FOOD & DRINK HOT PLATES
gie burger, plus a lemon-pepper chicken sandwich that’s proven a bestseller. Don’t worry, though: You can still get pretty Stoopid with the add-ons, which include extra cheese, bacon, a fried egg and, yes, a Zenner’s hot link.
Where to eat this week.
IG @ KACHKAPDX
3. Flying Fish Company
KACHKA ALFRESCA’S LITTLE GEM SALAD
1. Kachka Alfresca @sylviaplayhouse
960 SE 11th Ave., 503-235-0059, kachkapdx.com/alfresca. Kachka may just be Portland’s master of the restaurant spinoff. First came the casual sister restaurant Kachinka. Then Russian grocery Lavka. Now, James Beard-nominated chef Bonnie Morales is weathering Phase 1 with Kachka Alfresca, an open-air dining room located on the second floor of Kachka’s parking garage, where diners are served in their own private cabanas. While the menu includes some Kachka favorites, it has expanded to include American comfort food, such as stuffed potato skins, spinach-artichoke dip and molten chocolate cake—all made from scratch, and with a Russian twist.
2. Union Burger 7339 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-744-9745, unionburgerpdx.com. At John Hunt’s last burger joint, if you kept it simple, you were literally boring. But at the former Stoopid Burger co-owner’s new cart, he’s embraced simplicity, with a menu that includes just three basic items: a hamburger, cheeseburger and veg-
BUZZ LIST
THOMAS TEAL
Where to drink this week.
WW's list of local business openings, updated daily. Get on the list at : wweek.com/isitopen
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Willamette Week JULY 1, 2020 wweek.com
4. Akadi 3601 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-477-7138, akadipdx.com. When Akadi’s young chef and proprietor Fatou Ouattara opened her restaurant in 2017, she extended the Ethiopian-heavy boulevard’s palate to West Africa. Ouattara’s restaurant vibrantly showcases her native Ivory Coast cuisine with plates like the Goat ($15.95), accompanied by fufu-steamed cassava dough ideal for sopping up savory remnants.
5. Jamaican Homestyle Cuisine 441 N Killingsworth St., 503-289-1423, jamaicanhomestylepdx.com. When Keacean Ransom first opened her food cart in 2014, there wasn’t a single Jamaican spot in Portland. Six years and a brick-and-mortar later, it’s still among the most consistently flavorful in town— especially the oxtail plate, whose tender meat beautifully caramelizes into its plummy sauce. Ransom was doing takeout and delivery throughout the pandemic, and has now reopened the restaurant’s patio for customers.
2. The Lot at Scout Beer
TOP 5
Is It Open?
3004 E Burnside St., 971-806-6747, flyingfishportland.com. For a city bisected by a river, Portland has a shocking scarcity of fish sandwiches on its restaurant menus. Stop searching and head straight for Flying Fish Company. The 6-ounce fillet of steelhead is prepped simply and topped with a green confetti of slightly sweet cabbage and earthy kale doused in a piquant marinade of lime, jalapeño, cilantro and Arbequina olive oil. The dressing’s citrus is so bright, it will leave you vibrating like the first sunny, 70-degree day in spring—and now it comes with outdoor seating.
REVOLUTION HALL’S ROOF DECK
1. Revolution Hall 1300 SE Stark St., 971-808-5094, revolutionhall.com. The sound board remains off at Revolution Hall, but the Buckman concert venue has opened its roof deck to reservations for anyone who wants to quaff a few cocktails while taking in arguably the best view the eastside has to offer. Afraid of heights? The complex’s ground-level patio has also reopened.
5029 SE Division St., 503-764-9855. Looking for a breezy place to enjoy the weather with a beer and paper bowl of heinously addictive Truffle Treasure Tots ($7) from Dog House PDX? There may not be any better Southeast Portland hangout.
3. Level Beer 5211 NE 148th Ave., 503-714-1222, levelbeer.com. Sometimes the perfect afternoon means hunkering down with a book and a beer in the corner of a quiet bar. But if you’re looking for a scene more like perpetual summer camp, then head to this 2-acre plot in the industrial hinterlands of Northeast Portland and plop down amid the families on the greenhousestyle patio. Level’s founders also have children, which pushed them to produce beers with an alcohol content that won’t leave your head spinning, like the crisp, 4.5% ABV Grisetta Stone.
4. Prost! 4237 N Mississippi Ave., 503-9542674, prostportland.com. In a city filled with amazing beer bars, Prost stands out for its steadfast dedication to German food and beer—not to mention its back patio is now home to maybe the city’s best food cart pod. All beers here are imported from Germany and served in the style of glass called for by German tradition. The staff is knowledgeable and happy to guide your order from the unique and delicious menu.
5. Bible Club 6716 SE 16th Ave., 971-279-2198, bibleclubpdx.com. Enter a time machine to the Prohibition era where the drinks artfully pack a punch and the period décor is strictly, sumptuously on theme. Drinks like the Suffragette (pisco, ginger syrup, lavender bitters, sparkling wine; $13) are served in antique glassware with a Gatsbian garnish, accompanied by a reliable lineup of upscale bar fare like bruschetta, a smoked pork plate and a mean charcuterie board with burrata cheese ($18). The back patio is also open.