Cartopia Slated for Development; Interurban's BBQ

CENTRAL EASTSIDE— SE Hawthorne's iconic, late-night cart pod Cartopia might soon be forced to make way for apartment development: The Oregonian reports that developer Vic Remmers has purchased the site and submitted preliminary plans to the city for a four-story apartment building (with ground-floor retail). There's no timeline set for the new development yet; but the move will officially displacecarts/longtime tenants like Whiffies, Potato Champion, and Pyro Pizza by October of this year. WWeek has already filed a eulogy to Cartopia, writing that its closure will end "longest standing late-night street party in Portland." [OregonLive; WW]

N. WILLIAMS/MISSISSIPPI— Interurban will kick off its summertime Last Sunday Backyard BBQ series this Sunday, May 25, offering an all-grill menu and a tap takeover by Breakside Brewing. According to an announcement, the event also serves as an "official introduction" to new chef Jonny Henry, who was installed earlier this week. More information about the barbecue here. [EaterWire]

MEXICO CITY— Pok Pok's Andy Ricker was a surprise guest during Day Two of the Mesamérica conference currently underway in Mexico City. Head over to Eater National for a recap of Ricker and David Thompson's presentation on Thai food, which touched on everything from the effect of the global economy to the history of Pad Thai. [-EN-]

Photo of Whiffles at Cartopia courtesy ShashiBellamkonda via Flickr