Tag: Portland Polish Festival

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Four Things I Learned This Week (July 28)

Pono Brewing has closed. In the “I’m Late to the Party Club,” I saw while walking around the Hollywood District this week that Pono Brewing closed their Hollywood pub in late June. Very sorry to see that storefront is no longer active. That said, it must have been hard to operate at such a weird time of the pandemic. Judging from their Instagram, it seems like they are doing ok! I’m glad. 1728 NE 40th Avenue, Portland

Update on Lazy Susan. Over at Montavilla News they have more details on what’s going to happen at the Lazy Susan restaurant, which closed earlier this month. It’s going to turn into a Thai restaurant, probably named Yaowarat (Eater has details on Earl Ninsom’s concept). 7937 SE Stark Street, Portland

The Portland Polish Festival returns this year. The Portland Polish Festival is likely one of the most popular festivals in Portland, and between the pandemic and some safety issues from last year they’ve been inactive for too long. But they are back! Enjoy the music, dance, and food of Poland—like pierogi (dumplings made with either cheese & potato or cabbage & mushroom), kielbasa (sausage), or placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes). And beer! 3900 N Interstate Avenue, Portland

Fancy burgers at Coquine as “Johnny Burgs.” “For the next few Wednesdays we’ll be cueing up The Clash, and offering a concise dinner menu with an all Burgundy by the glass list. Come for a few different burger options, crab rolls, frites, and a menu for which we’re leaning into classic French cuisine for inspiration.”

A few of the things you might see on the menu include Burger “Le François”: Comté, rosemary griddled shallots, Dijon; Burger “La Marie-Louise”: Cantal Jeune, crispy Tropea onions, Jimmy Nardello peppers; a Dungeness crab roll, gougère fritters, and of course, the Coquine Cookie. You can make reservations on their Tock page. 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (August 19)

MidCity SmashBurger must leave its Stark Street digs. Looks like MidCity SmashBurger, which has had their cart serving “smashy bois” on Stark Street for a couple of years now, is going to have to move. “We are beginning a move to create space for a new pod which has certain requirements for cart owners and I do not meet the proper ‘owner criteria.'”

I noticed back in January that there was something going on at that location but beyond there being a new food cart pod arriving and improvements to the building, that’s all I knew. In late July, PoMo wrote an article about the newcomers taking over the space—a pod that will be operated by BIPOC and LGBTQ restaurant owners. The building will be home to the incoming Fracture taphouse, and that building will provide indoor seating for the pod adjacent, called Lil’ America.

MidCity will be looking for a new location—lots of fan suggestions in this Instagram post’s comments, but the PoMo article indicates “just a block away.” And it will have to happen by end of summer if the projected opening of Lil’ America happens in September as they would like. MidCity SmashBurger’s Cartside and Bend locations are staying put. 1015 SE Stark Street, Portland

Montelupo Market offers pasta night tote bags. For $65 you get “everything you need for a pasta night at home, ready to grab and go.” That includes a box of their house dried pasta, jarred sauce, wine & olive oil, all pre-loaded into a toma-tote. Nice. 344 NE 28th Avenue, Portland

Bag-O-Crab is open in Portland. Occupying what was the Original Taco House (locals still lament its closing) and more recently El Palenque (sadly, closed during the panedmic), Bag-O-Crab is now open in that space. They are a franchise, established in 2010 and have locations in CA and WA, and bring all sorts of seafood yums to the table—here’s their introduction:

“In Bag O’ Crab, you can enjoy a wide range of selected seafood including Dungeness Crab, Lobster, Shrimp, Crawfish and more in family inherited receipts. These seafoods are handpicked every day to ensure the highest standard is provided to our customers. Don’t like the seafood? Sorry to hear that. Although Seafood is our specialty, we also have something for you! Our Cajun style wings and Grill beef short ribs with French fries are gorgeous! And you can always explore the menu for more!” 3255 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Portland Polish Festival—on, then off again. The Portland Polish Festival, arguably one of the most beloved and popular cultural festivals in Portland, was planning on coming back after being on hiatus during the pandemic. However, they have since changed their minds. On their Facebook page they posted, “The Portland Polish Festival will not be held in September 2022 in our North Portland Neighborhood due to unforeseen circumstances (primarily related to safety concerns associated with the homeless encampment located in our neighborhood).”

They are, however, planning a smaller event—perhaps Dozynki, like last year? I’ll keep an eye on it. If you’re interested in knowing about other cultural festivals in the area, keep this list handy.