Welcome back to CascadiaWire, covering the latest restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.
Son of a Biscuit, Portland. [Photo: Avila/EPDX]
PORTLAND— One of Portland's most anticipated summer openings takes a picnic classic full-tilt: After inspiring a blocks-long line for free fried chicken during its soft opening, Southern hot chicken joint Son of a Biscuit officially opened on SE Division Street earlier this week; its casual, 25-seat space offers half-birds, biscuits a la carte, and hot chicken sandwiches. Meanwhile, fellow east side restaurant Cafe Castagna (the casual counterpoint to the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant Castagna) has announced it'll revamp its menu to have a more Mediterranean feel. Chef Wesley Johnson, the opening baker/pastry chef at Philadelphia restaurant Zahav, has added dishes like kohlrabi with cucumber, lamb, and yogurt. [Eater PDX]
VANCOUVER— Jamie Oliver is opening a Jamie's Italian location in Vancouver. The celebrity chef will launch the first North American Jamie's Kitchen outpost in Toronto in 2015. The chef says an eatery in Vancouver is "definitely part of the plan," adding that his Canadian restaurants will be "epic." [Eater Vancouver]
PORTLAND— Head's up, out-of-towners: Two hotel-related news items surfaced in Portland this week. Downtown, the iconic Huber's Cafe — Oregon's oldest restaurant — will soon be housed inside a new boutique hotel that will take over the Oregon Pioneer Building. Huber's will remain on the ground floor (its dining room has been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places), and owners plan to tweak its menu slightly to accommodate future hotel guests. Elsewhere downtown, the waterfront Hotel Rose recently revamped its hotel restaurant, now called Bottle + Kitchen, and Eater PDX got a look inside. [Eater PDX]
VANCOUVER— "Something funky to help crank out the bangers always helps." This week, Eater Vancouver eavesdrops on the soundtrack at Bestie. Chef Colin Johnson's picks? Old school hip hop before doors open. Then, anything goes. [Eater Vancouver]
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