I took a look at the posts that got the most traffic this year and found an unexpected mix of results. Many of the posts were written this year, but a couple of oldies made it in. Here are the top 10 posts from the year, with accompanying updates and thoughts.
10. Farewell Heim, Hello Bee’s Cakes and Cafe. Bee, AKA, Rebecca Powazek-Anderson, has been making custom cakes and throwing pop-ups in this space at the intersection of NE Sandy Blvd and Fremont Street. She has indicated that the cafe part “is set to open January.” We’ll bring you more details when they become available.
9. First Tastes: Dimo’s SPK. Dimo’s Apizza, the celebrated New Haven-style pizzeria, offered these great BEC-style sandwiches last spring, but only for a short time. I’m glad I was able to get my hands on one at the time. Maybe they’ll bring them back again someday.
8. Salt, Fire & Time To Close This Month. This is the oldest post on this list, all the way back from 2018 and it keeps attracting traffic. I guess people are curious about what happened. If you’d like to see what Salt, Fire & Time’s owner Tressa Yelig is up to these days, she’s active over on Instagram.
7. My New Fruit Love is the Adriatic Fig. As you may know if you’ve been reading the blog this year, I bought an Adriatic Fig tree! I got it at One Green World nursery and am looking forward to seeing it grow and produce figs over the years.
6. Goodbye Saima Thai & Sushi, Hello ChiMcking. I was sorry to see Saima go, but ChiMcking is making very tasty Korean fried chicken (KFC) there, ironically right next to the vegan donut shop (whose space used to be a butcher). I’ve noticed they have indoor seating again, too.
5. Upright Brewing Coming to Roseway/Cully. This project is still on from what I can tell, and since the writing of the original post, it’s come to light that there will be a morning coffee element to it from Junior’s. Word on the street is that the earliest it could be up and running is spring/summer 2022. With City of Portland’s atrocious permitting delays, though, it could be later.
4. Another Soda Fountain Bites the Dust? Paulsen’s Pharmacy Has Closed. After Paulsen’s closed it was boarded up, but the other day I noticed the windows were uncovered. I’d like to see something great move into that space.
3. Fairley’s Pharmacy and Its Soda Fountain Have Been Sold. The new owners are great and the soda fountain is going strong—serving Heart coffee and pastries from Bee’s from across the street. It’s become a very popular place since the nearby Walgreens closed in November and the need for COVID shots and boosters is at the front of the minds of some Portlanders. I got my booster there and it was nice to be able to sip a latte while I waited the requisite 15 minutes after the shot.
2. The Bulgogi + Du Kuh Bee Connection. The popularity of this post just goes to show you that admitting you don’t know something won’t necessarily be a strike against you. The place is still serving tasty Korean food in a relaxed atmosphere. Plus, hand-pulled noodles!
1. First Tastes: Nepali Kitchen in Northeast Portland. Nepali Kitchen gets high marks from pretty much everyone I know who has eaten there. A neighbor who lived in Nepal also says it’s the real deal; it tastes as good as a lot of the food I used to eat in Himalaya Heights in Queens. Their setup is very COVID-era friendly, with little heated huts on the property. The food also does well as takeout. I hope they remain for a long time.
A couple of honorable mentions:
Our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals page also did relatively well. Look for a fresh list in 2022, which will updated throughout the year. My sincere hope is that a lot of festivals return to Portland (especially the Middle East Festival at the Parish of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church).
The post The Jolly Roger Will Be Demolished was just barely beyond the threshold of the 10 posts above, but because it’s so recent (mid-December 2021), I’d say it was one of the top performing posts this year.
Thanks to all of you for reading Bridgetown Bites, for your comments, and shares on social media. It’s been a lot of fun writing about food news, views, and reviews for Portland. Happy New Year, and see you in 2022!
Meg Cotner
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So sorry to see Fairleys closing up now. I wonder if there is any other soda fountains still around in pdx. Thankyou for the food job you do reporting for bridge town bites. It’s always pleasent to find out what’s up in the hood!
Oh, Fairley’s is still open – filling pharmacy orders and offering coffee and pastries at the soda fountain. The new owners seem to be doing well.