Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100w i n t e r g u i d e 2 0 1 7 3 9 Clockwise from top right: Meaghan maurice (2); meredith perdue for portland hunt + alpine club; courtesy photos (6) Back on the Block T hosefamiliarwithFiga,theAsian fusionattractionoftheEastEndfood scenewhichclosedin2013aftertwo years,willbestunnedatthetransformation of249CongressStreetfromcozyneighbor- hoodeaterytoabright,modernbistrowith adistinctlyEuropeanaesthetic.Welcometo LBKitchen.Vacantforthreeyears,theorig- inalredbrickwallsarenowpaintedacool white,matchingtheextensivesubwaytiling alongthecountersandquirkyaccentsonthe woodenfurniture.“Theinteriorcametome inadreambackin2007.Iknow,Iknow–that soundsweird,”saysLeeFarrington,looking relaxedasshemovesaroundtheopen-plan kitchen,itslayoutunchangedsincethedays ofFiga.Thechefisn’tgoingitalonethistime. LBstandsforLeeandBryna,lifeandbusiness partners.BrynaGootkindalsoworksforan organicsuperfoodbrand,NavitasNaturals. “LB Kitchen is our shared vision,” Goodkind says. “It’s something we talk- ed about for over a year,” says Gootkind. “The menu concept is based around func- tional food–it tastes good and each compo- nent does you good. I’m the one who is full of ideas and weird food information. Lee is the magician who pulls it together.” One such example of this dynamic is the bone broth ($7), served to-go in paper cups like coffee. The salty, tasty broth is packed with healthy fats and protein, although “It took Lee a while to get on board with the idea,” admits Bryna. The star of the menu is surely the LB Bowls (crafted by local ceramicist Amanda Scimino), heaped servings of grains and su- per foods galore. Figa evangelists will cele- brate the reincarnation of Farrington’s wild boar as an LB Bowl, along with coconut and red curry (“I was getting emails about that dish when I closed Figa,” says Far- rington. “It had to be included.”). The menu is a mixture of both virtuous and sinful. The healthful bowls, featuring the label “Not Diet Food,” are an enormous portion for $10. Farrington’s fans who know her penchant for cake will not be disappoint- ed. The Practically Famous Cake Slice ($4) is rich, chocolaty…and vegan. “I served it to Norah Jones before her show at State The- ater,” says Farrington. “She was like, ‘there’s no way this can be vegan!’” The bistro will focus on breakfast and lunch servings, closing at 2 p.m. in an at- tempt to secure that elusive work/life bal- ance for the couple, who have a young child. That being said, their excitement and ambition is palpable. “We’re planning to do ticketed pop-up dinners a couple of times a month,” says Gootkind. “We also see our- selves packaging and selling some of our ingredients, like the ‘Cashew Crack’ nut butter. And I’d love to see a few more loca- tions in the local area in the future.”