Meg Cotner

March 13, 2026March 13, 2026

Small Bites: Elephants Deli Burns, Mikado, Brunch, and More

Elephant deli burns. — Photo credit: Portland Fire & Rescue.

Painful and tragic: The flagship Elephants Deli burns. There’s plenty of news outlets reporting on this, but I’ll share the news releases (first, second) produced by Portland Fire & Rescue. Essentially:

“At 1am on the morning of March 10, 2026, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a commercial fire at the Elephant’s Deli at 115 NW 22nd Avenue in NW Portland. This was a fire that was human caused on the exterior of the structure that extended to the interior of the building and into the elevated roof structure resulting in significant fire damage.”

March 11, 2026March 10, 2026

They’re Here: Zeppole in Portland for St. Joseph’s Day

Zeppole in Portland - Bella's Italian Bakery. — Photo credit: Bella’s Italian Bakery.

It’s just about a week now until St. Joseph’s Day—March 19—and that means the arrival of delicious zeppole in Portland. Eating this pastry, along with the sfinge that is hard to find here, is one of my favorite memories from living in Queens, and I’m always happy to tell you about where to get them in our fair city each year.

Here’s where you can find zeppole in Portland this year.

March 10, 2026March 15, 2026

St. Patrick’s Day 2026 in Portland: Food, Drink, and More

This year's Irish culture image for St. Patrick's Day 2026.

St. Patrick’s Day is on a Tuesday this year, still March 17. And why that date? It’s the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 to c. 461), the primary patron saint of Ireland. Here in Portland, there are plenty of celebrations on St. Paddy’s Day, as well as those taking place on the weekend prior. And along with the pipers, music, and dancers, there’s plenty of great Irish food and drink to be had. Here’s what’s up in Portland for St. Patrick’s Day 2026.

March 9, 2026March 17, 2026

Slow Pour Reopens in Sellwood

Slow Pour's new sign outside their new location.

Slow Pour, a cafe in the Sellwood neighborhood, is reopening this month. They closed in late July 2025 and relocated further west from Southeast 17th Avenue (the building was sold) to Southeast 13th Avenue, and have been working on the space to transform it into the new cafe. They will likely soft open at then end of March, with a grand opening on April 20.

I had a chance to chat with Slow Pour’s co-owner, Dustin Payne a while back, and here are some of the things we talked about.

March 6, 2026March 5, 2026

Small Bites: Last Raclette, Sicilian Nachos, FIKA, DST, and More

last raclette in the before times. — Past evidence of enjoying raclette.

Last raclette of the season is next week. Head to Mayfly on Friday, March 13 to “celebrate the end of winter with one last, gloriously, deliciously, cheesy gathering!” Tickets are $35 (adults) and $8 (kids over 3-years old). The dinner will take place in a long communal table in a heated tent.