Portland food news and views
Kobe + Portland Yakisoba Project’s Umi Kobe Combo grid/map for year three. Illustration by Jillian Barthold. Image credit: Umi Organics
I want to tell you about the Kobe + Portland Yakisoba Project, now in its third year. So what is it? A two-week festival of sorts, celebrating “cross-Pacific collaborations around food” that both Kobe, Japan and Portland, Oregon share. And it means a lot of tasty times for us all.
Continue reading “Kobe + Portland Yakisoba Project: Year Three”
Danwei Canting’s dumplings from 2019’s Dumpling Week.
Last month I wrote up a post that Portland’s Dumpling Week is returning in 2022 and how restaurants could participate. I have been eagerly waiting to learn more about the participating spots—and they are finally here! I think this may be my favorite Dumpling Week I’ve seen, yet. Here are the participants and their offerings.
Remember: Dumpling Week is from Saturday, January 30 to Sunday, February 5, 2022. Each plate of dumplings is 12 bucks.
Arden. Potato and leek pierogi w/ chive crème fraîche, habanero carrot hot sauce and black Burgundy truffles. 417 NW 10th Avenue, Portland ardenpdx.com
Afuri Izakaya. Caramelized onion broth, mushroom medley, sweet potato, ginger, and scallion. 923 SE 7th Avenue Portland and 12555 SW 1st Street, Beaverton. afuri.us
Continue reading “Dumpling Week 2022 – the Offerings”
One of my favorite Dumpling Week options, potato and cheese pierogis with onions and bacon from Delores (RIP) from 2019.
Portland has a number of “food weeks” that center around some of the most popular dishes that represent, for all intents and purposes, American comfort food: pizza, burgers, tacos, wings. Dumpling Week, from The Oregonian, usually starts the year off, and looking at the Bridgetown Bites archives, I’ve been happy to blog about it in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (which was a big takeout year). This year, Dumpling Week goes from Sunday, January 30 to Saturday, February 5, 2022.
Continue reading “Dumpling Week Returns in 2022”
Similar but not exact contents of the 2021 Winter Wedge. Photo source: The Wedge.
One of the best cheese festivals in our region, if not the country, is The Wedge from the Oregon Cheese Guild. Billed as a “Farmers Market-style event,” it was a time where you could go and try a bunch of regional cheeses in one place, as well as purchase cheese and other specialty food and drinks. Since we’ve been in a pandemic, it’s been a virtual event—and the same goes for this year. How do you participate? Here’s how.
Continue reading “The Winter Wedge 2021 – Virtual Cheese Fun”The Woodsman Tavern is back. That’s right, after three years on hiatus, this beloved spot is back. They are now open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 4 to 10pm; Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11pm; happy hour is 4 to 6pm each day. Look for cask ales, stiff cocktails, a raw bar, a wedge salad and a serious burger, among other things. 4537 SE Division Street, Portland
Find Your Gingerbread Dreams at The Benson Portland. On Wednesday, December 1 they unveiled the 2021 Gingerbread Masterpiece—a 4-foot by 8-foot Christmas village, complete with a 3-foot, 45-pound lit up iced tree in the center—on the event’s 50th anniversary. And even if you missed the official reveal, you can still visit the gingerbread house—it will be on display in the hotel lobby through December 26. 309 SW Broadway, Portland
Adios, Stacked Sandwich Shop. Another one bites the pandemic dust: “After struggling through the past 2 years of the pandemic, we looked at the rising labor cost, food cost, meat prices, and supply chain issues; and have decided to go out on our terms on a high note!” Stacked Sandwich Shop will close on Sunday, December 19. More details via PoMo. 1643 SE 3rd Avenue, Portland
Christmas treats at Sebastiano’s. Head on over to the Sebastiano’s Tock page to see what they have in store for the Christmas season via special order. One thing that caught my eye is the Cassata al Forno (not to be confused with Cassata Siciliana)—“a Sicilian cake filled with ricotta cream, orange zest, and chocolate chips.” Yes, it sounds kind of like a cannoli, which Sebastiano’s also does very, very well. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland
Bonus: head to the Fremont Holiday Fest this afternoon. The Fremont Holiday Fest starts at 4pm and goes to 7pm. Hang out on Fremont Street from NE 42nd to NE 46th Avenues, get a selfie with Santa and Mrs. Claus, do some shopping, and enjoy hot cocoa and snacks while listening to live music. You can also pick up a wreath. Sounds like a great time!
