My Picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016

June 9, 2016 by 5 Comments

I’ll be at the festival on Friday [this post and the top picks list updated Friday 9PM after attending], but going in, here are my recommendations for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016. If you haven’t heard of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, it is part of Portland Beer Week (as I wrote about earlier this week) and is taking place this year from Friday June 10 – Sunday 12th at the North Park Blocks (entrance on NW Davis between 8th Avenue and Park Avenue). This is a move from the past at Burnside Brewing’s parking lot to a 40% larger space, plus now there is shade! As before, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival is also all ages, though you have to be of legal age to drink beer or cider.
Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 Poster

    • The hours of the festival are
      • Friday June 10th 11:30 AM – 9 PM
      • Saturday June 11th 11 AM – 9 PM
      • Sunday June 12th 11 AM – 6 PM
    • Cost of the festival are
      • Free admission to non-drinkers.
      • Advanced General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 15 drink tickets (those who arrive Friday before 2:30 PM get an additional 3 drink tickets). The cups are plastic glasses.
        Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 plastic cup Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 plastic cup
      • At the Door General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 12 drink tickets, but it is cash only at the door
      • The sample pours of the fruit beers and the ciders will be 1-3 tickets for a 4 ounce pour. When I was there on Friday, there were 12 beers that were 1 ticket a pour, and most were 2 tickets with a few smaller kegs being 3 tickets.
      • You can purchase additional drink tickets for $1. Cash only.
      • Once you have your wristband and cup, you do not need to pay to re-enter any of the days – you only need to have bring back the cup and drink tickets to drink.
      • In addition, you can purchase 12 ounces of beer via $3 can of Burnside Couch Lager and $4 cans of  Burnside IPA from Burnside Brewing’s Burnside Can Garden inside Festival. Cash only.

"4 Cider Riot taster at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival

My personal picks for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016: note that although some of my samplers are modeled in last year’s festival glass, this year since they are in an outdoor park the 2016 glasses will be plastic similar to the Holiday Ale Fest.

I make my selection based on how appealing the combination of beer and fruit sounds, particularly rewarding uniqueness. When I taste the beer I look for balance but importantly also being able to clearly taste the fruit, and any fruity characteristics that come from hop or yeast doesn’t count it must be the fruit added in the brewing process. So many of the beers in the entire Festival lineup are decent beers I’m sure, but I’m looking for distinguishing fruit as a flavor thread as part of the beer. Here’s my top 10 list of what I look forward to…

