Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 Fête and Auction at the Heathman

Every year, the third Friday in November at midnight in France kicks off the nationwide Beaujolais Nouveau festival. Beaujolais Nouveau specifically is a young wine created from Gamay grapes freshly harvested by hand in the Beaujolais area of Bourgogne (also known as Burgundy) and bottled 6-8 weeks after the harvest after carbonic maceration, or whole berry fermentation.

This means the wines don’t have time to absorb tannins, and has a lot of fruit flavors. It is served chilled almost like a white wine, but has the fruit of the red wine – a perfect offering of both the worlds of red and and white.

St Honore as part of the Nouveau Division Crawl 2014 presented some of their Tarte Flambées with Beujolais Nouveau from the famous Georges Du Boeuf "Lauretta
St Honore as part of the Nouveau Division Crawl 2014 presented some of their Tarte Flambées with Beujolais Nouveau from the famous Georges Du Boeuf. Lauretta Jeans presented Mini brownies and Chiroubles Beujolais. This year the 2015 crawl is on Thursday November 19.

I don’t really know exactly why it’s regulated by the French government that the wine cannot be released until the third Friday in November. I don’t know why that the release of the wine is celebrated so boisterously with wine parties including the wine, food, and sometimes even fireworks. There are races from barrel to bottle to then distribute the wine across the land (allegedly including transportation items such as elephant, hot air balloon, and Concorde jet) and enjoy the wine upon arrival since Beaujolais is meant for immediate drinking.

What I do know is that this race also includes across the ocean, including this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 wines being freshly imported from France to Portland, and for example to Portland’s Fête Beaujolais Nouveau.
This year their will be the 14th year of the West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman

What I do know is that the West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival (with 450-500 guests each year) has been held every year at the Heathman Restaurant & Bar in Portland. This year their will be the 14th year for their Fête Beaujolais Nouveau, ​presented by The French-American Chamber of Commerce​ and the Alliance ​​Française de Portland​.

The event this year occurs on Friday, November 20, 2015, at 6 PM. Tickets include access to newly imported Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 wines as well as wines and spirits more locally sourced from Oregon, Washington and California.
West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball
West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball.

A French-themed food buffet that covers the entire Mezzanine and Tea Court levels of the Heathman hotel with a menu prepared by Executive Chef Michael Stanton and features live cooking stations with chef demos (see the Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 Menu here).
Guests and Foie Gras, West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival, held at the Heathman in Portland. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by Heather Heaton Guests and Seafood, West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival, held at the Heathman in Portland. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by Heather Heaton
Guests and Foie Gras, and Guests and Seafood, at the Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Heather Heaton.

The classy live entertainment will include Portland’s Heather Keizur, a jazz vocalist who sings in French and English, followed by the Bobby Torres Band presenting Latin jazz.

Ticket options include

  • standard guest tickets at $70 with no seating (guests float among bistro and cocktail tables)
  • a limited number of Young Professionals tickets at $60 (Young Professionals apparently are between the ages of 21 and 35)
  • Sold Out Gold reserved seats at tables in the Opus room at in the Mezzazine level
  • Sold Out VIP tables with reserved seats for parties of eight in the Library Mezzanine space
  • The event sells out every year, so if you want to go buy your tickets ahead of time.

What I do know is that on this day of the third Friday of November, as you enjoy a glass or bottle of Beaujolais, you know that around the world, there are many many others where this same enjoyment of Beaujolais is occurring.

West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball West Coast's largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball
West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball.

Would you like to join in on the worldwide French wine party for Beaujolais Nouveau 2015? It’s on my calendar, and feel free to invite your friends with the Beaujolais Nouveau Fête and Auction 2015 Facebook event!

Disclosure: I am attending the Fête Beaujolais Nouveau on a media pass, but I was not compensated or asked to write this post. 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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Beer Tasting in Denver: Great Divide, Crooked Stave, First Draft

Today for Travel Tuesday I take you back to my September trip to Denver, Colorado when I was there for for GABF – the Great American Beer Festival. We were there for several days, but only attended one session/day of GABF (I recapped that here). On other days, we explored the rest of the beer scene in Denver. This post will focus on my favorite beer stops within the Denver city limits itself – I will cover our day trip to Boulder and Longmont in another, separate post. These 3 in this post are all within 1 mile of each other.

