Tag: Nico's Cantina

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 12)

GrindWitTryz opening in old Nico’s Cantina space. Last year I wrote about Nico’s Cantina closing and that space on NE Cully Blvd being empty … again. Well, good news—GrindWitTryz is taking over the space. This restaurant is classified in various places online as a Hawaiian restaurant, but they offer dishes associated with other cultures as well, like chicken katsu (Japanese), pork bulgogi (Korean), and lechon kawali (Filipino), among others.

On January 2 they announced their closing to many sad fans … but less than a week later, they shared the news about their relocating: “If y’all thought we were closing, you thought wrong! Absolutely no one can stop us from spreading aloha in PDX! We are taking over Nico’s Catina! This space is giving us so much opportunity to grow and expand! Our grand opening will be in February.” Welcome to Cully, guys! 4318 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

New menu at Three Fifty Cafe. As they say, “New year, new menu.” The lovely little Vietnamese cafe has changed things up and you can see the new menu here. Stop in for one of the best banh mi sandwiches in town, have some fish sauce wings, and get yourself one of their excellent egg coffees to go with it all. 6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Get your Valentine’s treats at Bee’s. Although the cafe is closing, you can still order some of Bee’s fabulous treats for the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday. Head to the website to order—you can order things “Bento Box” style (one of each item offered in a premade box) or build your own box with just the items you want. Orders will be open until Monday, February 6 and you can choose to pick up on Tuesday or Wednesday, February 13 or 14. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Angel’s Donuts & Ice Cream seems to have closed. A neighbor online asked, “Anyone know what happened to Angels Donuts on Alberta? I walked by Friday and it was dark during business hours, then I drove by today and still dark.” Another neighbor confirmed it. I called, no answer. Yelp also says they have closed. Bummer. If anyone has more insight, drop a comment or an email. 2805 NE Alberta Street, Portland

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Small Bites: Lawless BBQ, Alpenrausch, Harlow on the Fly, Sandy Jug, and More

nicos-cantina-dining-room-portland-oregon

I’ll miss you, Nico’s Cantina dining room.

Welcome to another edition of Small Bites. Despite being away from this space, I have collected a number of tidbits elsewhere, and am essentially dropping an info load here to share with you. Enjoy!

Lawless BBQ moves into My-O-My. Monster Smash, which gave us many months of delicious smash burgers (and sandwiches and salads), has bid adieu to My-O-My in the Sumner neighborhood, and Lawless BBQ moved into that patio space in early November. Run by Kevin Koch, this is his second location. Their PR contact reached out and here’s what they are offering:

“The second Lawless Barbecue location’s menu will be distinct from the first, and will develop over time as Koch gets to know his new customers’ preferences. The new menu features smoked chicken wings and smoked ribs with a selection of sauces, and will eventually expand to include brisket and other dishes. Koch plans to tailor his recipes to suit the clientele of the My-O-My, known for its tiki-inspired cocktails and mocktails and inviting mid-century aesthetic.” Personally, I’m hoping for burnt ends, cuz I love burnt ends. 8627 NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland

Continue reading “Small Bites: Lawless BBQ, Alpenrausch, Harlow on the Fly, Sandy Jug, and More”
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Four Things I Learned This Week (July 14)

It’s Bastille Day today! Celebrate this weekend. The Alliance Française de Portland is celebrating the French national holiday with the 21st Annual Bastille Day Festival on Saturday, July 15. “In 1789 the French stormed the Bastille prison, marking the birth of the modern French nation. The storming of the Bastille symbolizes the key values of Liberté, Fraternité, and Egalité, which endure in the hearts of the French people.” Head to Jamison Park in the Pearl between noon and 6pm to celebrate French culture—music, dancing, food and drink, and good time with friends and family. 810 NW 11th Avenue, Portland

Nico’s Cantina now has mocktails. Starting yesterday, Nico’s Cantina has mocktails on their drink list. I tried two of them and they were delicious. Here’s what they have:

  • El Toro: tamarind, lime juice, ginger beer
  • La Isla: jamaica, pineapple juice, lime juice
  • Picoso: grapefruit juice, lime juice, jalapeño, soda water
  • Cafecito: cold brew, lemon juice, simple syrup
  • NA Margarita: everything but the (boozy) tequila (they’ll be using NA tequila when it arrives)
  • Seasonal: always changing

