Four Things I Learned This Week (December 8)

HÂP Fresh has opened in Montavilla’s south end. Over on Montavilla News, they have published an article on HÂP Fresh, which opened in the former Thai Fresh location on SE Division. It’s considered an “Asian fusion” restaurant, with a focus on its “renowned handmade” dumplings, at least to start. Owners Nasy Chan and Thomas Trieu (who have opened four restaurants together previously) with Chef Gulian Lui have created the menu. They are offering a 20% discount during the month of December to celebrate the opening. Head over to Montavilla News to read more. 8409 SE Division Street, Portland

“Pizza School is back!” So says Shardell Dues at Red Sauce Pizza. You can learn about the practical hands-on elements of creating a pizza—how to make [their] dough, shape a dough ball, and stretch and dress a cheese pizza. Two-hour classes happen once a month on Sundays starting in January (for three months—January 14, February 18, and March 10—at this point). $100 per class, payable by Venmo. More info and register on the Red Sauce website. 4641 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Sea veggie bites! Get yer sea veggie bites! Head to Providore tomorrow, Saturday December 9 from 1 to 4pm to sample tasty sea veggie bites. Blue Evolution executive chef Maylin Chavez and Winter Waters Co-Founder Alanna Kieffer will be there, and you can “taste some simple and delicious applications of these kelps, and chat with Alanna and Maylin about all things seaweed.” Learn how to use these products at home, too. H/T to Kathleen Bauer at GoodStuffNW for promoting it on her Instagram so it could catch my eye. 2340 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Too Soon is opening … soon. A Bridgetown Bites tipster led me to the Instagram account for Too Soon, a new bar from Adam Robinson (also of Deadshot) and Nick Flower (of the Face/Off cocktail pop-up). This location has been home to a number of places over the years, including Nightingale. Google says they are opening Wednesday, December 13. 18 NE 28th Avenue, Portland

Dongzhi: Tangyuan vs. Jiaozi at Lan Su Chinese Garden

I could hardly believe it when I read about this upcoming festival—Dongzhi: Tangyuan vs. Jiaozi—that combines dumplings and glutinous rice balls with the gorgeous Lan Su Chinese Garden. Dongzhi is the winter solstice or “Chinese Thanksgiving Day” and this celebration sounds like something great in the city of Portland.

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Ba Mee Thai Noodle House Is Coming to North Williams

Photo credit: Ba Mee Thai Noodle House

While I was perusing city documents, I saw that something called Ba Mee Thai Noodle House is slated to open on North Williams—the website says they are “opening soon.” Looking into this new business brought up memories of a number of now closed and beloved restaurants in two drastically different areas of Portland.

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Top 5 Posts On Bridgetown Bites, November 2023

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I haven’t done one of these in a while, so let’s go! As always, thanks for reading.

5. Fusion Curry Pizza Opening in Portland

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On the edge of the northeast corner of the Hollywood District lived Hot Lips Pizza. It closed back in March 2023 and a number of people expressed sadness about that. But according to city documents, a new pizzeria is opening in there: Fusion Curry Pizza. Update: They are open for business.

Continue reading “Top 5 Posts On Bridgetown Bites, November 2023”

Four Things I Learned This Week (December 1)

The 52nd Annual Gingerbread Masterpiece at The Benson Hotel. At 6pm on Wednesday night, The Benson Hotel revealed their annual gingerbread house—a giant replica of Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle—at a free event for kids (of all ages). It featured, of course, the amazing gingerbread castle, along with holiday music, children’s crafts, cookies, beverages, and a special appearance by Santa. Check it out in their lobby—it will be up until Saturday, December 30. 309 SW Broadway, Portland

Wonderwood Springs has re-opened. You can stop by this cafe, now run by Mike Bennett and continuing to feature his cartoon art, in the St Johns neighborhood. The cafe closed for a while as the business transferred ownership (and some former employees were dismayed by the process), but now it’s back. I visited them in their previous incarnation and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the food options. Happily, it looks like the food aspect of the cafe has evolved: Pastry Chef Victoria Ascencio is making a variety of things in-house, and there are new savory options on the menu. Look for pastries, breakfast sandwiches, popcorn, hot dogs, pretzels, cheese plates and more. They are open Wednesdays to Sundays from 8am to 10pm. 8811 N Lombard Street, Portland

A Franz Bakery outlet store is closing. Reported on Facebook about the closing: “The Franz Bakery Outlet Store at 14510 SE Stark Street ([open]since 1980) [is closing]. Other locations will remain open. Last day for this store will be December 6th.” 14510 SE Stark Street, Portland

New holiday drink menu at My-O-My drops tomorrow. Glad to see more seasonal drinks being developed at this great east Portland bar. One of the new drinks is the Frosted Candy Cane Slushie, which happens to be non-alcoholic. It’s made with coconut milk, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and peppermint. If you want to make it boozy, they recommend adding Rumplemintz. I can’t wait to see the rest of their festive holiday cocktail menu! 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland