Portland food news and views
Many of you shop at Safeway, Albertsons, and QFC and are concerned about these stores’ futures in the wake of the recent merger talk. In the tradition of “plan for the worst, hope for the best,” I went ahead and looked at what my supermarket alternatives and options are in town, and have shared my research with you in this article.
Continue reading “Supermarket Alternatives in Portland”Apologies for the lack of posting this week—I had emergency eye stuff to attend to and it really threw me for a loop. Take care of your eyes, friends; your vision health is not something to neglect.
Chef Naomi Pomeroy has died. On this past Monday I was scrolling Instagram and saw this post from Portland Monthly. I was stunned—surely it was not true. But it was, it is, and it is a huge loss for her friends and family, loved ones, fans, and Portland’s restaurant and food world. Countless tributes have been posted, and much sadness and shock has been expressed.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office reports that she “drowned shortly before 8:30pm on July 13 near river mile 132 in Corvallis about 100 yards upstream from the Mary’s River.” KATU reports that she was “pulled under the water and held by the paddle board leash. She was not wearing a life jacket and, unable to resurface, drowned.” Her body has been recovered.
I hope anyone who is reading this takes this awful tragedy to heart and chooses to wear a life jacket next time they’re floating on the river.
Read more about Naomi Pomeroy’s remarkable work, career, and influence in the world of food in this NY Times article (unlocked). I never met her, so I can’t speak personally about her, but I know she essentially changed the world—and many lives—with her work.
Indian food is coming to Argay. A Bridgetown Bites tipster alerted me to a new Indian restaurant opening up in that shopping center on NE Sandy Blvd and 139th Avenue (same center where the P-Town Pizza is opening). It’s called Best of India, and from what I can tell from when I peeked in the other day (I did not ask questions, as they were moving heavy things around), they are currently revamping the interior. Research as of today has not yielded much; I’ll look into it more next week. 13882 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Look at this cool map of Roseway. Illustrator Sunny Eckerle put together this sweet map of the Roseway neighborhood (she lives nearby), featuring some of the great eats you can find along NE Sandy Blvd and 82nd Ave, including Junior’s Roasted Coffee/Upright Beer Station, Denizens Cafe, the Sandy Jug, Fresh Love (who has a new vegetarian Muffuletta sandwich on the menu), Reeva and Pizzeria Otto, and the Mom & Pop Wine Shop. She also included Madison South’s The People’s Courts and Sumner’s My-O-My (she and I have a lighthearted agreement for joint custody of My-O-My and Roseway’s Cameo Cafe). Various
Belle Époque Pies opens in August. Pizza pop-up Belle Époque Pies will open their doors on Saturday, August 3 at 5pm at the 23rd and Alberta Food Cart Pod. “Join us for an afternoon of pizza and music with a wonderful acoustic performance by @caicedo_decia and a DJ set by mi hermano @_muertitos_.” They offer Sicilian/Detroit-style pies. 2231 NE Alberta Street, Portland
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
A Few Updates: Bobacat Teahouse, Pizza, and Greek Food
I thought I’d also tell you what festivals are coming up soon, listed on our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals page:
Fuji to Hood, Saturday, July 20, 2024 (Portland)
Portland Highland Games, Saturday, July 20, 2024 (Portland)
Four Days of Aloha Hawaiian Festival: Welcome Pāʻina, Thursday July 25, 2024 (Vancouver)
Don’t forget—Strawberry Shortcake Week continues to the end of the weekend!
Cicoria is closing. The final day of service will be Saturday, June 29. From their Instagram: “This decision has been monumentally difficult, but given the rough and unforgiving market conditions Portland is currently experiencing, we feel there’s no other choice.” (This is reminiscent of what JaCiva’s recently said.) And there’s this, a tiny bit of hope of their return: “Please stay tuned for updates on what may lie ahead in the near future, as we hope to welcome you back, but don’t forget to mark your calendar for Summertime Scoops on Thursday of next week, June 20th.” 3377 SE Division Street, Portland
Hungry Dumpling House will open on SE Hawthorne. This location was home to Hawthorne Hophouse (closed in 2020) and Poke Qube (closed in 2023), and now will be a dumpling (and more, likely) spot. The folks behind Hungry Dumpling House (also known as Happy Dumpling Inc) appear to the be the same ones behind Sichuan City in Happy Valley, much lauded by Katherine Chew Hamilton in Portland Magazine. I’m excited about this and seeing what they bring to the neighborhood. 4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Bill Oakley on snacks. This week Bill Oakley, local food enthusiast and former showrunner (among other roles) for The Simpsons, appeared on KATU to show off some international snacks. Love seeing the reactions from the TV host on the segment. Watch here.
