Cooking can be a drag, especially when you live in an ancient house without a dishwasher like myself. When my freezer is empty of leftovers or TV dinners to toss in the microwave, I often find myself at the Village Hut in Multnomah Village. The place has an odd layout. The hut itself has a bar with enough seating room for a handful of patrons. Out back, there's a grill with a few tables and a second hut with a large dining table.

I'm a big fan of the goat stew, which often pops up on the specials menu. It's typically served with a side of tasty slaw that has a bit of a spicy kick. The owner says the cooking process for the dish can take over 15 hours.

He's always friendly and somehow manages to hold down a conversation while juggling his duties as a chef, a host, a busboy, a server and a cashier. The last time I was in there, he related an anecdote about an ongoing series of incidents involving a group of teenagers that kept breaking in to raid the hut's beer cooler. They were finally caught last summer.

Also recommended: the pulled pork. It goes great with jasmine rice.

Labels: restaurants