Small Bites: Il Corso, Melons, The Italian Job, and More

Il Corso is for lunch. They’ve changed their hours, which are now noon to 7pm, Tuesday through Saturday. “Our new menu is definitely what you want for a nice comfortable lunch or your Power Lunch with friends!” Their new chef, Keenan McDonald, has created this new menu.

They have 10 wines by the glass, 5 cocktails (including one NA), beer, cider, NA wine and beer, and soda for drinks. The Il Corso food menu has a nice variety: Marconas and olives, a panzanella salad (you can add burrata to that, too), cured meats and cheese, and “The Tony”—crispy Mortadella, melted Provolone, Dijon mustard, herb aioli, all on brioche with chili crisp. 1204 NW Glisan Street, Portland

Nathan Hart, the melon man, is here. He’s been setting up shop in Cully’s southern edge for a few weeks now. According to Nathan, he is there Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm. He has some of the best melons around, which include red watermelons and cantaloupes. He also has things like onions and berries, and the kind of produce changes as summer progresses. He is a seasonal neighborhood treasure. NE 68th Avenue and NE Prescott Street, Portland

Rocky Butte Farmers Market was on the television. Ben Cutler, one of the market‘s founders (and owner of Fresh Love), and Hannah Lewis, who is on the market board, were on Everyday Northwest this week, talking about farmers markets and food access. Check it out! Online

Burger Week continues this weekend. This isn’t like Pokémon—there’s no way you can “catch ’em all,” since over 100 businesses are participating. But boy is there a great selection of burgers this year. Burger it up through Sunday, August 16. Multiple locations

Get your cherries before they are gone. The good folks from Northwest Cherries remind us that the cherry season is winding down. You can find them at farmers markets, grocery stores; eat them fresh or preserve them—jam is one option, freezing is another, drying is another. I may go out and forage for some Cornelian Cherries, too. Multiple locations

Rhinestone + Deadshot. Do you miss Deadshot? Visitation is happening this weekend! On Sunday, August 16, Rhinestone is bringing Deadshot back from the dead for one night, and Adam Robinson, Deadshot’s owner, is guest bartending.

Early on in Rhinestone’s lifespan, they did some pop-ups at Deadshot, and they’ve remained connected. This is a way for them to return the pop-up favor. Doors open at 6pm until sold out. 2100 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Sebastiano’s has the goods. So many tasty sounding things happening over there right now: BLTs with tomatoes in season, a Caprese sandwich, Peaches and Cream bomboloni, and Oregon berry and almond frangipane crostatas. Plus they have an in-store sale on their olive oil at $15 a tin. 8235 SE 13th Avenue, Unit 7, Portland

About that Trap Door business… There was a lot of chatter on social media last week about the visit from Mike Johnson (yes, that guy) to Vancouver’s Trap Door Brewing. As head brewer Jake Watt said, “I had no knowledge that this event was taking place.” The impression I get from staff is that it was a surprise to them, too, and unwelcome. The Beervana blog editor/publisher Jeff Alworth published a piece on it and it’s worth a read. Online

Los Burros Supremos has closed. It happened sometime this summer, I believe. This was the burrito concept from chef Adán Fausto, backed by the Submarine Hospitality group that operated out of the Woodsman Tavern for a while. In 2024 they moved to the old Kenny & Zuke’s space. ORSOS records indicate that they failed to renew their registration in December 2025. 1038 SW Harvey Milk Street, Portland

Rose City Pickleball is now open. They had their soft opening on Friday, August 7. We reported on this back in June, about how this new pickleball court was taking over an old Chuck E. Cheese. Morning Wave has been providing matcha, onigiri, and musubis during the soft opening. They normally are over on NW Naito Pkway. 9120 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Bread Fest returns. Bread Fest is “a day dedicated to all things bread, baked goods, local makers, and seriously good food.” It’s a great way to get t. know local bakers, try new breads, and meet other vendors making interesting and delicious things. It takes place Sunday, October 18 from 10am to 2pm at The Avenue. 631 NE Grand Avenue, Portland

New menu at Restaurant AMA. The popular Spanish wings are still on the menu, so no worries there, but they have added more of their full-size entrees, as well as salads, wine, and cocktails—really leaning into “European flavors through a PNW lens.” And of course, their rooftop is open and it is dog-friendly. They have live music every first Tuesday of the month from 5pm to 8pm.

