Foster-Powell. A neighborhood blog.

Well, we’re two minutes closer to Doomsday, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which means we’re sitting at 11:57 pm (we were at 11:55) on the midnight-equals-imminent-world-and-social-collapse clock. I guess that’s even more reason to make the most out of your weekend. There’s rumor we’ll be creeping up into the low-60’s by Sunday…enjoy.

Here are your weekend tidbits…

– Performance Works NW is the place to be this weekend. If you’re not hip to PWNW, we’ll help you out real quick: dance, art, and performance space brought to you by the renowned, Linda Austin. This is an asset to the neighborhood, with their assortment of classes, shows and performances, and even space for rent and community use. This Friday and Saturday, there are two different performances for your viewing pleasure: a Fertile Ground staged reading of Cottonwood in the Flood AND a musical performance by Henry Kaiser and friends. Cottonwood in the Flood premiered yesterday, but continues tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 2:30; the Henry Kaiser show starts at 8:00 pm on Saturday.

– Get your produce on. Yeah, as in grocery shopping….in the neighborhood. As per the folks at Portland Mercado, where the future Kaah market will (hopefully) be located:     “Kaah market will provide fresh produce, bulk items and imported goods from Latin America, satisfying your grocery shopping needs. From chiles to queso, pomelos to cilantro, Kaah market looks forward to being one of the region’s coziest and accessible neighborhood latino markets”
You can support Kaah’s efforts here.

– We love O’Malley’s, but can’t helped but to be intrigued by the guest appearance of Roman Candle pizza at N.W.I.P.A. this Saturday. Sixpoint Brewing will be taking over the taps from noon to midnight, Saturday, with the added bonus of pizza from Duane Sorenson’s Roman Candle Baking Co.

– We love Foster so much, we sometimes do so at the expense of Powell. And, good god, there are definitely some things about our stretch of Powell that should get more attention…namely, Steakadelphia and Powell Seafood. But there’s also good Thai food, Japanese, a funky little tienda, hair salon and, now, a new coffee shop. We know coffee shops are a dime a dozen in Portland, and the neighborhood already has a couple favorites (shout-out to Pieper and Speedboat), but the newest addition, The Spritely Bean, also sells comics. And anything remotely close to resembling Guapo Comics and Coffee (RIP) is a winner in my book. The Spritely Bean is located at 5829 SE Powell Blvd.

– Weekend happenings:
Bar Carlo- Matices (Latin folk music), Friday
Performance Works NW- Cottonwood in the Flood, Friday; Henry Kaiser, Fred Chalenor & Dana Valatka, Saturday
Starday Tavern- Bridgecreek, Friday; Lonesome Holler, Saturday
NWIPA- Sixpoint Brewing & Roman Candle Pizza takeover, Saturday
Red Castle Games- The Doubleclicks, Sunday at 2pm

Enjoy the weekend, y’all. Be cool, be safe.

For your viewing and listening pleasure…

                                                                                                                                                               * Poor picture-taking means Rupaul got cut off. (No, not like that…cut off, as in cropped.) Rupaul’s Drag Race will be returning soon.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day in advance. And happy long weekend. Hopefully you find ways to celebrate civil rights AND get into something uniquely Foster this weekend. It’ll be mostly wet, but that shouldn’t stop you.

Here are your weekend tidbits…

– The Foster Window Project held its first painting party last night, and it was exciting to see it start coming together. The mural-to-be won’t just change the look of the Phoenix Pharmacy, but it’ll add some extra flavor to Foster in general. And if you didn’t know, the folks behind this project aren’t just stopping at the left-for-dead-but-oozing-potential building on 67th—they’re taking the same model and idea westward, too. Their next target is across from Meticon Bikes on Foster, roughly at 59th. (Think vacant, purple and yellow.) To get your suggestions in for the next art installation, go here: Foster Window Project – Habibi Building.

– You want a market to get produce and groceries, right? You hate Fred Meyer, right? Ok, make this happen, then: Kaah Neighborhood Market. Just one of the many things to look forward to at the Portland Mercado.

– A few of Foster’s own got some press in the Merc and Willy Week. Peep it: FoPo Tavern and Bar Maven review; We Heart SMART Collective

– One more plug for neighborhood business. Or shall we say, businesses. Foster Row is siiiiiick. Seriously, it’s rad. Check ‘em out. They’ve managed to fit 12 different businesses in the former drapery, churning out some serious arts, crafts, and design work. In addition to the different work spaces, there’s retail and, eventually, a community art space for you all to get dirty in. More on that later, though (we’ve got a profile of Foster Row coming soon).

– First N.W.I.P.A. brings us tasty beer (and they continue to do so). Then they introduce Salt & Straw ice cream, oysters, and meatball sandwiches. Then the occasional wine tasting. Fresh fish and organic produce? Yep, that’s happened too. You can even get tee-shirts and coffee there. Now? Get your cheese on. “Bromage: a pop up cheese shop with a curated selection of cheese for sale at pro deal prices.” Monday, 1/19. There’ll be cheese for tasting, for buying, and even some melted varieties in a fondue pot.

– “Fate Reforged Midnight Prerelease is tomorrow night! It’ll be a whole night/morning of manifesting, dragons, and caffeine!“
If you know what fate reforaged and manifesting means, the above is for you. At Red Castle…duh. Tonight (Friday).

– Live music and other weekend happenings:
Starday Tavern- The New Song Project, Friday; The BroadStrokes (Blues), Saturday
Bar Maven- Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament and Full Sail Tap take over, Saturday
Gemini Lounge- Amber Harlan Granmo Jazz Trio, Saturday

Enjoy the weekend, y’all. Be cool, be safe.

The free weeklies are giving Foster some love this week.

Or at least noticing us. That’s something, right?

As we mentioned yesterday, S.M.A.R.T. Collective got a well-deserved nod in the Portland Mercury. Next up? The Willy Week tackles Foster’s youngest bars: Bar Maven and FoPo Tavern.

Ok, Bar Maven’s not exactly new. But they are still young, and probably align more with FoPo Tavern than they do, say, Starday Tavern. So it makes sense they got paired.

In the end, Bar Maven made the better impression. And for good reason: food’s good and varied, beer options diverse, vibe is laid back, and—something the WW didn’t mention—they typically have Blazers games on the TV.

Here’s what Willy had to say about the two bars:

         “Given most passersby are flying at 40 mph, it takes some time for a new bar to build a crowd in Foster-Powell. At least that’s the word at Bar Maven (6219 SE Foster Road, 384-2079,barmaven-pdx.com), which has been open 18 months but only recently rounded into one of the neighborhood’s best bars. Maven’s sleek black exterior looks a little bro-y, but the inside is a faded rainbow of reclaimed wood to deaden speakers playing “Tighten Up” with all the clarity of a subwoofer rattling from the trunk of an ’87 Cutty Supreme. On a recent Saturday, the crowd was mostly late 20-somethings, drawn more to an eccentric tap list of pineapple cider and Barley Brown’s hefeweizen than the newfangled digital shuffleboard table or cocktails ($6.50 gets you cucumber and Bombay, $7 buys a cocktail with brandy and a grove of pulpy, muddled citrus). Maven’s pubby food menu has a Mediterranean twist, including a gyro burger ($11) that’s a delightfully sloppy mess of beef, bacon and sliced gyro meat. Coincidentally, just down the street there’s another new FoPo bar doing Middle Eastern food. That’s the newer, less-polished and so-far empty FoPo Tavern (5902 SE Foster Road, 771-2377). FoPo also has burgers and gyros, cooked by the solo bartender after she blends a ginger ale stand-in from 7 Up, Coke and bitters. It’s easier to hear the music—Ed Sheeran, the Weeknd—and the house-fried potato chips are tasty, but for now, the party’s down at Maven. “

So what say you? Is FoPo Tavern simply Dusty’s with a new name? Have they won you over? Who cares?