Four Things I Learned This Week (December 1)

The 52nd Annual Gingerbread Masterpiece at The Benson Hotel. At 6pm on Wednesday night, The Benson Hotel revealed their annual gingerbread house—a giant replica of Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle—at a free event for kids (of all ages). It featured, of course, the amazing gingerbread castle, along with holiday music, children’s crafts, cookies, beverages, and a special appearance by Santa. Check it out in their lobby—it will be up until Saturday, December 30. 309 SW Broadway, Portland

Wonderwood Springs has re-opened. You can stop by this cafe, now run by Mike Bennett and continuing to feature his cartoon art, in the St Johns neighborhood. The cafe closed for a while as the business transferred ownership (and some former employees were dismayed by the process), but now it’s back. I visited them in their previous incarnation and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the food options. Happily, it looks like the food aspect of the cafe has evolved: Pastry Chef Victoria Ascencio is making a variety of things in-house, and there are new savory options on the menu. Look for pastries, breakfast sandwiches, popcorn, hot dogs, pretzels, cheese plates and more. They are open Wednesdays to Sundays from 8am to 10pm. 8811 N Lombard Street, Portland

A Franz Bakery outlet store is closing. Reported on Facebook about the closing: “The Franz Bakery Outlet Store at 14510 SE Stark Street ([open]since 1980) [is closing]. Other locations will remain open. Last day for this store will be December 6th.” 14510 SE Stark Street, Portland

New holiday drink menu at My-O-My drops tomorrow. Glad to see more seasonal drinks being developed at this great east Portland bar. One of the new drinks is the Frosted Candy Cane Slushie, which happens to be non-alcoholic. It’s made with coconut milk, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and peppermint. If you want to make it boozy, they recommend adding Rumplemintz. I can’t wait to see the rest of their festive holiday cocktail menu! 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland