Counting Down to Feast Portland: Feast Speaker Series

September 4, 2013 by 3 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013 to raise money for the two Feast Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. 

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21. and also spoke of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and the splurge gift to myself, the luxe High Comfort at The Nines on Sept 21. I also highlighted a free Feast event, the Best Butcher Contest and Fishmonger Face off on Sept 21.

Not every event is about eating and drinking. We can also just talk about eating and drinking without the action itself, such as with the Feast Portland Speaker Series. Each of these is is a $10 ticketed event that takes place as part of Feast Portland on Friday Sept 20th and Saturday, Sept 21st at the Portland Art Museum: Marion L. Miller Gallery.

Each speaking session is scheduled throughout the day, with each session lasting 1.5 hours, and with quite a pedigree of Feast speakers lined up! Although it is great to eat and drink the deliciousness, I think it is also our responsibility to have an open mind so we can learn and actively support the ecosystem that provides us both nourishment and comfort/joy in the form of cuisine.

There are SIX Feast Speaker Series events on the calendar- if you looked as recently as a few weeks ago there were only 5, but they added another!

  • Friday, September 20th
    • Hunger Bites, Let’s End It / 9:00am-10:30am
    • Food Will Define the Future of Healthcare/ 11:00am-12:00pm
    • The American Experience Through Food / 1:00pm – 2:30pm
    • Transparency and GMOS: The More You Know, The Better / 3:00pm – 4:30pm
  • Saturday, September 21st
    • Beat the Devil: Create an Awesome Food Business without Selling Your Soul  / 10:00am – 11:30am
    • Portland Matters  / 2:00pm – 3:30pm

I cannot attend them all since I plan to work (you know, at my regular full time job) half the day on Friday I took the day off! There’s too much goodness I don’t want to miss a thing,  one conflicts with time I will attending the Cookbook Social I will be covering next week in a post. That leaves to my hopeful schedule these particular ones that I will be trying to attend.

Hunger Bites, Let’s End It Friday, Sept 20th 9:00am – 10:30am

The first of the Feast Speaker Series, and the motivation of fighting hunger is the dear cause of Feast Portland.

Description from the Feast website: In his first term, President Obama made the ambitious pledge to end childhood hunger in America. What would it take to end child hunger in Oregon – a state with one of the highest hunger rates in the nation – but who is at the forefront of the anti-hunger movement? Join anti-hunger leaders as they share their vision, highlighting the power and effectiveness of partnership, advocacy and funding, and discuss how we can make childhood hunger a thing of the past in Oregon, and across the nation.

The Lineup

The American Experience Through Food Friday, Sept 20th 1:00pm – 2:30pm

This one has a lot of interest to me because American food is both specifically regional based on available ingredients and the area’s food culture from the reality of its history and climate, and yet is also a melting pot no only of various areas of the US but of the world. Formal training, if a chef has it, often involves experiences overseas. I’m curious to hear the takes of this blend of food writers and chefs, east and south and west coasts have to say. Also, Hugh and Naomi!

Description from the Feast website: What the heck is American food? Is it Southern chefs celebrating local ingredients and family recipes honed over centuries? Is it one of the youngest chefs on Earth ever to receive three Michelin stars? Answer: It is all of these and more. Listen to renowned chefs from around the country who approach food from many different backgrounds, experiences, and influences—and find out what makes American food exhilarating.

The Lineup

Beat the Devil: Create an Awesome Food Business without Selling Your Soul Saturday, Sept 21st 10:00am – 11:30am

I’m interested in this talk to hear how a food entrepreneurs balance the line between running a business but also representing their viewpoints and passions in their products and services that is part of the differentiating experience for its customers.

Description from the Feast website: What makes a coffee shop more than a morning ritual stopover? What makes a grocery store more than a place to buy groceries? Food can be a business where passion and conviction can win over customer hearts, but the new players in the food business game are proving this doesn’t come at the cost of losing market share. Meet some of the most influential players in changing the way America eats.

The Lineup

Portland Matters Saturday, Sept 21st 2:00pm – 3:30pm

I want to hear about what direction Portland as a food city might be going in- and how we contribute to the definition of American food. The food scene in the US now is full of passion for artisan ingredients and sourcing locally and seasonally, but yet Portland still stands out to me as unique. I am curious to hear the Portland Food Scene 201 (101 was the original Portland TED Talk by Karen Brooks) by hearing more from Karen as well as from other distinguished panel speakers. You’ve seen that TED talk right? Surely you have- it’s only 10 minutes, yet succinctly explains the Portland perspective on food (The Three C’s- Craft, Connection, Community).

Description from the Feast website: Portland, Oregon: Food media crush of the moment, or a city with serious culinary cred? Eavesdrop on the experts and hear their side. From the talented chefs changing the conversations locally and nationally, to the booming multi-billion dollar beverage and artisan products industries, to an agricultural bounty and natural beauty rivaled by few places on Earth, to the homegrown heroes—from David Lett to James Beard—learn why the Portland story is far from over.

The Lineup

Are you going to listen to any of the speaker series events? Which ones are you interested in?

Disclosure: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting down to Feast Portland: High Comfort at The Nines

August 26, 2013 by 11 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here of Day 3 of Feast

 

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21 and also wrote of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and then had to go get a sandwich to recover after writing that post. I also highlighted a free Feast event, the Best Butcher Contest and Fishmonger Face off on Sept 21.

This next Feast event I am counting down with you to is my splurge birthday gift to myself this year. It’s a food festival event which highlights comfort food that is familiar and makes you feel happy, but elevates it to a decadent level that I would imagine world leaders and only the jetset millionaires might see in terms of ingredients and execution, and so this would be a chance to spoil yourself and get a glimpse of that richness. Not to mention, I can be totally be a (secret) fangirl and see all these incredible chefs.

High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

The event is called High Comfort at The Nines, presented by Portland Monthly Magazine.  Tickets are $175 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Saturday, Sept 21st 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Nines Hotel.

Last year at Feast 2012, this event was held at the Multnomah Athletic Club, and reading some of the food from the event convinced me this was worth the price tag, as I paid for this ticket out of my own funds (not part of my Bloggers Pass). In fact, the price this year is slightly less expensive than last year’s ticket price of $200. Update: as of Labor Day weekend, this event is now sold out!

Furthermore, don’t forget that the money is going to two incredible impressive causes, so it’s a gift not only to myself but supporting Feast’s fight against hunger. Last year, it was reported that nearly 9,000 attended the September food festival on September 20-23 2012, raising $46,000 so that $23,000 was donated to each of the Feast Portland charity partners: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. You can feed yourself and others!

Examples of the offerings from last year’s High Comfort event included

  • pork skin spaghetti puttanesca from Chris Cosentino of Incanto;
  • squab pot pie with chanterelles and corn from Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché (Eugene);
  • crispy Rocky Mountain oysters with coffee purée and pink shrimp Hollandaise from Dustin Clark of Wildwood;
  • nutella panini with espresso, bacon and banana from Hedy Goldsmith of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink;
  • foie gras cappuccinos from Philippe Boulot of Multnomah Atheletic Club;
  • a cereal of maple pork corn flakes, smoked berry marshmallows;
  • and toasted hazelnut milk from the Dentons of Ox;

Yeah you get the point.
High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: What happens when comfort food gets pushed out of its comfort zone? What would grandmother’s food taste like if grandma had a Michelin star, an immersion circulator, and a pantry full of Iberian ham, foie gras, and candy bars? The answer: High Comfort, the most decadent culinary event around. Last year’s event saw meat cereal, caviar sandwiches, and a charcuterie hall of fame without rival. This year, some of the best chefs from the US and Canada are going to take it to the next level: Get ready to be fed silly with help from premier Oregon wines and their European counterparts. Don’t plan anything early the next day.

The Lineup

Here’s a video showing how it went at last year’s event.

For more, you can check out a slideshow from Serious Eats or part of the photo essay of the Feast festival from the Oregonian also.

Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting Down to Feast Portland: Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off

August 19, 2013 by 6 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21 and also wrote of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and then had to go get a sandwich to recover after writing that post.

The previous two events I highlighted might have a ticket price (and remember, they are trying to raise money for charity after all), but not every Feast event does. One of the new events this year for Feast is the Whole Foods Market Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off. This is a FREE event! The event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Saturday, Sept 21st 11:00am – 2:00pm at Director Park. There will be surf and turf samples provided by Whole Foods Market’s meat and seafood partners, so don’t worry about watching all that deliciousness and only wondering conceptually about the product.

The Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off are two branches of regional competitions by Whole Foods Market that are held all over the country. Last year, the Best Butcher contest included whittling down 300 butchers to just 3 (representing the west, central, and east regions of the US) that made it to New York City to be crowned at the the 2nd annual Best Butcher competition at Meatopia. Tasks they had to rise to for the competition included crafting a turducken (duck stuffed inside a chicken stuffed inside a turkey), merchandising a whole lamb, and creating a new cut of beef steak, chop or roast! Best Butcher 2012 Armand ”The Arm” Ferrante will be defending his title. You can read more about Best Butcher Contest 2012 here at the Whole Foods Blog.

Meanwhile, the 1st annual Fishmonger Faceoff of 2012 ended with the Golden Trident being awarded at Food & Wine Classic Aspen, as you can read here about the Fishmonger Face Off at the Whole Foods Blog. Fishmonger Winner Bob “The Fish Guy” Reany had to cut and fillet a certified Wild Alaska Salmon in 3 minutes- and he did it in 90 seconds! Both winners of the Best Butcher and Fishmonger Faceoff had about 40 years of experience each- we’re talking about masters of meat or fish! Check out the awesome nicknames of the fishmongers who competed last year in this 1 minute video of the 2012 finalists- will we be seeing some of them this year?

This year, the final for the Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off are BOTH coming to Feast and Portland! It’s serious technique required to know where to cut and to cut quickly, but they also will be judged on “swagger” in knife skills. It should be exciting to watch them throw in showmanship while working with the blade and with still an eye on quality of cuts and quantity of yield of product!

Who knows… is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at this event going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish?
Meat + Poultry section of Whole Foods Pearl... Is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off at Feast Portland 2013 going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish? Seafood section of Whole Foods Pearl... Is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off at Feast Portland 2013 going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish?

Butchery and Fishmongering is an art that seemed like it was being lost for a while into uniform piles of plastic wrapped hunks of meat in a cooler, but thankfully it has been making a comeback. People are returning to wanting to appreciate where the food comes from, and use all of the animal, which is evidenced by the rise of butchery classes in the past year in Portland. So it seems like the perfect place to hold these Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off finals.

Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012
Above: Photos from last year’s Feast PDX Basic Pig Butchery class with Portland Meat Collective’s Camas Davis. This class is back this year but already sold out! Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: After months of regional competitions at Whole Foods Market stores across the country, 12 butchers and fishmonger finalists are sharpening their knives to go head-to-tail for the glory of being named best in their craft. Come watch the sparks fly as the butcher and fishmonger finalists battle their way to the top. Finalists will be judged by an expert panel that includes top chefs and media on presentation, craftsmanship and swagger in dazzling demos of knife work. Sample some surf-and-turf from Whole Foods Market’s meat and seafood partners, pause for some live music, snap a picture in the photo booth, and even learn a thing or two about high-quality meat and sustainable seafood.

Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012 Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012 Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Disclosure: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting Down to Feast Portland: Sandwich Invitational

August 12, 2013 by 13 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here of Day 1 of Feast

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21.

One of the events I am very much looking forward to is the Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Lincoln Motor Company. Tickets are $95 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Thursday, Sept 19th 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Director Park.

This event is not covered by my Bloggers Pass, so I bought my ticket to this event with my own funds. I recall this was the first event that I read last year that I had regret that I had not attended, particularly as I had walked by it during that time on the way to something else and been so cruelly teased from the outside. I had rationalized myself out of buying a ticket last year, telling myself it wasn’t worth paying that price for just sandwiches. I kept second guessing myself the entire time.

And then, after the event, I gazed at the photos from last year’s event here from the sandwich porn slideshow from Bon Appetit, a Portland Monthly Magazine Slideshow, an article and Slideshow from Serious Eats, and the Diary coverage from Michael Russel at the Oregonian.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Imperial served up some beef belly banh mi, featuring beef knuckle marmalade. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 This Cuban fritas from Irving Street Kitchen contained chicken liver, Kobe beef, pork tenderloin, and veal. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Staple & Fancy (Seattle) Ethan Stowell showed off his pork belly porchetta sandwich with Bosc pear and onion mostarda from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

I gazed hungrily at the photos of the various sandwich samples (ahem… at the time then, and also now as I compose this post!). 15 sandwiches, paired with beer. Sandwiches like shrimp and watercress sandwiches from Ned Ludd? Dungeness crab rolls with tarragon, lemon, fennel and bacon from Jenn Louis of Lincoln? “Egg McDuffin” sandwiches made of serrano ham, bacon, and sausage from Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes and the show Ace of Cakes?

Texas-smoked Carlton Farms pork butt and pickled Dungeness crab with Oregon pear slaw and pig’s ear gravy from Ned and Jodi Elliott from Austin’s Foreign & Domestic? Bunk Sandwich’s Tommy and Nick served up a matahambre (hunger killer), with chuck steak and a slow-cooked egg marinated in chimichurri, along with spinach and carrot escabeche?!

Then there was a collaboration sandwich, a smoked prime rib with jalapeno cheesesteak from Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue (one of the top Texas BBQ spots, and possibly of all the USA?) and Rodney Muirhead of Portland’s Podnah’s Pit? And representing Beast,  an offering of maple-glazed pork belly and pickled watermelon slaw on a housemade semolina roll from Naomi Pomeroy (who ultimately won the sandwich invitational)? I would go on but it’s making me really hungry and sad that I missed out.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Naomi Pomeroy of Beast's maple-glazed pork belly with pickled watermelon slaw on a housemade semolina roll sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Bunk served up this matahambre (hunger killer), a play on a traditional sandwich from Argentina with chuck steak and a slow-cooked egg marinated in chimichurri, along with spinach and carrot escabeche. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Um, so YUM. These are not your normal sandwiches, the combinations are creative, ingredients high end and fresh, and the flavors bold, these are sammies at a level you would never find on a regular menu, even at the home base restaurants of these illustrious chefs. Based on the experienced last year, it turns out that you barely had to wait in line for your taste, with the longest apparently being for the cheesesteak sandwich at 20 minutes. Are you kidding, I’ve waited for an hour or two to eat deliciousness before, and add to that this is being crafted from the very hands of those gifted palates (squeeeee!!!)… so 20 minutes (probably while eating another sandwich) is nothing! And OMG Jeffrey Steingarten was there! I should have bought a ticket ;(

Naomi Pomeroy of Beast and her sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Shrimp and watercress sandwiches from Ned Ludd, sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Jen from Lincoln served up Dungeness crab rolls with tarragon, lemon, fennel and bacon sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Naomi is one of the my dream chefs as I admire her as female chef in a mostly male-dominated industry despite not having formal training, and also as a representative celebrating Northwest cuisine and ingredients nationally, and her perspective of intimate supper club like food service rather than white linens experience… but I am also intimidated of. She is so unapologetically focused and driven, so whip smart and quick to learn and also take risks and pull from an amazing database of flavor possibilities in her mind. So kick ass.

And add to that the sandwich kings of Portland, Rick from Lardo and Tommy and Nick from Bunk, will be there? And the dream team for any meat,  Greg and Gabrielle from Ox? And I loved Stephanie on Top Chef (maybe I was already cheering her because she’s from my hometown Chicago, yes she’s a female chef too, and she is such an approachable genius that seems like you can have beers and laugh with). I could gush more, but suffice it to say it was clear to me I must be there at this Sandwich Invitational! I can’t write anymore, I need to go out and get a sandwich.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Kenny and Zuke brought the classic Reubon of course, sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Rodney assembling the smoked prime rib with jalapeno cheesesteak collaboration from Aaron Franklin of Austin's Franklin Barbecue and Rodney Muirhead of Portland's Podnah's Pit. Sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: What happens when 15 of America’s top chefs convene to harness their culinary ambition between two slices of bread? Enter the Sandwich Invitational, Feast Portland’s killer kick-off party, where wildly imaginative, chef’d-up interpretations redefine everything you thought the lowly sando could be. Enjoy sandwich bliss under the stars at Downtown Portland’s urbane Director Park, an experience paired with craft brews from legendary local Widmer Brothers Brewing plus Northwest wines and cocktails.

The Lineup

And, here’s a video showing last year’s event.

Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Farmers Revival Salad Eats

August 9, 2013 by 6 Comments
Disclosure: This meal) was complimentary/provided by Farmers Revival, but they did not require that I write this review.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

Remember how a week or so ago I wrote a post about salads (which is SHOCKING if you know me and how often I don’t eat salads) and Farmers Revival Salad Bistro’s Kickstarter? Sadly, it doesn’t look like the Kickstarter has enough momentum to probably pan out (unless there is a generous benefactor out there that comes through! Hey, it’s possible right?). Thank goodness, Dave Rose is determined to see this dream come true, and I am hoping he will succeed in finding funding in other ways. Meanwhile, Dave happened to host a Bloggers Dinner to continue to market the concept, and I was excited to be able to finally taste one of the world inspired salads I had been reading and seeing in photos.

I made the trek out to Gresham – see, true dedication and curiosity on the goodness of these salads, as it took me 1.5 hours to get there on the Max from my work location! There, we visited the location of this dinner, Mark’s Northwest Table, which is owned by his parents but happens to be closed on Mondays. And this is where I first find out that this restaurant serves high teas on certain days. WHAT! HOW ADORABLE.

But I was late (I got a little turned around by my slow phone’s GPS even though it was only .5 mi from the station) and last to the table, so I caught up with the other guests, which included Talk. Eat. Drink. Portland. with all three bloggers present!, meeting for the first time the lovely Jane of In the Pink and Green who just moved here (1 month!) to Portland, and Amy who had helped set up this dinner from Eating My Way Through Portland. We started with a little icebreaker that Dave suggested of listing our favorite restaurant, which again, so cute (as if we weren’t already all going to be talking about food the whole dang meal).

We also got to hear about Dave and how he first came up with the idea of the salad bistro and the research he has done. He was very forthcoming with noting obstacles he was having, seen and unforeseen, and realistic about the economics of a small business start-up, but also so passionate about he not only wanted to deliver flavorful food but also food that is really good for you, and that all the ingredients we were eating were fresh from the Gresham Farmers Market only a few blocks away. We also enjoyed his honesty about how many greens he has cleaned as he continues to basically eat salad and taste test recipes everyday, and how he really is putting in his 10,000 hours (per the book Outliers) to become a real expert!

Then, it was time for eating! We started with fresh warm bread, and a vegan minestrone soup which was full of flavors and vegetables galore- the photo doesn’t do it justice because it was before I started digging in and unveiled all the vegetable goodness. I should have taken a picture after spooning some of the goodness up the the surface… but instead I got wrapped up in talking and eating and then it was all gone! Dave explained that this soup will be a staple on his menu, because based on his focus groups everyone raved and said this was their favorite. Dave is planning to offer 3 soups daily though, so this will just be one of the fabulous options!
Fresh bread by Farmers Revival Vegan Minestrone Soup by Farmers Revival Vegan Minestrone Soup by Farmers Revival Vegan Minestrone Soup and fresh bread by Farmers Revival

We took a little break to check out Dave in the kitchen assembling the salads. Although he was painstakingly arranging them for our dinner, he explained that he did think carefully about the realities of lunch service, and estimated that Farmers Revival would be able to put together one of the set salad menu items in about 3 minutes! Obviously if you are requesting your own custom mix of ingredients for your salad, that would probably depend on what you select.
Farmers Revival Dave preparing the Indian Inspired Salads Farmers Revival Dave preparing the Indian Inspired Salads

And now, for the closeup of that salad before it gets enjoyed by yours truly. Dave and his family are vegetarian, and Dave explained that at first when he transitioned his daughters to this new diet, there was mixed success until he started making these salads- which the girls just loved eating and mealtime has never been a problem again. I definitely noticed how full I got from this salad too- it was fulfilling on all levels.

This salad represents everything that Dave is aiming for: affordable and fast but healthy eating and delicious in that it touches all the taste senses, sourced locally and influenced by world cuisine. Dave is hoping to cover several countries in the set salad flavor choices on the menu, ranging from this Indian inspired one to Italy, Japan, Thai, and more! You can see this Indian inspired salad is chock full of baby spinach, red leaf, fresh mint and cilantro, but also golden beets, roasted cauliflower, curried quinoa for some umami as well as plays on textures, some sweet from the currants and yet that curry vinaigrette really kicks it up (Dave roasted spices to make that vinaigrette). I am not going to give away everything that is in this salad recipe, but let me tell you there are more than a dozen items in this salad. Dave’s genius is putting together combinations you would probably never even dream up, and when you see the list you may even wonder if you would like, but let me tell you, you will be surprised and the next thing you know, the bowl is empty.

Dave’s sister and mom have just started making mini-pies (these are available for now at Mark’s NW Table), and although Dave wants to offer healthy desserts such as yogurt with various toppings at Farmers Revival (and his daughters are helping to come up with some combinations for him!), I agree with him that since we just saved some calories, I have a little bit to spare on some homemade farmers apple pie. Yes, the ingredients are from the Farmers Market- this one is apple pie, but the ladies have also made peaches and marionberry! The crust was crumbly soft butteryness just adding a little bit of texture to the chunky apples inside.
Homemade apple pie mini-pie slice thanks to the mom/sister of Farmers Revival Dave Homemade apple pie mini-pie slice thanks to the mom/sister of Farmers Revival Dave

You can also read the viewpoints of this same meals here by my other fellow food bloggers!

I wish the best to Dave and his family, as well as hope we will be seeing Farmers Revival in the downtown area soon. I would be there on opening day, believe me, these are among the best salads I have ever had in my life! I would happily recommend it to anyone to grab a lunch who works downtown, and as often as I recommend food carts there is nothing quite like this. The flavor profiles that are in his salad creations really are complex and are more than any normal person would ever think to put together from any salad bar, and knowing the ingredients are coming from farmers is a good feeling. This is also so much better than any salad I have ever gotten catered for lunch. I would love to be able to drop in and grab some of these salads just to take home for a meal, or to take on a picnic or trip also. My mind even wandered to the idea that if Dave wasn’t so busy with fundraising, how amazing would these salads be with my upcoming wine/appetizers potluck gathering I am hosting- it would be so fun to pair different wines with these flavorful salads to bring out different profiles of them, and how often can you say that with a salad?

If you would like to find out more about Farmers Revival, visit here:

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary/provided by Farmers Revival, but they did not require that I write this review.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not. 
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