More on Mack & Dub’s.

A video about the restaurant, prepared by American Airline’s My Black Atlas, a sort-of travel guide for Black folks:

 

 

And a review* written in the spring by Coco Madrid, who spearheads at least 1/2 of the club nights here in the city:

 

Yes I like my share of bourgeois establishments but sometimes I just want Popeyes!

I feel like Mack & Dub’s is my Popeyes of Chicken & Waffles. It’s not mind blowing but it’s tasty!

I had the 2 Waffles + Chicken Breast strips plate. The Waffles were a pretty good size, nothing special just some churched-up batter from a bottle. I had 5 or more medium sized strips that were perfectly golden and seasoned. Honestly better tasting and looking then the Chicken I just had at Simpatico (weird huh? but that shit was burnt!) last Sunday. This was all for $10. Not that bad for the size of every thing. Also, its not often that I leave a place with leftovers so I was happy to enjoy my seconds in the comfort of my home.

The space is still developing but looks a lot better than the BBQ joint that was there before. There are two dining areas plus an outdoor court yard that features a stage. This place is going to be poppin’ during the summer for sure!

The greatest thing about this place are the hours! Monday thru Thursday open 11am to 10pm, Friday & Saturday open 11am to 4am. That’s right! A late night place on MLK, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So stoked for this!

And they are developing a brunch which I hope is a buffet!

All and all excited to have this place around. I hope it does well! I know I will be taking all of my out of town guests here from now on!

–

*reprinted with permission.

Arson, possible ‘hate crime’ at Mack & Dub’s Excellent Chicken and Waffles

The story here, here – Mack and Dub’s was broken into, burned, racist graffiti on the wall inside.

 

According to the website of the Portland Coalition Against Hate Crimes:

“A hate crime occurs when one person intentionally subjects another to offensive physical contact, threatens or inflicts physical injury, or threatens or causes damage to the property of another person because of their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. A hate crime may also target a person’s family member.”

 

 

 

A review: Carpacchio Trattoria, at Fremont & MLK: Lindsey Buckingham called this one.

Carpacchio has been serving up pseudo-Italian fare at Fremont & MLK (in the poorly-named Fremont Building at King’s Crossing), but it took me until last month to make it there. I think Sasha and I were striking out on finding a place to eat, and we ended up at that corner, so in we went.

I suppose I was walking backwards when I went inside.

 

I think the cook-dude in the photo is one of the owners. At least, that’s what the server claimed. Server? Waiter. Well, he served and waited. It was his first day on the job, unfortunately, and while I’m not well-known for being particularly friendly to waitstaff (serverstaff), his lack of knowledge about anything to do with the menu, and his general (genial) bumblingness was disconcerting. I didn’t photograph him, though.

Sasha was looking ridic cute. The restaurant itself was cute enough, as well….

…until you come around to the ‘wall o’ many wines’ and find a mason jar partly full of a mysterious black liquid, resting behind wine bottles. Afraid that it might be the coffee/burnt engine oil that signaled the fight for a person’s soul on Twin Peaks, we spent the rest of our meal pretending it wasn’t there.

There was no need to pretend our food wasn’t there, tiny portions did our work for us. I failed to take a photo of one of our dishes, but that’s because it was both disgusting, and almost invisible: three slivers of unremarkable chicken, and a single small button mushroom, drowned in what could only be called salt sauce. For six dollars. I invite you to think about what it might cost to get a half a chicken breast and a single mushroom and ruin them with salt, and then what it might feel like to put it on a plate, hand it to a (nervous, anxious) wait-server, and send it out to a customer.

I had a glass of wine, but I don’t remember anything about it. I was sad that I’d used up one of Sasha’s “I owe you a meal” chits at Carpacchio, but let’s end on something resembling a positive note. For better or for worse, it’ll have to be a repeat of earlier’s – the decor was bearable.

Perhaps I don’t understand enough about how Italians eat. I certainly felt like I wasn’t in on the joke. Either way, Lindsey Buckingham said it best (leaving aside the obvious fact that in the song, the narrator’s resolve is shaky, at best), I’m never going back again. Thank you.

 

Christopher’s Gourmet Grill.

Chicken at Christopher’s (3962 NE MLK). Yum. I passed it up today to be heart-smart, though.

Christopher’s also opened a counter down the street inside the Miracles Club building. This will save me a couple blocks walking when I need to get my grease on.

In medias res (A Soft Landing).

Last Saturday night, the young gentleman (seen on the left side of the photo) “side stepped a rear ending, and landed on the strip” (his words). Thanks to the ivy and a sharp braking job, he was uninjured.

Sasha in troubletown.

 

My friend Sasha, having seen me in the window at Goldrush, crossing the street with a  friend to say hi to me today.

 

 

Oregon Action meeting tomorrow evening.

Join our Portland Chapter members along with our great friends and supporters from the community to discuss our issues, campaigns and leadership structure. We believe in leadership development, capacity building and grassroots mobilizing of folks most directly impacted by social issues including racial, social and economic justice.

Agenda will include:

City of Portland – US Department of Justice Settlement
Racial Profiling Committee
Health Care Reform Committee
Immigration Reform Committee
Jobs Equity Campaign Update
Meet Oregon Action’s new Portland Organizer; Patty Katz

Tuesday evening, 6-7:30 pm, at Oregon Action’s headquarters, 6601 NE MLK.

Subway reptile: a baby alligator named Babydoll.

Last night (Friday evening), there were people out and about in fairly large numbers on MLK, near Fremont. Among them was a group of young lesbians hanging out in front of Local Lounge. As I walked past them, I heard one woman say ‘I just heard there’s a baby alligator in Subway!’ Of course, I had to join the semi-frenzied, semi-intoxicated* crowd rushing there to check out this surprising rumor.

Like all good rumors, it turned out to be a true. A woman was in line for a sandwich, cradling a live alligator in the crook of her arm. She told us it was about eighteen months old, and loved to be petted, barking at her as though she was her momma gator. The reptile has free range of the house, she told us, and is a spoiled (but lovable) brat. We stood around, asking questions and petting the little cutie. All the while, the Subway sandwic- maker impatiently interrupted the conversation to get the woman’s full order (I didn’t pay attention, otherwise I would tell you what it was), although I don’t know why, since there was no one else in line, the woman had an alligator in her arm, and why fuss about it?

*An approximate estimation of their general non-sobriety.

Thanks to Brie for the photograph.

Jeff cluster parents unite!

 

Creating Community Control panel, this Thursday @ Miracles Club.