Tag: festivals

Posted on

Four Things I Learned This Week (June 23)

Super King Buffet II to open on SE 82nd Avenue. The Willamette Week published an article about the building on SE 82nd Avenue that was most recently home to Super King Buffet, which closed during the COVID pandemic. The building has an interesting history: “From 1973 to 1996, the angular building at the corner of Southeast Raymond Street was home to the Organ Grinder, an 1890s-themed pizzeria where the star of the show was a monstrous 1927 Wurlitzer organ.” Read more about the organ, why it found itself to this location, and—spoiler—the fact that the instrument was sold and split up into parts. 5015 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Cider Summit PDX kicks off today. Cider lovers, this is for you: today and tomorrow, 150+ hard ciders, fruit spirits, and cider cocktails from more than 40 of the industry’s leading cidermakers will be available at the 11th annual Cider Summit Portland, the state’s largest cider festival, at The Redd on Salmon. Attendees will taste a selection of craft beverages, many of which will be poured by the cider makers and distillers themselves. The event is a benefit for Cascade Blues Association, Northwest Cider Association and DoveLewis Emergency Pet Hospital. Tickets are available at the door, $40 general admission. This is a 21+ event. 831 SE Salmon Street, Portland

Jeju should open end of June. The “wood-fired, whole-animal, Korean BBQ restaurant from the family that brought you Han Oak Restaurant” is expected to open at the end of June (that’s like next week) in the old Renata space. PoMo has the details. I think it’s going to be a hot ticket. 626 SE Main Street, Portland

Trela’s social media woke up! Trela, a Greek taverna to open in the North Tabor neighborhood that we reported on back in March 2022, has been dormant for months. The building got tagged and there was an “administrative dissolution” on their ORSOS record (they’ve now been reinstated), and honestly, I thought they were kaput. Well … I WAS WRONG. And happy to be wrong! Their Instagram has had some activity this month, including video of demo day and a date at the end of opening the restaurant “Fall 2023.” So freaking exciting! I can’t wait to try it. 6000 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Posted on

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, January 2023

Data Analytics Chart

It’s fun to see what was popular on the blog last month—and there was some variety this time (most often it’s all about Portland restaurant news). A few posts on specific kinds of food (galette des rois, soup, dumplings), some restaurant news, and events (the dumpling fest and soup fest). Big thanks to Reddit, Facebook, and PDX Eater for their linkage—it really drove traffic to the site in January, with over 10,000 page views.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

5. Get Your Galette des Rois in Portland in 2023

galette-des-rois-feves-petite-provence-portland-oregon

Last year around this time I wrote about the Galette des Rois, the traditional French king cake to honor Epiphany aka Three Kings Day (January 6), and where it was available in Portland. In 2022, accessing this delicious cake—sweetened almond cream surrounded by buttery puff pastry—was limited. Happily, there are addition options this year, which I want to highlight.

Continue reading “Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, January 2023”
Posted on

Dumpling Week 2023 (It’s Back)

Some of the dumplings you can expect from 2023 Dumpling Week. Photo credit: the Oregonian

I love dumplings—and I love promoting Dumpling Week here on the blog because it’s one of my favorite themed food fests in Portland. Many thanks to the Oregonian for producing it each year. Basically you get some special dumplings for $14 or less per plate (up from $10/plate in 2019). Simple and delicious, from Sunday, January 29 to Saturday, February 4.

Continue reading “Dumpling Week 2023 (It’s Back)”
Posted on

Top 10 Posts on Bridgetown Bites for 2022

Data Analytics Chart

It’s 2023! And though we are in a new year, I’m looking back at the top 10 posts of 2022. I realize that the last time I did this was … 2017.

It was, as usual, interesting to see what got the most traffic in 2022—meaning, what readers were particularly drawn to. It’s no surprise that restaurant news was the main driver, and summer seems to be a bit of a theme.

Over 55,000 visits were recorded, and almost 35,000 of those visits were new to the site. Not bad for this modest operation.

As always, thanks for reading!

10. Portland Strawberry Museum Returns to Zuckercreme This Year

fresh-love-logo-portland-oregon

Last year I remember coming across something called the “Portland Strawberry Museum” and wondering, “what the heck was that?” I mean, what a great name! Is there some kind of museum dedicated to strawberries in Portland? Turns out it was a month of Saturdays in June of celebrating the strawberry, from Brittany Sigal’s Zuckercreme (then a popup). It is back this year for the entire month of June at her space in Montavilla.

Continue reading “Top 10 Posts on Bridgetown Bites for 2022”
Posted on

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, August 2022

Data Analytics Chart

I enjoy seeing what Bridgetown Bites readers gravitate toward and August 2022 was no exception to that. It was a bit of a mix this time around: the sad news of Yohhei Sato’s untimely death; restaurant news; and event info. I did attend the Middle Eastern Festival and it was lovely as always—highlights were the chicken skewers and the ma’amoul that melted in your mouth. And remember: O’Dear opens their doors this week! The grand opening is Thursday at noon.

Thanks, as always for reading.

5. Yohhei Sato, Gone Too Soon

yohhei-sato

Earlier this week I was shocked to learn of the sudden death of beloved Portland mobile knife sharpener Yohhei Sato. He sharpened knives under the name Sato Sharpening, and was beloved among so many Portlanders—chefs, food industry pros, and regular people alike. I wanted to take this space to recognize him, honor him, and express my sympathy to those who loved him.

Continue reading “Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, August 2022”