Hello, it’s November!

I am loving the many layers I can pile on myself. Also, it’s soup season - who doesn’t like soup? There’s butternut squash, kabocha, French onion… Do you have a soup I should be adding into my rotation? Let me know via email at [email protected]! 

For this week, it’s been a while since I updated you on all the latest happenings around town. So in today’s edition, let’s get you up to speed on (almost) all things Salem food and dining-related.

Reheating soup,

Em Chan

Pintxo’s in the Alley opened in September, offering pintxos (small plates) with wine, cocktails, and other Basque-inspired plates. Located in the former Alley Cat Bar, it features a robust - and growing - wine list and a happy hour with an $8 empanada and other deals. Try the waffle fry patatas bravas! 120 Commercial St NE Ste 150.

Black Bear Diner officially opened in late October, to much excitement. The chain is bear-in-the-forest-themed and most notably offers breakfast all day. The other dishes are classic American fare including burgers, pot roast, chicken fried steak, plus various types of pies and cakes. 5005 Commercial St. SE.

Noodle Zone is a Chinese restaurant that quietly opened in August, and has slipped under most people’s radar. There’s not a big menu, but there is different braised meat noodle dishes, wontons, roasted skewers, crispy potatoes, and Chinese jelly dessert. If you’re looking for a fast, hearty, and filling meal, this is a good place to stop by. 3316 Lancaster Dr. SE. 

Studio Vino is the latest hub in downtown for wine education - not a wine bar but you can drink try some wines from around the Salem-area. The new nonprofit is aiming to provide a place for folks to swing by and learn about wine, from walk-in tastings, private tastings, guest speaker events and more. 142 High St. SE.

Northwest Bagels is Salem’s latest bagel shop, now open in downtown. The in-house made bagel shop officially opened in mid-October, Since it just opened, it offers a limited selection of bagel sandwich combinations. Check out the $8 breakfast bagel deal, with bacon! Otherwise, you can get coffee, fresh pressed juice and other snacks. 190 High St. SE.

Here’s some updates from various food carts in town, from big moves to new additions.

Holoholo Island Grill, which had moved into the former Pineapple Grill spot earlier this year, have officially moved back to The Feed Lot. The return to the Turner location was done in part because of a new food truck the owner couple had gotten. The food truck has been in “soft opening” mode still as they are still getting accustomed to the new equipment. 7575 3rd St., Turner.

The Smash Factory is a smashburger-centric food truck located in north Salem  from the same couple who began Redline Birria y Tacos, also parked next door. The Mexican food truck had massive success with the smashburger specials they offered, and decided to open a dedicated smashburger food truck, which officially opened at the end of September. 2410 Fairgrounds Rd. NE.

Pizza & Spudz is exactly what the name suggests: a food cart offering both pizza and potatoes. This food truck joined Checkpoint 221 in mid-September, offering baked potatoes, loaded potatoes, and personal pan pizzas. 1233 Riverbend Rd. NW.

Ding How Chinese is a newer Chinese food truck that opened at Checkpoint 221 in early September. From wok-fried vegetables and meats to lo-mein and egg drop soup, these dishes are hearty and perfect for the chilly weather. 1233 Riverbend Rd. NW.

Viva La Pasta is Beehive Station’s newest food truck, which opened in late October. The cart offers classic pasta options, plus seasonal specials. 1510 Fabry Road S.

Kabuli Flavor is the newest Afghan food truck to open in South Salem, offering halal dishes made with fresh ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. From rich dishes to yogurt drinks and tandoori bread, this is the spot in South Salem for Afghan cuisine. 1510 Fabry Road S.

Spanky’s Food Truck is South Salem’s latest food truck to offer Russian cuisine alongside cured meat sandwiches. The cart opened up mid-September at Beehive Station. There previously was not a food truck in town that offered both American and Russian food, but now you can get an order of borscht, pelmeni and a turkey reuben. 1510 Fabry Road S. 

Closure: The Night Deposit Whiskey Library. The downtown bar held its last hurray on Halloween night. Owner SuAnne announced the establishment would close the weekend before; but fret not, the same ownership is continuing the party at The Vault Bar & Grill in West Salem. 195 Commercial St. NE.

This year’s fall sports are winding down, but there’s still a handful of games/matches left. Let’s keep supporting our great student athletes! 

The first round of playoffs are happening this week! The top sixteen teams will face off in the state championship. Here’s the matchups our local schools will be facing:

The schedule for the playoffs for girls’ volleyball is a little different, in that the quarterfinals and semifinals are in one day (Nov. 7) and the consolation, 4/6th Place, 3rd/5th and finals are the next day (Nov. 8). For now, I’ll share the results of Round 1 and 2, plus the match-ups leading into the quarterfinals and next week will let you know of the playoff results. 

Sprague won against Gresham (#32) in Round One, then went against St. Mary’s Academy in Round 2. Since they won, they will be heading into the quarterfinals against South Medford (#9) at 1:15 on Nov. 7.

McNary (#25) lost against Central Catholic (#8), 0-3, in Round One. 

West Salem (#15) lost against Barlow (#18) in Round One. 

South Salem (#2) won back-to-back rounds against Century (#31) and then Barlow (#18). They will go against South Eugene (#7) in the quarterfinals at 3:15 on Nov. 7. 

Salem Academy (#10) had its first match against Coquille (#7) and won, 3-2. They head into the quarterfinals against Westside Christian (#2) at 3 p.m. on Nov. 7.

There’s only the OSAA State XC Championships this weekend, as all the conference championships took place Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. The 6A-6 conference championships were held at Western Oregon University.

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