Portland Highlights Archives - Page 10 of 28

Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic

September 30, 2016 by Pechluck 7 Comments

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

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
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
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.
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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.
Annie Portlock of Annie Pies with 3 Mini-Pies
- Honey Lime Coconut Pie – honey shortbread, honey lime coconut cream, whip, toasted coconut, lime zest, I loved how tart these were!
- S’mores Pie – scratch graham, chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow – these were my favorite of the 3
- Peach Julep Pie – 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
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
Drinks from the Union Wine Co, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

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!

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.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feastpdx, #feastportland, #foodiefriday, #funsize, after-church broccoli salad, Ambrosia salad Vietnamese Che style, Annie Portlock of Annie Pies, Chicken Fried Pigtails and Hot Sauce with Stinky Chow Chow, Feast 2016, Feast Fun Size, Feast Fun Sized Event, feast pdx, Feast PDX 2016, Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic, Feast PDX Fun Size, Feast Portland, Feast Portland 2016, Foodie Friday, Fun Size Event, Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon and Little Bird, Go Get You Some Picnic, Honey Lime Coconut Pie, Hot chicken with vaudovan seasonings, korean fried chicken, Lard fried chicken wing, Mae PDX, Matt Jennings of Townsman, Maya Lovelace, Mika Paredes of Girls Club, Mini-Pie PDX, Mini-Pies portland, Oregon Marionberry Cheesecake Frozen Custard, Peach Julep Pie, S'mores Pie, sorghum butter and country ham biscuit, Stumptown Coffee Can, Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee Nitro, Stumptown Cold Brew Extra Creamy Ice Cream, Tcho Double Dark Chocolate Farmstyle Gelato, Tequila watermelon salad with sesame cucumber and jalapeno, Three Bean Salad, Tillamook, Union Wine Co Sparkling Wine, Union Wine Co wine in a can

Feast PDX 2016 Night Market

September 27, 2016 by Pechluck 4 Comments

I regret I can only bring you some example sights of the Feast 2016 Night Market, and not more like the sounds of the amazing Latin music that kept me dancing a little bit even in line (and the way they placed the DJ overhead in a little overhead bridge was very cool, especially loved the visual of watching the full moon rise behind her at one point during the night), the aromas of paella, the feel of trying to balance some of these messy bites and using multiple napkins because of juicy drippings down your arm but you can’t stop and won’t stop even though you’re already full.
Feast PDX 2016 Night Market Feast PDX 2016 Night Market DJ above the people and the moon rising behind her

Not counting beverages (a dozen wineries and additional dozen beverage partners who are distilleries, breweries and cideries) and other food sponsors, there were almost twenty participating chefs alone with dishes at booths – there’s just no way to have it all. But I invite you to purchase tickets for the 2017 Night Market next year when they go on sale and come over next year and try.

