News Archives - Page 2 of 142

June 17, 2026June 16, 2026

Parkrose Grocery Is in the Plans for East Portland

Produce is in the plans for Parkrose Grocery. — Taken at 99 Ranch, the most recent new grocery store I’ve experienced in Portland. Parkrose Grocery could be the next new grocery store opening in Portland.

There’s been a lot of chitter chatter in my circles about plans for a new grocery store in the Parkrose neighborhood. The working name for it is Parkrose Grocery (though Parkrose Local Grocery has been considered) and it is a project by Don McKeever, who comes to it with a number of years of experience under his belt of running a large grocery store. I was curious to learn more, so after a few rounds of phone tag, we chatted for a bit about his ideas and plans for Parkrose Grocery

June 16, 2026June 15, 2026

Simply Coffee: An Italian Cafe Has Opened in Gresham

Coffee at Simply Coffee. — Photo credit: Simply Coffee.

The other day Instagram’s algorithm served me this video from Simply Coffee, a relatively new cafe in Gresham. I was really charmed by the narrator, who I learned later is owner Andra Stanescu (her husband Jonathan, is the other owner). Plus she uttered the magic word, “cornetti.” I wanted to learn more.

So, we chatted on the phone, talked about Simply Coffee and her work in the coffee/cafe sphere, and I’m happy to pass on some of what we talked about.

June 15, 2026June 14, 2026

Freeland Spirits PDX Is Officially Open (Photos)

Detail from the mural at the Freeland Spirits PDX tasting room.

Last week I was invited to attend the ribbon cutting at the new Freeland Spirits PDX tasting room. Located after security in the North Concession Hall, they are also in the company of places like Grassa, Steven Smith Teamakers, and Pendleton (textiles, not whiskey). It’s a sweet space with plenty of bottles of Freeland Spirits in gorgeous colors (many reminiscent of the colors of sea glass), including the PDX Bourbon (exclusive to the airport), some nice seating options, spirits and cocktail flights, and a gorgeous mural that artfully incorporates the brand.

Here are some of the things I saw and heard during my time at Freeland Spirits and the North Concession Hall.

June 12, 2026June 12, 2026

Small Bites: The Eastburn, Hunnymilk, Wajan, Sorbu, and More

The Eastburn has closed. A Bridgetown Bites tipster told me this week that they learned from an employee that the Eastburn shut down on Tuesday; new has spread since then. Their Google business listing confirms it as “Permanently Closed.”

June 11, 2026June 10, 2026

Tony Piezano’s Makes Focaccia Pizza in Southeast Portland

Vegan focaccia pizza with wild mushroom, red onion, almond ricotta, and sun-dried tomato tapenade at Tony Piezano's. — Vegan focaccia pizza with wild mushroom, red onion, almond ricotta, and sun-dried tomato tapenade. Photo credit: Tony Piezano’s.

There’s a new pizza pop-up in Southeast Portland called Tony Piezano’s, operating out of the Meat Cheese Bread space during select evenings. It’s run by Tony Hope, who is known for his work at places like Pizzacato, Sunny’s Pizza, and Pizzeria Stellina. He likes to think of Tony Piezano’s as a focacceria more than a pizzeria, and describes his type of pizza as focaccia pizza. They’ve been open for about a month.

I had a chance to chat with Tony—at the time we were both kind of sleep deprived for our own reasons, but had a good conversation, nonetheless. Here’s what we talked about.