Portland is one of the most food-smart cities in the country. We’re intimately familiar with the effort and expertise and creativity that goes into our favorite dishes. In fact, we fetishize and boast about sourcing and elaborate preparations and chef pedigrees. All of which is totally great, though it’s hard to hold front of mind when you’re hit with the sticker shock of a $20 burger.
You can’t pay your rent with foodie clout.
Historically, the city’s high culinary bar hasn’t carried much of a premium. We spend our dollars on food instead of hoity-toity vibes. Blame gentrification or Fred Armisen or whomever you like, but even our mighty, inventive food scene is not impervious to inflation. Still, we do have more than a few creative players stretching your dollar as far as it’ll go…