Tag: Sebastiano’s

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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

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Four Things I Learned This Week (March 10)

Green Zebra Grocery will close at the end of March. Very sorry to hear of this news, which has been plastered all over food media this week. You can read the official press release on their website (or, via this PDF). I’ll admit: I only shopped at Green Zebra occasionally; their prices were higher than a lot of places around town. I didn’t realize they considered themselves to be a “healthy convenience store,” but in hindsight, that makes sense. The reasons for shutting down, from Lisa Sedlar, Green Zebra’s founder and CEO:

“We experienced 9 straight quarters of increases to our cost of goods, packaging, fuel, insurance, taxes, freight charges and well, pretty much everything. Combine that with supply chain and staffing shortages and razor thin grocery margins, we just couldn’t overcome all the obstacles. We definitely gave it our all and fought the good fight. We are thankful for the opportunity to have been in service to our community.”

Get moar zeppole! Last week I mentioned the availability of zeppole from Bella Italian Bakery in Lents; today I am telling you about the availability of zeppole at Sebastiano’s. They are offering these delicious St. Joseph’s Day pastries—“a pate choux pastry with pastry cream and ricotta filling”—via pre-order for pickup Wednesday, March 15 to Saturday, March 18. You can order 4-, 6-, and 12-packs of zeppole at the Sebastiano’s Tock page. Order soon; supplies are limited. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland

Food trucks for Argay? Project under review. Currently occupied by the Taqueriea Queretaro food truck and LadyBug Bikini Espresso Drive Thru, this lot has potential new plans in the works. Permits have been submitted to convert it into a full-blown food truck lot/pod for 10 food trucks, seating, and parking. Some of you may know this intersection from it being in your neighborhood; some may know it as just a little bit east of the turn for Costco; and for some as the location of the Sandy Hot Wings Cafe, which made into a roundup from PoMo last year of the best chicken wings in Portland. Taqueria Queretaro also gets a lot of love. NE 141st Avenue and Sandy Blvd, Portland

New salad at Fresh Love. I’m a big fan of the prepared food at Fresh Love—salads, soups, bowls, sandwiches. All have been excellent. They have a new salad on the menu that I am eager to try: “We are moving into spring with this crunchy munchy Little Gem salad with blue cheese dressing, hard boiled egg, crispy sour dough croutons, avocado and pickled mustard seeds.”

Let me tell you about pickled mustard seeds—I first tasted them on an unusual dish back in Astoria at the long-gone Queens Kickshaw. The dish was a cold poached egg with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds. I was a bit dubious at first, but these tangy seeds were a great mix of flavor and texture, and I’ve never forgotten them. Looking forward to trying the ones from Fresh Love in this salad. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (January 6)

El Yucateco is still in business, they’ve just moved. Over the past month or so when I’d drive east on Sandy Blvd, I noticed the El Yucateco food truck wasn’t where it has been for quite some time (the gravel lot at NE Sandy and 131st Place). Turns out the’ve moved just a couple of minutes west on Sandy, next to the motorcycle bar on the north side of the street. I love their panuchos and the folks who run the cart are so nice and friendly. Check it out if you haven’t already. 11807 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Prince Coffee’s new location is open. Their NW Portland location is now in soft open mode! Stop on over for a high-quality coffee—for now they are open from 7am to 4pm daily until their liquor license for their upcoming wine program is approved. 915 NW 19th Avenue, Portland

NOLA Doughnuts has closed all locations. Sad news, courtesy of the COVID era (and, frankly, IMO not enough support from the City of Portland). From their Instagram:

“It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing that as of today (1/5), NOLA Doughnuts has closed all locations. The slow rebound from the pandemic and the current economic conditions have led us to make this difficult decision. We have enjoyed serving everyone our delicious New Orleans inspired treats over the years and we want to thank our amazing team members and our customers for being a part of this journey. While we are sad it has come to an end, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to share our doughnuts and beignets with so many incredible people. Thank you all for your support, and we wish you all the best in 2023 and beyond.”

New things coming to Sebastiano’s. Their new year’s email arrived this week and it is chock full of cool things coming to this great Sicilian-American shop in Montavilla. As for good eats, look for a newTangerine-Blood Orange Marmellata, a Blood Orange curd, and hoagie rolls for grinders and meatball subs. On the operations side of things, they hope to open for a fifth day of the week, likely Tuesday.

They also bought a 20-year old Dodge Cargo Sprinter Van to turn into a mobile kitchen for catering and pop-ups (“picture Arancini Pop-Ups, or Sicilian Donuts & Cannoli Towers at weddings, parties, and elsewhere around town”). I send good wishes to Dan, Elise, and all at Sebastiano’s—see you soon. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland