Chefs from Some of the Country’s Best Mexican Spots Will Come to Tope for Dinners

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for the weekly EaterWire round up of all those news items we didn’t quite cover. This week was a big week for under-represented cuisines in Portland, with an incoming downtown Shanghainese restaurant and a new Georgian cafe in Vancouver. Still, a few stories did fall through the cracks. Read on for more:

CULINARY TOURISM — Chef Johnny Leach, the man behind the Hoxton’s rooftop taco bar Tope, will collaborate with chefs from Mexican restaurants across the United States for one-night dinners throughout the fall and winter. Visiting chefs include T.J. Steele of Brooklyn’s Claro (October 24), Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish (November 21), and Fermin Nuñez of Austin’s Suerte (January 30). Tickets are $65 per person for dinner and gratuity, available at topechefseries.com. [EaterWire]

BEAVERTON BITES — Beaverton Restaurant Week returns from Thursday, September 26 to Friday, October 6, with menu specials at restaurants throughout Beaverton. More than 40 restaurants will participate, from Korean staples like Duh Ku Bee to the popular Alabama-style chicken shack Big’s Chicken. [The O]

BEATS AND BISCUITS — Produce Row Cafe, the old-school Portland gastropub, began its DJ brunch last weekend, serving its biscuits and gravy while DJ Cee White spins funk and soul records. Brunch begins at 10 a.m., with music starting at 11 a.m. [EaterWire]

KACHINKA CLOSURE — Kachinka, the casual Russian bar from the team behind Kachka, has closed temporarily due to damages to its building. “In early September, while our landlord was having the roof over Kachinka worked on, heavy rains hit Portland,” reads a statement from owners Bonnie and Israel Morales. “Unfortunately, this resulted in serious water damage throughout the restaurant, and we’ve been forced to keep it closed since September 8th.” The restaurant should reopen in late November or early December. [EaterWire]

Updated September 20, 2019, at 11:34 a.m.: This story has been updated to include information about Kachinka’s temporary closure.