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 28)

Pranom -Threshold combo is coming to Montavilla. LA-based Thai street food pop-up Pranom is coming to Threshold Brewing. “Pranom is the passion project of chef Dream Kasestatad who comes from 4 generations of family-owned Thai restaurants.” There will be one meat option and one vegan option. It’s all happening on Wednesday, February 2 starting at 4pm and going until it’s all sold out. You can read more about it on this Facebook event post. 403 SE 79th Avenue, Portland

Lemon tart is back at Ken’s Artisan Bakery. It’s been off the menu for a couple of years, and they are really happy to have it back. Check out a photo of its gorgeousness, here. 338 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

Matt’s BBQ Tacos headed to the Hinterland. This past week Matt’s BBQ Tacos moved to the new food cart pod, Hinterland, on SE 50th near Division. Looks like a great lineup—Eater has the details. 2216 SE 50th Avenue, Portland

Oyster Hour at Coquine. Coquine has been running an “oyster hour” special event series at their market since January 20. “Whether you’re standing at the tall copper-topped tables, or seated at one of a few café seats inside Coquine Market, come enjoy a delicious menu of snacks, and lots of delicious things to drink!” It is offered each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until Thursday, March 10. 5-8pm. No reservations are taken and it’s first come-first served. 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 21)

Four Portland spots make it on the list. Yelp’s top 100 US restaurants 2022 list is out and four PDX restaurants are on the list: Miyamoto Sushi in Montavilla; Yama Sushi & Izakaya in Hosford-Abernathy; Thai Sky Kitchen in South Tabor; and Departure downtown. Personally, I’ve been to Thai Sky Kitchen and loved it, as well as Departure during the Gregory Gourdet days. I hear excellent things from Montavillans on Miyamoto. Chime in if you are a fan of Yama Sushi & Izakaya, or any of the winners! Multiple locations in Portland

One day only: Nico’s Ice Cream and Pip’s Original collab. Pip’s is known for it’s “community not competition” mantra and this upcoming collaboration with Nico’s is no doubt part of that. On Saturday, 1/22/22 ONLY, head to Nico’s for the Tropical Reggie Lee: that’s the Nico’s vanilla base with Pip’s donuts blended in, topped with Nutella, honey, and coconut flakes.

Reggie Lee is, of course, the actor that played Sgt. Drew Wu in one of my favorite TV shows ever, Grimm. And not just because it’s set in Portland! It’s just plain awesome. Anyway, see you on Saturday! 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Ice cream is cold but soup is hot. Head to the Portland Mercado today through Sunday, January 23 for their Winter Soup Festival. Soups offered include:

  • POZOLE OAXAQUEÑO from Tierra Del Sol (Oaxaca)
  • OLLA DE CARNE from La Carreta Pura Vida (Costa Rica)
  • BIRRIA BOWL and POZOLE ROJO DE PUERCO from Principe Maya (Yucatan)
  • CALDOSA DE LA ABUELA from Havana Station (Cuba)
  • CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP from Fernando’s Alegría (Mexico)
  • SOPA DE LENTEJAS CON VEGETALES and SOPA DE MANÍ (PEANUTS) from AleCocina (Argentina)
  • AJIACO BOGOTANO from Qué Bacano (Colombia)
  • SOPA DE HONGOS from Xŏcotl (fresh juice and smoothie bar)
  • PIPIAN DE POLLO from Kaah Market (Oaxaca)

Head to the Mercado website for more info on ordering, etc.  7238 SE Foster Road, Portland

RIP Reo Varnado of Reo’s Ribs. Frankly I was shocked to hear of his passing. Very sorry to hear it and our condolences go out to the family. Cause of death? Unknown at the writing of this post.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 14)

Madman Pop-Up is back. Last October I wrote about the Madman Pop-Up, a chance to enjoy delicious Trinidadian food inside the Little Griddle restaurant in NE Portland. Well, after a bit of a hiatus, it’s back! He’ll be making doubles (pumpkin and spinach add-ons available), bake and saltfish, and curry chicken plates complete with buss up shot (a kind of torn roti), aloo, channa, pumpkin, and spinach. They’ll also have sorrel and ponche creme (contains rum) for drinks. Monday, January 17 from 3-7pm. 3520 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland

Daily stroopwafels are on hiatus. Prince Coffee, known for their excellent espresso drinks and homemade stroopwafels are changing things up—daily stroopwafels are no more. They broke the news on Instagram: “With the intense labor involved and major price increase on imported ingredients (ahem, Lyles Golden Syrup from Europe that went up in cost 100%), we have decided to take a little hiatus from daily stroopwafels at the shop … While we are sad to say goodbye to daily stroopwafels, we know they aren’t gone forever. You can expect to see them pop up on a seasonal basis or for pre-order throughout the year.” 4523 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Greasers Cafe is now Rockabilly Cafe. Since I wrote about Greasers Cafe, opening up in the St. Johns neighborhood early this year, they have changed their name to Rockabilly Cafe. You can find them online at the following places: rockabillycafe.com, Instagram, and Facebook. Their menu is ready, too, and you can get a video sneak preview of it on their Facebook page. I’m particularly curious about the “Sid’s Caesar” salad—named after the owner’s dad and featuring his father’s Caesar dressing. 8537 N Lombard Street, Portland

