Four Things I Learned This Week (October 29)

It’s been one of those weeks—happily flooded with interesting client editing work (this time about forests), so the posting here was a bit light. Still, there was much to observe in Portland food news.

Bing Mi to open a dumpling and noodle bar. Have you been to Bing Mi? Their Jian Bing are seriously good. And they will be expanding their offerings with dumplings and noodles, as per their Instagram: “Bing Mi is gonna have a dumpling and noodle bar in NW near our food cart!” Looks like it will be in the old Industrial Cafe and Saloon space. They are pretty excited. 2572 NW Vaughn Street, Portland

Gartner’s Meats has turkeys for pre-order. No doubt there will be a number of places where you can order your turkey, but Gartner’s wins the first “turkey pre-order” announcement I’ve come across this year. Word on the street is that they are awesome and it’s a good idea to order early. They have both fresh and smoked turkeys available—call 503-252-7801 to order. 7450 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland

The Haunted Tales of Wyrd. Spooky things have gone on at Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery in SE Portland. Read up on them here, and why not head on over for some mead made from locally-sourced honey. They have snacks, too. 4515 SE 41st Avenue, Portland

Full-service brunch is returning to Coquine. Named to the recent NY Times restaurant list, Coquine continues with its awesomeness by bringing back brunch, starting Friday, November 5. It will be a full-service indoor brunch but you’ll have to show proof of vaccination before interesting. Their latest newsletter also mentions “goose dinners coming soon,” so that’s intriguing. 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Four Things I Learned This Week (January 10)

No big introduction, let’s just get to the news!

Bing Mi has new digs. One of my favorite food trucks in Portland is the Bing Mi truck—they make the delicious Chinese jianbing street snack. It’s all things savory, spicy, sweet, and eggy. I love them. This week I learned that they have found a new location, since they were part of the group of trucks in the Alder Street pod forced out because of the impending Ritz Carlton hotel development. Details on their move:

“Good news friends: We signed the lease to move our food cart into @nobhillfoodcarts_pdx pod. Yep, Bing Mi is moving to Nob Hill Food Cart pod which is located at NW 23rd Place and Thurman St hopefully open late January or early February 2020. After struggling for a long time since our cart at 10th&Alder closed, we’re excited that we will be reopening our food cart in the NW. We can’t wait to make more delicious jianbings and potentially some other authentic Chinese street foods. We’ll update again once we’re sure about the opening date.”

Delish knish news. Ben & Esther’s Bagels keeps adding the hits to their menu—this time it’s knishes! Cheese and potato right now, with kasha (buckwheat) to come. That is a real-deal Jewish deli delight. They look fantastic from what I can tell. Also treat yourself to one of their black & white cookies while you’re there.

The churros are returning… the churros are returning!! Portland Monthly shared the news that Jose Chesa is bringing back a scaled-down version of 180 Xurros and Xocalata inside the lobby of the impending Hyatt Centric hotel at SW Alder and 11th, likely in February. More details:

“The new iteration of 180 Xurros and Xocalata will serve grab-and-go Spanish flauta sandwiches, smoky pimenton lattes, and hot xurros to order at its long tile and stone counter. It will stand as a super casual companion piece to the Chesa’s next project, Masia (pronounced “mah-seeya”), the hotel’s anchor restaurant (read our October 2019 news story here). Those xurros will make an appearance at Masia, too, during the rustic-refined Spanish breakfast and brunch.”

New businesses at Providore. I love this market with its fun selection of high-quality products and the excellent Arrosto connected on the side of the building. Good Stuff NW shared news of some new businesses coming to the market, including Revel Meat, a new venture by Old Salt’s Ben Meyer and James Serlin; and Kenny Belov’s Two X Sea (Two By Sea), which will set up in the space vacated by Flying Fish Company. Sounds like two fantastic additions to an already excellent market.