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 (March 11)

Kurt Russell’s Birthday Bash is back. On Thursday, March 17, head to Wedgehead to celebrate Kurt Russell’s 71st birthday at a party that is “bigger and better than ever before.” Before the shindig on the 17th, Wedgehead is partnering with the Hollywood Theatre for their screening of John Carpenter’s The Thing on Saturday & Sunday, March 12 & 13. If you attend, you’ll get a voucher good for half-off pinball at the birthday party on the 17th.

On the day of the birthday bash (the 17th) there will be a custom Pork Chop Express piñata made by The Venderia, an all-day movie marathon, free birthday cake, birthday cards to sign, and more. Read their Facebook post for the full range of offerings. 3728 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Rangoon Bistro is open. I mentioned Rangoon Bistro in a Small Bites column last year and the good news is: they are finally open! You can visit them for delicious Burmese food in the Breathe Building today through Sunday. Regular hours will be Wednesday-Friday 5-9pm and Saturday/Sunday 12am-9pm. Liquor license is coming. 2311 SE 50th Avenue, Portland

Snack Fest is here. The Portland Night Market is host to Snack Fest, “your new favorite food festival.” There will be 135 food and beverage vendors featuring treats from local restaurants, pop-ups, food carts/trucks, and more. Tonight from 5pm to 10pm and Saturday from noon to 10pm. 100 SE Alder Street, Portland

Get your St. Joseph’s Day pastries at Sebastiano’s. When I lived in Astoria, Queens—home to not only a famous Greek immigrant community but also a longtime Sicilian immigrant community—St. Joseph’s Day pastries were an annual occurrence. Whether you preferred zeppole or sfinge, you were guaranteed to eat something delicious. So I’m thrilled to see that Montavilla’s Sebastiano’s is offering zeppole this year. They describe it as, “a deluxe cream puff with a choux pastry, pastry cream and ricotta filling, topped with powdered sugar and an Italian Amarena cherry.” Seriously accurate, seriously good.

They come in packs of four ($16), eight ($30), or twelve ($42). Reserve yours now for pickup next week from Wednesday to Saturday, right there at Sebastiano’s. Monday night, March 14, is the cutoff for pre-orders, so get yours in today. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland


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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 4)

What a week—I almost had Grand Jury Duty, but wasn’t randomly picked, so Bridgetown Bites will continue to publish this month, when it was at risk of taking a month-long hiatus (Grand Jury Duty is a month-long commitment). Have a good weekend!

A reminder about Ukranian perogies. Every Saturday at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Sellwood sells Ukrainian-style perogies, cabbage rolls, and garlic sausages. This is just one way to support the Ukrainian community in Portland. 8014 SE 16th Avenue, Portland

Kachka is raising funds to help Ukraine. 100% of proceeds of their Chervona Wine cocktail will be donated to Red Cross Ukraine to support the people experiencing the war in Ukraine. 960 SE 11th Avenue, Portland

Pho Kim reopens. They’ve been in the midst of a soft opening this past week, and this 82nd Avenue Vietnamese restaurant will have their grand opening on Sunday, March 6. Back in 2020 a fire shut them down and they’ve been working on repairs since then. Along with enjoying delicious food there will be a White Lotus Lion Dance performance around noon to celebrated the re-opening. Check out the Montavilla News article for more info. 2204 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Vtopia Restaurant & Cheese Shop is now Fru Fru Terra. This vegan cheese shop in SW Portland has changed their name and currently operates as a vegan cheese and wine bar. They have set their sights on moving to SE Portland from their current Goose Hollow location, likely in fall 2022. Now, why did they change their name to Fru Fru Terra? Here’s their explanation:

“It is in abbreviation of the Latin words, Frui Fruges Terrae, which means to ‘enjoy fruits of the earth,’ which is precisely the experience we want you to have when entering our new space and elevated concept.” 1628 SW Jefferson Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (February 18)

Akadi will return, and with new offerings. Portland Monthly published an article this week about Akadi, one of Portland’s great African restaurants, which went on hiatus in 2020. The gist of the article is: “First, [chef-owner Fatou Ouattara will] open an African grocery store in North Portland called House of Flavor, focused on teaching the public how to use African ingredients in everyday cooking. Later this spring, Akadi will reopen in a bigger space on SE Division with a broader menu.” Read more over on PoMo. 3901 N Williams Avenue (store) and 1001 SE Division, Portland (restaurant)

Tasty will also return. Portland Business Journal reports that a group of restaurant partners will open House of Tasty, a “community supper club and culinary gathering space” that brings the Tasty brand back to Portland. You may remember that in 2020 the Toro Bravo restaurant group was dissolved (aside: John Gorham is backing Rancher Butcher Chef in Bend, OR). The name was purchased by some former Tasty employees and they opened a Tasty in Lake Oswego in 2021. Look for the new Portland Tasty space to open in the former Bar King location this spring. You can also follow their progress on their Instagram. 726 SE Sixth Avenue, Portland

