Karen Brooks Takes on Muscadine’s Fried Chicken | Michael Russell Gives Taylor Railworks 2.5 Stars

PORTLAND MONTHY—Reviewing Muscadine's fried chicken, Portland Monthly's Karen Brooks writes, "The meat is ambrosial, dark-only and juicy as all get out," before launching into an ode to its crust, which is "unlike any I've tasted," with "crisp skin (think the best part of Thanksgiving turkey) beneath a flaky layer of super-crunch." The only hiccups "are in the oven, where biscuits go leaden and corn bread finds no nuance."

THE OREGONIAN—This week, The Oregonian's Michael Russell gives Taylor Railworks a 2.5-star review, writing that it "has room to improve, but the menu already holds several must orders." Standouts for Russell include "foie gras disguised as filet mignon" served with "a small bowl of noodle-less ‘ramen,'" and the Alaska King Crab legs, which he calls "the restaurant's show stopper." Buried in his review you'll also find the following: "Standing in the well-lit kitchen, Van Kley looks a bit like a thinner version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer who looks like Will Ferrell."

PORTLAND MONTHY—A month after The Merc gave the thumbs up to Aaron Barnett and Tommy Klus' La Moule, PoMo's Benjamin Tepler gives us his take. La Moule is "more than a novelty," he writes. Yes, the mood is sexy, and so is the food, but "it's also just a great neighborhood bar, teeming with late-night energy and strong, smart cocktails."