Top 10 Posts on Bridgetown Bites for 2022

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It’s 2023! And though we are in a new year, I’m looking back at the top 10 posts of 2022. I realize that the last time I did this was … 2017.

It was, as usual, interesting to see what got the most traffic in 2022—meaning, what readers were particularly drawn to. It’s no surprise that restaurant news was the main driver, and summer seems to be a bit of a theme.

Over 55,000 visits were recorded, and almost 35,000 of those visits were new to the site. Not bad for this modest operation.

As always, thanks for reading!

10. Portland Strawberry Museum Returns to Zuckercreme This Year

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Last year I remember coming across something called the “Portland Strawberry Museum” and wondering, “what the heck was that?” I mean, what a great name! Is there some kind of museum dedicated to strawberries in Portland? Turns out it was a month of Saturdays in June of celebrating the strawberry, from Brittany Sigal’s Zuckercreme (then a popup). It is back this year for the entire month of June at her space in Montavilla.

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Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2022

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This time around an old post made its way into November’s top five: December 2021’s rundown of Salt & Straw ice cream flavors. Good news for those who like consistency, though: December 2022’s Holiday Series flavors are the same as last years!

As for traffic, Bridgetown Bites is growing, apparently. My web host has questions about traffic, so that’s why the site was down for a few days in November (they nuked it around Thanksgiving, nice … not). I’m currently in troubleshooting mode to fix the issues. And looking into new hosts (if you have a favorite, shoot me an email). Thanks for your patience. And thanks, as always, for reading.

5. Mattino’s Wine, From the Folks Who Brought You No Saint, Will Open in Buckman

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While perusing my sources today I saw one document that had a big ol’ “No Saint” written on it. I thought, “Huh, that’s so familiar.” I wracked my brain and then it hit me—No Saint was the pizza/Italian eats pop-up I went to with my friend Annie many months ago. Turns out they are the same folks behind Mattino’s Wine, a “natural wine bottle shop + luncheonette” that will open on Hawthorne Blvd in the Buckman neighborhood.

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Thanksgiving 2022 in Portland

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Can you believe it? Here are some options for for eat-in, take-out, meats, baked goods and treats for the holiday in Portland.

Dinner: Eat In

Andina. They are offering a four-course dinner of “local autumn bounty and delicious Peruvian flavors” on Thanksgiving Day from 2pm to 8pm. Vegetarian and traditional options available. Wine will be available by the bottle or via pairing, with Andean fare in mind. Signature and house cocktails will be available to celebrate on this special day of thanks.

  • First course: choice of delicata squash, quinoa, pickled onion, huacatay, parsley, radicchio; or butternut squash soup with salsa verde, pickled aji amarillo, and hazelnuts
  • Second course: choice of oxtail humita or red kuri squash
  • Third course: choice of grilled hen, Bordeaux sweet potato, ahi limo gravy; or gnocchi, hen of the woods, kale, kabocha squash
  • Fourth course: apple pie a la mode
  • All tables will receive root vegetable medley with apples, apple cider vinaigrette and pan d yema

$95 per person. Reserve your seats or get on the waitlist via Tock. andinarestaurant.com, 1314 NW Glisan Street, Portland


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Four Things I Learned This Week (October 28)

Two new food books on my radar. I’ve become aware of two new Portland food-oriented books—one Portland-centric and one by a Portlander that I’ve been following for a while (since my traditional food scene days). The first is Lost Restaurants of Portland, Oregon by Theresa Griffin Kennedy. The beginning of the blurb goes like this: “Delve into the Rose City’s colorful and sometimes tumultuous past through the memories, meals and recipes that put these bygone restaurants on the map.” Author Kennedy is a native Portlander.

The other book is called Cooking with Whey, by Urban Cheesecraft’s Claudia Lucero, who lives in Portland. The book’s subtitle is, “A Cheesemaker’s Guide to Using Whey in Probiotic Drinks, Savory Dishes, Sweet Treats, and More.” I once knew a guy in Queens—who eventually founded a kombucha company—who would buy gallons and gallons of whey from the Amish for his health needs. A friend once made me a whey soda that was out of this world tasty. Whey is amazing stuff. It deserves a book like this.

Hollyween Market is this Saturday. Head to the Hollywood Farmers Market this Saturday for their Halloween parade. There will be costumes. There will be dogs (most of which will also be in costume). And those (humans) in costume can enter a lottery to win fun market prizes post-parade. Plus, as always, there will be excellent vendors and chances to pick up some great food and products. 4420 NE Hancock Street, Portland

Adios, Fills. Fills, as reported, is closing down its Lake Oswego shop. Their final day of business will be Sunday October 30. They were going to close ion November 23 but persistent staffing issues sped things up. Prior to Sunday, you can visit them 8am to 8pm (Breakfast sando: 8am to 11:30am; Berliner Burger: 11:30am to 8pm). 3955 Mercantile Drive, Lake Oswego

Bakeshop and the Thanksgiving pies that won’t happen. Bakeshop announced in an email newsletter that they will not be making Thanksgiving pies and cheesecakes this year, which they understand will be disappointing to some. Here is their message:

“For the first time in twelve years, we will not be making Thanksgiving pies and cheesecakes. This has been a very difficult decision, especially knowing that many of you count on us for your dessert. But as we began this week short 6 of our 12 staff, I decided to admit defeat for my and my staff’s sanity, and to give you ample time to make alternate arrangements. Obviously this was a very difficult decision to make, as holiday pies have represented one of our largest, if not the largest, revenue streams of the year for Bakeshop — a stream that we depend on to buffer us through slow periods of the year.” 5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2021

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It’s always interesting to see what readers find particularly interesting and useful on the blog—I’m impressed that the Nepali Kitchen and Du Kuh Bee posts get so much traction. Nice to see the Thanksgiving post do so well—as a lover of roundups, I may do more holiday posts like it. As always, thanks for reading!

5. First Tastes: Nepali Kitchen in Northeast Portland

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Despite its failings, there are some gems on Nextdoor when it comes to food. I’ve found direct-access to top-notch sources of Indonesian food, epic Lasagna Bolognese, Texas-style tortillas and plenty of local food recommendations, including the subject of this blog post, Nepali Kitchen. They’ve opened in what seems to be a house on the corner of NE Fremont and 49th Ave (across the street from Stanich’s), with a lovely little courtyard established in the front yard. And the food is excellent.

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