There used to be a place on Belmont. Sweetwater’s. It had this excellent Caribbean food. The food was interesting and delicious and the place was perfectly decorated. They existed for a few years and then just disappeared into restaurant oblivion. Which must be quite a busy place.
But there is a spot in Hillsdale, just a bit outside Portland, and it’s sort of the new Sweetwater’s for me. It’s a lot smaller and less urbany, but it reminds me of Sweetwater’s. Maybe it’s because I love to travel and the place is all about travel. It’s called Salvador Molly’s.
The point is it’s just a nice, comfortable place. Caribbean, Mexican, Cuban food. Cuba Libres and Mojitos. And when you order spicy, you get spicy. The have a “wall of flame” for those people willing to eat an entire order of their habanero poppers with habanero salsa. Don’t you want to be a member of the Great Ball of Fire family?
This is where I should probably just link to Keith’s previous post from last year. I wait for MusicFest NW. I don’t know how many times Keith and I have mentioned it in our posts. I should search to see. That and the Brewer’s Fest. The festival has just gotten better every year. The last couple of years I checked the lineup early and bought a handful of the CDs from the bands I hadn’t heard of, which I also did this year.
Among these acts I’d say I’m most eager to see The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I really like the CD and it seems like a sound that would be great live. The same with Portual. The Man. But maybe the worst name for a band ever, or least since The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
There are something like 18 venues participating this year. I don’t know if that’s the most but it just seems like an incredible number. How many other performance venues can there be in Portland?
For $60 you get a wristband that gets you into every show for three days at all those venues. It’s like a larger, real-life version of what you do on iTunes anyway.
How many 150th birthday parties have you been to? None. Well, here’s your chance. We’re having a big one going on at Hotel deLuxe. We’re not 150. It’s Oregon’s 150th. And in honor we’ve got a special offer, of course. That’s how we roll.
The details are that you get a limited-edition Pendleton wool blanket. (If you don’t know about Pendleton blankets, you don’t know about warm. A great combination of art and utility.) There are also two commemorative stainless steel water bottles and Friends of Trees will plant six native trees in your name. I don’t know if they’re in your name or bear your name. That part’s unclear. But it’s six trees either way.
Oh, and you also get a room, and unlimited in-and-out valet parking at our really cool, but not 150-year-old (but pretty historic), hotel.
As the name may suggest, it’s art, and it’s in the Pearl. How is it different from the plethora of other art festivals around town? Here’s how: First… OK, it’s really not that different, but art festivals are fun, and what’s wrong with that?
The thing that is so great about these events, in my opinion, is that there’s so much to see. I’m not much into carnival rides or petting zoos these days, so give me a little painting, a little sculpture, something new and a “why didn’t I think of that?” and I’m a happy woman.
The event takes place on Labor Day weekend in the Northwest Park Blocks: food, music, theater, hands-on activities for kids and adults in the Education Pavilion, and a whole lot of art. And what’s wrong with that?
