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Portland has its fair share of restaurant waiting rooms—attached taverns with their own identities that help corral diners who have no patience for idling drinkless while hoping a table opens quickly. There's Whey Bar, essentially a lobby with cocktails to keep you entertained before your name's called at Ox. There's La Taq, the spirited cantina th...

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I grabbed a ravioli—golden brown, cheese-filled and deep-fried to crispy perfection, using the corner to scoop it into the accompanying marinara sauce. As soon as the flavors touched my tongue, I was transported back to the humid Midwest during a weekend at the Taste of Chicago, eating until my jeans were too tight. Toasted ravioli originated in St...

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Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese pumped his fists as he joyfully celebrated with his players in the locker room at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Nov. 8. The Timbers had just ousted their rivals, the Seattle Sounders, on penalty kicks in the second leg of an epic Western Conference semifinal. Portland had been the decided underdog entering...

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Negronis, Italian wine-by-the-glass, and old-school martini glasses have hit NW Portland in the form of Bar Rione, the new casual bar from the folks behind red sauce hangout Piazza Italia. In February, the Portland Mercury broke the news that the Pearl District restaurant would open a bar in the space next door, a sort-of waiting room for the resta...

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Ernesto’s Italian Restaurant is now offering a discounted rate on its banquet rooms for local schools and nonprofits. “We will also waive any audio-visual fees associated with hosting any events,” said Chris Wegner, owner of Ernesto’s Italian Restaurant, which recently replaced all its plastic straws with hay straws in order to protect the environm...

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If you’re thinking of heading out for Italian this weekend, the Newport Symphony Orchestra at the Ocean has a special you might want to consider. “Bella Italia” will offer a veritable tour of the pasta peninsula, featuring works by Schubert, Ravel, Hertel and Mendelssohn this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3 and 4. Under the direction of Maestro Adam Fl...

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Woodburn residents; prepare to fall in love because Fazoli’s is making its Oregon debut and bringing the best breadsticks you’ve ever tasted to 105 Arney Road in Woodburn on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Fazoli’s – America’s largest elevated QSR Italian chain – is committed to delivering delicious Italian food, including its famous signature breadsticks, at a...

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Get ready for another trip on the flying trapeze. Cirque du Soleil is bringing one of its most-popular shows, the Italian-themed "Corteo," back to Portland in early 2019 for a four-day run at the Moda Center. The French-Canadian circus troupe first brought the production to Portland in 2008, when it had a six-week run in a big-top tent along the Wi...

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In late September, soprano Anna Netrebko sang the lead role of “Aida” for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. And thanks to The Met: Live in HD, audiences in Newport can watch her scintillating performance on the big screen this Saturday, Oct. 13. This grandest of grand operas features an epic backdrop for what is in essence...

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Oregon Ballet Theatre’s artistic director Kevin Irving introduced the dance company's debut of Napoli with a disclaimer. After praising the efforts of the troupe to learn the work and the crew for their striking set design, he noted that the three-act performance was, essentially, a fairy tale and therefore steeped in sincerity. It was a strange an...

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