Tag: Sebastiano’s

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 1)

Three Fifty Cafe has closed. The good folks behind the Three Fifty Cafe in Cully posted on social media this week that they have shut their doors: “We are sad to announce that our café has permanently closed. Thank you for all the support from our neighbors and friends over this past year. We will truly miss you!” This is a real bummer. I wish them only the best of luck in whatever new path they take. 6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland

The Wild Bunch kickoff is tonight. The Wild Bunch, a celebration of natural wine (which I would totally be into if I drank alcohol) is this Saturday evening, but they are doing a kickoff party at Bar Norman tonight (Friday), and it’s looking good. Head there, “no tickets, just drop in,” from 6pm to 9pm.

“Stop tonight to taste 13 tasty wines from the heart of Central Europe. The winemakers from Blažič and Rodica (both from Slovenia) will be pouring, as well two of our favorite importers, Black Lamb Wines and Vinum. Expect to find wines from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia in your glass!” There will also be smash burgers and short rib sandwiches from Little Brother; DJ Broken Arrow will be spinning tunes. 2615 SE Clinton Street, Portland

Quiche Me if You Can arrives in Montavilla this month. The old Sebastiano’s space has a new tenant: Quiche Me if You Can. The Montavilla News has more info:

“Owner Christa Voytilla will take over the shop on March 1st and begin reshaping the space with an indoor service counter and quiche-focused kitchen. Since 2019, the farmers’ market chef has grown her business and is now expanding into the company’s first brick-and-mortar location. Although the new Montavilla storefront will become the central home for Quiche Me if You Can, they will retain their farmers market roots.” Read more here. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

More food trucks coming to Portland’s west side. In the continuing efforts to revitalize downtown Portland, “Portland City Council passed an emergency ordinance in January, directing the Portland Bureau of Transportation to establish the two-year [food truck] pilot [program].” The idea is to offer more dining options to folks downtown, workers and residents alike; and, to give food truck operators more opportunities, too. Three locations are already set:

  • Pacwest Center, 1121 Southwest Fifth Avenue. Tuesday to Thursday, 11am to 2pm.
  • NV Apartments, 1261 Northwest Overton Street. Thursdays, 5pm to 7:30pm.
  • Lownsdale Square Park, 350 Southwest Salmon Street. Monday to Friday, 11am to 2pm with daily food truck rotations.

Participants are limited to mobile food trucks, no static food carts. You can find a bunch of those at the Midtown Beer Garden. Read more about this pilot program from the city, here.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (February 23)

Fermenter is closing, then reimagining. Despite the O’s clickable headline, “Award-winning Portland vegan restaurant to close,” that’s only half the story. Sure, they are (get ready for some shouting) “CLOSING THE DING DANG FERMENTER DOWN ON MARCH 31st” but “OPENING UP SOMETHING ELSE IN APRIL BUT IT’S TOP SECRET BUT ONE RAD THING IS WE DON’T HAVE TO BREAK UP THE CREW. YAY JOBS!” So head to Fermenter to enjoy their current work until the end of March, and get excited for whatever comes next. More on their Instagram post. 1403 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Kure Superfoods Cafe moves into old Hopscotch space. No, not that Hopscotch, but the shuttered place on SE Hawthorne that offered, among other things, New Jersey-style bar pies. I actually passed the empty storefront earlier this month when I was checking out the new location of Michael’s Italian Beer and Sausage and wondered if anything would move in soon. A Bridgetown Bites reader told me about Kure taking up the SE Hawthorne space and it turns out that, despite them being a local chain opening up another location, this is the transition that the OG Kure cart is making—leaving it behind and moving into a real deal brick & mortar, right across the street.

