Urdaneta: Making the Unfamiliar Familiar in Portland

The front of Urdaneta in NE Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon.

A little while back, I received an email from the PR person who works with Urdaneta. In it, she mentioned there was a chance to speak with Chef Javier Canteras about his work, and this topic caught my eye: “How his team is reviving lesser-known tapas traditions for a new audience.” As someone who, as a musician, was passionate about a similar thing (bring to the public music from lesser-known composers from the late Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods), this resonated with me.

We arranged a time for me to stop by—my friend and colleague Kathleen Bauer from Good Stuff NW joined me—and try some things. I had been to Urdaneta before and was confident the food was going to be the high quality I was accustomed to there; it did not disappoint. However, in honor transparency, I must tell you that this meal was comped (however, it’s important to tip well, and we did) but my thoughts are my own.

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Bon Bánh Mì Has Finally Opened in East Portland

The exterior of Bon Bánh Mì.

Back in January of this year, I wrote about Bon Bánh Mì, a real mystery at the time. Originally, a Bridgetown Bites tipster first alerted me to it in December 2024, and I kept checking in on it over the months—both online and driving over to SE 122nd. It was “coming soon” for so long. So you can imagine how happy I am to tell you that Bon Bánh Mì is finally open!

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Hey Luigi Will Open in Slabtown in Northwest Portland

Tip Top Burger Shop, which will become Hey Luigi.
Tip Top Burger Shop has closed—this is the location for Hey Luigi, coming soon.

A new restaurant from Gabriel Pascuzzi will open in Slabtown’s former Tip Top Burger Shop space. Called Hey Luigi, they’ll offer cocktails and food that goes well with cocktails (and beer, wine, and NA drinks). I spoke with Gabriel earlier this month and here is what I learned about him, and about Hey Luigi.

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Small Bites: Proof Pizza, Bialy Bird, Stinkfest, and More

Photo credit: Proof Pizza.

Proof Pizza, a Beaverton pizza cart, is opening a brick & mortar in Portland. They’ll be keeping the truck in Beaverton and expanding eastward to SE Portland, bringing their popular Chicago-style thin crust tavern pies with them. Look for them to be open initially the first week of September—a late night service window and pickup/delivery. Then in October they’ll have the full bar and restaurant up and running. The location? The old Pepper Box Cafe, which closed in 2023. 932 SE Morrison Street, Portland

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