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 (December 27)

Frank’s Noodle House is expanding. Thanks to a Bridgetown Bites tipster, I’ve learned that the former Little Big Burger location in the Pearl has a new tenant: Frank’s Noodle House. This is great news for folks on the inner west side, who will now be closer to their tasty Chinese American food and their wonderful hand-pulled noodles. 122 NW 10th Avenue, Portland

The Parkrose Coffee Shop will open next year and they need your help. Good news for coffee lovers in East Portland—there a new coffee shop coming your way. The Parkrose Coffee Shop, which will be run by Lily and Peter, will open on NE 105th just south of Sandy Blvd (and not too far from Sandy-Os). They hope to be able to open their doors next spring (ideally, March 1).

They will serve coffee and espresso drinks, freshly baked pastries (in both cases, vendors are TBD at the moment), and she says, “We are designing the coffee shop with families in mind.” On that last detail, look for a play corner, a changing table, story hour with local educators, and a kids’ menu. They also plant to have a large enclosed courtyard in the back.

They have a GoFundMe campaign running right now, and would love to have you as a partner to help invest in the community. 4826 NE 105th Avenue, Portland

Iced Matcha Club is this Saturday. Over at Yoonique Tea on SE Foster Road, they are holding an “iced matcha club” event. From 11am to 4pm on Saturday, look for a special menu of matcha drinks: matcha latte, banana pudding matcha, banana matcha latte, and hojicha latte. Whole milk, oat milk, and creamy Thai milk will be available. Also, their winter menu has a bunch of interesting things on it: rambutan milk tea, matcha creme brûlée, brown sugar avocado cream, and more. “Let’s make the last Saturday of 2024 a vibrant, green-filled day together.” 5348 SE Foster Road, Portland

New Year’s Eve celebrations. We were unable to put together a separate NYE roundup in time. However, here’s a short list of some places that are still accessible and perhaps a little bit different than some of the other options around town.

  • Masala Lab is doing a multi-course meal for $150 each. 5237 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
  • That morning, Nikki Arcé will run her final vegan patisserie pop-up of 2024 at Obon Shokudo, where she is the pastry chef. Stop from 10am to 1pm on 12/31 in for a pastry and free chai bergamot latte before she heads to Le Cordon Bleu to participate in their Vegan Patisserie program launch. 720 SE Grand Avenue
  • T.C. O’Leary’s will be doing two countdowns on New Year’s Eve: “the first at 4pm in honor of Ireland and one at midnight in honor of Oregon. Come to one or both!” 2926 NE Alberta Street
  • Taylor Street Tavern is doing a $65/pp prix-fixe menu. 808 SW Taylor Street
  • Dharma Rain, starting at 9pm, is doing their annual traditional New Year’s Eve in Soto Zen format: meditation, bowing, bell ringing, formal tea, sutra fanning, and poetry. Registration is not required and there is no fee. 8500 NE Siskiyou Street
  • Quarterworld‘s NYE Extravaganza involves a midnight balloon drop, food and drink specials througout the night, plu “30+ pinball machines, 60+ arcade games, and live music from DJ Prez playing EDM from 9pm-close.” Tickets are $10 for general admission/ $50 VIP and your ticket lets you play for free all night. 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd
  • Bing In the New Year is happening in Milwaukie from 6pm to 9pm on NYE. They’ll drop a giant steel cherry sculpture at 9pm (midnight on the east coast). There will be live music, food, and more! Plus, I can’t resist a good pun. Main & Harrison Streets, Milwaukie

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Favorite Bites in Portland in 2024
Toasted S’mores Bar Will Open in Downtown Portland
King Cakes in Portland in 2025

And remember: If you are coming home from celebrating NYE and don’t want to drive, consider a car service of transit: there are discounts with Lyft and Uber, and Trimet is free. I’ve also put together some ideas as to how to set yourself up for a healthy 2025 in Portland.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 20)

Belle Époque Pies is leaving the 23rd and Alberta Pod. Home to excellent square pies (Sicilian-Detroit), Belle Époque Pies is moving on from their location on NE Alberta and 23rd Avenue, to a currently undisclosed location in the new year. Their final day of service at the pod is Wednesday, December 25. As they said on Instagram, “Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to bring Belle Époque Pies to a brand-new home. Thank you, Alberta, for all the love and support—you’ve been incredible. 💛” Looking forward to seeing where they land in 2025. 2231 NE Alberta Street, Portland

And in other pizza news … this time in Milwaukie. Pietro’s Pizza is moving from their current location (10300 SE Main Street), setting up shop at 11050 SE Oak Street, which was home to McGrath’s Fish House. So why is this happening? A “developer of a 178-unit multifamily project in downtown Milwaukie is the new owner” of this property, according to the Portland Business Journal.

