Earlier this week, we had quite the Portland food experience. We were invited to sample from Café Castagna's new lunch menu. The meat-eaters at the table started with agretti and shrimp salad and continued with sliders and fries, the Italian sandwich, and house-made potato chips. Wonderful comments were heard round the table.


Agretti, a mild-flavored Italian green

Meanwhile, the vegetarian chowed down on THE best salad of her life: butter lettuce salad with vinaigrette royale. (I'm not just saying this to get your attention. It was, literally, the best salad I have ever eaten.) I then sipped on ten treasure soup and was able to find around eight of them. The meat-eaters glanced jealously toward my bowl.

Lunch ended with a choice of chocolate, strawberry or vanilla milkshakes, but not before Chef Kevin Gibson ran outside to pick up his farm-fresh delivery of porcini mushrooms from Gene Thiel's Prairie Creek Farm for that evening's dinner. Co-Owners Kevin Gibson and Monique Siu actively support local farmers in their quest to bring fresh, seasonal ingredients into Castagna's kitchen.

Café Castagna is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97214
www.castagnarestaurant.com

–Laura Ford