Irving Street Kitchen Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap and Upcoming Blogger Bake Sale #NoKidHungry

May 1, 2014 by Pechluck 3 Comments

Disclosure: I attended the Portland Taste of the Nation as a media member, but I am not being compensated for 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.

Earlier on April 29 (my birthday!), I was proud and happy to spend it at Taste of the Nation Portland, helping to raise awareness through social media for such an important cause, and continuing to do so today.

As I mentioned in my previous post and giveaway, Taste of the Nation is a series of culinary events throughout the US and throughout the year to raise money for Share Our Strength, a national organization working to end childhood hunger in the US. 100% of ticket sales support the efforts of the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Taste of the Nation Portland, Team No Kid Hungry

This is a very meaningful cause for me. If you enjoy food and think of yourself as a food lover in any way, I consider it part of our duty to also give back in fighting against hunger. We should be thankful of what we are able to enjoy while also being aware not everyone is blessed with the access and plenty that we have and that we have the means, however large or small, in helping to ease that burden. I was fortunate in that I have never known true hunger, and it breaks my heart to think of children crushed when there is not a school day because it means missing a meal, or not being able to concentrate and learn because they are hungry. As little as $1 can connect a child to 10 meals – so feel free to sign up as I did to donate on a monthly basis and take the pledge.

Feel free to learn more at the No Kid Hungry campaign at their official website and also Twitter @NoKidHungry.

I have been watching the feeds as the events in DC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco kicked off, and the one in Portland here coincided also with the one in Boston, though a few hours later because of the time difference. The caliber of the events have been amazing, and so was the one here in Portland. I’ll get to my recap and photos in just a minute!

Gorgeous display by Portland Taste local sponsor Charlie's Produce

Gorgeous display by Portland Taste local sponsor Charlie’s Produce

This year the event was held at the McMenamins Crystal Hotel & Ballroom. The proceeds are going directly to No Kid Hungry Oregon non-profit allies of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Oregon Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul Society and Klamath/Lake Counties Food Bank. The tickets to the VIP admission sold out a week before, and then the General Admission tickets sold out 2 days before the event… so remember that for next year to not wait for the last minute to buy your tickets!

There is still an upcoming opportunity to support No Kid Hungry though- and that’s with the National Blogger’s Bake Sale Portland Edition this upcoming Saturday May 3, 9am-1pm, at Powell’s Book Store, near Couch/11th Ave. I’ll be there after my workout to help support them even though I am planning on purchasing/consuming and not baking anything, or you can also visit the page and click the link to donate towards the Portland fundraising goal!

You CAN help make a difference!

Ok, now onto the Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap. First, a huge round of applause to all the chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, spirits, other beverages, and other sponsors who participated. I was really impressed with how prepared everyone was- there was rarely a line to get food because of how prepared everyone was to handle the many excited and hungry supporters of this cause that evening. And there was definitely a serious number of people who are serious about fighting hunger at this event:

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 at McMenamins Crystal Hotel & Ballroom

Some of my favorite samplings of the event included:

