- GRIMM DEPARTURE: A funny moment occurred at Funhouse Lounge on April 6, when writer-director Steve Coker ducked out halfway through his own play, a performance of Varsity Cheerleader Werewolves From Outer Space, to act in the season finale of Grimm. Coker, a filmmaker dabbling in theater, had brought in a stage tech to cover for him. Coker didnât offer many details about the Grimm finale, but said his scene involved David Giuntoli and Russell Hornsby, and was a part of a non-supernatural police investigation. So there will be no cheerleader werewolves.
- NEW SPIEL: Four months after Acme Donuts closed at 2929 SE Powell Blvd., the space has a new tenant planning to make round, bready breakfast foods. Spielman Coffee Roasters already has signage up for a commissary-style kitchen to make bagels in wholesale quantities, greatly expanding the reach of its now-tiny shop. âWeâve already got the equipment and everything,â an employee told a Scooper who stopped in April 8. This is very good news for beleaguered bagel lovers still reeling from the closure of Kettleman. Last year, Spielman split the title of Portlandâs best bagel with Kenny & Zukeâs in a WW blind taste-off of the townâs top bagels (See âSchmear Apparent,â Feb. 22, 2012). Disclosure: Michael C. Zusman, now a WW freelancer, helped develop the K&Z recipe, but had nothing to do with our taste-off. Further disclosure: Next weekâs WW will have a bagel follow-up, with other would-be Kettleman successors put to the test.
- HAUNTED PASTA HOUSE: Let the curse be unbroken! (Perhaps.) The aesthetically challenged, failure-riddled brick building at 3500 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.âwhich has already brought down or rebuffed Belly, Terroir, Tanuki and Carpaccio Trattoria restaurantsâwill be going family style for another round. In a far cry from high-rolling approaches previously attempted at the location, the website for new tenant Pasta Allegro advertises a casual, low-cost concept tagged as âItalian, created by you!â Diners will choose their own pastas or pizza bases, then pick the sauces, meats, cheeses and vegetables.
- WATERFRONT RISING: The Waterfront Blues Festivalâthe biggest of its kind on the West Coastâhas welcomed its share of legends in the past. This year, though, organizers have outdone themselves, booking Robert Plant to close out the four-day event on Sunday, July 7. The Led Zeppelin belter will perform with his new band, Sensational Space Shifters, on a bill that also includes Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Itâs such a huge lineup, the festival will for the first time require tickets for Sundayâs show. Tickets range from $50 to $1,250 for a âBlues Patron Pass.â (Entry to concerts on all other days remains a suggested $10 donation and two cans of food benefiting the Oregon Food Bank.)
WWeek 2015