PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🍣Another beautiful Thursday! Good morning. Thursday tops out around 82 and mostly sunny, a fine day to read bad corporate news. Under Armour is packing up most of its Portland office, and Horizon's flight attendants are spoiling for a fight. Coffee first.

Two Portland spots came home from the James Beard Awards in Chicago with medals Monday night. Scotch Lodge, the cozy whisky bar on Southeast 9th, won Outstanding Bar, a national category, after coming up short last year. Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro won Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific, a prize he had chased through nine semifinalist nods over the last decade. Roadhouse opened his speech remembering his first restaurant job, bussing tables at 17. Worth noting the whole award is named for James Beard, who was born right here in Portland back in 1903. The city has been good at this for a very long time. Once in a while, we even get the medal. OPB

Located right on the PSU campus, University Station Food Carts brings together locally owned food carts serving flavors from around the world in one vibrant downtown Portland destination. From Thai and Mediterranean to pizza, tacos, and more, there’s something for every craving. Grab a bite, hang out at the indoor full-service bar with a daily happy hour, and enjoy weekly events including comedy, live music, trivia, karaoke, plus rotating pop-up events and local markets. Whether you’re meeting friends, studying, or exploring Portland’s food cart scene, USFC is the place to be. Website

The flight attendants who staff Horizon Air, the Alaska-owned regional carrier, voted Tuesday to authorize a strike, and it was not close. The union says 99.8% of its roughly 650 members backed the measure. Some of them rallied outside Portland International before the result came in. Horizon attendants have been bargaining since 2023 and have not seen a raise in six years. The union says a first-year attendant makes under $20,000. A vote is not a walkout: federal airline rules mean a long mediation process has to play out first, so your summer flights are safe for now. Alaska called the result expected and said travelers will not notice. The attendants are hoping they do. AFA CWA

Under Armour is closing its flagship Portland office, the converted former YMCA on Southwest Barbur it moved into back in 2017. Most of the roughly 60 people still based there will relocate to the company's Baltimore headquarters, with some roles heading to New York. The footwear design team, the reason Under Armour came to Portland in the first place, stays put. The company also says it will open a new, much smaller Portland office once it signs a lease. Its own framing: it is not withdrawing all operations from Portland, just closing the building where most of its Portland operations currently happen. Glad we cleared that up. KATU

Nodoguro is Ryan Roadhouse's tiny Japanese tasting-menu spot downtown, a kaiseki-minded run of small courses built on Pacific Northwest ingredients. It started as a pop-up in 2014 and never lost the intimacy. Roadhouse just won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. Book early HERE I haven’t been yet, but here’s a nice Google review from Jennifer M:

“It has taken me 10 years too long to write this review for Nodoguro. Chef Ryan and Elena Roadhouse have not only executed one of the finest sousaku (“creative, original work”) Japanese dining experiences in Portland, they are impeccable hosts and committed to this town. In fact, having dined with them through 4 locations (we discovered them after their early pop-up days), it feels like home when we come in. We’ve celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, and every time we are awed by new dishes and love to revisit favorite ones.

The photos of the beautifully and tastefully amazing food speak for themselves. The saké and wine pairings are thoughtfully curated. The pace of the meal with only one seating for the night feels like time has stood still, and you don’t want it to end. The price point might be a stretch, but the experience will not disappoint. Take someone special with you to share the meal and make the memory of the art that unfolds for your eyes and mouth - you’ll be glad you did.”

On this day in 1983, Sally Ride launched aboard the shuttle Challenger and became the first American woman in space. She was 32.

Keep being good to each other.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]