Tired of your own cooking? Get takeout from these 8 new restaurants instead
Emily Teel
A spike in coronavirus cases means Marion and Polk counties aren't yet approved to begin reopening, but plenty of restaurants remain open for takeout.
The dispersal of federal grants has pushed some existing restaurants to reopen and, grant-recipients or not, this week Salem diners have welcomed the return of favorites including Wild Pear, Court Street Dairy Lunch and more.
Alongside these established eateries, new restaurants are opening as well, welcoming their first guests to try them out to-go.
Marco Ristorante Italiano
Marco and Kathy Baldieri have opened a new Italian restaurant in the former Paradiso at the Grand space next to Salem's historic Grand Theater. While diners can't stay to enjoy the restaurant's stately art deco interior at the moment, there's plenty to like about the takeout menu.
Born in Rome, Chef Baldieri's approach to Italian food leans into the simple and restrained. His pastas are sauced more lightly than their Italian-American counterparts and the menu reads like a list of classics.
Opt to order dishes such as stracciatella, chicken piccata, or Baldieri's glossy fettucini alfredo a la carte or choose one of the restaurant's family-style specials. Designed to feed six, they're $55 portions of eggplant parmesan or lasagna and they come with salad and house-baked bread.
Open for takeout: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More information: www.marcoristorante.com
Valiant the Sandwich
Sal's Deli & Bistro is no more, but do not fear, sandwich fans, for a new sandwich is stepping in to fill Sal's shoes.
Joshua Anderson, most recently the chef of Avid Cider's Pearl District taphouse, has opened his first restaurant in the Sal's storefront. Valiant the Sandwich opened Wednesday, May 13, with a limited menu.
Hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches and breakfast sandwiches, the place celebrates the most road-ready of foods. Check out options like the Banh Mi-ish, a toasted bolillo roll stuffed with slabs of seared pork belly confit, Olympia Provisions paté, pickled
vegetables, cucumber, carrot, cilantro and spicy tamari mayo and other cheffy selections.
Open for takeout: Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More information: www.valianteats.com
Manila Fiesta
A former food cart vendor at The Yard, Marissa Luciano has opened The Manila Fiesta on McGilchrist, the only sit-down Filipino restaurant in the Salem-Keizer area. Like all other Marion County restaurants, she's limited to offering takeout for the moment, and has a photo menu available for curbside pick-up.
Expect classics from her food cart days including chicken and pork adobo, stir-fried pansit noodles, and the colorful dessert halo-halo. In addition, Luciano is offering tinolang manok, a ginger soup; kara kare, a peanut-based stew; and plenty of other favorites. Order through Facebook for curbside pick-up.
Open for takeout: Monday to Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
More information: www.themanilafiesta.com
Chubby Panda Bao House
Another Fork Forty Food Hall vendor who opened early, Joseph Ngo traded in his bright red food truck to open Chubby Panda Bao House downtown.
Just as he did at Beehive Station, Ngo's menu includes rice bowls; Korean fried chicken wings glazed in teriyaki or five spice; and bao sandwiches, steamed buns stuffed with honey barbecued pork, Japanese-style fried chicken, or carne asada.
Open for takeout: Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More information: https://chubbypandabaohouse.square.site/?fbclid=IwAR1pFIwVq2E6TlapR6UJfA2of2-bhW7iYmC88C1ZFsRDq_eX4b8FB1Cn8qw
King's Kitchen
King Khong Phou's signature style represents Thai-Cambodian pan-Asian fusion. What does that mean? Pad Thai, pad kee mao, sirloin stir fry, chicken satay, congee with poached eggs; whatever the solo chef finds inspiring.
A longtime cook at ACME Cafe, Wild Pear, and Epilogue, food truck fans first tried Khong Phou's own plates at the food truck he launched last spring at Tsunami Taproom. He sold the truck to open in Fork Forty Food Hall. He's now offering a limited takeout menu, sharing daily specials to his Instagram and Facebook pages.
Open for takeout: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More information: www.facebook.com/Kings.Kitchen.Food.Cart/
Slick Licks
Salem's newest take on small batch ice cream, Slick Licks is soft serve only and now, on weekends, soft opening, too.
Also located in Fork Forty Food Hall, Slick Licks offers dairy and plant-based ice cream options in fun flavors. Snack Pack Chocolate incorporates both milk and dark chocolates for a fudgy, intense flavor. A vegan option, Double Thicc Oreo, adds a hefty measure of Oreo cookies to an oat milk base. Dole Whip fans need to try the shop's take on pineapple, and fruit ice cream fans the blueberry lemon.
Open for takeout or curbside pick-up: Sat and Sunday 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
More information: www.slicklickssoftserve.com
Azuls Taco House Downtown
Tino Land and Augustine "J" Razo, Jr have opened a second location of their year-old West Salem taco spot. Azuls Downtown offers the same extensive menu of tacos, burritos, gorditas and more, and the space is much larger, offering the opportunity for a more physically-distanced pick-up experience.
Place an order to your family's favorites and they'll pack it into a pizza box for easy transport.
Open for takeout: Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 12 to 6 p.m.
More information: www.facebook.com/azulstacohouse
The River
A departure from the offerings at The Woods and The Campus, Gilgamesh Brewing's newest spot, located in downtown Independence, features a menu of pizzas and sandwiches. Fitting the theme, each pizza is named after one of Oregon's rivers.
The Rogue has tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, pepperoni, linguica and Mama Lil's sweet hot peppers. The Umpqua has tomato sauce, mozzarella, chicken, bacon, fresh tomatoes, black olives and green olives. A house favorite so far, the Snake has black beans, mozzarella, chorizo, jalapeno peppers, creme fraiche and cilantro.
Naturally, beer is available by the growler, a stunning deal of a growler (glass bottle included) for $15. Order food and drink online for curbside pick-up.
Open for takeout: Tuesday through Sunday 11:30 am - 7:30 pm
More information: www.gilgameshbrewing.com
Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, or via Facebook or Twitter. See what she's cooking this week on Instagram: @emily_teel