Under Construction: Soju & Havana South

Some fresh under construction news:

  • A new restaurant called Soju is planned for the old Thai Chef Buffet space on Congress Street. They plan on serving Japanese and Korean cuisine. You can see a draft of their sushi menu (page 86) in the supporting materials they supplied to the city as part of their liquor license application.
  • Havana South has also applied for a liquor license (see partial draft menu, page 106). One of the more interesting things to note on Havana’s floor plan (below) is an area right along Union Street marked Butcher Shop.
  • In related news, Chiang Mai which moved out of the the butcher shop space on Union Street looks like they’re getting close to reopening at their new location on Washington Ave.

Under Construction: Soju & Havana South

Some fresh under construction news:

  • A new restaurant called Soju is planned for the old Thai Chef Buffet space on Congress Street. They plan on serving Japanese and Korean cuisine. You can see a draft of their sushi menu (page 86) in the supporting materials they supplied to the city as part of their liquor license application.
  • Havana South has also applied for a liquor license (see partial draft menu, page 106). One of the more interesting things to note on Havana’s floor plan (below) is an area right along Union Street marked Butcher Shop.
  • In related news, Chiang Mai which moved out of the the butcher shop space on Union Street looks like they’re getting close to reopening at their new location on Washington Ave.

Food+Farm 2010

Space Gallery has published the schedule (about half way down the page) for this year’s Food+Farm program:

May 20 – a screening of Dirt:The Movie and discussion with author William Bryant Logan.

May 21 – a screening of Ingredients, a “seasonal exploration of the local food movement”.

May 22 – in collaboration with Cultivating Community is hosting the Waking up the Farm Party at the Boyd Street Urban Farm in Portland in the morning, and in the evening a showing of Colony, a documentary about Colony Collapse Disorder.

May 23 – a screening of the documentary End of the Line, “the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans, we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food.”

Miyake's Noodle Bar Field Research

Portland Food Coma has published a report on the Miyake team’s field research in NYC getting inspiration and ideas for the opening of Pai Mei Miyake in Longfellow Square.

To get us on the right track, Masa took the restaurant staff down to New York City for a full day of eating noodles and drinking recklessly. It was an experience that I will never forget, that I feel very fortunate to have been a part of. This is how it went…

Miyake’s Noodle Bar Field Research

Portland Food Coma has published a report on the Miyake team’s field research in NYC getting inspiration and ideas for the opening of Pai Mei Miyake in Longfellow Square.

To get us on the right track, Masa took the restaurant staff down to New York City for a full day of eating noodles and drinking recklessly. It was an experience that I will never forget, that I feel very fortunate to have been a part of. This is how it went…

Anti-Trust, Competition, and Trader Joe’s

The Christian Science Monitor has published an in-depth look at the process that’s led to Trader Joe’s buying the former Wild Oats as the result of Wild Oat’s merger with Whole Foods. (via About Town)

So if we’re treating competition as a zero-sum game, was it “lost” when Whole Foods acquired Wild Oats, when Whole Foods bought out The Whole Grocer, or maybe when Wild Oats decided to compete directly against The Whole Grocer? Remember, the stated goal of antitrust is to “restore” competition that might be lost.

Anti-Trust, Competition, and Trader Joe's

The Christian Science Monitor has published an in-depth look at the process that’s led to Trader Joe’s buying the former Wild Oats as the result of Wild Oat’s merger with Whole Foods. (via About Town)

So if we’re treating competition as a zero-sum game, was it “lost” when Whole Foods acquired Wild Oats, when Whole Foods bought out The Whole Grocer, or maybe when Wild Oats decided to compete directly against The Whole Grocer? Remember, the stated goal of antitrust is to “restore” competition that might be lost.

Interview with Guy & Stella Hernandez

The Portland Daily Sun has published an interview with Guy and Stella Hernandez on their purchase of the Hilltop Coffee Shop.

Deciding whether to expand seating in the cozy shop and offer live music are things the new owners have yet to decide on. “We don’t really know potential of space yet, but we wouldn’t rule anything out,” said Stella. “We want to figure out who our customers are, and what they like about it.”