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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 31)

Vegan arepa pop-up weekly at Ben & Esther’s. One of the most successful vegan joints in town, Ben & Esther’s hosts a weekly pop-up of El Salto. This Latina-owned company offers “traditional Venezuelan food–made vegan,” including arepas. They are split and stuffed with what looks like vegan meat substitutes. Find them at Ben & Esther’s Alberta location on Wednesday nights from 5pm-9pm. 1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Kann accolades + Sousòl reservations. I saw this week that Kann, the celebrated Hatian restaurant from Gregory Gourdet is a finalist for Best New Restaurant for the James Beard Awards. “Thankful we get to share the story of Haiti and its rich history through food,” they say. Also, Sousòl, the bar below Kann, will take reservations via Resy starting Wednesday, April 5. But for those that don’t plan ahead, “Don’t worry we still have plenty of room for walk ins!” 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

Beaverton’s The Sudra to close. Their final day of service at their Beaverton location will be Sunday, April 2, so head on over before then if you want a taste of their delicious, flavorful plant-based Indian food in the suburbs (the Portland locations will remain open). They add, though, “Although closing is sad, it’s not all bad news. We are talking to some old friends about an exciting collaboration that will take over the space. More on that to come.” Looking forward to hearing more about it.  4589 SW Watson Avenue, Beaverton

NEW: Rice platters at Three Fifty Cafe. The good folks at Cully’s Three Fifty Cafe have a “secret menu item” that, if there’s enough interest, may go on the permanent menu. “Each platter comes with your choice of grilled pork, sirloin steak, or lemongrass chicken served with rice, fresh veggies, and sweet fish sauce. Pro tip: add an egg for the ultimate flavor experience!” So head on over and let them know what you think. 6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 24)

Yigebe Coffee’s grand opening this weekend. I stopped into Yigebe Coffee this week—this is the location formerly occupied by Sandino Brothers, which closed earlier this month. Yigebe is currently in soft-opening mode with no set menu but that will change this Saturday when they have their grand opening. Their coffee is made with beans from Ethiopia, baked goods are from La Provence. They plan to open the upstairs to the public, too, as a place to hang out. All the former Sandino’s staff has stayed on with Yigebe, too. Stop on by and give them some love. 5730 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Kornblatt’s Delicatessan is closing. Sorry to see the news this week on social media: “After 32 years, Kornblatt’s will be closing at the end of March. We truly appreciate all of our customers and we are sad about closing. Please come visit us before our last day.” 628 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland

Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen gets some love from the O. People around town have a variety of feelings about the closing of Cracker Barrel, a chain that I never could get very excited about (Lambert’s Cafe, however, with their thrown rolls and pass-arounds, is another story). It spawned a great article in The Oregonian about local country-style restaurants in the area, and it’s worth a read. Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen (“arguably more of a steakhouse than a diner or a country dinner eatery”), an east Portland stalwart for decades, is included in the roundup. 10519 SE Stark Street, Portland

Could the Cully Farmers Market return? The seasonal Thursday farmers market in Cully stopped operating summer 2022 for a variety of reasons, including “the actions of a few people have created an unsafe environment for the staff engaged with the market.” But this week on Instagram they posted that they have a big announcement coming soon with the hashtag, #startinginjune. I’m taking that as an indication that they will return for the 2023 season. I’ll keep an eye on it.