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 (October 29)

It’s been one of those weeks—happily flooded with interesting client editing work (this time about forests), so the posting here was a bit light. Still, there was much to observe in Portland food news.

Bing Mi to open a dumpling and noodle bar. Have you been to Bing Mi? Their Jian Bing are seriously good. And they will be expanding their offerings with dumplings and noodles, as per their Instagram: “Bing Mi is gonna have a dumpling and noodle bar in NW near our food cart!” Looks like it will be in the old Industrial Cafe and Saloon space. They are pretty excited. 2572 NW Vaughn Street, Portland

Gartner’s Meats has turkeys for pre-order. No doubt there will be a number of places where you can order your turkey, but Gartner’s wins the first “turkey pre-order” announcement I’ve come across this year. Word on the street is that they are awesome and it’s a good idea to order early. They have both fresh and smoked turkeys available—call 503-252-7801 to order. 7450 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland

The Haunted Tales of Wyrd. Spooky things have gone on at Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery in SE Portland. Read up on them here, and why not head on over for some mead made from locally-sourced honey. They have snacks, too. 4515 SE 41st Avenue, Portland

Full-service brunch is returning to Coquine. Named to the recent NY Times restaurant list, Coquine continues with its awesomeness by bringing back brunch, starting Friday, November 5. It will be a full-service indoor brunch but you’ll have to show proof of vaccination before interesting. Their latest newsletter also mentions “goose dinners coming soon,” so that’s intriguing. 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 22)

Watch Dune (1984) at Bar Dune tonight. The new Dune movie (directed by Denis Villeneuve) opens at theaters today, but you can catch the David Lynch directed version from 1984 tonight at Bar Dune, where they’ll be looping it between 4pm and 2:30am. While you’re there, get a Melange cocktail and an order of their potato croquettes to snack on. 638 E Burnside Street, Portland

Rift Valley Market coming to east Portland. An OLCC liquor license application was filed back in May 2021 for Rift Valley Market in the Hazelwood neighborhood, and recent city documents indicate work on the space at 11966 NE Glisan: “NEW GROCERY STORE, REMOVE INTERIOR WALL, NEW WALLS FOR MEAT ROOM, SEATING AREA, AND SALES AREA.” My guess is that it will offer Ethiopian/Eritrean foods and groceries. 11966 NE Glisan, Portland

New special sandwich at Grand Central Bakery. I was thrilled to learn that Grand Central Bakery is offering a new special sandwich featuring an ingredient from one of my absolute favorite businesses, Iliamna Fish Company. They offer sockeye salmon shares in late summer/early autumn (plus smaller shares in early winter). I’ve spoken about them in the past and have been a happy customer of theirs for a decade. Anyway, the Bristol Bay Sandwich consists of “wild sockeye from Bristol Bay lightly smoked in house and paired with a crunchy fennel slaw and scallion-caper cream cheese on a toasted Seeded Baguette.” Yum, order here. Various locations

Goodbye Pizza Doughnais, hello Meta Pizza. In Portland’s Brooklyn neighborhood, Pizza Doughnais has closed, with a message on Instagram, “As with all journeys, they take unexpected turns, and for now our pizza journey has come to an end. But fret not, there are some exciting and delicious things coming in our wake very, very soon.” Said exciting and delicious things are wrapped up in Meta Pizza, which opens Tuesday, October 26. From their Instagram, they say, “Chef Anthony Cafiero’s hand-tossed thin-crust pizzas draw on Italian tradition and on the techniques and flavors of the family pizzerias of Brooklyn, NY, but they’re at home only in our own Brooklyn neighborhood in SE Portland.” They’ll offer round pies and square slices, takeout only for now. 3541 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 15)

Jenn at Heim at Fressen. Good news—this holiday season Jenn Plitzko from Heim will be “taking responsibility for the Christmas production” at Fressen Artisan Bakery, one of the best bakeries in Portland. They feature German breads, pastries, and food, which is right in Jenn’s wheelhouse. She’ll also be doing Heim pop-ups there, and has already put together a pastry box—the current one is sold out, but look for more later this year. She will be leaving for Boise in the spring, so enjoy her work here while we have it.

Sizzle Pie buys Checkerboard Pizza. Significant pizza news is the purchase of Ken Forkish’s Checkerboard Pizza (in the Pine Street Market) by Matt Jacobson of Sizzle Pie. The Oregonian reported this story with this tidbit: “[Jacobson] plans to revive the brand at two new locations, including one on the Moda Center’s Club Level. The Pine Street Market location will not reopen.” Jacobson is a big fan of Checkerboard’s pizza work, and remarks, “I want Checkerboard to be the same as it was, but in a better location.” The other location will be in Sellwood next year. Lots more info in The O, so check it out.

