Four Things I Learned This Week (March 11)

Kurt Russell’s Birthday Bash is back. On Thursday, March 17, head to Wedgehead to celebrate Kurt Russell’s 71st birthday at a party that is “bigger and better than ever before.” Before the shindig on the 17th, Wedgehead is partnering with the Hollywood Theatre for their screening of John Carpenter’s The Thing on Saturday & Sunday, March 12 & 13. If you attend, you’ll get a voucher good for half-off pinball at the birthday party on the 17th.

On the day of the birthday bash (the 17th) there will be a custom Pork Chop Express piñata made by The Venderia, an all-day movie marathon, free birthday cake, birthday cards to sign, and more. Read their Facebook post for the full range of offerings. 3728 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Rangoon Bistro is open. I mentioned Rangoon Bistro in a Small Bites column last year and the good news is: they are finally open! You can visit them for delicious Burmese food in the Breathe Building today through Sunday. Regular hours will be Wednesday-Friday 5-9pm and Saturday/Sunday 12am-9pm. Liquor license is coming. 2311 SE 50th Avenue, Portland

Snack Fest is here. The Portland Night Market is host to Snack Fest, “your new favorite food festival.” There will be 135 food and beverage vendors featuring treats from local restaurants, pop-ups, food carts/trucks, and more. Tonight from 5pm to 10pm and Saturday from noon to 10pm. 100 SE Alder Street, Portland

Get your St. Joseph’s Day pastries at Sebastiano’s. When I lived in Astoria, Queens—home to not only a famous Greek immigrant community but also a longtime Sicilian immigrant community—St. Joseph’s Day pastries were an annual occurrence. Whether you preferred zeppole or sfinge, you were guaranteed to eat something delicious. So I’m thrilled to see that Montavilla’s Sebastiano’s is offering zeppole this year. They describe it as, “a deluxe cream puff with a choux pastry, pastry cream and ricotta filling, topped with powdered sugar and an Italian Amarena cherry.” Seriously accurate, seriously good.

They come in packs of four ($16), eight ($30), or twelve ($42). Reserve yours now for pickup next week from Wednesday to Saturday, right there at Sebastiano’s. Monday night, March 14, is the cutoff for pre-orders, so get yours in today. 411 SE 81st Avenue, Portland


Small Bites – Rangoon Bistro, Sebastiano’s Cannoli, Closings, Openings, and Breakfast

The highly-praised cannoli at Sebastiano’s. Photo credit: Sebastiano’s

I came across so many interesting tidbits this week, so here’s a Small Bites in place of Four Things.

Banh Mi Boys update. Back in September (in another Small Bites post) I wrote about the arrival of Metairie-based Banh Mi Boys in the old Doe Donuts space on SE 82nd Ave. Turns out that space has not worked out for them so they are on the hunt for another location. Here’s hoping they stay on the east side (but I’m biased that way). New location TBD

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Thanksgiving 2021 in Portland

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Thanksgiving is basically just around the corner and in the world of food media, that means it’s time to publish Thanksgiving food and meal roundups. The big kids in town have done a lot of the digital legwork, for which I’m grateful, and you can find their full lists here:

Where to Get Thanksgiving Dine-In and Takeout in Portland [Portland Monthly]
Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland for 2021 [Eater]
Your Guide to Thanksgiving 2021 Food in Portland [EverOut/Portland Mercury]

There’s a lot to choose from. I’d summarize the lists as this: Portland Monthly’s list is a small, well-curated list; Eater’s is diverse; EverOut’s is extensive, including meals and baked goods. There is some overlap but they aren’t identical, which is a good thing.

Looking through these lists, there’s plenty of deliciousness, but here are the things that really stand out for me, plus some of my own additions.

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Small Bites: Pumpkin Edition

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A scoop of Jack o’ Lantern Pumpkin Bread ice cream from Salt & Straw. Photo credit: Salt & Straw.

The fall weather has arrived and that means it’s time for fall flavors—including pumpkin. Savory or sweet, it tastes like autumn, and for me the season is incomplete without it. Here are some pumpkin (and more) foods you can get in Portland that I think sound particularly good.

Bakeshop. Their Caramelized Apple and Pumpkin Hand Pie is superb (I had one a couple of weeks ago) and can be ordered on the website for the weekend (when Bakeshop is open these days). Warning: this pastry is very flaky, so you might find yourself covered in delicious, delicious pastry shards while eating it. 5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland 

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