Olympia Provisions Will Hawk Sandwiches from a New Food Cart

Feel that? Red sauce and red wine are raining down on Portland, and it’s all wine bars and Italian food for the next few months. For a palate cleanser, enjoy a few pieces of culinary intel, including a new Olympia Provisions food cart in Pioneer Square, a new chef at Farm Spirit, and, uh, an unlikely investor for Bamboo Sushi.

MEAT AND MELTS — Olympia Provisions and Tillamook are going to open a food cart parked in Pioneer Square. On April 12, folks can snag free grilled cheeses from Olympia Provisions’ Elias Cairo and Nate Tilden, who will be at the cart from noon to 2 p.m. (For those interested in doubling down on free grilled cheese tomorrow, Bunk will hand them out between 5 and 8 p.m. at the Alberta location.) The truck appears to be hiring for daily service from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the Craigslist posting; stay tuned for more details about the cart’s opening. [EaterWire]

NEW SPIRITS — Farm Spirit owner Aaron Adams is passing on his chef status to Kei Ohdera, who has worked in that kitchen since 2016. Adams will stay on as an owner while he focuses on growing his powerlifting gym, Strength Union, which opened this March. Meanwhile, if anyone is currently a member at Strength Union, Eater Portland is certainly interested in your take on the chef’s sweet gains. [EaterWire]

SOMETHING FISHY — Mitt Romney’s former pet project Bain Capital has invested in Sustainable Restaurant Group, the company behind Bamboo Sushi and Quickfish, as a part of its new good-deed private investment fund Double Impact. The ethical sushi brand, which recently opened locations in Denver, will likely get some more dough for more national expansions, but no word yet. In the meantime, Bamboo recently switched up its menu; it’s worth a revisit. [NRN]

COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE — Caffeine continues to flow through the streets of Portland: Either/Or, Human Bean and Good are expanding, and Prince just opened a second location. Either/Or’s new spot will have a bar to go with its coffee flights, as well as a soul DJ. [EPDX]

CLOSINGS CONTINUE — On SE Hawthorne, Peruvian spot La Leña has closed, and Cafe Castagna will soon follow. It sounds like the latter will reopen with a new concept however, so stay tuned for more details. [EPDX, PoMo]