Pastrami Zombie Food Truck Opens Saturday | Chef Naoko Launches Major Revamp

WEST BURNSIDE—Must... eat... pastrami... Melissa McMillan's Pastrami Zombie food truck will open at 2010 W Burnside St. this Saturday, June 18. The Chicago native won the hearts (and mouths) of Ashland residents with her popular sandwich shop, Sammich—as well as by coaching a generation of Ashland little leaguers over the last decade. McMillan uses signature brining and smoking techniques on her meats, and while she hasn't announced exactly which sandwiches she'll be serving, you can likely expect pastrami. See whether her sandwiches will rise to the top in Portland, too, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. till the sandwiches run out. [PoMo]

DOWNTOWN—After stuffing bento boxes for knowing customers for years, Chef Naoko restaurant is expanding next door and undergoing a remodel. The revamped restaurant will have 50 seats as well as two kitchens, and the renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is overseeing design. "One kitchen will be dedicated just to catering," reads the announcement on the Chef Naoko website. The remodel will last through September, but the seasonal bento boxes will keep flying out the kitchen window for lunch and dinner as usual. [Oregonian]

PORTLAND—Portland's homegrown coffee chain, Coffee People, will brew its last cup of meh coffee this month. The company, which started in 1983, has five locations remaining in Portland, after an ill-fated gamble to become the next Starbucks. The Coffee Peoples will shutter June 30 and local and national coffee shops will move in their place, like Starbucks. The original owners, who sold their ownership stakes years back, are still brewing strong though at Jim and Patty's Coffee locations. [WWeek]