Live Oregon

Best Places to Eat a Summer Meal in Oregon

Best places for enjoying a summer meal in the garden written by Jen Stevenson XICO For a taste of Mexico City and Oaxaca in a secret urban garden off Portland’s busy Division Street, ask for a patio table at this mecca of masa and mezcal. Chef Kelly Myers’ dinner menu beckons with serrano vinaigrette-tossed squid atop homemade blue corn tostadas, grilled chorizo verde with grilled cactus salad and cinnamon sugar-dusted sopaipillas with blackberry mezcal sauce. The recently revived lunch and brunch menu holds its own— chilaquiles and a Michelada al fresco make for the perfect summer Sunday morning. 3715 SE DIVISION ST. PORTLAND xicopdx.com GATHERING TOGETHER FARM Take a mini summer road trip to this working Philomath farm, where the south Willamette Valley fields and orchards part briefly to accommodate the cozy covered porch cafe and market. The menu changes with the crops, so expect duck breast with boysenberries and…

Good Bike Company in Prineville

James Good of Good Bike Company is Balancing Business, Baby and Fitness Bike shop owner learns to schedule for success written by Mackenzie Wilson  | photography by Bradley Lanphear When James Good opened a bike shop, it never crossed his mind that he’d suddenly be strapped for time to work out. Good and his wife, Natalie, relocated from Ogden, Utah, to Prineville in 2014. They were looking for somewhere rural she could continue her work as a family doctor and they could put down roots. Good wanted to live out a childhood dream. Everything fell into place—Natalie got a job at the hospital in Prineville, and an old gas station downtown was just begging to be renovated into Good Bike Co. That’s when things got hectic. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I said, ‘Someday I’m going to live in the mountains and start my own bike shop….

hops at Rogue Farms

Hops at the Rogue Farms

A look behind the scenes at Rogue Farms written by Jeremy Storton The sun had not yet risen to its peak in the late summer sky, but it was already getting warm. From far off I could see the unmistakable outline of hop bines reaching into the sky like beanstalks. The faint smell of tractor diesel and hop resin greeted me when I arrived. I came to Rogue Farms in Independence to witness, firsthand, a hop harvest and see where my beer comes from. Somehow I found myself staring nose to snout with two pigs named Voo and Doo, named for the Portland doughnut shop that made bacon maple bars famous. And to think, none of this would exist without Rogue Nation’s desire to dare, risk and dream. Kyle Ward, the farm’s tasting room manager, walked me through rows of hops that stood 20 feet tall. As if introducing me…

Oregon Grapes

Oregon Grapes: Farm To Table

STRING THE WORDS “Oregon” and “grapes” together and most people immediately visualize the vines that run up and down hillsides in the state’s many wine regions. Those with a good knowledge of native plants may cite the prickly, yellow- flowered state plant instead. Few will call out the table grapes that come into season in August. That’s because for most people, grapes for snacking and cooking come from California and must be bought in plastic pouches in grocery stores. But those willing to wait for the Oregon crop will discover a whole different side to grapes: something as sticky and juicy as the first summer peaches—a fruit capable of sending juice dripping down your chin and becoming as addictive as the best berries. Consider Oregon grapes as the new Pacific Northwest delicacy. Just as Oregon wine grape growers are now giving their colleagues in California a run for their money,…

modern Foursquare

Modern Foursquare: Oregon Design

WALK DOWN ANY street in inner Southeast Portland and you’ll see the modern Foursquare. As a popular build after the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition of 1905, Foursquares stand two-and-a-half stories high, usually have a wide front porch, and eschew the ornate flourish common to their Victorian predecessors. Even the name is straightforward, referring to the four boxy rooms on the main level. “The Foursquare is a classic Portland typology,” said architect Isaac Campbell, who runs Office 52 Architecture with partner, architect Michelle LaFoe. “The only house we have more of are bungalows.” In 2013, close friends of the pair, lost their 1906 Foursquare in a devastating fire that occurred when the family was out. “The family got back from dinner and the house was engulfed,” Campbell said. Afterward, friends and neighbors immediately pitched in to help rebuild, including Campbell and LaFoe. “The house was still standing but the smoke…

Lavender Poppyseed Cookies: Oregon Recipes

Lavender Poppyseed Cookies: Oregon Recipes

Red Star Tavern’s Lavender Poppyseed Cookies Recipe PORTLAND / Red Star Tavern Stacey Needham These Lavender Poppyseed Cookies are perfect for a summer afternoon or in the morning with coffee or tea. Enjoy this recipe by Red Star Tavern, out of Portland!     TIP: Try serving Red Star Tavern’s Lavender Poppyseed Cookies with vanilla crème brûlée.       YIELDS 15-20 LAVENDER POPPYSEED COOKIES FOR COOKIE ½ pound butter, softened ¾ cup sugar 2 egg yolks ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 1 ½ teaspoons lavender FOR FILLING 4 ounces butter 4 ounces shortening 14 ounces powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla paste ½ teaspoon salt Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and sugar. Add in flour, poppy seed and lavender. Once dough is formed, roll it out and cut 1½-inch x 1-inch cookies. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place cookies on a baking…

Nicole Reese Wines: The Award Winning Winemaker with Two Names

Nicole Reese Wines: The Award Winning Winemaker with Two Names

Award winning winemaker out of Oregon, Elisabeth Grunwald’s Nicole Reese Wines written by Carrie Wynkoop of Cellar 503 NICOLE REESE. Nicole Reese. I kept hearing rumors of this amazing new winemaker in Southern Oregon who had won a silver medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition with her first wine. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. Surprise! Nicole Reese doesn’t exist. At least, not outside of the bottle. Winemaker Elisabeth Grunwald named her wines after her children—Sierra Nicole and Braedon Reese. Once I tracked down a bottle, I learned that Nicole Reese Wines may be a new venture, but Grunwald has been working as an assistant winemaker for custom crush powerhouse Linda Donovan for years. Donovan and Grunwald produce many of Southern Oregon’s most-coveted wines. Of course, by the time I found her, her award-winning first vintage had sold out. Even worse, she hadn’t produced a second vintage, unsure…

Oregon’s Hidden Gem list: Diners, Trails, Destinations

Oregon’s Hidden Gem list: Diners, Trails, Destinations

The top 12 hidden gem guide to Oregon … From coffee shops to botanical gardens, these spots are some of Oregon’s most charming and under the radar places. Maxwell Point Tunnel in Oceanside In the coastal town of Oceanside, just visiting Maxwell Point, is worth it. Paragliders’ bright sails dot the sky and craggy rocks rise out of the ocean, just off the shore. Hollowed into the Maxwell Point hill is a dreamy tunnel that spits out onto a peaceful cove. The tunnel makes for some haunting photos. While you’re there, lunch at Roseanna’s cafe, a cozy old school restaurant serving up fresh seafood and homemade sweets. Bagby Hot Springs in Mt. Hood National Forest Two hours outside of Portland lies Bagby Hot Springs. The 1.5 mile hike into the springs takes you through the lush Mt. Hood National Forest and along the Clackamas river. The hot spring’s decks were…

Beerlandia: Is Beer Bad for Us?

There’s a myth out there that beer is bad for us. It comes from the beer belly and the mentality of, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” Know what actually gives beer a bad name?

DIY:Concerete Veneer Countertops

If you like the look of the Tumalo barn remodel’s concrete countertops, consider trying a concrete veneer in your own home.