Category: Four Things

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Four Things I Learned This Week is a regular column published on Fridays, featuring four short entries of brief tidbits on Portland‘s food scene.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 6)

El Yucateco is still in business, they’ve just moved. Over the past month or so when I’d drive east on Sandy Blvd, I noticed the El Yucateco food truck wasn’t where it has been for quite some time (the gravel lot at NE Sandy and 131st Place). Turns out the’ve moved just a couple of minutes west on Sandy, next to the motorcycle bar on the north side of the street. I love their panuchos and the folks who run the cart are so nice and friendly. Check it out if you haven’t already. 11807 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Prince Coffee’s new location is open. Their NW Portland location is now in soft open mode! Stop on over for a high-quality coffee—for now they are open from 7am to 4pm daily until their liquor license for their upcoming wine program is approved. 915 NW 19th Avenue, Portland

NOLA Doughnuts has closed all locations. Sad news, courtesy of the COVID era (and, frankly, IMO not enough support from the City of Portland). From their Instagram:

“It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing that as of today (1/5), NOLA Doughnuts has closed all locations. The slow rebound from the pandemic and the current economic conditions have led us to make this difficult decision. We have enjoyed serving everyone our delicious New Orleans inspired treats over the years and we want to thank our amazing team members and our customers for being a part of this journey. While we are sad it has come to an end, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to share our doughnuts and beignets with so many incredible people. Thank you all for your support, and we wish you all the best in 2023 and beyond.”

New things coming to Sebastiano’s. Their new year’s email arrived this week and it is chock full of cool things coming to this great Sicilian-American shop in Montavilla. As for good eats, look for a newTangerine-Blood Orange Marmellata, a Blood Orange curd, and hoagie rolls for grinders and meatball subs. On the operations side of things, they hope to open for a fifth day of the week, likely Tuesday.

They also bought a 20-year old Dodge Cargo Sprinter Van to turn into a mobile kitchen for catering and pop-ups (“picture Arancini Pop-Ups, or Sicilian Donuts & Cannoli Towers at weddings, parties, and elsewhere around town”). I send good wishes to Dan, Elise, and all at Sebastiano’s—see you soon. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 23)

Welcome to a most frigid edition of FTILTW. I hope you are all staying safe and warm.

My-O-My bar to open January 2023. I got a message this week with a little more info on the opening of My-O-My, the new bar opening up in the old Rocky Butte Pub building (indeed it is past summer): “We are shooting for early January opening, but not sure on an exact date yet.” They will post about it when they have a more solid date and I’ll do my best to pass that on here on the blog. 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Goodbye, FEAST. It appears that FEAST’s run is over. From an email this week: “In an interview with Karen Brooks at Portland Monthly Magazine today, I shared the news that our festival would not be returning—not in 2023 and not ever again. Such a message would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, but a lot has changed since early 2020—both for our organization, and for the communities with which we are aligned.”

The article/interview at PoMo is worth a read, so head over there for more details. I only attended FEAST once, and that was as a volunteer. Real talk: it was too expensive for my budget (the less expensive events were always sold out very, very early on) to attend as a guest. I’m glad so many people enjoyed it over the years, though.

Rose Valley Creamery milk now at Fresh Love. I was happy to hear that Fresh Love is now carrying Rose Valley Creamery milk. I’m not sure how many of you reading know this, but I used to be involved with the raw milk community in NYC and drank a lot of unpasteurized milk for a half dozen years or so. I never got sick, but I understand how some recoil at the idea of drinking raw milk. It’s not for everyone.

A great alternative to raw milk is low-temp pasteurization, aka “low and slow.” Your milk is safe from bugs like listeria through the pasteurization process but a lot of the good stuff remains (nutrients, enzymes). It’s good for drinking, for yogurt making and cheese making; UHT milk is pretty much dead, for all intents and purposes. Rose Valley Creamery’s milk has a lot of pros: cream top/non-homogenized, organic, pastured, grass-fed/foraged. Head to their FAQ page for more info on their milk. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Ki’ikibáa open in the old La Parilla space. Back in November a kind Bridgetown Bites reader told me about Ki’ikibáa having opened in the old La Parilla Kitchen space, but I was under a deluge of editing around that time and it languished in my inbox. In that email he wrote, “I’ve only been able to taste a few of their Yucatan specialties, and was quite pleased and the owners are delightful.”

I was glad to see The Oregonian writing about this new Yucatecan spot, which you can read here. A key takeaway is that Manuel “Manny” Lopez of Angel Food & Fun fame is running things and people are pretty excited about that. A friend and I will be stopping by soon to check it out. 3244 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Sending each and every one of you peace and good will this holiday season! Happy Haunkkah, Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and lots of great health to us all!

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 9)

Bakeshop’s pie pre-orders are back. Earlier this fall, Kim at Bakeshop announced they were not going to do Thanksgiving pies, the first time in decades this was the case. Good news, though: Bakeshop is returning with pies and cakes for the holiday season that you can pre-order now. Online pre-orders will close December 18, so get your order in for your seasonal celebrations sooner than later. Some of the things you can expect: burnt Basque cheesecakes; apple pies with choice of either buckwheat streusel or double crust; pecan pies; ham & cheese quiches; Gingerbread People cookies. Order here.

On Christmas Eve day they will also be serving their annual eggnog. There will be some specials that day, too. 5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Citizenwich is coming to Lardo. For 10 years, Lardo has been doing a monthly fundraiser called Chefwich, where they invite local chefs to create a new sandwich and then donate the proceeds from said sandwich to a non-profit of their choosing. In January 2023, Lardo is changing it up and launching their first “variation on a theme”: the Citizenwich. In their words, “What sandwich do YOU want to put on the menu for the month of January?” Yes, that’s right—you get to suggest the sandwich and the nonprofit. Submit your ideas—the sandwich name, a brief description, and the nonprofit you want to donate the proceeds to—on Lardo’s Instagram post about it. Multiple locations, including 1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Norah opens today. Norah, from the folks that brought us Mestizo, has their grand opening today: 11:30am to 3pm for lunch and 4pm to 9pm for dinner. They offer “plant-based & pan-Asian cuisine,” with proteins like soy curls, tofu, and tempeh; aside from that, I have to say the Ma Hor caught my eye: fresh pineapple bites, sweet radish, peanut, palm sugar.

The name “Norah” has special meaning to the owners, and it “refers to a traditional dance reserved for celebrations and community gatherings in Southern Thailand where Nan [Chaison] and Prae [Nobnorb] grew up.” 3801 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Have you been to Fortune BBQ Noodle House yet? Earlier this year I wrote about Fortune BBQ Noodle House arriving in Montavilla, and to be honest, it kind of fell off the radar. This week I saw that Gary the Foodie posted a photo shoutout and included this great photo of the roast ducks hanging in the window. The plate of roast duck and pork also looks delicious. I’ve read a bunch of good things about this restaurant, from the food to the staff. This is a reminder that I need to stop by soon. 18 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (November 18)

Kann is in the news again, and it’s rated the best (plus, Comedor Lilia and Okta). Esquire Magazine released their Best New Restaurants in America, 2022 list, and Kann tops the chart. Congrats to Gregory Gourdet, his staff, and all involved in making this a place where people love to eat Haitian food. Comedor Lilia, part of the República family, also made the list at number 16, which offers “Pacific Northwest cuisine through the lens of a Mexican-American chef.” Okta, in McMinville, which offers a “multi-course experience inspired by the Pacific Northwest,” made the list, too. There’s a lot of interesting sounding restaurants on the list, so be sure to check out all of the places. 548 SE Ash Street (Kann) and 3159 S Moody Avenue (Comedor Lilia), Portland; 618 NE 3rd Street, McMinnville (Okta)

Brunch at Nico’s Cantina for the World Cup. El Mañanero, a new brunch menu for the 2022 World Cup games season, was crated by Chef Fernanda, and it looks great! It will be served every morning they play the WC games over the next month starting next week. I’m particularly happy to see chilaquiles and champurrado on the menu. 4318 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

Chin’s Kitchen is back open for dine-in. I saw this morning that Chin’s Kitchen, home to great dumplings and Dongbei cuisine, has re-opened—and renovated, as well. I’ll be making a visit soon. 4126 NE Broadway, Portland

Deeply Rooted on NE Fremont will open December 10. This sports bar offering plant-based eats is opening in early December, still in time for some of the later matchups during World Cup. Along with their food and drink, you’ll also find pool tables, darts, a golf sim room and … a 200-inch theater screen for big sporting events. That’s seriously huge. NICE. 4765 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Also: Bridgetown Bites will not be publishing next week, the week of Thanksgiving—I’m giving myself some time off. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Four Things I Learned This Week (November 11)

A good Veterans Day to all, and many thanks to those who served this country. As I write this, the Veterans Day parade participants are arriving and lining up, this year on a new route on MLK Blvd.

Portland’s best Cubano sandwich? This morning I learned that the folks at PoMo have dubbed the Cuban sandwich at newcomer En Vida PDX as “Portland’s best.” They elaborate: “What makes En Vida’s sing is the roast mojo pork, shreds and chunks cooked with oranges, garlic, and cumin, then crisped and caramelized on the edges to intensify the flavor. The pickles, layered on top, are sweet, tangy, and house-made.”

They also mention the medianoche: “the medianoche roll is a little sweeter and softer than a traditional Cuban loaf—and custom-made for En Vida by Portland’s Dos Hermanos Bakery. Before it’s grill-pressed, the kitchen dips the medianoche in a little pork fat to double the pleasure. Take it from Alsberg: ‘It’s a Cubano on steroids. It’s a mouthful of love.’” 1303 NE Fremont Street, Portland

What Futura baristas drink. I enjoyed this little Instagram reel on what the baristas at Montavilla’s Futura Coffee Roasters drink. I think I’ll get a steamed cold brew (something I never considered, warm cold brew) recommended by barista Freedom, next time I’m in. 7201 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Tour the Republic of Georgia with Kachka. This tour of Georgia happening next September sounds absolutely amazing. My first exposure to Georgia was, not surprisingly, via the Georgian cuisine that I ate at the Sunday Night Dinner back in 2009, a supper club that was run by a couple of friends in Astoria, Queens. It remains one of my favorite food memories of my time in NYC, and forever changed my idea of what food was like in the former Soviet Union (it was an SSR from 1921 to 1991). I also fell in love with the look of the Georgian alphabet, and the landscapes there are absolutely gorgeous.

So, this tour should be pretty great, with excellent food, beautiful vistas, comfortable lodging and travel, and terrific guides in Bonnie and Israel of Kachka. The cost is $6,800 and includes: “seven nights at unique four- and five-star accommodations; private travel for all day trips and excursions; departure airport transfer; private tours with local guides and cultural experts; exclusive VIP access and tastings; guided activities, adventures and expeditions; entrance fees; daily breakfasts, most lunches and dinners; local beverages with meals.” To be clear: the price does not include international travel to Georgia.

Frog & Snail brings back the French Onion Meatball Sub. For a limited time, the lovely little french cafe in SE Portland is bringing back one of the tastiest sandwiches in Portland’s history, the French Onion Meatball Sub. This thing is crazy delicious, and when they say “limited time” they mean “very limited time” so I would say stop in before Thanksgiving. You won’t regret it. 3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland