Four Things I Learned This Week (June 3)

Happy anniversary, Sebastiano’s! I their newsletter, Dan and Elise of Sebastiano’s talked about the early days of the business and all the things that they managed during quite a jarring couple of years. They ended it with an announcement of a party, happening today and tomorrow, June 3 & 4, from 11am to 7pm. It will be the official grand opening of their summer Apertivo pop-up (menu starting at 3pm) in their new Spritz Garden.

Also: “Pro Tip: Our friends Mel & Greg of Suzor Wines are going to be hanging out and pouring their 2020 releases “Tales of the Sun” and “Infinite Emotions” (Pinot & Pinot/Gamay blend) with us on Friday night beginning at 5:00 pm. Their wine is delicious – come grab a glass” 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

GRANA pop-up at Montelupo. On Monday, June 6, stop by Montelupo starting at 5pm for the GRANA pop-up. Run by Chris Flanagan, he makes “made-to-order pizza” that is “folded in four, finished with a signature aioli and grana padano, and served in a wrapper.” Check out the different kinds of pizzas he’ll fold for you on the GRANA website.

Along with these pizzas there will be a limited menu of starters, pastas, and desserts available from the Montelupo kitchen. As far as those offerings go, I gotta say this looks amazing: “Burrata—pancetta jam, local spring greens, rhubarb vinaigrette.” I also have to stop in for the Hazelnut Coffee Soda: house-made hazelnut syrup, Push X Pull espresso, orange bitters, and soda water served over ice. Dang! 344 NE 28th Avenue, Portland

Cully Farmers Market opened Thursday. Glad to see them back for the season—they’ll be open for business on Thursdays from 4pm to 8pm until October. You can find them in the Los Pepitos Locos parking lot. NE 42nd and Alberta, Portland

Tokyo Sando wants to access a brick & mortar space. On their Instagram, they posted, “Thank you for keeping us busy, And sorry for selling out almost everyday. We just need a bigger space kitchen. Please message us if you know any kitchen space or restaurant space. So we can make more sandos for everyone who love Our sandos❤️ Arigato!!!” If you know of a space for them, send them a message. I’d love to see them expand.

Bonus: It’s Salad Week next week on Bridgetown Bites! Judith and I look forward to sharing our love of salad in Portland with you. We hope you’ll join us for that!

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2021

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It’s always interesting to see what readers find particularly interesting and useful on the blog—I’m impressed that the Nepali Kitchen and Du Kuh Bee posts get so much traction. Nice to see the Thanksgiving post do so well—as a lover of roundups, I may do more holiday posts like it. As always, thanks for reading!

5. First Tastes: Nepali Kitchen in Northeast Portland

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Despite its failings, there are some gems on Nextdoor when it comes to food. I’ve found direct-access to top-notch sources of Indonesian food, epic Lasagna Bolognese, Texas-style tortillas and plenty of local food recommendations, including the subject of this blog post, Nepali Kitchen. They’ve opened in what seems to be a house on the corner of NE Fremont and 49th Ave (across the street from Stanich’s), with a lovely little courtyard established in the front yard. And the food is excellent.

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Thanksgiving 2021 in Portland

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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.

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Montelupo Introduces Indoor Dining and Monty’s Caffè

Photo credit: Montelupo Italian Market

The news is out but I wanted to chime in with how thrilled I am that Montelupo Italian Market is going to open its indoor dining room this Friday—plus Monty’s Caffè on Saturday! It’s been over a year since they opened and I am sure they are excited to move forward with dining service for their customers inside their space.

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Small Bites: Pumpkin Edition

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A scoop of Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread ice cream from Salt & Straw. Photo credit: Salt & Straw.

The fall weather has arrived and that means it’s time for fall flavors—including pumpkin. Savory or sweet, it tastes like autumn, and for me the season is incomplete without it. Here are some pumpkin (and more) foods you can get in Portland that I think sound particularly good.

Bakeshop. Their Caramelized Apple and Pumpkin Hand Pie is superb (I had one a couple of weeks ago) and can be ordered on the website for the weekend (when Bakeshop is open these days). Warning: this pastry is very flaky, so you might find yourself covered in delicious, delicious pastry shards while eating it. 5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland 

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