New salad at Fresh Love. I think these guys make some of the best salads in Portland, so I’m always happy to tell you about their newest one. It’s called “Taco ‘Bout a Summer Salad,” (thanks for the clarification, Fresh Love!) made with Urban Acre Homestead salad greens, Hot Mama tortilla chips, pineapple, cucumber, sugar snap peas, sharp cheddar, pickled red onions, avocado, and housemade vegan cilantro jalapeño dressing. Many of the ingredients are certified organic. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Screaming Sammies Ice Cream Sandwiches Pops Up in Sellwood
A Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Looks To Open in Portland
Janken: Everything Is Better Together (Review)
Updated June 15, 2024.
Help Fresh Love feed anyone. This week I learned about Fresh Love‘s project to help people access good food. They keep a gift card that can be used to pay for meals: “When someone comes in who cannot pay, no questions asked, we use this gift card to cover the cost of the bill.” Staff refills the card but you can, too—meaning, you can add to the card as part of your bill when you purchase something at Fresh Love. I think it’s a wonderful thing to do, and so simple. “Thanks so much for your help and let’s keep paying it forward!” 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Adult ice cream social planned at Cafe Rowan. They announced on Instagram their plans to do an “adult ice cream social” in a couple of weeks. Saturday evenings 7pm to 11pm (more or less). “5 ridiculous sundaes, 5 ridiculous cocktails, 5 ridiculous glasses of wine… its gonna be a ridiculously fun time.” 4437 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd, Portland
Jacqueline is rumored to be moving. A Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me this inside tip: “Jacqueline will be moving into the former La Moule/Bakers place at 25th and Clinton, probably around the September timeframe.” I reached out to Jacqueline early this week for more info; I will share anything that I learn from them. You may remember that La Moule closed last July and Baker’s, a “bar with fun food,” took over that space in November 2023, then closed in early 2024. 2500 SE Clinton Street, Portland
Toki will shutter on Sunday, May 26. Right after Sunday brunch service Toki, a downtown Portland restaurant from the Cho family (Han Oak, Jeju), will close. They announced it on Instagram. And while it’s goodbye Toki, they will continue to hone their work at their other restaurants—both in experimenting with new dishes/concepts and returning to things the work for them: “As a collective team at HAN OAK and JEJU we’ll try some new ideas, bring classics back like the KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN with ‘essence of instant ramen’, the CRUNCHWRAP SUPREME, the HANOKONOMIYAKI, and the BAO! We’ll do our best to keep growing, intentionally.” 580 SW 12th Avenue, Portland
Bonus: As you’ve probably heard, Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. I was listening to an NPR story about it and the best thing that came out of the entire piece, IMO, is that Red Lobster put together a playlist of AI-generated music called “Cheddar Bay-I.” I love a good pun (and I love those Cheddar Bay Biscuits, ngl). My first experience with Red Lobster was years ago in Beaumont TX, where when I said I didn’t know what a hush puppy was, they gave me a half dozen on the house, “so you can say you’ve had them.” In the Portland metro area, there are Red Lobsters in Gresham, Tigard, and Vancouver, WA; there does not seem to be any Red Lobsters in Portland proper.
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Zaiqa To Open in Old Bambuza Space
Bobacat Teahouse Will Open in Irvington
Good News: PSU’s Library Food Carts Will Remain Open
Well, I’ve been under the weather lately—but am feeling better)—so it’s time for a Small Bites food news update. Here are some of the tidbits that have crossed my internet desk that I thought you might find interesting. Enjoy, and have a good weekend!
Boxer Ramen is closing. They announced it over on their Instagram: “It is with a very heavy heart we announce that after 11 years of serving you our unique brand of Ramen, we sadly will be closing all of our doors for good this upcoming Monday the 29th.” They cite many challenges, including the pandemic and inflation, behind their decision to close. I’m sorry to see them go. 1668 NW 23rd Avenue, 3003 NE Alberta Street, 7847 SW Capitol Highway, Portland; 3205 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton
Continue reading “Small Bites: Sports Bra, Take Two, Fresh Love, and More”