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Back in 2020, chef Fatou Ouattara closed her rising star West African restaurant, Akadi, with the intention of reopening in 2021. Instead, fans heard relative radio silence from Ouattara, subsisting on bottles of the restaurant’s exceptional dipping sauces and marinades found at markets around town. Turns out, 2022 is the year Akadi returns: The restaurant will reopen on SE Division, joined by a new North Portland grocery store called House of Flavor.
In April, House of Flavor opens at 3901 N Williams Avenue, stocked with African varieties of fruits and vegetables from Portland’s Happiness Family Farm, house spice blends and bottled sauces, South African honey wine, and Kenyan beer. The restaurant follows soon afterward in May: At 1001 SE Division, Ouattara will bring back standbys like mafe (peanut butter stew) and attiéké poisson (fermented cassava with whole fish), but the chef is also planning on covering a wider swath of African countries via a rotating, expanded menu. Read more about Akadi’s return here. [PoMo]
Fairview Is Now Home to a 37-Foot Fork
It wasn’t enough for the town of Fairview, on the eastern edge of Multnomah County, to open a shiny new food plaza with indoor and outdoor vendors and a playground; the new pod will also house a 37-foot, two-and-a-half-ton fork, which the town believes is the world’s largest. The Oregonian notes that technically, the fork is 40 feet tall, but three feet of the fork’s prongs will be stuck in the ground. If you want to see the fork for yourself, it’s currently standing at the pod’s future site, at the corner of NE Halsey Street and NE 223rd Avenue. [PoMo, O]
Boxer Ramen Is Now Boxer
Boxer Ramen has dropped the “Ramen.” After a long hiatus, Boxer reopened in a new location earlier this month, expanding outside the world of noodle soups to add sushi, sashimi, and a wider selection of cocktails and saké. Portlanders will still find standout snacks like the okonomiyaki tots on the menu, as well. Boxer’s new address is 1668 NW 23rd Avenue. [WWeek]
