Category: Portland

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Portland! It’s where I live, work, and play. It’s where the food news happens (at least most of it). This category is one of the real constants on Bridgetown Bites and is probably a part of almost every post on this blog.

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Small Bites: Cocina de Mary, Tariffs, Shorebird Bakery, and More

Chiles at Cocina de Mary.
Photo credit: Cocina de Mary.

Welcome, Cocina de Mary. This is another case of two restaurants operating in one space at different times. RJ Skillets is there from 8am to 3pm (starting 10am on Mondays) and Cocina de Mary operates 5pm to 9pm (closed Mondays). They offer Guatemalan food: cuchitos, a type of tamal; churrasco; hilachas, similar to ropa vieja; pepián; and tayuyos, similar to pupusas. They also offer familiar dishes like quesadillas, fried plantains, empanadas, burritos, and more. They officially opened on Friday, February 6. 2529-B NE Alberta Street, Portland

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Purim 2026: Tasty Treats and Celebrations in Portland

Edie and a plate of hamentaschen for Purim 2026.
My then 7-year-old Edie who is now a pre-teen but still loves their hamantaschen.

The holiday of Purim is almost here—a joyous holiday filled with tasty treats and celebrations, observed by Jews around the world. Purim begins on the evening of Monday, March 2, and continues through March 3 (and through March 4 in Jerusalem). The holiday commemorates the story of Queen Esther, whose courage helped save the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plot to kill the Jews of ancient Persia.

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Pan Kobo Is Dedicated to Making Shokupan in Portland

A loaf of shokupan bread, which is made at Pan Kobo in Portland.
Shokupan bread. Photo credit: Gregor Halenda Photography.

Oyatsupan owner and baker Hiroyuki “Hiro” Horie has been quietly developing a new Portland production space called Pan Kobo, dedicated entirely to shokupan, AKA “milk bread,” a beloved bread from Japan. The facility is located in the Central Eastside Industrial District. I had a chance to speak with Hiro the other day about Pan Kobo, among other things, and here is what we talked about.

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Rhinestone Celebrates One Year In Portland Tonight With a Pop-Up (Just Like Old Times)

The Rhinestone Cowboy cocktail from their first pop-up.
The Rhinestone Cowboy cocktail from their inaugural pop-up a year ago. Will we see it again? Photo credit: Rhinestone.

As you probably know, Rhinestone opened a bar last October in Southeast Portland (in the old Houston Blacklight space), but they started their life as a pop-up. So, why not celebrate a year of the concept … with another pop-up‽ Tonight’s the party and you are invited to stop by to help them celebrate right there were it all started—at Too Soon.

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