Mediterranean Exploration Company (coming soon from John Gorham, of Toro Bravo, Tasty n Sons/Alder) offered this delectable house canned Albacore Tuna board with Mediterranean accompaniments. I can’t wait for this to open in the former Riffle space (in the Pearl District) in July!
The Country Cat‘s offering of fried chicken lollipops & honey, and also of a vanilla hot fudge sundae! I was a little intimidated to pick up the big drumstick but it was well worth the sticky fingers.
Multnomah Whiskey Library with their Sazerac Punch with James Oliver Rye, Oleo Saccharum, Peychaud Bitters, and Anise spiked Sparkling Wine, a nice updated twist but still classic
Pok Pok‘s Khano Niaw Sangkhaya Bai Toei, a sweet sticky rice with duck egg pandan coconut custard wrapped and steamed in banana leaves was a little bit of sweetness that was a great followup after a sip of Moet, I definitely could have had more of these!
No photo from the event, but the Imperial potato latke topped with salmon pastrami, sour cream and dill cooked in duck fat that I first sampled at the Taste of the Taste preview (and my photo is from that). In addition, Imperial Bar Manager Brandon Wise made two sample cocktails utilizing Dogwood Distilling Union Gin and Franklin Vodka and since it’s from Brandon of course both were excellent.
Renata offered My Pharm Rabbit N’duja with pickled carrots and pea shoots, a medley of textures between the crispy crostini and the rich creamy rabbit
I really enjoyed the St Jack chilled Stinging Nettle Vichyssoise with crispy chicken skin and chili oil, it was definitely one of the top tastes of the evening for me
I know it’s simple, but I confess I had two samples of the Grassa Lumache Cacio e Pepe. I thought it made up for the fact that I resisted the Griddled Mortadella with Provolone, Mama Lil’s Peppers and Mustard Aioli mini sandwich across the way at the Lardo table since I had it during the Taste of the Taste event (with photo of it from then)
I also admit I went back twice for Laurelhurst Market‘s baked macaroni and cheese with house-smoked hot dog and potato chip crust. Of course Mac and Cheese was a perfect snapshot of the theme this year, What My Family Ate and comforting food memories
Bamboo Sushi, Jin Soo Yang, Kalbi Ssam House Kimchee Grilled Short Ribs with Lettuce and Rice was a bright bite of lots of flavors. I wish I could have grown up with this!
Many loved smallwares and their taste of Beef Tataki with Kimchi, Blue cheese, Thai basil, and Pickled pear- a very mature and complex medley of flavors that I wish everyone would demand was regularly on their menu
Aviary, soup dumplings that explain why they are planning a Soup Dumpling pop-up at $35/person on May 20th- check their website for more details!
Batch PDX Jeremy Karp impressed so many of us with his assorted chocolates that included so many interesting combinations of flavors like chocolate with Vietnamese coffee or Thai Ice tea or Earl Grey tea, flavors of Pina Colada and Margarita, this was definitely one of the surprise finds of the evening!
The bar up at the mezzanine included quite a few cocktails, including this Pegu Club with Aria Gin, Orange Liquor, Fresh Lime, and Angostura Bitters, as well as you call it cocktails made from Bull Run Distillery liquors and DRY soda

And here are a few other excellent tastings that evening to give you a feel for why you should go next year if you aren’t convinced already:

Gregory Gourdet of Departure was there, glowing and smiling as always, hands on as they gave samples of chicken stewed with peppers, pickled chilies, and ripe plaintain
Smokehouse 21 was calling my name with this Smoked Land and Sea tasting with pork and eggs. Also bonus points as I watched the man crack half a dozen soft boiled eggs perfectly and speedily. Minus points for what sea are you talking about, what kind of eggs were those…
Produce Row Cafe offered a vegetarian winner with their crispy chickpea fritter, harissa, and cultured cream
Black Rabbit offered “Ham and Eggs” with black truffle custard, Marsala braised duck “Ham” Fennel Jam on a parmesan crostini
Irving Street Kitchen refreshed the palate with a smoked Albacore Tuna crudo with charred padron pickle and creamy tonado
I always love the charcuterie of Olympic Provisions
It was nice to take a break from so much meat with Biwa‘s Ohitashi of asparagus steeped in a dashi base sauce
Boke Bowl brought the heat with their crawfish and pork in spicy black bean sauce over rice tots
Zeus Cafe had a big serving of pork belly and kimchi croquette with black vinegar aioli and herbs.
Gracie‘s taste was a stuffed Medjool date with spicy marcona almond and local goat cheese wrapped in pancetta
I stopped by for some Strawberry rhubarb pie from Pacific Pie, though they also offered their popular staple Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut. I had to try the Strawberry Rhubarb though, especially after I saw their cute segment about making it on TV the week before
Xocolatl de David‘s Fluffernutter and Chocolate Milk! Great idea for the theme of memories from family time!
Raven & Rose offered a few desserts of delicious simplicity
Moet & Chandon flowing during VIP hour

There was more I missed- with more than 60 possible participating restaurants and beverage providers to visit, there were more tastes than I or anyone could have in one night. I took all my photos and ate and when that was done (because I was getting really full, not because I managed to visit everyone!), that’s when I put my camera away and went beverage tasting, so there are many distilleries and wineries that are not in this recap. Amazing vendors right??