Bites from Chefs

Maylin Chavez from Olympia Oyster Bar (Portland, OR): Oysters on the half Shell with Agua Chile Rojo, Pickled Cactus Leaves, Avocado, and Micro Cilantro
Benjamin Gonzales from Nuestra Cocina (Portland, OR): Tacos de Cecina Adobada – Smoked marinated Snake River Farms pork loin with salsa verde
Scott Ketterman from Crown Paella (Portland, OR): Playa Paella with dungeness crab and fried calamari. You can tell that I am so desperately trying to rationalize throwing a paella party I am so in love with that huge pan…
Kelly Myers from Xico (Portland, OR): Totopos, a perfect balance of crisp vehicle and topping of chile de arbol salsa, topped with cotija cheese, crema, lime, cilantro and onion that you can also find on Xico’s happy hour menu.
Dustin Koerner from Andina (Portland, OR): Rillettes Anticuchera de Conejo, love the color highlight from the purple potato
Alex Barkley from Manolin (Seattle, WA): Watermelon, Albacore, Quinoa
Tony Maws from Craigie on Main (Cambridge, MA): Green Chile Chicken Wings, messy to eat but so good!
Paul Kahan from Dove’s Luncheonette (Chicago, IL): Pozole Rojo, a pork hominy stew with fried clams
Alvin Cailan from Eggslut (Los Angeles, CA): Chicharrónes de Harina with Snow Crab Ceviche
José Chesa from Chesa (Portland, OR) made Cono, an Escabeche style duck, avocado, orange-sweet potato, crispy plantain, pimenton-garlic salt in (duh) a cone
BJ Smith from Smokehouse Tavern (Portland, OR): Smoked Snake River Farms vaca frita and pickled alliums
Rene Ortiz from Launderette (Austin, TX): Chifa, well loved by me and most of the crowd for being so refreshing
Billy Schumaker from Taqueria Nueve (Portland, OR): Surtido de res, Oaxacan black bean puree, spiced Mexican crema, tostada
Erik Van Kley from Taylor Railworks (Portland, OR): Arancini Ranchero with delicious burrata inside whose creaminess was a perfect foil for that spicy ranchero sauce! You can find this delectable item also on the Taylor Railworks dinner menu.
Rodney Muirhead from Podnah’s Barbecue (Portland, OR): Snake River Farms Beef Rib Taco smothered in burn so good hatch chili cheese sauce was my favorite representive bite of Night market this year
Rick Gencarelli from Lardo (Portland, OR): Denver lamb ribs barbacoa. The line was too long and I got too tuckered out to try these, but I did visit to watch the magic of the always cheerful and energetic Rick who always brings crowd pleasing food
Jami Curl from QUIN (Portland, OR): Fresh and fruity spiced lime candy you can see them diligently rolling onto the stick all night
Feast PDX 2016 Night Market from Tyler Malek from Salt & Straw (Portland, OR): Sweet corn copo with lime zest shaved ice, Oregon sweet corn ice cream, cilantro kola syrup, more shaved ice, black raspberry sweetened condensed milk, and fresh candied marionberry especially. This was most surprising combination and dish for me of the night, with every bite being different depending on which parts of the many layers made it on the spoon.

A Few Night Market Drinks

La Vaquera Descarada cocktail featuring New Deal Distillery Cascadia d’Amore American Bitter Liqueur along with Portland 88 Vodka, Paul Cheneau Lady of Spain Cava Brut, The Bitter Housewife Grapefruit Bitters, demerara simply syrup and grapefruit twist, recipe by Sierra Kirk
I kept going back over and over to the Goose Island booth with their 3 beer cocktails with flavor profiles of Smoke (La Senorita Ahumada with Goose Island’s Sofie Ale with Mezcal), Spice (Sofie Picante with Sofie Ale and Tequila and Jalapeno),, and Citrus (Sofie Gin Spritzer with Sofie Ale with Curacao Orange Peel, Citrus Gin, and Orange). They went with everything – and are also good if you mix any two of these cocktails together
Ransom Spirits (probably currently most known for their gin) booth with a chance to taste a their new whiskey and their potent punch (with Old Tom Gin, Pinot Gris, citrus, sweet, Reverend Nat’s Tepache, and Fizz) was popular with many as I gingerly balanced my plate and the cup with whiskey and cup of punch after reaching the front of the line! Both were very easy to drink and too dangerous for me to return because I thought I might get myself into trouble…
Jacobsen Salt put together a bite and a drink by partnering with Bull In China to offer the messiest bite of the night, Elote that you could wash down with Tijuana Thunder, a cocktail with Hornitas Tequila, Anchos Reyes Chile Liqueur, Peach, Lime, Rainier Tall Boys and Bee Local Honey Water with a Jacobsen’s Salt Habanero salt rim.

I made a call to focus more on food so that I could at least visit almost all the Chefs on the Feast PDX 2016 Night Market lineup, at the expense of not being able to also get to all the beverage and other sponsor booths. So there at least 20 more beverage possibilities I didn’t cover here… Other glimpses I noticed are

USA Pears was packing goodie bags of pears,
Whole Foods offered a healthy fruit plate with salt, sugar, and chili dip,
Milagro Tequila had options of Agua Frescas and Horchata to combine (or not) with their tequila tastings,
Tillamook Dairy ice cream brought their Tillabar with DeGarde Brewing for beer floats,
Talenti Gelato truck dishing scoops on cones of Caramel Cookie Crunch, Coconut Almond Chocolate, and Key Lime Pie…
I think I saw Beau Carr of Ringside and Tom Douglas of the Tom Douglas restaurant empire in Seattle in cordoned areas for special members (I think Chase Bank and Alaska Air).
And more that I missed I’m sure!

If you’re reading this wondering if attending one of these walk-around marquee events of Feast is worth it, I hope you can see from my example of all that Night Market can offer that it really is all that the name promises, truly a Feast and the atmosphere of a festive Night Market with quite a range of options to explore as a food traveler. This is my second time attending the Feast night market – this year the theme was Latin, but you can also see my recap of Night Market from 2015 when the theme was Asian.

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. 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.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feastpdx, #feastportland, Alvin Cailan from Eggslut, Arancini Ranchero, Beer Cocktails, Benjamin Gonzales from Nuestra Cocina, Billy Schumaker from Taqueria Nueve, Chesa, Chicharrónes de Harina with Snow Crab Ceviche, Chifa, Crown Paella, Denver lamb ribs barbacoa, Dustin Koerner from Andina, Escabeche style duck, Feast 2016, Feast Night Market, feast pdx, Feast PDX 2016, Feast PDX Night Market, Feast Portland, Feast Portland 2016, Feast Portland 2016 Night Market, Goose Island Beer Cocktails, Goose Island's Sofie Ale with Mezcal, Green Chile Chicken Wings, José Chesa from Chesa, Kelly Myers from Xico, La Senorita Ahumada beer cocktail, La Vaquera Descarada cocktail, Latin themed Night Market, Maylin Chavez of Olympia Oyster Bar, New Deal Distillery Cascadia d'Amore American Bitter Liqueur, Night Market 2016, Nuestra Cocina, Olympia Oyster Bar, Oysters on the half Shell with Agua Chile Rojo, Paul Kahan of Dove's Luncheonette, Playa Paella with dungeness crab and fried calamari, Pozole Rojo, QUIN candy on a stick, Ransom Spirits, Rene Ortiz from Launderette, Rick Gencarelli from Lardo, Rillettes Anticuchera de Conejo, Rodney Muirhead from Podnah's Barbecue, Salt & Straw, Salt & Straw Sweet Corn Copo, Scott Ketterman of Crown Paella, Smoked marinated Snake River Farms pork loin with salsa verde, Smokehouse Tavern, Snake River Farms Beef Rib Taco, Sofie Ale, Sofie Ale and Tequila and Jalapeno, Sofie Ale with Curacao Orange Peel and Citrus Gin and and Orange, Sofie Gin Spritzer, Sofie Picante cocktail, Surtido de res, Sweet Corn Copo, Tacos de cecina adobada, Taylor Railworks, Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Totopos, TRW, Tyler Malek Sweet Corn Copo, Zidell Farms

Tips for Feast PDX 2016

September 8, 2016 by Pechluck 7 Comments

It’s one week until it’s here! The food holiday time of year in Portland – Feast week. It’s all starting Thursday September 15 and goes through Sunday September 18 2016. This will be my fourth year attending Feast, and here are my top tips for Feast PDX, ranging from what to wear to how to proceed through a food event and make the most of it.

Feast promises 4 days of belly busting events showcasing delicious eats and drinks. This is Feast’s 5th year, not only celebrating the bounty of the Oregon and the Northwest in food and drink, but also since its inception Feast has donated more than $230,000 to charity. Feast Portland’s charitable partner in 2016 is Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.

The main event kick off starts with Thursday, with the Sandwich Invitational (Sold Out) and multiple Dinner Series events (also Sold Out). Then, Friday is your best bet if you don’t already have tickets, as there are tickets still for the Friday version of the Grand Tasting ($60, 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!) and several Drink Tank events: see the full Feast schedule here. You can also check the Feast official Facebook page to see if there are any giveaways still open to win tickets.

Beans & Booze panel at Feast 2014 Feast 2015: Oregon Bounty, Kimberly Hoang of Magenta Restaurant in Corvallis Oregon presented Hot Chicks! Dough filled with savory chicken and spicy tamarind creme Brunch Village at Feast 2015, USA Pears, one of the participating sponsors, really brought their A game with their Creamy Coconut and Star Anise Poached Pears and a Pear Shrub wtih Sparkling Prosecco or Soda Water

I also wrote a previous post listing some of the Fab Five food that celebrates Feast but you can get even if you are not at any of the Feast events, and a portion of proceeds still goes to fighting childhood hunger. If you are attending a Feast event, here are my top tips for Feast PDX!

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 – make sure you have good padding in your shoes). So wear comfy shoes every time.

You will also be eating for several hours – so dress like this is Thanksgiving. This is not the time for your form-fitting dresses and skinny 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 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.

Official Feast Tote bags at Feast 2015

If the weather says it may be rainy and you are attending one of the outdoor events, 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!

Specifically for the Sandwich Invitational, it is easy to get really, really full on all those 15 or so sandwiches. My secret trick for big multiple station food events like this is that I only take a couple bites of each dish. But since I feel bad throwing the rest away when it’s so delicious I store it away in a few ziploc bags I have in my tote bag and eat it for lunch the next week! This doesn’t mean to go grabbing multiples of a dish unless it’s the very end of the event: have respect for letting all your fellow guests get a chance to try the dish too.

Limiting yourself to only a couple bites, or sharing with a friend, is pretty much the only way to try everything because there is too much for a normal appetite. Don’t feel like you have to eat and drink everything either.

By the end at all the events, don’t be surprised if some of the booths may have already served up all their plates either so make sure you go in the order of chefs or dishes you want to see the most so you won’t be disappointed you missed someone you really wanted to see. I particular like visiting the out of town chefs first rather then the hometown favorites (though I visit them too) since it’s a unique chance to try their food without having to fly to their city.

At Grand Tasting, one of my favorite booths, and which always has a line, is the USA Pears booth which the previous years have featured multiple special dishes and a different chef each day, so if you are attending go look for their booth to see how they have highlighted pears this year. Last year it was Chef Vitaly Paley and then Chef Brian Clevenger. A little birdie told me this year you may find Top Chef finalist and local PDX Chef Doug Adams sharing nibbles featuring USA Pears paired with sips from Chateau Ste. Michelle! Saturday will be Chef Brian again- you can get a peek at what he served last year below. Also, don’t miss out on the Travel Oregon section (for the past few years it has been towards the weather machine) which features various chefs from Oregon.
USA Pears Pop up featuring Vitaly Paley Feast 2015: Oregon Bounty featuring Brian Clevenger with Bartlett Pear Bourbon cocktail, Sikoku oyster with pickled Anjou Pear, Foie Gras with Seckel Pear Mostarda on crostini, and Roasted rabbit loin with Bosc pear puree and brown butter

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 2015 Night Market, Mei Lin was hyperfocused and zen as she carefully plated her Pork Belly Pâté Egg Rolls, Nước chấm, Fragrant Herbs

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.

In order to see what is happening and hot everyday at Feast, you can check the hashtag #feastpdx and for handles see on 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 .

Having cell phone juice is particularly important if you want to make sure you have enough for your phone to ride Trimet with their online app or be able to call a cab or Uber or Lyft for a ride.

Portland Transportation Options

You can use Google Maps to help find your transportation options (they are hooked up pretty well, and you can also use trimet.org’s Transit Tracker to look up the stop # and see how long until the bus/Max appears – it’s only $5 for an all day pass). You can purchase a pass using cash or credit card at the Max stops, cash only on the buses, or on your phone using credit card via the Trimet Tickets app (iPhone and Android). You flash your ticket to the bus driver, but for the Max you only have to show it to the fare inspector.

It is very difficult to wave down a taxi – you are better calling one if you aren’t convenient to major streets like Broadway or Burnside near downtown where there are lots of hotels that have taxi stations that they might be heading towards.

Uber or Lyft: Use UBER app (iPhone, Android, Windows phones) or LYFT app (iPhone, Android)
Portland Taxi Cab Company: 503-256-5400
Radio Cab: 503-227-1212
Broadway Cab: 503-333-3333
Green Cab & Green Shuttle: 503-234-1414
Union Cab PDX: 503-222-2222

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 to make sure you see everything so talking to people in line or while by a cocktail table eating is fun and a way to get the scoop of what’s hot.

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 (stepping to the side so others can still get to samples), and thank everyone you see working hard to keep the event clean and running smoothly and your plates and cups full!

