Food News

This Week In Portland Food News: A 'Top Chef' Contestant Opens a New Restaurant, Chaat Wallah Closes, and A Beer Bar with Vinyl Is Coming

June 10, 2022 Edition
June 10, 2022
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This weekend is your last chance to snag a masala pulled pork sandwich at Chaat Wallah before it closes. (Chaat Wallah)
This week, Justin Sutherland of Top Chef launches a new music-themed sandwich spot, Chaat Wallah and Fru Fru Terra say goodbye, and an upcoming bar plans to sling brews alongside LPs in Westmoreland. Read on for all of that and more culinary updates. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.

NEW OPENINGS AND RETURNS

Big E List
There's a new breakfast sandwich List destination in town: Former Top Chef contestant and Iron Chef America champion Justin Sutherland, who currently hosts the BIPOC-focused food and travel series Taste the Culture and appears on the cooking competition show Fast Foodies, debuted this new sandwich shop inside the downtown Moxy List hotel on Tuesday. Named in tribute to rapper Biggie Smalls, the spot pays homage to Sutherland's love of music with menu items like the LCD Soundsystem-referencing "Dance Yrself Clean" (sunnyside-up egg, smoked bacon, Tillamook aged cheddar, and Cry Baby Craig's aioli) and the Flaming Lips-inspired "Her Name is Yoshimi" (scrambled eggs, lump crab, bean sprouts, scallions, pickled daikon, and miso aioli). 
Downtown
Pickup, dine-in

Hops n Drops List
This casual American bar chain with locations in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado recently expanded to Hillsboro. The spot serves standard pub grub such as Angus beef burgers, wings, and mac and cheese and is known for its signature "icy drops" (vodka-based drinks muddled with lemon and the fruit of your choice, served in a glass made of ice).
Hillsboro
Pickup, delivery, dine-in

Rovente Pizzeria List
The local New York-style pizzeria chain, which operates locations in North, South, Southeast, and Tigard, soft-opened its first Beaverton location at the end of May.
Beaverton
Pickup, dine-in

FUTURE OPENINGS

MidCity SmashBurger List
The burger cart plans to open a cart next to the Boneyard Bee List r taproom in Bend on June 22, followed by a grand opening on June 25.
Bend

The Record Pub List
If you've ever wished to be able to sip a cold beer and browse vinyl in the same place, you're in luck: Co-owners Chris Metz, Dave Charbonneau, and Andy Clark will open this combination beer bar and record store inside the Iron Horse Building this July.
Westmoreland

CLOSURES

Chaat Wallah List
This weekend is your last chance for a while to try Chaat Wallah, the DesiPDX spinoff serving Indian street food like masala pulled pork sandwiches, nacho chaat, and spiced lamb sloppy Joes inside the Iron Fireman Collective building. On Thursday, DesiPDX broke the news on Instagram that the location, which opened six months ago, will close permanently after this Sunday, June 12, citing a lack of traffic and a desire to focus resources on DesiPDX as factors contributing to the closure. The announcement also stated that the DesiPDX team is opening a restaurant called Masala Lab PDX List , specializing in Indian-inspired brunch and pastries, this summer, and that they hope to reopen Chaat Wallah this fall or winter as a cart in the Cully neighborhood, with a potential second cart to follow in a "very pedestrian/bike oriented area" in Southeast Portland.
Brooklyn

Fru Fru Terra List
The vegan cheese and wine bar Fru Fru Terra (formerly Vtopia Cheese Shop and Deli) revealed via Instagram this week that its last day of business will be next Thursday, June 16. In the announcement, owner Heman Bhojwani, who took over the business earlier this year, wrote, "This was not an easy decision, by any means. In fact, it was many weeks of deliberation. There are/were many factors involved in determining which direction to go in...We are extremely grateful for the support of our customers and are honored by the amazing comments and feedback posted over the years."
Goose Hollow

OTHER FOOD NEWS

Pastrami Zombie moves to Lebanon
Sammich List owner Melissa McMillan intended to move her cult-favorite sandwich truck Pastrami Zombie List from the Flying Tortoise pod List to a new location in Corvallis at the end of May, only to learn that the truck exceeded the length permitted by municipal code. Now, the truck has changed its plans to instead move into the Landing cart pod at Tallman Brewing List in Lebanon on June 23.

Mis Tacones teams up with Oakland pop-up for new vegan queso business
The Oakland-based queer vegan pop-up Gay4U, founded by chef Ginger Espice and known for its policy of offering free food to trans people of color, recently made a stop in Portland. Espice is spending the year bringing Gay4U on tour around the US and hosted a pop-up at the queer Chicanx-owned vegan taqueria Mis Tacones List , which shares the same policy, on May 25. They're also teaming up with Mis Tacones founders Polo Banuelos and Carlos Reynoso to offer "Cheezme," a new "Mexican cheeze business baby" selling vegan queso (the name is a play on "chisme," the Spanish word for gossip). The vegan cheeses will soon be available at Mis Tacones.

