Scoop: Guilt-Free B&B, Theater-Pub Upgrades and a Barista Throwdown

Bon Jovi lives! (We tepidly report.)

  1. FEATHER FREE: Portland’s getting what is (as far as we can tell) its first vegan bed-and-breakfast. The Cherokee Rose Inn (2924 SE Alder St., cherokeeroseinn.com) was opened by newly transplanted Georgia native Sandy Miller. There’s a full vegan breakfast, of course, but the retired middle-school science teacher goes the extra mile by not providing comfy down pillows. “I use cruelty-free soaps, cleaning products, etcetera” says Miller, a 20-year vegan. “My dream is to offer my fellow vegans a warm welcome and a convenient home base when they come to visit the city.”
  1. BARISTA BATTLE: Portland will host a national barista competition in April. The United States Barista Championship happens as part of the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual shindig, which the Oregon Convention Center is proud to host this year. Locals wishing to protect their home turf will have to qualify in Tacoma on Jan. 27. Alternately, instead of getting serious about competitive coffee-making, they could just try to sell that screenplay and/or finish their dissertation. Info at usbaristachampionship.org.
  1. DIGIHURST: Portland’s most popular theater pub, the Laurelhurst, has joined the computer matrix, replacing its celluloid projectors with digital ones in its four theaters. The Laurelhurst debuted its digital shows last weekend, but will keep a film projector in its largest hall for repertory movies.
  1. VANCOUVERIA: Because Portlandia parodies are inevitable, and because people with Washington license plates drive objectively worse than people with Oregon plates, we chuckled at a new send-up positing that “the dream of the suburbs is alive” across the river. “Remember when going out to dinner meant Applebee’s or Olive Garden? Blooming onions!” Video here.
  1. URBAN RENEWAL: Interurban, the Mississippi bar shuttered by an electrical fire about a month ago, has reopened its kitchen and is serving its full menu. The bar, largely spared by the fire, again has food from Toro Bravo’s John Gorham matched with booze from Prost! barman Dan Hart. The other owner, Kurt Huffman, is involved with the new downtown pizza joint Oven and Shaker (see review).
  1. BECAUSE THIS ISSUE NEEDS MORE DOUGHNUT: Acme Donuts (2929 SE Powell Blvd.) noticed its berry-filled treats tend to disappear a little faster than normal during Hanukkah. So this year it’s taking special orders for strawberry-filled, powdered sugar-topped doughnuts, called sufganiyah in Israel. “I had no idea it was part of the tradition, but we’ve run out of jelly-filled doughnuts the last two years,” says a clerk. “So we put out a sign and we’ve already got an order for 200 for tomorrow evening.”

WWeek 2015

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