Opinion Archives - Bridgetown Bites

September 17, 2026September 16, 2026

Solo Dining at Bar Nouveau in North Portland

Recently I was invited to have dinner at Bar Nouveau (so, this meal was comped). After thinking about it for a while, I decided I wanted to dine solo. To be honest with you, I’m not that comfortable dining alone at a restaurant for dinner; lunch is a different story. This became an opportunity to work on and sit with my feelings about that and become curious about them, over a meal I expected to be of high quality.

And indeed, this meal was excellent, as was the service. Here is my recollection of what will no doubt be one of my favorite meals of the year.

September 14, 2026September 14, 2026

Discover PDX Food Carts Coming to NE Alberta in Portland

The Alberta Arts District will see a new food cart pod this fall: Discover PDX Food Carts. “Discover,” for short, they are looking to have about a half dozen food carts in what has been at times an empty dirt and/or grass lot, and at other times used for food carts, plants, parking, and probably other things I’m unaware of.

Here is what we know so far.

September 3, 2026August 30, 2026

Carioca Bowls: Açai and More in Northeast Portland

Back in early summer I was invited by Richard Matusow, owner and co-founder of Carioca Bowls, to stop in to the restaurant to check it out and try some things. They recently celebrated 11 years in business there on NE Alberta and 9th (Alberta Market is right across the street from them). I’d heard about this place for a number of years but never made it over. That was an unforced error.

September 1, 2026September 2, 2026

A Helpful Guide to Dining at PDX (Concourses D and E)

What you see before you head through security at PDX. — Photo credit: Meg Cotner.

Because I fly a lot for work, I’ve been able to see the Portland Airport (PDX) overhaul as it proceeds, and all the new and returning food and drink options that have come with it. We are blessed with one of the most attractive and hospitable airports in the U.S., and Portlanders take advantage of that. Between the selection and the guarantee of like-street prices, I have eaten many meals before a departure or after an arrival, and I have personal experience of almost all the vendors while dining at PDX.

[Many thanks to Josh Berkus for putting together this guide. -Meg]

August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

TODOS Media: New Documentary Filmmaking, in Conversation

Corn, TODOS Media. — So much starts with corn. Photo credit: TODOS Media.

TODOS Media has been busy. Founded by Angel Medina of República fame with videographer Braulio Díaz (who has since moved on to other projects), they launched their Youtube channel in September 2024 and their own digital platform later that month. I learned that Angel and TODOS Media are actively producing three documentary series: Humble Kitchen, which premiered on July 23; Her Way, premiering on August 27; and Season 2 of Memorable, premiering on October 8.

I sat down with Angel to chat about his work and here is some of what we talked about.