Portland food news and views
The Jim & Patty’s return. It’s true, they posted the news this week on their socials: “BIG NEWS, PORTLAND!!! Jim & Patty’s Coffee is BACK!! (under new ownership).” From what I can tell, Paul Ceserani, owner of Spielman Bagels & Coffee, is the new Jim & Patty’s owner. They opened yesterday, August 14, at their previous location on NE Fremont. 4951 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Continue reading “Small Bites: Jim & Patty’s Return, Kolaches, Bonta Gelato, and More”
Wonderlove is open (partially). This is good news—the SE Portland food cart/bar/entertainment venue Wonderlove is open! A post on Instagram about a week ago goes like this:
“So excited to partially open! 11am-7pm. The first stage of our amazing journey starts now with opening (a few )of our fantastic food carts! And that’s not all—we’re also serving adult beverages out of the Wondercat Pizza Cart! Stay tuned because the Wonderlove Bar is the second act, and it’s coming soon!” 262 SE Main Street, Portland
Continue reading “Small Bites: Wonderlove Is Open, Portland Taco Ride, Top Portland Pizzas, and More”It’s National Donut Day today! Here’s a map of donut shops in Portland.
OX is closed until July. A Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me this note earlier this week: “OX is closed until Jul 1st. They cancelled all reservations. We drove past it last night and it is fenced off.” The website says, “Ox Restaurant is currently closed for repairs.” Back in March, OX had a fire that “started in the flue of the grill in the first level and extended into the roof structure.” There are a bunch of permits filed with the city for repairs, including work on the roof, ductwork, exhaust, piping, and a new kitchen fire suppression system. We wish them only the best as they work on fixes in order to reopen in a few weeks. 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland
Ranch Pizza and LoRo Coffee are open in Montavilla. They opened their doors yesterday, Thursday, June 6. Taking residence in the former Hungry Heart location, Ranch and LoRo are splitting the space, with coffee in the mornings and pizza later in the day. I stopped in this morning and had a really nice iced latte with almond milk and a piece of their bacon-cheese-potato focaccia. This is a nice addition to the neighborhood. Bonus: I noticed that a beacon light crosswalk is in process of being installed there at Stark and SE 80th Avenue! 7940 SE Stark Street, Portland
Check out the pre-Father’s Day artisan market at STEELPORT Knives this weekend. This is the fourth year they’ve done this event and the place will be full of knives for sale, vendors, music, free custom engravings, a raffle, and more. On the edible side of things look for Flying Fish Co, Jacobsen Salt Co, Kachka, Olympia Provisions, Puff Coffee, Smith Teamaker, The Flavor Society, Vorfruede Dairy Beef, Westward Whiskey, and Wilderton. 1pm to 4pm at their space on NE Sandy Blvd. More details on their Facebook event page. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd, Suite B, Portland
The final countdown is on for JaCiva’s Bakery. Their final day will be Saturday, June 29. About nine months ago the word came out that they were going to close. They continued going, but time is up. They posted on Instagram, “Our building is still for sale but we can no longer realistically operate in a way that is beneficial to both our staff and our customers.”
They added: “Thank you so much for nearly 40 beautiful years. Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your most cherished memories as you celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and all of life’s milestones. We have loved making your lives a little sweeter. We are not taking any preorders at this time. All items are first come first served. Please stay tuned on our social media accounts and our website for any updates as we navigate these final weeks. We love you!” 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Ole Frijole Has Closed
Strawberry Shortcake Week Is Coming
Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies Opens June 7 on SE Belmont
JaCiva’s Bakery is closing. This story blew up across my social media this week, as people are totally bummed about the news of JaCiva’s Bakery closing. The bakery’s message: “It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing JaCiva’s Bakery will be closing its doors. What a pleasure it’s been serving our Portland community for 37 years and we will miss being a part of your celebrations.” They are “are continuing business as supplies last.” Stop in before they close for good. 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Zuckercreme is having a birthday party and it’s corn-themed. Montavilla’s creative cafe and shop, Zuckercreme, is celebrating their second birthday on Sunday, October 1. There will be elotes, corn on hot dogs, popcorn, corn ice cream, corn pastries, corn decor, and more. If you plan to go, they’d like you to RSVP; head here for more info. 414 SE 81st Avenue, Portland
Tomato Fest is tomorrow. For the third year, Wellspent Market is holding a tomato festival in their parking lot. The fabulous BLT will be back, along with info on dry-farmed tomatoes, some cooking demonstrations, tomato swag, and more. Saturday, September 16, 11am to 3pm; more info here. 935 NE Couch Street, Portland
Behind the Corporation Buying Up Portland’s Most Famous ‘Independent’ Restaurants. That’s the name of this article on PDX Eater, which is pretty interesting, on the independent restaurant scene here in Portland; Sortis Holdings, who “has acquired a wide swath of Portland-based businesses”; and the challenges faced by the hospitality business. The part about “chain-ifying” is one I am very familiar with, as this has been a concern in NYC for a number of years. Anyway, the Eater article is worth a read—check it out.
