Small Bites: Fiery Crab, Lost Lounge, Krampus, and More

Seafood boil at Fiery Crab. — Photo credit: Fiery Crab.

Fiery Crab is coming to Portland. A reader wrote us with this tip, “The old Shari’s on NE 122nd near San Rafael and in the Winco parking lot is becoming a new restaurant. It looked like some work had been happening there, but it had been quiet for a while. Today I saw a sign going up that I think said Fiery Crab.” That matches this Google listing—“temporarily closed” likely means it’s just not open yet.

FYI, “Fiery Crab delivers explosive Cajun flavors in every bag” and “a messy, hands-on dining experience.” They are based in Lafayette, LA. 1832 NE 122nd Ave, Portland

Cartopia’s gonna light a Christmas tree this Sunday. Head over to Cartopia on Sunday, December 7 at 7pm to see the tree lighting at the pod; its part of a bigger event that goes form 4pm to 8pm. There’s a DJ who will be playing a “chill out Xmas mix,” a drink special at Burger Ritual, and a donation drive for Rose Haven. 1207 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Free sandwiches from Shake Shack in December. Apparently Shake Shack has a mascot of sorts, Cris Crinkle Cut. I noticed in the promotional email that they never gave Cris a gender, so perhaps this mascot is like Pit Pat, the GloboChem spokesthing from the 1990s. (“Take it from me, I love you!”—thank you for indulging my Mr. Show moment.)

Anyway, apparently Cris is here “to spread good cheer and even better deals”—meaning, each week in December, you can get a different free Shack sandwich with your $10 purchase when you use code: SHACKCHEER.” The small print: “Promotional sandwiches offerings are 12/1-12/7: The Big Shack, 12/8-12/14: SmokeShack (single only, excludes double and triple), 12/15-12/20: Chicken Shack (excludes Avocado Bacon Chicken and Chicken Bites), and 12/21-12/31: ShackBurger (single only, excludes double and triple).” Multiple locations

The Silmarillion-themed trivia brunch is rescheduled to mid-December. Head over to The Paladins League on Sunday, December 14 from 11:30am to 1:30pm for this special themed-brunch. Free to play and … still hosted by Gandalf …?

“If you’ve read The Silmarillion—this will be a great opportunity to show off your nerdly knowledge. But if you haven’t read the book, you’ll learn enough about it through this trivia to convince people that you have!” 4765 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Los Parientes Taqueria love from Reddit. I noticed this recommendation on r/Portland the other day: “Tonight we discovered that Los Parientes Taqueria on 82nd and Powell has authentic al pastor cooked on the rotisserie on the weekends. Best pastor we’ve had in Portland. Parking is limited there, so you gotta park in the Winco lot and walk over.” Al pastor cooked on a trompo is worth checking out. 3405 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

The Lost Lounge inside a strip mall McMenamins is nice. I stopped by The Lost Lounge, a kind of hidden Tiki lounge in east Vancouver’s McMenamins. They’ve been open about a month and a half by now. Here are photos from that time. My favorite thing during my visit there was the Coco-Not mocktail, made with coconut cream, pineapple, fresh squeezed orange and NA bitters. And speaking of Tiki, The Donn of Tiki was a good time last Sunday. 1900 NE 162nd Avenue b107, Vancouver

New holiday cocktails at The Sandy Jug. This fabulous jug-shaped watering hole where only God can jug you, has put together some special cocktails for the season:

SUGAR FOR SANTA: Four Roses Bourbon, Pecan Liqueur, Walnut Bitters, Cinnamon.
WINTER’S WONDER: Tito’s Vodka, Falernum, Spiced Cranberry, Lime, Fee Foam, Nutmeg.
CIDER RITA: Bahnez Mezcal, Aperol, Ancho Reyes, Apple Cider, Cinnamon.
HOT CHATA COCO: Cruzan Rum, Chocolate Liqueur, House Oat Milk Horchata, Warming Spices.

Here are some pics. Also on Thursday, December 11 from 6pm to 9pm they are hosting the “Sugar Shack Showdown“: a gingerbread house-making contest, complete with festive drink specials and holiday movies. 7417 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

The annual Multnomah Village Holiday Gala is tonight. Head there from 5pm to 9pm for a community holiday tree lighting and sing-a-along, photo-op with Santa, a special appearance by the Grinch, live music, and an Arts & Crafts Fair at the Multnomah Arts Center. More details. SW 35th Avenue, Portland

Free soup with wine at Parallel. On Wednesday, December 10, they are offering complimentary soup from 5pm to 7pm. “Come in an order a glass of our Donatella Cinelli Colombini Chianti Superiore or Tolaini Al Passo Super Tuscan blend and receive a complimentary pairing of Ribollita to celebrate the season!” Ribollita is a Tuscan white bean and bread soup. Very cozy for this time of year. 3101 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Pipsqueak Bagels will open a brick & mortar. And it’s the old Vtopian location! Vtopian has, of course, moved north into the old Flower Bloom space on NE Grand, opening Adelleda with it. Pipsqueak looks to open spring 2026, but in the meantime find them at Puff Coffee (2816 SE Stark Street) on Saturdays for their winter residency, starting tomorrow. 3844 SE Gladstone Street, Portland

