Welcome to Cascadia Wire, a look at restaurant news from up-and-down the Pacific Northwest corridor.
[Acurso, EPDX]
PORTLAND— Great news for Rose City's cupcake and burger connoisseurs: The Portland-based Little Big Burger chainlet opened its eighth Oregon location earlier this week on NE Alberta Avenue, meaning its burgers are now available a stone's throw from other favorite chainlets like Bunk Sandwiches, Salt & Straw, and Pine State Biscuits. Meanwhile, Portland's beloved Saint Cupcake bakery — which closed up shop in December 2013 — is coming back from the dead, with new ownership purchasing the bakery (and owner Jami Curl's recipes). Curl will continue to focus on her artisan candy line Quin, while Saint Cupcake's downtown resurrection is scheduled for this June. [EPDX]
SEATTLE—Beer lovers (AKA the entire city of Seattle) got some especially good news this week: San Francisco's famous, 25-year-old craft beer spot Toronado is opening a location in the Emerald City this summer. Expect a constantly updated list of craft beers, including hard-to-find options. [-ESEA-]
PORTLAND— Bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler (famously of the Ace Hotel's Clyde Common and newish underground bunker bar Pepe Le Moko) chats with Eater PDX about his two decades of bartending and his upcoming book, The Bar Book. In the interview, Morgenthaler also reveals what it's like working at a high-volume bar like Clyde: "Clyde's so crazy, you're pretty much in the weeds from the minute you start until the minute you finish." [EPDX]
SEATTLE— Tom Douglas is at it again. The chef/restauranteur is opening a cantina, possibly called the Lone Stranger, definitely downtown. The Mexican spot on Fifth and Lenora will seat around 40, with a menu built around homemade tortillas. Also new: Book Bindery, the fine dining spot sandwiched between Fremont and Queen Anne, is getting a new (to-be-announced) name and a new chef: Nicolas "Nico" Borzee. Eater Seattle has details. [-ESEA-]