Portland food news and views
Negroni Week starts Monday. Over 70 bars and restaurants in the Portland metro area are participating in this international celebration of the Negroni. Find a participating venue here. Multiple locations
Continue reading “Small Bites: Negroni Week, Lil’ Barbecue, Pronto Gelato, and More”
Artisserie Lake Oswego is open. This French pastry shop and bakery opened at the end of August in Lake Oswego (they’ve been on NW 23rd Avenue for a while). They offer croissants, macarons, cakes, baguettes, and more. And brunch! Local influencer @micbanh was there recently and wrote about the brunch:
“The brunch menu is available until 3pm and features dishes like the Courgette Quiche, Suprême Dubai French Toast, Heirloom Cherry Tomato Toast, and more. They also serve bubbly and cocktails for those looking to indulge a little extra!” 50 First Street, Lake Oswego
Continue reading “Small Bites: Artisserie Lake Oswego, Gnarlys, Lombard House and More”Oregon’s first Jollibee opens today. The Oregonian has reported on this story over the past few years, and the arrival of this popular Filipino fast food chain is finally here. They open today in a former Chevy’s in Hillsboro. Popular dishes include the spaghetti with hot dogs, fried chicken, and peach mango pie.
They’ll be open daily from 9am to 11pm. I hope they’ll have one of those big smiling bee-man mascots stationed outside the entrance, too. When I lived in Queens, the kids loved posing by the one in Woodside. 1951 NW 185th Avenue, Hillsboro
L’Echelle is open. They opened their doors in the former Woodsman Tavern space this past Wednesday, with a menu of French bistro fare using “the bounty Pacific Northwest’s best ingredients.” Head there Wednesdays through Sundays, 5pm to 10pm. No reservations for now, just stop on by. 4537 SE Division Street, Portland
Rad Magic Subs celebrates one year on Gladstone Street. This very popular vegan sandwich shop is having a party on Saturday, May 31 from 9:30am to 6pm. They’ll have sandwiches and salads, vegan cupcakes from 222 Pastry, plus a prize wheel. It’s year one on Gladstone, and four years total in the business. 2824 SE Gladstone Street, Portland
Strawberry Fest at Parkrose Coffee Shop. This weekend, Saturday May 31 and Sunday June 1, the good people over at Parkrose Coffee Shop are celebrating the strawberry. They’ll have pints of strawberries grown at the Spada U-Pick Farms (they are located at NE 158th and Sandy Blvd), strawberry drink, strawberry pastry specials, and strawberry activities for the kids. 4826 NE 105th Avenue, Portland
Bonus: Nico’s Ice Cream will open at the Flock Food Hall. Great news for Portland’s ice cream lovers—Nico’s Ice Cream will have a summer residency at the Flock Food Hall until the end of August. The grand opening is today from noon to 10pm. After that you can see them Friday and Saturday, noon to 10pm; and Sunday, noon to 9pm. 917 SW Alder Street, Portland
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
No Sabo Will Take Over the Lilia Comedor Space in South Waterfront [with an update on the fate of Lilia Comedor]
Oui Presse Will Close in Portland
Slow Haste Coffee Joins Collector Bar Daily in NE Portland
This weekend a few place we’ve covered are opening: Sticky Wicket today, Slow Haste Saturday, and Eli Jo Coffee Stop & Shop on Sunday. The Veganizer Asian Market is also Sunday, and Oui Presse closes at the end of service Saturday.
CityFair continues and the Holi Spring Harvest Fest is Saturday. More events can be found on our Portland Food and Drink Festivals and Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals lists.
ICYMI: Toyshop Ramen closed. I missed this for whatever reason, but in mid-January Toyshop Ramen closed its doors. On their Instagram they posted: “We started Toyshop in a snowstorm, and we’re ending in one as well, EPIC!! What a helluva a ride it’s been, we did the damn thing and we gotta wrap it all up. Thanks to our awesome crew for making it happen day in and day out, and to everyone who came thru and made this past year possible!!” However … this week the fan account of the Alberta Arts District posted a photo of a sign on the property’s window that says, “Take Two … Coming Soon.” An electrical permit for “tenant improvements” was updated last month, but that’s all I know. I’ll see what I can find out. 3000 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
The OLCC predicts alcohol revenue will slip by $132 million. TL;DR is that less people are buying top-shelf liquor products, according to OLCC spokesperson Mark Pettinger: “… The demand for top-shelf liquor increased during the pandemic, and if this trend had continued along with moderate inflation, sales could still be on the rise. However, he said Oregonians have returned to mid-tier products.” And some Oregonians are simply electing not to drink booze at all.
Futura Coffee Roasters has a new location in SE PDX. Earlier this week, the folks at Futura Coffee Roasters posted that they’ve opened their third location, “bringing regenerative coffee to Portland’s Division St neighborhood.”They’ll be open daily from 7am to 4pm. 4330 SE Division Street, Portland
Nico’s heads to Troutdale. Nico Vergara and crew are opening their third Nico’s Ice Cream location in east county—downtown Troutdale at The Highlands. You can read more about The Highlands on their website. It is a pod but will have a “2000 sq ft indoor, all-ages, dining room that will be shared by all the carts with a full bar.” Joining Nico’s will be Wayfinder Beer (who will focus on making beer, no food) and Checkerboard Pizza, among others. As Nico says, “Pizza, beer, and ice cream. What more could you need?” Projected opening is late May 2024. 102 SW 2nd Street, Troutdale
Sandy Jug to open this month. Over on Instagram, the Sandy Jug Tavern posted, “pushed back a week. hopefully this next weekend.” Sounds like they’ll be open not this weekend but the next, so that would be the weekend of January 26 (if you count Friday evening as part of the weekend). It’s exciting to think they’ll be open soon; I can’t wait to check it out. 7417 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Rescheduled collab between Nico’s and Pip’s. This crazy icy weather has thrown multiple monkey wrenches into multiple businesses this week, so the originally planned collab between Nico’s Ice Cream and Pip’s Original had to be postponed. They are attempting to do it this weekend: “We’ll be blending in Pip’s donuts into our vanilla base, then topping it with nutella, honey, and coconut flakes. We call it the Tropical Reggie Lee!” If you can, head to Nico’s Fremont location on Saturday, January 20 all day (noon to 9pm). 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland
That “10 Places” bit on social. I’ve seen it mostly on Instagram, but people are sharing the 10 restaurants/small businesses they want to support after the ice recedes enough to get back out into the world. For me, I want to support the following:
If you have suggestions or favorite place you want to support, drop a comment.
Upcoming relevér popup. I recently came across the Instagram for relevér and have learned that the key element of the work of this popup is “spicy.” Last November their food was influenced by “Korean, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, French and Spanish cuisines.” This time, it’s …. TACO BELL? Yes, it sure looks like it. Whatever the inspiration, there will be food by Chef Han Ly Hwang of Kim Jong Grillin and natural wines by Chef Kyle Christy of Street Disco. Coming soon. 4144A SE 60th Avenue, Portland
