I arrived in Portland, on Saturday around 11.  I'm visiting my best friend, Charlotte, helping her celebrate signing with Folio Lit for her new novel.  To me Portland is a mecca for real food.  One of the things I love to do is go out for lunch or dinner. Because I refuse to eat highly processed food, MSG, wheat, canola oil, soy tainted eggs, commercially farmed meats and mono-farmed vegetables (organic or not) it's very difficult to find a place to eat in Los Angeles and especially in Pasadena. Most restaurants corrupt their food with canola oil or gluten filled condiments as well as having limited or no gluten-free, grain free options. I'll talk more about the problems and dangers of canola oil, but for now, I'm in too much ecstasy for that. 

We had a late lunch at Dick's Kitchen.  Their special was Wild Boar burgers and OMG they were delicious.  That's what Charlotte and I both had, but she had hers with air-baked Yam fries and I had air baked traditional potato fries. When I asked if there were any gluten additives in the aioli the waitress said no, and immediately picked up on my gluten free interest and asked me if I wanted a gluten free bun with my burger.  The whole focus of Dick's is on healthy and humanely raised food.  On his web site he says, When you eat with us, you’re eating a naturally anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense meal of high quality proteins and plenty of vegetables, which helps reverse the impact of our modern diet and helps control many conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and other metabolic disorders.

Richard Satnick (AKA Dick), I salute you.. I've eaten in two of his locations (in this and 2 earlier visits) a total of 3 times (this was my second visit to the Belmont location) and never been disappointed.  I actually met Dick at the Alphabet location on my last visit.  Even if he hadn't commented so favorably on my Honey Grahams, I'd be writing about his refreshing, innovative and healthy approach to delicious dining. After many searches for something I'd be willing to eat when I go out in SOCAL, sometimes annoying my friends to the point they'd rather leave me home, it is such a pleasure to be able to order somewhat freely from a menu.

Of course, there are so many more options in the Portland area.  Huffington Post recently put it at the top of their 5 cities to visit in 2015 and called it a Foodie Haven.  I'll be continuing to write about my Portland Food Adventures.