Saturday December 22top
Community Christmas
While you frantically attempt to procure a Pleo robotic dinosaur for your loved one this weekend, the crew of Po'Shines, a soul food cafe in North Portland, will host a free community Christmas party for its Kenton neighbors. Smoked salmon chowder, spice cake and malt cider have all been mentioned as enticements from chef James Bradley, but learning about one of Po'Shine's favorite programs, Teach Me To Fish, which helps troubled youth get job and arts training, sounds tasty too.
Po'Shines Cafe De La Soul, 8139 N Denver Ave., 978-9000. 6-10 pm. Free. Map
Winter Solstice Market
One would think that the worst moment of winter is when it starts getting dark at 3:30 pm. Not so. It's when the Portland Farmers Market goes into hibernation. Savor those last few cookie, pâté, jam, honey, cheese, butter, chocolate and other samples before it’s too late. Oh yeah, and we're sure you can find last minute gifts for at least three people on your list here. The Farmers Market folk have even set up a nifty gift station where volunteers will wrap up and be-ribbon all your purchases, so you can finally gift, give and graze simultaneously.
Portland Farmers Market, South Park Blocks between Southwest Montgomery and Harrison streets., . 9:30 am-2 pm. Free. Map
Sunday December 23top
Réveillon de Noël
Face it. Some people cannot cook. And some of those people are your family members. So give them the gift of a well-cooked goose. Castagna, Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard's long-standing bastion of deliciousness, ratchets up the seasonal bliss with a Réveillon de Noël feast—that’d be the French’s masterful excuse to create an edible Yule log. Castagna's family-style bash comes complete with the traditional goose, roasted veggies, two glasses of wine and, yes, a bûche de Noël. Again, that’s a cake, shaped like a log, often decorated with marzipan mushrooms. How can you pass that up? Genius.
Castagna, 1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-7373. 6:30 pm. $55 per person. Call for reservations. Map
Monday December 24top
Carlyle Christmas Eve
All I want for Christmas is a prix fixe menu featuring foie gras-stuffed squab, red sea bream, and chestnut soufflé with rum anglaise served in a sleek, modern dining room tucked underneath the Fremont Bridge. Really? Well, that's good, because Carlyle's got all that on sale for the bargain price of $60 a plate this Christmas Eve. Call for reservations.
Carlyle, 1632 NW Thurman St., 595-1782. Seatings 5:30-9:30 pm. $60 per person. Map
Christmas Eve Brunch
Don't say the folk at Simpatica never gave you anything for Christmas this year. The hard-working catering/dining room outfit just announced it'll be open for brunch this Christmas Eve, serving eggs benedict, stratas, frittatas and, of course, that dynamite fried chicken n' waffles combo among other seasonal hits. Bonus: Reservations are available for parties of eight or more. Why bother waiting until Xmas Day? Just grab the family and open your presents at Simpatica's table. Visit simpaticacatering.com for more info.
Simpatica, 828 SE Ash St., 235-1600. 9 am-1 pm. Regular menu prices. Map
Tuesday December 25top
Christmas Day Buffet
Santa has his workshop, while gluttons have the Heathman's annual food bacchanal, the Christmas day buffet. Seriously, where else can you find vittles like grilled octopus salad and roasted prime rib, salmon coulibiac and smoked trout, butternut squash soup, chocolate candy cane mousse cake and glorious, glorious cheese all ready and waiting to be added to your plate (and stomach)? This year chef Philippe Boulot and co. ups the ante with a special à la carte holiday menu for brunch and dinner (available Friday-Tuesday, Dec. 21-25 and Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1). Key words: ginger pumpkin pancakes, Kobe beef with truffles, grilled elk, sweetbreads and eggnog gelato float.
Heathman Restaurant and Bar, 1001 SW Broadway., 790-7752. Call for seating times. Buffet $52 per adult; $18 children 12 and under. Map