  • The Commons: Butterflies Hovering a Saison with pineapple and kaffir lime leaves 5.9% ABV I’m a fan of The Commons farmhouse style beers. With the pineapple it may sound sweet, but was more lime.
  • Culmination Brewing: Sun Rey, a tea Radler brewed with Jasmine Pearl tea soda, lime and raspberries and kettle soured with lacto for a tart and refreshing summer sipper that offers tartness from the raspberries, citrus from the pineapple and lime, and additional depth of tea flavor. I tasted it at the media preview and wanted more! 4% ABV and 5 IBUs.
    Portland Fruit Beer Festival taste of a fruit beer as I pondered my Recommendations for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016
  • Ex Novo Brewing: Cactus Wins the Lottery. Ex Novo felt that cactus deserved its day in the sun – or more honestly, apparently they heard the phrase on some Youtube video and wanted to brew a beer so they could use the meme saying. So this is reverse engineered beer to fit the name of a tart refreshing Berliner Weisse with the fruity punch of prickly pear cactus. They made 30 barrels of this so a few bottles may be found only after the festival at some bottle shops and New Seasons and Whole Foods. ABV 4.2%
    Ex Novo Brewing: Cactus Wins the Lottery. Ex Novo felt that cactus deserved its day in the sun - or more honestly, apparently they heard the phrase on some Youtube video and wanted to brew a beer so they could use the meme saying. So this is reverse engineered beer to fit the name of a tart refreshing Berliner Weisse with the fruity punch of prickly pear cactus.
  • 54-40 Brewing: Cucumber-Honeydew Bright Ale Crafted with nearly 400 lbs of honeydew melon and well over 100 cucumbers! I already love cucumbers as it is as I find them perfectly refreshing, and was really impressed as both the cucumber and honeydew truly comes through on this beer. 5% ABV 12 IBU
  • Fort George: Chasing the Dragon is a light bodied blonde Kettle sour with Dragonfruit, and black currant added post-fermentation. Slight sweetness with a tart finish where you start with a weird fruitness (maybe the dragonfruit) and finish with the black currant flavors. 5.4% ABV
  • Ruse Brewing: Patchwork (Strawberry Basil Tart) pours a pretty pastel pink and this tart ale is kettle soured then conditioned with a touch of basil and a copious amount of local strawberries which really come through in the nose and when you drink it, impressive since strawberry is so much work to get into beer with it’s delicate fruit! 4.8% ABV
  • 10 Barrel Brewing: Plum Spectacular, from Tonya comes a small batch kettle sour made especially for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. It has a crisp, clean, assertive sourness with plums.  6.4% ABV and 10 IBU
  • 2 Towns Ciderhouse: 2 Thorns is a collaboration cider when 2 Towns Ciderhouse and Portland Thorns FC teamed up to create “Two Thorns”using fresh-pressed Northwest apples, Oregon grown blackberries, raspberries, & rose petals with a special Vinho Verde Portuguese yeast to create a striking floral and berry cider that I found refreshingly tangy. 6.2% ABV
  • Finnriver Farm & Cidery: Black Stave, special edition of Finnriver’s popular flagship Black Currant Cider, farmcrafted with organic Washington Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, fermented dry, stave aged for depth and then married with an oaked, funky currant ferment for an extra special depth level of flavor. A limited release of the award winning, contemporary dark fruit cider made with wood. 6.5% Abv.
  • Portland Cider Co.: Boysenberry Hop blends Oregon boysenberry with an off-dry cider infused with citrus spice New Zealand hops. This is the first in Portland Cider Co.’s summer hop series limited release ciders and even though it looks very fruit forward like “screw the apples just me boysenberry is the star”, the actual flavors when we tried it were well balanced and not as sweet as it may appear as the hopped cider counter the fruit well.
    Portland Fruit Beer Festival taste of a cider as I pondered Recommendations for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016
  • Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider: Spicy Mango Tepache (Pineapple Cider) is not actually a cider using apple at all, but all fermented pineapple, this year returning with a mango twist with the addition of Ghost Peppers and fresh mango juice to definitely make a spicy tepache with a great burn. Traditionally you mix this partially with beer so its’ 2/3 Tepache and 1/3 beer – not sure which would be the perfect beer mixer for this, though several of us at a media tasting also whispered how this would be so perfect at brunch with sparkling wine mixed in. 3.2% ABV

Honorable Mention: Sixpoint: Raspy Sauce (Raspberry Berliner-Weisse w/ Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup) made a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup. I enjoyed this beer. F and I debated whether it should make the cut because he thought it was a cheat to use the syrup. However, berline-weiss beers are served with syrups, so I think it’s ok that it gets it’s extra raspberry  and spicy kick. 4.3% ABV
Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 Sixpoint Raspy Sauce beer, a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 Sixpoint Raspy Sauce beer, a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup
On the Rare/Rotating Beers and Ciders list (with small kegs rotating throughout – see the full beer list with the rare beers list here in pdf), I hope I might be lucky enough to be around to taste the Breakside: Bourbon Barrel Aged Sour Rye Beer with Coconut

