Four Things I Learned This Week (June 24)

Midsommar at IKEA. IKEA—you know, that Dutch-headquartered multinational conglomerate that sells home goods and furniture—is celebrating mid-summer with a bunch of events Saturday and Sunday, including a strawberry cake tasting, meatballs, salmon, and mocktails. 10280 NE Cascades Pkwy, Portland

The Poptart Ice Cream Sandwich is back. Head to Kate’s Ice Cream this Saturday as well, for Poptart Ice Cream Sandwiches. They are super popular: “Last year, these sold out in 1 minute online.” No pre-orders this year, but you can line up at Kate’s at noon for your chance to get one of the 150 gluten-free and vegan ice cream sandwiches. 3713 N Mississippi Avenue, Portland

Top pizzas in Portland. According to Italian pizza-centric website, 50 Top Pizza, five Portland pizzerias made the USA list this year:

  • No. 11: Ken’s Artisan Pizza
  • No. 16: Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
  • No. 18: Apizza Scholls
  • No. 40: Nostrana
  • No. 43: Scottie’s Pizza Parlor

Thursdays On the Plaza in Montavilla. The Montavilla Farmers Market, which operates weekly on Sundays, is expanding to Thursday evenings this summer. “Starting the month of July the 79th street plaza will be back, and July 7th will be the first of a weekly event with a few vendors and live music from 4 to 7pm.” There will also be a beer garden run by Threshold Beer. This has all come to pass thanks to a Vibrant Spaces Community Events Activation Fund from the City of Portland. Check out this Willamette Week article for more info. Southeast 79th Avenue and Stark Street, Portland

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 27)

Mocktails at Zinc. This week I had dinner at Zinc Bistro & Bar in Multnomah Village and was happy to see that they have three zero-proof cocktails on the menu. I chose the one that was particularly summery sounding, with flavors of cucumber, basil, and mint. Sparkly and very refreshing. 7800 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Get your birthday ice cream at Nico’s. Similar to the way Pip’s Original does it, you can stop by Nico’s and get a free ice cream on your birthday or seven days after. This is particularly great for us summer birthday kids! 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Best butcher shops in Portland. PoMo has a great roundup of quality butcher shops around town where you can get your favorite meats for your Memorial Day cookout, or really any time of the year. I’m particularly glad to see Gartner’s in Cully on there, but all the selections are great. Definitely check it out. Various locations

Somebody Feed Phil in Portland. Thanks to The O, I learned that one of the episodes in Season 5 of Somebody Feed Phil takes place in Portland! Actually, now that I think about it, I may have heard Bill Oakley talk about it a while back. Anyway, The Oregonian article has good details—places Phil visited include Fried Egg I’m In LoveMatt’s BBQ, DesiPDX (these three he visited with Michael Russell, The Oregonian’s restaurant critic), KachkaHan OakRuthie’s food cart, Tov Coffee, and Doe Donuts. Bill Oakley also took Phil to Portland Caphe. It looks like a great episode.

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 20)

Nico’s Ice Cream celebrates one year in the biz. In honor of Nico’s Ice Cream’s first anniversary, they have collaborated with the amazing Jinju Patisserie (home of one of the best croissants in town, among other delectable items) for a limited-edition (only 150 half-pints produced) flavor: The Brookie. It’s a combo of the brownies, cookies, and vanilla ice cream—and it’s only available this Saturday, May 21 at Nico’s.

Additionally, there will be a party on the 21st! Along with the special half-pint, the first 50 people get free ice cream. Tita’s Kitchen will be making enchiladas, and there will be a merch sale. Sounds like a great way to spend what will likely be a pretty bitchin’ day of sun and warmth in Portland. 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Homemade Lao sausages at Mekong Bistro. Mekong Bistro, Portland’s only (to my knowledge) Cambodian restaurant, has made their famous homemade Lao sausages available for purchase. For a limited time, get packs for five links (frozen) for ten bucks. Pick up at Mekong Bistro. Pro tip: prices will increase in June (inventory cost issues) so get them sooner than later. 8200 NE Siskiyou Street, Portland

Thai Me Drunken Noodle joins Growler’s Taproom. Montavilla News reports that Thai Me Drunken Noodle cart—which has operated in that corner space/pod at NE 28th and Glisan for the past six months—will open a food cart connected to Growler’s Taproom. Erica’s Soul Food was at that location most recently. Thai Me Drunken Noodle’s specialty is “Laotian-style fried chicken served over sticky rice with a sauce made from a family recipe” and other northern Thailand and Laos cuisine. The cart will act as an extension of the taproom: “It’s more of a brick and mortar kind of feel, but we are adjusting it where the kitchen is in the cart,” says Joe Rodgers, who owns Growler’s. Read the Montavilla News article for lots more info. 803 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Food businesses grow in East Multnomah County. Head over to the Oregonian for the news about all the new food businesses that have opened in East county. Fairview Food Plaza, Troutdale Station, Rockwood Market Hall—it’s all good news for folks out east. Plus that giant fork is still there, still rad.

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, April 2022

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It’s that time again—time to look at the most popular posts from the previous month. It’s all about the restaurants but interestingly enough, three of the posts are about pizza! I guess April really was pizza month. Thanks, as always, for reading.

5. Maeve, a Coffee and Wine Bar, Opens in Sellwood This Spring

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A new coffee and wine bar called Maeve is coming to the Westmoreland section of Sellwood. It’s going to be run by two sisters, Amanda and Kendra Stark, who have experience in the world of counseling. Amanda’s husband, Richard Forrest Mavis (software developer and former owner of Gigantic Gallery in NW Portland), may also be involved. They hope to open in April.

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Rabbit Hole Market and Sweets Will Open in Montavilla

While walking from my car to Hungry Heart Bakery Saturday morning, I passed the old Hungry Heart space on SE 80th Ave that had this sign affixed to the window: “Rabbit Hole Market and Sweets.” I didn’t think much of it since it said “Est. 2010” and that was 12 years ago. but my interest had piqued anyhow. I sort of forgot about it as I entered Hungry Heart and thought about what I was going to order.

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