Four Things I Learned This Week (December 1)

The 52nd Annual Gingerbread Masterpiece at The Benson Hotel. At 6pm on Wednesday night, The Benson Hotel revealed their annual gingerbread house—a giant replica of Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle—at a free event for kids (of all ages). It featured, of course, the amazing gingerbread castle, along with holiday music, children’s crafts, cookies, beverages, and a special appearance by Santa. Check it out in their lobby—it will be up until Saturday, December 30. 309 SW Broadway, Portland

Wonderwood Springs has re-opened. You can stop by this cafe, now run by Mike Bennett and continuing to feature his cartoon art, in the St Johns neighborhood. The cafe closed for a while as the business transferred ownership (and some former employees were dismayed by the process), but now it’s back. I visited them in their previous incarnation and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the food options. Happily, it looks like the food aspect of the cafe has evolved: Pastry Chef Victoria Ascencio is making a variety of things in-house, and there are new savory options on the menu. Look for pastries, breakfast sandwiches, popcorn, hot dogs, pretzels, cheese plates and more. They are open Wednesdays to Sundays from 8am to 10pm. 8811 N Lombard Street, Portland

A Franz Bakery outlet store is closing. Reported on Facebook about the closing: “The Franz Bakery Outlet Store at 14510 SE Stark Street ([open]since 1980) [is closing]. Other locations will remain open. Last day for this store will be December 6th.” 14510 SE Stark Street, Portland

New holiday drink menu at My-O-My drops tomorrow. Glad to see more seasonal drinks being developed at this great east Portland bar. One of the new drinks is the Frosted Candy Cane Slushie, which happens to be non-alcoholic. It’s made with coconut milk, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and peppermint. If you want to make it boozy, they recommend adding Rumplemintz. I can’t wait to see the rest of their festive holiday cocktail menu! 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Mokdong Gimbap to Open in Old Frog & Snail Space

Beautiful vegetable gimbap. Photo credit: cutekirin on Wikimedia Commons

As you know from reading this blog, Frog & Snail closed earlier this year, ending easy access to crepes and the magnificent French onion meatball sub they were known for. But a new place is opening up there, Mokdong Gimbap, offering sushi and—you’d expect—especially gimbap.

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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

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TEOTE Tavern to Open on NE 30th Avenue in the Concordia Neighborhood

Soon, the Concordia neighborhood will get to experience their very own TEOTE. Image credit: TEOTE

The other day I was perusing Instagram and learned that the folks behind TEOTE—which includes the TEOTE House Cafe (closed) and the Mezcalería (also closed)—will open a new spot on NE 30th Avenue just north of Killingsworth in the Concordia neighborhood. This is one of those areas that I like to call a “food nexxus” (a term I used while researching and writing “Food Lovers’ Guide to Queens” over a decade ago) because there is just so much good food and drink around there. The arrival of a TEOTE property is great news for the neighborhood.

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