Small Bites: End of Wilderton, Donuts, Good Measure, and More

The end of Wilderton. Bummer news about this NA distiller in Hood River. They closed their tasting room in August 2025 and the distillery will close at the end of January. One of the founders, Brad Whiting, said this: “We endeavoured to find a new steward of the brand for the past several months, but alas none worked out so the brand/IP etc will be shelved in the hopes to be resurrected at some point in the future. The distillery and tasting room are now closed and decommissioned.” More details here.

Potential food cart pod project in Montavilla is now just property for sale. Over on Montavilla News, they report about 218 and 322 SE 82nd Avenue, which are both now for sale. A food cart pod project from Uday Seelam and Ben Buiwas was in the planning stages, but multiple factors interrupted it from becoming a reality. More details on Montavilla News. 218 and 322 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Stella’s Ice Cream is coming to Sherwood. On the heels of the news about Handel’s Ice Cream opening their first location in Vancouver is this news about the first location of Stella’s in Oregon. Also a franchise, they make “small-batch, handmade ice cream” and will open in Sherwood’s Parkway South Retail Center. They are looking at a May opening. 21300 SW Langer Farms Pkwy, Sherwood

Bryan Furman BBQ is coming to Portland. The Oregonian reports that Georgian pitmaster Bryan Furman is making his way to our fair city for a three-month residency operating in the basement under Kann. So how did Kann’s Gregory Gourdet connect with this ‘cue expert? “Gourdet met Furman at Family Reunion, Food & Wine’s annual celebration of Black and Brown excellence.” And he became a big fan.

Furman does Georgia-style barbecue, which you can read about on the Southern Foodways Alliance site. Here, Furman will offer “smoked chicken, brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork, scratch-made sides, and Furman’s peach-mustard sauce.” Along with that will be sides and desserts made by his mom, including “cornbread, mac and cheese, coleslaw, collard greens, Brunswick stew, banana pudding and apple cake.” Brunswick Stew is big in Georgia. His son Nas will also help run the smoker. 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

Flour Market: Cafe 2.0? In a post on Instagram, Lisa, the owner of Flour Market, assured us that search for a new cafe space is still on track. And that you can pre-order for Saturday bakery pick-ups at their production bakery in SE Portland. It’s probably a little late for tomorrow, but check their website for the kinds of things you can pre-order for future weeks. Also important to know: “This is a soft opening because I finally got the website reconfigured.” 2523 SE 9th Avenue, Portland

The Rocky Butte Farmers Market needs your help. If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you know of my love and appreciation of the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. I was involved with some of the early planning sessions, writing some content for the website. I shopped there during their experimental Dharma Rain years, the years they were atop the actual Rocky Butte, and then at their location on NE Siskiyou. Their focus is supporting new and emerging farmers and small businesses.

Because of this mission, they’ve always intentionally kept their vendor fees among the lowest in the Portland metro area, and as they say, “we don’t rely on these fees alone to operate.” Grant money has dried up thanks to decisions made thousands of miles away. So, they’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds. I hope you can help them out by donating—here’s the campaign. Note: They are a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your donations are tax deductible.

Donuts and kolaches talk. I was over at Heretic Coffee the other day and had a truly excellent donut there. It was a chocolate Earl Grey donut from Jen’s Pastries. I also learned this week that Salvie Donuts is doing a popup at Balong this Sunday from 10am to 2pm—pre-orders are recommended, as there will be a limited amount for walk-ups. Additionally, Podnah’s has been encouraging folks to stop by for their Sunday morning donuts, biscuits, and kolaches.

And speaking of kolaches, Happy Sparrow in Lake Oswego makes them. Looks like you can also get them at Lil’ Barbecue. Further afield, Rabbit Hole Eatery & Cafe in Battle Ground comes highly recommended for kolaches.