Food options at the festival will include

  • Hot Lips Pizza will be offering their pizza as well as sodas. Their specialty pizza includes their limited edition PDX Beer Week specials pizza, Beer Bratlips, a pizza with Smoked Carlton Farms bratwurst simmered in Subcontinental IPA with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, fresh onions, mozzarella, and a garlic Parmesan base finished with whole grain maple mustard glaze that also has beer in the mustard.
    HOT LIPS Pizza's Beer Bratlips, a pizza with Smoked Carlton Farms bratwurst with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, fresh onions, mozzarella, and a garlic parmesan base finished with whole grain maple mustard glaze
  • BUNK Sandwiches bringing their famous Pork Belly Cubano as an option and they usually have a seasonal vegetarian option and a grilled cheese too
    Bunk Sandwiches, Tommy Habetz, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apple Chutney, Gruyere & Horseradish sandwich
  • Urban German Grill offering bratwurst and pretzels
    North American Organic Brewers Festival, Urban German Grill North American Organic Brewers Festival, Urban German Grill
  • Fifty Licks Ice Cream brings you dessert with ice cream and sorbetsThe best dressed ice cream man I've ever seen... Chad Draizin of Fifty Licks and his ice cream truck

Do you like fruit beers? Do any of the beers I listed intrigue you, and what would be your ideal combo for a fruit beer – what kind of fruit?
4 ounce taster pour at Portland Fruit Beer Festival

Disclosure: I attended a media event to sample some of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 beers and ciders, but I purchased my own admission/tickets to the festival, and have been attending and highlighting this festival for years! 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.

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Dining out For Raphael House

May 12, 2016 by 2 Comments

Now in it’s 6th year, the annual Restaurants for Raphael House will take place next Wednesday on May 18, all day. For the event, 40+ restaurants are participating all over Portland where a portion of their proceeds will be donated towards Raphael House. All you have to do is dine out next week on Wednesday at any of those restaurants.


Founded in 1977, Raphael House of Portland is the largest domestic violence shelter in Multnomah County, and is dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of domestic violence. They offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs to hundreds of adults and children annually, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education. Raphael House of Portland has been providing life-saving services to families for more than 38 years.

So please, how about making plans next week on Wednesday for a bite of breakfast and coffee? Or do lunch with a significant other, family, friends or coworkers? And then in the evening, get together with friends after work, or family night out, or date night? There are many restaurants all over to choose from, so it’s so easy to enjoy a good meal and eat for a good cause to help others. Dine out several times May 18th even! 

Every $100 raised during this event will provide one safe night in shelter for an adult or child escaping violence.

Here’s a look at the list: it may still be growing so check at the official Restaurants for Raphael House website.

