Archives for July 2017

Total Brewclipse Festival this Saturday!

If you haven’t heard the news, it is going to a hot week- possibly record breaking on Wednesday and Thursday. And you’ve also probably heard that in just a couple weeks will be the August 21 Solar Eclipse. But did you know that Portland Monthly is throwing a special party, Total Brewclipse PDX, that takes into account the heat by cooling you down with beers from their recent July Beers of Summer issue highlighting the best Portland brewed suds for hot weather sipping? A portion of the Total Brewclipse festival proceeds will benefit OMSI’s crowdfunding campaign to refurbish 25 year old Planetarium.

Total Brewclipse 2017

The entire event is taking place this Saturday, August 5 at The Redd on Salmon Street from 8 – 11 PM (early admission for VIP ticket holders at 7:30 PM). A ticket grants you unlimited beer tastings and access to everything from food trucks by Olympia Provisions and 1927 Smores, live music, to entertainment like the spacey photo booth and astrological chart readings / fortune-telling.

You can see the full 20 Beers of Summer picks at Portland Monthly’s article, and the 12 beers for the event include

  • Rosenstadt Helles Lager, a beer of German influence with malty, clean golden classic Munich Biergarten flavors.
  • Laurelwood Golden Ale, a crisp river beer (it helpfully comes in a can too to take to the river!).
  • Ex Novo The Most Interesting Lager in the World, a beer that combines Germany and Mexico. If you aren’t already, you should be a big supporter of Ex Novo, a brewery where 100% of profits go to charity and they have been doing so since 2014.
  • Zoiglhaus Zoigl-Kölsch, balanced sessionable beer from a German classic brewery in Lents
  • Gigantic Kölschtastic, light and smooth and a “liquid ode to sunshine”
  • Fat Head’s Goggle Fogger Hefeweizen with wheat and banana flavors
  • Base Camp Pilgrimage Saison, a slightly spiced wheaty beer
  • The Commons Petit Classique is slightly funky and is brewed with pink peppercorns
  • Burnside Sakura Gose, a floral with slightly sour beer that does include cherry blossoms with bit of salt per the gose style
  • Sasquatch Barbarella, a rhubarb ale!
  • Ecliptic Starburst IPA combines Northwest IPA flavors and a name inspired by astronomy (as per all the Ecliptic beers)
  • Great Notion Ripe IPA, a juicy hazy IPA

Guests can also expect a Crispin Cider, Portland Sangria, and Reyka Vodka Moon-inspired cocktail. Tickets are $25 ($35 for VIP tickets that provide swag bags and earlier admission and access to a chic VIP lounge area) and are available now! The event is open to 21 and over. I’ll be there (along with a rare appearance of F with me!).

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Best dishes at Afuri

Afuri Ramen opened to great fanfare towards the end of 2016 after articles about how this famous Japanese chain picked Portland as their first location outside Japan because of the water here. They still don’t take reservations, although the location is pretty big that if you don’t hit a busy weekend evening prime time you will probably find a table often without a wait (I recommend grabbing a beer at Commons Brewery next door). Now with the wonderful weather they also roll open their garage door walls so it almost feels like a patio. I’ve visited several times – here are my recommendations for the best dishes at Afuri.
Afuri door to the location in Portland, the first location outside Japan for this famous Japanese ramen chain Afuri place setting  [Read more…]

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Summer Pop Ups in Portland 2017

Recently, I was given the opportunity to update the Eater article on pop ups, “The Hottest Portland Pop-Ups Right Now, Summer 2017”. It is not an exhaustive list of all the pop ups in Portland, though I think you know about a great majority of them if you reference that article and also look at the website Feastly (which I also wrote about for Eater) which also is a platform for local and visiting from other Feastly cities chefs to set up pop up events.

To make the list manageable, this time I tried to divide it into more subgroups based on type of cuisine in the world highlighted – and I was asked to keep it to a list of 21. So how did I curate it? And what stuff did I wish I could have included but couldn’t for the Eater PDX article – but can totally mention and loop you in on my blog since I control the space here? What else do I want you to know about Summer Pop Up Series Dining in Portland opportunities?

A post shared by Secret Supper (@oursecretsupper) on


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Brunch at Tusk and Upcoming Summer Party

Tusk in Portland took over the old Levant space on SE 24th and Burnside, transforming it into a light filled bright space with a sweet touch but continuing to offer Middle Eastern food and making use of the inherited open wood-burning hearth. Brunch at Tusk is only 10 AM – 2PM on Saturday and Sunday, otherwise they are open for dinner daily.

It’s quite a contrast seeing almost kitty corner across the street the line of people waiting for the heavier Southern brunch and fried chicken and biscuits versus here, the lighter Middle Eastern brunch plates, many which are vegetarian, can be made vegan, and feel healthier. Extensive studies have shown that Mediterranean eating patterns – of which Middle Eastern food share some commonality with its use of chickpeas, lentils, vegetables, olive oil, etc. –  are directly correlated with good health including the reduction of that LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) bad cholesterol,  risk of Alzheimer’s by approximately 40 percent, and the development of Parkinson’s Disease. So let’s bring on the hummus and pita, shall we!

Bright interior full of light welcomes you and keeps you feeling cheerful during your meal.
Tusk in Portland interior Tusk in Portland interior

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Recap of Tastes of Spain, La Ruta PDX 2017

The past 4 days were La Ruta PDX: A Gastronomic Festival celebrating the culinary culture of Spain. It included chefs from Spain and chefs from Portland collaborating together, as well as industry and trade focused events for Spanish and Portland purveyers to share their craft. The 4 days included a film premiere, some private seated dinners, seminars on sidra, sherry, and wine, and the final event was a food festival featuring bites from 19 local and Spanish chefs and artisans and 75-90 (I lost count) beverage tastings from winemakers, brewers, and sidra makers of Spain and Oregon. Here is my photo recap of Tastes of Spain, La Ruta PDX 2017.

Photo Recap of Tastes of Spain, La Ruta PDX 2017, a A Gastronomic Festival celebrating the culinary culture of Spain

I also have a few short videos I had taken for my Stories which are embedded here, though because they were for Stories they will be vertical videos, sorry!
Photo Recap of Tastes of Spain, La Ruta PDX 2017
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