For a couple of years on this blog (2022, 2019) I’ve written about Groundhog Day aka Ground Hog Day, and you know—that play on words never fails to delight me. After doing a little research, I’ve gotten a better hold on where to find the ground hogs in Portland, better known as sausages. I’m happy to give you a roundup of some reputable places for sausages—even early enough so you can consider which ones to access on February 2.
Continue reading “Groundhog/Ground Hog Day in 2023”Thanksgiving 2022 in Portland
It’s almost Thanksgiving! Can you believe it? Here are some options for for eat-in, take-out, meats, baked goods and treats for the holiday in Portland.
Dinner: Eat In
Andina. They are offering a four-course dinner of “local autumn bounty and delicious Peruvian flavors” on Thanksgiving Day from 2pm to 8pm. Vegetarian and traditional options available. Wine will be available by the bottle or via pairing, with Andean fare in mind. Signature and house cocktails will be available to celebrate on this special day of thanks.
- First course: choice of delicata squash, quinoa, pickled onion, huacatay, parsley, radicchio; or butternut squash soup with salsa verde, pickled aji amarillo, and hazelnuts
- Second course: choice of oxtail humita or red kuri squash
- Third course: choice of grilled hen, Bordeaux sweet potato, ahi limo gravy; or gnocchi, hen of the woods, kale, kabocha squash
- Fourth course: apple pie a la mode
- All tables will receive root vegetable medley with apples, apple cider vinaigrette and pan d yema
$95 per person. Reserve your seats or get on the waitlist via Tock. andinarestaurant.com, 1314 NW Glisan Street, Portland
Continue reading “Thanksgiving 2022 in Portland”
Four Things I Learned This Week (July 1)
The Portland Craft Beer Festival starts today. Today through Sunday is the 6th Annual Portland Craft Beer Festival at the Fields Neighborhood Park in NW Portland. Online ticket sales are over as at 11:59am today, otherwise they are $40 at the door. Admission gets you a keepsake tin cup with 10 beer tickets and access to a lot of great beer and food. Non-drinkers: enter for free on Sunday during Family Day. 1099 NW Overton Street, Portland
Yonder becomes Hissyfit next week. There’s a lot of details behind this, but I’ll share this in particular: “The kitchen will carry forward some of Yonder’s personality, with Southern flavors and ingredients nestled alongside globally-inspired goodies with a focus on freedom from constraint. We will be sourcing gorgeous local produce and sustainable meats and fish from local farms and purveyors, continuing our relationships with stewards of Southern cuisine like Allan Benton and Anson Mills, and casting a wide net to capture our favorite flavors and techniques from all over the world.” Hissyfit opens Wednesday, July 6. More info, here. 4636 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland
Changes at Moonstruck. The chocolate company has been bought by Freeport, NY-based Chocolate Works, and “will close the Moonstruck Chocolate retail stores in Beaverton, St. Johns and downtown Portland on July 8.” There is an expectation that there will be “growth and transformation” for Moonstruck under the baton of Chocolate Works. I’m just sorry that any jobs will be lost with the closure of the stores.
Gartner’s Meat Market is back open. A couple of weeks ago they re-opened their indoor retail shop, but it only occurred to me when I drove by and saw folks heading inside. Gartner’s Country Meat Market is a great place to shop for your meat grilling needs on the upcoming holiday. 7450 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
Bonus: Bridgetown Bites turns 5 on July 3! Yes, that’s right, this little blog will be five years old this Sunday. It has—and I have—been through a lot since 2017, with breast cancer (diagnosis in 2018) being the biggest de-railer to consistent posting over the years. But I’ve been in “keep on, keepin’ on” mode, never giving up on it. (“Never give up! Never surrender!”) So, happy birthday, blog! And thanks to all who have read and continue to read my writing and reporting on Portland food.
Four Things I Learned This Week (April 15)
Gartner’s interior is closing for a bit. Gartner’s Country Meat Market in Cully is going to close their shop space for 3 to 4 weeks starting this coming Monday, April 18. They’ll be working on some upgrades and maintenance on the interior, but curbside pickup and local delivery will still go on. Good luck to them with all the new changes. 7450 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
News to me: Decarli is moving. It’s probably old news but I just learned this week that Beaverton restaurant Decarli will be moving to the old Hometown Buffet space on Southwest Hall Blvd. The new space is larger than they need now but it allows them room to grow. The move is slated for “spring 2022,” according to their website, so they should be there any time now. 4545 SW Watson Avenue, Beaverton (currently), 3790 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton (future)
Dick’s Primal Burger is now open on N Williams. I was sorry to see Dick’s Primal Burger leave Cully, but that’s how things go sometimes. They are now open in their new N. Williams home and will be open from 11am to 9pm “every damn day.” Get yourself a bag of Dick’s, North Portland! Now… to find out what’s going to happen to their old space in Cully. 4120 N Williams Avenue, Portland
Update on Grant Park food carts. From the GPNA newsletter: “The 6-cart food cart pod at 3505 NE Broadway is currently on hold. However, the permit for the 12-cart food cart pod at 3550 NE Broadway (formerly Burger King) is expected to be approved in the next month
or two. The architect says that construction on that pod will begin as soon as the permit is in hand, with an opening expected in late spring or early summer.”
Bonus: Remember that Rabbit Hole in Montavilla is having their soft opening tomorrow, Saturday April 16. And in Sellwood, Maeve’s grand opening party is also on Saturday, April 16 from 4-8pm.
I also want to acknowledge three important faith holidays around this time: Ramadan, Passover, and Easter (4/17 for the Western church and 4/24 for the Orthodox church). So I send my greetings out to those of you who celebrate: Ramadan Mubarak, Happy Passover/Chag Sameach, and Happy Easter!
Happy Groundhog/Ground Hog Day in 2022
I know it’s Groundhog Day today (RIP Milltown Mel), but thanks to a couple of old friends, I also think of it as Ground Hog Day (I mentioned this in early days of the blog). I love sausages and other ground meat preparations (e.g., kabobs, meatballs, burgers). So here’s a shoutout today to a couple of my favorite sausage makers here in Portland.
- Olympia Provisions makes the best Summer Sausage I’ve ever eaten. Fun fact: I used to be one of those teenagers that handed out sausage and cheese in the mall. I like Summer Sausage with sweet-hot mustard, but it’s also good on its own. Order online or find them at some farmers markets.
- Scratch Meats makes high quality sausages with all sorts of different kinds of meats (my household loves the chicken parm sausages), but their Saucissons à I’ail (French Garlic) and Maple Breakfast Sausages are also winners at our house. Their selection is quite expansive, with plenty of variety, so check it out. You can order their sausages online and find them at local farmers markets (I’ve bought them at Hollywood and Montavilla in the past).
True confession: two places I haven’t been to but want to visit are Gartner’s Meat Market and the Eidelweiss Deli, both of which have excellent reputations. I will be making a point to stop in this year. As for my ground hog consumption, I was able to enjoy some pork and leek dumplings from Chin’s Kitchen last night in honor of Lunar New Year and Dumpling Week; I have some leftovers, which I’ll eat for lunch, satisfying the consumption of ground hog today.
Happy Groundhog/Ground Hog Day, everyone! BTW, Stumptown Fil at the Oregon Zoo says we are going to have an early spring. Sounds good to me.
