Coconut cold brew with ube whip. Photo credit: Kalesa Coffee.
Kalesa Coffee celebrates 4 years. Stop by Kalesa Coffee tomorrow from 8am to 2pm for pastries, flowers, ice cream and cake—and, of course, coffee. If you’re new to them, they are “a community-oriented coffee shop centering Philippine flavors and pastries.” Congrats! 722 N Page Street, Portland
Artisserie Lake Oswego is open. This French pastry shop and bakery opened at the end of August in Lake Oswego (they’ve been on NW 23rd Avenue for a while). They offer croissants, macarons, cakes, baguettes, and more. And brunch! Local influencer @micbanh was there recently and wrote about the brunch:
“The brunch menu is available until 3pm and features dishes like the Courgette Quiche, Suprême Dubai French Toast, Heirloom Cherry Tomato Toast, and more. They also serve bubbly and cocktails for those looking to indulge a little extra!” 50 First Street, Lake Oswego
This year I ate at a variety of places—some fancy, some more modest. But they all served me excellent, tasty, wonderful food. Here are my favorite bites in Portland in 2024.
Bison Coffeehouse: Cafe Latte
Located in Cully on Cully Blvd, this is one of two Native-owned cafes in Portland (the other being All Your Heart Coffee in South Portland). I was there for a meeting with a neighbor and ordered a latte. One of the things I was offered by the barista was a choice of espresso roasts, and I chose a medium roast—this meant the Shoshone Blend, a coffee bean from Honduras medium-roasted by Native Coffee Traders. It was lovely, with notes of chocolate and nuts; plus expertly streamed milk. This is one of the best lattes I’ve had all year. 3941 NE Cully Blvd, Portland. Bison Coffeehouse website
A Bridgetown Bites tipster alerted me to a new Vietnamese restaurant poised to open: The Paper Bridge, which will be located in the old La Luna Cafe space on SE Ash Street and 9th Avenue. They will serve northern Vietnamese food.