Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, January 2023

It’s fun to see what was popular on the blog last month—and there was some variety this time (most often it’s all about Portland restaurant news). A few posts on specific kinds of food (galette des rois, soup, dumplings), some restaurant news, and events (the dumpling fest and soup fest). Big thanks to Reddit, Facebook, and PDX Eater for their linkage—it really drove traffic to the site in January, with over 10,000 page views.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

5. Get Your Galette des Rois in Portland in 2023

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Last year around this time I wrote about the Galette des Rois, the traditional French king cake to honor Epiphany aka Three Kings Day (January 6), and where it was available in Portland. In 2022, accessing this delicious cake—sweetened almond cream surrounded by buttery puff pastry—was limited. Happily, there are addition options this year, which I want to highlight.

4. The Portland Mercado’s Soup Festival Returns in 2023

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There are a lot of food festivals in Portland but the Soup Festival (AKA Winter Soup Festival) is one of the tastiest. I’ve attended in the past and have tasted a number of delicious soups, and am eager to return for more. This year, the festival is Wednesday, January 25 to Sunday, January 29, all taking place at the Portland Mercado.

3. Yuginong Offers Gluten-Free Korean Fare in St. Johns

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When I was at dinner the other night, my friends who live in St. Johns said “a Korean restaurant has finally opened in our neighborhood.” Of course, my interest was piqued so I asked more questions. The restaurant is Yuginong (or Yu Gi Nong), located in the space that was previously home to Sol Bowl and a Starbucks. They opened this past weekend.

2. The My-O-My Arrives on NE Sandy Blvd This Summer

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Yesterday I published a speculative post about the old Rocky Butte Pub space on NE Sandy near 86th Ave. Fortunately, a reader tipped me off to what is actually going in there: the new place will be called the My-O-My ,”Your Favorite Bar East of 82nd.” The folks from the White Owl Social Club are behind it.

1. Dumpling Week 2023 (It’s Back)

I love dumplings—and I love promoting Dumpling Week here on the blog because it’s one of my favorite themed food fests in Portland. Many thanks to the Oregonian for producing it each year. Basically you get some special dumplings for $14 or less per plate (up from $10/plate in 2019). Simple and delicious, from Sunday, January 29 to Saturday, February 4.