Four Things I Learned This Week (October 18)

The NYT Portland 25. The New York Times published a list called “The 25 Best Restaurants in Portland, Ore., Right Now.” Here’s a gift article in case you haven’t been able to access it. It’s part of the Times’ Where to Eat: 25 Best series, which will take place in various cities around the U.S. It’s a pretty solid list but of course, Portlanders have already remarked on restaurants that didn’t make it on the list but should have. For me, the one I am most curious about is Pasar, so I need to add that to my own eating list. Various locations

Fresh Love: What’s coming? Ben Cutler, one of the owners of Fresh Love (one of my favorite food places in town) shared news about a few new things coming to this sweet little eatery and small grocery store in the Roseway neighborhood. They include bulk items (they are working what exactly they will carry); half pints of Pronto Gelato; some local frozen meat options; and more. If you haven’t been by any time soon, definitely head over for a sandwich, salad, smoothie, and some of the best avocados in town. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

ICYMI, break-ins at Rose City Food Park. I often mention how empty storefronts are no bueno, but break-ins plain piss me off. This past week there were three carts in the Rose City Food Park pod that were broken into: Momo House, Ocean Sushi, and J Vein Caffe. Like most cowards, they did it in the middle of the night, around 3am. What was stolen? Tools, spare parts, and tablets, which means online ordering systems are negatively affected. The sushi cart had just moved to the pod within the last week. As its owner, Nai Tun, says, “It feels so bad.” 5235 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Trimet talks coffee. I recently discovered that Trimet publishes a blog. It’s mostly about transit-centric stuff, like safety on Trimet, but this week they published a post called “10 unique Portland-area coffee shops you can visit by TriMet.” I was familiar with most of the Portland-proper cafes, but many of the ones in the suburbs are new to me, and I look forward to checking them out. Also, I would add Case Study to both downtown and NE Portland, as the one downtown is right on the MAX line, and the NE one is right on the 12 line. Various locations.


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

NYC Pizzeria To Open a Second Location in Portland
Second Annual Bread Fest Is October 20
TAPTAP Cuisine Will Open a Restaurant on Sandy Blvd

Also: Bridgetown Bites is on Flipboard! If you use this platform—I do with a personal account, and love the “flipping” UI, so satisfying—feel free to follow us over there.

TAPTAP Cuisine Will Open a Restaurant on Sandy Blvd in Portland

Looking at TAPTAP Cuisine's restaurant space on NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, Oregon.

Haitian food lovers, you have something to celebrate—TAPTAP Cuisine is opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant on NE Sandy Blvd. They operated on N WIlliams as a food truck with a nice (covered) outdoor seating area for many months, but now they have leveled up into a building where they can create, prepare, and offer their beautiful Haitian and Caribbean cuisine in NE Portland.

Continue reading “TAPTAP Cuisine Will Open a Restaurant on Sandy Blvd in Portland”

Four Things I Learned This Week (October 11)

Memento Mori opens their new cafe tomorrow. On Saturday, October 12, Correna Hernandez, will open Memento Mori in NW Portland. This is a plant-based/vegan cafe that operated originally as a food cart. Some of the things you can look forward to: their “Gothachino,” lemonades, waffles, panini, and pastries. All made with no animal products, of course. They will open their doors at 8am Saturday morning. 1533 NW 24th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland

Bristol Bay Sandwich is back at Grand Central Bakery. This sandwich is close to my heart because Grand Central uses Iliamna Fish Co. salmon. As you may know, I am a long time member of Iliamna’s CSF (Community Supported Fishery). More about the sandwich: “We lightly smoked the salmon, and then pair it with scallion-caper cream cheese and a fresh fennel slaw on our toasted Seeded Baguette.” This sandwich is tasty and supports the work of this fourth-generation family of fisherpersons and the good work they do in sustainable fishing. Check it out! Various locations.

Up to $750K for the Portland Mercado. Earlier this week the Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to grant as much as $750,000 to Hacienda CDC to reconstruct the parts of the Mercado that was damaged by fire at the start of 2024. The reconstruction will involve the bar space, an addition to the structure, more covered outdoor space, and rooftop seating. Montavilla News has more details. 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland

Brooklyn Cooperative Grocery moved their operation by bike. Formerly known as Know Thy Food, this SE Portland food coop lost their lease at the end of September. They did find a new location but what stood in the middle of that was moving everything from one location to the next. In pure Portland style, they did it all by bike. Watch the video, and attend their soft launch party on October 25. 1420 SE Powell Blvd, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Halloween 2024: Food and Drink in Portland
The Fates Bread & Bottle Co Will Open in Sellwood
Visiting the Brooklyn Carreta Construction Site (Photos)
Cereus PDX Is Closing

Cereus PDX Is Closing

 Beef empanada at Cereus in Portland, Oregon.
Beef empanadas.

Over on Instagram, Cereus PDX has announced they are closing after about two and a half years in business at Prescott Village (NE Prescott Street and 15th Avenue). During that time they have offered a menu of tasty South American food and drinks, gracious hospitality, and good times. I wrote about their opening back in 2022 and enjoyed the food when I dined there. We see goodbyes and restaurant closings happen in Portland fairly regularly—unfortunately—but this goodbye message included some critical thoughts from Bradley Thomas Stevens, one of the owners of Cereus.

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