Portland food news and views
Troutdale is a town east of Portland, OR.
It’s that time again: Hanukkah 2025, the Festival of Lights! Hanukkah celebrates the miracle that a small amount of oil was able to last for eight days. Fun fact: Hanukkah is not a biblical celebration.
Here is where you can celebrate, eat festive foods, and enjoy this winter holiday focused on bringing light into the world.
Menorah Lightings | Places To Go | Places To Shop
Parties and Celebrations
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
Continue reading “Small Bites: Tamalada, Crispy Cones, ZabPinto Thai, and More”
Change in Peter’s Bar & Grill ownership. This past week, the Facebook page for Peter’s Bar & Grill posted a goodbye message: “After a little over 11 years, today was our last day as the owners of Peter’s Bar & Grill. We feel so fortunate to have had this experience. We are so grateful to everyone who welcomed us into this community …. Because of all of you, we’re excited for what Peter’s will be in the future.” It was signed by Tim, Tara, Alex, Piper, & Casey.
I’ve reached out to learn more. My hope is that they do not end up closing. 5701 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Continue reading “Small Bites: Peter’s, Pears, Pizza, and More”ICYMI: Toyshop Ramen closed. I missed this for whatever reason, but in mid-January Toyshop Ramen closed its doors. On their Instagram they posted: “We started Toyshop in a snowstorm, and we’re ending in one as well, EPIC!! What a helluva a ride it’s been, we did the damn thing and we gotta wrap it all up. Thanks to our awesome crew for making it happen day in and day out, and to everyone who came thru and made this past year possible!!” However … this week the fan account of the Alberta Arts District posted a photo of a sign on the property’s window that says, “Take Two … Coming Soon.” An electrical permit for “tenant improvements” was updated last month, but that’s all I know. I’ll see what I can find out. 3000 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
The OLCC predicts alcohol revenue will slip by $132 million. TL;DR is that less people are buying top-shelf liquor products, according to OLCC spokesperson Mark Pettinger: “… The demand for top-shelf liquor increased during the pandemic, and if this trend had continued along with moderate inflation, sales could still be on the rise. However, he said Oregonians have returned to mid-tier products.” And some Oregonians are simply electing not to drink booze at all.
Futura Coffee Roasters has a new location in SE PDX. Earlier this week, the folks at Futura Coffee Roasters posted that they’ve opened their third location, “bringing regenerative coffee to Portland’s Division St neighborhood.”They’ll be open daily from 7am to 4pm. 4330 SE Division Street, Portland
Nico’s heads to Troutdale. Nico Vergara and crew are opening their third Nico’s Ice Cream location in east county—downtown Troutdale at The Highlands. You can read more about The Highlands on their website. It is a pod but will have a “2000 sq ft indoor, all-ages, dining room that will be shared by all the carts with a full bar.” Joining Nico’s will be Wayfinder Beer (who will focus on making beer, no food) and Checkerboard Pizza, among others. As Nico says, “Pizza, beer, and ice cream. What more could you need?” Projected opening is late May 2024. 102 SW 2nd Street, Troutdale
Over the weekend we decided to take advantage of the sunny day with mild temperatures and head to McMenamins Edgefield out in Troutdale. After an easy bus ride we did a fair amount of exploring of the grounds, and decided to get something to eat at the Black Rabbit Bar. And what did I see on the menu? The Impossible Burger. I had been wanting to try it for some time, and this seemed like as good as any an opportunity to do so.
Continue reading “First Impressions: The Impossible Burger in Troutdale”