Portland food news and views
Bridgetown is a nickname for Portland because of all the bridges that span the Willamette River – 12 in all (of those, one is dedicated to rail and one prohibits private cars and trucks).
Tom McCall Waterfront Park on better days, i.e. no Nazis
As you probably know, bigoted hordes are expected to invade Portland to proclaim their worldview; Antifa is planning on responding. There may be violence. Many Portlanders are wondering what to do about it all—some are choosing to carry on with their lives as planned, some are planning on heading to downtown to either protest or observe.
Continue reading “What To Do On August 17 In Portland”
Now in its sixth year, Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week returns with an extensive list of black-owned markets, restaurants, cafes, wineries, bakeries, pubs and more that are worth your time and money. This week of celebration starts on Monday, August 26 and lasts through Sunday, September 1. Continue reading “Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week Is Back in Portland”
On October 5 & 6, 2019, Roux arrives, a new event series focusing on women and their work in the food and beverage industry. The weekend will be filled with panels, workshops and collaborative meals right here in Portland. And tickets are available now! Roux events are inclusive and open to all. Continue reading “Roux Comes To Portland October 5 & 6”
Full disclosure: I backed Beeswing’s Kickstarter
In my little corner of the Portland food world, my attention was grabbed most intensely over the past few weeks by the Beeswing situation—unfortunate wording in their Kickstarter leading to a number of pledges being canceled (mine was); the impassioned plea to resubmit donations (I did); and then the news that their silent partner would not sell them the business so they had to close.
News was sent out to Beeswing’s Kickstarter supporters this morning that they will indeed reopen, just in a different space. I wonder if that means they will leave Cully (likely); after all, the Country Cat space is open, among others. Here is the message they sent out today:
Hello Beautiful Backers,
Unfortunately our business partner refused to sell us the business. After 2 1/2 years of working towards this goal with him, he decided out of the blue to close the restaurant. We are in shock. Beeswing was our baby, our identity as chefs, our livelihood.
Beeswing will live on. We are currently looking at restaurant spaces (I am seeing 3 today). We have an amazing amount of support from you and our community. We are looking to make this a fast transition. We will honor all the perks at the new restaurant, and keep you updated along the way. Every penny of the money you backed us with will go into creating the new restaurant.
This is what we do. We are excited to get back to cooking beautiful food for our community. Ultimately you will have the honor of empowering us to be the sole owners of our restaurant.
Thank you Thank You Thank You from the bottom of our hearts.
Great news, best of luck to them, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
While perusing the latest liquor license applications, I ran across the intriguingly-named Black Seed Burger Cult; they’ve applied for a limited on-premises license. They’re opening up in the old Verde Cocina space (3746 North Mississippi), which closed last January. Their lighthearted attitude, displayed in their Instagram account, reminds me a lot of Flattops, a burger joint that was open on Ditmars Blvd in my old Astoria neighborhood. This post made me laugh:
View this post on Instagram
Permits are for nerds! Watch how real pros do it. #comingsoon #whichwiredoicut #wecanfixthatlater
Chefs Michael Williams and Donovyn Collins are putting the place together on the food end, and artists Mike McKennedy and John Black are in charge of the design. Hours will be 9am to 10pm every day and you can start to get liquored up at 4pm. They will also have one vintage arcade game there on site.
There’s not much out there regarding the menu but you can be sure they will serve… burgers. Keep an eye on their Instagram for now; more will no doubt come later. UPDATE 8/29/19: Michael Russell at The Oregonian has more details—Black Seed Burger Cult will offer burgers, fried chicken and breakfast sandwiches; along with the meats there will be vegan and gluten free options as well.
