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Aaron Franklin’s Stumptown Coffee Cookout at Feast 2015

October 2, 2015 by Pechluck 4 Comments

My strategy when the Feast Portland tickets go on sale (mark your calendars now- Feast 2016 is slotted for September 15th – 18th, and the schedule comes out sometime in May 2016) is to first look at the small events. Specifically, this means immediately quickly examining what is listed in the Dinner Series, as those only have so many seats and are apt to sell out the fastest out of all the Feast events. After that, check out the Hands On Classes before browsing the rest of the events. Many events will sell out for Feast, but the other events tend to have greater capacity so you are a little safer not buying your tickets within those first few hours that the Feast website goes live with 2016 events.

My other tip is that don’t go shopping around putting multiple things in your shopping cart and then checking out. As soon as I decide I want something, I check it out right away. This saves me clicks from trying to recreate my shopping cart in case the website isn’t taking the load well. At the same time in another browser tab you know I’m reading about other events as I go through the shopping card purchase transaction.

As a backup, I have the Feast twitter feed – there are sometimes issues with the website, though I have never experienced it (then again I’m likely one of the first 100 or so people using the site since I have it set on my calendar early). There, you can tweet questions and sometimes get additional contact info for help.

This year, I pulled the immediate trigger when I saw the Aaron Franklin’s Stumptown Coffee Cookout. While many of the dinner events costs hover close to $150-$200, this one was a mere $75 and offered three hours of bbq. Usually, to get this low and slow delicious meat you would have to fly to Austin, wait in line for a few hours (even if you go when Franklin’s BBQ opens there’s a line! The first person there in line gets there around 6 AM usually!), and Aaron Franklin may not even be there. For the relatively much lower price of $75, I would save the travel, the time, and see the BBQ god himself. Sold!
Stumptown Coffee & Aaron Franklin BBQ Cookout as part of Feast 2015 Menu for the Stumptown Coffee & Aaron Franklin BBQ Cookout as part of Feast 2015

So that’s how at 3:30 or so after my Lyft deposited myself and NomNerd at Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s location on SE Salmon, I was the fifth person or so in line, smelling the aroma of that smoke like Pepe Le Pew.

Once we entered, there was a small lull where we were supposed to get beverages, so I helped myself to some Buffalo Trace Bourbon neat although they were also offering cocktails and slushees (!!). There was also wine by Acrobat available, amazing Bonfire Iced Tea which I multiple cups of thanks to Steven Smith Teamakers (I may have also used the tap of this tea in the media lounge many, many times throughout the weekend and now I want my own kegarator of just tea).
Buffalo Trace offered cocktails or a frozen slushie fortified with their bourbon and Stumptown coffee Drinks by Widmer Brothers beer and Buffalo Trace bourbon

Widmer Brothers Brewing also offered two of the special Feast collaboration beers they had created for Feast:

The collaboration with Aaron Franklin: a Rauch und Kirschen Helles Lager brewed with 10 pounds of cherries smoked by Aaron Franklin
The collaboration with Stumptown: El Injerto Coffee American Style Pale Ale with Guatemalan Finca el Injerto Bourbon coffee

Widmer Brothers brewing serving up the Rauch Und Kirschen beer that was a beer created in collaboration with Aaron Franklin, and the El Ijerto Pale Ale created in collaboration with Stumptown Coffee, as well as their classic Hefeweizen
PS the only one I didn’t get to try was the one from Andy Ricker, so if you see it go on anywhere, please let me know 🙁

Ok, so there was still a line to get Aaron’s wagyu brisket, ribs, and sausage along with Snake River Farm Tri-tip steak from the nation’s first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly, plus sides of spoon bread, spicy slaw and Woodsman baked beans from The Woodsman Tavern’s Andrew Gregory. There was sliced white bread (which I ignored) and also a special Espresso Barbecue Sauce, naturally. Dessert came via Woodblock Chocolate Moonpies.
Stumptown Coffee & Aaron Franklin BBQ Cookout as part of Feast 2015

While in line (which is where I had my chocolate since it was on the way to the meat…) everyone got to admire the smoker that Aaron Franklin himself helped build and which was freshly driven up from Austin. We also were entertained by the honky tonk music from the Lonesome Billies
Smoker that Aaron helped build and that was driven from Austin Texas up to Portland The Lonesome Billies entertained us as we waited in line and ate our BBQ

I ran into someone I knew from the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association judging circuit, Gary Fujino who was closely observing the bbq behind the scenes! More importantly, check out that smoker behind us!
Myself and Gary Fujino (who I know through the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association) posing in front of the smoker Aaron helped build and which was brought up from Austin Texas to Portland

But it was a mere 15 minute line to get this… first the “snack station” of the Tri-Tip Steak from Daniel Vaughn. Naturally I had to carefully observe the slicing of this… I should warn you now this is going to be a meatastic post too so vegetarian eyes may want to turn away now.
The nation's first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly serving up the tri-tip

And now the approach to getting the sausage and that wagyu brisket (sourced from Snake River Farm) sliced for you by the man himself, Aaron Franklin. I suddenly turned into paparazzi. Somehow, I was speechless and just silently squealed but didn’t have the courage to say hi to Andy Ricker (who was also hanging out for BBQ from the man), but put Aaron Franklin in front of me and I go crazy. I’m so lucky- at my turn at the table he just pulled out a new brisket too! You can literally seeing me taking a photo with every step ha ha. If I only I had a real camera with a faster shutter speed there would be 6x as many.
Aaron Franklin carving up the brisket and sausage for each guest I'm so lucky- at my turn at the table Aaron Franklin just pulled out a new brisket

