Four Things I Learned This Week (March 31)

Vegan arepa pop-up weekly at Ben & Esther’s. One of the most successful vegan joints in town, Ben & Esther’s hosts a weekly pop-up of El Salto. This Latina-owned company offers “traditional Venezuelan food–made vegan,” including arepas. They are split and stuffed with what looks like vegan meat substitutes. Find them at Ben & Esther’s Alberta location on Wednesday nights from 5pm-9pm. 1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Kann accolades + Sousòl reservations. I saw this week that Kann, the celebrated Hatian restaurant from Gregory Gourdet is a finalist for Best New Restaurant for the James Beard Awards. “Thankful we get to share the story of Haiti and its rich history through food,” they say. Also, Sousòl, the bar below Kann, will take reservations via Resy starting Wednesday, April 5. But for those that don’t plan ahead, “Don’t worry we still have plenty of room for walk ins!” 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

Beaverton’s The Sudra to close. Their final day of service at their Beaverton location will be Sunday, April 2, so head on over before then if you want a taste of their delicious, flavorful plant-based Indian food in the suburbs (the Portland locations will remain open). They add, though, “Although closing is sad, it’s not all bad news. We are talking to some old friends about an exciting collaboration that will take over the space. More on that to come.” Looking forward to hearing more about it.  4589 SW Watson Avenue, Beaverton

NEW: Rice platters at Three Fifty Cafe. The good folks at Cully’s Three Fifty Cafe have a “secret menu item” that, if there’s enough interest, may go on the permanent menu. “Each platter comes with your choice of grilled pork, sirloin steak, or lemongrass chicken served with rice, fresh veggies, and sweet fish sauce. Pro tip: add an egg for the ultimate flavor experience!” So head on over and let them know what you think. 6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Roundup: Bests and Awards of 2022

fireworks

Excited for all the winners!

It’s that time of year again: the time when local media outlets (and nationwide ones, too, but that’s not the focus here) gather their bests and make lists of various things—including food. Personally, I love lists and it’s fun to see what the different food media sources deem “the best” in any given year. It’s unclear in my mind if I’m going to do that kind of roundup before the close of 2022, so I thought I’d round up what’s out there already.

Continue reading “Roundup: Bests and Awards of 2022”

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 6)

Plants, vegan baked goods, and cats. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 7, is the House of Dreams’ 2022 Spring Plant Sale and Vegan Bake Sale. From 10am to 3pm, head out to get some indoor and outdoor plants, baked vegan yums (held as part of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale), an good feelings knowing you are supporting a sale where all proceeds go to care for cats at the House of Dreams shelter. More details on Facebook. Should be a great event! 7634 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Kann update. Gregory Gourdet’s new restaurant, Kann, featuring Hatian food, will open this summer. PoMo has the details: “Kann will open mid-July at 548 SE Ash St, with 80 seats and an eight-foot hearth at the center of a wide-open kitchen that will occupy nearly half of the space.” Read more about it on the Portland Monthly website. 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

Current favorite dry drink. I made it over to Gabbiano’s recently and had their sparkly lemonade with an oregano syrup and a little salt. I loved it so much, I had two of them. Great fresh flavor and the oregano syrup adds something special. Truly delicious. 5411 NE 30th Avenue, Portland.

Daily Fuel opens brick & mortar restaurant. On their Instagram this week they announced their new restaurant: “We officially have the keys & finalized all legal paperwork today. We’ll be working on getting the restaurant ready for open in June for y’all!” They’ve had a cart at the Hawthorne Asylum pod, offering “healthy vegan comfort food” for a while; it will be fun to see what they do with the restaurant. Big congrats to them! 3342 SE Belmont Street, Portland