Sammich of Ashland, OR brought House-Cured Pastrami wtih Double R Brisket on Light Rye with Swiss, Slaw, and Housemade Russian dressing at Brunch Village, Feast 2015 One of my favorite dishes of the Night Market during Feast 2015 was the rich dish of Beef Tongue, Roasted Bone Marrow Aioli, Crispy Rice, Pickles by Carlo Lamagna of Clyde Common

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.
At Brunch Village for Feast 2015 Simpatica pleased the crowd with their Fried Chicken and Waffles with Green Tomato Syrup Feast 2015 Oregon Bounty: Face Rock Cheese Ricotta on Brioche with Honey with Face Rock Whipped Ricotta, Handmade Brioche Toast, Honey Drizzle, and Toasted Honey Almonds Bonnie Morales of Kachka was adored for her plates at Night Market 2015 of Lamb Pelmeni with Adjika Butter and Pickled Pears

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.

Sunny Jin of JORY, at The Allison presented Goat Tartare - Charred Green Tomato, Frozen Egg, Panisse Croutons for Night Market 2015 Feast 2015, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting

I hope my Top Tips for Feast and links to previews to get you in the feasting mood are helpful to you. Here are links to my previous posts from Feast 2015 and 2014 for an idea of the incredible bites of previous years:

Brunch Village 2015 Recap
Aaron Franklin’s Stumptown Coffee Cookout 2015
Recap of Night Market 2015
Recap of Brunch Village 2014
Feast 2014 Dinner Series: Recap of State of the Art Dinner
Feast Sandwich Invitational 2014 Recap
Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2014 recap and guide from my Fri visit:

For more Feast tips, check out the perspectives of my blogger friends like

Martha Chartreuse post on What’s In My Bag and her lovely ideas for what to wear via an outfit for Night Market, outfit for OMG Smoked, and an outfit for Brunch Village
Urban Bliss Life Feast 2015 Recaps
Platings and Pairings Feast Portland 2016: Newbies Guide
Rachel Jane Lloyd on Feast Portland Tips and Tricks: 2015
Salt.Water.Coffee. post How to Take Care of Yourself Before, During, and After and her latest 2016 Pre Feast Guide

Maybe I’ll see you at Feast? Don’t be shy about coming to say hi!

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #feast2016, #feastpdx, #feastportland, Advice for Feast Portland, feast, feast pdx, Feast Portland, Food Festival PDX Food Festival, PDX Events, Portland Food Festival, Tips for Feast, Tips for Feast PDX

A look at a Plate and Pitchfork Dinner

August 19, 2016 by Pechluck 1 Comment

Every summer, Plate and Pitchfork has been creating farm to table dinner events to help people appreciate and celebrate the journey and connection of the hard work of farmers to the incredible local food that can nourish us in nutrition and spirit. Each Plate and Pitchfork dinner takes advantage of highlighting the freshest seasonal ingredients from local farms picked at the height of flavor, prepared fantastically thanks to the expertise of a variety of partnering local chefs, and then guests dine al fresco at actual farms after a farm tour.
Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinner, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms.

I attended my first Plate & Pitchfork dinner recently, which took place at Diggin’ Roots Farm in Molalla, Oregon. At this particular dinner on August 13 the chef trio of Chef Maya Lovelace from Mae, Chef Tommy Habetz of Pizza Jerk & Bunk Sandwiches, and Chef Mika Paredes of Girls Club PDX, and wines from Brooks. Here’s a look at some of the experience after we checked in…
Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinner, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms.

Wine Tasting Reception

Wine tasting reception with the guest winemaker, Brooks Wine who was pouring their 2015 Pinot Blanc as everyone checks in and passed hors’dourves
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms: at this dinner the guest winemaker was Brooks Wines, here pouring 2015 Pinot Blanc

Pizza Bianca with Diggin’ Roots Caponata
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms: Pizza Bianca with Diggin' Roots Caponata

Bacon Fat Fried Shishito Peppers with pickled ramp and buttermilk vinaigrette
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms: Bacon Fat Fried Shishito Peppers with pickled ramp and buttermilk vinaigrette

Goat cheese crostatas with caramelized Siskiyou sweet onion
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms: Angel biscuits with cucumber benedictine, heirloom tomato, bourbon barrel smoked salt and toasted benne

Angel biscuits with cucumber benedictine, heirloom tomato, bourbon barrel smoked salt and toasted benne
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms: Angel biscuits with cucumber benedictine, heirloom tomato, bourbon barrel smoked salt and toasted benne

Farm Tour

Farm tour led by the host farmer to see the fields and learn about the farm’s history, operations and products. Our half of the group was led by Conner and son Wendell while his wife/mom of Wendell Sarah led the other group on the walk around Diggin’ Roots farm.
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Here we're at Diggin' Roots farm and going on our farm tour before dinner with Conner

Dinner

The chefs have prepared a family-style meal with produce plucked from the fields we just toured.
Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinner, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms.

