Food News: So Many Baked Goods, Plus Soup Dumplings, Are on the Horizon
Crab and pork soup dumplings from Dough Zone’s Seattle location
Image: Katherine Chew Hamilton
This week, prepare your sweet tooth: we’ve got a whole lot of news about newly opened and upcoming bakeries, several of which have special Easter offerings for this weekend. Plus, a Seattle-based soup dumpling chain is coming to the Southwest Waterfront.
A New Bakery, Champagne Poetry, Is Open on Hawthorne
On April 3, Champagne Poetry softly opened at 3343 SE Hawthorne Blvd. As reported by Eater PDX, it’s a new bakery from Chef Dan Bian, who opened La Rose Patisserie in Beaverton. We’ve been fans of Bian’s baking since trying the Japanese cream cheese bread and personal-sized PDX Rose cake at La Rose, though she’s no longer baking at the Beaverton bakery, which is under new ownership. Champagne Poetry is cheery pink through and through, from the pink exterior walls to the interior walls, every inch decorated with roses. The bakery offers an array of croissants, macarons, cream cheese bread, and personal-sized artfully decorated and airbrushed cakes. Plus, customers can sip champagne by the glass and bottle. Indoor and outdoor seating is available.
OK Omens Has Reopened
After a months-long closure due to remodeling, wine bar and restaurant OK Omens has reopened for business, offering indoor-only seating for now. The facelift includes this adorable wine-themed bathroom, perfect for selfie-taking. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; reservations are recommended if you'd like a table, though the bar area is open for walk-ins.
Bee’s Custom Cakes Celebrates its Storefront Grand Opening April 15-16
A new brick-and-mortar bakery, Bee’s Custom Cakes (7137 NE Fremont St), is celebrating its grand opening April 15-16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with coffee and pastries. No word on the full menu yet, but the Easter pre-order menu for April 16 includes mini lemon loaves garnished with flower petals, carrot cake slices, Peeps Rice Krispy treats, mini coconut cream cupcakes, and more.
Confronting the Storm Pops Up at Concourse Coffee April 16
Want to eat sweets and raise money for mental health counseling for BIPOC folks at the same time? Denise Williams, mother of Concourse Coffee and Deadstock Coffee owner Ian Williams, is selling her homemade baked goods at Concourse Coffee (807 NE Couch St) on April 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to fundraise for the counseling services she offers for free to people in need. Offerings include butterscotch cake, bean pies, cupcakes, and cake pops, available for both walk-ups and preorders.
Zuckercreme Hosts an Easter Egg Hunt April 17
Zuckercreme (414 SE 81st Ave), which functions as a pop-up space for bakers and other makers, has announced its menu for the week, which includes vanilla oat cake with lavender fog icing and hummingbird cake-inspired cookies, plus some Easter-inspired treats like dulce de leche brownies with toasted coconut nests and Cadbury eggs, or Rice Krispy treats with Cadbury mini eggs, Reese’s peanut butter eggs, lemon cheesecake, and Fruity Pebbles. On April 17, the bakery will open early at 9 a.m. to host an all-ages Easter egg hunt; morning pastry boxes will also be available for pickup with preorder, and there’ll be a spring market that day from noon to 4 p.m.
Dough Zone Scheduled to Open April 18
The Seattle-founded soup dumpling restaurant mini-chain announced via Instagram that its Portland location (1910 S River Dr)—the first in Oregon—would open on April 18. We’ve visited the Seattle location and can confirm that the crab and pork soup dumplings are quite solid, though we do prefer Duck House's soup dumplings based on that visit—but this location does promise waterfront views, including several of Portland’s bridges.
Got something exciting to share? Restaurant openings, closings, exciting new menus, notable hires, special events, holiday offerings? We'd love it if you let us know by sending an email to our food editor, Katherine Chew Hamilton, at [email protected].
