This week, a new ghost kitchen Like List serving crispy rice dishes approved by the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Justin Bieber hits Portland, and the pop-ups Feel Good Like List and Plant Based Papi Like List announce upcoming brick-and-mortar restaurants. Plus, Ristretto Roasters shuts down for good, and Blue Star Donuts Like List triumphantly emerges from bankruptcy. Read on for all that and more culinary updates. For more ideas, check out our the Mercury's holiday food & drink guide.

NEW OPENINGS AND RETURNS

Krispy Rice Like List
According to a press release, this new Japanese-themed delivery-only "virtual kitchen concept" from C3 ("Creating Culinary Communities," a delivery-focused ghost kitchen and food hall network from the entertainment group SBE) has opened in Portland in partnership with the ghost kitchen company Reef Kitchens. The trendy brand opened in Los Angeles in April 2020 and counts Chrissy Teigen and Justin Bieber among its fans. The menu, which was conceived by sbe's Chief Culinary Officer Martin Heierling and Katsuya's culinary team, highlights Katsuya's signature "crispy rice" dish, topped with spicy tuna, king salmon and yuzu, hamachi and wasabi, or vegan truffle avocado, packaged in bento-like boxes. Other offerings include hand rolls, nigiri, maki, and chef-curated "go-to combinations" for lunch and dinner. Delivery is available through Postmates, UberEats, Doordash, and Grubhub.
Southwest
Delivery

Verde Cocina Like List
This vibrant family-owned Mexican restaurant serving a gluten-free menu with Paleo, vegetarian, and vegan options and fresh ingredients had to close its Pearl District location in May due to COVID-19. Happily, they re-opened at a new location down the street in late November.
Pearl District
Pickup and delivery

FUTURE OPENINGS

Feel Good Like List
Chef Gabriel Pascuzzi, owner of Mama Bird Like List and Stacked Sandwich Shop Like List , launched the health-conscious grain bowl pop-up Feel Good earlier this year and will adapt it into a permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant, set to open for takeout on SE Belmont sometime during the first quarter of 2021. The pint-sized shop will feature fresh, creative grain bowls with Ota tofu or Mary's chicken and soft drinks like kombucha.
Southeast
Pickup

Plant Based Papi Like List
Following the recent trend of vegan pop-ups like Mirisata Like List and Mama Dút Like List spawning brick-and-mortar restaurants, Jewan Manuel's vegan comfort food pop-up Plant Based Papi, which serves dishes like truffle mac and cheese tacos and crispy fried "chick'n" sandwiches, will open as a permanent restaurant in the former space of Floyd's Coffee Shop at the end of December.
Southeast
Pickup

CLOSURES

Magna Kusina
This Filipinx-owned restaurant announced on Instagram this week that it will be taking a three-month hiatus and will reopen in spring 2021.
Southeast

Palomar
The acclaimed Cuban cocktail bar is temporarily closing to "hibernate" until to-go cocktails or indoor dining become a possibility again, since cocktails make up the majority of the bar's sales.
Southeast

Ristretto Roasters
The local coffee chain, which has already closed all of its cafes over the course of the last two years, is shuttering its roasting operation permanently on December 15. The business had been the subject of criticism after owner Din Johnson's wife, journalist Nancy Rommelmann, started a YouTube series called "#MeNeither" criticizing the #MeToo movement two years ago, and 30 current and former Ristretto employees released a public statement expressing their discomfort with the series. The Portland Mercury's Alex Zielinski previously covered the incident.

OTHER NEWS

Tastebud launches bagel subscription
Soon, you'll be able to sign up for a monthly subscription of Montreal-style bagels to schmear with all the cream cheese your little heart desires. The Southwest Portland pizzeria Tastebud Like List , which has previously sold its bagels at bakery pop-ups and the farmers market, is launching a subscription service that will offer a dozen wood-fired bagels for pickup the first Sunday of each month for $50 a quarter, as well as optional add-ons like cream cheese and lox.

