Chef In Your Garden, a Fundraiser for Growing Gardens, Is Sunday in Portland

Photo credit: Growing Gardens.

Last week I was contacted by a person representing Growing Gardens about their upcoming fundraiser, Chef In Your Garden. As an eater, a gardener, and someone who supports equitable access to healthy food, this event really speaks to me. So I wanted to share some details about this event with you.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (May 2) in Portland Food

The Deck opens May 6. I love this casual spot on a big floating deck on the Columbia River—you are right on the water, it’s pretty chill, and birds fly through the restaurant. They serve American food like bay shrimp salad, calamari, fish & chips, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, and more (including fried cheese curds); beer, wine, cocktails, and mocktails. The views heading down the ramp to the restaurant are gorgeous, too. Plus, you can bring your dog.

They close down usually in September for the cold season, reopening in May, and this year opening day is Tuesday, May 6. They will be open every day 11am to sunset except on weekends for brunch, which starts at 9am and goes to noon. I’m looking forward to seeing them soon! 2901 NE Marine Drive, Portland

AKÂDI has a new menu. Yesterday, beloved West African restaurant AKÂDI launched their new menu, which you can find here. “Get ready to embark on a culinary journey with fresh flavors, innovative dishes, and delightful surprises that will tantalize your taste buds.” 1001 SE Division Street, Portland

Mexican lager fest “Put a Lime on It’ is tonight. Head to Mayfly today from 4pm to 8pm for Mexican lagers and tasty food. Beers are from 5440 Beer, Fort George Beer, Xicha Brewing, Lazy Days Brewing, and Loowit Brewing. Food provided by 4 Caminos (street tacos), The Street Corn Dude (elotes), La Oveja Negra (salsas), and Sweet Creature (chamoy). 8350 N Fenwick Avenue, Portland,

Lunch bistro menu at Coq Au Vin. This May, Rose and George at Coq Au Vin (which moved from NW Portland to North Portland last year) are adding a lunch service for the month. Coq Au Vin is a farm-to-table restaurant (Sea Breeze Farm is the farm) centered around traditions of French and Italian countryside homestyle cooking.

“Thursday through Sunday, enjoy an à la carte menu of the day showcasing our favorite spring flavors, paired with affordable, delicious wines by the glass. Walk-ins and reservations are welcome.” 938 N Cook Street, Portland

Bonus: Joe at FIKA will be popping up twice this weekend! On Saturday from noon to 6pm at The Spot Market (the old Ulta beaty space in Lloyd Center—entrance by Marshalls is the closest) and Sunday from 11am to 5pm at Stark Street Studios. Head his way for delicious pastries and other baked goods. 1241 Lloyd Center and 2809 SE Stark Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Living Room Coffee To Open in Living Room Wines in Portland
Screaming Sammies Is Back in Sellwood-Moreland
Bennett’s Best Bites Will Open on Sandy Blvd in Portland
3 Doors Down Will Re-Open in Portland

The Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta starts tonight at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and the Portland Night Market is tonight and tomorrow, too. Learn more in our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals page and our Portland Food and Drink Festivals page.

Look at This Awesome Portland Trailblazers Schedule Release Video

Ćevapi (aka ćevapčići) from Two Brothers, featured in the 2024-25 Trailblazers schedule announcement.
Ćevapi (AKA ćevapčići), Sudzuka, Greek salad and more from Two Brothers, featured in the 2024-25 Portland Trailblazers schedule announcement

Thanks to Reddit, I was made aware of this video that in a very creative way announces the Portland Trailblazers 2024-25 schedule. I do not really follow basketball (I’m more of a baseball person, ngl), so I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to this if is hadn’t been for its intersection with what this site is all about: Portland food and restaurants.

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Roundup: Bests and Awards of 2022

fireworks

Excited for all the winners!

It’s that time of year again: the time when local media outlets (and nationwide ones, too, but that’s not the focus here) gather their bests and make lists of various things—including food. Personally, I love lists and it’s fun to see what the different food media sources deem “the best” in any given year. It’s unclear in my mind if I’m going to do that kind of roundup before the close of 2022, so I thought I’d round up what’s out there already.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (February 18)

Akadi will return, and with new offerings. Portland Monthly published an article this week about Akadi, one of Portland’s great African restaurants, which went on hiatus in 2020. The gist of the article is: “First, [chef-owner Fatou Ouattara will] open an African grocery store in North Portland called House of Flavor, focused on teaching the public how to use African ingredients in everyday cooking. Later this spring, Akadi will reopen in a bigger space on SE Division with a broader menu.” Read more over on PoMo. 3901 N Williams Avenue (store) and 1001 SE Division, Portland (restaurant)

Tasty will also return. Portland Business Journal reports that a group of restaurant partners will open House of Tasty, a “community supper club and culinary gathering space” that brings the Tasty brand back to Portland. You may remember that in 2020 the Toro Bravo restaurant group was dissolved (aside: John Gorham is backing Rancher Butcher Chef in Bend, OR). The name was purchased by some former Tasty employees and they opened a Tasty in Lake Oswego in 2021. Look for the new Portland Tasty space to open in the former Bar King location this spring. You can also follow their progress on their Instagram. 726 SE Sixth Avenue, Portland

Furmint Fest tonight. Over at Bar Norman they are hosting a celebration of wines made from the Furmint grape, “Hungary’s darling white grape.” If you’ve ever had Tokaj dessert wines, you’ve likely had a taste of the Furmint grape, which Bar Norman calls, “expressive as hell, entirely unique.” Local importer/distributor, Lone Wolf, knows a lot about Central and Eastern European wines, and will be on hand to pour for you and answer questions about wines from the region. So stop by tonight from 7-9pm to taste a range of Furmint bottlings (note: the party’s on the patio, so dress appropriately). DJ Broken Arrow will be spinning, as well. 2615 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Two soft openings. A couple of spots I’ve written about are now operating in the “soft opening” stage: Wu-Rons and Wallflower Coffee. Wu-Rons is the celebrated ramen restaurant from Charlotte, NC that moved to Portland last year. Wallflower Coffee, a “community-centric coffeeshop,” ran an Indiegogo campaign last year to fund their efforts. Glad to see they are both open. 1430 SE Water Avenue, Portland and 3158 SE Division Street, Portland