Pietro’s Pizza (opened in 1957) is part of an informal crowd of regional, old-school pizzerias that would include Stark Street Pizza (opened in 1965) and Pizza Baron (opened in 1983). I’ve heard from a number of old-time Portlanders who have happy memories of these places from their youth—maybe it was a birthday party or a little league season celebration at these pizzerias. Over on Reddit, a user calls this “Oregon-Style pizza.” 10300 SE Main Street/11050 SE Oak Street, Milwaukie

Jim & Patty’s is writing a cookbook, but you can see it digitally now. Over on Facebook the Jim & Patty’s folks wrote that although putting together the published cookbook (“Jim and Patty’s Family Recipes”) will take some time, you can access a “proto PDF version” of it now. It’s available for download for $10. It is “filled with our Roberts family recipes, pictures & back stories.” Instructions to access this PDF are in the Facebook post.

HeyDay has closed their shop. Over on Instagram, I learned that Lisa has closed down their brick & mortar space in the CORE food hall. The last day open was this past Sunday, and she said this about the decision to close without advanced notice: “I’m sorry that we didn’t announce it but I wanted to make sure that the team had the most normal last Sunday. I wanted to protect them from answering any questions about our decision to close.” I respect this decision.

She also tells us that this is not the end of HeyDay! “We have some really cool and exciting things for you to look forward to,” she says. Their donuts have been available at Better Days Cafe this year and I imagine they will be in 2025, too. Best of luck to Lisa and HeyDay, and I look forward to what they have planned for next year. 3612 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

BONUS: Portland vs. Seattle. Redfin reached out to me for input on their article about Portland vs. Seattle, including when it comes to real estate, cost of living, and culture. I am Portland all the way (no surprise). Redfin observes this about our fair city: “Portland is known for its creative energy, green spaces, and more affordable cost of living.” You can read the article at the link, including a variety of quotes from Portland locals on food and other topics: Portland vs Seattle: Which City is Right for You? Comparing Real Estate, Cost of Living, Culture, and More.

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Tréla Greek Kitchen and Taverna in Portland: First Look
A Dairy Queen Grows in Portland: An Opening Update
Hanukkah 2024 in Portland
Sincerely Bagel Is Setting Up Shop in Portland
Portland’s 3 Doors Down: A Chat With Matthew Stiles

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 6)

Monty’s Red Sauce. A new restaurant from the Montelupo folks is going to open in Sellwood-Westmoreland called Monty’s Red Sauce. Presumably it will be an Italian red sauce joint. The location was previously home to Rue Cler Marketplace, and before that it was Laurelwood’s SE pub location. You can see a reel of the space as it is now, on Instagram. 6716 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

East Glisan Pizza Lounge’s eggnog has arrived. Each year the folks at East Glisan Pizza Lounge offer house-made eggnog for the holidays. They will serve it as a flight, in a cocktail, or with cookies; you can also buy some to take home. There are three flavors: traditional, butterscotch, and Morganthaler (tequila and sherry). 8001 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Crush is closing. The closure of this LGBTQ+ bar in SE Portland was big news this week. They’ve been around for 25 years; New Year’s Eve will be their final night in business. Read more about it at Willamette Week. 1400 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Bialy Bird returns to Wellspent Market. Head to this wonderful little independent market tomorrow morning (Saturday, December 7) from 10am to 1pm to enjoy Bialy Bird’s celebrated sweet and savory bialys. Flavors include chanterelle and black garlic; cacio e pepe; apricot-honey-feta; and za’atar + olive oil. There will be breakfast sandwiches and mimosas, too. 3402 SE Division Street, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Side Eye, a New Bar, Will Open in NW Portland
Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2024
A New Restaurant From Chookiat Saenguraiporn Is Coming To the Pearl
Better Days Cafe Is Open
Plus, my latest Benable list is all about the best in Portland products.

It’s a big weekend for holiday season festivals, too! The Mt. Angel–Silverton Hazelnut Festival from Friday to Sunday; the German Christmas Market tomorrow; and the Portland ScanFair on Saturday and Sunday. More details in our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals & Events list. And while it’s not a festival per se, if you stop in at Fressen Artisan Bakery (7075 NE Glisan Street) tomorrow morning, you’ll probably run into Krampus.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (November 29)

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! We had a very chill holiday and made turkey chili along with traditional sides. And welcome to the official start of the holiday season! Remember: shopping local is good; and The Benson Hotel unveils its gingerbread masterpiece on Tuesday, December 3.

