Welcome back to CascadiaWire, covering the latest restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.
Palace Cakes. [Photo: Avila/EPDX]
VANCOUVER— [EW] It's time to update the Vancouver heatmap and this month it's all about old favourites becoming new again as both Chambar and Cafe Medina move into fresh digs. Plus the city has gone nuts for Bella Gelateria's new Yaletown outpost and its booze-soaked 'gelatinis'. Ramen recommendations of a 'fast, convenient and very satisfying' spot from Wildebeest chef Wes Young this week in Dining Confidential. [EVAN]
PORTLAND— Elizabeth Beekley, the renowned baker behind diminutive cookie shop Two Tarts Bakery, turns her attention to gorgeous layer cakes at her new downtown bakery. And there's no cupcake-mania here: Palace Cakes serves cake by the slice, from a breakfast-friendly streusel coffee cake to a buttercream-covered lemon chiffon, paired with coffee or tea. [EPDX]
VANCOUVER— Big stadium news from Rogers Arena where ace bartender Jay Jones has taken up the reins as the Canucks' new director of All Things Drinkable: what does this mean? Well, for a start, Negronis and live hockey, 14 different wines by the glass and - we're promised - craft beer. Plus a hot new chef from Toronto who's bringing in an in-house butchery programme. Hockey just got EVEN BETTER. [EVAN]
PORTLAND— Pop-up dinners are all the rage in Portland these days, so Eater PDX has compiled a handy list of this month's roving dinner options, ranging from an Olympia oyster bar (popping up in a Japanese restaurant) to a Middle East-inspired weekend brunch (which pops-up in a NE pizzeria). And speaking of Middle East brunches, iconic brunch spot Tasty N Sons (an Eater 38 stalwart) announced it'll shake-up its dinner menu, swapping its eclectic global fare to one inspired by a Chesapeake Bay clam shack once owned chef/owner John Gorham's grandfather. Changes will take place by mid-November. [EPDX]
#TEAMTINA— [EW] Sad news from one of the city's most beloved chefs and mentors, Tina Fineza, who has been diagnosed with aggressive stage three bilateral breast cancer. A fundraising site has been set up to help over the next year as Tina takes leave from her company Service Excellence to focus on recovery. [EVAN]
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