I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

Five Months and It's Gone

I went to the highly anticipated Ladyfish soft opening this week, and you have to go yourself.

It's at 425 Fore Street, the old Bar Futo space. Same interior, designed by Mey and Co. originally, no renovations. They just moved in, and it worked beautifully.

The night I went, I brought my close friend Maya French, who runs Palaver Strings. She's also one of the best cooks I know personally, so her opinion on a dish means more to me than any Yelp review. It was busy, but the kitchen ran smoothly. Not bad for opening week, and you could tell they're only going to get better.

Jordan and Marisa Rubin opened it, the same people behind Mr. Tuna and Crispy Gai, and their touch is all over it. The chef is Christine Lau, who ran Kimika in New York, a James Beard-nominated restaurant, before packing up and moving to Portland for this, a seasonal pop-up that only runs five months. I don't think people are fully registering what that means. She didn't have to come here.

And she brought her whole background with her. There's a lobster roll on the menu with a honey-mayo inspired by honey walnut shrimp, a dish she grew up eating as a kid with Hong Kong roots.

Photo by: Cali from Bubbly and Bites

We ordered mostly gluten-free options. The tuna carpaccio was stunning. They dress it with what they call the ladyfish garden: pickled rhubarb, chive flowers, fresh peas. The daily catch was pollock with a ginger-scallion vinaigrette, flaky and moist, served with mint, cilantro, and greens for wraps.

Honest note on both: the fish itself needed a little more salt. The ladyfish garden and vinaigrette on top were seasoned beautifully on their own; it just didn't quite carry through to the fish underneath. Small thing, easy fix, and I'd still order both again.

The steamed buns with uni butter were the move. Rich, savory, and extremely soft.

Photo by: Cali from Bubbly and Bites

But I keep coming back to the green salad. Goat gouda from Fuzzy Udder, crispy sunchokes, citrus vinaigrette. I know how that sounds at a seafood restaurant. Just get it. It was the best thing I ate all night, and I didn't see it coming.

Maya, who doesn't impress easily, felt the same way. And for a restaurant in its first week, the service had no business being that smooth.

Ladyfish is open through October, and then it's gone. Get a reservation before the summer crowd shows up and makes that harder than it needs to be.

Go Eat before it Gone

All Roads Festival Is This Weekend. And I'm Giving Away 2 Passes!

I'll be honest, I'm partnering with State Theatre and giving away two full weekend passes because I actually want to see local people there.

All Roads festival kicks off this Friday, May 15, and continues on May 16. It originally started in Belfast about ten years ago. Mostly local acts, small stages, but I have friends who drive up every May and come back talking about it every year. This year, they brought it straight to us in Portland, and they went big!

Nine venues. Two days. The Beaches, Mon Rovîa, Momma, Bahamas, Oshima Brothers, Palaver Strings with Vuyo Sotashe. That last one, if you haven't seen it, is something I won't oversell except to say it's one of the most genuinely beautiful things I've watched on a stage in a long time.

The venues are also so important to our city. State Theatre, SPACE, Geno's, One Longfellow Square, Oxbow, Mechanics' Hall, Portland House of Music. These are the rooms that stay open in February when nobody's going out, that book artists nobody's heard of yet, that keep live music alive. A festival built around them feels like exactly the right idea.

I hope it comes back every year.

Passes are $125 each and include access to 30+ concerts, performances, and events across all nine venues, plus talks, panels, exhibitions, and workshops all weekend long.

I'm giving two of them away. To enter: follow @theportlandlogbook on Instagram, be subscribed to the newsletter, and tag two people in the giveaway post. I'll put everyone into a randomizer and pick two winners on Thursday.

Enter on Instagram →

THIS WEEKS CONDITIONS
☀️ SUNRISE: 5:19 AM
🌅 SUNSET: 7:56 PM
✨ Local Opening’s: LadyFish
✨ Local Favorite “Shop” of the Week: Two Fat Cats West End
✨ Local Artist of the Week: Amberly Kahapea
❤️ Local Job Listings: Portland Public Library

Thinking of Moving?

🏡 Hi its me Jake! I write The Portland Logbook, but I also help people buy and sell homes in and around Portland.

If a move is on your mind, I’m always happy to help you think it through.

Lets get a coffee!

Portside Real Estate Group

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Sirius – 3 yrs
A loyal, slightly reserved dog who just needs a minute to warm up. Once he trusts you, he’s playful, affectionate, and loves toys, car rides, and hanging by the window watching the world go by.

🐱 Dumbledore – 3 yrs
A confident, easygoing cat who settles in fast and loves attention. The kind of cat that quickly acts like he owns the place.

🐶 Gregory – 2 months
A growing puppy with plenty of energy, snuggles, and personality. Still learning the world, so he’ll need training, patience, and lots of time, but there’s a lot of love packed into this little guy.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!