Magna Kusina Archives - Bridgetown Bites

June 19, 2023June 19, 2023

Focus on Filipino Food With Filipino Food Oregon

Chicken adobo from Baon Kainan

From June 23 to July 1, 2023, Filipino food will be the focus in our state through Filipino Food Oregon, with notable events in Salem and Portland. In Salem, there’s the World Beat Festival in particular, and here in Portland head to the city’s great Filipino restaurants and food carts during Filipino Food Week. Filipino Food Oregon, a “culinary heritage celebration highlighting Filipino cuisine,” is hosted by Philippine Department of Tourism SF.

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022

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

April 29, 2022April 30, 2022

Four Things I Learned This Week (April 29)

Update on Upright Brewing. I reached out to Alex Ganum, owner and head brewer at Upright Brewing, to get an update on the Cully location. He says there have been challenges with the speed of city permits, but they are still on target to open. The exact date, though, is unclear, but they are working as fast as they can within the city’s permitting constraints, and would love to be done as soon as possible. They’re committed to Cully. And as Alex says, “We’re all looking forward to having a nice little neighborhood spot!” 7151 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Montavilla Food Co-op + Montavilla Farmers Market. Great news from the Montavilla Food Co-op: “The Montavilla Food Co-op has partnered with the Montavilla Farmer’s Market. We’ll be appearing at the market each week over the summer season to bring staples and other foods starting on May 8th, 2022. We’ll also be there on May 1st, 202 raffling off some sweet MFC swag and tasty treats from the store. If you’d like to enter the raffle, come on down to the market and say hello! We’re looking forward to seeing you all soon!” 7700 SE Stark Street, Portland

Feast Portland’s live events are cancelled. Big news from Feast about their live events, which are no more for 2022: “With all the challenges the hospitality industry is still facing, we want to be mindful of what we can do as a community to be more helpful and impactful and return at a time when we’re all ready to celebrate again.” Feast is not dissolving, though, and the hope is that they will return for live interactions in 2023.

James Beard Awards finalists include Portlanders. Check out who made it to the finals!

Outstanding Restauranteur: Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, Langbaan, Hat Yai, Eem, and others
Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Carlo Lamagna, Magna Kusina; and Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Oma’s Hideaway

Congrats to these finalists—they are well-earned recognitions. According to the James Beard Foundation website, “Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.”

November 9, 2021November 19, 2021

Thanksgiving 2021 in Portland

Thanksgiving is basically just around the corner and in the world of food media, that means it’s time to publish Thanksgiving food and meal roundups. The big kids in town have done a lot of the digital legwork, for which I’m grateful, and you can find their full lists here:

Where to Get Thanksgiving Dine-In and Takeout in Portland [Portland Monthly]
Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland for 2021 [Eater]
Your Guide to Thanksgiving 2021 Food in Portland [EverOut/Portland Mercury]

There’s a lot to choose from. I’d summarize the lists as this: Portland Monthly’s list is a small, well-curated list; Eater’s is diverse; EverOut’s is extensive, including meals and baked goods. There is some overlap but they aren’t identical, which is a good thing.

Looking through these lists, there’s plenty of deliciousness, but here are the things that really stand out for me, plus some of my own additions.

October 21, 2021October 21, 2021

It’s Filipino Eats Week in Portland Next Week

Thanks to Randy Philbrick of Veloso’s Filipino Cuisine food cart in Montavilla, I’ve learned that it’s Filipino Eats Week next week! It’s a way to celebrate Filipino-owned restaurants and businesses in the PNW. I’ll focus on restaurants and other eateries here. Filipino Eats Week goes from Sunday, October 24 to Sunday, October 31. It’s organized and promoted by Portland’s Foundation for Philippine Progress.