Tag: pizza

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 7)

It’s National Donut Day today! Here’s a map of donut shops in Portland.

OX is closed until July. A Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me this note earlier this week: “OX is closed until Jul 1st. They cancelled all reservations. We drove past it last night and it is fenced off.” The website says, “Ox Restaurant is currently closed for repairs.” Back in March, OX had a fire that “started in the flue of the grill in the first level and extended into the roof structure.” There are a bunch of permits filed with the city for repairs, including work on the roof, ductwork, exhaust, piping, and a new kitchen fire suppression system. We wish them only the best as they work on fixes in order to reopen in a few weeks. 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland

Ranch Pizza and LoRo Coffee are open in Montavilla. They opened their doors yesterday, Thursday, June 6. Taking residence in the former Hungry Heart location, Ranch and LoRo are splitting the space, with coffee in the mornings and pizza later in the day. I stopped in this morning and had a really nice iced latte with almond milk and a piece of their bacon-cheese-potato focaccia. This is a nice addition to the neighborhood. Bonus: I noticed that a beacon light crosswalk is in process of being installed there at Stark and SE 80th Avenue! 7940 SE Stark Street, Portland

Check out the pre-Father’s Day artisan market at STEELPORT Knives this weekend. This is the fourth year they’ve done this event and the place will be full of knives for sale, vendors, music, free custom engravings, a raffle, and more. On the edible side of things look for Flying Fish Co, Jacobsen Salt Co, Kachka, Olympia Provisions, Puff Coffee, Smith Teamaker, The Flavor Society, Vorfruede Dairy Beef, Westward Whiskey, and Wilderton. 1pm to 4pm at their space on NE Sandy Blvd. More details on their Facebook event page. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd, Suite B, Portland

The final countdown is on for JaCiva’s Bakery. Their final day will be Saturday, June 29. About nine months ago the word came out that they were going to close. They continued going, but time is up. They posted on Instagram, “Our building is still for sale but we can no longer realistically operate in a way that is beneficial to both our staff and our customers.”

They added: “Thank you so much for nearly 40 beautiful years. Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your most cherished memories as you celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and all of life’s milestones. We have loved making your lives a little sweeter. We are not taking any preorders at this time. All items are first come first served. Please stay tuned on our social media accounts and our website for any updates as we navigate these final weeks. We love you!” 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Ole Frijole Has Closed
Strawberry Shortcake Week Is Coming
Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies Opens June 7 on SE Belmont

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Top Posts on Bridgetown Bites in 2023

Data Analytics Chart

We are comfortably into January 2024 and it’s time to take a look back at 2023’s most-read posts on Bridgetown Bites. They mostly involved openings and closings of restaurants and bars, but there was one article on an Asian market opening in SE Portland that made the list.

I’m happy to say that from an analytics POV, traffic almost doubled between 2022 and 2023 here on the blog. Regarding 2022 I said, “Over 55,000 visits were recorded, and almost 35,000 of those visits were new to the site.” In 2023 we had 106,000 unique visits, with 86,000 new to the site; these visitors generated almost 142,000 page views, too. Not too bad for this little independent blog.

I also read somewhere online that this blog skews toward NE Portland. That is a true statement. I also read in the same source that some readers would love to see more coverage of the west side of Portland. This is good feedback. will see what I can do about that, and diversifying geographically in general.

Thanks to all who have read, commented, sent tips (keep ’em coming!), and shared these articles/posts on social media and with friends. Here’s to another great year of delving into the Portland food world!

10. Yuginong Offers Gluten-Free Korean Fare in St. Johns

dining-room-yuginong-korean-portland-oregon

When I was at dinner the other night, my friends who live in St. Johns said “a Korean restaurant has finally opened in our neighborhood.” Of course, my interest was piqued so I asked more questions. The restaurant is Yuginong (or Yu Gi Nong), located in the space that was previously home to Sol Bowl and a Starbucks. They opened this past weekend.

Update: I hear only good things about Yuginong, with modifiers like “fresh,” “tasty,” and “very good.” I’m happy to know they are still going strong.

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Favorites of 2023: Bakeries, Food Trucks, Restaurants, Bars, Cafes

Truly, one of the most beautiful salads I ate this year. It was a seasonal special of sharp greens, strawberries, daikons, onions, radishes, causa, and a chicha morada lavender vinagreta from Reeva.

Welcome back to another end of year list. Instead of publishing our Four Things column today, I’m giving you a list of my favorite spots of 2023, where I enjoyed happy times eating and drinking. There’s a whole variety of places, some established, some new. This list is in no particular order, aside from alphabetically; in other words, no top pick. Please enjoy!

Cheese and Crack

For my birthday this year we had lunch at Paadee and then headed a couple doors down to Cheese & Crack for their titular sundae. I maintain that they make the best soft serve ice cream in Portland. It is smooth, creamy, and luscious. The toppings on this sundae are classic: chocolate ganache, cinnamon butter cracker crumble, and torched housemade marshmallow fluff. The sundaes really are enough for two, and their seasonal sundaes never cease to impress with their magical toppings combinations. 22 SE 28th Avenue, Portland. cheeseandcrack.com

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 8)

HÂP Fresh has opened in Montavilla’s south end. Over on Montavilla News, they have published an article on HÂP Fresh, which opened in the former Thai Fresh location on SE Division. It’s considered an “Asian fusion” restaurant, with a focus on its “renowned handmade” dumplings, at least to start. Owners Nasy Chan and Thomas Trieu (who have opened four restaurants together previously) with Chef Gulian Lui have created the menu. They are offering a 20% discount during the month of December to celebrate the opening. Head over to Montavilla News to read more. 8409 SE Division Street, Portland

“Pizza School is back!” So says Shardell Dues at Red Sauce Pizza. You can learn about the practical hands-on elements of creating a pizza—how to make [their] dough, shape a dough ball, and stretch and dress a cheese pizza. Two-hour classes happen once a month on Sundays starting in January (for three months—January 14, February 18, and March 10—at this point). $100 per class, payable by Venmo. More info and register on the Red Sauce website. 4641 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Sea veggie bites! Get yer sea veggie bites! Head to Providore tomorrow, Saturday December 9 from 1 to 4pm to sample tasty sea veggie bites. Blue Evolution executive chef Maylin Chavez and Winter Waters Co-Founder Alanna Kieffer will be there, and you can “taste some simple and delicious applications of these kelps, and chat with Alanna and Maylin about all things seaweed.” Learn how to use these products at home, too. H/T to Kathleen Bauer at GoodStuffNW for promoting it on her Instagram so it could catch my eye. 2340 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Too Soon is opening … soon. A Bridgetown Bites tipster led me to the Instagram account for Too Soon, a new bar from Adam Robinson (also of Deadshot) and Nick Flower (of the Face/Off cocktail pop-up). This location has been home to a number of places over the years, including Nightingale. Google says they are opening Wednesday, December 13. 18 NE 28th Avenue, Portland