Denver Brewery: Great Divide

Great Divide Brewing has two locations. We visited both. Their original location is the Ballpark: Brewery & Tap Room with 16 taps of seasonal and year-round brews.
Great Divide, downtown location Great Divide, downtown location

Though the Ballpark taproom is small, the downtown location near Coors Field can’t be beat and it’s small size makes it more intimate and cozy. Right by the bar you can see through the doors to the original beer production area.
Great Divide Tap Room sign outside the location downtown by the baseball field Great Divide Tap Room sign outside the location downtown by the baseball field

I highly recommend getting samplers of everything. Their menu offers some suggestions for flights of beer to create.
Great Divide Tasting Room, their year round beers and suggested sample flights

In addition to the smaller sample size allowing you to taste all their beers, 100% of the proceeds from sample pours are donated to local nonprofits. During our visit, the nonprofits benefiting included the Denver Public Library and Urban Peak (servicing homeless youth).
Sample beer at Great Divide Tasting Room Sample beer at Great Divide Tasting Room

Their new location also open is the RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland located in the River North aka RiNo neighborhood of Denver and includes the year-round as well as seasonal, Barrel Aged, and limited release offerings. They also offer Crowlers here.
Great Divide Crowlers at the RiNo location

This location is easier to fit groups and has a more hip vibe to it than the more casual ballpark tasting room.
Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland

You are apt to a bit more “Yeti sighting” here in RiNo than the Ballpark location.
Great Divide Brewing tasting room in RiNo Great Divide Brewing tasting room in RiNo

Both locations offer brewery tours.
Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland Great Divide RiNo: Barrel Bar & Packaging Wonderland

Both locations do not offer food, but food trucks can usually be found outside to get a little nourishment. The food truck will vary based on the day. During my visit my friends and I shared a pizza from Basic Kneads Pizza at the Ballpark location, offering wood-fired pizza from their food truck. You can see the flames and them hand tossing the dough to order.
Basic Kneads Pizza, offering wood-fired pizza from their food truck Basic Kneads Pizza, offering wood-fired pizza from their food truck

The 16″ Wise Guy Pizza with Olive Oil, Mozzarella, Sausage, Roasted Onions, and Fresh Rosemary pizza was incredibly delicious and really went well with the beer. At the RiNo location, during our visit a food truck called Amazeballs specializing in baked ball items (chicken balls, beef and ricotta balls, eggplant feta balls, etc) was outside.
Basic Kneads pizza, the 16
Great Divide Brewing Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato Great Divide Brewing Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Denver Brewery: Crooked Stave

First off, I’ll tell you upfront now that Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project is a brewery that specializes in beers aged in brett and sour beers. Located in a building called The Source, the tasting room is one of multiple food and drink artisan businesses including cheese, wine, and located in the shared market space inside this renovated brick warehouse in Denver’s River North District. The Source is located only a block down the street from Great Divide’s RiNo tasting room.
Denver's RiNo The Source building Denver's RiNo The Source building Denver's RiNo The Source building
This taproom offers 20 some taps of their beers that are bravely experimental and unapologetic in their funkyness and tartness (not all are sour, a few can be subtle Belgian styles as well).
Crooked Stave tasting room, located in Denver's RiNo in The Source building Crooked Stave tasting room, located in Denver's RiNo in The Source building Crooked Stave tasting room, located in Denver's RiNo in The Source building

For instance, we tried a special one off collaboration with Hawkshead Brewery in the UK, a Key Lime Tau (2π) which is mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with lactose, fresh lime peel and fresh lemongrass, which I loved. Another beer was Colorado Wild Sage, an artisanal saison with sage.
Crooked

Another beer were various versions of Sin Frontera, including bourbon barrel, cerveza aged in sherry barrels, aged in whiskey barrels with cherries – it was fun tasting the flight and trying to detect/recall which one is which one.
Sin Frontera from Crooked Stave Brewing

