Little Red Bike Rides at Night!

As a long-married person, and by that I mean decades (note the plural), I'm here to tell you that it's hard enough staying together without throwing in working together, too. Total props have to go out to couples like Anthony and Carol of Ayers Creek Farm and Jeremy and Andrea of Cellar Door Coffee.

The Little Red Bike Cafe.

But then add in running a restaurant, with the endless hours it requires, the disaster in the middle of dinner service when the ice machine/walk-in/grill breaks down or a cook/waiter/busser/dishwasher doesn't show up for his shift…eek! I can't imagine it. I mean, we get cranky when it's cold out and the dogs need to pee and neither of us wants to take them.

So I bow to the saint-like patience of people like Bruce and Mary Fishback of Bread & Ink Cafe, who've been cooking for the neighborhood for more than two decades. Or Jackie and Adam Sappington at the Country Cat, profiled in the latest issue of NW Palate. And probably the cutest couple in Portland restaurant circles, Ali and Evan Jepson-Dohrmann of Little Red Bike Cafe.

Ali and Evan.

Ali and Evan have been providing some of the city's most inspired cooked-from-the-heart breakfasts and lunches since 2007, and their converted storefront in North Portland has become an under-the-radar hit with foodies and neighbors alike. But a couple of days ago they announced on their blog that they're hankering to start serving dinner.

Oh, sure, they're saying it's starting out at one night a week. But we know where that'll go. With the to-die-for quality of the food they serve, it'll no doubt be an instant hit and sell out weeks in advance. Then they'll open two nights a week and then…well, you get the picture. I mean, get a load of their first dinner menu (scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13). For only $25 (what???), you'll have:

• Roasted Broccoli Soup with Irish cheddar croutons
• Meatball Slider served on housemade parmesan brioche bun
• Mache, Pear, and Butternut Squash Salad with formage blanc and Oregon Hazelnuts
• Macaroni and Cheese with brussels sprouts and bacon
• Dad's Apple Pie with vanilla bean-bourbon ice cream

See what I mean? It's only a matter of time before this hits the New York Times. I think it might be wise to put a marriage counselor on retainer now, don't you?

Details: Dinner at Little Red Bike Cafe. One seating, 7:30 pm. Call 503-953-3527 (Tues.-Fri., 12-4 pm) for reservations or e-mail your request. Little Red Bike Cafe, 4823 N Lombard St.

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Due to a family emergency, dinner service on Friday, Nov. 13, has been postponed. Stay tuned for new date and details!