Tracking the Restaurants that Opened in February 2016

ST. JOHNS—Expanding beyond their Coava coffee brand, Matt Brown and Jonathan Felix-Lund took over the Fourth Estate Coffeehouse at 7373 N Burlington Ave. and rechristened it The Great North in early February. Expect: Coava coffee; Jasmine Pearl Tea; dairy products from Sunshine Dairy; house-made syrups and sauces; bagels from Bowery; and Bakeshop pastries.

NORTHWEST—”With its "barn pop" design and the goal to "reclaim" the fried-chicken sandwich through better sourcing and community activism, Chk Chk officially opened its doors on February 5 at 1305 NW 23rd Ave. The owners, Aaron and Jessica Grimmer (The Picnic House, Barlow, High Noon), and their chef, Casey Gipson, will focus on fast-casual chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and bottled cocktails. Chk Chk will also donate five percent of all its sales to Portland's Q Center.

SOUTHEAST—The tiny, eight-seat restaurant Tam opened its doors at 8235 SE 13th Street on February 8 to serve silky wonton noodle soups. It comes courtesy of Ro and Simon Tam, and Ro also operates Sellwood's Either/Or coffee shop, and Simon heads the all-Asian punk band, The Slants. The Tams are using their father's homemade wonton noodle soup recipes, and they will switch up their menu in the warmer months to feature lighter fare.

NORTHEAST—”Providore Fine Foods, the new gourmet marketplace headed by Pastaworks, opened at 2340 NE Sandy Boulevard on February 10. The other independent business operating in the marketplace are The Meat Monger, Little T American Baker, Rubinette Produce Market, Emerald Petals for flowers, Arrosto (for take-out rotisserie chicken), and The Flying Fish Company, which has an eight-seat oyster, beer, and wine bar, too.

NORTHEAST—Pizzerias continue to open faster than you can say "extra cheese," and Pulehu Pizza opened on February 20 inside the Lumberyard Bike Park at 2700 NE 82nd Ave. A former food cart, the Hawaiian-style pizzeria is owned by Pierre Prevost and Annabelle Eastling. Watch cyclists hit the jumps while drinking a beer and perusing the menu of salads, panini, and whole pies.

NORTHEAST—The wait is over. Chesa, the new restaurant from 2016 James Beard Award semifinalist, José Chesa, opened February 23 at 2200 NE Broadway. The tile-clad space features a semi-open kitchen that puts out salt cod beignets, mussels, potatoes bravas, and paella, and the sizable bar area serves a surprisingly interesting signature gin and tonic.