Four Things I Learned This Week (March 8)

Viking Pancake Breakfast this Sunday. Throughout the year—except during the pandemic—the Norse Hall in NE Portland would hold what they call a “Viking Pancake Breakfast.” My husband and I have loved going and really missed it during COVID. It started up again in the past year or so, and this month’s Breakfast is a fundraiser for the Portland Nordic Chorus (which I sang with, briefly). 20% of the proceeds from entry fees will go to them and their work.

From 8:30am to noon on Sunday, March 10, you’ll get all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage links, fruit, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and coffee or tea. It’s open-seating, no reservations. $10 adults; $6 children age 3-10; under 3 eat free. Pay cash at the door. 111 NE 11th Avenue, Portland

Closings—Rusa, Bar Norman, Bee’s (early). Some closings are happening this month and I’m sorry to see them all go. In an email entitled “A Joyful Goodbye,” Bar Norman announced their closing: “Bar Norman is closing on April 6th. We’ve had a thrilling run on Clinton Street and while I wish we could continue on, this chapter of the bar has come to a close. We’re going to spend the next month celebrating this special place and we hope you’ll join us.” They also posted on Instagram. 2615 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Rusa, a food cart serving Eastern European+Latin American combinations, announced on social media, “When you have nothing left, it’s time to move forward. Rusa is permanently closing.” They may make it to the end of month, but the real end is when the food runs out. 1027 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Bee’s Cakes closed their doors earlier this year, with the decision to stay until May, but vandals did their thing one time too many, and Rebecca is closing things down by the end of the month. Most recently they dumped out garbage all over the little parking lot, tore down some outdoor lights, damaged the door, and cut the power, leading to a significant loss of product. It does not feel safe for her and her family any more. This breaks my heart and why the city tolerates this stuff is beyond me. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Bardo, a tea room, is open. I recently became aware of Bardo, a tea room on NE Killingsworth across the street from Extracto (where I get coffee semi-regularly). I’ve wondered about this little white building for years, and I’m so curious about the interior (which I can now check out—and have tea). The folks behind Bardo have given their mission a lot of thought: “Our aim at Bardo, is not simply to offer you high quality tea, but it is also to weave the story that connects the soil, to the farmer, to the tea, to the cup.” Their hours are here. 2926 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland

Anniversaries—Higgins and Du’s Grill. Higgins celebrates 30 years and in honor of that, Chef Greg Higgins and his team have prepared a special menu for the month of March, “both in honor of his mentor [Chef Joseph Matter of Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France] and as a nod to the dishes that his loyal guests have loved the best over the years.” The menus are accessible from the Higgins website. 1239 SW Broadway, Portland

And Du’s Grill celebrates 29 years! On social media, they said, “I can’t remember the exact date of Du’s Grill’s inception. But I know it’s sometime around when the cherry blossoms start showing n the trees … Thanks for keeping us going all these years!!!” 5365 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Four Things I Learned This Week (October 20)

Du’s Grill westside has closed. After five years in business, Du’s Grill on the westside/Hillsboro closed, as of October 16. Their location, aka “Ol’ Faithful,” on NE Sandy Blvd is still going strong, so you can still get your Du’s teriyaki and salad fix on the east side. 1249 NW 185th Avenue, Hillsboro (closed) and 5365 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland (open)

Aviv rebrands as TAL. Aviv, which closed their brick & mortar in 2021, has been doing pop-ups in various places, serving its vegan Middle Eastern food to the masses. They announced this week that they are rebranding themselves as TAL. As for their next pop-up event, head to Labyrinth Forge Brewery this weekend in SE Portland, where they will serve “Shawarma fries, hummus, falafel, and a medley of other delectable treats” at the newish brewery location. 61 SE Yamhill Street, Portland

FYI Fusion Curry Pizza is open. In case you were wondering, Fusion Curry Pizza is open and has been for about a month. Lots of great reviews on Yelp; Portlanders seem to enjoy their food quite a bit. 4630 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

The start of Thanksgiving pre-orders. Thanksgiving may seems like a ways away, but in reality we only have about a month to go (Thanksgiving this year is on November 23). The first outlet offering Thanksgiving yums to land on my radar is Revel Meat Co., which will offer local turkeys, duck, rabbit, applewood-smoked ham, pork rib loin roast, and porchettas, “all sourced from Revel’s local ranching partners.” The turkeys are part of a “super-limited run” from Totum Farm (~16 to 20 pounds) and Champoeg Farm (two sizes). Orders start today and end on November 20. Email holidays@revelmeatco.com or visit the butcher counter to reserve your order with a $25 deposit.

Four Things I Learned This Week (March 13)

Happy Friday the 13th! So far the spookiest things I’ve seen today have been a strange wintry mix was falling from the sky this morning, and that all the garnet yams were gone from the Safeway. Aside from that, here are some of the things I learned about this week in Portland food.

House Accounts at Bhuna. Local restaurants are looking to alternate ways to keep the cashflow going during this virus crisis, and Bhuna has chosen a kind of pay ahead model. More about these accounts:

“Our community of guests is really important to us. We wanted to get you involved in the continued growth of our restaurant, so we partnered with inKind to introduce House Accounts. House Accounts allow us to reward loyal guests for pre-purchasing their next few meals. You get bonus dining credit to spend at Bhuna, and we get the funds to continue spreading the joy our food brings.”

The credit never expires and they are selling a limited number of accounts. You can participate here.

Inexpensive Eats. The Oregonian put together a list of 40 Best Inexpensive Restaurants this week. Here are some that are located further east:

  • Binh Minh Sandwiches, 7821 SE Powell Blvd
  • Bun Bo Hue Restaurant, 7002 SE 82nd Avenue
  • Du’s Grill, 5365 NE Sandy Blvd
  • Ha VL, 2738 SE 82nd Avenue #102
  • Rose VL, 6424 SE Powell Blvd
  • HK Cafe, 4410 SE. 82nd Avenue
  • Master Kong, 8435 SE Division Street
  • Pho Oregon, 2518 NE 82nd Avenue
  • Pure Spice, 2446 SE. 87th Avenue
  • Tortilleria y Tienda de Leon’s, 16223 NE Glisan Street

Salt & Straw’s March 2020 Flavors. I can attest that the Cinnatopia Cinnamon Bun and Salted Caramel Cupcake flavors this month are particularly good. I also hear the Wild Foraged Berry Pie is a major seller right now, too.

How Coronavirus Is Impacting the Portland Restaurant World. Eater has the staff, time and resources to keep track of the broad spectrum of ways COVID-19 is affecting Portland restaurants, so head on over for updates.