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House starts a crowdfunding campaign
This eclectic 40-year-old dessert cafe hidden away in a Buckman Craftsman, known for its spooky atmosphere, its quirky bathrooms, and for the erratic behavior of its tables named after dead composers, now has a crowdfunding campaign, launched by longtime customers in collaboration with staff and owners. The GoFundMe description states, "Rimsky’s is more than just a business - for many of us, it’s our second home.  Portland wouldn’t be the same without it, and neither would we. We hope Portlanders, and other patrons who feel touched by Rimsky’s story, contribute what they’re able to help it stay afloat during this incredibly difficult time.  We want to make sure this Victorian gem is here for many years to come." The campaign encourages fans to donate and to order takeout from the cafe, and has already raised a whopping $21,135, exceeding its $20,000 goal.

Blue Star Donuts beats bankruptcy
The beloved brioche donut chain Blue Star Donuts Like List , which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in August after closing due to COVID-19, announced on Instagram this week that it has successfully emerged from bankruptcy with a confirmed chapter 11 plan. The post read, "A vital component to our success was working with our Chapter 11 Plan sponsor, Sortis Holdings Rescue Fund. We are incredibly grateful to work with a team that believes in Co-Founder and CEO Katie’s vision for the future of these gourmet donuts, as well as our dedication to our customers, community, and amazing crew! And we are EXTRA grateful that we’ve been able to maintain women-majority ownership, as well as expanding ownership to some of our key staff members!"

Creole Me Up announces joumou class in response to Bon Appétit controversy
Recently, Bon Appétit faced controversy after publishing advisor and guest editor Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for joumou, a Haitian pumpkin soup also known independence soup or freedom soup. The dish is extremely culturally significant for Haitians, as Haitian slaves once made it for their French masters but were forbidden to eat it, and then ate the soup after independence was achieved to celebrate their freedom. Haitians also eat the soup yearly on January 1 to commemorate the anniversary of their independence. However, Samuelsson's version, which has received hundreds of negative reviews and has since been edited to be called "Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Notes," was criticized by many for misrepresenting and whitewashing the sacred dish. Creole Me Up founder Elsy Dinvil is now offering an online class Past Event Like List on December 30 and 31 to teach the proper way to make the soup, as well as kremas, a coconut-rum elixir.

POP-UPS AND EVENTS

Hanukkah Pop-Up Past Event Like List
The small-batch bakery Baker & Spice will host a pop-up with sufganiyot and other Hanukkah treats.
Baker & Spice, Friday, December 11

Holiday Gift Pickup Past Event Like List
Browse a selection of holiday gifts and decorations from Good Year Farms, including small Yule trees, handmade wreaths, knife ware, garden art, stocking stuffers, jewelry, botanical healthy and beauty products, and more. Frontier Public House will also be selling signature dressings, pickles, spice rubs, and other culinary delights.
Frontier Public House, December 11-12

Lionheart Presents: Bubbles + Oysters Market Past Event Like List
Slurp fresh Pacific Northwest oysters and enjoy ceviche from Flying Fish Company alongside fizzy wine flights from Willamette Wine Concierge.
Lionheart Coffee Company, Saturday, December 12

Nevor Shellfish Farm Drive-In Clam Shack Pop-Up with Jacob Harth Past Event Like List
Erizo chef Jacob Harth will run a drive-in seafood pop-up at Tillamook-based Nevor Shellfish Farm's clam shack, with everything from barnacles, barbecue oysters, and butter clams to mackerel crudo and Dungeness crab.
Tillamook, Fridays-Sundays through December

NEW SPECIALS

Cloud City Ice Cream Like List
Just in time for the holiday, this handmade ice cream parlor has introduced a peppermint white chocolate flavor with sprinkles of crushed candy cane bits.
Southeast
Pickup or delivery

Ice Queen Like List
The native- and Chicana-owned plant-based frozen dessert shop has dropped "Sticky Fingers," a new popsicle flavor made in collaboration with the vegan cinnamon roll shop Hail Snail: a soy-based popsicle made with maple syrup and crushed walnuts, with a whole mini cinnamon roll embedded inside. There's also the festive "Sleigh Hello to My Little Friend," an organic peppermint and cacao popsicle dipped in white chocolate and candy cane bits.
Southeast
Pickup

Pinolo Gelato Like List
This gelato shop is currently celebrating persimmon season with a sorbetto flavor made with local persimmons.
Southeast
Pickup or delivery

Tropicale Like List
You may not be able to take one of Tropicale's famous piña coladas served in a carved-out pineapple to-go, but they're softening the blow with small-batch, limited-edition bottled drink mixes—all you need to do is pour over ice, add rum, and enjoy. 
Northeast
Pickup