Grand Central Bakery bread was at each end of the table for 8.
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Grand Central Bakery bread was at each end of the table for 8.

Stone ground cornbread panzanella with lemon cucumber, pickled onion, romano beans, summer herbs, indigo apple tomatoes and sweet Jimmy Nardello yogurt, served with Brooks Wines 2014 Willamette Valley Riesling
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Stone ground cornbread panzanella with lemon cucumber, pickled onion, romano beans, summer herbs, indigo apple tomatoes and sweet Jimmy Nardello yogurt, served with Brooks Wines 2014 Willamette Valley Riesling

Lemon Bucatini with roasted heirloom tomatoes served with Brooks Wines 2015 Brooks Estate Riesling
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Lemon Bucatini with roasted heirloom tomatoes served with Brooks Wines 2015 Brooks Estate Riesling

A look at the atmosphere as we are eating the bucatini – the sun is slowly going down, giving us a relief from the heat
Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinner, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms.

Lamb Arista, cast iron fried red gold potatoes with romano beans and dill creme fraiche served with Brooks Wines 2014 Janus Pinot Noir
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Lamb Arista, cast iron fried red gold potatoes with romano beans and dill creme fraiche served with Brooks Wines 2014 Janus Pinot Noir

The gorgeous horizon as we sip coffee and have dessert
Plate and Pitchfork Farm Dinner, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms.

Zucchini olive oil cake with cream cheese ice cream and Riesling caramel with optional beverage of Marigold Coffee using Guatemalan coffee beans
Plate and Pitchfork, bringing farm to table dinners during the summer in Portland where guests dine al fresco on farms. Zucchini olive oil cake with cream cheese ice cream and Riesling caramel with Marigold Coffee

The dinners are all inclusive of gratuity and beverages. Non-alcoholic beverages are always available, and it is listed which particular dinners can accommodate vegetarian meals with advance reservation only. All the dinners are for age of 21+ only, no pets, no smoking (the child and dog you see are residents of the farm). Seats are assigned at the tables of 8, but you can request ahead of time to be seated with certain party members.

To find out about the Plate and Pitchfork Dinner schedule, sign up for their mailing list so you can find out when the schedule for Summer 2017 will be announced and tickets go on sale.

Thank you Maya, Mika, and Tommy and the farmers with your local produce and Brooks Wines and everyone who is a Plate and Pitchfork partner for the delicious Plate and Pitchfork Farm to Table dinner.
Thank you the chef trio of Chef Maya Lovelace from Mae, Chef Tommy Habetz of Pizza Jerk & Bunk Sandwiches, and Chef Mika Paredes of Girls Club PDX, Diggin' Roots farm for the location and all the farmers with your local produce for the delicious Plate and Pitchfork dinner.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Portland Highlights Tagged With: #chooselocal, #foodiefriday, #supportlocal, Angel biscuits with cucumber benedictine and heirloom tomato, Bacon Fat Fried Shishito Peppers with pickled ramp and buttermilk vinaigrette, Brooks Wine, Conner and Wendell of Diggin' Roots farm, Diggin' Roots farm, farm dinner, farm to table dinner, Foodie Friday, Goat cheese crostatas with caramelized Siskiyou sweet onion, Grand Central Bakery bread, Lamb Arista, Lemon Bucatini with roasted heirloom tomatoes, Marigold Coffee, Maya Lovelace, Pizza Bianca with Diggin' Roots Caponata, Plate & Pitchfork dinner, Plate and Pitchfork, Stone ground cornbread panzanella with sweet Jimmy Nardello yogurt, support local, Support your Farmer, Tommy Habetz, Zucchini olive oil cake with cream cheese ice cream and Riesling caramel

Rio 2016 Olympics specials in Portland

August 5, 2016 by Pechluck 1 Comment

Today kicks off the 2016 Summer Olympics, also known as Rio 2016 since it is being hosted in Rio de Janiero, Brazil this year. Officially running from August 5 – August 21, besides the ability to admire the best athletes in the world while watching the Olympic events everyday, this time also offers a couple Rio 2016 Olympics specials here in Portland.