An additional element that crossed my desk this morning was the story of the woman who owns the house in whose front yard the Kure cart was born. She wants to sell her home, but only to “the right buyer.” Is it you? 4380 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Frozen custard in a flower shop. I only recently became aware of this setup in NE Portland’s Colibri florist on NE Prescott just west of 15th Ave, across from that little cluster of eateries that includes VilleVello Bakery (home of amazing quiche) and CereusPDX. Now about this frozen custard biz:

“Cornet Custard is the wild, inspired child of Mika Paredes and Naomi Pomeroy of Beast restaurant fame. After working together on and off since 2004, the pair came back together post-pandemic at the short-lived (but much adored) Ripe Cooperative. There at Ripe, Mika got to work creating the RICHEST, MOST LUXURIOUS Frozen Custard ever known — with 12 egg yolks in every quart— inspired by CLASSIC FLAVORS using old fashioned methods and the VERY BEST INGREDIENTS.”

Along with flowers and plants at Colibri, you’ll find “a secret espresso counter and a freezer full of Cornet Custard.” They scoop in real time, too: Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4pm. 1454 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Sebastiano’s timeline. Dan and Elise over at Sebastiano’s “tell it like it is” when it comes to transitions, over on their Instagram—a big ball of mixed feelings and memories. They also provided a timeline for their work and locations:

February 21 – 24 – Final Full Week in Montavilla
February 28 – 29 – Last Two Days in Montavilla
March 2 – Come see us @thewildbunchpdx
March 7-9 Opening Weekend in Sellwood
March 11 – Open 6 Days a Week in Sellwood

I’m sad to see them leave Montavilla but at the same time happy for them as they grow and change. Looking forward to hitting them up in Sellwood! 411 SE 81st Avenue (Montavilla) and 8235 SE 13th Avenue (Sellwood), Portland

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Looking Forward: Excited About These Restaurant Openings in 2024

‘Tis the season for end-of-the-year lists. I haven’t done too many of them on the blog, but I thought this year I’d change things up. One of the topics I’ve seen talked about in food media is anticipated 2024 restaurant openings. I have a handful—and they’re not just limited to restaurants— that I’m eager to see become a reality, so I thought I’d share them here.

Continue reading “Looking Forward: Excited About These Restaurant Openings in 2024”
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Four Things I Learned This Week (May 12)

Chaat Wallah cart opens today at 3pm. Over on their Instagram, the Chaat Wallah folks wrote, “This a secret just between us but you’ll be able to enjoy our nacho chaat and other goodies this Friday starting at 3pm. We’re planning on being open all weekend unless we just run out of food because you don’t keep this a secret.” PDX Eater also wrote an article on the opening of the cart, which will be adjacent to Upright Brewing and Junior’s in Cully/Roseway. Among the offerings will be a “spiced lamb smash burger with buttermilk curry, garlic chile crisp, and pickled eggplant puree.” There will be vegetarian options, too. Check it out!  7151 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Sebastiano’s has gotten themselves a second location. In an email, Dan and Elise at Sebastiano’s revealed they now have a second location (it seems the Montavilla location will remain). The main activity there will be to be their commercial kitchen, which will support their presence at the Sellwood and Woodstock farmers markets.

The ability to eat there is also in the future plans: “Over time, we hope to build out the adjoining space to create a dining area and open the space to the public. We are hesitant to put a date on it, but it feels like a good Fall project to get going on the buildout. In the meantime, you can find Sebastiano’s at the Sellwood Farmers Market which starts this Saturday!” Congrats, Dan and Elise! 8235 SE 13th Avenue, Portland

Jerusalem Rose Market to close and adjust. This week, I learned that the Jerusalem Rose Market, a place that celebrates SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) food and supports the Center for Study & Preservation of Palestine, “will not be able to go on as it is right now past this month.” The reasons? One, it has to do with money: “the financial goals have just not panned out.” And two, the fact that “[they] cannot continue to produce our prepared foods at the rate that the market requires.” There is a lot of demand. They will close the store Sunday, May 28. Read more about their plans, here. 2948 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland

Milo’s City Cafe has closed temporarily. The O has reported that over on NE Broadway, Milo’s City Cafe, “known for its smoked salmon eggs Benedict and chicken and waffles topped with fried leeks,” has temporarily closed. A sign on the door says “Look for us to reopen soon.” Michael Russell mentions the closing of Zell’s in the article, which is a bummer, though I know there are mixed feelings about what Zell’s became after some revamps. I did miss the scones. Anyway, here’s to Milo’s opening sooner rather than later. 1325 NE Broadway, Portland