Hottest Pop-Up Unrestaurants

Our Restaurant Guide would not be complete without a survey of the year's hottest trend: Dinners cooked by trained chefs in commercial kitchens on semi-regular schedules for slightly above-market prices.

P.R.E.A.M. AT NED LUDD

Holdfast

337 NW Broadway, 226-1400, holdfastdining.com.

In order to "avoid the trappings of a traditional restaurant," William Preisch (Chuck's Diner of Cleveland, the Bent Brick) and Joel Stocks (the French Laundry, Noble Rot) host a small dinner party in a commissary kitchen. This happens three nights a week. Tickets are $90 and, as of press time, easy to buy one week in advance despite a torrent of fawning press.


P.R.E.A.M

Ned Ludd, 3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 288-6900, nedluddpdx.com.

The wood-fired oven that Ned Ludd currently uses to bake whole trout and pastured hen was inherited from the space's former tenant, who used it to make pizza pies. So it is again every Monday—though now it's soundtracked with old-school hip-hop.


DaNet

Portland Penny Diner, 410 SW Broadway, 228-7224, portlandpennydiner.com.

Vitaly Paley Russian chef long before Russian chef cool. Every month or so, Vitaly decorate Portland Penny Diner with old things from Mother Country, make Russian food—jellied octopus, salmon pastrami, latke. Vitaly cook well. You like.


"Buy Perogies"

St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 8014 SE 16th Ave., 235-7129, ukrainian-church-pdx.org.

From 11 am to 2 pm every Saturday, the nice ladies at this Sellwood church serve delicious homemade perogies on styrofoam plates with caramelized onions reduced to a sugary brown sauce and a big dollop of sour cream. 

Italian Dinner

St. Ignatius Parish, 3400 SE 43rd Ave., 777-1491,  stignatiusparish.org.

This century-old Catholic church goes through 10,000 homemade meatballs and a mountain of spaghetti at this annual pop-up. It's always on the Sunday after Valentine's Day—mark Feb. 15, 2015, on your calendar now or keep an eye peeled for the vintage sign on Southeast Powell Boulevard. The dinner, which celebrates 80 years next year, has only four stars on Yelp, though they're making tweaks, such as switching to Pugliese bread from Delphina's.


Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner

Sons of Norway Grieg Lodge, 111 NE 11th Ave., 236-3401, norsehall.org.

Lutefisk is a whitefish, usually cod, dried in lye until gelatinous. It's hard to find this Nordic specialty fresh in Portland, but once a year this lodge—think Elks furnished by IKEA—serves it with meatballs, lefse, fresh cranberry relish, boiled potatoes with cream gravy and prune pudding. Four seatings, reservations essential.


Mrs. Korfhage's House

Somewhere near Milwaukie, missuskorfhage@gmail.com.

Having heard that "pop-ups" and "unrestaurants" were all the rage with Portlanders, WW staffer (and guide co-editor) Matthew Korfhage's mother said she would be happy to host a pop-up for anyone willing to pay her $150. Served in a space cleverly designed to re-create suburban domesticity. "Best fried chicken and potato salad in the Portland area," says Korfhage.


 The Directory: Our 100 Favorite Restaurants in Portland

By Neighborhood: Southeast | North/Northeast | Westside | Suburbs 

 2014 Restaurant of the Year: Kachka 

Top Five: Old SaltAtaulaAmerican LocalExpatriate

Counter Service Picks: Latin | Asian | Italian | Sandwiches | Burgers 

Wine Bars | Beer Lists | Veg-Friendly | Gluten-free | Elsewhere in Oregon 

WWeek 2015

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