Riyadh’s GoFundMe. You may be aware that a building on SE Hawthorne near SE 13th Ave burned earlier this month. One of the restaurants in that building was Riyadh’s Lebanese Restaurant. Nancy Chapin, Administrator at the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association, has put together a GoFundMe fundraiser for them, as “insurance has proven to not be very promising.” As of this writing, they are very near their $25,000 goal, and all money raised by this campaign will go to Riyadh’s; hope you can help.

Montavilla Farmers Market raffle. One of my favorite farmers markets on the east side of Portland, based in Montavilla, has announced their 2021 raffle: “Purchase a chance to win one of 17 different prize packages that all offer you a ‘taste’ of Oregon. The prize packages highlight food and beverages from our market vendors and restaurants in Montavilla, art from area artists, and goods from businesses based in Portland and across the state.” Enter the raffle for as little as a dollar, and all monies will go to support the Montavilla Farmers Market. Deadline to enter is October 27, which you can do on their RallyUp page.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 8)

Get ready for Bluto’s. As someone who lived in a heavily-Greek neighborhood for many years, and who misses having access to a plethora of Hellenic restaurant, cafe, and grocery options, whenever I hear about Greek food in Portland my interest is seriously piqued. Rick Gencarelli, the force behind Lardo and Grassa, is opening Bluto’s, a “Greek-inspired” spot that will “keep it super fun and embrace the inauthenticness.” It certainly has gotten me wondering… and eager to try it.

Souvlaki will be a major thing there; Greek salads, too, and there was mention of possible saganaki (always a crowd-pleaser). I always loved a plate of dips that include tirokafteri (spicy feta), and have hopes it will make it on the menu. Check out the Oregonian for more details. 2838 SE Belmont Street, Portland (opening November 2021)

Cloudforest hints. Yesterday on Cloudforest’s Instagram stories, they indicated that Ecuadorian-style empanadas and Ecuadorian TRAVIESA roasters coffee for espresso may make it to their menu. Stay tuned for more on that. 727 SE Morrison St, Portland

DarSalam adjusts. They announced that they are closing two of their locations: “After months of adjusting the menu, staffing or other things we have decided to close our Pearl and Hawthorne locations.” On the positive side, though, you can still enjoy their delicious Iraqi food downtown and in Northeast Portland. 2921 NE Alberta Street and 320 SW Alder Street, Portland

Bug out your ice cream. Salt & Straw likes to push the envelope, and they have done so this month—their seasonal scoops in October include “Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters,” a matcha ice cream with toffee-brittle mealworms and chocolate crickets. Not my style, but I’m sure some of you out there will enjoy. Personally, I’m looking forward to the “Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread” with chunks of pumpkin bread and whipped cream cheese frosting. Various, including 2035 NE Alberta Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (September 17)

Dolce de Leite now available. Favela, a Brazilian cafe in SE Portland, is producing jars of dolce de leite, AKA dolce de leche in Spanish. “It goes perfect with coffee, toast, apples and simply on your spoon!” You can buy it at the Brazilian market at the cafe. 5300 SE Foster Road, Portland

Limited time for Piggins. Piggins, the outdoor dining spot from Higgins on the terrace by the Oregon Historical Society, will be around for only a few weeks more. “Piggins will remain open until early October, weather permitting. We invite you to experience the changing seasons and revel in the Oregon light and air while enjoying succulent seasonal fresh produce, such as heirloom tomatoes paired with decadent burrata cheese, fragrant roasted chilies and fresh eggplant.” 1239 SW Broadway, Portland

Biergarten menu starts this weekend at Fressen. Fressen Artisan Bakery, a great German bakery in Montavilla has a new Biergarten menu for the Oktoberfest season. On their Instagram they’ve been giving details of what to expect, including sandwiches and spaetzles:  Kaesespaetzle (housemade noodles with smoked Gouda, bacon and pretzel crumbs), Bavarian cheese dip, curry ketchup with fries (very good with their sausage board), Obatzda cheese spread with house pretzel, and Bratwurst sandwich (recommended with a side of fries and curry ketchup). They’ll be updating their offerings on Instagram today. The Biergarten is open Friday to Sunday 5-9pm. 7075 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Palomar says farewell to rooftop service. The good folks at Palomar are moving their operation back to their original space downstairs after many months of rooftop outdoor eating. “We are excited to return to our original space downstairs with new hours, table setup, drinks, and food items. Stay tuned for all that info coming soon.” They look forward to welcoming you back. 959 SE Division Street, Portland 

And on that topic of changes… I will be posting intermittently to the blog for a couple of weeks—I’m undergoing major surgery on Monday. Recovery should go fine but these things are unpredictable. I look forward to getting back to it as soon as is reasonably possible. Thank you for reading!