was in the Cully neighborhood...
which, from what I've read, is undergoing development and revitalization. It's in the NE quadrant of Portland. He was really curious to give Pizza Jerk a try since it was more of a local's place to eat rather than tourist. We were down for that. He had the second to the last choice on the list below, a stout by Everybody's Brewing Cash, which was an oatmeal stout from White Salmon, WA (so it wasn't really local to Portland but still local to the Pacific NW region).
You order at the counter and find a seat. We were fortunate to snag a table; it was so crowded when we arrived. All locals, it seemed and also non-diverse. Just sayin'....
I did like their decor. They were also playing cool music (a lot of 80's rock).
Bert's stout and our Ranch salad with fried onions, mushrooms (very few), tomatoes, fennel and bacon bits. The fried onions were the kind from a can. The tomatoes and mushrooms were interspersed throughout the salad. The description also mentioned fennel but I didn't detect any at all, so bummer about that. It would have provided an interesting flavor note. We really enjoyed this salad which had lots of texture but also creaminess from the Ranch dressing.
Our pizza was a hybrid (you can order different halves here) - Meatzza (meatbals, sausage and pepperoni) plus Lovely Linda (vegetarian; named after Linda McCartney for those who don't get the reference), which was packed with vegetables and fragrant basil.
Of the two pizza flavors, I liked the meat better. Sorry TC. The crust here was good. It was traditional, not that super thin crust or super thick. It was just right. We had a few slices left over which TC would eat the following day.
Next door to Pizza Jerk is a blue hued warehouse that will contain the soon to be Filipino restaurant Magna. Named after its owner/chef, Carlo LaMagna, formerly chef at the James Beard nominated Clyde Common and known for his Twisted Filipino pop up events. The chef is a Philippine born young man whose family went to Canada and eventually the U.S. via Detroit. He attended the CIA, started his culinary career in Chicago and ended up in Portland.
It may not look much now but when it opens, it will bring some culinary excitement to a cuisine that is now finally starting to get attention (although to me, a Filipino American, I have always enjoyed it regardless of which white pundit deems it "trendy", sarcasm alert). In Portland, there are not a lot of Filipino restaurants (there is Tambayan and Kuya's Cuisine), a few food carts (Bibingka, plus one bakery (St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery).
It looks like this place won't be open for awhile but Summer 2018 is the estimated opening date. We'll have to make a future trip up here just for this. I am dead serious.
Articles about the future Magna and its chef:
"Carlo Lamagna to open Magna..." Portland Food and Drink, Jan. 2018
"Carlo Lamagna announces plans for Magna, his new Filipino restaurant" PDX Eater, June 2017
"Bio - Carlo Lamagna" Starchefs
"Going from good to great - Mapping the journey to Magna with Chef Carlo Lamagna in seven dishes" Filipino Kitchen, Dec. 27, 2017
plus an article written by Lamagna himself, "How I helped Portland embrace Filipino food" Munchies, Dec. 12, 2016
Pizza Jerk
5028 NE 42nd Ave
Portland, OR 97218
(503) 284-9333
Portland Day 2 in Order:
Sterling Coffee Roasters
Ken's Artisan Bakery
Council Crest Park
March for Our Lives, Portland
Return to Movie Madness (formerly known as Mike's Movie Madness)"
Never Coffee Lab
Blue Star Donuts
Return to the Village Merchants + Joan of Arc statue
and this last post
Tomorrow, we would explore more of the SE quadrant...
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