The developers of The Albert, a bike, transit and environmentally-friendly mixed-use building located on North Williams at Northeast Beech announced today that the project has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In a city nationally recognized as a leader in green building design and development, The Albert is a cutting edge project that is situated in a key bike and pedestrian-friendly corridor that has shopping, dining and easy access to downtown Portland.

The Albert, a bike, transit and environmentally-friendly four-story mixed-use building located on North Williams and Beech is at full occupancy less than four months after construction was completed. In a city nationally recognized as a leader in green architecture, The Albert is a cutting edge project that is situated in a bike and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that has shopping, dining and easy access to downtown Portland.

We stepped into the kitchen with What’s the Scoop?’s Jodie Ostrovsky to get an look at the not-so-complicated process of making delicious ice cream with liquid nitrogen.

With the opening of their new What’s the Scoop? ice cream shop on North Williams just a week away, Miami transplants Jodie and Brian Ostrovsky want to spread the word that their liquid nitrogen-powered ice cream isn’t just for science geeks.

When I walked through the doors of the new scoop shop, the paper was being removed from the windows but the air was already heavy with the scents of caramelized bananas, sugared cherries, and freshly-made peanut brittle. Despite the shiny space-age tanks and elaborate loops of hose that flank the sides of the modern open kitchen, the space smells like home cooking—and the frozen results are an old-fashioned ice cream lover’s dream.

Harding Steel Inc., a company that has been manufacturing, installing and servicing world class parking lift systems since 1968, recently signed a contract with Ruben J. Menashe Inc. to install its proprietary CarMatrix system in a new mixed-use building in North Portland. Ruben J. Menashe, Inc., the General Contractor for the 72-unit project now known as The Albert, broke ground this week.

“The Albert project is transit-oriented, and installing a ‘tuck-under’ system to provide off-street parking for residents will help to prevent crowding neighborhood streets with cars,” said Jack Menashe, President of Ruben J. Menashe, Inc. “This type of system makes very efficient use of available space and saves roughly five thousand dollars per space when compared to traditional costs to dig an underground parking structure.”

Five years after opening his popular downtown deli, Ken Gordon launched his third outpost, Kenny & Zuke’s Deli Bar, this week at 3901 N. Williams Avenue. In addition to weekday morning coffee and bagel service, the new spot boasts daily lunch and dinner, specialty cocktails from Ox’s Jamal Hassan and Kenny & Zuke’s Robin Barnett, and a full weekend brunch.

The stripped-down, family-friendly space feels like it has been a staple of the neighborhood for years, with a well worn-in bar, casual communal table, and warm colors complementing the natural light streaming in from the walls of windows.

Earlier this week, Zipcar published its Future Metropolis Index. To develop the Index, the company teamed up with KRC Research to rank the top 36 most populated U.S. cities on five factors: sustainability, innovation, vibrancy, efficiency, and livability.

Here's how the cities break down in the five sub-categories:

• In the innovation category, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Boston top the list.
• Tuscon, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco are best in sustainability.
• San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., lead in vibrancy/creativity.
• The most efficient cities are Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston.
• For livability, El Paso, Texas, New York, and San Diego take top honors.

The study also found that Americans who live in metro areas are more optimistic about job opportunities than those living outside them.

New Seasons Market today announced that it will open a store in Portland’s Eliot Neighborhood in 2013. The 30,000 square-foot grocery store will occupy the north portion of the now-vacant site, formerly home to Interstate Bakeries. The nearly three-acre site, commonly known as the “Bakery Blocks,” is bounded by Northeast Fremont Street to the north, North Vancouver Avenue to the west, Northeast Cook Street to the south, and North Williams Avenue to the east, all within the city’s Interstate Urban Renewal District.

The store will bring more than 150 new jobs with healthcare and benefits to the community, along with New Seasons Market’s fun and friendly shopping experience, featuring a wide selection of everyday groceries, locally grown and produced foods, homemade meals, an in-house butcher and a complete line of wellness and homegoods products.

