Somehow I missed the item that Johanna Ware was spinning off a lunch/event spot across the street from her wonderful smallwares/barwares restaurant. The lil’ wares summer-long pop-up is in the former Red Fig Cafe, a bungalow with a 30-seat shaded patio on Fremont St. in NE Portland.

I was excited to enjoy it as I am always looking for a great lunch spot and I love Johanna’s “inauthentic Asian” cuisine. When the weather is too hot, windy or rainy I far prefer a sit-down restaurant to a food cart. So I kicked off July on a near-100F day with lunch at lil’ wares.

They are open 7 days per week from 11 am – 3 pm.