Where to Find Portland's Best Food Downtown and the Best Pasta

Here’s your food news for the week:

Fire Damage at Ox

🚒 Firefighters cut through the roof of one of Portland’s finest restaurants as they fought a sizable fire that started during dinner service Wednesday night. The flames went up from the grill at Ox, where the James Beard-awarding-winning chefs Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton serve up Argentinean fare. [Oregonian]

Portland Area Rejected In-N-Out

🍔 Portland Monthly gives a run-down of how In-N-Out really tried to open in the Portland metro area before moving onto Ridgefield, Wash. Tualatin, Beaverton, and Hillsboro all failed to approve applications for proposed In-N-Out locations or scared the beloved burger chain away with community opposition to development. The story also includes this delightful detail: Ridgefield High School’s mascot is the potato. [Portland Monthly]

Downtown Restaurants A to Z

🥇If you’re looking for reasons to go downtown (or if you’re in the area), The Oregonian’s Michael Russell has compiled reviews of 20 tasty restaurants, including in Old Town-Chinatown and the Pearl District. They run the full gamut — Portland institutions like Huber’s and Fuller’s Coffee Shop, new places like Sunrice, expensive spots like Higgins, cheaper eats like Love Belizean, and restaurants like Arden that improved over time. [Oregonian]

Best Pasta Isn’t Always at Italian Spots

🍝 The best pasta in town isn’t always found at Italian restaurants: check out Xiao Ye (which serves Asian fusion), the cocktail bar Scotch Lodge, and the French pop-up Le Clown for some of the best pasta offerings around, advises Eater Portland editor Brooke Jackson-Glidden. [Eater Portland]

• Related: Portland’s best Italian restaurants. [Eater Portland]