Olive Oil From Sebastiano’s Is Coming in 2022

Now that’s it’s officially spring, I thought I’d bring you up to speed on something that I learned about this past January. On a very chilly winter day, I stopped in at Sebastiano’s in Montavilla to chat with Dan and Elise about their exciting upcoming olive oil import project. Bottles will have their private label and should be on the shelves by summer 2022.

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Zero Proof Tasting and Mocktails With Wilderton at Zuckercreme on Saturday

Photo credit: Another Believer via a Creative Commons license

As someone who loves cocktails but doesn’t drink alcohol, zero proof drinks/dry cocktails/mocktails are pretty exciting. And I’m glad to see them getting more attention—most notably in this area of drinking is the fully dry cocktail bar Suckerpunch that recently opened in Portland. So you can imagine how happy I was to see that this weekend Montavilla’s Zuckercreme is hosting an event featuring mocktails made with Wilderton spirits—locally-made and alcohol-free.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 18)

Las Osita is moving to Montavilla. Mill Park‘s loss is Montavilla’s gain. La Osita—home to delicious breakfast tacos, coffee, and more—posted on their Instagram yesterday about their impending move to the Taylor Court Grocery space at 1135 SE 80th Avenue. “The building is a historic neighborhood market that shut down as life happened in the midst of the pandemic. It has fallen into a bit of disrepair but we are excited and thankful to have a chance to bring it back to life for the SE Portland and Montavilla community.” Why did they end up in Montavilla? “For the last year we had been looking up and down 122nd for a potential spot but nothing fit the bill.” Official opening date is to come. 1135 SE 80th Avenue, Portland

Kate’s Ice Cream opens today in North Portland. The Oregonian reports on today’s opening of vegan ice cream maker Kate’s Ice Cream in the old Ruby Jewel space on N Mississippi Avenue. Stop by starting at noon today for her creamy coconut-milk-based ice creams, including Mississippi Mayhem, “a purple cake-flavored ice cream with everything from brownies to sprinkles to cookie dough thrown in, depending on the day.” 3713 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland

Lasagna listicle. The Willamette Week put together a list of six take-and-bake lasagnas you can get in Portland. It was a lot of fun to see what Jason and Andi chose, and I can personally give a major thumbs up to the Lasagna Project lasagnas. I started ordering them that first year of the pandemic and honestly, they have spoiled me for most others, because they are so freaking delicious. Next on my list is to try the lasagna from East Glisan Pizza Lounge. I’ll add that one glaring omission on the WW listicle is Stefania’s Kitchen, which makes a handful of excellent take-and-bake lasagnas.

Inaugural St. Joseph’s Market is Sunday. Head to Wellspent Market this Sunday from 12-4pm for their first annual St. Joseph’s Market. St. Joseph’s Day is a big day in Sicily, so expect to see some traditional Sicilian treats at this event, as well as things for the gardener, like garden-ready plants and heirloom Italian seeds. The aforementioned Sicilian treats include zeppole from Sebastiano’s and sfincione, a type of Sicilian pizza with origins in the 17th century, from Pizza Thief. Culinary Breeding network is also bringing a whole bunch of wonderful things: “authentic Italian marzipan molds in shapes inspired by the gardens of Italy, plant-themed jewelry, artwork, tea towels, linens, ‘zines, and more, including plants from Log House Nursery and seeds from Uprising Seeds.” It should be an excellent time. 935 NE Couch Street, Portland

The Roxy Is Closing

Photo credit: The Roxy

I heard about this yesterday in a private conversation and this morning it was confirmed by The Roxy owner herself. The Roxy, a longtime, previously 24-hours-a-day diner in downtown Portland, is closing Sunday, March 20. Along with the pandemic and staffing issues, an eviction by the City of Portland was cited as the reasons for the closing.

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