5120 SE 28th Avenue, 2850 SE 82nd Ave #27, and 1625 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland. 5405 Jean Road, Lake Oswego; 1771 NE Dekum Street, Portland; and 1214 SW Scotton Way # 105, Battle Ground

And then there’s beignets and paczi. As they say, “it’s almost time.” Paczi are consumed in many Christian communities on Fat Thursday—the last Thursday before Lent (and the day after Ash Wednesday). Doe Donuts is offering them via special order (place orders at specialorders@doedonuts.com). You can order 8 or more of any combination of vanilla cream and chocolate cream filled. “Just tell us how many and what time you want them ready at.” 4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

The hobbits came to town. Pete Cho reported that Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd stopped in at Han Oak for a meal. You can see a bit of their visit here. 511 NE 24th Avenue, Portland

The 2026 James Beard Foundation® Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists. I got the email earlier this week, and Oregon (mostly in Portland) and southern Washington (AKA Vancouver) represents in the following:

• Outstanding Restaurant: Le Pigeon
• Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Coquine
• Outstanding Bar: Scotch Lodge
• Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Joel Gunderson from Heavenly Creatures
• Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Taylor Manning and Siobhan Speirits, Cafe Olli; Kristen Murray, Måurice; Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado; Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro; Josh Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland; Jack Strong, JORY Restaurant at The Allison Inn & Spa, Newberg
• Best New Bar: The Elbow Room, Vancouver

Last year, Le Pigeon (Gabriel Rucker), Coquine, Scotch Lodge, Heavenly Creatures (Joel Gunderson), Thomas Pisha-Duffly (Gado Gado), Ryan Roadhouse (Nodoguro), and Josh Dorcak (MÄS) were all involved in the semi-final round of the Awards. Multiple locations

Lobster rolls and sake tasting at The Back Patio tomorrow. On Saturday from 4pm to 8pm they’ve doing a sake tasting with Davvy Lee and lobster rolls from the Cousins Maine Lobster truck.. 3944 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

Another way to support CSAs: Be a drop site. That’s Community Supported Agriculture, a system I’ve been a fan of since I first heard about CSAs in 1996. It’s wonderful to be a shareholder, but have you considered providing a drop site (AKA distribution location)? PNW CSA put out the call in their most recent newsletter:

“Want to support your local farm? You can do that by hosting a CSA drop site.  Our farmers are looking for safe, covered places for their CSA pickup locations for the upcoming season.  By being a host, you are supporting your local farm and making local vegetables more accessible to your neighborhood.  If you want to learn more, email us at info@pnwcsa.org.”

Market of Choice wants to acquire Basics Market. They announced it last Friday, their interest in acquiring Basics Market. I believe this Basics in Hillsdale is the only one left—they had locations on NE Sandy Blvd and NW 14th Ave, but they closed. I was particularly bummed about the NE Sandy Blvd location, which remains a huge empty storefront.

I like Market of Choice but am concerned that this acquisition could help erode the diversity of food shopping options in Portland. And will it raise prices? I welcome your thoughts about this situation. 6344 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Rangoon Bistro is moving. They’ve taking over the old Deadshot space. Portland Business Journal has the details. 2133 SE 11th Street, Portland

Broadway Pizza Shoppe will close at the end of January. This pizzeria on NE 15th Avenue just north of Broadway is closing their doors on Saturday, January 31 (they opened in late 2924). Here’s what the owner, Brittany Scull, wrote:

“We took over a 5 year lease that ends February 28th. This gave us just over a year to make this work. This space, while full of possibility, has proven to be way too large and too costly for a business of our size….4,000 sq ft to be exact. Making this decision has been incredibly painful, but it’s the most honest and responsible one we can make. It breaks my heart to have to write this at all.”

