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]
SEATTLE— This week, news broke that yet another restaurant is headed for in the city's burgeoning Pioneer Square. Korean-inspired steakhouse Girin is opening its doors in the same building as Josh Henderson's Quality Athletics and general store/lunch spot Cone & Steiner. The restaurant from the owners of Seattle's Momiji, Umi Sake House, and Kushibar will open in early to mid-2015 with a living garden in the dining room. [Eater SEA]
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]
SEATTLE— Seattle businesses that oppose the city's $15 minimum wage are facing a boycott from a workers' rights group called Working Washington. Claiming the businesses on its list are, "right-wing conservatives, real-estate developers, and corporate executives," Working Washington has released a boycott roster that includes restaurants and bars affiliated with Forward Seattle, a group collecting signatures to put a referendum to the $15 wage hike on the city's November ballot. Eater Seattle has details. [Eater SEA]
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