Southeast

  • Accanto | 2838 SE Belmont St  Serving Italian fare for dinner like handmade pasta, and making the most of lots of local seasonal ingredients. Everything here is good!
    Accanto: potato gnocchi, lamb bolognese, mint and pecorino Accanto: capellini with samphire, garlic, chili, and fennel seed
  • Bazi Bierbrasserie | 1522 SE 32nd Ave Offering Belgian Beers and Food in a kid-friendly atmosphere and has a patio
  • Bread and Ink Cafe | 3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd Roomy, long-lived American restaurant on Hawthorne with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
  • Chiang Mai | 3145 SE Hawthorne Blvd  Dishing up traditional specialties from Northern Thailand for lunch and dinner,  look for dishes you haven’t seen at a typical Thai food menu like  Gang Hung Lay and Khao Tod Naem Kook and Palo Moo.
  • Farm Spirit | 1414 SE Morrison St Excellent vegan dining experience with a tasting menu that I highly recommend even for those who aren’t vegan, see recaps of my previous experiences dining here in September 2015 and then February 2016.
    Tomato Water, plums, herbs, basil oil, nasturtium capers, cherry tomatoes
  • Fifty Licks Ice Cream | 2021 SE Clinton St One of my favorite ice cream parlors in Portland with traditional as well as nontraditional flavors, including sorbets for the dairy free and cool toppings and the best sffrogato in town. Flavors I’ve enjoyed include Stumptown Coffee, Roasted Milk, Thai Jasmine Rice with Pandan, and toppings of Bee Pollen or Sweet Corn Dust or Potato Chips! Below you can see Jasmine Tea with Apricot with bee pollen topping and then Fifty Licks Buttermilk Fudge Ice Cream with Lime Zest, Peanuts, Candied Ginger, and Shaved bottarga
    Fifty Licks, ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters, this one is Jasmine Tea with Apricot with bee pollen topping Fifty Licks Buttermilk Fudge Ice Cream with Lime Zest, Peanuts, Candied Ginger, and Shaved bottarga
  • Pacific Pie Co. | 1520 SE 7th Ave  Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
    Pacific Pie, Classic Chicken Pot Pie
  • Redwood | 7915 SE Stark St  American restaurant & lounge in Montavilla offering brunch everyday along with lunch and dinner that is a mix of classic (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, fried brussels sprouts, cheddar and corn fritters) and new (grilled eggplant sandwich, braised tongue sandwich, mussels in house curry).
  • Roost | 1403 SE Belmont St American Bistro offering dinner in the Buckman neighborhood
  • Rose City Coffee Company | 7325 SE Milwaukie Ave Cute coffee house roasting beans daily specializing in fair trade and organic coffees and homemade pastries
  • Ruby Jewel – Hawthorne | 4703 SE Hawthorne Blvd The best ice cream sandwiches with choose your own homemade ice cream and cookies combo in Portland
    Ruby Jewel Scoops
  • Taqueria Nueve | 727 SE Washington St Tasty Mexican food and margaritas with a patio open in the evenings
  • The Country Cat Dinner House & Bar | 7937 SE Stark  Southern food serving brunch (including classic cast iron fried chicken, or chicken fried steak or smoked bbq brisket sandwich) and dinner (from that fried chicken again to a fish fry, duck leg, lamb meatloaf or a dish of whole hog) every day.
    The Country Cat, Portland Oregon, Grilled peaches with Lamb Bacon
  • Ya Hala | 8005 SE Stark St Family owned restaurant specializing in the homey traditional Lebanese cuisine for lunch and dinner.

Northeast

  • Acadia Bistro | 1303 NE Fremont St A New Orleans Bistro with Cajun-Creole food
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Louisiana Barbeque Shrimp with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. I went back to the bowl and spooned the sauce right onto my bread.
  • Altabira City Tavern | 1021 NE Grand Ave #600 Restaurant at the Hotel Eastlund with a fabulous city view rooftop patio offering food and drink right across from the Oregon Convention Center and conveniently close to the Blazers games in Lloyd Center district
    Altabira City Tavern
  • Bella Faccia Pizzeria | 2934 NE Alberta St Funky neighborhood pizza with New York style pizza, including vegan pizza options for lunch and dinner.
  • Beulahland | 118 NE 28th Ave  Coffee and Alehouse offering breakfast, and then beer alongside American eats such as sandwiches & games including pinball or on the TVs (particularly futball/soccer from Europe, as well as local Timbers) during lunch and dinner.
  • Dove Vivi Pizza | 2727 NE Glisan St  Famous cornmeal-crust pizzas, there are also vegan pizza options from 4 PM on. Below are some slices I recently enjoyed, Pesto Pizza with spinach pesto, mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, tomatoes, basil and a slice of Blue Thyme pizza by Dove Vivi with that famous cornmeal crust and blue cheese, mozzarella, caramelized yellow onions and thyme.
    Pesto Pizza with spinach pesto, mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, tomatoes, basil by Dove Vivi with that famous cornmeal crust Blue Thyme pizza by Dove Vivi with that famous cornmeal crust and blue cheese, mozzarella, caramelized yellow onions and thyme
  • Noble Rot Wine Bar & Restaurant | 1111 E Burnside St  Fourth floor restaurant along Burnside Avenue with seasonal ingredients including fro mits own garden and a rooftop patio with city views
  • Pip’s Original Doughnuts & Chai | 4759 NE Fremont St  Fried to order mini doughnuts with chai and coffee beverages open 8 AM – 4 PM
    Pip's Doughnuts One each of their Raw Honey and Sea Salt doughnut and a Meyer Lemon and Pear Butter doughnut, with a sample of either their Smoky Robinson Chai or Heart of Gold Chai
  • Rose and Thistle Public House | 2314 NE Broadway St  Scottish pub drinks and food