I have mixed feelings about this year’s Olympics, which before opening have been rocked by stories reflecting the corruption in Brazil, of doping, and of corporate and Olympic sponsors and the Rule 40 blackout rules. I worry for the physical safety and health (because of Zika virus and contaminated water) of those in the Olympics. Yet at the same time, I have to watch. I have many summer memories of how mesmerizing it is to watching these literally world class athletes in peak condition swish through the water (or into air into the water via diving) in the various aquatic events, which are my favorite of the summer Olympic sports.

Courtesy IOC Media: NANJING, Aug. 23, 2014 (Xinhua) — The multi-exposure photo shows Wu Shengping of China competes during the Women?s 10m Platform competition of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Aug. 23, 2014. Wu Shengping advanced into the final. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

I also always make sure to catch the Opening Ceremonies (they play at 8 PM today on NBC) as it gives the host country a unique opportunity to highlight and educate the world on their culture and history, and the sheer scale of the various “scenes” of the show numbering hundreds and the entire cast numbering thousands. My favorite remains the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – I remember when I was watching them I was also specifically in Portland to interview for jobs that would finally allow me to move to Portland. The fun tongue in cheek ones in London in 2012 were also fantastic – what will Rio bring this year?

I wonder if it will include a nod to their gauchos – and that brings me to Brazilian food, naturally, to go with these Olympics. My highlights are from a Southern Brazilian steakhouse, Fogo de Chao, and from Southern American inspired restaurant LeChon.

All You Can Eat or Make Recipes with Fogo de Chão

I’ve highlighted Portland’s Fogo de Chão , an authentic Southern Brazilian churrascia, in a previous post where I highlighted each of their available meat options when they had their grand opening of their Portland location 2 years ago. Their fantastic offerings still are available for lunch on weekdays, dinner every day, and brunch on weekends, including their all you can eat salad bar / Feijoada Bar (traditional black bean stew with rice, fresh orange and yucca flour) with Brazilian side dishes, then you can choose to add on the fire roasted parade of meats carved table-side until you can’t take it anymore, or choose the Mango Chilean Sea Bass main dish if you are pescatarian.

Fogo de Chao Market Table, part of their all you can eat buffet boasting more than 40 items Fogo de Chao meat is carved tableside until you can't take it anymore, all you can eat!

I’m also a huge fan of their happy hour weekdays 4:30-6:30 PM because then I can munch on two of my favorite items from them: Picanha Sirloin Sliders, 4 bites of chewy gluten-free Brazilian take on cheese bread of pão de queijo turned into sliders with Picanha (prime cut of top sirloin) while drinking my favorite cocktail from them, and the national cocktail of Brazil, the caipirinha. They have quite a few pretty cocktails to enjoy so don’t overlook them for happy hour even if you aren’t hungry enough for a whole buffet meal. I like to order the Picanha Sirloin Sliders with the Crispy Parmesan Polenta Fries
Fogo de Chao offers a surprisingly excellent choice of unique cocktails Fogo de Chao Picanha Sirlion Sliders, 4 Pao de Queijo Sliders with Picanha during happy hour in the bar Fogo de Chao happy hour dish of the Crispy Parmesan Polenta Fries

Fogo de Chão has generously shared their recipe for their caipirinha, as well as creating a great resource guide to Brazil with their Fogo Guide To Brazilian Cuisine that includes

additional Authentic Brazilian at-home recipes (like yum, for their pão de quijo) in case you want to make some of your own Brazilian themed Olympics party at home
language lessons like common Portuguese phrases ranging from greetings to Cheers with pronunciations you can hear
Etiquette lessons and inside tips from when is the best time to dine in Brazil to tipping guidelines and even where to sit at the dinner table

LeChon’s “What the Chef is Eating” Brazil menu + Olympic Tapas

The South American-inspired restaurant LeChon begins screening the Olympic events starting today, August 5th and will continue throughout the 21st! They will also be offering a special “What the Chef is Eating” Brazil menu, which will be served throughout the course of the Olympics which is displayed on the chalkboard by the front bar to the right daily, and they also have a special Olympics Tapas menu.

