Dining out in Portland, Oregon and other Food Travels
Lafitte’s, a hidden bar located on the 2nd floor of The Waiting Room in NW Portland at 2327 NW Kearney Street, will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 7 PM – midnight beginning May 2nd (today!), and will feature a variety of bubbles, cocktails, and absinthe. I was invited to attend a media sneak preview, and here’s a look at some of the tastes I shared.
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As I included in my Eater PDX round up of pop up restaurants, Aviv PDX is a new entry to the 2017 Portland scene, run with chefs Tal Caspi (Gonzo Falafel and Hummus food truck) and Sanjay Chandrasekaran (Sudra) collaborating together while front of the house is managed by Suzanne Prinsen (Little Bird, Biwa). Together, they offer traditional and twists on familiar and unfamiliar Israeli dishes, all completely vegan. At first their plan was to get to a biweekly popup basis at Sanjay’s Heart Bar on 1125 SE Division Street. However last week they announced they are turning Aviv PDX into the restaurant replacing Heart Bar, which opens May 3 and is open seven days a week 11AM – 10PM. Here’s a look at when they were initially popping up and I attended their second seating of the evening at 8PM.
Fukami was included recently on my Eater PDX roundup of Portland Pop Ups. Fukami currently is popping up at Davenport on Sundays and Mondays only at 7:30 PM at their bar so limited to 8 seats per dinner. On the menu is an $95 omakase menu (gratuity not included, additional beverages available a la carte). In case you were wondering what the omakase dinner might be like, here’s a look at an example dinner I enjoyed in March that includes 19 bite size courses of which a dozen are seasonal nigiri courses.
In the past month or so, a new pop up called JunJun run by Chef Jun Robles (JunJun is Filipino for Junior) has been holding events in Portland working with the website Feastly. Feastly has launched in multiple cities, including Portland, and allows chefs to connect to venues and to connect to people who are looking to attend an informal food event – be it a supper club in a home or a pop up event in a restaurant. It is a lot easier then following multiple pop ups on social media or on mailing lists – and browsing Feastly Portland is how I discovered the JunJun Jollibee Dinner being held at Cooper’s Hall last week on April 17.
Recently, I visited Urdaneta, located on NE Alberta, for the first time. It has been on my list for a while from when Chef and Owner Javier Canteras with Ryan Spragg was running the Basque Supper Club as a pop up (and which he plans to still do) and then won funding from Restaurant Startup to open Urdaneta. It’s always hard to balance my wishlist with the reality of a reasonable amount of dining out and when some restaurants are literally on the opposite side of town from me (I live in SW Portland). Finally though I made it – and then all I could think about is why did I wait so long and when could I come again? What really stood out was having such unique and strong flavors, so small bites go a long way.
Pechluck's Food Adventures
Enjoying deliciousness in Portland & wherever travels may lead me.
My name is Pech, short for Pechluck. I enjoy adventures in eating - dining out and cooking and imbibing for local Portland deliciousness or wherever travels lead.
Disclosure: There may be at times sponsored posts where the ticket to an event or meal or sample product to review was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.
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