Furmint Fest tonight. Over at Bar Norman they are hosting a celebration of wines made from the Furmint grape, “Hungary’s darling white grape.” If you’ve ever had Tokaj dessert wines, you’ve likely had a taste of the Furmint grape, which Bar Norman calls, “expressive as hell, entirely unique.” Local importer/distributor, Lone Wolf, knows a lot about Central and Eastern European wines, and will be on hand to pour for you and answer questions about wines from the region. So stop by tonight from 7-9pm to taste a range of Furmint bottlings (note: the party’s on the patio, so dress appropriately). DJ Broken Arrow will be spinning, as well. 2615 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Two soft openings. A couple of spots I’ve written about are now operating in the “soft opening” stage: Wu-Rons and Wallflower Coffee. Wu-Rons is the celebrated ramen restaurant from Charlotte, NC that moved to Portland last year. Wallflower Coffee, a “community-centric coffeeshop,” ran an Indiegogo campaign last year to fund their efforts. Glad to see they are both open. 1430 SE Water Avenue, Portland and 3158 SE Division Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (February 11)

RIP WordPress “Post Format” option—the latest version of the software running this site has done away with one of my favorite editing options. This column will, going forward, have the headline visible from the front page. Now, onto the news.

Bialys are back at Ben & Esther’s. Bialys are less common than bagels, so get them when you find them. And you can find them at Ben & Esther’s Vegan Jewish Deli—both locations in Portland and only on Saturdays. As they say, “Historically, we sell out of these very quickly…like, within minutes. Get ‘em while you can!” 6912 NE Sandy Blvd and
1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Top 10 spots for chicken wings in Portland. PDX Monthly published a roundup of top chicken wing places in Portland this week and it’s an interesting group. It gathers places from Beaverton to Happy Valley, and includes a wide range of flavors. The place that especially caught my eye is the Sandy Hot Wings Café, on NE Sandy and 139th. I’ve been meaning to check out Tinker Tavern in Montavilla, too. Lots of great options on this list. 13912 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Hindsight Beer Cart is opening a tap room. Via a liquor license application and a post on Instagram, the news that Hindsight Beer Cart is opening a new taproom on SE Powell is real. Their cart has been at the Bite on Belmont pod for a while; the new location looks like the former home of Brewery 26.

At this point they are ready to start things up in the South Tabor neighborhood, but are “Just waiting on the approvals. Stay tuned!” They’ll have 20 indoor seats and 30 outdoor seating (outdoor enclosed in a tent), food, and will be open seven days a week. 5829 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Boxer Ramen is back, and a new location. They indicated this and other changes back in December 2021: “We will return next month to Our New Location just down the street! Why, you may ask? We are moving into a larger space, expanding the menu (did someone say sushi!?!?), and we will have a full bar with fun cocktails! Happy Hour? You Bet!” See all the things they have to offer on their website. 1668 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (February 4)

Today is World Cancer Day. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I want to emphasize that early detection really does save lives (as a cancer survivor, I can personally attest to that). Please take care of yourselves! Thanks for allowing me this PSA; now, on to the news.

Beaverton Farmers Market returns tomorrow. The Beaverton Farmers Market Winter Market begins on Saturday, February 5 from 10am to 1:30pm. One important thing they want you to remember is that because they don’t close off the streets, the layout is different and that means your favorite vendors may be in a different place compared to the summer market. There’s an Info booth with folks that can help you find the vendors you seek. Read more in the market’s newsletter. 12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton

Sundaes at Red Sauce. Shar posted about the upcoming caramel cake sundaes they are putting together at the pizzeria and the whole thing looks pretty delicious. Check it out on their Facebook page. 4641 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Next Level expansion. The news came out this week that plant-based burger spot Next Level is preparing for a major expansion: “Next Level Burger, a plant-based burger joint from Bend that serves up vegan burgers, fries, shakes and other offerings, just announced plans to open 18 new storefronts by the end of 2025 — including one on West Burnside this year.” This is a nationwide plan, with new restaurants planned for the west coast, in the southwest and northeast, plus more menu options at all locations. Currently, you can find Next Level in Portland on SE Hawthorne and in Lake Oswego. Portland Business Journal has more.

Russian food in Portland featured on PBS. The Migrant Kitchen, the Emmy-winning documentary series produced by KCET in association with with life&thyme (a storytelling content space), featured Bonnie Morales and Kachka on February 1. You can view it on YouTube, life&thyme’s website, or below.