The December Hit List: Langbaan, Kann, Miss Delta, Mirisata, and More

Since traveling is still mostly off the table, take a trip to the Big Easy and environs at Acadia, Northeast Portland’s longstanding Cajun-Creole bistro. Open for takeout only, menus have stayed true to Cajun classics: hush puppies, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, and the must-order Louisiana barbecue shrimp, here simmered until just pink in a buttery lemon and wine sauce. A handful of non-NOLA dishes fill out the rest of the menu, including the house burger with bacon chicory jam and remoulade and the always good fried-chicken sandwich. Housemade ice cream and brownies made from chef Seamus Foran’s mom’s actual recipe, wine, and beer are also available to order.

Dining status: Takeout only. More info here.

If you’ve been on social media at all in the past few months, you might’ve noticed that birria — the spicy Jaliscan stew, with its rich chile-infused consomé —has taken over the Food Internet. Thankfully several carts featuring the popular dish have opened this year, including Birrieria PDX. Here, tender braised beef is served in a variety of ways: stuffed into broth-dipped tortillas, laden with cheese and fried on the flat top, resting atop crispy-fried tortillas, mixed in with chewy ramen noodles, or simply on its own with consomé and a handful of limes. On weekends, arrive early as they often sell out.

Dining status: Takeout available from the cart, at 16544 SE Division St.

Grab groceries, flowers, fresh pasta, Roman-style pies and more, all in one trip at the newly-opened Italian marketplace. Sarah Schafer and Anna Caporael, the team behind the now-closed Irving Street Kitchen, launched their new venture in September, pulling in vendors like Spella Coffee to provide coffee, flowers from Coy & Co., a paninoteca, and a gelato stand from Pinolo Gelato. The market itself sells local produce, meat from Tails and Trotters, pantry staples, and more. Pizzas are available by the slice, half slice or full pie and can be ordered in-store or online. Shopping can be done in person or online, and scheduled for pickup at a later time.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available. More info here.

Recreate your dining dreams of yesteryear at Slabtown’s G-Love, where much of the vegetable-heavy menu arrives as shareable, small plates — perfect for date night at home. Those ordering takeout or delivery will find a short, seasonal menu that conveniently calls out which items are “snack-size.” Start with the crusty avocado, studded in coco-blackspice seed mix; fingerling potatoes with trout roe; or the fall toast, currently spread with mushroom puree, squash, apple and pickled shiitake. Dive into a “chirashi” bowl, here topped with shiitake mushroom, squash and a Thai egg; charred hanger steak with chimichurri; or the grilled corn pappardelle to seal the deal. The restaurant also offers a duo of set menu options: a dinner for two with a choice of entree and a date night offering, which adds a bottle of wine to pair.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available. More info here.

For the past year, popular Top Chef finalist and former Departure executive chef Gregory Gourdet has been working on finishing a cookbook and opening his own restaurant, a wood-fired Haitian spot dubbed Kann. This month, in step with state guidelines, Gourdet will get his first crack at service with a three month pop-up yurt village, sponsored by Resy and American Express, designed for individual dining groups for two or more. The six-course prix-fixe dinners will be available by reservation only, kicking things off with a menu of griot (Haitian twice-cooked pork belly), epis-marinated fish and beef short ribs stewed in habanero and thyme (pescatarian and vegan options will be on offer, too). With a planned launch date of Dec. 18, Gourdet plans to change menus monthly alongside Christmas, New Years and Valentine’s Day specials. Zero-proof cocktail pairing, beer and wine pairings are also available.

Dining status: Dine-in only, as available according to state guidelines.

Snagging a meal at tasting-menu-only Langbaan once required an exercise in patience and perseverance, with reservations booking up months in advance. These days things are a little different: The menu is now available à la carte for pickup or delivery. Thai drinking snacks headline the menu, from grilled meatballs with tamarind sauce and seafood dumplings to the duo of kanom krok, a Langbaan menu staple of Hokkaido scallop with coconut cream in a crispy rice cup, and prawns wrapped in betel leaves. Larger dishes, including noodle soups (think grilled short rib noodle curry and boat noodles with beef and oxtail meatballs) and black rockfish-bolstered rice noodle curry fill out the rest. Of course, no drinking snacks would be complete without the drinks, which here arrive as a choice between four classic, easy-drinking Asian beers.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available. More info here.

What started as a vegan pop-up has quickly turned brick-and-mortar, opening as a worker-owned co-op in October. Named for the Sinhala word for “spicy curry,” Mirisata is the city’s first Sri Lankan restaurant, and has gained a cult following during the pandemic for its meatless spins on rice and curry plates, string hoppers, and short eats, the country’s often-fried and filled street snacks. The specialty here is the Sri Lankan rice and curry plate, which combines an assortment of curries, including kukul mas, here made with Chick’n, jackfruit polos and cashew kaju maluwa; vegetable stir fries; basmati rice; and your choice of coconut or caramelized onion relish served with papadam on a banana leaf. Smaller plates include a string hopper meal paired with a duo of curries, or kottu roti, the famed Sri Lankan street food of stir-fried roti, gravy, egg and chilies.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery only. Info here.

It’s officially comfort-food season in Portland. At Miss Delta, Mississippi Avenue’s Southern and barbecue restaurant, diners can order takeout from a comprehensive menu of comfort-food staples for brunch, dinner, or by the pound. Mornings bring classics like biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and biscuits stacked high with fried chicken, cheese, eggs, and bacon. In the afternoons and evenings, the menu expands, with po’boys of all stripes, fried appetizers, “trashy” mac n’ cheeses, barbecue plates and more. Pulled pork —one of Miss Delta’s mainstays — is available by the pound, along with andouille sausage and bulk sides for hosting your own at-home barbecue.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available. More info here.

Takeout is a good option any time of day, but especially in the morning hours at Radar. Order weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at this buzzy Mississippi Avenue haven, which drew hour-plus waits for tables in the Before Times. If you like sweet in the morning, don’t miss the blueberry clafoutis with whipped lemon ricotta, or the challah bread French toast. Egg-loving types will want to look to the croque madame, the vegetable-studded quiche or the wild mushroom hash. And for those whose order is mood-dependent, the braised brisket with corn cakes and berry syrup is a classic. While Oregon restaurants still wait for approval to sell cocktails to-go, Radar is offering their bloody Mary mix for four —add your own booze at home.

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available. More info here.

There aren’t many places in Portland like Republica. Built by chef Lauro Romero (King Tide, Clandestino PDX), Angel Medina from neighboring La Perlita coffee shop, and pastry chef Olivia Bartruff of Olivia B Sweets, this is an all-day dining experience. By day, find pastes — flaky, buttery hand pies filled with cochinita pibil or chicken tinga; quesadillas made with local queso Oaxaca and beautiful housemade blue corn tortillas; and hearty soups and guisados plates. By night, the pastes and quesadillas continue, alongside memalitas, tacos Yucatecos, refrescos, desserts and wines from Mexican, Latinx and women-owned wineries, curated by winemaker Cristina Gonzalez of Gonzalez Wine Company. And while the space is centered around Mexican food and culture, the owners plan for the space to be a home for pop-ups, producers, and artists of color as it continues to evolve.

Dining status: Take-out available.