Ryan Reynolds Releases Commercial Riddled With Sarcastic One Liners About Portland Maker Culture

Portland is in the midst of the final push of openings before the year ends, with West and Delores kicking things off last week and Din Tai Fung and Bullard welcoming diners this weekend. Hiding among the buzz are the below Portland food news tidbits, including a goofy gin commercial, a new Japanese cafe, and one third-degree-burn of a bad review:

SERENADED SPIRITS — Aviation Gin owner and occasional Deadpool Ryan Reynolds released an ad for his gin company yesterday, in which he satirizes Portland’s maker culture. Called “The Process,” the commercial shows distillers meditating before work and apologizing to each individual juniper berry, before the final product is ordained by a Unitarian minister and serenaded by Sarah McLachlan. It’s very Portlandia season one, with a better cinematographer. [Maxim]

BENTOS AND SANDOS — Gabe Rosen and Kana Hinohara Hanson of the now-closed izakaya Biwa have opened a tiny cafe and market within globetrotter wonderland Cargo. Giraffe hawks everything from kombu and Kewpie to bento boxes and red bean croissants, with a small pantry section and a grab-and-go cooler with katsu sandwiches. The pastries, from Beaverton’s Oyatsupan, are definitely worth it for a post-shopping treat. [Portland Monthly]

PUNK KARAOKE — Karaoke pop-up Baby Ketten has found a permanent home at 2433 SE Powell Blvd. Baby Ketten has developed a reputation for its off-the-overplayed-track song choices, which hang out on the more obscure side of the rock spectrum. In the new digs, owner John Brophy will be able to offer karaoke daily in a charmingly divey space. The whole shebang should open in March — theoretically. It’s Portland, after all. [Willamette Week]

RED-HOT BURNS — “Fluorescent hellscape,” “McDonald’s retooled a Banksy exhibit,” “a bar that’s lit like Chuck E. Cheese’s and dressed like Kevin Federline”: These are just a few ways Willamette Week critic Parker Hall roasted the newly open Ouibar lounge and restaurant within the Radisson Red hotel. If you dare visit after reading the review, make sure to skip the “The Radberry,” which “offers overwhelming notes of Robitussin and rubbing alcohol.” Yikes. [WWeek]