Openings, closings and dishy gossip

[January 30th, 2008] »You say Wildfire, we say Carboni’s. Local pizza man Kevin Hutchinson found himself in a pickle recently when a Midwest-based steak-and-chophouse chain threatened to sue his newish barbecue and pizza hub Wildfire (3935 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 546-3111) over the naming rights. Actually, WW confirmed that the order came down from Lettuce Entertain You , a mega-company that owns or leases more than 30 different restaurant “concepts”—a.k.a. chains— including Wildfire. Hutchinson, who once owned Sellwood Public House in Southeast Portland, told WW he’s renaming his Wildfire “Carboni’s .” “Regretfully I no longer sell BBQ and decided to go straight Italian ,” he emailed WW , noting that he’ll feature 14 different pastas on the new menu as well as his wood-fired pizzas .

»Are you a regular at a local brunch spot or bento shack? Swear by the sandwiches at a downtown cafe? Let us know. WW is in the midst of planning its Cheap Eats guide for 2008 , and we want to consider your favorite places for inexpensive, excellent grub in PDX. Email dish@wweek.com to give us a mouthful of your opinions.