The most beautiful brisket I’ve ever seen being carved into slices for me by Aaron Franklin personally
The most beautiful brisket I've ever seen being carved into slices for me by Aaron Franklin personally

OMG that wagyu brisket, best brisket of MY LIFE.
Wagyu Brisket - juicy and from Aaron Franklin himself

Then the ribs
Slicing up the ribs at the Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout

This is the BBQ OF MY DREAMS.
BBQ Plate from the Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout

The Lonesome Billies entertained us as we waited in line and ate our BBQ

The end of this blogpost.
BBQ Plate from the Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout

Other Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout coverage:

Eater.Com How Aaron Franklin Cooked Barbecue for Portland’s Feast
NomNerd Feast Portland Aaron Franklin Stumptown

Disclosure: I was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2015 for blog post and social media coverage but I am not otherwise being compensated. I also purchased my own Feast event ticket to this Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout and am covering it because I just wanted to easily be pull up pictures of this spectacular meat whenever I want by searching my blog. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feast2015, #feastpdx, #feastportland, #foodiefriday, Aaron Franklin, Aaron Franklin bbq cookout, Aaron Franklin bbq plate, Aaron Franklin's Stumptown Coffee Cookout, bbq, Bonfire Iced Tea, Buffalo Trace, Buffalo Trace slushees, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly, Daniel Vaughn Tri-tip Steak, El Injerto Coffee American Style Pale Ale, feast, Feast 2015, feast pdx, Feast Portland, Franklin BBQ Cookout in Portland, Franklin's BBQ ribs, Franklin's BBQ sausage, honky tonk bbq cookout, Lonesome Billies, Rauch und Kirschen Helles Lager, Steven Smith Teamakers, Wagyu Brisket, Widmer Brewing

My Review of Lunch At The Shop

September 30, 2015 by Pechluck 10 Comments

I’ve been taking a little break from my online, food-related book club since this year I’ve joined two other book groups (I also read from Blogging for Books, and a women’s book club at work). But I’m back to the Kitchen Reader club this month with my book club review of Lunch at the Shop: The Art and Practice of the Midday Meal by Peter Miller (chosen by Emily of Highly Social Media).

My high level review of Lunch At the Shop is that it really promotes an intentional lunch. Peter’s definition of this means

Communal lunch with others (in this case with the employees of the bookshop he owns) where everyone shares stories
Lunch is fresh which means preparing all or part of it at your workplace. Part of the reason for this is also to shift from your normal work tasks to a craft operation and shift into a different mindframe from your normal workday actions and decisions.

The purpose of this is to take back part of your workday to make it personal and a pleasure. He promises it will make the food better, your relationships better, and it does make a difference in improving your day by reviving you at the mid day point.

One of the fun things about reading this book for me is that I’ve been to Seattle several times, and particularly some of the shops that Peter mentions so it was very easy to picture exactly the ingredients he mentions. His location near Pike Place Market is probably too good to be true for most people, and it will likely take slightly more work to gather some of the items purchased from stores since it will entail visiting specialty stores which are more spread out for a normal person rather than within a few blocks from work or from various employee’s home or commute.

There are plenty among his more than 50 recipes that are simple, yet offer wonderful taste in the combination.

Recipe for Lentils folded into basil, spinach, and basil from Lunch at the Shop, by Peter Miller Photo by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton

Part of this I think is because of his crucial notion of layering. He defines this as

It is a touch, a finish, and it makes all the difference in the world in any cooking. For the purpose of lunch, it is quite specific: a second or third touch to what you are presenting, the signal that someone, moments before, chose and arranged and set the plate. It is personal and specific… The layering may be no more than a handful of parsley or chives, a grind of black pepper, a little Parmesan – all quite simply a sign of life.

He explains that layering means a Horizontal Touch to add details next to what you are serving, or a Vertical Touch to build upon the structure of the dish with elements. Examples he uses are just adding a slice of orange and a little goat cheese on the side of lentil soup, or fresh Parmesan, parsley, and cracked pepper on a reheated pasta.

It was beautiful and dreamy to me as he described Parmesan falling like snow on soup or bread (or a dusting of Parmesan out to an edge of a salad… he clearly really loves Parmesan), or a spoonful of beans alongside a sandwich that you then wipe the oil left behind with the last bite of bread, or how “chives love the slow-talking goat cheese or the white face of a potato”.

Phases like those pepper throughout the book, as well as call out boxes where he just tells a personal story about an ingredient. This made the book very likeable reading for me. It really was clear how much he loves food and ingredients, and how a communal lunch, even in talking about what’s in the lunch, can invoke tales that bring people together.

Some of the recipes can totally be assembled at your work desk, while others are started at home and then a few select items are finished at the office. He often uses bread, beans, lentils, or pasta as a solid base. It was particularly the use of lentils that I earmarked several recipes. I love lentils but as he notes, it is not often remembered to be used even though is is, as he calls them, ” a noble assistant to many foods and a trusty backpack to many vegetables.” Fortunately, he eats them at least once a week so had several suggestions of lentil combinations.

When was the last time you had lentils? Some memorable lentil dishes of my past include this Bowl with lentils, cilantro mint cashew sauce, black tea peach chutney, beets and paneer and also this dish of Pork Cheek with squash puree and chive beluga lentils

Other great tips I got included

taking leftover pasta from dinner to work the next day and folding in a creamy soup or cup of hot chili with a little cheese, parsley, and lemon to rejuvenate it
adding leftover rice into soup or salad
the idea of instead of making sandwiches with sliced breads from a buffet of meats, using smaller rolls so you can make each one different – one with chutney, one with mustard and ketchup, one with horseradish and mayo so you can experiment
he even has a way to really upgrade sushi in those containers with plastic grass with some lettuce and easy homemade dressing

I really enjoyed the book. Like most books I read for Kitchen Reader, I borrowed it from the library to read it and started taking photos of certain recipes I liked. Then I gave up and realized I was taking too many photos and should just buy the book! I found the book very inspirational to move away from restaurant leftovers or cafeteria food. I look forward to trying to make my lunch at work – though I’m not sure I will go all the way towards communal lunches yet.

