Tag: Salt & Straw

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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 8)

Get ready for Bluto’s. As someone who lived in a heavily-Greek neighborhood for many years, and who misses having access to a plethora of Hellenic restaurant, cafe, and grocery options, whenever I hear about Greek food in Portland my interest is seriously piqued. Rick Gencarelli, the force behind Lardo and Grassa, is opening Bluto’s, a “Greek-inspired” spot that will “keep it super fun and embrace the inauthenticness.” It certainly has gotten me wondering… and eager to try it.

Souvlaki will be a major thing there; Greek salads, too, and there was mention of possible saganaki (always a crowd-pleaser). I always loved a plate of dips that include tirokafteri (spicy feta), and have hopes it will make it on the menu. Check out the Oregonian for more details. 2838 SE Belmont Street, Portland (opening November 2021)

Cloudforest hints. Yesterday on Cloudforest’s Instagram stories, they indicated that Ecuadorian-style empanadas and Ecuadorian TRAVIESA roasters coffee for espresso may make it to their menu. Stay tuned for more on that. 727 SE Morrison St, Portland

DarSalam adjusts. They announced that they are closing two of their locations: “After months of adjusting the menu, staffing or other things we have decided to close our Pearl and Hawthorne locations.” On the positive side, though, you can still enjoy their delicious Iraqi food downtown and in Northeast Portland. 2921 NE Alberta Street and 320 SW Alder Street, Portland

Bug out your ice cream. Salt & Straw likes to push the envelope, and they have done so this month—their seasonal scoops in October include “Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters,” a matcha ice cream with toffee-brittle mealworms and chocolate crickets. Not my style, but I’m sure some of you out there will enjoy. Personally, I’m looking forward to the “Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread” with chunks of pumpkin bread and whipped cream cheese frosting. Various, including 2035 NE Alberta Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 13)

Happy Friday the 13th! So far the spookiest things I’ve seen today have been a strange wintry mix was falling from the sky this morning, and that all the garnet yams were gone from the Safeway. Aside from that, here are some of the things I learned about this week in Portland food.

House Accounts at Bhuna. Local restaurants are looking to alternate ways to keep the cashflow going during this virus crisis, and Bhuna has chosen a kind of pay ahead model. More about these accounts:

“Our community of guests is really important to us. We wanted to get you involved in the continued growth of our restaurant, so we partnered with inKind to introduce House Accounts. House Accounts allow us to reward loyal guests for pre-purchasing their next few meals. You get bonus dining credit to spend at Bhuna, and we get the funds to continue spreading the joy our food brings.”

The credit never expires and they are selling a limited number of accounts. You can participate here.

Inexpensive Eats. The Oregonian put together a list of 40 Best Inexpensive Restaurants this week. Here are some that are located further east:

  • Binh Minh Sandwiches, 7821 SE Powell Blvd
  • Bun Bo Hue Restaurant, 7002 SE 82nd Avenue
  • Du’s Grill, 5365 NE Sandy Blvd
  • Ha VL, 2738 SE 82nd Avenue #102
  • Rose VL, 6424 SE Powell Blvd
  • HK Cafe, 4410 SE. 82nd Avenue
  • Master Kong, 8435 SE Division Street
  • Pho Oregon, 2518 NE 82nd Avenue
  • Pure Spice, 2446 SE. 87th Avenue
  • Tortilleria y Tienda de Leon’s, 16223 NE Glisan Street

Salt & Straw’s March 2020 Flavors. I can attest that the Cinnatopia Cinnamon Bun and Salted Caramel Cupcake flavors this month are particularly good. I also hear the Wild Foraged Berry Pie is a major seller right now, too.

How Coronavirus Is Impacting the Portland Restaurant World. Eater has the staff, time and resources to keep track of the broad spectrum of ways COVID-19 is affecting Portland restaurants, so head on over for updates.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 20)

Back on track and here with the news—here’s four things I learned this week.

Portland, Prince of Barbecue. Texas Monthly magazine proclaims it: Portland has the best Texas Barbecue scene outside of Texas. That’s pretty high praise. The article gives shout outs to Holy Trinity Barbecue, Matt’s BBQ, Podnah’s Pit Barbecue, Bark City BBQ, Botto’s BBQ, and Bullard.

The Rock scoops Portland. This week we learned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has purchased a stake in Salt & Straw, and has put together a couple new flavors for the holiday season “based on Johnson’s “Dwanta Claus” character.” Here are the descriptions from Salt & Straw:

I Saw Mommy Kissing Dwanta Claus: We upgraded the classic kiss cookie with peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough and a milk chocolate caramel fudge swirl. Then we brought the naughty with rich whiskey ice cream.

The Rock’n Around the Christmas Tree: We hid one of Dwanta’s favorite “cheat day” gifts under the tree—gooey brownies made extra indulgent with buttery frosting. Pacific Northwest spruce ice cream gets decorated with raspberry jam and glacé cherries, just like you’d find in fruitcake.

Peppermint Cocoa, Cinnamon Chai Spiced Eggnog (v), and Chocolate Gooey Brownie round out the holiday flavors this year.

Guide to Fish & Chips on the coast. Not really about Portland, but awesome just the same if you like fish & chips as much as I do (Bennett’s Fish Shack in WA is my overall fave in the PNW region), this is an exciting map of 14 fish & chips spots on the Oregon Coast from Jennifer Burns Bright. I know what I’ll be doing on the coast when I’m out there.

Masía’s Instagram woke up. New Spanish restaurant from Jose Chesa, Masía, published their first post on Instagram yesterday.

“Hello, friends! We’re building and testing and cooking and getting ready to open very soon! In Spain a Masía is a rural home away from home, and we’re building our space in downtown Portland in that spirit: your Spanish home away from home here in Portland. A cozy and welcoming place to escape and enjoy all the very best flavors of Catalan cuisine with family and friends. Stay tuned!”

They’ll open on the ground floor of the upcoming Hyatt Centric hotel on SW Adler and 11th, hopefully in January 2020.