Things that catch my eye are their lasagna, chicken parm, risotto, shishito peppers, burrata, and the fact that they have some menu options for their dog guests! Check it out here (or in this PDF). 112 SE 2nd Avenue, Hillsboro

The Callback opens this month. They are planning for a Thursday, August 27 opening. This is the brand-new bar and food cart pod in Portland’s Hollywood District, right across the street from Trader Joe’s. Here’s our previous coverage. 1607 NE 41st Avenue, Portland

Interview with Bill Oakley on Ravenous. Courtney E. Smith interviewed Portland’s own Bill Oakley (who also is a fan of Bridgetown Bites) about his Culinary Curiosities series, when he was in Dallas. Check it out, and put me on Team No-Cincinnati-Chili, plz. Online

Reminder: Grand opening of Maddoggs next week. On Wednesday, August 19 from 6pm to midnight, you can help celebrate the grand opening of this great hot dog truck on the back patio at My-O-My. Meanwhile, inside there will be a special performance from 9:30pm to 10:30pm with the Adriana Wagner Quartet. DJ Hang Over will be there starting at 10:30pm. 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Mucca Osteria celebrates 15 years. And they happily blame you for that:

“To every guest who has walked through our doors, shared a meal with us, celebrated a special moment at our tables, recommended us to a friend, or simply kept coming back: thank you. Thank you for supporting us throughout the years, for growing with us, and for giving us the opportunity to learn, evolve, and become better along the way. Restaurants are built on food, wine, and hospitality—but they survive because of community. We are incredibly grateful to be part of yours.”

I had some of their gelato at last month’s Oregon Taste event and it was excellent. Congrats to them on 15 years. 1022 SW Morrison Street, Portland

The Italian Job cart opened on August 10. Their tagline is “Panini, Pasta & More—Good Food, Clean Getaway.” I’m particularly interested in the chicken parm, which they call “chicken parm panini.” They have other cold cut sandwiches, and also have sweets—tiramisu and pistachio ricotta cake. Also truffle fries and a white bean salad. I want to eat this (coming soon):

Bulgarian Feta Bon Bons: “Double breaded, fried to perfection, sitting atop our homemade pistachio cream, drizzled with homemade hot honey and finished with aged balsamic glaze from Modena!” Fried feta is freaking delicious (thanks, Ovelia). They’re at the ModHaus podhaus. 3829 SE Division Street, Portland

Youngi Cafe returns on Monday. Yvette Chau, who runs the pop-up cafe inside The Riverwalk Cafe, took a break for a week and is back starting on Monday. She’ll continue offering her tasty drinks on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays this week and beyond. He hopes to extend her hours, which at the moment at 11am to 2pm each day she’s open. I can’t get over how stinking cute these little tteok are!! I look forward to getting one on a latte soon. 2100 S River Pkwy, Portland

Bánh mì for $2.50 at Fubonn. Fubonn is selling their grab-and-go bánh mì for $2.50 each—quite a deal. But does it beat the $5 “bánh mì and a drink” deal at Hồng Phát? And which one tastes better? Perhaps this is a mini project to complete… 2850 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Jack Strong is the new executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Portland. Before coming to Portland, he was executive chef at The Allison Inn & Spa. He’s an Oregon native, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist. He will oversee the hotel’s food and beverage program, including Bellpine on the 20th floor and Meadowrue, the lobby lounge and bar. You can read more in this press release. 900 SW Washington Street, Portland

James Beard Public Market construction permit approved. The approval date for the permit is very recent: Wednesday, August 12; it was originally set up over a year ago on May 19, 2025. Thanks to Iain MacKenzie over on Bluesky for highlighting this (and check out his website, NextPortland, where he and his team keep track of development and architecture in Portland).

Here’s the text of the permit: “JAMES BEARD PUBLIC MARKET (622) – Addition and tenant improvement for new marketplace, bookstore, bar, cooking school, and prepared foods; includes a new occupied rooftop deck, (2) new egress stairs, (1) new open stair, a new atrium space connecting all floors, a new facade, bathrooms, and commercial kitchens; also includes relocating the building entry, elevators, skylights, and existing pass through to 610 SW Alder *** CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY *** w/26-011240-MT ***”

This is great news for the Market, and is just one more step closer to realizing this meaningful project. Here’s our previous coverage of the James Beard Public Market. 622 SW Alder Street, Portland

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Stories on Bridgetown Bites you may have missed this week:

Feli Will Open in Northwest Portland’s Slabtown Neighborhood
A Second Location of Pamana Will Offer Filipino Food in the Former Expatriate Space
Bar Sprezzatura Will Open at The Heathman Hotel in Portland
August 2026 Story Updates: Mr. Chip, Angelina’s, and More