F.H. Steinbart will close this month. America’s oldest homebrew supply store is shutting its doors after 108 years in business. Last year James Ameeti of Perfect Pour Services bought the business, which gave brewers hope for an extended future, but this year apparently the building’s owner has put it up for sale—here is the Loopnet listing. The asking price for this property is $1,800,000. It’s zoned Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2), so it would not surprise me if this land was redeveloped. 212-234 SE 12th Avenue, Portland

And COFFEE BEER is losing its Parking Space Patio. Big City Fee Energy is crashing into the parking space patio. The fees are about $3,200 and that’s not doable for them. Read more here. 4142 SE 42nd Avenue, Portland

Hit the Spot returns. They closed three months ago and many had hoped that wasn’t the end. Well, they were right to hope—Hit the Spot returns at their old location in the parking lot of the Human Bean on NE Sandy Blvd. They posted this message on social media, “We had a mission to this when we started 7 years ago and that mission was to create a concept of ‘farm-to-table fast-food.’ Fortunately for us, we still have our food cart and have another chance at building that. We will be opening under a new name, but similar concept.”

They will be doing a soft-opening this Saturday, December 6 from noon to 2pm. 4835 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Play Winter Soup Bingo. I caught wind of this challenge a little while ago over on Facebook, but wanted to share it here. There’s not much copy in the article but the cool BINGO-style image makes up for it. There are 24 soups. Kinda like Pokeman, can you slurp ’em all? Props to Andrea Damewood and Rebecca Nguyen for creating this fun and comforting project. Multiple locations

Harder Day is open in Lake Oswego. They are there Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm, offering coffee, pastries, breakfast, and lunch; plus beer, cocktails, and wine. 5885 Meadows Road, Lobby, Lake Oswego

Today is Via Tinto’s grand opening. This new Troutdale wine bar has been in soft opening mode but today is their official grand opening celebration, starting at 11am. There will be a ribbon-cutting with the Mayor of Troutdale, plus, they are a featured stop on the Harlow Hunt scavenger hunt. More of what to expect this weekend is here. 111 W Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale

Krampus returns to Montavilla. Tomorrow, Saturday, December 6, Krampus is stopping by Fressen Artisan Bakery. Get a photo with him, and enjoy a one-day only Krampus drink special. 10am to 4pm. Plus, pick up some stollen and other delicious things at this German bakery. 7075 NE Glisan Street, Portland

The Candy Cane Sundae returns. This fabulous sundae at Cheese & Crack is back! Housemade peppermint brownies, candy cane crunch, and dark chocolate sauce is all atop their vanilla soft serve. It looks so good! 22 SE 28th Avenue, Portland

And Face Plant launched their first seasonal shake. It’s called “The Winter Warmer.” They say it “tastes like holiday cookies, and winter spices, and gingerbread. Also, like a crackling fire in an A frame on a snowy night on Mt. Hood.” And, of course, it’s vegan. 3110 N Going Street, Portland

Falafel Cafe review. Over on Willamette Week, Joanna Hou reviewed Falafel Cafe and it sounds great! They are inside Silver Dollar Pizza C, and open as late as 2am on some nights. 501 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

Cuddle with kittens for a cause. On Sunday, December 7 at Loyal Legion in Beaverton, stop by and enjoy snuggling with kittens while supporting NWAC (Northwest Animal Companions). All ages welcome. 5 bucks gets you 5 minutes of snuggling with adorable kitties. Plus 10% of beer sales benefit the rescue. If you want to adopt, you can apply to do that, too.

Please note, kitten snuggles are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival encouraged. 4500 SW Watson Ave, Beaverton

Holiday Markets. Here are some upcoming markets we are aware of:

Saturday, December 6: Cookshop and Kitchen Table Magazine. Together they’ll host “amazing food vendors, makers, and artists” at their (almost) annual Winter Market. 11am to 5pm. 2625 SE 26th Avenue, Portland
Saturday, December 6: German Christmas Market. This very popular market features local artisans & vendors, authentic German smokers, ornaments, & nutcrackers, German food & Glühwein. 10am to 6pm. This is a ticketed event. 5626 NE Alameda Street, Portland
Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7: Farag’s SHOP + BAR. This edition involves designer vintage clothing, ceramics, art, gifts, and more for sale. As well as champagne, “the infamous bacanora eggnog,” and espresso from Old Friends Coffee. 10% of every sale from both sides of the bar + bazaar to PIRC. Noon to 5pm in the garage next to Güero. 200 NE 28th Avenue, Portland
Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7: My People’s Market. Head to the Oregon Convention Center for food, vendors, and live music—150 local small businesses. 11am to 5pm. 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland
Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7: Northwest Marine Art Works Open Studios and Holiday Market. You’ll find “one-of-a-kind paintings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, sculpture, mixed media, and more,” plus live music, and local food and drink. 10am to 4pm both days. 2516 NW 29th Avenue, Portland
Sunday, December 7: Krampus Market. At Black Cat Frozen Custard you can find “gifts for those who thrive in the eerie and the unusual. Immortalized webs, altar-ready candles and decor, captured ghosts in jars, dark romanticism linens, crystal filled horns, and other curiosities made for the spooky-hearted. Plus tattoos and curiosities by Covenless Tattoo.” 11am to 4pm, free entry. 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Portland
On the horizon: Sunday, December 14: Holiday market at Han Oak. Vendor list coming soon. Noon to 4pm. 511 NE 24th Avenue, Portland