Pie Harder – Deep Dish Pizza of PDX

I tend to have mixed feelings about Willamette Weekly – sometimes it seems to a draw for trolls, other times they legitimately spotlight great local stories, including food. Earlier this year they highlighted my favorite type of pizza, deep dish or pan pizza with their article “Detroit Style Pizza is the New Hotness. We Found the Best in Portland” which ignited passionate discussion on the definition of Detroit Pizza and other regional pizzas and who has the authentic deep dish pizza of PDX. That’s probably not really a reflection of WW and more about people’s love for pizza. They followed that article up this past summer with Pie Harder, a food festival devoted to the deep dish pizza of PDX.

Ranch Pizza made my dreams come true with a mac and cheese pizza served with ranch sauce at Pie Harder 2017

Six pizza places showed off their version of deep dish pizza with sample slices of their pizza, and I ate them all. I think there were some dessert pies also available at the fest as part of Pie Harder but I had to tap out after only the savory pizza pies. If they do this event again, I would recommend it but be prepared with stretchy pants.
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Dia de Los Muertos Dinner with Hand Made Mexico

I love pop up restaurants because it allows chefs to have a life without the grind and debt of a brick and mortar restaurants with set daily hours, and these more intimate dinners always present an opportunity for a chef to come in front of the guests and talk about what inspired the food or how they made the food. The recent Dia de los Muertos Dinner with Hand Made Mexico series is a perfect example of how going to a pop up, even solo (you are sitting usually at communal tables and meeting people anyway!) is worth it for those backstories.

Dia de los Muertos Dinner with Hand Made Mexico with Chef Cynthia Vigil and Feastly

The dinner was a family affair, with references to food memories of meals by or with Chef Cynthia Vigil’s  mom or with her sister, and hearing the techniques (some time consuming, some causing blisters!) passed down through generations being used to make our dishes. Here’s a look at the dinner, which also served as a fundraiser – 10% of the total sales were donated to Pintando Esperanza (Painting Hope) to help build houses for those who lost everything on the 9/19 earthquake in Mexico City and Morelos.

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Rucker’s Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap

Every year, the restaurant Le Pigeon steps away from it’s French technique meets Northwest free spirited attitude and foie gras fine dining for a special Halloween celebration where the restaurant and it’s chefs and menu dress up as a new character. This year for Halloween 2017, the theme was Food Network mainstream American a la Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and it’s blond fiery Guy Fieri host. Since most of you were not part of the two intimate dinner seatings for, here’s my Rucker’s Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap so you can still feel like you were there, at least through my eyes.

Rucker's Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap Rucker's Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap
Rucker's Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap Rucker's Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap Rucker's Bitchin Kitchen Photo Recap
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A Recap of Feast Night Market 2017

I gave you a little hint with my My Highlights of Feast 2017 post previously, but here’s a more in depth look of the fantastic dishes of Feast Night Market 2017 this year. I’m a huge fan of Night Market because of the festive atmosphere punctuated by Latin music that keeps you dancing as you enjoy some food that often throws in a little heat (spicy heat that is!) and wash it down with a tequila base drink (or wine, or beer, or whatever else you’d like).
Recap of Feast Night Market 2017: At the Thomas & Sons Distillery booth at Feast Night Market 2017, guests could check out Hellfire & Rhinestone, Bluebird Alpine Liqueur, Smoke Spirit, Pineapple Gomme + Lemon +Tamarind, Blackened Lemon Recap of Feast Night Market 2017: Derek McCarthy, Arrosto brings Trino del Pollo
The location of Zidell Yards means you should have appropriate footwear for the gravel ground, but the colors of the sunset with views of the Tillikum Crossing Bridge which then lights up and reflects against the Willamette River is a wonderful way to end the evening. There are chefs that are local as well as from other cities, which is a great chance to try the cuisine of these chefs without the travel costs to those cities. And, although there is a list of chefs for the event, you may find even more bites as chefs are also there working with sponsors offering additional bites! You will definitely get full.

Recap of Feast Night Market 2017: Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted offered Crab Rangoon with sweet and sour sauce Recap of Feast Night Market 2017: Breville presents Jasper Chen from XLB with Shrimp Toast with a scallion cilantro dipping sauce

And, it’s all for a good cause – net proceeds of Feast Portland will be donated to our charitable partner, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. That total 2017 festival donation amount will be announced by November. Be sure to mark your calendars for the seventh year of Feast Portland, September 13-16, 2018 – the tickets will go on sale a few months before that and Night Market will probably sell out again so make sure you are ready to purchase your tickets when they go on sale!
Brooke Bass, Night Market at Feast Portland 2015 Night Market at Feast 2017, photo by Alan Weiner
Photos: Night Market at Feast Portland 2015, photo by Brooke Bass; Night Market at Feast 2017, photo by Alan Weiner
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Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner

Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants dinner returns every year at Feast Portland featuring some of the nation’s hottest chefs, as chosen by Deputy Editor Andrew Knowlton and published in the America’s Best New Restaurants 2017 issue in September.

Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner

Hosted by Knowlton and Bon Appétit’s Editor in Chief, Adam Rapoport, and also with Food Director Carla Lalli Music in attendance, the Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner took place in the outdoor space just outside Kitchencru, as it does every year. This is usually the first Feast PDX event to sell out (often in just minutes), even though we still won’t know for several months what and who placed at #1. As we discovered in September, that #1 spot went to The Turkey and The Wolf. And that’s who we started out with for the Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner. Here’s my photo recap!

Feast Portland 2017 Bon Appétit Hot Ten Dinner
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