On September 4th, the City of Portland proclaimed September 6th through 15th as the City’s first Geek Week. The Portland-wide celebration follows Rose City Comic Con with over 300 events hosted by nerd and nerd-adjacent small businesses, including locations in Montavilla. Attendees will find game tournaments, cosplay parties, trivia nights, and film screenings. This new promotional initiative intends to expand the City’s reputation as a favorable community for traditionally geeky passions like board games, comic books, science fiction, and fantasy.
Portland City Council Item 762 Proclaiming the Geek Week 2024
The Portland event enables visitors and residents to explore their interests beyond the convention center and venture out to places often offering year-round themed events. A newer Montavilla business, Board Bard Games, at 7960 SE Stark Street, has a full day of gaming fun planned for Thursday, September 12th, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. All attendees receive a free Warhammer model, paints, and a brush. Store staff will accommodate drop-in attendees while supplies last, but they recommend that people reserve space ahead of time. Organizers say this event is not just for enthusiasts. Members of the “Kill Team Cascadia” game club will teach attendees how to paint and play with miniatures, tailoring instruction to players’ skill levels.
Graphic courtesy Geek Week PDX
People looking to take a break from Warhammer can swing by the Covert Cafe at 803 SE 82nd Avenue on the 12th for Star Trek Trivia from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Other Montavilla events include a classic trivia night on Tuesday, September 10th at 6:30 p.m. hosted by East Glisan Pizza Lounge at 8001 NE Glisan Street. On Wednesday, September 11th, Threshold Brewing at 403 SE 79th Avenue will hold its regular “Trivia on Wednesdays” starting at 6 p.m.
Geek Week PDX seeks to celebrate the region’s dreamers, artists, creators, and innovators by expanding on a widely attended convention. Starting Friday, people can find more events to satisfy their science fiction, fantasy, and gaming interests. Event organizers invite people to visit geekweekpdx.com to learn about activities happening across Portland and to help support this first in what they hope will become an annual event.
On July 1st, Growler’s Taproom at 803 SE 82nd Avenue will change its name to Covert Cafe in recognition of its new food menu and expanded service. Patrons can continue to order from an extensive selection of beers on tap but now have access to an array of meaty dishes to pair with their brew of choice. Since its early days, the drink-focused business partnered with food cart operators to offer meal options for guests. However, after the Thai Me Drunken Noodle owner decided to shut down their 82nd Avenue cart, Covert Cafe owner Joe Rodgers looked to his past restaurant experience to fill the void.
Inside the cafe, Rodgers pushed the counter seating forward to make room for a commercial flat-top grill and food prep area in a triangular kitchen behind the bar. That work caused a week’s long closure but added more seats for the returning customers. The original live-edge bartop became window seating, and Rodgers updated the sound system with tablet-based controls for quick adjustments.
Efficiency is essential to running the cafe, as Rodgers is the only employee. Covering food service and bartender duties will challenge his skills. However, he is no stranger to working alone and has run the location by himself for five years. His food service skills were honed at an early age making this work second nature. “I’ve been doing bar and restaurant stuff since I was 14, I did 16 years in the kitchen, and then I wised up and got a front-of-house job so I could make more money,” remembered Rodgers. He then worked as a consultant helping other business owners optimize their operations. Eventually, an opportunity lured him back into hospitality work, and it has consumed his life since. “Finally, I ended up deciding to do it for myself because I’ve not seen enough people go crazy trying to do it,” said Rodgers sarcastically.
Covert Cafe’s owner Joe Rodgers
Over the last few weeks, Rodgers tested recipes with his regulars, finding the right flavor notes. The menu is unique compared to the cart offerings guest had become accustomed to. It features comfort foods with a significant meat focus. “I do lots of steak because I buy half the cow at a time,” explained Rodgers. He chose quality food items that would keep prices within reason. “I’m trying to focus on the idea of not pricing out my neighborhood,” explained Rodgers. However, that attention to cost and his need for efficiency does not mean the cafe needs to cut corners. “My bacon jam takes 16 hours to make. Everything in it is made from scratch in-house.” Similarly, he prepares the other menu items with the same attention to process.
Rodgers explained that the name change to Covert Cafe is a nod to the location’s inconspicuous placement. “We’re kind of hidden. Nobody really expects that this place is here.” He is comfortable with some anonymity, as the cafe focuses on serving the neighborhood, but he looks forward to increasing his customer base and, ultimately, the cafe’s hours. “The whole goal is to get busy enough that I can’t do it anymore. Then I freak out and hire somebody.” With enough money coming in, Rodgers envisions opening for breakfast and lunch sometime in the future. He already has a space plumbed and ready for an espresso machine.
For Rodgers, the renovation work is nearly done. He recently finished expanding his outdoor covered seating area, taking over the space once reserved for carts. He built the new addition with few openings, blocking most light and providing a more enjoyable viewing environment for those watching the projected programming in the “mini movie theater” on the patio. Entertainment, games, beer, and food play into the harmonious community that frequents this location. Now that he has integrated food service into the business, instead of through a cart partnership, Rodgers feels customers will have a reliably great experience, which is what he wants most. “Community is a huge piece of what we do here, and I just want to make everybody happy with a good meal,” said Rodgers. Covert Cafe is open from 4 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Sunday.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Because Portlanders love food carts and week-long eating celebrations, the food cart community created Food Cart Week. Sponsored by Downtown Portland, The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Here Is Oregon, the second annual street-food dining event runs from April 16th through the 22nd and spans the entire city. Although cart discovery is the primary focus for participants, people can also enter several contests to win $100 in prizes.
Contestants have a few ways to participate. Oregon Live is hosting a People’s Choice Award. Submissions of a favorite Portland food cart will enter participants into a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Cart diners can also participate in a mobile app-based contest run by BabbleBuy. Top posters could win $100 worth of food from their favorite cart. Organizers will update the event’s website (portlandfoodcartweek.com) with more information as the festivities kick off this Sunday.
Disclosure: The Author of this article serves on a board with BabbleBuy’s founder
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Tucked in the back of a micro shopping complex on SE 82nd Ave, is a new Montavilla dining destination. Erica’s Soul Food opened at the beginning of 2020 and it can be easy to miss if you are not looking for it. It is located in a food cart attached to the back half of the Henry’s Market building at 803 SE 82nd Ave, adjacent to Growler’s Taproom. Growler’s Taproom shares a covered patio with Erica’s Soul Food, offering a good mix of drink and food options at one table.
My wife and I are a difficult pair to accommodate at restaurants. I eat Vegan and my wife eats everything but does not like Vegan only food. Fortunately Erica’s Soul Food offers a wide range of sides that are all Vegan. They were able to make an impressive plate of sides into a filling meal.
The food is an appropriate amount of spicy for soul food. Hot sauce is not needed, the heat is cooked in. All the flavors were surprising and vibrant, while being true to the dishes origin. The Vegan Mac & Cheese turned the plate of sides into a full meal and begged to be completely devoured.
My wife spent a decade of her formative years in the South. So she was excited to find a soul food spot so close to home and not over priced. She too found it spicy and good. Although she would not call it southern soul food, it is definitely a good spot. She lamented the lack of Fried Green Tomatoes on the menu but there is plenty of other dishes to try and I suspect my wife will work her way through them all.
We both will be returning soon, friends in tow. Erica’s Soul Food has a strong Instagram presence and orders can be delivered by GrubHub. Best of all, it is walking distance for many in Montavilla. I highly recommend you give them a visit.
