Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, June 2024

Data Analytics Chart

This month I have better news than last month’s: we almost doubled our traffic in June. Over 17,000 unique visitors made it over to Bridgetown Bites, and they generated over 21,000 page views (vs 8,800 and 11,000, respectively). The strategies I put into place made a difference.

Top posts in June are mostly about restaurants (and a future food cart pod), but strawberry shortcake certainly grabbed attention. And why not? It’s delicious and wholesome.

A always, thanks to all who visited, read, and shared stories on Bridgetown Bites!

5. Ole Frijole Has Closed

Ole Frijole's exterior in the Concordia neighborhood in Portland, OR. It closed as of May 4, 2024.

Earlier this week a Bridgetown Bites tipster emailed me news that Ole Frijole, located on the northwest corner of Killingsworth and NE 42nd Ave, has closed. They wrote, “My neighbor mentioned that she just read a sweet message to customers posted on their door saying that they closed and the property has been sold.” Looks like the closure was one month ago on May 4.

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Thang Long Cuisine: Comforting, Tasty Vietnamese Food in Montavilla (Review)

Bún chả at Thang Long Cuisine in Montavilla.
Bún chả, a classic Vietnamese dish, at Thang Long Cuisine

Last month I was invited by Jacob Loeb, publisher of the Montavilla News, to do a tasting at Thang Long Cuisine, a Vietnamese restaurant on SE Division in Montavilla. It’s in good company there at the bottom edge of the neighborhood, what with Master Kong and the very popular Mojo Crepes as its neighbors. The space that holds Thang Long Cuisine used to be home to Thai Fresh.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 14)

Don’t forget—Strawberry Shortcake Week continues to the end of the weekend!

Cicoria is closing. The final day of service will be Saturday, June 29. From their Instagram: “This decision has been monumentally difficult, but given the rough and unforgiving market conditions Portland is currently experiencing, we feel there’s no other choice.” (This is reminiscent of what JaCiva’s recently said.) And there’s this, a tiny bit of hope of their return: “Please stay tuned for updates on what may lie ahead in the near future, as we hope to welcome you back, but don’t forget to mark your calendar for Summertime Scoops on Thursday of next week, June 20th.” 3377 SE Division Street, Portland

Hungry Dumpling House will open on SE Hawthorne. This location was home to Hawthorne Hophouse (closed in 2020) and Poke Qube (closed in 2023), and now will be a dumpling (and more, likely) spot. The folks behind Hungry Dumpling House (also known as Happy Dumpling Inc) appear to the be the same ones behind Sichuan City in Happy Valley, much lauded by Katherine Chew Hamilton in Portland Magazine. I’m excited about this and seeing what they bring to the neighborhood. 4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Bill Oakley on snacks. This week Bill Oakley, local food enthusiast and former showrunner (among other roles) for The Simpsons, appeared on KATU to show off some international snacks. Love seeing the reactions from the TV host on the segment. Watch here.

New salad at Fresh Love. I think these guys make some of the best salads in Portland, so I’m always happy to tell you about their newest one. It’s called “Taco ‘Bout a Summer Salad,” (thanks for the clarification, Fresh Love!) made with Urban Acre Homestead salad greens, Hot Mama tortilla chips, pineapple, cucumber, sugar snap peas, sharp cheddar, pickled red onions, avocado, and housemade vegan cilantro jalapeño dressing. Many of the ingredients are certified organic. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Screaming Sammies Ice Cream Sandwiches Pops Up in Sellwood
A Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Looks To Open in Portland
Janken: Everything Is Better Together (Review)

Updated June 15, 2024.

Janken: Everything Is Better Together (Review)

Food writers Meg Cotner and Judith Rich starting a meal at Janken in Portland, OR.
Toward the start of our meal, food writers at work. Photo credit: Judith Rich

A little while back my friend Judith raved about the food she had at Janken, an upscale restaurant in the Pearl (corner of NW Everett and 13th). It opened in late 2022, with the aim to offer “exquisite Japanese-Korean fusion cuisine.” They also state, “We strive to build a space that encourages connection, conversation, and camaraderie, a place where every meal becomes a cherished memory.” This certainly was my experience the night I was there. The evening was a choice opportunity to connect with my good friend Judith, enjoy some new dishes, hang out in NW Portland, and have a memorable time together.

Disclaimer: This meal was comped but the opinions are my own.

Continue reading “Janken: Everything Is Better Together (Review)”

Four Things I Learned This Week (June 7)

It’s National Donut Day today! Here’s a map of donut shops in Portland.

OX is closed until July. A Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me this note earlier this week: “OX is closed until Jul 1st. They cancelled all reservations. We drove past it last night and it is fenced off.” The website says, “Ox Restaurant is currently closed for repairs.” Back in March, OX had a fire that “started in the flue of the grill in the first level and extended into the roof structure.” There are a bunch of permits filed with the city for repairs, including work on the roof, ductwork, exhaust, piping, and a new kitchen fire suppression system. We wish them only the best as they work on fixes in order to reopen in a few weeks. 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland

Ranch Pizza and LoRo Coffee are open in Montavilla. They opened their doors yesterday, Thursday, June 6. Taking residence in the former Hungry Heart location, Ranch and LoRo are splitting the space, with coffee in the mornings and pizza later in the day. I stopped in this morning and had a really nice iced latte with almond milk and a piece of their bacon-cheese-potato focaccia. This is a nice addition to the neighborhood. Bonus: I noticed that a beacon light crosswalk is in process of being installed there at Stark and SE 80th Avenue! 7940 SE Stark Street, Portland

Check out the pre-Father’s Day artisan market at STEELPORT Knives this weekend. This is the fourth year they’ve done this event and the place will be full of knives for sale, vendors, music, free custom engravings, a raffle, and more. On the edible side of things look for Flying Fish Co, Jacobsen Salt Co, Kachka, Olympia Provisions, Puff Coffee, Smith Teamaker, The Flavor Society, Vorfruede Dairy Beef, Westward Whiskey, and Wilderton. 1pm to 4pm at their space on NE Sandy Blvd. More details on their Facebook event page. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd, Suite B, Portland

The final countdown is on for JaCiva’s Bakery. Their final day will be Saturday, June 29. About nine months ago the word came out that they were going to close. They continued going, but time is up. They posted on Instagram, “Our building is still for sale but we can no longer realistically operate in a way that is beneficial to both our staff and our customers.”

They added: “Thank you so much for nearly 40 beautiful years. Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your most cherished memories as you celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and all of life’s milestones. We have loved making your lives a little sweeter. We are not taking any preorders at this time. All items are first come first served. Please stay tuned on our social media accounts and our website for any updates as we navigate these final weeks. We love you!” 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Ole Frijole Has Closed
Strawberry Shortcake Week Is Coming
Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies Opens June 7 on SE Belmont