Happy Groundhog Day! Good news: Stumptown Fil predicts an early spring. And have you had your pancakes and/or sausages yet? (I had both this morning at Cameo Cafe.)
The 10th Annual Dumpling Week starts Sunday. From Sunday, February 4 to Saturday, February 10, Portland celebrates dumplings. I’ve written about this yearly food event since the start of this blog, and it remains one of my favorites in any given year. There’s a nice variety this year, too: from the classic wontons in chili oil from Bamboo House (4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd), to the Buffalo chicken pelmeni with blue cheese smetana and celery at Kachka (960 SE 11th Avenue), to Gruyere and potato perogi with caraway kraut, chive crème fraiche, and beet horseradish at Mayrose Restaurant (545 SW Taylor Avenue). There’s even a dumpling for dogs at Bring! Treats for Dogs: “For participating canines, our signature treat dough folded into a purse shape and filled with apple and carrot puree.” Various locations.
You know what to eat on Fat Tuesday. Here’s what to eat on Fat Thursday. King Cakes are a well known Mardi Gras season delight, but in Poland they celebrate “Fat Thursday” (Tłusty Czwartek aka Greasy Thursday), the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which is when Lent begins. You can partake by eating Pączki (a kind of filled donut) and Faworki (Angel wings), and one place to get them is at Grandpa’s Cafe in North Portland. They will be baking them there. Pickup is Saturday, February 3 from 1pm to 4pm and Sunday, February 4 from 10am to 2pm; they do not deliver. 3832 N Intersate Avenue, Portland
Sumner’s Namaste Indian Buffet gets some love. Portland’s own Korean Mama recently visited the Namaste Indian food buffet and it was fun to see this spot get some attention. I love stopping in from time to time for an AYCE kind of affair and the clientele is very diverse, though its the love of Indian food brings us all together. Regarding her appreciation for the mango soft serve, I am a kheer kinda gal, though now I’m wondering … what would it be like to put a little mango soft serve in my kheer! Bonus: Korean Mama also had a meal at nearby Gebeta. When asked by her son how she liked Ethiopian food, she said, “it’s fun!” 7620 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
The Cha Sui Croissant returns. This special item for the Lunar New Year has arrived at Twisted Croissant and it sounds super tasty: “3 day marinated Cantonese style BBQ pork is filled in our traditional croissant dough, topped with sesame seeds and oil fried scallions.” And while Lunar New Year is on February 10 (later than last year, which was on January 22), you can get it at all their locations and markets throughout the month of February. Various locations