Again, I recommend getting sample pours so you can try many. The Crooked Stave tasting room doesn’t serve food, but you can easily wander a few yards outside to its neighbors within The Source building for a bite.
Samplers of Crooked Stave Brett and sour beers Samplers of Crooked Stave Brett and sour beers
Crooked Stave Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Denver Pour Your Own Adventure: First Draft

Located only a mile away from RiNo and Crooked Stave’s tasting room, First Draft is a unique beer bar. You see, here you can pour your own beer – and you only have to pay by the ounce.
First Draft in Denver, Colorado First Draft in Denver, Colorado

When you first enter, you are asked to show ID and also a credit card to hold your charges. This then nets you a special wristband.
First Draft in Denver, Colorado you put down a credit card and get a wristband in order to track your pours at this pour your own and pay only by the ounce beer bar First Draft in Denver, Colorado you put down a credit card and get a wristband in order to track your pours at this pour your own and pay only by the ounce beer bar

You pick the kind of glass you would like to use.
First Draft in Denver, Colorado - select your own glassware as you see fit

You can then walk up to any of the 40 some taps (mostly beer, but also some are ciders or wine) and tap your wristband to the screen of any tap activate the green light that means you can now pour.
"At First Draft in Denver, Colorado

Then you pour however much you desire- be it a full glass, half a glass, even just a few ounces of sample. I poured just a few ounces of several beers that were more on the expensive side, like The Bruery Smoking Wood (usually found only in bottles, and is a delicious Imperial Smoked Porter at 10% ABV) at $1 per ounce as well as normal priced side like Bell’s Brewery Coffee Moustache at $0.60 per ounce.
Pour however little or much beer you'd like for yourself at First Draft in Denver, Colorado Pour however little or much beer you'd like for yourself at First Draft in Denver, Colorado

After you finish your pour, you are given a readout of how much you poured and your current total. Before you pour, you can also touch the screen to get more details on the beer before you select it beyond the initial brewery name, name of beer, type of beer style, ABV, IBU, and cost that is displayed by default on the screen for each tap.
First Draft in Denver, Colorado First Draft in Denver, Colorado

The high ceilings of the main room, a patio outside, as well as a balcony area seating overlooking the tap stations make the beer bar seem airy and never too packed even though there may be quite a gathering of people reading the taps depending on when groups enter.

They do serve a few snacks of food including cheese plates, charcuterie plates, and snacky things such as grilled shishitos, pretzels, fries, fritters, as well as more substantial sandwiches such as burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, brisket grilled cheese, or churros. One of the best ideas they have is you can get a little ice cream in a glass that you can then pour your beer over for your own craft beer float!
Pour however little or much beer you'd like for yourself at First Draft in Denver, Colorado Pour however little or much beer you'd like for yourself at First Draft in Denver, Colorado

So for a unique experience in beer travel and beer drinking, and the chance to try a lot of beers for a super affordable price as long as you carefully control your pours, I definitely recommend First Draft!
Pour however little or much beer you'd like for yourself at First Draft in Denver, Colorado

First Draft Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Have you been beer tasting in Denver and visited any of these beer locations? What beer tasting rooms in Denver have you visited? Have you been to the RiNo area of Denver? What do you think of First Draft’s concept (it wouldn’t fly in Oregon because of OLCC regulations sadly)?

I’ll still pick Portland as the winningest beercation city in the US though. 🙂

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Visiting Denver for Beer Vacation / Beercation and GABF in September 2015

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Aaron Franklin’s Stumptown Coffee Cookout at Feast 2015

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.
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 the nation's first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly serving up the tri-tip steak the nation's first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly serving up the tri-tip steak the nation's first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly serving up the tri-tip steak the nation's first and only BBQ Editor, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly serving up the tri-tip steak

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 Aaron Franklin carving up the brisket and sausage for each guest Aaron Franklin carving up the brisket and sausage for each guest Aaron Franklin carving up the brisket and sausage for each guest 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 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 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 BBQ Plate from the Aaron Franklin Stumptown Coffee Cookout

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

 

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.

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Recap of Feast Night Market 2015

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).

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

  1. 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.
  2. You weren’t there and want to live vicariously through me. I hope this recap helps.
  3. 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
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
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.
Sunny Jin of JORY, at The Allison presented Goat Tartare - Charred Green Tomato, Frozen Egg, Panisse Croutons for Night Market 2015 and is here chatting with a Night Market guest
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) 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 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.
Johanna Ware of Smallwares offered a dish of Sichuan Cumin Lamb Salad with peanut sauce, celery and mint Johanna Ware of Smallwares offered a dish of Sichuan Cumin Lamb Salad with peanut sauce, celery and mint

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 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 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  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 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 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 was hyperfocused and zen as she carefully plated her Pork Belly Pâté Egg Rolls, Nước chấm, Fragrant Herbs 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 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.
Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater presented Gobi Manchurian, a cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce, curry leaves, and garam masala Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater presented Gobi Manchurian, a cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce, curry leaves, and garam masala Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater presented Gobi Manchurian, a cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce, curry leaves, and garam masala Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater presented Gobi Manchurian, a cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce, curry leaves, and garam masala

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 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 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.
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 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

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 Leather Storrs of Noble Rot 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

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 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
Joel Stocks And William Preisch of Holdfast plating their Cornbread Madeleine, Lardo Parmesan, Honeycomb Joel Stocks And William Preisch of Holdfast plating their Cornbread Madeleine, Lardo Parmesan, Honeycomb Joel Stocks And William Preisch of Holdfast presented 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.
Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché presented Merguez Sausage with Cucumber Salad and Harissa Yogurt 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!
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 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

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 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
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 Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters offers one of the few desserts of Night Market 2015, 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 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.
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 refreshing) and the chorizo by the time I got to John gorham of Toro Bravo's booth, his Gazpacho with house made chorizo and Mahón cheese and octopus was reduced to only the gazpacho (still super delicious and refreshing) and the 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
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 Sunset at Night Market at Zidell Yards was breathtaking and perfect weather 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.

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Top Tips for Feast Portland and some Previews!

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.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Dave's Killer Bread, Feast 2014. Scott Dolich of The Bent Brick (Portland, OR) had my vote for the best sandwich of the nite with his BBQ Goat Frybread Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting 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!
Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Dave's Killer Bread, Feast 2014. Cathy Whims of Nostrana (Portland, OR) was still giving out a relaxed vibe from her return from Hawaii as she presented her sandwich of Peach Whim Smoked Lamb Ham, Cresenze Cheese, Watercress, Tomato, and Spicy Onion Relish which was paired with the Widmer Portlandic Porter, my favorite sandwich and Widmer beer pairing of the night.

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 Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, Dave's Killer Bread Hazel on a Mission open faced sandwich sample

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 Feast 2014, Tillamook Brunch Village participant Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, (Chouilly, France) helped me finish with happy bubbles thanks to their Brut Rose

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.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Dave's Killer Bread, Feast 2014. Hugh Acheson of Empire State South (Atlanta, GA). Nothing but love for his sweet goofyness and for bringing pimento cheese. Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Feast 2014, Tillamook Brunch Village participants Widmer Brothers Brewing and King Estate Wines come together for the Hefemosa with Widmer Brothers Hefe, Orange Juice, and King Estate 2008 Blanc de Gris

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.
    Chef Matt Christianson of Urban Farmer sandwich creation. He isn't participating in the Sandwich Invitational, but he has teamed up with Whole Foods to make a special Feast Urbanh Mi that is a Roast Pork Shoulder Banh Mi.
  • 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.

  • 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.
    Tillamookies, waffle cone cookie ice cream sandwiches filled with Tillamook Ice Cream Tillamookies, waffle cone cookie ice cream sandwiches filled 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.
    Flavour Gallery Unisex Fresh Terry Hooded Zip Up Sweatshirt with thumbholes for Feast 2015 Flavour Gallery Triblend Short Sleeve Crew for Feast 2015 Flavour Gallery Terry Raw-Edge 3/4-Sleeve for Feast 2015 Flavour Gallery Terry Raw Edge ¾-Sleeve Slouchy for Feast 2014
    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.

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