Author: Meg Cotner

Bridgetown Bites is edited and published by Meg Cotner in Portland, Oregon. She loves avocados, fresh produce, NA drinks, and cats.
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The Winter Wedge 2021 – Virtual Cheese Fun

Similar but not exact contents of the 2021 Winter Wedge. Photo source: The Wedge.

One of the best cheese festivals in our region, if not the country, is The Wedge from the Oregon Cheese Guild. Billed as a “Farmers Market-style event,” it was a time where you could go and try a bunch of regional cheeses in one place, as well as purchase cheese and other specialty food and drinks. Since we’ve been in a pandemic, it’s been a virtual event—and the same goes for this year. How do you participate? Here’s how.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 3)

The Woodsman Tavern is back. That’s right, after three years on hiatus, this beloved spot is back. They are now open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 4 to 10pm; Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11pm; happy hour is 4 to 6pm each day. Look for cask ales, stiff cocktails, a raw bar, a wedge salad and a serious burger, among other things. 4537 SE Division Street, Portland

Find Your Gingerbread Dreams at The Benson Portland. On Wednesday, December 1 they unveiled the 2021 Gingerbread Masterpiece—a 4-foot by 8-foot Christmas village, complete with a 3-foot, 45-pound lit up iced tree in the center—on the event’s 50th anniversary. And even if you missed the official reveal, you can still visit the gingerbread house—it will be on display in the hotel lobby through December 26. 309 SW Broadway, Portland

Adios, Stacked Sandwich Shop. Another one bites the pandemic dust: “After struggling through the past 2 years of the pandemic, we looked at the rising labor cost, food cost, meat prices, and supply chain issues; and have decided to go out on our terms on a high note!” Stacked Sandwich Shop will close on Sunday, December 19. More details via PoMo. 1643 SE 3rd Avenue, Portland

Christmas treats at Sebastiano’s. Head on over to the Sebastiano’s Tock page to see what they have in store for the Christmas season via special order. One thing that caught my eye is the Cassata al Forno (not to be confused with Cassata Siciliana)—“a Sicilian cake filled with ricotta cream, orange zest, and chocolate chips.” Yes, it sounds kind of like a cannoli, which Sebastiano’s also does very, very well. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

Bonus: head to the Fremont Holiday Fest this afternoon. The Fremont Holiday Fest starts at 4pm and goes to 7pm. Hang out on Fremont Street from NE 42nd to NE 46th Avenues, get a selfie with Santa and Mrs. Claus, do some shopping, and enjoy hot cocoa and snacks while listening to live music. You can also pick up a wreath. Sounds like a great time!

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Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2021

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It’s always interesting to see what readers find particularly interesting and useful on the blog—I’m impressed that the Nepali Kitchen and Du Kuh Bee posts get so much traction. Nice to see the Thanksgiving post do so well—as a lover of roundups, I may do more holiday posts like it. As always, thanks for reading!

5. First Tastes: Nepali Kitchen in Northeast Portland

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Despite its failings, there are some gems on Nextdoor when it comes to food. I’ve found direct-access to top-notch sources of Indonesian food, epic Lasagna Bolognese, Texas-style tortillas and plenty of local food recommendations, including the subject of this blog post, Nepali Kitchen. They’ve opened in what seems to be a house on the corner of NE Fremont and 49th Ave (across the street from Stanich’s), with a lovely little courtyard established in the front yard. And the food is excellent.

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A Good Time With Sandor Katz and His New Book at Ferment Brewing Co.

The exterior of the modern Ferment Brewing Co. building as the sun was setting.

On Monday evening I made my way to Ferment Brewing Co. in Hood River for an evening with fermentation legend Sandor Katz to hear him talk about his new book, Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys. He spoke to a more than full house, with eventually close to 60 people sitting in the space and around the perimeter.

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