Bar Mame is coming to SE Hawthorne. Matthew Dooney, who has worked as a manager for McMenamins, and Nicole Nelson, an immigration attorney, are opening Bar Mame in SE Portland. It will be located on SE Hawthorne and 33rd Ave underneath The Hazel Room (looks like the Red Velvet Parlour was there for a while, but closed there late last year). Matt says, “I’m super excited (and of course terrified) to announce that we’ll be opening our own bar (Mame) on 33rd and Hawthorne. This has been a dream of mine for years and can’t wait to see how this comes into fruition.” 3279 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Barista (some of them) rebranding. A tipster told me that the Barista family cafes is changing up their name, but only for a couple of their locations. It’s the KOIN and Alberta locations that will be changing their name—initial research indicates “Enjoy Coffee LLC” is the corp behind them. These will be wholly owned by Billy Wilson; the Nob Hill and Pearl locations, which will remain Barista, will be under a partnership between Billy and Sortis (who owns the Barista brand).
Doug Fir Lounge will move a little to the southwest. Another tip that found its way to the Bridgetown Bites inbox is about Doug Fir Lounge—it will close at its current location, then move elsewhere this fall. And it seems that it will be reopening at the old Le Bistro Montage space—the new address on the documents filed with the state this year regarding Doug Fir is 301 SE Morrison Street. Look for a more official kind of announcement from the powers that be in March. And I’m seriously curious about what Jupiter NEXT will do with that space.
Free ice cream for a year. Nico’s is running a contest to win free ice cream for a year: “Beginning March 1st, make sure to buy all the half pints you can, because at some point in March, we will be putting a golden ticket inside one of our half pints (only sold at either of our two locations) and you will have the chance to win FREE ice cream for a year!” If you like to eat ice cream on the regular, this one is for you. Nico’s half pints can be found at various grocery stores in the Portland area, as well as his shops at 5713 NE Fremont Street and 1615 NE Killingsworth Street.