Our neighbors Yakuza host a Kids Happy Hour on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Our kids love bubble tea at Townsends on Alberta.

Fave local food carts are Flavour Spot for waffles and the Grilled Cheese Grill plus the food carts at Cartopia (SE Hawthorne & SE 12th) including Whiffies!

Screen Door is always a hit with our whole family for dinner. They have a great rotating menu of selections featuring local and organic ingredients.

We love Besaws for  brunch and they have kids menus for every meal.

La Bonita! Love their burritos! We eat at their location on Alberta but they just opened a new location in North Portland.

Sushi Land is a common stop for us for fast, cheap, conveyor belt sushi.

Indian Food?  The kids love the pakoras and mango ice cream at Namaste on NE Sandy & 82nd but our family fave for Indian fare is the The Curry Leaf! Please note that their buffet is all vegetarian.

It seems like just about any pizza satisfies them but Hot Lips Pizza is the one our kids request by name.

The wonderful Ethiopian fare and welcoming atmosphere at Queen of Sheba can’t be beat. Plus eating with your fingers is always a blast!

photo: Gael enjoying a meal at Uneeda Burger during a recent trip to Seattle.

Mississippi Pizza boasts the benefit of kid events as well (including spelling bees…). Hot Lips boasts the little known fact that the model for the lips on their logo are the same lips that sang this.

All that said, it is hard to think of any pizza place as being anti-family but some are certainly more welcoming than others. In that vein, let us throw Old Town Pizza on MLK in the mix.

Old Town has an awesome kid play area that is a pretend pizza kitchen. Their gluten-free pizza is pretty good as are their salads; and if you are kid free they have good  happy hour deals at the bar.

BUT for the people in our family who can tolerate gluten….

The favorite pizza in town, hands down, is Escape from New York Pizza in NW Portlandwith Al Forno Ferruzza on NE Alberta coming pretty close to that pizza pinnacle.

What you your fave Portland pizza places (with or without the family)?

• Vita Cafe: Great vegetarian and vegan options, a robust kids menu, and a great deal every night; kids eat for $1 between 5 pm – 7pm!
• La Bonita: The kids love their burritos! So do we, although I really love this place, too…
• Their fave local food carts are Flavour Spot for waffles and the Grilled Cheese Grill for…well, grilled cheese…
• Halo Thai: They are big fans of their curries and salad rolls but I must admit we usually do take out rather than eat in so I don’t know what the vibe is eating in with kids. But the owner has kids and is super friendly so…
• Sushi Land: The one on NE Weidler for fast and cheap, conveyor belt sushi (there in one in the Pearl, too). If you are going the vegetarian route, you usually need to request your rolls.
• Tin Shed: The kid menu is a hit with our kids and they like the outdoor seating, I like their creative cocktails and happy hour food deals.
• Indian Food: A couple of faves here. Namaste on NE Sandy & 83nd; the kids love the pakoras and mango ice cream. We love there vegetarian selections. They also like (and we ADORE) The Curry Leaf! Their buffet is all vegetarian, the kids especially like their dosas and yogurt rice.
• Hot Lips Pizza: It seems like just about any pizza satisfies them but this is the one they request by name..(and this is the one I request by name)
• Queen of Sheba: Wonderful Ethiopian fare and eating with your fingers is always a blast!

Whew! That’s quite a list! Love you hear about your fave places to eat with the kids in the Portland area, too.

Hillsdale Farmers Market

When: Sundays 10am – 2pm – thru November 26th
Where: Reike Elementary School parking lot
1405 SE Vermont – West of Wilson HS

Hollywood Farmers Market
When: Saturdays 9am – 1pm, May Through November 21
Where: Between 44th & 45th & NE Hancock

Lloyd District Farmers Market
When: Every Tuesday until 12/22/09
Where: Oregon Square Courtyard,
NE Halladay St., between 7th & 9th Avenues
Next to the MAX line.

The last Portland Farmers Market at King Elementary School for this season is THIS Sunday, 10/25! And if you want to take a road trip this weekend, the Hood River Heirloom Apple Celebration is this weekend.

Hollywood Farmers’ Market Announces a Mobile Market to Serve Cully Residents Living in a Food Desert

The Oasis Project is an effort of the Hollywood Farmers’ Market to address the problem of a “food desert” or neighborhoods where access to healthy foods is limited by price or distance. A pilot project, the mobile market aims to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income residents of the Cully neighborhood for during September through a mobile farmers’ market.

The Oasis Project will sell fresh, local and sustainable fruits and vegetables from farming vendors of the existing Hollywood Farmers’ Market. The mobile market will be open from 10:00 am to noon each Saturday in September, starting on September 5th at Hacienda Community Development Corporation’s Villa de Sue?±os apartments. The mobile farmers’ market is conveniently located on TriMet bus routes #7 and #72 at the corner of NE Cully Blvd. and Killingsworth St.