I’ve highlighted some of their happy hour OMG deliciousness in a previous post, but here’s a look specifically at some of their Olympics specials. The portions you see are from a preview I attended with other bloggers so some were sample size.

Steak Tartare
Steak Tartare from LeChon

Cornmeal Porridge with honey chile spiced glazed pork belly, sweet corn, sugar cane syrup, vanilla oil, I think I could have eaten three of these

More delicious delights
Gotta loved gooey fried cheese empanadas from LeChon Feijoada, with smoked sausage, kale, black beans from LeChon Special Rio Olympic Tapas from LeChon

The most fun Olympic Specials though are the cocktails that have incredible presentations – perhaps a hint of what is to come at the Opening Ceremonies?

This Rompe-hielo (Icebreaker) cocktail seemed to be the favorite of most of us, starring Aguadiente, watermelon juice, mint syrup, lime, and ginger beer comes in a ice sphere that is then broken
This Rompe-hielo (Icebreaker) with Aguadiente, watermelon juice, mint syrup, lime, and ginger beer comes in a ice sphere that is then broken from LeChon
The Fogo Laranja (Orange Fire) cocktail with Leblon cachaca, orange juice, lime, cane syrup, Amardo di angostura, and flamed orange is the most dramatic, remiscent of the torch at the Olympics.
The Fogo Laranja (Orange Fire) cocktail with Leblon cachaca, orange juice, lime, cane syrup, Amardo di angostura, and flamed orange from LeChon

The Empressario (The Entrepreneur) cocktail with Bacardi 8 year, Fino Jerez, Sugar Cane, Cola Syrup and finished with Mezcal Mist and Orange Peel looked impressive, though I didn’t get a chance to try it.
The Empressario (The Entrepreneur) cocktail from Lechon with Bacardi 8 year, Fino Jerez, Sugar Cane, Cola Syrup and finished with Mezcal Mist and Orange Peel

Well wait, what’s that misty dish right? Ok, maybe this slightly spicy tuna poke wins for the star of the LeChon Olympics specials they are offering, they made a few a of these dishes for the group and I finished a third of this dish on my own… I didn’t even need the rice and plaintain chip accompaniment, just ate it with a spoon…
Rio 2016 Olympics specials in Portland, here a special dramatic spicy tuna with plaintain and rice chip accompaniment from LeChon

Are you going to watch the Olympics 2016 in Rio? What is your favorite summer Olympic sport to watch? And have you been to Fogo de Chão or LeChon yet?

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but 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.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Restaurant Review, Sponsored Post Tagged With: 2016 Summer Olympics Portland, Cheese Empanadas, Empressario cocktail, Feijoada with smoked sausage, Flamed orange cocktail, Fogo de Chão, Fogo De Chao Brazil Guide, Fogo Laranja Cocktail, Ham and cheese brioche buns, Icebreaker cocktail, Lechon, Lechon Olympic specials, LeChon Olympic Tapas, Lechon PDX, Lechon Portland, Olympic Specials in PDX, Olympic Specials in Portland, Olympics Tapas, Orange Fire cocktail, pdx, portland, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 Olympics, Rompe-hielo cocktail, The Entrepreneur cocktail, The Fogo Laranja (Orange Fire) cocktail

Feast PDX 2016 Go Get You Some Picnic

Feast PDX 2016 Night Market

Bites from Chefs

A Few Night Market Drinks

Tips for Feast PDX 2016

Tip 1: Dress Comfortably & have Easy Pockets or a Tote Bag

Tip 2: Use your Phone or Camera to take Photos for Notes

Tip 3: Talk to Strangers, and Smile!

Tip 4: Go with Friends, go Alone, just GO!

A look at a Plate and Pitchfork Dinner

Wine Tasting Reception

Farm Tour

Dinner

Rio 2016 Olympics specials in Portland

All You Can Eat or Make Recipes with Fogo de Chão

LeChon’s “What the Chef is Eating” Brazil menu + Olympic Tapas

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