Setting: 1987, Portland, OR. A greasy spoon in the historic Multnomah Village neighborhood. Route 66 signs pepper the walls, as do T-shirts advertising “Fat City.” A Coca-Cola ceiling fan spins overhead. A counter seats an old man in a John Deere cap. A zaftig and aging Waitress scratches her head with a pencil as she takes an order from a young couple in a corner booth. The sounds of clinking silverware, sizzling bacon, short-order cooks ringing the bell now and… [More]

Portland is a city of unabashed culinary freaks and geniuses, picking up whatever cuisine speaks to them and running full speed in the direction of excellence with a half-mad grin of dopey love the way Brett Favre—bless his heart—still carries a football. Pix Pâtisserie is the very epitome of this passion and greatness, and it puts perhaps every other American pâtisserie to shame.

Where to begin? With the eclectic, absolutely charming shops; the perfect-with-pastries Belgian beer and Lambic selection; the top-shelf… [More]