Portland food news and views
Restaurant, bar, cafe, and food truck openings is the subject some of the most read Portland food news on Bridgetown Bites.
I was really happy to get the update on Vivienne’s opening as a culinary bookstore—the official date is Thursday, December 2. They’ll be open from noon to 6pm. But that’s not all!
Continue reading “Vivienne Culinary Bookstore Opens December 2”Free coffee with beans at Jim & Patty’s. One of my favorite spots in NE Portland, Jim & Patty’s, has a holiday special through December. If you buy a 12oz bag of coffee beans you get a free 16oz house coffee. And if you buy two 12oz bags of beans you get a free 16oz latte or mocha. Sound good to me. Get yourself a Pig Newton (I like the SuperJack version) while you’re at it. 4951 NE Fremont Street, Portland
100 Days of Babkas. Carly Tonini at Queen Croissants launched a project earlier this year called “100 Days of Babkas.” Yes, she’s making different kinds of Babkas for 100 days total. Here’s what she said at the start: “I knew I wanted to make something decadent for Day 1 of 100 Days of Babkas. What could be more fitting than an Oreo Cheesecake Babka! Babka is layered with Oreo cookie crumbs and Oreo cheesecake batter. It’s decadent. It’s a classic. Oreos just make me feel like a kid again.” She’s almost done (at Day 84 as of this writing, the Lasagna Bolognese Babka) but you can see her trail of creative babkas at the hashtag #100daysofbabkas on Instagram.
Moon Room opens to the public. Ecliptic Brewing is opening their second location to the public tomorrow, Saturday, November 6, in SE Portland (today is the media/industry event). They will have an “extensive tap list” eventually (up to 30 handles), a gin-focused cocktail program, and sandwich options via the Moon Room food trailer just outside the building, featuring fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. The Moon Room opens at noon tomorrow. 930 SE Oak Street, Portland
Ben & Esther’s Vegan Jewish Deli opening date. Announced on social media, Ben & Esther’s will open at their new location on Alberta Street on Saturday, November 20, 7am. It will be totally vegan in there, plus some GF options. Look for kosher-certification (both location) soon, too. 1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland
Bonus: Mystery Restaurant coming to Roseway? While reviewing city documents I came across this tidbit: a restaurant to open at 6520 NE Sandy Blvd, which right now looks like a house hidden by trees. Their paperwork is recent (set up 10/29/21; under review 11/01/21) and includes a Change of Occupancy request (from residential to business), plenty of reconfiguring of the interior (e.g., dining, lounge, game room), and structural work. My first wave of research didn’t pull up much more than that. If you know anything, please shoot me an email.
Slightly tardy this month, but surgery takes time to recover from and to get one’s focus back. Feeling good in recovery, and happy to see what was particularly interesting to visitors in September—restaurants and figs is what it looks like. As always, thanks for reading!
5. My New Fruit Love is the Adriatic Fig
This past weekend I made it over to Fig Fest at One Green World Nursery. One of the things that was on my docket was to try the different figs they had to offer; there were seven varieties to sample.
Continue reading “Top 5 Posts On Bridgetown Bites, September 2021”
Photo credits: Ben & Esther’s and Nico’s Ice Cream
Two businesses beloved to many Portlanders are opening new locations: Ben & Esther’s, which opened their first bagel shop in Roseway; and Nico’s Ice Cream, a cart offering New Zealand style ice cream, along with a packaged half-pint program as well. Ben & Esther’s will open in the Alberta Arts District and Nico’s in Cully.
Continue reading “Two Future Openings: Ben & Esther’s and Nico’s Ice Cream”
Swings as seating at Spud Monkey’s in Fairview. Perhaps they’ll install them in Hollywood, too.
I noticed the news today that the old Columbia River Brewing space is getting a new tenant—Spud Monkey’s. This is a bar that opened in 2011 in Gresham; the Hollywood District will be their third location. The boast that they are “primarily female owned and operated” and that they “specialize in potato-themed plates, including the Spuddy; a burger with a baked potato bun.” That’s a baked potato that serves as a bun, in case there was any confusion there. Continue reading “Spud Monkey’s Is Coming to Hollywood”
