Fremont Taco Bar Closes Temporarily After Christmas Eve Fire

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• Fremont’s Red Star Taco Bar was the victim of a potential arson event on Christmas Eve. The business’s back patio and storage area were destroyed, and the back half of the restaurant suffered significant damage. The restaurant is currently closed for cleaning and repairs, and there’s a fundraiser at the Ballroom on January 13 to help support the staff during the closure.
• Seattle-born Rachel’s Ginger Beer closed its Portland location at the end of the year. A Facebook post from the official Rachel’s Ginger Beer account says, “We are closing our Portland shop at the end of the year to focus on some exciting new projects coming in 2019.” The shop had been open since November 2016.
• Jiaozi, the popular dumpling restaurant in the Chinatown International District, closed. Owner Elaine Song’s lease ran out, but she plans to relocate the business to Bellevue’s Asian Family Market come next summer.
• Tempero do Brazil’s successor, Alcove Dining Room, has added a la carte dinners on Thursdays and Friday nights. Chef Emme Ribeiro Collins originally sold dinners by ticketed reservations only; that system is still in place for the four-course dinners on Saturdays, and Feijoada, a traditional Brazilinan feast, every other Sunday.
• Fast casual Korean restaurant Oma Bap, which operates a Central District location, will add a location inside the new Hugo House building at the corner of 11th and Olive on Capitol Hill. The owner, Peter Pak, says he hopes the restaurant will be ready this summer.