I also was outbid on silent auction they were holding, but they had some really unique baskets and experiences- examples were

Summer School that included 4 tickets to an Around the World rum tasting with Blair Reynolds of Hale Pele, tiki mugs, mai tai glasses, and syrups/mixers, and four weekend passes to Tiki Kon;
French Mathematics that included champage tasting for 12 from David Speer of Ambonnay; Chemistry Tutor with cocktail tutoring for 10 with appetizers with Kasey Kasten of Saucebox;
various baskets of impeccable wines (donated by wonderful wineries, or one package in which 12 famous Portland chefs each picked a wine and included a pairing recipe suggestion for the wine!);
and my favorite, a Hall Pass that offers the opportunity to cut to the front of the line at hot spots like Toro Bravo, Salt & Straw, Mother’s Bistro, Pok Pok, Tasty N Sons, Besaws and Multnomah Whiskey Library – WOW!

Taste of the Nation Portland Silent Auction

Remember to support No Kid Hungry at the National Blogger’s Bake Sale Portland Edition this upcoming Saturday May 3, 9am-1pm, at Powell’s Book Store, near Couch/11th Ave. Say hi to me as I drop by around 11:30 Saturday after my workout and squee at the beautiful blogger baked goodies with me, or you can also visit the page and click the link to donate towards the Portland fundraising goal!

Filed Under: Cocktails, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #nokidhungry, #pdxevents, #portlandtaste, Albacore Tuna crudo, Aria Gin, aviary, Bamboo Sushi, Batch PDX, Beef Tataki, Biwa, Black Rabbit, Boke Bowl, Bull Run Distillery, charcuterie, Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut, crawfish and pork in spicy black bean sauce rice tots, crispy chickpea fritter, Departure, DRY soda, Fluffernutter and Chocolate Milk, fried chicken lollipops & honey, Gracie's, grassa, Gregory Gourdet, Imperial, Irving Street Kitchen, Jeremy Karp, Jin Soo Yang, Khano Niaw Sangkhaya Bai Toei, Kimchee Grilled Short Ribs, Laurelhurst Market', Lumache Cacio e Pepe, macaroni and cheese with house hot dog and potato chip, Mediterranean Exploration Company, Moet & Chandon, Multnomah Whiskey Library, National Blogger's Bake Sale, Ohitashi of asparagus, olympic provisions, Pacific Pie, Pegu Club, pok pok, pork belly and kimchi croquette, portland, Produce Row Cafe, raven & rose, Renata, Sazerac Punch, Smallwares, Smoked Land and Sea, smokehouse 21, soup dumplings, St Jack's Aaron Barnett, Stinging Nettle Vichyssoise, Strawberry rhubarb pie, stuffed Medjool date, Taste of the Nation, Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap, The Country Cat, Xocolatl de David, Zeus Cafe

A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen

October 18, 2013 by Pechluck 11 Comments

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.

I was introduced to Hawks View Cellars during Feast. They are a 50 acre winery located in Sherwood (in the Chehalem Mountains/only 30 minutes outside Portland) now run by AJ Kemp, son of the founder. Hawks View was totally under my radar until I saw how devoted they are to making excellent wines. When I had their Pinot Noir Reserve at the Paley Prefunk which I wrote about previously, I found myself crushing hard on them. So I was so thrilled when I was invited to attend a promotional event they were holding, A Grand Feast of Oregon.

At this event 7 wines, and 6 small plates paired with wines would be presented by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen.

Irving St Kitchen

At this event, Hawks View was pre-releasing their just bottled 2012 Oregon Chardonnay and our soon to be released 2011 California Syrah at this dinner, opening a 2011 La Baleine large format bottle (I always wondered when those super huge bottles were opened/drank!), and there was a Mystery Wine also, so classily wrapped in a printed paper bag until the mystery would be revealed!

Wines for A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen

First, as we entered the special event room in the back of Irving St Kitchen, we were greeted by AJ Kemp, co-founder of Hawks View, along with April Yap-Hennig, director of marketing as well as a glass of 2012 Oregon Pinot Gris. Even though the alcohol is almost 15%, the wine tasted so light and refreshing. How irresponsible and dangerous you guys. I felt like I could easily drink several glasses of these! Oh, I see.

A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen, starting out with 2012 Hawks View Oregon Pinot Gris

Throughout the evening, AJ, and also Chef Sarah Schafer of Irving St. Kitchen, would introduce each of the 6 pairings of wine and food by explaining the origin story of the wine or the dish. I never knew how much drama goes into a bottle until I heard the tales from AJ, who is so full of infectious enthusiasm
Wine List for A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen AJ Kemp, cofounder of Hawks View, and Chef Sarah Schafer of Irving St Kitchen present Grand Feast of Oregon, 6 pairings of food and wine by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen

How to Enjoy Food and Drink Pairings

When it comes to food and drink pairings, this is my advice on how to enjoy a pairing.

The first thing I do is examine the color and viscosity. With the glass on a flat surface, I swirl it to aerate it and examine the color, transparency, and how it moves in the glass. I always do this on a flat surface so that you don’t get accidental splash back on you if the pour is generous or you bump your arm or get a twitch which causes splashback- which has totally happened to me, all over a sweater!
Next, pick up the glass immediately after a swirl and tilt it a bit, and put your nose in the glass slightly to smell it. I might do this swirl and smell twice, thinking about what I might detect upfront in the aromas, and how long it lasts, and how strong the aroma is.
Now swirl and take a sip. Maybe do this 2-3 times. You want a very small sip, and you want to make sure it travels all across the tongue, not just the middle or back because although you can taste everything on any part, there might be areas that are more sensitive than others. Think about what it tasted like at the beginning, middle and end. How long could you taste the wine after you swallowed? How did it feel on your tongue – thin, smooth, creamy, velvety, dry, etc? Think about the tastes of sweet, sour, salt, bitter, acidic, citrus or/and earthy.
Next step is to take a small bite of the food pairing, to see what it is like alone. Try to make sure you get a little bit of all the components in your bite. I know this is hard with the smaller appetizer bites! Think about how it tastes on its own, similar with what you did with the wine on step 3.
Take a small swirl, another small bite, and immediately after you swallow the food sip the wine. Think about how the legs of the food you just tasted changes as you take that sip. Does it make certain flavors from the food or wine more prominent, wash out any flavor? As you continue to take small bites and sips, are there certain flavors that build up and are emphasized? Do you think the flavors are complimentary or do they contrast or make something new combined? What do you like better, the wine by itself, the food by itself, or both together?
If possible cleanse your palate with water in between pairings or whenever you wish.

Ok, so now let’s take a look at the pairings I enjoyed for this event!

Hawks View Cellars + Irving Street Kitchen Courses

First Course Food and Wine Pairing

Irving St Kitchen Salmon Gravlax, Sauce Gribiche, Rye Crackers. Paired with 2012 Hawks View Oregon Chardonnay, which offered butteryness but not overly buttery, yaaaayy. I’ve had local OR Chardonnay and been disappointed how it tends to be a bit on the crisp, sweet, but flat/bland side. In the 80s 90s Chardonnay was really oaked, and then it seemed everyone all at once turned and ran the other way, focusing on stainless steel unoaked. This one though brought back the round warmness and creaminess that I’ve been missing in Chardonnays, but without overdoing the oak. This chardonnay is not grown in their vineyard but is sourced in Oregon locally from Gran Moraine, Yamhill-Carlton.
A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen: Pairing 1 of Irving St Kitchen Salmon Gravlax, Sauce Gribiche, Rye Crackers. Paired with 2012 Hawks View Oregon Chardonnay

Second Course Food and Wine Pairing

Next came AJ and pouring of the Hawks View Mystery Wine for the pairing listed as Chicken Fried Oysters, Herbsaint Aioli, and Hawks View Mystery Wine… revealed to be 2012 White Pinot Noir, aka what AJ called “The Unicorn”. This was one of my top pairings of the evening.
A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen: AJ and Pouring of the Hawks View Mystery Wine

Third Course Food and Wine Pairing

Marinated Pork Chop, Country Ham & Shelling Bean Ragout and Celery Root Apple Slaw with 2010 Hawks View Oregon Pinot Noir. This was my favorite pairing of the evening.
A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen: Pairing 3 of Marinated Pork Chop, Country Ham & Shelling Bean Ragout and Celery Root Apple Slaw with 2010 Hawks View Oregon Pinot Noir

Fourth Course Food and Wine Pairing

The course I’ve been waiting for… Irving St Kitchen’s famous fried chicken. Happiness is an Irving St Kitchen fried chicken with smashed potatoes and country gravy and greens.

This was paired with the 2011 Hawks View La Baleine (The Whale), which is a a blend that changes year to year and is dedicated to AJ’s father, whose nickname was The Whale from his banking days before he retired and invested in founding Hawks View Winery. Check out April flexing her incrediblly toned arms as she pours from the decanter!

Fifth Course Food and Wine Pairing

Although Hawks View does have vineyards from which they produce wines, they also source from California and Washington, specifically Horse Heaven Hills in WA for their cabernet sauvignon and merlot, and malbec grapes and from Gary’s Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands of California for Syrah and Pinot Noir. These next two wines marked our departure from drinking Oregon wines (La Baleine has some OR grapes mixed in with CA and WA).
It was paired with a beautiful serving of Irving St Kitchen Teres Major Steak with garlic grits, ancho ketchup, onion rings, marrow sauce
Fifth course, Beautiful serving of Irving St Kitchen Teres Major Steak with garlic grits, ancho ketchup, onion rings, marrow sauce paired with 2010 Hawks View Washington Cabernet Sauvignon

Sixth Course Food and Wine Pairing

Finally, dessert was pairing 6 of Chocolate Torte with 2011 Hawks View California Syrah
A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen: Pairing 6 of Chocolate Torte with 2011 Hawks View California Syrah

Thank you so much to Hawks View Cellars for sharing their incredible wines with me at this event, for AJ the storyteller and winemaker who gave up his dream to take New York by the throat to instead come storm Oregon with a distinct viewpoint of wanting to represent the Northwest but aspire to compete with Burgandy and is unashamed to source the best grapes from wherever they may be, including CA and WA, in pursuit of that unique taste profile. And, I also love how they CLEARLY love food- they were everywhere, daily, at Feast Portland events, and this is the second event where they have pointedly put wine and food together into pairings to really help tell the story of deliciousness.

And Chef Sarah, you are kickass, I could have eaten a half dozen of those chicken fried oysters and a whole chicken of that fried chicken, and I was savoring each of those beans individually in that pork chop dish!
AJ Kemp, storyteller and winemaker for Hawks View Cellars

Check out Hawks View Cellars – tastings are by appointment only but are very personal in touring the vineyard and learning and tasting all their wines- and the kickass deliciousness and best fried chicken in Portland at Irving St Kitchen!

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post, Wine Tagged With: AJ Kemp, April Yap-Hennig, chardonnay, Chef Sarah Schafer, chicken fried oysters, fried chicken, Hawks View Cellars, Irving St. Kitchen, Irving Street Kitchen, La Baleine, Oregon Chardonnay, Oregon Pinot Noir, Oregon wines, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Salmon Gravlax, Sponsored, The Unicorn, White Pinot Noir

Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch 2013

June 25, 2013 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Last Saturday, Portland Monthly‘s Country Brunch event was back! Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for “Best Bloody Mary” in the second-annual Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut. When entering, you receive a punchcard to sample each of these (shown in the order I sampled everything ,which was quite a feat but I felt compelled to gave a thorough report for you)…

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013. Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for a Bloody Mary Smackdown

Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut:
Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown

Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State’s proprietary okra pickles that were pickled for… a long time. I wish I remember, but I remember being really struck by how long of a time it was. And then I drank all the other bloodys and don’t remember. Sorry 🙁
Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish. It was hard to resist just picking up an extra skewer.
Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered an OMG Bloody Mary with their “The Experiment #3” with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG. This was my personal favorite of the bloody marys I had. The seat I was able to grab so I can drink, eat, and take these photos was near his station so I watched his nimble fingers preparing these delectable drinks during my brunch.
Genies Cafe Horseradish Bloody courtesy of Nadia Mihalik included their house infused horseradish vodka and Genies bloody mary mix garnished with an olive, pepperoncini and celery, and a jalapeno infused salt rim
Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary
Le Bistro Montage Steve Dodge created the Bloody Miles with house-infused andouille sausage, Absolut vodka, horseradish, celery salt, lime, Worchestershrie, Tabasco, other spices and garnished with Spam gave me a smoky drink that set my mouth on fire in a very pleasant way. At this point, I had to make my way to the Whole Foods garnish station for some shrimp and mozz balls so I could taste what was coming next… I could see why this won Judge’s Choice.
Irving Street Kitchen (Defending Champion) Michael “Fresh Mike Miller and Pete Koptiu” won People’s Choice with their Irving Street Bloody Mary

Featuring for country brunch food:

Kevin Atchley, Walt Alexander and Brian Snyder of Pine State Biscuits, whose sample was Ayers Creek cornmeal crusted Carolina catfish mini biscuits with vinegar slaw and sweet pickle remoulade.
Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean’s showcased their bounty of baked goods all over their station, and it was hard to resist picking up an extra biscuit. But, they gave a pretty generous brunch sample that was a whole balanced plate. This included Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust.
Chef Dee of Genies Cafe were making their Classic Bene, with housemade Canadian bacon topped with a cage free poached egg and famous homemade hollandaise sauce on an English muffin
Gregory Gourdet of Departure served up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger I was feeling a bit too light headed from the Bloody Marys I had enjoyed to squee, but it definitely crossed my mind but thankfully my physical body was too slow. Instead, I returned and savored the extreme crunch and pops of bright flavors of this fried chicken biscuit. I picked this at the same time I had the Circa 33 Experiment #3 Bloody Mary and was in heaven.
Patrick Fleming of Boke Bowl brought my personal choice for favorite bite, Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots.
Scott Dolich of Bent Brick provided the end to my brunch with Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushies

Guests could add additional garnishes to their Bloody Mary thanks to Whole Foods, who provided a station with inspiring natural ingredients for skewers, while another station had sweet bites next to a Blue Moon beer station for those who wanted a beer pairing instead of a Bloody Mary. Finally, everyone could finish off their meal of brunch and bloodies with a special Zenger Farm – inspired herbal ice cream by Ruby Jewel (I was seriously too stuffed to even partake, but it looked awesome) as well as enjoy alternate refreshing beverages from Blue Moon beer, Stumptown Coffee, or Joia natural sodas that included one that was Pineapple, Coconut & Nutmeg, and another of Lime, Hibiscus, and Clove, and in the background wonderful country twang entertainment by Caleb Klauder Country Band

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Whole Foods, Bloody Mary Smackdown, garnish station For the Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2013 and Bloody Mary Smackdown, in the background wonderful country twang entertainment was provided by Caleb Klauder Country Band

100% of net proceeds will benefit Zenger Farm‘s new Urban Grange, an 8,960-square-foot facility on the farm for classes, business incubation, and events for its ongoing efforts to connect Portland communities to fresh-grown food. Zenger Farm is a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. There is an article about Zenger Farm’s commitment to community and connecting people to the food ecosystem from the ground up (literally) at the farm level here from Portland Monthly.

Portland Monthly Magazine always puts together amazing events, bringing exceptional food and drinks and setting up a gorgeous atmosphere in terms of decorations and entertainment. Every event I’ve attended has been fantastic and positive. They had many of their magazines splayed out on the table (I already subscribe) and is definitely worth getting the print edition so you can thumb through their beautiful photos. I also love their Eat Beat, and you can rely on them to help point you towards the best in Portland. I mean, just look at my experience from this- such an embarrassment of riches, they are so cool. You can see more photos at their slideshow of the party pics.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Absolut, Aquavit Slushies, Bent Brick, bloody mary, bloody mary garnishes, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Bloody Miles, Blue Moon, Blueberry and Asian Pear Crisp, Boke Bowl, Boke Eggs and Bacon, Buttermilk Biscuits, Caleb Klauder country band, Church of the Bloody Mary, Circa 33, Corned Beef Hash Sausage, Cornmeal Crusted Catfish Biscuits, Country Brunch 2013, Crunchy Fried Chicken biscuit, Departure Restaurant and Lounge, Experiment #3, Florida Room, fried chicken and waffle wrap, Genies Cafe, Genies Cafe Classic Bene, Holy Ghost, Horseradish Bloody, Irving Street Bloody Mary, Irving Street Kitchen, Lauretta Jeans, Le Bistro Montage, mini-tart cherry pie, Olympic Mary, olympic provisions, Pan Asian Bloody Mary, Pine State Biscuits, Pine State Bloody Mary, Portland Monthly, Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Ruby Jewel, Spam, Spencer Conger, whole foods, Zenger Farm

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap and Upcoming Blogger Bake Sale #NoKidHungry

A Grand Feast of Oregon, by Hawks View Cellars and Irving St Kitchen

How to Enjoy Food and Drink Pairings

Hawks View Cellars + Irving Street Kitchen Courses

First Course Food and Wine Pairing

Second Course Food and Wine Pairing

Third Course Food and Wine Pairing

Fourth Course Food and Wine Pairing

Fifth Course Food and Wine Pairing

Sixth Course Food and Wine Pairing

Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch 2013

Recent Posts

About Pech

Sponsored Ad

Categories

Archives

Legalese

More Content!

Meta