Beloved Plant-Based Mac and Cheese Will Remain in Portland

The Lightning Bar Collective (Bye and Bye, Jackknife, Century) is opening its seventh bar, Capitol Bar, and, to design the menu, it’s teamed up with chefs Carina Rumrill and Nick Dickison of plant-based Of Roots and Blooms. LBC co-owner John Janulis tells Eater Capitol Bar will set up shop at Northeast 15th and Broadway in a building owned by renowned photographer David Lachapelle (and across from vegan hotspot Blossoming Lotus), and it aims to open mid-October.

Capitol will serve as a “neighborhood and date spot,” says Janulis. “We’re hoping it will be a welcomed addition to a street that can use a few more good options for a cocktail and a bite.”

Rumrill and Dickison built their reputation on the luxuriate macaroni and cheese at the Cheese Plate PDX food cart, before transitioning to their all-plant-based project, Of Roots and Blooms. The switcheroo may have surprised some, but the new project also earned a devout following. Capitol Bar will serve their vegan macaroni and cheese among other dishes.

And PoMo brings big news: Rumrill and Dickison are closing Of Roots and Blooms and moving to Vermont. Eater has reached out to Rumrill and Dickison for details.

Ed Villareal, formerly of Associated and the Woodsman, will manage the bar, and Rumrill’s son, Alex Knowlton, will be in charge of quality control in the kitchen. When it opens, Capitol Bar will likely operate daily, from noon to 2:30 a.m., says Janulis.

• Two of PDX’s Best Vegan Chefs Are Moving to Vermont—and Leaving Their Most Popular Recipes Behind [PoMo]