A few weeks ago, I stopped in at the new Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe on NE Sandy in the Hollywood District. My husband is a big D&D fan and plays with multiple groups throughout the month, so this place was on his radar early on. It’s pretty great inside—there are games and related items to buy, games to rent, games to borrow, separate rooms in which to play, a chill vibe. And a very nice cafe!
We are comfortably into January 2024 and it’s time to take a look back at 2023’s most-read posts on Bridgetown Bites. They mostly involved openings and closings of restaurants and bars, but there was one article on an Asian market opening in SE Portland that made the list.
I’m happy to say that from an analytics POV, traffic almost doubled between 2022 and 2023 here on the blog. Regarding 2022 I said, “Over 55,000 visits were recorded, and almost 35,000 of those visits were new to the site.” In 2023 we had 106,000 unique visits, with 86,000 new to the site; these visitors generated almost 142,000 page views, too. Not too bad for this little independent blog.
I also read somewhere online that this blog skews toward NE Portland. That is a true statement. I also read in the same source that some readers would love to see more coverage of the west side of Portland. This is good feedback. will see what I can do about that, and diversifying geographically in general.
Thanks to all who have read, commented, sent tips (keep ’em coming!), and shared these articles/posts on social media and with friends. Here’s to another great year of delving into the Portland food world!
When I was at dinner the other night, my friends who live in St. Johns said “a Korean restaurant has finally opened in our neighborhood.” Of course, my interest was piqued so I asked more questions. The restaurant is Yuginong (or Yu Gi Nong), located in the space that was previously home to Sol Bowl and a Starbucks. They opened this past weekend.
Update: I hear only good things about Yuginong, with modifiers like “fresh,” “tasty,” and “very good.” I’m happy to know they are still going strong.
Truly, one of the most beautiful salads I ate this year. It was a seasonal special of sharp greens, strawberries, daikons, onions, radishes, causa, and a chicha morada lavender vinagreta from Reeva.
Welcome back to another end of year list. Instead of publishing our Four Things column today, I’m giving you a list of my favorite spots of 2023, where I enjoyed happy times eating and drinking. There’s a whole variety of places, some established, some new. This list is in no particular order, aside from alphabetically; in other words, no top pick. Please enjoy!
Cheese and Crack
For my birthday this year we had lunch at Paadee and then headed a couple doors down to Cheese & Crack for their titular sundae. I maintain that they make the best soft serve ice cream in Portland. It is smooth, creamy, and luscious. The toppings on this sundae are classic: chocolate ganache, cinnamon butter cracker crumble, and torched housemade marshmallow fluff. The sundaes really are enough for two, and their seasonal sundaes never cease to impress with their magical toppings combinations. 22 SE 28th Avenue, Portland. cheeseandcrack.com
Over the weekend, I encountered two chance meetings surrounding coffee here in Portland. First, the new Autumn Coffee Roasters cafe has opened in the Concordia neighborhood. And via social media I learned that Kann has coffee plans, too.
Last weekend, a neighbor posted on social media that Kainos Coffee on NE Sandy Blvd is closing their cafe there at the end of September. This is a neighborhood favorite so as you can imagine, it’s a major bummer to see them depart. But there is more to the story.