FIKA pops up Friday to Sunday. Head to the Stark Street Holiday Sale today, tomorrow, and Sunday to check out the work of 10 local artists, one jeweler, and delicious baked goods by FIKA, AKA the wonderful local bakerJoe Futschik. I’m particularly fond of his empanadas because of their irresistible flaky pasty. 11am to 6pm each day. 2809 SE Stark Street, Portland

The best cheddar in the world comes from Oregon. The World Cheese Awards 2024 happened earlier this month and the Tillamook Maker’s Reserve 2014 Extra Sharp White Cheddar cheese won the Trophy for Best Cheddar Cheese. Cheeses from 47 countries competed for the award. Over at Allrecipes, they include this tidbit:

“Tillamook was awarded two bronze accolades for its Tillamook Farmers’ Collection English Style Sweet Cheddar (another of my favorites) and Tillamook Farmers’ Collection Hickory Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar. The hickory-smoked Cheddar also won “Best USA Cheese Any Variety” in the International Cheese and Dairy Awards (ICDA) competition earlier this year. “

Lone Star Burger Bar will open next to Podnah’s BBQ. On Tuesday evening, a tipster emailed me with “I checked out the Lone Star Burger pop up yesterday at La Taq and was told they will be converting La Taq full time into a burger spot by mid-December. The burgers were great and were thick pub style.” I inquired with La Taq about these changes, but received no response.

But no worries—Michael Russell at The Oregonian is on it. Burgers are moving in but the bar remains, and they are looking to adjust their cocktails to be compatible with “more of a steakhouse vibe.” They will re-open as Lone Star Burger bar on Wednesday, December 4. 1625 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland

Super Joy Coffee Lab is under new management. Topher Ou posted on the Super Joy Instagram that he has moved on from the company he founded:

“Superjoy is now under new management, and I am no longer involved in its operations. This decision was mutual and made with deep respect and love for the business. While stepping away wasn’t easy, I’m extremely proud of what Superjoy has grown to represent and the many lives it has touched. I sincerely wish this community cornerstone all the best in the future and truly hope it continues to thrive.”

He is still passionate about coffee and will continue to roast and experiment with techniques and creativity. As he says, this is not goodbye, but the start of a new chapter. Best of luck to Topher on his new path. 1401 SW Yamhill Street, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Face Plant Wants To Take Down McDonald’s
Win Big: Shop Small This Holiday Season

Additionally, over on Benable, I created a couple of lists this week: Signature Foods of Oregon and Underground Portland: Bars, Tunnels and More.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (November 22)

The Paladins League is in their soft opening phase. Back in August I wrote about The Paladins League, opening in the old Alameda Hop/Alameda Brewing space. There you can enjoy “analog games of all kinds … a warm community space, tasty food and drink, and a family-friendly atmosphere.” And they are now open—soft open, that is! Limited hours for now, as they work on their final menu and service offering.

The hours between Friday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 27 are Friday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 5pm to 9pm; Saturday and Sunday 11am to 10pm. Closed Monday. They have a 500-game library and food: sliders, fries, milkshakes and adult beverages. 4765 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Bánh Mì Nam Lộc has closed. Over in Montavilla, a neighbor reports that Vietnamese deli Bánh Mì Nam Lộc on 82nd Avenue has ended their run. The reason? The owners retired. The place was known and loved for their bánh mì, seafood pancakes, beef soup, iced Vietnamese coffee, among other things. They will be missed. 328 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

The Rip City Bar Network. The Portland Trailblazers launched the Rip City Bar Network this week.  25 bars and restaurants, mostly around Portland—but also Beaverton, Hillsboro, Fairview, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Springfield, Sherwood, Salem, Newport, and Astoria. will show the Blazers’ games. Also “Trail Blazers-related events, discounts for season ticket holders and be a place where fans can enjoy away games.” Check out the full roster on the Trailblazers NBA website. Various locations

PUSH X PULL has opened a new cafe location. And that would be inside of their roastery in SE Portland! “We’re excited to be able to drink coffee with you around our roaster once again, in a new space with some new gear.” Check it out, but only on weekdays from 7am to 2pm, as they are closed on weekends. 1700 SE 6th Avenue, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Learn To Cook Burmese Cuisine This Weekend
Eat Chimney Cakes at Devilishly Delicious Delights in Roseway
An Early Site Visit at the James Beard Public Market

The Scandinavian Christmas Goat Market is happening next weekend, too.