Zagatwire

Portland is in enviable company - listed along with hotspots like Austin, Texas; Lisbon, Portugal; and Istria, Croatia - on Zagat's list of "20 Awesome Winter Foodie Destinations." Why Portland? Because it's "down-to-earth, wholesome, and do-it-yourself without the hipster factor" of the West Coast city that shares its name. Recommended in the (very) brief write-up are Coffee By Design, J's Oyster Bar, Hugo's (incorrectly described as "a decades-old local fish joint owned by Rob Evans") and Duckfat. [Zagat]