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Back on the Grind
Less than a week after Portland's only 24-hour coffee shop closed, another one stepped up to take its place. On Halloween, Phoenix Roasters on Southeast Division Street began serving coffee around the clock. The cafe extended its hours only five days after the permanent closure of long-standing, all-hours spot Southeast Grind. To help staff its graveyard shifts, Phoenix Roasters hired several former Southeast Grind baristas.
Read more: Following the Closure of Southeast Grind, Portland Has A New 24-Hour Coffeeshop
Jock Jams
As part of the organization's currently in progress 50th anniversary season, the Blazers are releasing a limited-edition "greatest hits" album. The record is available exclusively at Rip City Clothing inside Moda Center and features seven novelty jams. Of course, that includes 1990's "Bust a Bucket," by Portland music legend Dan Reed, which inexplicably sold 30,000 copies back in the day.
Read more: The Blazers Are Releasing a Limited Edition "Greatest Hits" Album at Tomorrow's Game.
Get Your Grub On
WW's annual Guide to Food + Drink is out this week with a new look. This year's listings of restaurants, food carts and bars are organized by culinary category. The guide also features rankings of some of Portland's quirkier foodstuffs, from conveyor belt sushi to dishes that contain Flamin' Hot Cheetos. As always, you'll find features on restaurants receiving our top honors. The guide is available at newsstands, New Seasons Markets and Powell's Books.
Homecoming
Ma Anand Sheela is coming back on Netflix. Well, Netflix India. The ex-Rajneeshee—who helped cult leader the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh establish a commune in Central Oregon in the 1980s and was a focal point of the wildly popular 2018 series Wild Wild Country—will star in an as yet untitled documentary following her on her first trip home to India in 34 years. No word on a release date, or whether it'll eventually stream in the United States.
Pint Glass Half Full
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Oregon craft beer lovers, and it seems the blows just keep coming: Coalition Brewing announced it's calling it quits. But the closure is cushioned by the fact that another business has opened the turnkey operation. Gorges Beer Company will move into the space on Southeast Ankeny Street, New School Beer first reported. The man running the brewhouse will be Bryan Keilty, the longtime, award-winning head brewer at recently shuttered Lompoc. The new brewery's name hints where the founders eventually want to relocate: Cascade Locks.
Read more: Coalition Brewing Is Shutting Down After a Decade in Business.
Cover Charge
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or ASCAP, is suing two Portland bars for copyright infringement: Cider Mill Lounge and Rialto Poolroom. Representatives from Cider Mill did not respond to requests for comment. Rialto owner Frank Faillace told WW in an email that he was not aware of the suit. It is unclear whether the offending songs listed in the suit were performed by live acts or played over the bars' speakers. The lawsuit seeks damages between $750 and $30,000. Cider Mill and Rialto are two of 19 venues across the country now targeted by ASCAP.
Read more: Two Portland Bars Are Being Sued by Performing Rights Organization ASCAP for Alleged Copyright Infringement.
Hard Pressed
After six years in business, Cider Riot is closing after its owner, Abram Goldman-Armstrong, could not find investors to keep it running. Goldman-Armstrong put the company up for sale in September, blaming debt generated by a 2016 expansion. Cider Riot made headlines this year after six far-right organizers were indicted for attacking antifascists there. Goldman-Armstrong expressed resentment over Cider Riot's classification as "the Antifa pub," and says Patriot Prayer has "nothing to do" with the cidery's closure. Meanwhile, Avid Cider, the state's second-largest cider label, abruptly shuttered its Portland tasting room, just over a year after it opened. A notice on the front door said the company was focusing on production and expanding distribution.
Read more: Northeast Portland's Antifascist Cidery Cider Riot Is Closing.
Llama Gone to Heaven
A little over a week after retiring from public service, Rojo the Llama, the Portland area's most famous therapy animal, has died at age 17. The camelid was scheduled to be euthanized Wednesday morning but passed away "on his own accord" according to a Facebook post from his handlers. There is something of a silver lining to the loss: Rojo's owners plan to have him stuffed and put on display in the Safari Room at the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver, Wash., which he visited frequently.
Read more: Rojo, Portland's Beloved Therapy Llama, Will Be Euthanized Tomorrow.