There’s more to weird food in Portland than just putting bacon on your maple bar at Voodoo. There are some other odd, unheard of and downright scary plates out there—but you just might surprise yourself and get seconds. If you’re looking for adventure in your food, try out some of these crawling meals.
Start off slow in your feast feat and try something just a little out of the ordinary. Xocolatl de David makes high-end chocolates, caramels and other treats for sale in stores around the country. But he also has a foie gras bar in southeast Portland. Haven’t you tried liver before? No? Try pairing it with high-end Bolivian chocolate. Anything will taste good with Bolivian chocolate.
Try something a little more peculiar but not yet rare at Lincoln Restaurant in north Portland. Start your meal off with baked hen eggs soaked in cream, served with olives and breadcrumbs. Afterwards, warm up with Bone Broth. The delectable soup is filled with chicken, corn, parmigiano-reggiano, duck egg and—what’s that? Pig’s ear. Don’t forget to share the boiled elk tongue, when the restaurant is serving it.
Let’s get a little more weird. Hop on over to Le Bistro Montage in southeast for some frog legs. Glazed with Cajun gravy and deep-fried, these frog legs are a very popular dish, especially for kids. It’s also served with honey-wheat bread and a few dipping options, such as cocktail sauce and horseradish. After gobbling up those legs, order some gator bites, which supposedly taste like chicken.
Still not full? Still not weirded out? Let’s take it to the big leagues. Stop at Le Pigeon on East Burnside. Here you will find an array of (expensive) rare meats and animals. Order the grilled breast of a…pigeon. Yep, pigeon. It’s a thing, apparently. If you can’t bring yourself to try the pigeon—made by professional and experienced chefs—I bet you will gladly take a bite when you know what it’s paired with: coconut glazed carrots, roasted garlic peanut butter and celery coriander vinaigrette.
If eating a city-bird is just a little too weird for you, try their famous fried lamb neck. Herbed grits, sweet habanero honey and spiced carrots will spice up the neck for anyone’s liking.
Before you go out and munch on some pig’s ear, ingest liver and devour pigeon, try a light appetizer at Sushi Mazi: grasshopper sushi. You can look your sushi in the eyes as it sits atop your rice and veggie roll.
Embrace your weird side and try some unusual cuisine tonight!