Sorry to see them go, but they made a good effort. 1713 NE 15th Avenue, Portland

James Beard Public Market delay. Looks like they are going to delay their opening about six months into 2027. They were doing work on the former Rite Aid and found a century-old timber frame inside. They want to preserve it and incorporate it into the design, which takes extra unanticipated time. 610 SW Alder Street, Portland

Dave’s Hot Chicken is getting close to opening. ICYMI, they are taking over the old Santa Fe Taqueria space in Northwest Portland. My sources say they’ve had to do a major remodel but are opening in the not too distant future. 831 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland

Good Measure turns one. This little eclectic spot in Milwaukie celebrates one year in business at the end of the month. “What a beautiful year you gave us. We grew our product, we made specials bonds with you, we met your families, we catered your birthdays, we hugged when we all needed it, we told stories, and laughed the whole way.” Their birthday bash on Saturday, January 31 from 5pm to 8pm includes champagne, cake, oysters, a DJ, and dancing. All ages welcome. 10999 SE Main Street, Milwaukie

And today marks three days until Electrica closes. And they’re doing collabs today and Sunday. Friday is with HeyDay and they’ll have a Vietnamese Egg Sando made with braised egg salad on their milk bread, milk bread toast with house made pandan custard jam (AKA kaya), or coconut jam and condensed milk. Sunday is with Soen, menu unknown. Plus, Saturday is the Schoolhouse warehouse sale.

Really sorry to see them go. They will be missed, but get a last bit of enjoyment there this weekend. 2181 NW Nicolai Street, Portland

A new pocha in Beaverton. Yvette Chau posted about a new pocha (tent covered street food stall common in Korea) that has popped up outside of Best Teriyaki in Beaverton. The pocha was started by the Best Teriyaki folks, so you can eat your food inside the store, as it is quite chilly lately. And they serve tteokboki ($5), which is one of my favorite things to eat. The tteokboki in her video has this gorgeous red color: I recently had some packaged tteokboki that was blah, so this is looking especially good.

She says they also serve eomuk tang (Korean fish cake soup, $2) and hotteok (a sweet pancake, 2 for $5). The stall is only on weekends: 4pm to 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 2pm to 7:30pm on Sunday. Cash only. 4130 SW 117th Avenue R, Beaverton

Chicatanas will open in Hillsboro. This is a new restaurant opening in the location the Mamancy Tea was in downtown. A “chicatana” is a species of flying leaf-cutter ant that is native to Mexico, and considered a delicacy (you can also see the flying ant on their logo).

Chicatanas in Hillsboro will offer coffee, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Roberto Lezama, one of the owners, wrote, “We will offer some regional specialties that are hard to find in the area, and organic products sourced locally, grown by the small farmers in our community.” Look for them to open in a few weeks. 159 SE 2nd Avenue, Hillsboro

Wiener Week starts Monday. From the Portland Mercury, this is their first food week of the year. “For one week, “the city’s boldest chefs will craft their most creative, flavor-packed wieners for just $8 a pop.” Multiple locations

The Portland Seafood and Wine Festival is this weekend. This is the 20th year they’ve held this festival and it’s big deal. Over 175 booths offering fresh Oregon seafood, wine, craft beers, cider, and distilled spirits will be ready for you at the Expo Center. You can get your tickets and more info, here. 2060 N Marine Drive, Portland

And Portland Tacos, Tequilas & Tamales Festival is this weekend, too. “Enjoy Latin American cuisine, sip on tequila, shop dozens of pop-ups from local artists & creators, and experience the excitement of Lucha Libre and live music!” There will be food vendors, distilleries and wineries represented. Get your tickets here.

Bonus: Tickets to the Portland Tacos, Tequilas & Tamales Fest are also valid for entry to the Portland Seafood & Wine Fest in the adjacent Expo Center hall. This is a sweet, sweet, two-fer. 2060 N Marine Drive, Portland

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Stories you may have missed on Bridgetown Bites this week:

Valentine’s Day 2026 in Portland
Tap Season 2026 Has Started in the Tualatin Valley
Restaurant AMA Will Enclose Their Rooftop Deck in Hillsboro
Reminder: Burns Night is Sunday!