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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 15)

Work for Ota Tofu. Over on Craigslist there’s a posting about a job in the early morning, making tofu. That means “operating our soy milk machines and cleaning machines after use” and “scooping and pressing tofu.” Starts at $17/hour. Ota Tofu is the oldest tofu companies in the U.S. and it is excellent. 812 SE Stark Street, Portland

Viking Soul Food is selling their cart at The Bite on Belmont. They’ll be keeping their restaurant in Woodstock, but the cart is for sale. Asking price: $20K. Their goal is to “focus on other opportunities” now that they have a brick and mortar, plus they are looking to do farmers markets, perhaps. As for when they are leaving Belmont, they said on Instagram, “Not entirely sure yet when the last day will be as that will be dependent on when the buyer wants to take over.” 4255 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Cow Bell Cheese Shop is helping the kids. Starting today and going until Sunday, March 17, head to Cow Bell Cheese Shop to participate in a fundraiser for Sunnyside Environmental School’s 8th grade Marine Biology trip to Catalina Island. I have to say, I love the Channel Islands and have great memories of visiting there in my youth—in fact, I played my first ever game of mini golf there on Catalina Island. I remember the water being incredibly clear just off-shore. Anyway, here’s more on the fundraiser:

“We will be donating 20% off our sales from those dates to the program—but more importantly, we are using this as an opportunity to “cheesify” the next generation of potential cheesemongers … We’ll be putting them to work every day of the fundraiser: cutting and wrapping cheese, handing out samples, making and serving fondue. If you enjoy discovering new cheeses at Cow Bell, but you’ve always been slightly disappointed by how tall the cheesemongers are, this is finally our chance to rectify that issue for you.” 231 SE Alder Street, Portland

Brains. BRAINS! Le Clown, which is “celebrating the modern bistronomy of France” there in the Dame Collective, is now offering cervelle: that’s poached brain, beurre citron, fried caper, and fine herbs. “Due to popular demand we’ve done it! We will be offering cervelle in limited quantities on Tuesdays only. Off menu, by request only. Come and get it!” If you like brains, this is a not-miss for you. 5425 NE 30th Avenue, Portland

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Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe Has Coffee and More

Photo credit: Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe

A few weeks ago, I stopped in at the new Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe on NE Sandy in the Hollywood District. My husband is a big D&D fan and plays with multiple groups throughout the month, so this place was on his radar early on. It’s pretty great inside—there are games and related items to buy, games to rent, games to borrow, separate rooms in which to play, a chill vibe. And a very nice cafe!

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 8)

Viking Pancake Breakfast this Sunday. Throughout the year—except during the pandemic—the Norse Hall in NE Portland would hold what they call a “Viking Pancake Breakfast.” My husband and I have loved going and really missed it during COVID. It started up again in the past year or so, and this month’s Breakfast is a fundraiser for the Portland Nordic Chorus (which I sang with, briefly). 20% of the proceeds from entry fees will go to them and their work.

From 8:30am to noon on Sunday, March 10, you’ll get all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage links, fruit, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and coffee or tea. It’s open-seating, no reservations. $10 adults; $6 children age 3-10; under 3 eat free. Pay cash at the door. 111 NE 11th Avenue, Portland

Closings—Rusa, Bar Norman, Bee’s (early). Some closings are happening this month and I’m sorry to see them all go. In an email entitled “A Joyful Goodbye,” Bar Norman announced their closing: “Bar Norman is closing on April 6th. We’ve had a thrilling run on Clinton Street and while I wish we could continue on, this chapter of the bar has come to a close. We’re going to spend the next month celebrating this special place and we hope you’ll join us.” They also posted on Instagram. 2615 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Rusa, a food cart serving Eastern European+Latin American combinations, announced on social media, “When you have nothing left, it’s time to move forward. Rusa is permanently closing.” They may make it to the end of month, but the real end is when the food runs out. 1027 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Bee’s Cakes closed their doors earlier this year, with the decision to stay until May, but vandals did their thing one time too many, and Rebecca is closing things down by the end of the month. Most recently they dumped out garbage all over the little parking lot, tore down some outdoor lights, damaged the door, and cut the power, leading to a significant loss of product. It does not feel safe for her and her family any more. This breaks my heart and why the city tolerates this stuff is beyond me. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Bardo, a tea room, is open. I recently became aware of Bardo, a tea room on NE Killingsworth across the street from Extracto (where I get coffee semi-regularly). I’ve wondered about this little white building for years, and I’m so curious about the interior (which I can now check out—and have tea). The folks behind Bardo have given their mission a lot of thought: “Our aim at Bardo, is not simply to offer you high quality tea, but it is also to weave the story that connects the soil, to the farmer, to the tea, to the cup.” Their hours are here. 2926 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland

Anniversaries—Higgins and Du’s Grill. Higgins celebrates 30 years and in honor of that, Chef Greg Higgins and his team have prepared a special menu for the month of March, “both in honor of his mentor [Chef Joseph Matter of Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France] and as a nod to the dishes that his loyal guests have loved the best over the years.” The menus are accessible from the Higgins website. 1239 SW Broadway, Portland

And Du’s Grill celebrates 29 years! On social media, they said, “I can’t remember the exact date of Du’s Grill’s inception. But I know it’s sometime around when the cherry blossoms start showing n the trees … Thanks for keeping us going all these years!!!” 5365 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland