

So though we might have been a tad slow to come to the table at Lincoln, we were more than pleased that we'd finally taken our seats there.

Details: Lincoln, 3808 N Williams Ave. Phone 503-288-6200.

Livin' in the Blurbs: The Gift of Good Food

DIY, as in Do It Yourself, has been the new black here in the Northwest since waaaaaaay before the current economic climate had folks putting up preserves and sewing their own clothes (though that does account for the odd costumes I've seen out and about lately…yikes!). One of the first on the bandwagon was Luan Schooler at Foster & Dobbs, who started a DIY Cheesemaking Group at her store a couple of years ago. Yes, I said cheesemaking, as in people getting it from somewhere other than the dairy case at the store. The group is meeting again on Nov. 4 and will feature Gayle Starbuck, who will demonstrate basic soft fresh cheesemaking techniques using direct set cultures. She’ll discuss equipment, sources, and using herbs and flowers to decorate and flavor fresh cheeses, along with using cultures to make Fromage Blanc, crème fraiche, Fromagina, mascarpone and more. Can you say the perfect holiday hostess gift?

Details: DIY Cheesemaking Group meeting. Wed., Nov. 4, 6:30 pm; free. Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods, 2518 NE 15th Ave. Phone 503-284-1157.

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Pie is one of those simple pleasures of life that scares the daylights out of people. Maybe your mother was a terrific pie baker and you'll know you'll never measure up. Maybe you tried once and had a leathery, leaden mess on your hands. But now's your chance to change all that just in time for the holidays. Culinary Artistry, the catering wing of well-reviewed Lincoln Restaurant, is starting a series of small, affordable cooking classes, beginning with Pie Dough 101. In the one-hour class you'll learn to make dough by hand and with a machine, plus you'll take home the dough you make and recipes on how to use it. Everyone at your holiday table (not to mention at the family dinner table) will be so glad you did!

Details: Pie Dough 101. Sun., Nov. 8, 11 am; $60, reservations required. Culinary Artistry, 3808 N Williams, #128. 503-232-4675.

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Everyone knows they can subscribe to magazines. More people are finding out about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscriptions. But subscribing to a bagel service? Such an innovative, some might say crazy-ass idea could only come from the mind of baker-cum-mad scientist Mark Doxtader, farmers' market brick-oven maven and owner of Tastebud Farm. With a minimum order of two dozen (in increments of six) and a choice of mouthwatering selections like poppy, sesame or plain, plus salt, pepper and whatever nutty combo Mark decides to offer, you can go in with friends and neighbors or your co-workers. Cream cheese and sandwich platter options are also available. And if you've got a bagel addict on your holiday gift list, what could be more perfect?

Details: Bagel Subscriptions from Tastebud Farm. E-mail for more information or download the subscription form here.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Talk, Movies and Eating in the Kitchen

Author Woody Tasch is at the forefront of efforts to move away from the old models of industrial finance and industrial agriculture and reflect the new economic, social and environmental realities of the 21st century. In his book "Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered," he articulates a new vision of capital markets grounded in restoration rather than consumption, and preservation rather than extraction — a new era of fiduciary responsibility that meets the demands of our times and the possibilities of our future. Find out more at his free lecture this month!

Details: Woody Tasch on "Slow Money." Mar. 16, 7 pm; free with RSVP. Ecotrust’s Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th Ave. 503-227-6225.

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See a movie for free and indulge in some of the city's best pastries, not to mention a plethora of exotic libations? It's all happening on Monday nights at Pix Patisserie on North Williams Ave., and the schedule looks like a fun one:

• Mar. 9: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), directed by Steve Barron
• Mar. 16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), directed by Michael Pressman
• Mar. 23: Bladerunner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott
• Mar. 30: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), directed by Tim Burton

Details: Free Monday Movies at Pix Patisserie, 3901 N Williams Ave. Phone 503-282-6539.

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If you like to be close to the action, then Lincoln Restaurant's new series of dinners has your name written all over it. Seated on stools around the large butcher block table in their commercial kitchen, it's dinner next to the stove (literally). Wine and a full bar are available, too, and it should make for some memorable dining!

• Mar. 5: Arugula with blood oranges, pear, almonds and citrus vinaigrette; Pork shoulder with soft polenta and roasted onions; Chocolate slumpcake with nibs and crème fraiche; $25
• Mar. 6: Roasted beets with fromage blanc and salsa verde; Bourride of clams, mussels, true cod, potatoes and fennel; Chocolate espresso cake with maldon salt and crème fraiche; $30
• Mar. 7: Fried fennel with lemon aioi; Puree of cauliflower soup with porcini charlotte; Braised flank steak with olives, red onion and potato gratin; Almond cake with poached pears; $30
• Mar. 8: Chicken curry with chickpeas and garam masala; Green cabbage with mustard seeds and ginger; Apple and carrot raita; Basmati rice; Naan; Vanilla ice cream with butterscotch; $25

Details: Dinner in the Kitchen at Lincoln Restaurant. 7 pm; reservations only. 3808 N Williams Ave., No. 127. 503-232-4675.