I really enjoyed the El Toro and La Isla. These drinks are a tasty option for those of us who do not drink. 4318 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

Indio de Oro Mexican restaurant coming to old Grain & Gristle space. The building on the NW corner of Prescott and NE 15th will get a new tenant in the old Grain & Gristle space, which closed May: Indio de Oro, a new Mexican (not New Mexican) restaurant. Though there’s not many details out there yet, it looks like the people associated with Indio de Oro have also been part of Puerto Mazatlan in Ashland. I’ve reached out for more info. 1473 NE Prescott Street, Portland

More seafood is coming to 82nd Ave. Ocean City Seafood closed during the pandemic; New City Seafood is opening up in its place. An online work request described the restaurant as this: “The restaurant is 5,000 sq ft, and is the type of Chinese Restaurant that holds big events at night like weddings and company parties. During the day, it is a Dim Sum restaurant.” I suspect this will be good news for dim sum fans in Portland. 3016 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 2)

Update on The Heist. Back in February I told you about The Heist, a new food cart pod opening in the old US Bank location in Woodstock. It looks like they moved in the first set of carts this week and are aiming for a Saturday, June 10 opening. I hope they can make it, though sometimes things happen beyond one’s control. They are doing their best. Looking forward to checking it out! 4727 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland

Expanded hours and more coming to Nico’s Cantina. This week Nico wrote about a bunch of changes coming to the Cantina, which all sound good but he is understandably feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. Things to look forward to: open 7 days a week; “Mezcal Monday’s,” where every bottle of Mezcal behind the bar will be 50% off; and “Taco Tuesday,” where every taco will be $1 off. These changes should be in place by Monday, June 12. 4318 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

Zuckercreme’s Strawberry Museum returns. In Montavilla, the adorable Zuckercreme is bringing back their Strawberry Museum again this year, starting tomorrow, June 3. It will last all summer. In fact, they anticipate having so much “strawberry content” (something I can get behind) that they started up the Museum’s own Instagram at @pdxstrawberrymuseum. Along with all the yums, Zuckercreme’s Brittany Sigal is looking to expand into fashion—strawberry fashion, that is, in a show on Sunday, June 25. Stop on by the shop for lots of strawberry fun. 414 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

Chaat Wallah has new hours. Looks like Chaat Wallah has settled on some new hours for their cart in the Upright/Junior’s parking lot in Cully/Roseway: Monday to Friday 3pm to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday noon to 9pm. 7 days a week! Over on Facebook, Deepak Saxena said about the turnout, “we’ve been blown away by the support and it’s been way beyond what we expected.” All good news. 7157 NE Prescott Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 17)

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Nico’s Cantina just keeps getting better and better. I stopped into the Cantina last night for dinner and tried two new-to-me tacos: fish and suadero. The fish was covered in a crispy breadding with a nice slaw and hot sauce on top; the suadero was extremely tasty tender beef. On our way out, the chef handed us a sample of a bean, rice, and cheese burrito with a kind of frico layer on the outside of one of the sides of the burrito. Very simple, very tasty. I hope it will make it onto the permanent menu. 4318 NE Cully Blvd, Portland

My-O-My has new hours. Now that we are in DST with more afternoon/evening light, My-O-My is open at 3pm these days. And did you know that Monster Smash makes his own pickles for the burgers? No wonder they are so good. Eater did a nice writeup this week on Sumner’s favorite bar, too. 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

BuzzCutt announces their launch party date. Over on Instagram, the BuzzCutt folks let us know when the app launch party is: Saturday, June 17 here in Portland. “Mark your calendar for an evening with us, your crew, your fave N/A brands, live DJ, amazing local food, giveaways, and MORE SURPRISES to be announced soon.” Specific location TBD.

The Middle Eastern Festival, one of Portland’s best, will be back this summer. I love this festival—great food, there’s dancing and music, and despite how many people attend, there is a relaxed feel to the event. Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 27. 2101 NE 162nd Avenue, Portland