Small Bites – Closings, Anniversaries, New Menus, Consolidations, Ice Cream, and More

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Ensalada Bomba at G-Love. Photo credit: G-Love

A whole raft of tidbits have crossed my desk this week, so welcome to another edition of Small Bites (in place of Friday’s regular Four Things I Learned This Week column). Also: have a great Labor Day Weekend, too!

Best bars and restaurants for wine lovers in PDX. Decanter published a delightful listicle of their favorite spots for wine lovers in our fair city. Included on that list are Davenport, Canard, Coquine, Providore, and more.

Continue reading “Small Bites – Closings, Anniversaries, New Menus, Consolidations, Ice Cream, and More”

Nico’s Cantina Coming to Cully?

Recently on the Nico’s Ice Cream Instagram, Nico posted a photo of himself in front of the old Dick’s Primal Burgers space at 4318 NE Cully Blvd, looking very happy and satisfied. The handle @nicoscantina was in there, too. So does that mean Nico is expanding his delicious ice cream empire to a delicious non-ice-cream restaurant/cantina?

That’s a good guess. The Nico’s Cantina Instagram says “A place to gather. Opening August 2022.” Sounds good to me—that space on Cully Blvd is great, with a lovely patio out back, and the neighborhood deserves to have something excellent in that space. I am confident Nico could bring that to Cully. We’ll keep an eye on it here and hopefully bring you more good news.

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 27)

Mocktails at Zinc. This week I had dinner at Zinc Bistro & Bar in Multnomah Village and was happy to see that they have three zero-proof cocktails on the menu. I chose the one that was particularly summery sounding, with flavors of cucumber, basil, and mint. Sparkly and very refreshing. 7800 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Get your birthday ice cream at Nico’s. Similar to the way Pip’s Original does it, you can stop by Nico’s and get a free ice cream on your birthday or seven days after. This is particularly great for us summer birthday kids! 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Best butcher shops in Portland. PoMo has a great roundup of quality butcher shops around town where you can get your favorite meats for your Memorial Day cookout, or really any time of the year. I’m particularly glad to see Gartner’s in Cully on there, but all the selections are great. Definitely check it out. Various locations

Somebody Feed Phil in Portland. Thanks to The O, I learned that one of the episodes in Season 5 of Somebody Feed Phil takes place in Portland! Actually, now that I think about it, I may have heard Bill Oakley talk about it a while back. Anyway, The Oregonian article has good details—places Phil visited include Fried Egg I’m In LoveMatt’s BBQ, DesiPDX (these three he visited with Michael Russell, The Oregonian’s restaurant critic), KachkaHan OakRuthie’s food cart, Tov Coffee, and Doe Donuts. Bill Oakley also took Phil to Portland Caphe. It looks like a great episode.

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 20)

Nico’s Ice Cream celebrates one year in the biz. In honor of Nico’s Ice Cream’s first anniversary, they have collaborated with the amazing Jinju Patisserie (home of one of the best croissants in town, among other delectable items) for a limited-edition (only 150 half-pints produced) flavor: The Brookie. It’s a combo of the brownies, cookies, and vanilla ice cream—and it’s only available this Saturday, May 21 at Nico’s.

Additionally, there will be a party on the 21st! Along with the special half-pint, the first 50 people get free ice cream. Tita’s Kitchen will be making enchiladas, and there will be a merch sale. Sounds like a great way to spend what will likely be a pretty bitchin’ day of sun and warmth in Portland. 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Homemade Lao sausages at Mekong Bistro. Mekong Bistro, Portland’s only (to my knowledge) Cambodian restaurant, has made their famous homemade Lao sausages available for purchase. For a limited time, get packs for five links (frozen) for ten bucks. Pick up at Mekong Bistro. Pro tip: prices will increase in June (inventory cost issues) so get them sooner than later. 8200 NE Siskiyou Street, Portland

Thai Me Drunken Noodle joins Growler’s Taproom. Montavilla News reports that Thai Me Drunken Noodle cart—which has operated in that corner space/pod at NE 28th and Glisan for the past six months—will open a food cart connected to Growler’s Taproom. Erica’s Soul Food was at that location most recently. Thai Me Drunken Noodle’s specialty is “Laotian-style fried chicken served over sticky rice with a sauce made from a family recipe” and other northern Thailand and Laos cuisine. The cart will act as an extension of the taproom: “It’s more of a brick and mortar kind of feel, but we are adjusting it where the kitchen is in the cart,” says Joe Rodgers, who owns Growler’s. Read the Montavilla News article for lots more info. 803 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Food businesses grow in East Multnomah County. Head over to the Oregonian for the news about all the new food businesses that have opened in East county. Fairview Food Plaza, Troutdale Station, Rockwood Market Hall—it’s all good news for folks out east. Plus that giant fork is still there, still rad.