Google City Experts Portland: Best of Portland Party

Disclosure: This event 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.

Did you know I participate in Google City Experts Portland? I was excited to be invited on Thursday September 12 to attend the Google City Experts Exclusive: Best of Portland Party. Google City Experts provide reviews on Google which can be read when searching on Google Maps. I find this incredibly convenient so that I can search around me right at the moment or planning a trip (such as searching by a meeting or hotel) to see what is around, and reading reviews after searching what I can see is in acceptable travel distance. Google City Experts have already written at least 50 reviews, and need to write at least five new reviews each month. Interested in contributing? Sign up for Google City Experts — goo.gl/hPvvqo

The event was held at ENSO Urban Winery & Tasting Lounge, and included two tastings of wine. Their RESOLUTION white and red were available, similar to a house red and white which are blends; as well as a dozen other options for purchase by the glass or flight options. We opted after using our tickets for a flight of their reserve reds, as well as a cheese plate.

Besides the photo booth, there was cupcake decorating with Cupcake Jones, and tacos and dillas from Taco Pedaler PDX. Meanwhile, Jesse Layne provided some live music. The only thing I could have wished were for some way to charge my phone, as it was running low so even as I learned by the party mode on my Android phone for the first time, I couldn’t participate.

Here are a few pics I snapped while awaiting my turn (and after completing) decorating my cupcakes. Cupcake Jones has vanilla, red velvet, and chocolate (including gluten vegan free options if desired) to select from as the base, and then cream cheese, vanilla, or chocolate icing. This was followed by various topping choices including chopped nuts, marshmallows, housemade graham crackers, toasted coconut, and glitter sugar!

Then it was my turn! They also had little birds in the bold Google colors of blue, green, yellow and red. You could make up to 2 cupcakes, which the lovely ladies helped you package both up to take home, or perhaps only one up because you were going to eat the other right there! What a super adorable idea for an event!

Meanwhile, the ladies of Taco Pedaler and their tricycle carts were working it for us Portland Google Experts as well. The Tacos were on their handmade corn tortillas with choice of chicken, beef, pork or pinto bean. This was then topped with cabbage, cilantro, and cotija cheese! The other option were Dillas: filled with potato, green chilis and cheese all simmered in a drunken sauce.

The Taco Pedaler ladies did a great job of keeping up with the crowd with their system of name/orders on plates all lined up as they were making it fresh on that little grill you see, and the wait was only about 7 minutes after your order. They can do any event- even if it’s not in biking distance.

F was my +1 (Heeee) and had the Dillas, which as mentioned are filled with the filling of the day, which in this case were potato, green chilis and cheese all simmered in a drunken aka cheese beer sauce! Cheese beer sauce you say!?? I had to also have one, though for my second sample I went with a pork taco. I also had some of the Juanitas corn chips and fresh made green and red salsas while listening to Jesse Layne and watching the photo booth station action. I also have now seen two people with Google Glass (the other was in Baltimore, so it was my first Portland sighting).

Thank you Google+ Local Portland, ENSO Winery, Taco Pedaler, Cupcake Jones and musician Jesse Layne for this wonderful event! You can check out more pictures here at the Best of Portland Party Google+ Page. Also, if you didn’t know, this blog Pechluck’s Food Adventures also has a Google+ Page!

Disclosure: This event 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.