Help the the Family of Niños Birrieria. Very sad news—and for some reason, I thought the cops were avoiding high-speed chases these days—for the family of Niños Birrieria. That’s one of the excellent food carts at the Upright Beer Station pod. Here’s what happened:
“On Friday, February 21, 2025, as Silverio (father/owner of Niños Birrieria) and his partner Julia were leaving work at Niños Birrieria in their car, they were hit by a car being chased by Portland Police going at very high speed, down Prescott St. Their car was totaled from the impact.
“They were taken by ambulance from 71st and Prescott to the hospital. Silverio has been discharged from the hospital with injuries that will prevent him from being able to work for at least the next month. His partner, Julia, remains in the hospital with an unknown discharge date and probable long term effects.”
They are running a GoFundMe—I hope you can help.
Thai Time has opened on the old Bang Bang space. Another Thai food restaurant, complete with alliteration, has opened in the old Bang Bang space next to Wonderly. They closed at the end of last year. But as I said last year, “However, all is not lost. The same people who run Bang Bang are behind Wonderly (they sit there next door to each other), and they serve food and drink there, so the quality you’re used to will be found at Wonderly. It’s a bit of a silver lining.”
Still, there’s new Thai food to explore! Thai Time operated as a food cart for a while, after they closed their downtown restaurant during the COVID pandemic. And now they are on NE Fremont. I have not tried Thai Time (though probably will soon), but I am sure happy to see this storefront is being used. 4727 NE Fremont Street, Portland
99 Ranch Market construction has resumed. The Montavilla News has an update on the 99 Ranch Market that will open in the Plaza 205 mall. Permitting hung them up, but they are over that hump and moving closer to opening. From the article:
“The highly anticipated Asian grocery store’s progress slowed after the property owner made exterior modifications to the storefront and installed new demising walls to create smaller storefronts flanking 99 Ranch’s entryway. The Plaza 205 buildout created a larger floor plan for the grocer at the back of the space while making room for complementary businesses along the shopping center’s frontage.” Read more here. 10546 SE Washington Street, Portland
A Mardi Gras roundup. Late last year, we wrote about where to find your king cakes in Portland, including the NOLA-style. EverOut has put together a nice roundup for Mardi Gras, which is this coming Tuesday, March 4; in the U.S., Mardi Gras is mostly associated with NOLA (my friend Cheron there can attest to that—lots of parades and such going on right now). Anyway, check out the Mardi Gras offerings—including king cakes—at places like Avenue St. Charles (a food cart in Beaverton), DB Dessert Company, Doe Donuts (also offering paczki), Screen Door, and more. Also, the Mardi Gras Parade and Ball are happening again this year! Various locations
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
McDonald’s To Open in Old Green Zebra Space on N Lombard in Portland
Ticket To Dine 2025 Is This March in Portland
Joe Brown’s Lounge Is Moving to NE Alberta Street in Portland
Our Farewell to Fallow’s Rest Wild: They Have Closed in Portland
There are a bunch of celebratory festivals coming up: Faching (German Carnival) and Kalevala-Finnish Culture Day on Saturday, Fastelvan (Nordic) on Sunday, and the aforementioned Mardi Gras Parade on Tuesday.
Additionally, Beaverton Restaurant Week starts Saturday for two weeks, the Portland Seafood & Wine Festival is also this weekend, Portland Sandwich Week starts Monday, as well as Ticket To Dine for the month of March, linked above.
Plus! Plus! On Sunday is the Portland CSA Share Fair! So much excellence this weekend.
