Chinese

While Portland [1]’s longtime Chinatown [2] is in the Old Town district, the business and culinary center for today’s Chinese immigrants long ago shifted to the area around SE 82nd Avenue and Division Street.

However, if you’re hankering for dim sum while in Chinatown, go to Wong Kee BBQ Dim Sum Restaurant (28 NW 4th Ave., 503/229-1888, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, dim sum $2–3.50 per item), which serves good dim sum 11 a.m.–3 p.m. daily.

Another good spot to know about, particularly if you like wonton soup or barbecued duck, is Good Taste Restaurant (8 NW 4th Ave., 503/223-3838, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. daily). This hole-in-the-wall gets zero points for atmosphere, but the food is authentically Chinese and the various noodle soups are excellent.

In the Pearl District [3], Sungari Pearl (1105 NW Lovejoy St., 971/222-7327, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 5–10 p.m. Sun., $15–24) extends the fresh, organic, and sustainable ethos of Portland restaurants to Chinese cooking. Everything from the chili oil to the pot-sticker wrappers are made in-house. While the menu offers tastes and textures from multiple regions of China, many dishes reflect the spicy, hearty cooking of Szechuan province. The dining room is stylishly modern; this is the best Chinese cooking in the central Portland area.