MidCity SmashBurger anniversary. Thats right—one of the top smashburger spots (some might say the best smashburger) spots in Portland turns one year old next week on Thursday, January 20. Sounds like they are going to throw a party—think music, beer, and plenty of Smashy Bois. They were also interviewed on TV and you can watch that here. Keep an eye on their Instagram to see what kind of party they have in store for next week. 1015 SE Stark Street, Portland and 1825 N Williams Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 7)

Merry Christmas to my Orthodox friends today! Here are some things I ran across this week in Portland food.

Futura Coffee Roasters coming to Montavilla. The folks over at Montavilla News reported that Futura Coffee Roasters are opening in the old Fillmore Coffee space. Fillmore Coffee closed last fall to become an online merchant only. Sustainability is the name of the game at Futura, and regenerative agriculture is very important to them.

You might ask, “aren’t regenerative agriculture and biodynamic agriculture the same?” They are close but not identical. Read more about regenerative vs. biodynamic, here. Futura’s cafe space has also been created with sustainable materials in mind. Check them out later this month; they’ll be open daily from 7am to 5pm. 7201 NE Glisan Street, Portland.

Vegan all the way at Salt & Straw this month. Check out the five new flavors at Salt & Straw this month—all vegan, presumably for Veganuary. There’s Petunia’s Rainbow Sprinkled Babycakes (coconut, oat); Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting (coconut, oat); Coconut Cream Pie Cupcake w/ Lemon Curd (coconut); Renewal Mill’s Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake (oat, soy pulp); Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake (coconut); Interesting factoid: Oregon produces 99% of the nation’s hazelnuts. Various locations, Portland

Foie gras on next week’s City Council agenda. The agenda for the Wednesday, January 12 Portland City Council meeting (9:30am) has been published online and thus the topic of foie gras has popped up again. Three people will address the Council that morning: Alex Cerussi (Mercy For Animals), Rosalind McCallard (Snackrilege), and Belinda Davis (Animal Outlook). Regardless of your stance on this issue, you are free to view the Council meeting on their Youtube channel (eGov PDX), among other access points. If you want to submit written testimony on this or any other agenda topic, send an email to cctestimony@portlandoregon.gov.

Ken Forkish is leaving Portland. Ken Forkish, the owner of Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza, is retiring. His aforementioned two businesses have been sold to long-time employees. In an interview with Portland Food & Drink he said, “I’m just getting tired. I’m in my 60’s and it is time for me to retire. This change has been three years in the making and I feel really good about the future of the restaurant and bakery. They are both in very good hands.” You can read more of this interview on the Portland Food & Drink website. 338 NW 21st Avenue (Bakery) and 304 SE 28th Avenue (Pizza), Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 24)

It’s Christmas Eve Day and I’m making tartiflette this evening. Merry Christmas tomorrow and Happy Kwanzaa an Boxing Day on the 26th! It’s a celebration weekend. I hope you and yours will have much to celebrate this year, despite COVID.

Nico’s trailer was stolen and Portland came to the rescue. Earlier this week I learned that somebody stole the trailer that belongs to Nico Vergara of Nico’s Ice Cream. Nico started a GoFundMe fundraiser and Portland really came through—as of this writing $5,620 has been raised out of a $4,750 goal. That’s right, he surpassed his goal in four days. Congrats to Nico and thanks, Portland, for the heartwarming story. 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Did you know…? That DarSalam’s food is halal? It’s true! I’m glad to know it, and now you know it, too. 2921 NE Alberta Street, Portland; 320 SW Alder Street, Portland; 9585 SW Washington Square Road, Portland

Street Disco is operating inside Cup and Saucer. You can find them operating there from 6pm to midnight. Street Disco’s cave à manger is “a natural wine bar of sorts” and “serves ‘inauthentically’ French-American food with a focus on the best in season products of the Pacific Northwest.” They’ll be open 3 days a week to start, and the next time they’ll be open is New Year’s Eve. Check out their Instagram to get familiar with their practice and vibe. 3566 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

That Burger Island sign. I often pass by the Burger Island sign located where the NE Killingsworth turns off from the Portland Highway. You can’t miss it—it has a very distinctive look. I hope it remains there as the Las Adelitas development rises from the Sugar Shack demolition behind it. This week I happened to come across details as to what happened to Burger Island, which I am sharing with you.

The Burger Island building was a tiny drive-in located under the sign, that offered burgers, fries, and shakes since at least the early 1960s. In the early 2000s a car crashed into the building and that set it on fire. The husband and wife who owned Burger Island didn’t re-open at that site (even though they wanted to rebuild), and eventually divorced. The wife opened a food truck, offering similar food from the restaurant; it eventually closed. And that, as they say… is the rest of the story. 6921 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland