• HOT IN HERRE: What’s up with random Alberta Street businesses catching on fire? In a scene reminiscent of the blaze that engulfed Aviary restaurant and Barista coffee shop a couple Fourths of July ago, the Nest—one of the neighborhood’s most proudly divey dive bars—erupted into a two-alarm fire early the morning of Oct. 10, displacing three residents of the apartments upstairs and, tragically/adorably, causing a cat to wear an oxygen mask. (The feline is fine.) Investigators are still determining the cause. In the meantime, fellow Alberta dive the Know is planning a benefit concert for the Nest on Nov. 6, featuring local punks Rotties, rockers 7 and a Switchblade, and Johnny Cash tribute act Counterfeit Cash.
  • BIG HEIST: In a September 2011 cover story, ex-WW music editor Casey Jarman declared Seattle rapper Macklemore “is going to be huge.” After years of building a dedicated fan base through mixtapes, attention-grabbing singles and YouTube videos, the MC and production partner Ryan Lewis released their debut studio album, The Heist, last week. Within hours, it hit the top of the iTunes sales charts, outselling Jay-Z’s Live in Brooklyn EP. As of press time, it is forecasted to clock in at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. And Macklemore did it without any major-label backing. “It just shows it’s attainable,” says Portland hip-hop ambassador Terrance “Cool Nutz” Scott. As for the lasting impact on Pacific Northwest hip-hop, that’s up to Macklemore, Scott says. “With success comes responsibility.... Are you gonna give back and open the door for the people behind you?”
  • TABLE SCRAPS: New cart pod alert: Rose City Food Park will officially open on the corner of Northeast Sandy Boulevard and 52nd Avenue on Oct. 20. It will be the new home of WW’s 2012 Eat Mobile judges’ choice winner and our favorite/only Guamanian cart, PDX Six Seven One, as well as Garcelon’s, Ramy’s Lamb Shack, Chen’s Express, Jonte’s Urban Seafood, Bangkok Xpress and Moberi Smoothies. >> Via Chicago, which you may recognize as the deep-dish pizza place at the PSU farmers market, has applied for a liquor license for its upcoming Alberta brick-and-mortar store next to Salt & Straw and Bollywood Theater, signaling it may be nearing completion. >> Kin, Kevin Shikami’s criminally underrated pan-Asian restaurant in the Pearl, shuttered on short notice on Oct. 11, after 2½ years, reportedly due to a family move to Hawaii.
  • SECRET’S OUT: As if press time, there are still a few tickets left for Willamette Week’s Secret Supper at our 2012 Restaurant of the Year on Oct. 23. Get an exclusive taste of the winner before our Restaurant Guide prints and the lines form. Email secretsupper@wweek.com or visit wweek.com/secretsupper to reserve your seat.
  • BOO: Hey, area teenagers, see that old creeper in line to go through haunted houses alone? Oh, hey, that’s us—out reviewing local haunted houses. Look for reviews at wweek.com or catch the highlight reel in next week’s paper.