OLD TOWN —In fall 2015, Portland will get its own food hall, along the lines of Melrose Market. Old Town's historic Baggage and Carriage building will be transformed into Pine Street Market in fall 2015, with Feast Portland co-founder Mike Thelin signing on as Culinary Curator. It’s just blocks away from the proposed James Beard Public Market, which is supposed to be much bigger in scale, but has been mired in the planning stages for years.
CENTRAL EASTSIDE — Hot on the heels of announcing his plan to launch Chizu, a sushi-bar-style cheese café Downtown, cheese guru Steve Jones says he’ll be opening another cheese-centric outpost in March. Dubbed Cheese Annex, it’s a mini version of his popular Cheese Bar restaurant/shop, and it’ll be tucked into The Commons’ new brewery and tasting room. Expect cheese and meat plates, and a few sandwiches and salads, all meant to go with the brewery’s 12 taps of Belgian style beers.
SOUTHEAST — Beloved San Diego Mexican restaurant Ponce’s is launching a sister restaurant in Portland called Rocio’s. Helmed by the founder’s daughter Rocio Meza, it’ll serve up a similar menu of Mexican comfort food (enchiladas, burritos, tacos, chilaquiles, and margaritas) in a newly constructed building at SE Gladstone and 28th Place. Meza is aiming for a March or April opening.