Aviation Gin Opens Its New Portland Distillery and Tasting Room

Aviation Gin’s sprawling distillery has opened in Northwest Portland. The space spans more than 32,000 square feet with a tasting room, cocktail bar, retail shop, and an escape room masquerading as co-owner Ryan Reynold’s office. Reynolds stars in a YouTube video (read: ad) highlighting the new space, emphasizing the immersive quality of the distillery’s tour — in other words, he puts visitors to work, which he calls the “full gin-making experience.”

Aviation Gin was originally a part of House Spirits, co-founded by distiller Christian Krogstad and bartender Ryan Magarian. House Spirits moved from Corvallis to Portland in 2005, opening a location in Portland’s Distillery Row. Davos Brands acquired Aviation in 2016, which was later acquired by Diageo — these acquisitions weren’t wildly viral news stories outside of niche business trades. But in 2018, Reynolds became one of the owners of Aviation, and has slowly become the face of the brand.

Mid City Smash Burger Lands at Level Beer Next Month

Mid City Smash Burger, the popular food cart known for its smash burgers and shakes, has landed on a new home outside Level Beer. Beginning October 1, the original Mid City cart will start serving burgers at 1447 NE Sandy Boulevard, outside the brewery. This location, on Sandy, is currently home to Nacho’s House. Since opening in early 2021, Mid City has expanded rapidly, and now operates four carts: Along with the location at Level Beer, Mid City is stationed at Cartside Food Pod (1825 N Williams Avenue), Uptown Beer Co. (6620 SW Scholls Ferry Road), and at Boneyard Beer (37 NW Lake Place) in Bend.

Canard’s Oregon City Location Now Serves Lunch

Once upon a time, you could waltz into Canard on Burnside at 1 p.m. and eat fried chicken sandwiches with chile-wasabi mayo, or pancakes dripping with duck fat gravy. When the pandemic hit, Canard’s original locale abandoned its daytime service and stuck to dinner. However, the restaurant has revived its lunch service at the new Oregon City location starting this week, complete with dishes like smoked duck flautas, smoked beef and cheddar sandwiches, and smoked salmon BLTs. It runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Legendary Diner the Roxy Sells Its Memorabilia

The Roxy, the 24-hour downtown haven that closed this spring, is selling the tchotchkes, wall hangings, and kitchen equipment over the course of the next two weekends: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 24; Sunday, September 25; Saturday, October 1; and Sunday, October 2. The sale is cash only, and for locals only (as in the Lovely Suzanne won’t be shipping anything). A few items will go to the highest bidder, including the Roxy neon sign, the “open 24 hrs” sign, and “the Roxie (Hearts)” sign. Learn more about it here.

Correction Friday, September 23 at 5 p.m.: This story has been corrected to note that Mid City Smash Burger is moving to the Sandy location, not the location on Northeast 148th Avenue.