Food in Portland is still terrific. Amongst the most exciting restaurants I've been to is Ripe Family Suppers. Ripe Family Supper began four years ago in the living room of owners Michael and Naomi Hebberoy's rented house. Then it moved to North Interstate Avenue's Gotham Building, where it remained an e-mail invitation-only supper club until last year, when it opened to the public, which by the way, coincided with the couple grabbing the Portland dining scene by the gullet with two other conventional venues. Evidently they are the thin and beautiful couple in Portland that everyone loves to hate, except for their fans, and fans are plentiful.

$25 a pop gives you the best meal deal in the country. You have to walk past a whole lot of garbage cans to get to the candlit, yet unlikely place, but I suppose it adds to the off-the-radar ambience. There's one seating. The whole room sits down at 7:30 and you're eating with twenty-nine of your best new food friends.

Food is fab. One seating. 30 strangers sit down to eat at the same time (wine extra) very congenial. The star of the night when I was there was actually a simple radicchio salad in a brown butter vinaigrette, laser like vinegar cut through the rich butter. Pickled celery spotting the whole dish to victory.

I didn't eat the braised pork shoulder but it was rich and ---braisy--as a consolation I had more freshly foraged chanterelles than I've ever had the pleasure of porking out on. The wine list needs help. Best to call ahead to inquire about corkage and bring your own, otherwise you’re liable to have to imbibe some crappy overoaked, over irrigated bottle of wine and the food there deserves better.

240 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR
(503) 493-9500