Food and other edibles in Portland, OR
Dolsot Bibimbap at Salem’s Happy Bibim Bap House
A couple days before I got sick, I was walking home from the gym and noticed that a bunch of guys were taking stuff out of the Mio Sushi restaurant next door to the 24 Hour Fitness. It seemed odd, but I thought perhaps they were replacing old service dishes with new ones. Well, I was wrong—Eater has the details. Mio Sushi is gone, BiBim Bap House will open on March 19. Continue reading “Hollywood Says Goodbye Mio Sushi, Hello BiBim Bap House”
The Hercules Salad at Garden Monsters looks pretty dang good.
While I was sick and not on my A-game, the news of the impending arrival of Garden Monsters was reported by Chad Walsh at the Portland Mercury. Full disclosure: I hadn’t heard of Garden Monsters before this post but I’m sure glad I do now. The menu is primarily salads (“mini” and “monster” sizes), with the option to turn any of them into a wrap, and a couple of “Monster Melts.” They will be renting that little space adjacent to Saima Thai & Sushi that used to be Pono Soul Farm Kitchen’s meat market. Continue reading “Welcome to Hollywood, Garden Monsters”
As I walk to and from the gym, or Trader Joes, or the Hollywood Theatre, I always check out the progress at Saima Thai & Sushi, opening up at 4118 NE Sandy Blvd. All papers are down from the windows, hours are posted, menus are up and the interior—which looks quite a bit like the old Pono Soul Farm Kitchen’s decor—is looking RTG (ready to go). If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say they are ready to open this coming week. Continue reading “Saima Thai & Sushi Opening Update”
Well, that’s the end of an era—Blackwell’s Grub Steak Grill is closed here in the Hollywood District. First, the owner Jan dies (RIP), and that led the family to decide to close Blackwell’s this past Sunday.
According to the Willamette Week, Charlie De Lorme, Jan’s son, says “The family had considered selling the place before now, and had heard rumors that others were interested. ‘Now that we’re actually closing,’ he says, ‘they’re coming out of the woodwork.'”
I was unaware it was a Chinese restaurant way back when, too. That means the Mandarin and nearby Chin’s Kitchen were operating at the same time 35 years ago. And not far away was the Chinese Pagoda restaurant. So much Chinese-American food in a small area.
I’m also curious to know who is interested in the space now—it’s a good location and no doubt will fetch a pretty penny.
I’ll miss hearing the live blues music there on Wednesday nights. Thanks for the memories, Blackwell’s.
Before the first week of 2018 is over, I wanted to review the top posts of 2017 to see what people were reading. Turns out the most popular topic is… pizza. Portland is an excellent pizza town, so it’s understandable. The article about Chin’s Kitchen closing for a short week for renovations was the top post, thanks in a big part to the Oregonian linking to us. Thanks, guys.
I thought because it’s the end of the year, I’d expand the top posts from the traditional 5 to 10—so here we go!
10. First Tastes: Late Summer Eats
Welcome to another edition of First Tastes, were we showcase good eats at new-to-us spots in Portland. This city is full of delicious food and lots of places to check out, so no doubt this column will run for some time. Continue reading “Top 10 Posts on Bridgetown Bites for 2017”
