Counting down to Feast Portland: High Comfort at The Nines

August 26, 2013 by 11 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here of Day 3 of Feast

 

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21 and also wrote of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and then had to go get a sandwich to recover after writing that post. I also highlighted a free Feast event, the Best Butcher Contest and Fishmonger Face off on Sept 21.

This next Feast event I am counting down with you to is my splurge birthday gift to myself this year. It’s a food festival event which highlights comfort food that is familiar and makes you feel happy, but elevates it to a decadent level that I would imagine world leaders and only the jetset millionaires might see in terms of ingredients and execution, and so this would be a chance to spoil yourself and get a glimpse of that richness. Not to mention, I can be totally be a (secret) fangirl and see all these incredible chefs.

High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

The event is called High Comfort at The Nines, presented by Portland Monthly Magazine.  Tickets are $175 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Saturday, Sept 21st 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Nines Hotel.

Last year at Feast 2012, this event was held at the Multnomah Athletic Club, and reading some of the food from the event convinced me this was worth the price tag, as I paid for this ticket out of my own funds (not part of my Bloggers Pass). In fact, the price this year is slightly less expensive than last year’s ticket price of $200. Update: as of Labor Day weekend, this event is now sold out!

Furthermore, don’t forget that the money is going to two incredible impressive causes, so it’s a gift not only to myself but supporting Feast’s fight against hunger. Last year, it was reported that nearly 9,000 attended the September food festival on September 20-23 2012, raising $46,000 so that $23,000 was donated to each of the Feast Portland charity partners: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. You can feed yourself and others!

Examples of the offerings from last year’s High Comfort event included

  • pork skin spaghetti puttanesca from Chris Cosentino of Incanto;
  • squab pot pie with chanterelles and corn from Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché (Eugene);
  • crispy Rocky Mountain oysters with coffee purée and pink shrimp Hollandaise from Dustin Clark of Wildwood;
  • nutella panini with espresso, bacon and banana from Hedy Goldsmith of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink;
  • foie gras cappuccinos from Philippe Boulot of Multnomah Atheletic Club;
  • a cereal of maple pork corn flakes, smoked berry marshmallows;
  • and toasted hazelnut milk from the Dentons of Ox;

Yeah you get the point.
High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland High Comfort Event from Feast Portland 2012, all right reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: What happens when comfort food gets pushed out of its comfort zone? What would grandmother’s food taste like if grandma had a Michelin star, an immersion circulator, and a pantry full of Iberian ham, foie gras, and candy bars? The answer: High Comfort, the most decadent culinary event around. Last year’s event saw meat cereal, caviar sandwiches, and a charcuterie hall of fame without rival. This year, some of the best chefs from the US and Canada are going to take it to the next level: Get ready to be fed silly with help from premier Oregon wines and their European counterparts. Don’t plan anything early the next day.

The Lineup

Here’s a video showing how it went at last year’s event.

For more, you can check out a slideshow from Serious Eats or part of the photo essay of the Feast festival from the Oregonian also.

Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting Down to Feast Portland: Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off

August 19, 2013 by 6 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21 and also wrote of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and then had to go get a sandwich to recover after writing that post.

The previous two events I highlighted might have a ticket price (and remember, they are trying to raise money for charity after all), but not every Feast event does. One of the new events this year for Feast is the Whole Foods Market Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off. This is a FREE event! The event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Saturday, Sept 21st 11:00am – 2:00pm at Director Park. There will be surf and turf samples provided by Whole Foods Market’s meat and seafood partners, so don’t worry about watching all that deliciousness and only wondering conceptually about the product.

The Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off are two branches of regional competitions by Whole Foods Market that are held all over the country. Last year, the Best Butcher contest included whittling down 300 butchers to just 3 (representing the west, central, and east regions of the US) that made it to New York City to be crowned at the the 2nd annual Best Butcher competition at Meatopia. Tasks they had to rise to for the competition included crafting a turducken (duck stuffed inside a chicken stuffed inside a turkey), merchandising a whole lamb, and creating a new cut of beef steak, chop or roast! Best Butcher 2012 Armand ”The Arm” Ferrante will be defending his title. You can read more about Best Butcher Contest 2012 here at the Whole Foods Blog.

Meanwhile, the 1st annual Fishmonger Faceoff of 2012 ended with the Golden Trident being awarded at Food & Wine Classic Aspen, as you can read here about the Fishmonger Face Off at the Whole Foods Blog. Fishmonger Winner Bob “The Fish Guy” Reany had to cut and fillet a certified Wild Alaska Salmon in 3 minutes- and he did it in 90 seconds! Both winners of the Best Butcher and Fishmonger Faceoff had about 40 years of experience each- we’re talking about masters of meat or fish! Check out the awesome nicknames of the fishmongers who competed last year in this 1 minute video of the 2012 finalists- will we be seeing some of them this year?

