Bite of Oregon 2017

This year, the Bite of Oregon 2017 food festival, which usually tastes place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in August, has shifted to this weekend – Labor Day weekend September 1, 2, 3, and 4 – so it can be 4 days and has moved away from the dusty grounds of the park to the Rose Quarter.  The festival is still outside so you are still dining al fresco, but now boasts lots of shade, more tables, and it still benefits the worthy cause of the Special Olympics Oregon. Bite of Oregon  is a huge fundraiser for the Special Olympics Oregon which can help sustain the activities they offer of Special Olympics Athletes all year round.

As every year, expect to be able to progressively eat through various vendors who offer sample sizes ($4ish) and whole sizes of food you can purchase at Bite of Oregon 2017. With the more compact Rose Quarter location there is now a central area where you can imbibe at the Oregon Wine Pavilion with 7 wineries, 4 distilleries, or 28 beers from 14 different featured local breweries the Craft Beer Garden to enjoy along with your food.

This central area is also where you can relax while being entertained with Iron Chef Oregon competitions on stage or live music. They have set up lots of tables here under the shade protruding from the Memorial Coliseum, and for some further cool relief you can also walk to a a mister. They will also have plenty of cold water on hand to keep you cool.

Pro tip- you may see the port a potties, but you also have access to the inside the of the Coliseum for restrooms with indoor plumbing! Also for cool refreshment AND a bit of a jolt of energy, consider visiting the Tully’s Coffee Trailer right at the entrance of Food Cart Alley. There, you can choose your Keurig Cup flavor and get yourself a complimentary iced coffee.

This Tully’s Trailer is on a special #TullysCrafted tour from San Francisco to Seattle, where it stops at various local cities where a local artist contributes their artistic skills to help decorate the trailer. After getting an outside hand painted job and neon art inside from 2 visual artists in San Francisco, here in Portland another local artist is scheduled to add more interior decor touches before it continues on to Seattle.

While you are already here at the entrance of the Bite of Oregon 2017 Food Truck Alley, also consider trying out some of the food carts here. At a media preview I attended yesterday, the cheesy pizza from Chicagoland with their deep dish Chicago style pizza was a huge hit. The pepperoni is huge, but my heart was won by their homemade sausage.

Also don’t miss food cart Pidgin Hole, offering island inspired Asian Fusion cuisine. For the vegetarian or vegan, get the Kalbi Glazed Cauliflower flash fried and dressed with Kalbi glaze.

If you are an omnivore, get that melt in your mouth Mojo Pork Rice Bowl, with Caribbean style mojo pork marinated in citrus, cumin, oregano and drizzled with Jamaican Jerk sauce over white rice with sesame cucumbers and cabbage apple slaw.

Just to the right of the Food Truck Alley are more vendors, and one of the best things about Bite of Oregon is discovering new delicious vendors that I will want to visit again after the festival. When I go back to Bite of Oregon 2017 this weekend I’ll be stopping again at City Slickers PDX. Their concept is to offer iconic foods from other US cities. I really need that Cincinnati Chili, and it will be the bomb based on how delicious their Milwaukee Butter Burger Slider, a mini Angus burger topped with onions sauteed in butter and creamy white American cheese I tried was! They also offering you fulfill your cravings for a Philly Cheesesteak or Chicago Hot Dog.

Meanwhile, West African food vendor Black Star Grill wowed me with a comforting but totally healthy and vegan Black Eyed Pea Stew sample with red sauce and topped with caramelized fried plaintain.

Bite of Oregon is open 11 AM – 10 PM every day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Admission, essentially a donation to Special Olympics Oregon, is only $5, or you can buy a weekend pass that gives you admission every day for a mere $10.

What are you doing for the holiday weekend? Have you been to Bite of Oregon, and are you going this year? What bite do you think you would want to try from Bite of Oregon 2017?

Disclosure: I attended a Bite of Oregon 2017 media preview, but I am going back on my own dime and I attend Bite of Oregon every year! 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.