Portland Earns 'Most Vegan City' Award

DOWNTOWN—Doug Adams—the executive chef at Vitaly Paley’s Imperial, 2014 Bravo Top Chef finalist, and 2015 Eater Portland Chef of the Year—is hanging up his Imperial apron in the very near future. Where he’ll end up next is anybody’s guess. He’s definitely moving on to something else, but, for now, he’s keeping very mum about it.

DOWNTOWN—After nearly a decade of running the always popular and always good Blueplate Lunch Counter and soda fountain downtown, owner Jeffery Reiter confirmed to Eater that he’s calling it quits. The breakfast and lunch spot was a longtime hidden gem for townies, office workers and for tourists who knew the right—read cool—concierges. It closes for good at 4 p.m. this Friday.

LLOYD DISTRICT—Sir Paul McCartney, former Beatle and the world’s most famous vegetarian, was in town last week, but he wasn’t here just to perform. Rather, he teamed up with PETA before his show at the Moda Center to present Mayor Charlie Hales with a certificate honoring Portland as the organization’s most vegan city, praising Homegrown Smoker, Vtopia Cheese Shop & Deli, and yes, even our own vegan strip joint, Casa Diablo. This honor comes hot on the heels of Roots drummer Questlove telling Food and Wine Magazine that Portland is his "number one favorite city in the world," praising it in particular for its inventive food scene.