Small Bites: Kachka, Bar Nouveau, Mayor Millie, and More

Mayor Millie's Mexican Lager label at Montavilla Brew Works.
Mayor Millie will be there at this Saturday’s event!

A new cocktail bar from Kachka is coming this summer. The Portland Business Journal reports that Kachka will open a “full bar concept” in what was the Aimsir Distilling space. Aimsir closed in early January; you may be aware of the tension between them and Jade Rabbit, who are now operating on SE Belmont and 23rd.

Anyway, the article indicates that “[Owner Bonnie] Morales had already leased 2,100 square feet in the same building for a production facility. Half of that space was earmarked for distilling Kachka’s horseradish vodka. The vodka production started in the new space in February, Morales said. By taking over the Aimsir lease, Kachka is adding another 1,500 square feet, but more importantly, the space comes with a fully built out kitchen and distilling equipment.” No name for the bar yet, but I’ll keep an eye on it. 2117 NE Oregon Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 18)

The NYT Portland 25. The New York Times published a list called “The 25 Best Restaurants in Portland, Ore., Right Now.” Here’s a gift article in case you haven’t been able to access it. It’s part of the Times’ Where to Eat: 25 Best series, which will take place in various cities around the U.S. It’s a pretty solid list but of course, Portlanders have already remarked on restaurants that didn’t make it on the list but should have. For me, the one I am most curious about is Pasar, so I need to add that to my own eating list. Various locations

Fresh Love: What’s coming? Ben Cutler, one of the owners of Fresh Love (one of my favorite food places in town) shared news about a few new things coming to this sweet little eatery and small grocery store in the Roseway neighborhood. They include bulk items (they are working what exactly they will carry); half pints of Pronto Gelato; some local frozen meat options; and more. If you haven’t been by any time soon, definitely head over for a sandwich, salad, smoothie, and some of the best avocados in town. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

ICYMI, break-ins at Rose City Food Park. I often mention how empty storefronts are no bueno, but break-ins plain piss me off. This past week there were three carts in the Rose City Food Park pod that were broken into: Momo House, Ocean Sushi, and J Vein Caffe. Like most cowards, they did it in the middle of the night, around 3am. What was stolen? Tools, spare parts, and tablets, which means online ordering systems are negatively affected. The sushi cart had just moved to the pod within the last week. As its owner, Nai Tun, says, “It feels so bad.” 5235 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Trimet talks coffee. I recently discovered that Trimet publishes a blog. It’s mostly about transit-centric stuff, like safety on Trimet, but this week they published a post called “10 unique Portland-area coffee shops you can visit by TriMet.” I was familiar with most of the Portland-proper cafes, but many of the ones in the suburbs are new to me, and I look forward to checking them out. Also, I would add Case Study to both downtown and NE Portland, as the one downtown is right on the MAX line, and the NE one is right on the 12 line. Various locations.


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

NYC Pizzeria To Open a Second Location in Portland
Second Annual Bread Fest Is October 20
TAPTAP Cuisine Will Open a Restaurant on Sandy Blvd

Also: Bridgetown Bites is on Flipboard! If you use this platform—I do with a personal account, and love the “flipping” UI, so satisfying—feel free to follow us over there.