N. Williams has a new "drinking parlour": Sapphire Hotel owners Eric and Shannon McQuilkin opened their second bar project, the Box Social, on N. Williams and Shaver just before the new year. The cozy spot flaunts a 10-item cocktail list and food menu featuring small bites and sandwiches (like an open-faced pastrami with creamed horseradish and cheddar, and a panini with fig compote, creamed horseradish, caramelized onion, green apple, and bleu cheese). The Social offers two happy hours (4-6pm, Monday to Sunday; and 11pm-close, Sunday to Thursday). Hours of operation: 4pm-2am, seven days a week. [EaterWire]

And now, a look inside the upcoming N. Williams spot Las Primas, a venture by Peruvian-raised chef Catalina Acuña. The concept — Peruvian street food like sandwiches, salads, and snacks (like fried yuquitas, roasted chicken wings with ají de mesa, and daily empanada specials) — is coupled with a colorful, casual 2,000-square-foot room featuring foosball tables and bottle-cap and candy-wrapper-adorned communal tables to up the room's energy. The order-at-the-counter sandwich menu — guests can watch their picks being made in the open kitchen — features options like butifarra (pork with crema de ají), pan-roasted tilapia, and stir-fried beef, served on Fleur De Lis Bakery bread.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Christian Ettinger, the owner of Hopworks Urban Brewery here, is a longtime bicycle enthusiast. He grew up riding around the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, and now owns six bicycles — ”two if my wife is asking” — and races in cyclocross events. So when he decided to open a second brewpub this summer, he settled on a location that reflected his passion: North Williams Avenue, one of the most-used commuter cycling corridors in a city already mad for all things two-wheeled.

Some 3,000 riders a day pass by Mr. Ettinger’s new brewpub, which he calls the Hopworks BikeBar. It has racks for 75 bicycles and free locks, to-go entrees that fit in bicycle water bottle cages, and dozens of handmade bicycle frames suspended over the bar areas.

Portland is nationally recognized as a leader in the movement to create bicycle-friendly cities. About 7 percent of commuters here travel by bike (the national average is under 1 percent) and the city has an ambitious plan, adopted last year, to increase that proportion to 25 percent by 2030.

Check out North Williams Avenue for quirky shops and delicious restaurants, cafés, and bars. With 3,000 commuters pedaling it every day, North Williams Avenue is Portland’s premier bike corridor. Visitors, too, find plenty worth braking for on two blocks of this arterial, including two James Beard Award–nominated chef-owned restaurants and a slew of hip shops and cafés.

• For family-style brunch and dinner with globe-trotting flavor—think North African sausage with an egg and couscous—head to John Gorham’s Tasty n Sons. 3808 N. Williams Ave., Ste. C, (503) 621-1400, tastynsons.com.
• Jenn Louis’s dinner-only Lincoln Restaurant is known for addictive, savory dishes like baked eggs with cream, olives, and bread crumbs. 3808 N. Williams Ave., No. 127, (503) 288-6200, lincolnpdx.com.

Few as five or six years ago, North Williams was merely a commuter corridor through North Portland—a sad strip peppered with dilapidated buildings, vacant lots and very few thriving businesses. Today this zone is a favorite destination for eating, drinking, shopping and, of course, biking. The lightning quick transformation of this neighborhood has been impressive—there's still ample room for growth—but it's staying true to its bike-centric origin, while evolving as a showcase for small architecture firms and developers, and deepening its roots as a hub for local artisans of all stripes.

Enjoy a low-key urban vibe thanks to yoga studios, indie shops, and cafes. Fun in winter: North Williams Avenue ― with its bike lanes and organic eateries tucked away in the new Hub building (3808 N. Williams Ave.)―makes it easy to jump-start your New Year’s resolutions. Scene: A low-key urban vibe, courtesy of yoga studios and green indie shops and cafes. 2,745: Number of daily bike commuters on the North Williams bike corridor. Dress code: Waterproof jacket and jeans with right leg rolled up.

The best things to do, places to shop, and food to eat in this bustling Portland neighborhood. Limber up: Drop in for a vinyasa class at the Hub building’s Yoga Shala: Its dynamic flow will help you sweat out the holiday excess. Portlanders can sign up for a series of 20 hatha-style Shadow Yoga classes to help clear your mind. Energize your home: Beat back the winter blahs with green ideas from Ink & Peat, where you’ll find punchy organic bedding, succulents in vintage enamelware, and blooming branches.