If you are interested in the online book club the Kitchen Reader, the gist of our casual club is there is a new book selected for every month, each book is related to food, and members write a review on their blog during the last week of that month. For me, it is always interesting to read the round-up of reviews at the beginning of the month and see what other members have thought, and even when I haven’t made the round-up, it adds more food books to my list to read.

I did read the previous two books from the previous two months – Delicious by Ruth Reichl and Relish by Lucy Knisley but haven’t had time to create posts on those yet. I enjoyed both those books in a mixed way, so hope to get into details of that in the future.

For October the book club selected reading is Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson and Veronica Chambers (chosen by Amanda of Omar Niode Foundation).

What do you think about the premise of the book about more intentional lunch, and do you think you could practice it?

Filed Under: Book Review, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: book club, book review, book summary, communal lunch, cookbook, cookbook review, intentional lunch, Kitchen Reader, Lunch at the Shop: The Art and Practice of the Midday Meal, lunch recipes, Review of Lunch At The Shop

Recap of Feast Night Market 2015

September 29, 2015 by Pechluck 16 Comments

I cannot compete with the absolutely stunning photography of fellow bloggers such as Hummingbird High with her a giant, epic recap of feast portland 2015 or Aubrie at Portland Food Photography or urbanblisslife’s Feast Portland 2015 Recap and I definitely encourage you to visit these drool-worthy coverage of Feast 2015. And probably more out there that I don’t recall or know about (have a recap? Comment and I’d love to link up).

Under the Table with Jen Farewell to Feast
Martha Chartreuse’s fun “Best Dressed” Feast list!
Bakery Bingo #FeastPDX Top Ten and other Feast posts
Nom Nerd’s Feast Wrap Up Post and other Feast posts
Food Network’s Favorite Bites from Feast
Zagat 10 Best Things We Ate At Feast Portland
Bon Appétit slideshow on All the Food, Drinks, Good Vibes, and Awesome Chefs at Feast Portland 2015
Portland Monthly slideshow Recapping Feast Portland: The Guts, The Glory, The Smoke.

Photo by John Valls, Night Market 2015, courtesy of Feast

What I lack with a DSLR since I’m using my camera phone, I will try to make up with detailed coverage of everything served at Night Market 2015.

I figure if you are reading this post, you probably have one or two of three goals.

You were there and want to see if there are images of some of the dishes you enjoyed. I did miss a couple dishes (sorry Chris Carriker of Bluehour, and Rick Ebster of Bottle + Kitchen) and the original full dish of John Gorham of Toro Bravo was reduced to only 2 ingredients by the time I circled back, but I did get to everyone else.
You weren’t there and want to live vicariously through me. I hope this recap helps.
Perhaps you are considering whether you should buy tickets for Night Market 2016 next year. I hope that looking at all the possible samples gives you confidence that you will indeed leave completely full, and that the dishes are indeed unique and the experience is one of a kind.

This was my first time at Night Market. I can see why it has been such a sell-out event each year. It offers the unique emphasis on street food – which in most cases translates to a lot of bold flavor. Asian food also tends to like combining multiple strong flavors in a bite – savory and salty, sweet and salty, spicy and sweet, etc. You should also expect several weird ingredients, daring you to adventure into the exotic.

Careful knifework slicing at the station of Angus An of Maenam who presented Kor Moo Yang – Grilled Pork Jowl with Tamarind Dip for Night Market 2015

The vibrant feel of a night market in Asia is also captured by the energetic Asian pop music playing in the background, lots of bright color via glowing lanterns and the plastic floral tablecloths (did they take all of Andy Ricker’s extra tablecloth material?), even the bustling crowd and lines feels authentic to the lines for the food stalls along the street. Thankfully, there’s no smell of exhaust or garbage or stray dogs underfoot that seem like the only missing ingredients besides stalls of random stuff to buy.

Photo by Brooke Bass, Night Market 2015, courtesy of Feast

One of the best things about this kind of festival is not only the food and drink but the access. By this, I mean access to being able to meet the men and women behind the food and drink. Night Market was particularly worthwhile for me because I was familiar with several of the restaurant names but had never seen the chef. Access is also about how the crowd is just like you, a great appreciator of food – so go ahead and talk to anyone and everyone around you – be it in line, or at a shared table or area while sampling – about food. When you think of the ticket price, make sure you keep this access in mind – this is beyond just the food and drink itself.

Left: Sunny Jin of JORY, at The Allison chatting with a guest

And of course, let’s not forget the important cause that the proceeds of your ticket sales also go to. The numbers are still being tabulated for this year, but in the previous years Feast has raised more than $162,000 towards ending childhood hunger in Oregon and around the country through Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

The Feast Night Market 2015 boasted 21 chefs, 8 wineries, 6 brewery/cidery vendors, and 9 distilleries as part of this all inclusive all you can eat and drink festival. Sample eats I tried included (here comes the photo heavy portion of the post…):

Southern Thai Noodle Curry by Earl Ninsom from Langbaan

Earl Ninsom of the almost impossible to get into Langbaan had long lines all night but was serving up to the very end his Kanom Jeen Gang Nuea (Southern Thai Noodle Curry with Grilled Beef, Jackfruit and Betel Leaf). This tasted just like something I would get from a roadside stand in Thailand. They had one of the two longest lines of the evening, but kept patiently doling out the noodles and curry I think to the end.
Earl Ninsom of the almost impossible to get into Langbaan had long lines all night but was serving up to the very end his Kanom Jeen Gang Nuea (Southern Thai Noodle Curry with Grilled Beef, Jackfruit and Betel Leaf)
It was very bold in flavor. Kanom Jeen is not a typical noodle you see on Thai restaurant menus, as and most curries in the US you see come with rice rather than these fermented rice noodles. They are often wrapped into little round nests – a mini version which Earl did for this dish. Yes, maybe I was in this line maybe more than once.
Earl Ninsom of the almost impossible to get into Langbaan had long lines all night but was serving up to the very end hisKanom Jeen Gang Nuea (Southern Thai Noodle Curry with Grilled Beef, Jackfruit and Betel Leaf)
At the “front of the house” restaurant of Paa Dee, you can find Kanom Jeen on their regular menu with green curry as I tried (vegetarian with tofu instead of chicken) in a previous blog post. Paa Dee may not be the fancy elevated Thai food of LangBaan, but I recommend this food for a taste of what normal Thai people eat when dining out at mid priced restaurants.

Kor Moo Yang from Angus An of Maenam

Angus An of Maenam presented Kor Moo Yang – Grilled Pork Jowl with Tamarind Dip. I loved the taste of the fatty pork and grill flavors with the tamarind dip, but wish there had maybe been a little ball of sticky rice to go with it. At least, that’s how I have had this dish in Thailand off the street (in Thai, Kor mean neck, and Moo means pork, and Yang means grilled). I also might have added a little bit more spice with diced Thai chili peppers. But, otherwise very authentic tasting dish from what I would get in Asia literally off the streets!
Angus An of Maenam presented Kor Moo Yang - Grilled Pork Jowl with Tamarind Dip for Night Market 2015

Sichuan Cumin Lamb Salad from Johanna Ware of Smallwares

Johanna Ware of Smallwares offered a dish of Sichuan Cumin Lamb Salad with peanut sauce, celery and mint. Thanks for trying to incorporate some vegetables into our Feast weekend Johanna.

Lamb Pelmeni from Bonnie Morales

Another big hit of the night were the melt in your mouth Russian Dumplings. Bonnie Morales of Kachka was preparing plates of Lamb Pelmeni with Adjika Butter and Pickled Pears also almost to the end.
Bonnie Morales of Kachka preparing plates of Lamb Pelmeni with Adjika Butter and Pickled Pears
Several people couldn’t help but go back for a second (or third!) sample. The pelmeni may not be lamb, but those buttery doughy dumplings with beef, veal, and pork are on Kachka’s regular happy hour and dinner menu (as I also adored before in a previous blog post)
Bonnie Morales of Kachka was adored for her plates at Night Market 2015 of Lamb Pelmeni with Adjika Butter and Pickled Pears

Moroccan Braised Lamb Shoulder in Phyllo from Tony Meyers of Serrato

Tony Meyers of Serrato had quite the teamwork going at his booth as he and two helpers hurriedly tried to get out of the weeds and serve up his Night Market 2015 dish of Moroccan Braised Lamb Shoulder in Phyllo with Golden Raisins, Pistachio, Curried Yogurt and Mt Mint. It was amazing watching them put the plate together with those layers. And given that there were a lot of dishes that had softer textures, I appreciated the crispness of those phyllo squares.
Tony Meyers of Serrato had quite the teamwork going at his booth as he hurriedly tried to get out of the weeds and serve up his Night Market 2015 dish of Moroccan Braised Lamb Shoulder in Phyllo with Golden Raisins, Pistachio, Curried Yogurt and Mt Mint

Lamb with Onion Ash and Juniper Cream from Viet Pham of ember + ash

Viet Pham of upcoming restaurant ember + ash opening in fall/winter in Salt Lake City, Utah offered Lamb with Onion Ash and Juniper Cream with last year’s pickled elder flower and fermented spruce and elderberry. It always makes me wonder the backstory when I see a menu with a change like this on their listing – in this case especially because the change was to make it more complex, not dial it back for service to masses. I wish I had remembered to come back and ask more details about these ingredients.
Viet Pham of ember + ash of Salt Lake City, Utah offered Lamb with Onion Ash and Juniper Cream with last year's pickled elder flower and fermented spruce and elderberry

Mei Lin and Pork Belly Pâté Egg Rolls

Mei Lin was hyperfocused and zen as she carefully plated her Pork Belly Pâté Egg Rolls, Nước chấm, Fragrant Herbs
Mei Lin offered Pork Belly Pâté Egg Rolls, Nước chấm, Fragrant Herbs

Gobi Manchurian from Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater

Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater presented Gobi Manchurian, a cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce, curry leaves, and garam masala. Similar to Mei Lin, he was also quite a study in concentration as he plated his hundreds of dishes.

Macau Rice Crisp with Nori and Pork Floss from Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo of Fat Rice

This is a total contrast from Abraham Conlon (also with Adrienne Lo) of Fat Rice in Chicago who was really engaging the line as he continually called people in, not unlike how a real street vendor would call customers to entice them to stop and eat his wares. It was such perfect showmanship and energy for Night Market.
Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo of Fat Rice in Chicago presented the most controversial dish as people either loved or hated the dish of Macau Rice Crisp with Nori, Pork Floss, Fish Sauce Caramel and Fried Shallot
Abraham and Adrienne presented the most controversial dish as people either loved or hated the sweet and savory at the same time dish of Macau Rice Crisp with Nori, Pork Floss, Fish Sauce Caramel and Fried Shallot. It was a big dish – I liked it, but I only got a few bites in before I ended up tucking it away for later in my bag.
Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo of Fat Rice in Chicago presented the most controversial dish as people either loved or hated the dish of Macau Rice Crisp with Nori, Pork Floss, Fish Sauce Caramel and Fried Shallot
Their booth was all decorated too with whimsical energy.

Leather Storrs of Noble Rot

When it comes to showmanship however, the winner in my eyes was Leather Storrs of Noble Rot who presented Pork, Pear & Gresham granola on griddle bread and a whole lot more visually with their stunning team uniform
Leather Storrs of Noble Rot presented Pork, Pear & Gresham granola on griddle bread and a whole lot more visually with their stunning team uniform

Goat Tartare from Sunny Jin of JORY at The Allison

Sunny Jin of JORY at The Allison presented Goat Tartare with Charred Green Tomato, Frozen Egg, Panisse Croutons. Those panisse croutons gave a nice crunchy texture.
Sunny Jin of JORY, at The Allison presented Goat Tartare - Charred Green Tomato, Frozen Egg, Panisse Croutons for Night Market 2015

Spicy Blood Sausage from Rachel Yang of Joule

Rachel Yang of Joule also issued a challenge to be adventurous in eating with her dish of Spicy Blood Sausage, Salted Shrimp Sauce, Garlic Chive Kimchi. I thought it was interesting how she preferred to plate in the back, out of the spotlight. I enjoy the show in making the food just as much (ok maybe not AS much) as the food itself.
Rachel Yang of Joule also issued a challenge to be adventurous in eating with her dish of Spicy Blood Sausage, Salted Shrimp Sauce, Garlic Chive Kimchi

Joel Stocks and William Preisch of Holdfast and Cornbread Madeleine

Joel Stocks And William Preisch of Holdfast were a silent bro team plating their Cornbread Madeleine, Lardo Parmesan, Honeycomb

Merguez Sausage plate by Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché

Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché presented Merguez Sausage with Cucumber Salad and Harissa Yogurt.

Carlo Lamagna of Clyde Common with Beef Tongue

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the rich dish of Beef Tongue, Roasted Bone Marrow Aioli, Crispy Rice, Pickles by Carlo Lamagna of Clyde Common. Thanks to Carlo for being a good sport among the rush of the line to pose with the dish!

Tomato Su from Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro

Another huge favorite for me was the Tomato Su from Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro. I appreciated how he handed each dish individually to each guest who visited. So sweet! Meanwhile, the dish was light, subtle and refreshing after the mega meat fest of so many other dishes at Night Market.
A refreshing lighter bite was the Tomato Su from Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro

Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters with Blueberries and Marscarpone

Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters and his piercing eyes as he offers one of the few desserts of Night Market 2015 – I was expecting one of his famous pastas. Instead, he offered Blueberries, semolina, mascarpone, saba

Handrolls from Jin Soo Yang of Bamboo Sushi

Longest line of the night award goes to Jin Soo Yang of Bamboo Sushi offering a choice of: Illamna Sockeye from Bristol Bay handroll or Yasai Moriwase handroll which it was rumored was caught by him! They were such a blur of activity as they were rolling away hundreds of those rolls.
Longest line at Night Market goes to Jin Soo Yang of Bamboo Sushi offering a choice of: Illamna Sockeye from Bristol Bay handroll or Yasai Moriwase handroll

Tomato Gazpacho from John Gorham of Toro Bravo

By the time I got to John Gorham of Toro Bravo‘s booth, his Tomato Gazpacho with house made chorizo and Mahón cheese and octopus was reduced to only the gazpacho (still super delicious and really intense on the essence of tomato) and the housemade chorizo.

My favorite cocktail of the evening was the The Singapore Sling presented by House of Spirits with Aviation American gin, fresh lemon juice, pineapple juice, simple syrup, angostura, cherry heering and benedictine

A few last images of how beautiful it was during sunset, such perfect weather where it was not too hot or cold… warm enough for sundresses, but with a breeze so you are comfortable in the crowds. And then when I left at the end with the new Tilikum Crossing bridge all lit up.
Sunset at Night Market at Zidell Yards was breathtaking and perfect weather Good night from the lit up Tillikum Crossing bridge

What do you think would have been your favorite dish? Do you think you would like going to Night Market?

Disclosure: I was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2015 for blog post and social media coverage but I am not otherwise being compensated. I also purchased my own Feast event ticket. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feast2015, #feastpdx, #feastportland, #nightmarket, #whywefeast, Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo of Fat Rice, Angus An, Aviation American Gin, Beef Tongue, Blueberries and semolina and mascarpone and saba, bonnie morales, Carlo Lamagna of Clyde Common, Cornbread Madeleine, Crispy Rice, dishes at Feast Night Market, Fat Rice, Feast 2015, feast pdx, Feast PDX Night Market, Feast Portland, food at Feast Night Market, Garlic Chive Kimchi, Goat Tartare, Handrolls from Jin Soo Yang of Bamboo Sushi, House of Spirits, Illamna Sockeye from Bristol Bay, Joel Stocks And William Preisch of Holdfast, Johanna Ware of Smallwares, John Gorham of Toro Bravo, JORY at The Allison, Kachka, Kor Moo Yang, lamb pelmeni, Lamb with Onion Ash and Juniper Cream, Leather Storrs of Noble Rot, Macau Rice Crisp with Nori and Pork Floss, Maenam, Marché, Merguez Sausage, Night Market, Night Market 2015, Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters, Pork Pear & Gresham granola on griddle bread, Rachel Yang of Joule, recap of Feast Night Market, Roasted Bone Marrow Aioli, Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro, Salted Shrimp Sauce, Sichuan Cumin Lamb Salad, Singapore Sling, Spicy Blood Sausage, Stephanie Pearl Kimmel, summary of Feast Night Market, Sunny Jin, Tomato Gazpacho, Tomato Gazpacho from John Gorham of Toro Bravo, Tomato Su, Viet Pham of ember + ash, Yasai Moriwase handroll

Top Tips for Feast Portland and some Previews!

September 16, 2015 by Pechluck 5 Comments

It’s here! The food holiday time of year in Portland – Feast week. It’s Feast Eve!

This year from Thursday September 17 – Sunday September 20 2015, Feast promises 4 days of belly busting events showcasing delicious eats and drinks. This is Feast’s 4th year, featuring 35 events and 87 all star chefs celebrating the bounty of the Oregon and the Northwest in food and drink.

The main event kick off starts with the Sandwich Invitational – one of the few main events that still has tickets and is not sold out. There are tickets also still for the Friday version and Saturday version of the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting (which are the biggest value for your eating and drinking buck events – $12 an hour progressive sampling of all you can eat and drink for 5 hours!).

It all finishes on Sunday with the last of the Hands On Classes and Drink Tank series whose various classes and panels run throughout the Feast days and who there are also some tickets still available. Other events are already sold out.

Beans & Booze panel at Feast 2014

While satisfying and expanding your palate with the showcase of food as an attendee, Feast also has a mission overall to fight hunger in Oregon, so you will be eating for a cause. The Feast festival net proceeds go towards ending childhood hunger through Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry. Since 2012, Feast Portland has raised over $162,000 towards combating hunger.

This will be my third year attending Feast, and here are my top tips for Feast Portland. At the end of this post, I also will be listing some link love for previews of food available at Feast, AND some food that celebrates Feast but you can get even if you are not at any of the Feast events!

Tip 1: Dress Comfortably & have Easy Pockets or a Tote Bag

For all the main events, you will be visiting a lot of different booths as you are progressive eating through a food market. That means you will be on your feet a lot of the time. In some cases, you will be walking on grass (Smoked) or gravel (Night Market). So wear comfy shoes.

You will also be eating for several hours – so dress like this is Thanksgiving. This is not the time for your tight-fitting dresses and jeans. You want to dress in clothes that have a little tummy give.

Friends - Joey - gif of These are my Thanksgiving Pants

If you are going to an evening event, think about layers as the weather will get cooler later. If you’ve got tickets to Night Market or Smoked, be prepared that the cooking aromas can permeate the air and your clothes will absorb it. In general you don’t want anything requiring dry cleaning!

I highly recommend wearing something with easy accessible pockets or have a tote bag. That way you can store your napkins or utensils or camera or phone while leaving your hands free to hold and eat food and drink, but also get to those objects easily. I don’t like to create a lot of waste at these events, so I will try as much as possible to use every last corner of my napkin and reuse my utensils.

Whole Foods tote bags at Feast 2014

Specifically for the Sandwich Invitational, it is easy to get really, really full on all those 15 or so sandwiches. My secret trick is that I only take a few bites, but since I feel bad throwing the rest away when it’s so delicious I store it away in a ziploc bag I have in a bag and eat it for lunch the next week!

I know the weather says it may be rainy on Thursday/Sandwich Invitational night. I recommend wearing weatherproof hooded jacket instead of an umbrella so you don’t have to juggle a food sample, drink glass, AND your umbrella. Plus, your jacket should then come with pockets!

Tip 2: Use your Phone or Camera to take Photos for Notes

One of the best things about Feast is being introduced to so much new deliciousness. To help remember what you ate or drank, take a photo of them. The visual cue of seeing the descriptions (particularly wine bottle labels) when I look on my phone is so helpful later!
Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Elizabeth Chambers wine

Don’t forget to bring a charger because all those photos (and if you are recording any notes on your phone) will eat up your battery. I have a portable external battery phone charger I always keep in my bag, as well as the wall charger attachment and if you are driving, for your car as well.

This is particularly important if you want to make sure you have enough juice in your phone to ride Trimet with their online app or be able to call a cab or Uber or Lyft for a ride. Another important reason is to check social media to hear about after parties and extend your food partying!

In order to see what is happening and hot, be sure to check the hashtag #feastpdx on Twitter #feastpdx or the handle Twitter FeastPDX and follow on Instagram Feast Portland to also see what everyone is talking about – maybe that’s how you’ll know to hurry and get into a particular line for a food dish before it runs out. If you yourself do share, make sure you tag #FeastPDX too.

I’ll be on Twitter and Instagram myself covering Feast, so I hope we are already friends on Twitter @pechluck and on Instagram @pechluck .

Tip 3: Talk to Strangers, and Smile!

Since everyone around you is a food and drink lover like you and me, we can ALL surely be friends. Start conversations with strangers! Something as simple as “What are you having? Where did you get that?” or “Did you have a favorite sandwich/sample/wine/etc” is a great conversation opener. This can help give you a heads up on something you try that you didn’t know about. There is a lot going on at each event, so it’s difficult to make sure you see everything so talking to people in line or while by a cocktail table eating is fun.

When you’re at a booth, make sure you flash a smile to whoever is working to show your appreciation for them being on their feet prepping and serving food and drink samples to the crowds. Ask all the questions you’d like with the various vendors, and thank them!

Feast 2014, Tillamook Brunch Village participant Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar who was the consummate professional and mother who never ran out and was superfast at doling out her delicious buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy to nourish the hungry masses

If you really like their food or product, make sure you give them that feedback, ask where you can find their product. If you have a social media account, let them know how much you enjoyed it on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Doesn’t everyone like hearing a compliment and validation that their hard work was enjoyed?

Tip 4: Go with Friends, go Alone, just GO!

Being at Feast is sort of like being able to talk to anyone and everyone rooting for your same sports team at a game – but here the game is FOOD.

That means you also don’t worry about going to any event alone. I have gone to food festivals alone and with friends – and both have their pros and cons. Of course, going with friends means you can share the excitement before, the experience during, and the memories after. In some cases, you might even strategize with friends by waiting in different lines and coming together to share samples.

Going alone also has its pros in that you are much more likely to meet new people, and you are able to move faster through food stations. You will naturally get full over time, so the faster you can eat the more you can try before getting to the uncomfortably stuffed point. On your own, you can make your own calls about how you want to proceed through the food areas based on your preferences at your pace.

Tip 5: Alaska Airlines flies your wine and helps cut the line

When possible, I try to fly Alaska Airlines to my destinations from Portland. I love how they always showcase local producers of beer, wine, and snacks. If you are flying south from Portland, try to sit on the left/east side for a view of Mt Hood (reverse that if flying in). And flying north towards Seattle sit on the right side for a possible glimpse of Mt Rainier.

Friendly skies by @AlaskaAir #iFlyAlaska bc they charge ur device at each seat & generously pour Canoe Ridge WA wine Congrats @skilletstfood on being highlighted by @AlaskaAir & getting more bacon jam fans! #bacon #baconjam #eatlocal

View on the shuttle back between Seattle and Portland on Alaska Airlines

If you are flying in from out of town, or flying out to visit family and friends, don’t forget that Oregon Wines Fly Free (plus enter to win a free Oregon Wine Country trip!). Plus, local wineries invite you to enjoy a complimentary tasting when you show your in-bound boarding pass (paper or digital) and proof of your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan membership at any of more than 300 participating wineries.

For those of you with a current Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card, take out your card and cut the line at Brunch Village (they are one of the title sponsors) by going through the VIP entrance. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card VIP Cardholders’ entrance will be located on SW 6th Avenue.

Preview for Feast 2015

To get you in the mood, I have a few previews for Feast 2015 to share in my linkfest below!

Whether you are going to Feast or not, or the Sandwich Invitational or not, you can enjoy the Chef Matt Christianson of Urban Farmer sandwich creation. He isn’t participating in the invitational, but he has teamed up with Whole Foods to make a special Feast “Urbanh Mi” that is a Roast Pork Shoulder Banh Mi. Although he won’t be competing, the sandwich will be available in all Portland Whole Foods at the prepared foods department. $1 from every purchase goes to the Whole Kids Foundation.
Widmer Brothers Brewing has 4 brand new Collaboration Beers created for Feast that are beer collaborations with Andy Ricker of Pok Pok, Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Prosciutto di Parma USA. Get some great details at the article at the New School Beer article or Brewpublic article. The beer is featured at multiple events at Feast but will be available also at the Widmer Brothers Pub and a few select restaurants and craft beer bars in Portland.

.@WidmerBrothers Brewing has 4 Collaboration Beers for @feastpdx http://t.co/WZHevol5q9 #feastpdx pic.twitter.com/WYw5xINvJ6

— The New School (@NewSchoolBeer) September 10, 2015
If you will be at the Oregon Bounty Grand tasting, be sure to check out the Oregon Raspberries and Blackberries Commission booth. They have been tweeting previews already of what is in their works with Ringside Steakhouse, and to date that includes
- Berry macarons, sumac spiced raspberry chocolate confiture
- Duck Liver Mousse, boysenberry beet gelee, pistachio, candied grapefruit
- And more…!
AM Northwest / KATU has been having Feast Friday previews for the past couple weeks. Some of the previews they have covered include
- Get a peek at the Bluehour’s Rabbit Torta that Chef Carriker will have at the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting taking place Friday and Saturday.
- Departure’s Gregory Gourdet talks inspiration of a chinese crepe for his entry of the Sandwich Invitational. How will his sandwich fare against other participants like BJ Smith from Smokehouse Tavern who showed a Smoked Beef Tongue with Deviled Egg Yolk and Chef Scott Snyder from Levant doing a play on a shwarma sandwich, or Chef Vitaly Paley of Imperial and Portland Penny Diner’s fry bread taco with soy braised pork belly, spicy mayo?
  
  Eli Cairo of Olympia Provisions showed a hot dog with an Asian twist. But per KATU New’s article here previewing 3 sandwiches from Olympia Provisions, Little T Baker and Meat Cheese Bread, Eli might be serving an Italian grinder!
- At Night Market, which I’m attending, I’ll get to see Chef Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché version of Pan Bagnat and Carlo Lamagna of Clyde Common (who “bedazzled” salmon crudo in his segment hee)
- Urban Farmer Chris Starkus hinted at what he might have at Smoked with his ceder brined salmon dish. Beau Carr of RingSide Steakhouse showed a smoked and bbqed Smoked Wagyu Shoulder Tender and I’m sure Melissa Mayer of Olympia Oyster bar will be doing something with oysters. Adam Sappington of The Country Cat will also be participating with Tomahawk Chops (I was drooling watching him make his Fried Chicken & Bacon Spoon Bread with Pecans and it was so fun with Harry Connick Jr also in the segment!)
- Sarah Schafer from Irving Street Kitchen will be part of Brunch Village with Smoked Bison Oaxacan Mole Tameles. Also there will be Daniel Oseas of Cafe Broder bringing Aebleskivers to brunch.
At the Sandwich Invitational, Tillamook will be providing their Tillamookies, waffle cone cookie ice cream sandwiches filled with Tillamook Ice Cream. As a sponsor of Brunch Village, Tillamook has partnered with the team at Pine State Biscuits to serve baked apple butter and Tillamook Smoked Cheddar “pop tart” served a la mode with Tillamook Ice Cream.

Images of the Tilamookies courtesy of Tillamook
Every year I get a souvenir shirt for Feast from Flavour Gallery‘s booths. Their foodie tshirts include lots of celebration of food, food festivals, and chefs. They have images of the Feast 2015 designs plus some of the 2014 ones they are bringing on their website now so take a look what will be at the booth! I love how comfy and soft their shirts are, and often wear them for travel on planes to show off my Portland food love.

Images from Flavour Gallery website

I hope my Top Tips for Feast and links to previews to get you in the feasting mood are helpful to you. For more tips, check out the perspectives of my blogger friends like

Maybe I’ll see you at Feast? Don’t be shy about coming to say hi!

Disclosure: I was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2015 for blog post and social media coverage but I am not otherwise being compensated. Even before I was given the Blogger Pass I already had tickets for some Feast events! I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feast2015, #feastpdx, #feastportland, Advice for attending Feast, Advice for Feast, advice on going to Feast PDX, Alaska Airlines, AM Northwest, AM Northwest Feast Friday, Feast 2015, Feast 2015 preview, Feast food festival, Feast Friday, feast pdx, Feast Portland, Feast Portland advice, Feast tips, Flavour Gallery Feast, Flavour Gallery Feast shirts, Tillamookies, Tips for Feast, Tips for Feast PDX, tips for Feast Portland, Urbanh Mi, what to wear to Feast Portland, Widmer Collaboration Beers for Feast

The Little Paris Bookshop Review

September 2, 2015 by Pechluck 11 Comments

My The Little Paris Bookshop review can be summed up with the following 5 points.

This book will make you fall in love with prose again. There are many books that tell a story and it is the characters and the events that are the main attraction. The words on the page or screen are there to help communicate and serve those attractions. The author of the Little Paris bookshop, Nina George, has a way of putting together phrases and sentences that you will enjoy reading a second or third or fourth time, even though you already have the message, because of how poetically it is stated.
Nina is adept at discerning the great range of complex emotions we live through. I love that she distinguishes and names these throughout the book via the main character Perdu. Like her protagonist, it seems Nina also wants to treat them. Perdu mentions a few of them early on –

“The feeling that washes over you when another summer nears its end. Or when you recognize that you haven’t got your whole life left to find out where you belong.”

Through various characters in the book, you will explore and feel various levels of peace, sadness, yearning, being disturbed, companionship and more with her keen observations. Even though you may not be in the exact same situation as those characters, the way she writes about them resonates within that makes you remember and contemplate yourself.
The character and idea of this type of bookshop will make you want to visit small bookshops and wish you could find this type of bookseller who has such breadth and depth of knowledge of books that they can help you find the book for your needs. A thread that runs throughout is that books that can not only transport away from your life for a little while, but can also fill in holes in your life that are empty, even if you don’t know it, and can make you a better person. You may start questioning the types of books you normally have been choosing and now have the yearning to find these other types of books that are soul enrichment, not just entertainment or self-help/skill teaching. Now where can I find a book doctor like Perdu?

“A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy.”

“He calls books freedoms. And homes too. they preserve all the good words we so seldom use.”
Don’t be surprised if after reading this book you feel like taking a vacation to France, or at least spend some time in a small town by a river. Although the book title names Paris, at one point in the book you begin a journey through the south of France. Since I was not familiar with many of the places named, I did a Google Image search out of curiosity as I was reading. You will not be sorry if you follow my lead and I highly recommend doing this as you read. She really picked some incredibly breathtaking places, and seeing the photos helps you appreciate the journey and how the environment contributed as an important character itself to the story.
You will want to eat some French food. First of all, they mention warm buttery croissants and fresh baguettes a lot. There are other important meals as well, varying from poaching fish in a pan while talking with a loved one and just eating it from the pan with wine, risotto with red wine on a boat (or somehow al fresco) under the stars, bohémienne de legumes and lamb cutlets with garlic flan or lavender ice cream (thankfully these are included as recipes at the back of the book), scrambled eggs with truffles, mussels in a herb and cream sauce with a view of the ocean. This isn’t a book about food. But, as seems truthful and honest, when you are traveling there will be some strong memories of moments that do involve food – and that happens in the book.

There are a couple small things that bother me about the book. For instance, how the various characters logistically afforded the lives that they lead in the book. I found the Manon Travel Diary sections sometimes too overwrought, which as a personal diary I can forgive a little but the entries ran long. It also made it harder for me to understand why Manon is held on such a high pedestal – it was one of those typical people describing a character as incredible but now showing how she deserved the praise. But, I forgave these flaws because the positives that I mentioned in my 5 points made this book more than worth the read.

If you haven’t read it yet, don’t forget to have a good croissant source in mind – I tell you, you will be craving some with coffee as you are reading passages, and this craving will repeat more than a couple times.

Have you read The Little Paris Bookshop, and if so what did you think? If you haven’t, does it sound like something you would put on your book list as a to read, why or why not? And where do you get your favorite croissant (my current faves are Gabriel’s Bakery’s cheese croissants found at the Farmer’s Market, and Nuvrei Bakery which is what is pictured above)?

Disclosure: This book was provided to me as part of the Blogging for Books program, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Book Review, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #bloggingforbooks, Blogging for Books, book review, Nina George, Review of Little Paris Workshop, The Little Paris Bookshop