Small Bites is a roundup post I put together when I have a plethora of Portland food news tidbits in any week. It’s sort of an expanded version of Four Things I Learned This Week but can be published on any day (and sometimes take the place of Four Things. if appropriate).
Hot Chocolate Week Is Coming, from Ranger Chocolate Co. From Friday, December 26 to Wednesday, December 31, Ranger is doing a different hot chocolate each day. You can see the details on their Instagram. 107 SE Washington Street, Portland
Kismet in Vancouver is open. They opened to the public yesterday, December 11. Operated by Eric Gallanter and Kim Sinclair, they offer a three-course prix fixe menu with things like crab cakes, risotto, gravlax, scallops, duck breast, and beef tenderloin (see photos of their menu on Google). 909 Main Street, Vancouver
Fiery Crab is coming to Portland. A reader wrote us with this tip, “The old Shari’s on NE 122nd near San Rafael and in the Winco parking lot is becoming a new restaurant. It looked like some work had been happening there, but it had been quiet for a while. Today I saw a sign going up that I think said Fiery Crab.” That matches this Google listing—“temporarily closed” likely means it’s just not open yet.
A couple of things you can get at Javi’s: chilaquiles and eggs benedict with hashbrowns.
Javi’s will open in Vancouver. Their Sandy Blvd location is so popular that they’ll be opening a second location at The Mill shopping center, which is also home to another familiar Portland business: Parkrose Hardware. No indication of the timing of their opening yet, aside from “soon.” Good news for The Couve. 7900 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver
Tamalada in Portland is back! I attended a tamalada—a group tamale-making party around the holidays—organized by Hot Mama Salsa and Three Sisters Nixtamal pre-pandemic (2019) and loved it. We learned how to prepare the masa, fill the corn husks, and steam the tamales—and we got to take some tamales home. It was fantastic!
So you can imagine how happy I was to see that these same two women-owned and led businesses have brought it back this year. This time it will take place at Hot Mama Salsa’s headquarters in Southeast Portland. There are two sessions on Sunday, December 14: 2pm to 3:30pm and 4pm to 5:30pm. It’s $65; you can reserve your spot and pay them on Venmo. DM them with questions. 333 SE 2nd Avenue, Portland