Gebeta Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant Opened in Cully

Photo credit: Keala V via Yelp

In the “Well, I’m Late to the Party” category, I recently learned that Gebeta Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant opened in Cully last February. I’ve not gotten a chance to get over there, but online reviews are mostly positive. It’s located in part of Cully’s industrial section, and its presence there is a welcome surprise.

Continue reading “Gebeta Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant Opened in Cully”

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, October 2022

Data Analytics Chart

I’ll admit it—October was a bit of a tough month for Bridgetown Bites because of a deluge of editing work that came my way. Not really anything to complain about but I missed my daily time with the blog. Regardless, here are the most read articles from October 2022. As always, thanks for reading, especially during a relatively dry month content-wise.

5. Interesting Projects From República’s Team & Associates

tacotes-republica-portland-oregon

República, a restaurant that offers enjoyment and world-expanding flavors in delicious regional Mexican cooking, has garnered high praise from both food media (PoMo’s Restaurant of the Year 2021PDX Eater’s Best New Restaurant 2021, 2022 James Beard Award Semifinalist as Best New Restaurant) and eaters in Portland. They show us that there is much to experience from a country that is often thought of in the U.S. as simply the home of margaritas, burritos, tacos—and, if you’re getting fancy, tres leches cake (these are all delicious, but are a fraction of what Mexico has to offer as far as food goes). I personally think it’s very important and meaningful to highlight the regional tastes of our neighbor to the south, and I’m glad República is doing just that.

Continue reading “Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, October 2022”

Mattino’s Wine, From the Folks Who Brought You No Saint, Will Open in Buckman

Pizza from No Saint’s pop-up at Dame Restaurant in 2021.

While perusing my sources today I saw one document that had a big ol’ “No Saint” written on it. I thought, “Huh, that’s so familiar.” I wracked my brain and then it hit me—No Saint was the pizza/Italian eats pop-up I went to with my friend Annie many months ago. Turns out they are the same folks behind Mattino’s Wine, a “natural wine bottle shop + luncheonette” that will open on Hawthorne Blvd in the Buckman neighborhood.

Continue reading “Mattino’s Wine, From the Folks Who Brought You No Saint, Will Open in Buckman”

Four Things I Learned This Week (October 28)

Two new food books on my radar. I’ve become aware of two new Portland food-oriented books—one Portland-centric and one by a Portlander that I’ve been following for a while (since my traditional food scene days). The first is Lost Restaurants of Portland, Oregon by Theresa Griffin Kennedy. The beginning of the blurb goes like this: “Delve into the Rose City’s colorful and sometimes tumultuous past through the memories, meals and recipes that put these bygone restaurants on the map.” Author Kennedy is a native Portlander.

The other book is called Cooking with Whey, by Urban Cheesecraft’s Claudia Lucero, who lives in Portland. The book’s subtitle is, “A Cheesemaker’s Guide to Using Whey in Probiotic Drinks, Savory Dishes, Sweet Treats, and More.” I once knew a guy in Queens—who eventually founded a kombucha company—who would buy gallons and gallons of whey from the Amish for his health needs. A friend once made me a whey soda that was out of this world tasty. Whey is amazing stuff. It deserves a book like this.

Hollyween Market is this Saturday. Head to the Hollywood Farmers Market this Saturday for their Halloween parade. There will be costumes. There will be dogs (most of which will also be in costume). And those (humans) in costume can enter a lottery to win fun market prizes post-parade. Plus, as always, there will be excellent vendors and chances to pick up some great food and products. 4420 NE Hancock Street, Portland

Adios, Fills. Fills, as reported, is closing down its Lake Oswego shop. Their final day of business will be Sunday October 30. They were going to close ion November 23 but persistent staffing issues sped things up. Prior to Sunday, you can visit them 8am to 8pm (Breakfast sando: 8am to 11:30am; Berliner Burger: 11:30am to 8pm). 3955 Mercantile Drive, Lake Oswego

Bakeshop and the Thanksgiving pies that won’t happen. Bakeshop announced in an email newsletter that they will not be making Thanksgiving pies and cheesecakes this year, which they understand will be disappointing to some. Here is their message:

“For the first time in twelve years, we will not be making Thanksgiving pies and cheesecakes. This has been a very difficult decision, especially knowing that many of you count on us for your dessert. But as we began this week short 6 of our 12 staff, I decided to admit defeat for my and my staff’s sanity, and to give you ample time to make alternate arrangements. Obviously this was a very difficult decision to make, as holiday pies have represented one of our largest, if not the largest, revenue streams of the year for Bakeshop — a stream that we depend on to buffer us through slow periods of the year.” 5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Red Sauce Pizza Celebrates 7 Years

pepperoni-ricotta-red-sauce-pizza-portland-oregon

One of my favorite combinations at Red Sauce: pepperoni and ricotta (thank you Arturo’s in NYC for the inspiration)

This week, Red Sauce Pizza celebrates seven years in business. After making it through two years of heightened pandemic times, this is a real achievement. They are celebrating this week with pizza and ice cream deals, plus news on the opening of their dining room.

Continue reading “Red Sauce Pizza Celebrates 7 Years”