Portland food news and views
Harder Day Coffee Co. has been in the news lately. Aside from their opening a new cafe in the Hollywood District, they are in place at the cafe inside Spin Fremont, and also just happened to buy Water Avenue Coffee from Sortis Holdings.
Continue reading “Harder Day Coffee Co. Acquires Water Avenue Coffee, Opens in Spin Fremont”Water Avenue Coffee is served at The People’s Courts. I was very happy to learn this news and it makes me want to check out The People’s Courts even more. They posted a video of their cafe space, and it looks nice. Also, know that you can go to The People’s Courts and just enjoy their food and drink without playing sports there. In their FAQ they say, “You are welcome to come eat, drink, watch a game, hang out, etc. without paying any fees.” I wonder if they will show the 2024 Paris Olympics there? 2700 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland
A Fling, a Party, and a Market. There are a bunch of things going on this Saturday, June 1, including the Spring Fling Block Party in Montavilla from noon to 5pm (live music, art, vendors, food at the Rocket Empire Machine food hall, Gigantic Brewing’s tap room); the Parking Lot Party at the pizza cart Reeva starting at 4pm (food, drink, music, vendors); and Rocky Butte Farmers Market‘s first market day of the 2024 season (9am to 1pm) at their new location next to Glenhaven Park. 6935 NE Glisan Street, 7727 NE Sandy Blvd, NE 82nd Avenue and Siskiyou, Portland
Demarco’s Sandwiches is closing. Big bummer for those who love east coast-style sandos: Demarco’s is closing their Division Street location; Saturday, June 30 is the last day you can access their food at that cart at that location. However, they will still do events and catering. So there’s that. And in their words: “COME DOWN AND SAY HELLO SO WE HOPE YOU COME DOWN AND CRUSH US FOR THE NEXT MONTH.” 4606 SE Division Street, Portland
40 LBS Coffee is moving to SW 6th and Washington this summer. It looks like this new location is the Aspect on Sixth building, where FORTE has been (their website says they closed April 30, so just a little over a month ago). According to the 40 LBS Instagram, “Currently we are doing pop-up Tuesday through Thursday from 8-noon, if you are in the area come say hi.” They also talk about construction that will be starting up in a couple of weeks. They will be hiring for this location. 400 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland
Stumptown Coffee’s grand opening downtown is tomorrow. Stumptown is leaving the Ace Hotel and relocating around the corner at SW 11th and Washington. They are pulling out all the stops, starting with an 8am opening where the first 50 guests get a Stumptown swag bag and a free drink. Other fun stuff includes a donut pop-up from Heyday (10am to noon); DJ Lev spinning tunes starting at 10am; and a chocolate and coffee tasting from Woodblock Chocolate (2pm to 3pm). There will be a raffle, too. 1140 SW Washington Street, Suite 103, Portland
The end is near for Cloud Pine Tea + Culture. I love this little tea house and dim sum spot in Milwaukie’s downtown, and am sorry to see it set to close. Sunday, June 23 will be its last day of service. “We have always set out to be a 3-year project,” they explain. So head on over there for some great food and tea! 10835 SE Main Street, Milwaukie
Snappy’s westside? Snappy’s, the beloved sandwich shop in SE PDX, looks like it’s going to open in NW Portland where the Little Big Burger was, according to documents filed with the city. Many thanks to the tipster who sent this, along with their musing, “I love their Italian sub, and having a location within walking distance would be excellent.” I bet there are a bunch of you who feel similarly. 930 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland
Hollywood Water Avenue Coffee location: FOR LEASE. It might sound like I’m beating a dead horse with this one, but I drove by this week and saw several “FOR LEASE” signs plastered on the exterior of the building. As “Detective Homer Simpson” said, “And that’s the end of that chapter.” Here’s hoping something good arrives there sooner than later. 4615 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Maybe there is life for Water Avenue Coffee Hollywood after all. Over the past couple of months, I’ve seen some trucks visiting the site of a potential Water Avenue Coffee in the Hollywood District, located in the old Joule/Wholesome Blends space. And their permit situation woke up this year—the most recent one was set up in February 2023 and was “Approved to Issue” in January 2024. What’s on it? “New Tenant — Converting a restaurant to a coffee shop.” Among other more mundane things (drains, grease interceptor, grab bars in the WC). I’ll continue to keep an eye on it. 4615 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
PDX Sliders to open on N Williams. Looks like they’ll be taking over the Shine Distillery space in North Portland. Look for them to be open every day, 11am to 11pm, except Sundays when they close at 10pm. I know their website indicates a new NW Portland location but I think they will be a good fit in that hip section of North Portland. I tried to get more info this week but their email and contact form both pooped out on me. So it goes. 4232 N Williams Avenue, Portland
April is Filipino Food Month. All month long, you are encouraged to try some Filipino food, which you can find in Portland, Gresham, and Beaverton. In the words of the organizers, “To celebrate, we’re hosting Portland’s first-ever Filipino food tour called ‘Sobrang Sarap,’ which means ‘very delicious’ in Tagalog. Also: “April was designated Filipino Food Month to appreciate and preserve Filipino culinary heritage, as well as the farmers and fishermen who make it all possible.” For more information and to check out the participants, head to the Sobran Sarap website. Various
Chaat Wallah reopens today. Lately, every time I stop in at Junior’s Roasted Coffee, I look over at the Chaat Wallah cart and wonder when they will return. Well, I no longer have to wonder: they’re back open today! Starting at 4:30pm you can get some of their delicious food from an updated menu—one item that looks really tempting is the Butter Chicken Sandwich, made with Mary’s Chicken thighs (covered in a GF dredge), chilli oil-tossed arugula, Makhani sauce, and pickled onions. You can get it on a Dos Hermanos potato bun or a New Cascadia GF bun. A cold beer from Upright Brewing would go nicely with that sandwich. 7157 NE Prescott Street, Portland
Did I ever tell you that in a previous life I worked at a wholesale Madeleine bakery in Emeryville, CA? This is the brand—I spotted these at a corner store a couple blocks from where we were staying in SF in early November. You can probably get them at Peet’s or Starbucks up here.
I’ve been a big quiet here on the blog—not because of anything breast cancer-related, which has historically taken me away for extended times. It’s that … it’s been a good time to be an editor, with client copyediting taking up the bulk of my time. I also went on vacation to SF to see my favorite band pay at The Fillmore. And then I got sick from a cold virus on the flight home; I’m still recovering but definitely on the mend.
Continue reading “Missing U, Blog, Plus Sortis Article”