The 2009 pdxplate Awards

About a year ago, a small message board was born out of the idea that despite the unusually large number of food sites here in Portland, there was a kind of conversation that wasn't taking place. Instead of the usual forum babble of "have you gone?" and "how is the?" and "where should I?", the singular driving mantra of pdxplate has been one of blazing your own food and drink trail, jumping without a net, and mixing metaphors. Taking one for the team. It's a simple notion, but a powerful one, and it's what this site is all about. A year's worth of eating and drinking led to some great discoveries, and to commemorate pdxplate's one year anniversary, here is a look back at the Plates of the Year.

CRAB NOODLE SOUP at Ha&VL

Ha & VL Sandwiches would probably win the award for Restaurant of the Year if pdxplate bothered with such distinctions, and their banh canh cua (served only on Thursdays) is the ace in their soup rotation. Flecks of crab swim through the broth, with quail egg and ham bolstering the meat content.

THE BURGER at Carlyle

Carlyle wins the award for Best Burger In Town and it's not close. Chef Jake Martin has crafted a burger that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Father's Office in Santa Monica or Minetta Tavern in New York. Everything from the flavor of the bread to the coarseness of the grind excels, but the star of the show is the tomato jam.

HAMACHI at Tanuki

Trying to pick just one outstanding dish at Tanuki is hard. Trying to pick a dish you'd rob a liquor store for, that you'd buy by the gram, that you'd do lines of off of a hooker's ass... that's easy.

NIGIRI at Kurata

The reason Kurata excels is the quality of the rice. It's served at just the right temperature, with just the right acidity, and in just the right amount. Hirame (flounder) and saba (mackerel) are noteworthy, and the salmon nigiri is what's pictured on the pdxplate banner.

DRINKS at a bar

pdxplate has a much higher booze focus than other Portland food and drink sites, and truly no one here cares what or where you drink, only that you raise your glass and say cheers. That being said, here are some noteworthy drinks from the past year: the Upright #6 (available on draft at many pubs, or in a growler at the brewery), the Smoke Signals from Laurelhurst Market, the Coltrane! Coltrane! Coltrane! from Beaker and Flask, and the Pistache from Ten01.

TACO DE LENGUA at Sanchez Taqueria

I mean, really, everyone likes a little bit of tongue.

CARNEGIE DELI PASTRAMI SANDWICH at Slow Bar

Also wins the award for "Best Sandwich You're Not Eating Because You're Too Busy Eating The Fucking Burger" of the Year. (Honorable mention in that category would be the PBLT at Victory. Speaking of which...)

SPAETZLE at Victory

What's not to love about a great beer selection to go with some awesome pub grub? Belgian brew and German mac and cheese with a chartreuse pot de creme from France for dessert and the Egyptian across the street... it's like a World War One re-enactment only with less artillery.

ANY SEAFOOD ITEM at Beaker & Flask

In a city with a curiously poor seafood record, it's incredibly refreshing to see well-executed seafood entrees that go beyond the usual suspects. Chef Benny Bettinger wins the award for Best Use of Seafood, having made use of fish such as skate, sturgeon, mackerel and sardines. Fried oysters, pickled octopus and razor clams have also made their way onto the Beaker & Flask menu.

Here's to another year of living the TOFTTy life, going to a place you've never been before, and ordering something you've never had.