Small Bites - Cowbell's Washed-Rind Cheeses, Second Foxy Coffee Location, Banh Mi Boys Arrival, and More

lisa-with-wild-ramps-cowbell-cheese-shop-portland-oregon

Lisa with wild ramps, an excellent cheese. Photo credit: Cowbell Cheese Shop

Washed-rind cheeses at Cowbell. This fantastic little cheese shop in the Central Eastside has professed their love of washed-rind cheeses, described as having, “unctuous, pudgy textures, big aromas, and assertive-yet-nuanced flavors that dance on the line between sweet and savory, nutty and brothy.” Le Niremont (Switzerland), Bethmale Montagne Mixte (France/Pyrenees), and Lisa with wild ramps (Germany/Bavaria) are the highlights. Buy online or in person. 231 SE Alder Street, Portland

Foxy Coffee’s second location. North Portland’s Foxy Coffee is planning on opening a new coffee window downtown. They signed the lease last week for the space that used to be home to Lauretta Jean’s, and hope to open in late September or early October. 600 SW Pine Street, Portland

Cookshop has resumed classes. Happy to see Cookshop is back with its classes, the schedule of which you can find here. Lots of pasta classes, a sourdough bread class, and a concha class! On top of that, their Culture Club—the focus is on fermentation—will also return this month. 2627 Southeast Clinton Street, Portland

Some love for Quaintrelle. It’s been nice to read about the reopening of Quaintrelle, which is high on my list of must-visits in Portland’s restaurant scene. Janey Wong at the Portland Mercury gives us the skinny. I walked by the during a post-Lokanta constitutional last Friday and it looks like the place was hopping. 2032 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Purrington’s Cat Lounge has reopened. Good news for cat lovers who also like food and drink—Portland’s favorite cat lounge is back! And they have a new menu. Since they are a cafe, coffee is important they are thrilled to be serving Junior’s Coffee. There’s a pretty structured reservation policy, which you can read here. 3529 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland

Jerry’s Pizza to level-up on the staffing. I was happy to see that Jerry is seriously looking into hiring some staff so he can give us more pizza goodness: “I’m taking some time to hire so I can make more pizzas. I’m also working on my dough recipe; I can make it better.” I know some people who have been frustrated with the limitations, so this is good news for them in particular. 3237 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

Brick & mortar for Nico’s? Looks like it—he posted yesterday on his Instagram a photo with a key. We all know what that means. I look forward to finding out what door this key opens! And hoping it means a lot more ice cream to come. Address TK

Banh Mi Boys is coming to Portland. Metairie-based Banh Mi Boys is expanding from the NOLA area all the way here to Portland. From what I can tell, they will be occupying the old Doe Donuts space on 82nd Ave. As reported by NOLA.com, “[Founder Peter] Nguyen decided to blend his Vietnamese heritage with his New Orleans upbringing to create Banh Mi Boys, which has since earned a wide following for its next-generation banh mi.” The menu consists of “traditional banh mi and traditional New Orleans po-boys as well, plus salads, rice plates, spring rolls and exuberant cheese fries topped with oyster Rockefeller sauce or Vietnamese bo ne (a sizzling version of steak and eggs), or bacon, ranch dressing and “flamin’ hot craclin’ crumbs.” Their signage was installed this weekend, so they are getting closer to opening. 8201 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Come to the MidCity Smash Party. On Saturday, September 18 from 4-8pm, head to the MidCity SmashBurger truck space for fun times with vendors and food. Good eats from MidCity SmashBurger, STABS, Anh of Hey Chaudy and Sweets by Darth Baker. There will be music, too. 1015 SE Stark Street, Portland