POR TLAND, OREGON
Main course Waves of 20th- and
21st-century immigrants have made
Portland a great, sprawling global
eatery. The city is dotted with
more than 600 food carts (foodcarts
portland.com) offering international
delicacies, often prepared with the
same devotion to fresh local ingredients that you’ll find at Portland’s
finer restaurants. Think chopped
grilled chicken from Guam, Korean
fried chicken, Bora Bora chicken
with a searing hot sauce, or Ziba’s
Bosnian cheese-and-spinach-stuffed pita.
Quick bites The Meadow (503-
288-4633; atthemeadow.com)—tiny
and elegant—has more than 100 vari-eties of gourmet finishing salts, chocolates from local chocolatiers, wines,
and artisanal cocktail bitters.
Farther afield Drive east to farm
stands, fruit orchards, and berry
patches on the “Fruit Loop,” in the
Hood River Valley.
Restaurant Week March 2012
( restaurantweekportland.com)
WENTE VINEYARDS Local Bay Area wines are the perfect pairing for fresh calamari.
TRI-VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
Main course Lying in three valleys
just east of Oakland, California, this
triangular region boasts a Mediter-
ranean climate and a gastronomic
spirit to match—the Spanish began
to cultivate these fertile lands in the
17th century. The Wentes, a founding
family of California’s wine industry,
planted vineyards in the Livermore
Valley in the 1880s. Their Restaurant
at Wente Vineyards (925-456-2450;
wentevineyards.com/restaurant)
stands out for its comprehensive
California wine list and commitment
to local farmers and ranchers.
Quick bites Join locals for break-
fast—cinnamon rolls and creamy
breakfast pudding—at Sideboard,
in Danville (925-984-2713).
Farther afield Spend a day or more
among the farm stands, pick-your-
own-fruit orchards, and melon
patches in the Brentwood area of
Contra Costa County.
Restaurant Week January 23–29,
2012 ( trivalleycvb.com)
PHILADELPHIA,
PENNSYLVANIA
Main course Nothing satisfies a
Philly craving more than a cheese-
steak (“wit” or “witout” onions)—at
local standbys such as Pat’s, Geno’s,
or Jim’s—or, for more adventurous
palates, a fried slice of scrapple, that
distinctive mixture of pork, spices,
and cornmeal. Reading Terminal
Market, one of the country’s oldest,
has about 75 retailers. Eating and
drinking the syllabus is encouraged
at Tria Cafe (215-972-7075; triacafe
.com), where wine makers, brewers,
cheese makers, and other experts
teach at the Fermentation School.
Quick bites Since 1939 Di Bruno
Bros. gourmet food stores have traded
in exotic cheeses—and each of the
four locations specializes in different
kinds (888-322-4337; dibruno.com).
A favorite chef’s shopping spot is
the Headhouse Farmer’s Market
( thefoodtrust.org).
Farther afield Head out to Lan-
caster and Bucks counties to graze
the pick-your-own-fruit orchards,
including Cherry Hill Orchards (717-
872-9311; cherryhillorchards.com)
and Solebury Orchards (215-297-
8079; soleburyorchards.com).
Restaurant Weeks January 22–27
and January 29–February 3, 2012
( centercityphila.org)
NE W HAVEN, CONNEC TICUT
Main course One of the finest
cheese shops in the world, Caseus