North Portland

  • Fino Bistro, Bar & Pizzeria | 8225 N Denver Ave Casual pizza and pasta
  • Las Primas | 3971 N Williams Ave #103  Peruvian eatery serving sandwiches, empanadas & other traditional street food & cocktails for lunch and dinner. I love their happy hour with their pisco sours (the national Peruvian cocktail) and I can’t resist getting the appetizer of Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. It’s a popular street food and I see why because they go down very fast. Though it comes with a dip already, I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them. Also try the empanada, and a main dish.
    Las Primas Happy Hour, pisco sour (the national Peruvian cocktail) Las Primas addictive appetizer ofTequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. Las Primas addictive appetizer ofTequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them
  • Ruby Jewel – Mississippi | 3713 N Mississippi Ave The best ice cream sandwiches with choose your own homemade ice cream and cookies combo in Portland
  • TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce, Swan Island | 3449 N Anchor St  Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.
    Tilt Restaurant, burger Island Trucker includes their fresh ground, 100% natural, local chuck patty, topped then with house baked honey cured ham, beer battered onion rings, grilled pineapple, house recipe teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, lettuce, mayo on their house recipe bun. Also their beer battered house fries in large

Southwest Portland

  • AQUARIVA | 0470 SW Hamilton Ct Modern dining at the riverfront at the River’s Edge Hotel and Spa
  • GiGi’s Cafe | 6320 SW Capitol Hwy Breakfast and lunch spot offering hashes, scrambles, waffles and sandwiches
  • Mother’s Bistro & Bar | 212 SW Stark St  Cafe and bar with homey decor made a bit more fancy with beautiful chandeliers specializes in hearty comfort-food by moms (traditional, homey, comforting, made from scratch), if your mom really knew how to cook, serving breakfast lunch and dinner. They also serve great Cocktails at the bar, and fabulous French pressed coffee.
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with an Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions
  • Ruby Jewel – West End | 428 SW 12th Ave  The best ice cream sandwiches with choose your own homemade ice cream and cookies combo in Portland
    Ruby Jewel Scoops
  • Thirst Bistro | 0315 SW Montgomery St #340 Waterfront wine bar and bistro in the South Waterfront area, including a patio right by the river

Northwest Portland

  • Cerulean Wine Bar & Bistro | 1439 NW Marshall St Wine bar and restaurant with an industrial chic setting and a patio
  • Justa Pasta Co. | 1336 NW 19th Ave Offers handmade fresh pasta since 1991
  • Pacific Pie Co. | 1668 NW 23rd Ave Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
    Pacific Pie Food Blogger Event - mini pies! Pacific Pie NW 23rd, Polenta with mushroom sauce, baked polenta with creamy organic crimini mushroom sauce Pacific Pie NW 23rd, Chicken Schnitzel that is skillet fried, seasoned and crumbed chicken breast served with your choice of potato and with a small green salad. I upped it by adding ham and melted Tillamook Cheddar
  • The Fireside | 801 NW 23rd Ave gastropub with New American food and per the name, fireplaces
  • TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforc, Pearl | 1355 NW Everett St  Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Beaverton