POP-UPS AND EVENTS

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

Food Truck Fridays
Past Event List Venture out to 82-acre Abbey Road Farm, located in the heart of the Willamette Valley, for a different food truck each Friday from June through August. While you're there, say hi to the farm animals and stop by the tasting room to try some wines.

Tacos in the Park
Past Event List
Scoop up tortilla-wrapped offerings from Los Alambres, Nom Nom, The Taco Dudes, The Smokin' Oak, Las Cazuelas, Phat Boi Tacos, and other vendors and sip over 35 types of craft brews, cider, and agave tequila. Plus, enjoy live music performances from American Idol's Britnee Kellogg, the Fleetwood Mac tribute band Gold Dust, Madson Band, Chris Carpenter, Trippy Lipps, Ryan Antoine, Tom Mann, Bordertown, Seth Myzel Band, and more.

Cider Summit Portland Past Event List
Portland's annual cider extravaganza will make a triumphant return after its two-year hiatus with over 150 selections from more than 40 cider producers, including mead, cider cocktails, apple-based spirits, and more. The event will also feature live blues music, food pairings, and a dog lounge for your furry companion.

June Sip & Shop Past Event List
Browse wares from vendors like Esotico Pasta, Asiyah Rose Candles, and Bonfire Blossoms. Hip Chicks Do Wine will serve vino by the flight, glass, or bottle and sangria by the glass.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Portland Margarita Week 2022
Past Event List Gulp down salty, limey elixirs from nearly two dozen locally owned bars and restaurants. Four dollars from each margarita sold will be donated to the nonprofit organization El Patojismo, and sponsors will match each donation. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

The Bloody Mary Festival Past Event List
Get your fill of everyone's favorite savory tomato juice cocktail at this brunch extravaganza featuring unlimited bloody Marys from local bars and restaurants, plus food and beverage samples, temporary tattoos, photo opportunities, and more. You'll get to cast your vote for your favorite bloody Mary for the People's Choice Award.

Cask Fest at Away Days Brewing Past Event List
Cask-conditioned beer, a time-honored tradition in English brewing, is unfiltered and unpasteurized beer racked into casks to fully mature, resulting in a mellow brew with less carbonation than your usual draft beer. If you'd like to try it for yourself, this festival will offer versions from Away Days, Level, Gigantic, Machine House, Upright, Steeplejack, and Porter. Classic British grub from Away Days' sister company The Toffee Club will also be available for sale.

Big Hats Brunch Show Past Event List
Don your most outrageously oversized chapeau for this drag brunch, which explores the intersection of Black culture and drag and features a lineup of local Black performers.

Laurelwood Brewing Co. 21st Anniversary Party with Lost Ox Past Event List
Laurelwood Brewing Co., which turned 21 this year, is now old enough to drink. They'll celebrate the occasion with live music from the local band Lost Ox, $4 pints of beer, free axe-throwing with Celtic Axe, a bike raffle from Trek Bicycles, a balloonist, and more entertainment.

Made With Pride: A Queer Wine Festival, by and for the Community! Past Event List
This queer wine festival from Wine Country Pride, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community of Willamette Valley, will showcase over 30 wines from 15 wineries from Oregon, California, and Washington, all of them queer-made, queer-grown, or from queer-owned wineries. The lineup includes Hooray for You Wine Company, Franchere Wine Company, RAM Cellars, Circadian Cellars, Sis & Mae Wine Co., Hip Chicks Do Wine, Statera Cellars, Koop Kitchen, and more. The night will also include food pairings and live music from Camp Crush. All proceeds from the $20 ticket go to wine Country Pride, while 100% of sales go directly to the producers.

Zenger Farm's Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration Past Event List
Celebrate Juneteenth at this community-focused event, featuring Black-led organizations and vendors, lunch, a wellness station with DIY demos, arts and crafts, a live DJ, various speakers, and kids' activities.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12

Colors of Love Party - A Pride Event at Migration's Williams Pub Past Event List
Migration Brewing's new Pride Committee will host this party with tunes from DJ Troubled Youth, irresistible brunch specials like "McMuffin-ish" breakfast burgers and Hawaiian French toast sticks, and drink specials curated by LGBTQ-owned Shine Distillery.

SPECIALS

Ecliptic Brewing List and Ecliptic Moon Room List
The astronomy-themed brewery Ecliptic Brewing just launched the latest beer in its Moon Room series: Maibock Lager, a seasonal German-style lager with a "great balance of hop and malt."
Boise, Buckman
Pickup, delivery, dine-in

Screen Door
The ever-popular Southern brunch destination is featuring several new local and organic vegetable specials on its menu, including pan-fried fingerling potatoes with mustard caviar, a marinated scarlet runner bean salad, and sautéed asparagus.
Kerns, Pearl District
Pickup, delivery, dine-in

Smith Teamaker
In honor of National Iced Tea Day, the tea purveyor is offering complimentary cups of iced tea with purchase (limited to one per customer) at both of its shops today.
Buckman, Nob Hill
Pickup, dine-in

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