The first 75 SNAP (formerly known as food stamp) customers each week will receive matching funds of up to five dollars to supplement food stamp money. Everyone is welcome to make purchases at the Oasis Project farmers’ market. Volunteers from Hacienda CDC will help interpret for Spanish speaking and Somali residents.

The Oasis Project is hosted by Hacienda CDC and made possible through a generous Pacific Village Grant from New Seasons Market.

For more information or to get involved please contact: oasis@hollywoodfarmersmarket.org

Portland Farmers Market @ Ecotrust in the Pearl District.
When: Every Thursday, 3:30pm – 7:30pm, June through September 24.
Where: Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center Parking Lot, NW 10th between NW Irving & NW Johnson

Hollywood Farmers Market
When: Saturdays 8am – 1pm, May – October
Where: Between 44th & 45th & NE Hancock

Portland Farmers Market at Eastbank
When: Thursdays, 3:30pm – 7:30pm, May – September 24
Where: SE 20th & Salmon, in the parking lot of the Hinson Baptist Church

Interstate Farmers Market
When: Wednesdays, 3pm – 7pm, May – September 30
Where: 3550 N. Fremont Street, next to Overlook Park

Portland Farmers Market in the King Neighborhood
When: Sundays, 10am – 2pm May through September 27
Where: NE 7th & Wygant, between NE Alberta & Prescott

Lents Farmers Market
When: Sundays, 9am – 2pm, June – October 20
Where: SE 92nd & SE Foster Road

Lloyd District Farmers Market
When: 10am – 2pm, June – September
Where: NE Holladay Street, between NE 7th & 9th

Montavilla Farmers Market
When: Sundays, 10am – 2pm, June – Early October
Where: SE 76th & Stark

Parkrose Farmers Market
When: Saturdays, 8am – 2pm, May – October
Where: NE 122nd & Shaver

Sellwood Farmers Market
When: Wednesdays, 3:30pm – 7:30pm, 8am – 2pm, May – October
Where: 13th & SE Bybee Sts.

There is a new cafe in town, families, and it has everything I seek: a lovely atmosphere, great beverages, yummy baked goods, and a play area that pleases my toddler. But that’s not all!

It also has soft serve ice cream if you are in the mood (and frankly, sometimes I am!)and…drum roll please…is currently staffed by mamas, mamas who are welcome to bring a kiddo to work with them.

And so far it is, well, working! Posies Cafe is located in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, 8208 N Denver Avenue.

Enjoy!~ Jennifer

That awesome looking drink is from the Green Salmon in Yachats but you get the picture…

My family and I are always keeping our eyes peeled for family friendly restaurants near our home, and we have found two that we visit regularly. For sit down meals where you are served, both are affordable, delicious (whether you are a carnivore or herbivore), and have staff who think kids are cute!

*Pause Kitchen and Bar* in North Portland is located at 5101 N Interstate Avenue, (971) 230-0705. We ve enjoyed yummy soups, salads, and sandwiches from their menu. They grind the meat themselves for burgers (grass fed beef) and also have tasty house-made veggie burgers. They are totally happy with children being present, and on a sunny day it is a delight to sit in their backyard and eat while the children play on the lawn area (also the spot for folks who are smoking, though most folks out there weren t while we were there). And most impressive to me is their kids menu. While it does offer the usual kid menu fare (cheesy noodles and the like) it also has grilled chicken served with broccolini and mashed potatoes. This was so exciting to me since my daughter can t eat dairy, peanuts, or soy (which is generally the type of oil food is fried in). We always leave happy and with full bellies.

Is it a wicked hot summer day and you are longing for a place to eat that has air conditioning? Well, when last visited, *Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant* fit the bill. If you want the meal to come super fast, order vegetarian selections. Not sure what to order? Go with the vegan sampler!

Our kids love eating here because we all eat with our hands, and the owners truly adore children. We always leave Queen of Sheba restaurant smiling and satisfied. 2413 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., (503) 287-6302, http://www.queenofsheba.biz

But we also got some awesome snap peas, Peonies, and more. Really what you get at the local farmers’ markets is high-quality locally produced, um, produce at good prices.

Speaking of saving money, if you are needing some baby or maternity clothes come to the swap this Saturday!

The season is just getting started, so it was a lot of hunting and gathering. However the weather was perfect – sunny but not too hot- and we still scored about 11 pounds of red gold. Next weekend should offer some great picking; the plants are full of berries waiting to mature.

Kruger’s will be having their annual Berry Jam on June 14 and 15. If you want to head a little further out, Rasmussen Farms will be having their Summer Sensations event this weekend as well.