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Another pandemic pivot is going permanent.
When COVID-19 first shut down Portland last year, chef Don Salamone, owner of the popular burger cart Burger Stevens, took the opportunity to convert his takeaway window at eastside night spot Dig A Pony to home-style Italian food of the sort he used to eat at home growing up—literally, many of the menu items were old family recipes.
It proved popular enough that, with Dig A Pony reopening this past weekend, he’s kept the pop-up going, serving chicken Parm heros, gnocchi alla vodka, fried calamari and an Italian sausage smash burger.
And then, next year, Stevens Italiano is going brick-and-mortar.
As first reported by Eater, the restaurant will be located at 12055 SW 1st St. in Beaverton. There, Salamone will serve pastas, brick chicken and large entrees, along with cocktails at a full bar.
“We’re going for a midcentury vibe, East Coast Italian, à la Rochester,” Salamone told Eater. “It won’t have red-checkered tablecloths, but I’m hoping for black-and-white-checkered floors, some of the stereotypical shit. It’s just a little more of an updated version.”
He aims to open in spring 2022.
