Category: Restaurants

first-look-dining-room-grand-stark-deli-portland-oregon

News and reviews of restaurants in Portland, Oregon.

Some of the most written about places on this blog include:

Portland Mercado [Latin American]
Ben & Esther’s [Jewish/Vegan]
Sizzle Pie [Pizza]
Bee’s Cakes [Cakes and Baked Goods]
Salt & Straw [Ice Cream]
Nepali Kitchen [Nepalese]
Vivienne[Bakery, Wine Bar, Bookstore]
Kachka [Russian]
Chin’s Kitchen [Dongbei Chinese]
Arrowood [New American]

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 23)

Super King Buffet II to open on SE 82nd Avenue. The Willamette Week published an article about the building on SE 82nd Avenue that was most recently home to Super King Buffet, which closed during the COVID pandemic. The building has an interesting history: “From 1973 to 1996, the angular building at the corner of Southeast Raymond Street was home to the Organ Grinder, an 1890s-themed pizzeria where the star of the show was a monstrous 1927 Wurlitzer organ.” Read more about the organ, why it found itself to this location, and—spoiler—the fact that the instrument was sold and split up into parts. 5015 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Cider Summit PDX kicks off today. Cider lovers, this is for you: today and tomorrow, 150+ hard ciders, fruit spirits, and cider cocktails from more than 40 of the industry’s leading cidermakers will be available at the 11th annual Cider Summit Portland, the state’s largest cider festival, at The Redd on Salmon. Attendees will taste a selection of craft beverages, many of which will be poured by the cider makers and distillers themselves. The event is a benefit for Cascade Blues Association, Northwest Cider Association and DoveLewis Emergency Pet Hospital. Tickets are available at the door, $40 general admission. This is a 21+ event. 831 SE Salmon Street, Portland

Jeju should open end of June. The “wood-fired, whole-animal, Korean BBQ restaurant from the family that brought you Han Oak Restaurant” is expected to open at the end of June (that’s like next week) in the old Renata space. PoMo has the details. I think it’s going to be a hot ticket. 626 SE Main Street, Portland

Trela’s social media woke up! Trela, a Greek taverna to open in the North Tabor neighborhood that we reported on back in March 2022, has been dormant for months. The building got tagged and there was an “administrative dissolution” on their ORSOS record (they’ve now been reinstated), and honestly, I thought they were kaput. Well … I WAS WRONG. And happy to be wrong! Their Instagram has had some activity this month, including video of demo day and a date at the end of opening the restaurant “Fall 2023.” So freaking exciting! I can’t wait to try it. 6000 NE Glisan Street, Portland

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Focus on Filipino Food With Filipino Food Oregon

Chicken adobo from Baon Kainan

From June 23 to July 1, 2023, Filipino food will be the focus in our state through Filipino Food Oregon, with notable events in Salem and Portland. In Salem, there’s the World Beat Festival in particular, and here in Portland head to the city’s great Filipino restaurants and food carts during Filipino Food Week. Filipino Food Oregon, a “culinary heritage celebration highlighting Filipino cuisine,” is hosted by Philippine Department of Tourism SF.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 9)

Some openings of note. Tonight, head to Bar Mame for their opening; The Heist will open tomorrow, June 10; and Arrosto re-opened this week with a new ordering system—the outdoor walk-up window is a thing of the past. As a bi fan of Arrosto (especially their salad), here’s some tips from them I found useful: order inside Providore at the self-service Arrosto kiosk; food is served from 4pm to 7pm; they’ll start out with a simple menu of favorites (though more options are coming); and the Arrosto chicken salad and sandwich can be had at the deli case if you want it for lunch. 3279 SE Hawthorne Blvd (Bar Mame), 4727 SE Woodstock Blvd (The Heist), and 2340 NE Sandy Blvd (Arrosto), Portland

Yelp’s top donuts in Portland. Four donut shops in the Portland area made it on to the Yelp Top 100 list of donut shops around the U.S.:

  • 15—Pip’s Original, 4759 NE Fremont Street, Portland (and in July, 12400 SW Broadway Street, Beaverton)
  • 73—Donut Day, 18955 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, Aloha
  • 78—Doe Donuts, 4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
  • 94—Mikiko Mochi Donuts, 300 NE 28th Avenue, Portland

    2023 James Beard Awards winners. It was great to see Kann (which I recently ate at—the hype is real) and Berlu do well at the 2023 James Beard Awards. Kann won Best New Restaurant, and Vince Nguyen was named Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA). Congrats to both! 548 SE Ash Street (Kann) and 605 SE Belmont Street (Berlu), Portland

    Happy one year anniversary, Fresh Love! Yesterday, Fresh Love celebrated one year in business. This little Roseway spot has become a dependable, lovely place to get delicious food (salad, sandwiches, bowls, smoothies, fresh juices, a few baked goods); pick up some produce and locally made artisan products (edible and not); and see local art. I was in there yesterday and got their seasonal chopped salad, which gets a thumbs up from me. They also stock my favorite Honey Mama’s bar, Tangerine Tahini. I wish them many more years in business! 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland