Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic

I attended my first smaller Feast PDX event (not yet then dubbed Fun Sized) last year at the Aaron Franklin BBQ event. This year, Feast Portland added even more Fun Sized events, and I’m glad they did – I hope they add even more next year. For Feast PDX 2016, Go Get You Some Picnic was the Fun Sized event I attended.

Unlike the big marquee events, these smaller events have a more laid back feel where you have less variety of chefs and food, but the plates are still enough for a meal (the plates each of the Chefs make are a bit bigger). As a guest you have room to sit and eat after getting your food from the booths or barrels to stand and eat cocktail party style, so no need to worry about juggling your food and drink unlike the marquee walk around events. Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic

There’s still a short time as a guest needed though on visiting booths collecting food, it isn’t served to you like at a Dinner Series event so you are still responsible for fetching it yourself in the order you want like at the Marquee walk around events. But at the Fun Sized Events mean you are only sharing the Chefs with 200 others (and they are not slammed with like 1000 people like the big events), so lines if any are short and fast generally just at the beginning when they let everyone in.

Since the chefs are in tents instead of behind in a kitchen like in the Dinner Series, you can also very easily talk to them after eating and everyone has gotten their food. Unlike a Dinner Series though each of the Chefs does not do a mini speech telling you the story behind the dish they decided to offer.

So now here’s a look at my food! The theme was Southern-style picnic featuring fried chicken and sides from

  • Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side
    Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side for Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side for Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side for Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side for Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches and Pizza Jerk chicken was Korean Fried Chicken with apples, kimchee, and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Side for Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic
  • Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird gave us a French Indian take with his Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) along with Salad Sauce and Tequila watermelon salad with sesame cucumber and jalapeno
    Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird gave us a French Indian take with his Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird gave us a French Indian take with his Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird gave us a French Indian take with his Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) along with Salad Sauce and Tequila watermelon salad with sesame cucumber and jalapeno at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird gave us a French Indian take with his Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) along with Salad Sauce and Tequila watermelon salad with sesame cucumber and jalapeno at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic
  • Maya Lovelace of pop-up and already well loved by me for Mae PDX (which I’ve enjoyed and written about previously) brought a perfect piece of the chicken via Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad. Loooove.
    Maya Lovelace of pop-up Mae PDX brought a perfect piece of the chicken via Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad to Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Maya Lovelace of pop-up Mae PDX brought a perfect piece of the chicken via Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad to Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Maya Lovelace of pop-up Mae PDX brought a perfect piece of the chicken via Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad to Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic< Maya Lovelace of pop-up Mae PDX brought a perfect piece of the chicken via Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad to Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic
  • Bostonian Matt Jennings of Townsman brought Chicken Fried Pigtails, Hot Sauce, Stinky Chow Chow, as well as a side (thank god, because 2 of the 3 chicken dishes and his chicken fried pig tails were all adding up to a lot of heat so I needed a break now and then) of Three Bean Salad to the picnic.
    Bostonian Matt Jennings of Townsman (Boston, MA) brought Chicken Fried Pigtails, Hot Sauce, Stinky Chow Chow, and Three Bean Salad to the picnic of Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic
    Bostonian Matt Jennings of Townsman (Boston, MA) brought Chicken Fried Pigtails, Hot Sauce, Stinky Chow Chow to the picnic of Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic Bostonian Matt Jennings of Townsman (Boston, MA) brought Three Bean Salad to the picnic of Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic Bostonian Matt Jennings of Townsman (Boston, MA) brought Chicken Fried Pigtails, Hot Sauce, Stinky Chow Chow to the picnic of Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic
  • Annie Portlock of Annie Pies with 3 Mini-Pies
    Annie Portlock of Annie Pies offered 3 mini pies at Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic: S'mores (scratch graham, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow); Peach Julep (gingersnap crust, minty peach filling, Kentucky bourbon white chocolate mousse) and Honey Lime Coconut (honey shortbread, honey lime coconut cream, whip, toasted coconut, lime zest)

    • Honey Lime Coconut Pie – honey shortbread, honey lime coconut cream, whip, toasted coconut, lime zest, I loved how tart these were!
      Annie Portlock of Annie Pies offered 3 mini pies at Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic:here are the Honey Lime Coconut (honey shortbread, honey lime coconut cream, whip, toasted coconut, lime zest)
    • S’mores Pie – scratch graham, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow – these were my favorite of the 3
      Annie Portlock of Annie Pies offered 3 mini pies at Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic: these are the S'mores (scratch graham, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow)
    • Peach Julep Pie – gingersnap crust, minty peach filling, Kentucky bourbon white chocolate mousse
      Annie Portlock of Annie Pies offered 3 mini pies at Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic: this is Peach Julep (gingersnap crust, minty peach filling, Kentucky bourbon white chocolate mousse)
  • More dessert via a surprise appearance of Mika Paredes of Girls Club (ok, not too surprising as I just saw the three of them at my recent Plate & Pitchfork dinner and they are all friends, and I was stoked to see her even though she wasn’t on the Chef roster for the event) and she wowed everyone with Ambrosia salad Vietnamese “Che” style
    Mika Paredes of Girls Club wowed everyone with Ambrosia salad Vietnamese Che style at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic Mika Paredes of Girls Club wowed everyone with Ambrosia salad Vietnamese Che style at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic
  • More dessert thanks to Tillamook offering three flavor scoops of Oregon Marionberry Cheesecake Frozen Custard, Stumptown Cold Brew Extra Creamy Ice Cream, and Tcho Double Dark Chocolate Farmstyle Gelato
    Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic dessert by Tillamook Creamery offering Oregon Marionberry Cheesecake Frozen Custard, Stumptown Cold Brew Extra Creamy Ice Cream, and Tcho Double Dark Chocolate Farmstyle Gelato
  • Drinks from the Union Wine Co, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
    Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic with wine by Union Wine Co Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic with wine by Union Wine Co A little Stumptown Cold Brew on nitro to go along with sparkling wine from Union Wine Co and Korean Fried Chicken by Tommy Habetz at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic

The event was so relaxing I had time to gather all the savory dishes at once so I could just sit down and eat all at once without having to get back up (great because several of these dishes were extremely messy with sauces; don’t know where they hid all the napkins and towels, but I was glad as part of my usual Feast supplies I always carry extra paper towels in my bag!) until my dessert round, and I got those all together as well!
All the savory dishes at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic including Korean Fried Chicken by Tommy Habetz; Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings (and white bread and pickles) along with Salad Sauce and Tequila watermelon salad with sesame cucumber and jalapeno by Gabriel Rucker; Lard fried chicken wing accompanied by a sorghum butter and country ham biscuit and after-church broccoli salad by Mya Lovelace; and Chicken Fried Pigtails, Hot Sauce, Stinky Chow Chow, and Three Bean Salad by Matthew Jennings
Desserts by Annie's Pies, Tillamook, and Mika Paredes of Girls Club at Feast PDX Go Get You Some Picnic washed down by some Union Wine Co sparkling wine

When the Feast tickets for 2017 go on sale in the spring, I highly recommend checking out the list of Fun Sized Events. It’s a perfect event in that it is a mashup of a theme with multiple chefs including out of town chefs and getting to try multiple perspectives of that theme from the different chefs, but also casual and laid back so you can enjoy the experience and relax while eating rather then being in a big crowd at the bigger events. Did I mention the sitting to eat and drink enough yet?

Since you serve yourself you will be able to try everything within generally an hour or so, versus the longer 4 hour Dinner Series which have formal courses or the Marquee Events that just have more food and chefs to cover. The trade off is less variety of bites and less chefs than a Marquee event, and unlike the Dinner Series but like the big events you still have to visit booths and have minor lines as you pick up your own dishes.

But if the theme is one you are interested in or you really want to meet or try the food of the participating Chef, a Fun Sized Event would be a great compromise with the intimacy of a Dinner Series event and with the fun of a choose your own Feast adventure.

Save the date for Feast Portland 2017, scheduled for September 14 –  17 2017.  Feast will be posting the schedule next spring which is when tickets go on sale, and many will sell out within just a few hours or within a few days so stay tuned to their newsletter and on their social media for on-going Feast updates.
Disclosure: I was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2016 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 that I paid for myself, and this event I paid for myself ($85 all inclusive). 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.

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Stray Birds by Stray Dogs PDX

Every Monday in May, Stray Dogs PDX (link to their Facebook account because sorry, their website is terribly uninformative and outdated), usually known for their popping up at various restaurants with their fancy take on hot dogs, has been hosting a Stray Birds concept at Beast. Nomadic chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach (aka the “Strays” as they have no brick and mortar home yet) for Stray Birds change the focus from Dogs (hot dogs) instead to Birds – which in this case, means Korean Fried Chicken (aka the real KFC).
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach. The 3 courses + beer for $35 was inclusive, but there were alternate drinks also available for purchase additionally, like a bottle or shot of Chamisul Sojo or a bottle of Makgeolli, or cans of Asahi or Oriental Brewery Beer.

Oh, sold! I’m sold! I loooove Korean Fried Chicken because it’s always crispy on the outside with a glaze that is both spicy and sweet, and succulent and juicy on the inside. It’s not something you can easily find in Portland.

So after an email to straydogsPDX at gmail.com, we secured our reservations for an opening during their service from 5:30-9:30pm. For $35, three courses and a beer equaled on my visit

Beer: Rainier Beer Lager in a can
There were alternate drinks also available for purchase additionally, like a bottle or shot of Chamisul Sojo or a bottle of Makgeolli, or cans of Asahi or Oriental Brewery Beer.
Rainier Beer at Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015. The $35 included dinner and this beer Rainier Beer at Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015. The $35 included dinner and this beer

Course 1: Bibim Gooksu

Bibim Gooksu, a cold buckwheat soba noodles with kholrabi, cucumbers and nori with chicken clam and pineapple dashi
Bibim Gooksu, a cold buckwheat soba noodles with kholrabi, cucumbers and nori with chicken clam and pineapple dashi at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Bibim Gooksu, a cold buckwheat soba noodles with kholrabi, cucumbers and nori with chicken clam and pineapple dashi at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

Course 2: Korean Fried Stray Bird

The glorious main protein of korean fried stray bird, 1/2 chicken with gochujang and tamarind glaze. You will need the moist towelettes they also give you, and I appreciated that they gave a bone bin.
Course 2: The glorious korean fried stray bird, 1/2 chicken with gochujang and tamarind glaze at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 2: The glorious korean fried stray bird, 1/2 chicken with gochujang and tamarind glaze at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

Side dish of Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter
Course 2: one of the side dishes to the Korean Fried Stray Bird of Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 2: one of the side dishes to the Korean Fried Stray Bird of Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

Side dish (Banchan basically) of a Pickle Plate with bread and butter daikon, garlic chive stuffed cucumber, and dill pickled bean sprouts and kimchee
Course 2: one of the side dishes to the Korean Fried Stray Bird of a Pickle Plate with bread and butter daikon, garlic chive stuffed cucumber, and dill pickled bean sprouts and kimchee at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

This second course is served family style to each dining party, which is what you would usually expect dining Korean style.
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

Course 3: Milk + Cookie

Two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder (basically a shaved ice dish), plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice
Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

A few shots of the staff at work. Since we had the 5:30 seating, and were literally the first guests to walk into the restaurant, I got to marvel and the beautiful tray of chicken awaiting the fryer and to have the glaze brushed on.
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

I really enjoyed the chicken, and hope to visit a Stray Dog event sometime in the future. Again, if you are interested in attending one of the Stray Birds by Stray Dogs PDX pop up, they are every Monday in May at Beast, and you make your reservations ahead of time for 5:30-9:30 at straydogsPDX at Gmail dot com.

Stray Dogs is also popping up Fridays at Kitchen Cru serving their haute hot dogs for lunch only from 11:30 – 3 every Friday in May as Stray Dogs Luncheonette.  

Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

Have you been to a Stray Dog event, or had Korean Fried Chicken?

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Lunch at Tasty n Alder

After I visited Tasty n Alder as part of Portland Food Adventures for dinner (it was a set prix fixe for the event), I wanted to also try their lunch menu. So I visited twice in the past month, during their soft opening month. Today marks their official opening as a restaurant now, and they will not only have their lunch and dinner shift, but be open between that as well and have a happy hour. They have not announced their reservation policy yet- not sure if it will be differant than the other two restaurants which are geared to be walk-in and so only take reservations above a certain size group.

Now, I realize that this is still during their soft opening, so I am waiting to see what happens now that they are officially open in March. However, I did notice that the restaurant was really hopping already- Gorham’s reputation from Toro Bravo and Tasty n Sons is already generating interest and filling the seats. And clearly, people are happy to get a chance at his cuisine on this side of the river.

I first tried for a Sunday brunch, but there was already a 45 minute wait. So, my first visit for their everyday brunch was actually a weekday lunch, and I ate at the bar. I started out with  Bloody Mary of Dim Summore with hoisin, lime, sriracha, ginger. I then had a half order of the Patatas Bravas with over easy eggs and aioli, and my main was the Korean Fried Chicken with short grain rice, house kim chee & egg two ways (boiled and sunny side up).

Still, despite the busyness, the bartender was quick at making sure I had a menu and water, and the food came from the kitchen very quickly- the out of town visitor next to me had just received his check and before he could sign it, I already had my Patatas Bravas. And, it was the bartender who told me that I could have a half order so I would have room for the Korean Fried Chicken. I was in and out in just a little over 40 minutes.

Tasty n Alder Bloody Mary Dim Summore with hoisin, lime, sriracha, ginger Tasty n Alder Patatas BravasTasty n Alder Korean Fried Chicken

Of these three items I ordered, none stood out in terms of bowling me over with deliciousness however. The Dim Summore was the best, with an interesting blend of spicy with sour and funky. The Patatas Bravas were oversauced for me and became soggy potatoes, and the same problem with the Korean Fried Chicken which after I diluted the sauce with rice, the boneless chicken hunk had a great crunchy texture that tried to survive under the sauce. Maybe they made my dish a little too fast in trying to keep up the pace with service.

There were more items on the menu I wanted to try though… I was curious about the ​Bim Bop Bacon & Eggs, and I admired the plate of The Alder Burger with Cascade Natural​​​ chubut cheese & hazelnut romesco I saw coming out of the kitchen as I left, and what about that Duck Duck Steak dish…so I went back for a second lunch.

This time, I sat at the kitchen bar seats. This second opportunity gave me a chance at the Bim Bop Bacon and Eggs, as well as a temporary new small plate that appeared during this visit, Chipolata Sausages from LaughingStock Farms. It also let me witness firsthand how they oversauce that Korean Fried Chicken- yeesh one spoonful of the sauce is enough when tossing that deep fried chicken, you don’ t need that second ladle… I also observed  how awesome the bartender is, mixing up all the drink orders and serving those at the bar seats but also stepping in to help get dishes from the kitchen window to tables quickly. Again, I was in and out within less than 40 minutes.

Tasty n Alder restaurant area Tasty n Alder restaurant space, kitchen bar seating Tasty n Alder restaurant space, bar seating

The Chipolata sausages were small but every bite was as good as the Nurenberg sausages I recall when I was in Germany– Chipolata sausages are seasoned with different herbs and spices, but it tasted so fresh and with the perfect grill that I had no reference but another country where sausages are a source of national pride and specifically one that is a famous regional delicacy for close comparison.

Meanwhile, the Bim Bop Bacon and Eggs starts out with rice that is topped with vegetables (such as here carrots, spinach, kimchee, bean sprouts),  a chili pepper paste and an egg that you mix up all together. When they place the rice in the bottom of the bowl I think they put some sort of sesame oil so that the rice touching the bottom gets crispy. The Bacon they refer to in the name of the dish turns out to be not just regular bacon, but a a sweet grilled Korean pork belly.
Tasty n Alder Chipolata Sausages from LaughingStock Farms

I also got to try the other two Marys- they offer four and the Tasty Mary I’ve already had at Tasty n Sons, and so that left the Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili, and then another offering called the Dockside Bloody Mary with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp. Both were kickin!

The Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili at Tasty n Alder The Dockside Mary at Tasty n Alder with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp

This time lunch was wonderful, full of punches of flavor with every bite and sip. I’ll be back…

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