This year, the final for the Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off are BOTH coming to Feast and Portland! It’s serious technique required to know where to cut and to cut quickly, but they also will be judged on “swagger” in knife skills. It should be exciting to watch them throw in showmanship while working with the blade and with still an eye on quality of cuts and quantity of yield of product!

Who knows… is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at this event going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish?
Meat + Poultry section of Whole Foods Pearl... Is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off at Feast Portland 2013 going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish? Seafood section of Whole Foods Pearl... Is one of the butchers and fishmongers we see at Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off at Feast Portland 2013 going to be one from your neighborhood Whole Foods and providing you with the finest cuts of meat and fish?

Butchery and Fishmongering is an art that seemed like it was being lost for a while into uniform piles of plastic wrapped hunks of meat in a cooler, but thankfully it has been making a comeback. People are returning to wanting to appreciate where the food comes from, and use all of the animal, which is evidenced by the rise of butchery classes in the past year in Portland. So it seems like the perfect place to hold these Best Butcher Contest & Fishmonger Face Off finals.

Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012
Above: Photos from last year’s Feast PDX Basic Pig Butchery class with Portland Meat Collective’s Camas Davis. This class is back this year but already sold out! Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: After months of regional competitions at Whole Foods Market stores across the country, 12 butchers and fishmonger finalists are sharpening their knives to go head-to-tail for the glory of being named best in their craft. Come watch the sparks fly as the butcher and fishmonger finalists battle their way to the top. Finalists will be judged by an expert panel that includes top chefs and media on presentation, craftsmanship and swagger in dazzling demos of knife work. Sample some surf-and-turf from Whole Foods Market’s meat and seafood partners, pause for some live music, snap a picture in the photo booth, and even learn a thing or two about high-quality meat and sustainable seafood.

Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012 Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Camas Davis of Portland Meat Collective gives a class on butchering a pig at Feast Portland 2012 Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Disclosure: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting Down to Feast Portland: Sandwich Invitational

August 12, 2013 by 13 Comments

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here of Day 1 of Feast

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21.

One of the events I am very much looking forward to is the Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Lincoln Motor Company. Tickets are $95 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on Thursday, Sept 19th 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Director Park.

This event is not covered by my Bloggers Pass, so I bought my ticket to this event with my own funds. I recall this was the first event that I read last year that I had regret that I had not attended, particularly as I had walked by it during that time on the way to something else and been so cruelly teased from the outside. I had rationalized myself out of buying a ticket last year, telling myself it wasn’t worth paying that price for just sandwiches. I kept second guessing myself the entire time.

And then, after the event, I gazed at the photos from last year’s event here from the sandwich porn slideshow from Bon Appetit, a Portland Monthly Magazine Slideshow, an article and Slideshow from Serious Eats, and the Diary coverage from Michael Russel at the Oregonian.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Imperial served up some beef belly banh mi, featuring beef knuckle marmalade. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 This Cuban fritas from Irving Street Kitchen contained chicken liver, Kobe beef, pork tenderloin, and veal. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Staple & Fancy (Seattle) Ethan Stowell showed off his pork belly porchetta sandwich with Bosc pear and onion mostarda from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

I gazed hungrily at the photos of the various sandwich samples (ahem… at the time then, and also now as I compose this post!). 15 sandwiches, paired with beer. Sandwiches like shrimp and watercress sandwiches from Ned Ludd? Dungeness crab rolls with tarragon, lemon, fennel and bacon from Jenn Louis of Lincoln? “Egg McDuffin” sandwiches made of serrano ham, bacon, and sausage from Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes and the show Ace of Cakes?

Texas-smoked Carlton Farms pork butt and pickled Dungeness crab with Oregon pear slaw and pig’s ear gravy from Ned and Jodi Elliott from Austin’s Foreign & Domestic? Bunk Sandwich’s Tommy and Nick served up a matahambre (hunger killer), with chuck steak and a slow-cooked egg marinated in chimichurri, along with spinach and carrot escabeche?!

Then there was a collaboration sandwich, a smoked prime rib with jalapeno cheesesteak from Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue (one of the top Texas BBQ spots, and possibly of all the USA?) and Rodney Muirhead of Portland’s Podnah’s Pit? And representing Beast,  an offering of maple-glazed pork belly and pickled watermelon slaw on a housemade semolina roll from Naomi Pomeroy (who ultimately won the sandwich invitational)? I would go on but it’s making me really hungry and sad that I missed out.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Naomi Pomeroy of Beast's maple-glazed pork belly with pickled watermelon slaw on a housemade semolina roll sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Bunk served up this matahambre (hunger killer), a play on a traditional sandwich from Argentina with chuck steak and a slow-cooked egg marinated in chimichurri, along with spinach and carrot escabeche. Sandwich sample from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Um, so YUM. These are not your normal sandwiches, the combinations are creative, ingredients high end and fresh, and the flavors bold, these are sammies at a level you would never find on a regular menu, even at the home base restaurants of these illustrious chefs. Based on the experienced last year, it turns out that you barely had to wait in line for your taste, with the longest apparently being for the cheesesteak sandwich at 20 minutes. Are you kidding, I’ve waited for an hour or two to eat deliciousness before, and add to that this is being crafted from the very hands of those gifted palates (squeeeee!!!)… so 20 minutes (probably while eating another sandwich) is nothing! And OMG Jeffrey Steingarten was there! I should have bought a ticket ;(

Naomi Pomeroy of Beast and her sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Shrimp and watercress sandwiches from Ned Ludd, sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Jen from Lincoln served up Dungeness crab rolls with tarragon, lemon, fennel and bacon sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Naomi is one of the my dream chefs as I admire her as female chef in a mostly male-dominated industry despite not having formal training, and also as a representative celebrating Northwest cuisine and ingredients nationally, and her perspective of intimate supper club like food service rather than white linens experience… but I am also intimidated of. She is so unapologetically focused and driven, so whip smart and quick to learn and also take risks and pull from an amazing database of flavor possibilities in her mind. So kick ass.

And add to that the sandwich kings of Portland, Rick from Lardo and Tommy and Nick from Bunk, will be there? And the dream team for any meat,  Greg and Gabrielle from Ox? And I loved Stephanie on Top Chef (maybe I was already cheering her because she’s from my hometown Chicago, yes she’s a female chef too, and she is such an approachable genius that seems like you can have beers and laugh with). I could gush more, but suffice it to say it was clear to me I must be there at this Sandwich Invitational! I can’t write anymore, I need to go out and get a sandwich.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Kenny and Zuke brought the classic Reubon of course, sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational 2012 Rodney assembling the smoked prime rib with jalapeno cheesesteak collaboration from Aaron Franklin of Austin's Franklin Barbecue and Rodney Muirhead of Portland's Podnah's Pit. Sandwich samples from Feast Portland 2012 event Sandwich Invitational. Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: What happens when 15 of America’s top chefs convene to harness their culinary ambition between two slices of bread? Enter the Sandwich Invitational, Feast Portland’s killer kick-off party, where wildly imaginative, chef’d-up interpretations redefine everything you thought the lowly sando could be. Enjoy sandwich bliss under the stars at Downtown Portland’s urbane Director Park, an experience paired with craft brews from legendary local Widmer Brothers Brewing plus Northwest wines and cocktails.

The Lineup

And, here’s a video showing last year’s event.

Disclaimer: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Counting down to Feast Portland 2013: Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting

August 5, 2013 by 12 Comments

As I announced on my Twitter @Pechluck, Facebook page Pechluck’s Food Adventures, and Google+ Pechluck Food Adventures pages, I recently applied and was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2013, September 19th-22nd!

Feast Portland 2013 logo

The Blogger Pass gives me access to the Urbanspoon Media room for probably much needed charging of my phone, and also entrances to a couple of the many incredible events for Feast, such as the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting presented by by Alaska Airlines and the various speaking events from the Whole Foods Speaker Series.

I have also purchased tickets out of my own pocket, full price, for two events that I also plan to cover, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Lincoln Motor Company and High Comfort at The Nines presented by Portland Monthly Magazine. I did not attend Feast last year, but just like last year, many events take place very close to where I live/I may pass by them on my commute home at locations such as Pioneer Courthouse Square, Director’s Park, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Multnomah Athletic Club. No more wistful wishing as I pass by this year! Well maybe some- I am not attending many other events that I wish I could!

Last year, it was reported that nearly 9,000 attended the September food festival on September 20-23 2012, and $23,000 was donated to each of the Feast Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.

This year, Feast Portland Food and Drink Festival returns to benefit these charity partners with the return of certain anchor food festival evenings offering tastes from famous chefs paired with many breweries and wineries, several speakers, a chef collaboration dinner series that pairs two chefs and a delicious drink partner, and hands on classes. This year they also have added a chef collaboration brunch series and a cookbook social!

The first event I wanted to give a preview of was the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting presented by by Alaska Airlines.  Tickets are $60 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on two days, Friday, September 20th and Saturday, Sept 21st 12:00pm – 5:00pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Please note that each day is a different all inclusive ticket… yes, look at the wonderful morsels in store!

Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: Portland’s “living room,” Pioneer Courthouse Square, transforms into the city’s dining room for two days as dozens of the region’s most celebrated wineries, breweries, vendors, and artisans take over Downtown Portland’s most prime real estate for the festival’s premiere daytime event. Experience the scene, meet the chefs you’ve read about, discover the best Oregon wines and craft beers, and enjoy cooking demonstrations from celebrated chefs like Michael Voltaggio, Chris Cosentino, Jenn Louis, and Gabriel Rucker at the KitchenAid Main Demo Stage.

The Lineup

Friday-

Saturday-
Chris Cosentino at Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Both days-

Check out some highlights on video from the 2012 event below. You can also view the Photo Essay of the event from the Oregonian here that has photos from this event and others from Feast Portland 2012.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here

Disclosure: This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not. 

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