Savory Road with Jeff Baker

Northeast Portland eateries. The food gets better each visit.  Come along with Jeff as he describes an indulgent weekend he and Donna spent up there. Contact us at [email protected], or visit Savoryroad.com.

Come along with Jeff in his car for his review of Ramen in Azusa and Coffee in La Canada.

A bit of American history is hidden among the trees along Interstate 5 in Tumwater, Washington, just south of the capitol city of Olympia. Abandoned buildings – some dating back to 1905 are now simply relics of what used to be a top-selling national beer. If only those buildings could talk, what a story they would tell. Actually, one is still alive and still telling stories! The Schmidt House was the residence of the owners of Olympia Beer and today it’s open for tours and looking as good as ever! Jeff gets a tour from Don Trosper and learns all sorts of interesting trivia, including why Clint Eastwood insisted on drinking Olympia in his movies.

Jeff didn’t get past the Naples train station in 2004. Italians told him the streets were too dangerous for a young family to visit. He always regretted his decision to pass on this fascinating city. He got his second chance in 2017 when he and wife Donna returned. They took a food tour with Naples native Ricardo Prencipe of Context Tours. Come along on this journey. Jeff sees some unique things while tasting espresso, fried pasta, and Limoncello. He winds up learning how to make Margherita pizza the first pizza ever – invented in Naples.

Steak Sinatra - Hey - what's not to like? Hot seared tenderloin strips, red peppers, and mushrooms, covered in a delicious wine and tomato sauce. I might have gone my entire life without trying it because this dish was a family joke. Way back when, my Dad (a huge Sinatra fan) tried to make it and nearly burned our house down. I'll share that story, then take you to Palm Springs where Donna and I strolled into the legendary Johnny Costas Italian Restaurant and I finally got chance to taste the real Steak Sinatra - prepared by Johnny’s son Vince who runs the joint these days. His father was a personal chef to Sinatra at his Rancho Mirage compound. Johnny taught Vince his great culinary skills – quite evident in this fantastic dish. In this episode, you'll hear about Frank's history in the desert along with how Johnny got there, and how he cooked his way into Frank's heart.

Steak Sinatra - Hey - what's not to like? Hot seared tenderloin strips, red peppers, and mushrooms, covered in a delicious wine and tomato sauce. I might have gone my entire life without trying it because this dish was a family joke. Way back when, my Dad (a huge Sinatra fan) tried to make it and nearly burned our house down.

While in Palm Springs recently, we strolled into the legendary Johnny Costas Italian Restaurant and I finally got chance to taste the real Steak Sinatra - prepared by Johnny’s son Vince who runs the joint these days. His father was a personal chef to Sinatra at his Rancho Mirage compound Johnny taught Vince his great culinary skills – quite evident in this fantastic dish. In this episode, you'll hear about Frank's history in the desert along with how Johnny got there, and how he cooked his way into Frank's heart.  

Nir Elkayam is the executive chef at Jerusalem’s popular Inbal Hotel, located just blocks from the walls of the Old City. They have been serving a variety of guests for decades - from heads of state to common visitors like us. He refers to the Israeli kitchen as a “baby” that has just been born. Most recently, the Inbal has taken advantage of the pop-up restaurant concept.  This ever changing venue allows them to serve – in addition to traditional fare - new and exciting dishes they’ve invented from Israel’s cornucopia of cultural influences.

Jeff explains that he and Donna will be producing a new podcast called Air2share - stories about what they discovered when moving off the beaten path and staying in an AirBnB.