Four Things I Learned This Week (December 6)

Monty’s Red Sauce. A new restaurant from the Montelupo folks is going to open in Sellwood-Westmoreland called Monty’s Red Sauce. Presumably it will be an Italian red sauce joint. The location was previously home to Rue Cler Marketplace, and before that it was Laurelwood’s SE pub location. You can see a reel of the space as it is now, on Instagram. 6716 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

East Glisan Pizza Lounge’s eggnog has arrived. Each year the folks at East Glisan Pizza Lounge offer house-made eggnog for the holidays. They will serve it as a flight, in a cocktail, or with cookies; you can also buy some to take home. There are three flavors: traditional, butterscotch, and Morganthaler (tequila and sherry). 8001 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Crush is closing. The closure of this LGBTQ+ bar in SE Portland was big news this week. They’ve been around for 25 years; New Year’s Eve will be their final night in business. Read more about it at Willamette Week. 1400 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Bialy Bird returns to Wellspent Market. Head to this wonderful little independent market tomorrow morning (Saturday, December 7) from 10am to 1pm to enjoy Bialy Bird’s celebrated sweet and savory bialys. Flavors include chanterelle and black garlic; cacio e pepe; apricot-honey-feta; and za’atar + olive oil. There will be breakfast sandwiches and mimosas, too. 3402 SE Division Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Side Eye, a New Bar, Will Open in NW Portland
Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2024
A New Restaurant From Chookiat Saenguraiporn Is Coming To the Pearl
Better Days Cafe Is Open
Plus, my latest Benable list is all about the best in Portland products.

It’s a big weekend for holiday season festivals, too! The Mt. Angel–Silverton Hazelnut Festival from Friday to Sunday; the German Christmas Market tomorrow; and the Portland ScanFair on Saturday and Sunday. More details in our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals & Events list. And while it’s not a festival per se, if you stop in at Fressen Artisan Bakery (7075 NE Glisan Street) tomorrow morning, you’ll probably run into Krampus.

Four Things I Learned This Week (February 11)

RIP WordPress “Post Format” option—the latest version of the software running this site has done away with one of my favorite editing options. This column will, going forward, have the headline visible from the front page. Now, onto the news.

Bialys are back at Ben & Esther’s. Bialys are less common than bagels, so get them when you find them. And you can find them at Ben & Esther’s Vegan Jewish Deli—both locations in Portland and only on Saturdays. As they say, “Historically, we sell out of these very quickly…like, within minutes. Get ‘em while you can!” 6912 NE Sandy Blvd and
1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Top 10 spots for chicken wings in Portland. PDX Monthly published a roundup of top chicken wing places in Portland this week and it’s an interesting group. It gathers places from Beaverton to Happy Valley, and includes a wide range of flavors. The place that especially caught my eye is the Sandy Hot Wings Café, on NE Sandy and 139th. I’ve been meaning to check out Tinker Tavern in Montavilla, too. Lots of great options on this list. 13912 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Hindsight Beer Cart is opening a tap room. Via a liquor license application and a post on Instagram, the news that Hindsight Beer Cart is opening a new taproom on SE Powell is real. Their cart has been at the Bite on Belmont pod for a while; the new location looks like the former home of Brewery 26.

At this point they are ready to start things up in the South Tabor neighborhood, but are “Just waiting on the approvals. Stay tuned!” They’ll have 20 indoor seats and 30 outdoor seating (outdoor enclosed in a tent), food, and will be open seven days a week. 5829 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Boxer Ramen is back, and a new location. They indicated this and other changes back in December 2021: “We will return next month to Our New Location just down the street! Why, you may ask? We are moving into a larger space, expanding the menu (did someone say sushi!?!?), and we will have a full bar with fun cocktails! Happy Hour? You Bet!” See all the things they have to offer on their website. 1668 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland