ZabPinto Thai PDX Has Opened at Cascade Station in Portland

ZabPinto Thai PDX duck larb.
Larb made with duck, which is common in the Isan region.

The other day I received a press release about ZabPinto, and while reading it, a detail caught my eye: There is a new location at Cascade Station, where big box stores reign. I reached out to their PR person and arranged a time to stop by and find out more about this new ZabPinto, called ZabPinto Thai PDX. Here is what I learned.

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Mi Familia Cafe Has Opened in Portland’s Buckman Neighborhood

Tostada at Mi Familia Cafe.
Tostada. Photo credit: Mi Familia Cafe.

A while back I saw that something called “Mi Familia Cafe” was going to open in what I knew to be Que Pasa Cantina. I set it aside because it did not make sense to me at the time. Fast forward to June and I was delighted to hear from the people behind Mi Familia Cafe—who did indeed open in the Que Pasa Cantina space!

So what’s going on? Here is, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”

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Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Update, Summer 2025

Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe update: new signage along SE Powell Blvd.
New signage up by the incoming Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe on SE Powell. Click to enlarge.

We’ve got a Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe update!

For whatever reason, I had the urge to go check out the status of the Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe that’s going to open on SE Powell Blvd just east of 82nd Avenue. So I stopped by Sunday afternoon, and it turned out to be a timely visit—I was able to see the interior, see the uncovered signage, and speak to the owner of the franchise, Dume Tran.

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Fourth of July 2025 in Portland and Nearby Communities

Fourth of July 2025 in Portland.
Photo credit: TriMet.

Fourth of July 2025 is almost here! Also known as Independence Day, the Fourth of July is one of the biggest holidays of the summer, if not the year. And while it’s a major grilling, parade, and fireworks day—and a chance to relax with friends, families, and neighbors—it also commemorates something pretty significant: On this day in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. 

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Small Bites: Pinolo Gelato, Nam Tao Huu, No Sabo, and More

gelato-duo-hazelnut-chocolate-pinolo-gelato-portland-oregonJPG
The superb Pinolo Gelato.

Pinolo Gelato celebrates 10 years. These guys make some of the best gelato in Portland. It was started by Sandro Paolini, who is originally from Pisa in Italy. He moved to the PNW a while back, but his path eventually led him back to Pisa to learn how to make gelato from his friends and mentors there, Ilaria and Omar of @ioegelato.

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