  • Chuck’s Place 148 B Ave Suite 200 (Lake Oswego)  Neighborhood cafe with coffee, tea, and baked goods (particularly the scones) in Lake Oswego.Chuckie Pies
  • Chuckie Pies 430 5th St (Lake Oswego) Neighborhood pizzeria offers classic Neapolitan-style pies in Lake Oswego.
  • Petite Patisserie | 16144 SE Happy Valley Town Center Dr (Happy Valley)   Bakery & coffee shop offering European-inspired baked goods, plus crêpes & sandwiches in Happy Valley.
  • MiNGO | 12600 SW Crescent Street Suite 120 (Beaverton) Italian restaurant right at the Beaverton Central Max stop offering lunch, really excellent happy hour, and dinner
  • Pine Shed Ribs and Barbecue | 17730 Pilkington Rd (Lake Oswego) Rustic bbq at outdoor tables

I know I have plans to support them – I hope you can also make it out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner sometime that day. You can make a difference! Post your support on social media using the hashtag #R4RH.

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Upcoming PDX Bloody Mary Events

April 15, 2016 by 4 Comments

There are two upcoming PDX Bloody Mary events if you are a big Bloody Mary and Brunch fan that I would like to highlight. As a lover of bloody marys myself – they are healthy with fruit and vegetables! And a snack because of the garnish! – I’m thrilled with two Sundays in a row featuring bloody marys in Portland. Both events feature the ability to enjoy multiple brunch bites and sample different bloody mary concoctions which you will vote on which is best! I love events like these where you get to try a lot of little things at once.

Portland Monthly Country Brunch


I have previously recapped the Portland Monthly Country Brunch when I attended last year in 2015, the year before in 2014, and then in 2013. If you haven’t heard of this event before, it’s an annual event, now in it’s fifth year, that will benefit Zenger Farm. The event includes a punch card so that you can visit all the booths and taste a brunch sample dish from this year seven restaurants or food carts, as well as get a sample of each of the seven entrants for the Bloody Mary Smackdown where participants vie for the title of Best Bloody Mary from either the Judge’s Choice Award or People’s Choice Award.

Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2015, Brunch bite from The Sudra offered a healthy vegan option with Tofu Scramble and black rice porridge along with a Bloody Mary Smackdown entry from Urban Farmer of a Spicy Bell Pepper Bloody Mary with a hint of smoke and spice from the roasted peppers Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2015, Bloody Mary Smackdown entry from Raven and Rose of Full Bloody Irish. Blending the spiciness of chile pepper-vodka and a touch of nitro stout topped with a skewer that contains an Irish breakfast including potato and black and white pudding

This year the date of the fifth annual Portland Monthly Country Brunch is Sunday April 24, 2016 from 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM. The event takes place at Castaway Portland this year on and is sponsored by Portland Monthly Magazine as well as others.

Chef Rick Gencarelli from Lardo of course brought the fat with a Pork Belly Egg Benedict with a buttery buttermilk biscuit, big hunk of pork belly, fried quail egg, and Frank's hollandaise. Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm Chef Johanna Ware from Smallwares brought one of my favorite Asian breakfast dishes, Breakfast congee with Chinese Sausage, egg, scallion, granola and maple ponzu at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

The restaurants and food cart offering brunch bites include

Meanwhile, the seven competitors for the Bloody Mary Smackdown (I’m guessing the vodka used will be from Crater Lake Spirits since they are a sponsor) include

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

One of the reasons I enjoy this event is that they offer lots of seats and tables unlike many other food events where you left trying to balance your plate of food and beverage while standing. The lines for the food and drink in previous years under regular admission were generally maybe at the most 7-8 minutes I’m sure we can also expect some coffee thanks to another sponsor, Coava. , Last year a pushcart would come by offering bottomless Manmosas (beer +orange juice) and Crispin Cider is returning as a sponsor this year as well.

There is live music (this year provided by the June Bugs) to enjoy while dining, and there are always a few adults and many children who dance. Other extras for this year’s event seem to include “a breakfast-in-bed photo booth (possibly from sponsor Bedmart?) Recreation Dept’s über designed lawn games, baby livestock, and more”!

Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2015, Hank Sinatra and the Atomic Cowboys and emcee Poison Waters

You can buy your tickets here. It is $50 for VIP admission that includes early admission and a swag bag and all food and drink, $45 VIP without bloody marys, $40 for regular admission that includes the brunch and bloody marys, $30 for the food only without bloody  marys, and kids 5 and younger are free. Yes, it’s a family friendly event (to drink alcohol must be 21+ of course).

Kachka Bloody Mary Bloc Party

A new event this year, the Kachka Bloody Mary Bloc Party is set to celebrate the release of Kachka‘s incredible horseradish vodka now by the bottle thanks to New Deal Distillery.

Taking place on Sunday May 1, 2016 from 11 AM – 3 PM, the event includes brunch bites and housemade bloody marys from

Only Oso Market usually serves brunch, so this is a unique opportunity to see what the other 4 Grand Avenue bars will be offering.

The cost is $30 ticket (buy your tickets here) and is good for a shot of Kachka Horseradish Vodka when you first check in to get your passport in your souvenir shot class. Then the passport is good for one mini bloody mary and one brunch bite at each of the five location with a closing rally at Bit House Saloon from 2 – 3 PM for your vote (votes must be in by 2:30 PM) to hear the winner of the “Best Bloody Mary on Grand.” The first 75 people to purchase a ticket, like myself, also get a Kachka Trucker Hat. I can’t wait to model mine during the event.

Sounds pretty grand to me!

Do you enjoy bloody marys, and if so what is your favorite bloody mary joint in Portland? If bloody mary is not your brunch beverage of choice, what is?

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Poutine for the People

April 22, 2015 by 3 Comments

Poutine is three things: French Fries. Cheese curds. Gravy.

But for 5 days in April, this very week and only until Friday or the 25 (not sure…), that poutine is a foundation for so much more. For April 20 – 25, 7 participating restaurants have created inventive poutines across town with proceeds from each dish going directly to Providence Cancer Center, where local immunotherapy researchers are teaching our own immune systems to target and destroy cancer cells. So come help eat for a cause, or encourage others who are making after work plans to visit these restaurants who took the time and effort to support this.
Poutine for the People 2015

The seven Poutine for the People Partners include<

The Original Dinerant

French fries, curds, red wine-braised short rib, brown gravy
Poutine for the People eating fundraiser for cancer research where proceeds go to the Providence Cancer Center. 7 restaurants participated, here is The Original Dinerant's version with french fries, curds, red wine-braised short rib, brown gravy

Hopworks Urban Brewery (Powell Location Only)

Wedge-cut fries, cheese curds and vegan brown gravy (shredded pork’s extra)

Tried going grocery shopping this afternoon, but it didn’t quite work out…I had Lola with me and she was out in front of @newseasonsmarket in their dog waiting area (because that’s a thing in Portland) and before I could buy anything, over the loudspeaker they start paging “the owner of the adorable black and white dog who is currently showing signs of distress” to come and get their dog The dog waiting area is shaded, fenced, has water, and I’ve put Lola in there dozens of times while grocery shopping in the past and never had an issue, but today she just was not having it So home I went, sans groceries…the upside? We went to have poutine on the patio at @hopworksbeer for dinner instead on this gorgeous evening! ☀️ Also, this week proceeds from poutines sold at various Portland restaurants goes to Providence Cancer Center! #PoutineForThePeople #pdxeats #pdxnow #80degreesinapril #lovemycity

A photo posted by Jane Graybeal (@inthepinkandgreen) on

Laurelhurst Market

French fries, mozzarella, peas, crispy pork shoulder, gravy

Potato Champion

French fries, curds, gravy (beef or meatless)

My favorite poutine. #poutineforthepeople #portland #pdxstagram #instapdx #foodporn
A photo posted by Samantha O’Reilly (@sicklittlejag) on

Radio Room

French fries, mozzarella, roasted green chiles, crispy pig ear, soft-poached egg, sausage gravy
Poutine for the People eating fundraiser for cancer research where proceeds go to the Providence Cancer Center. 7 restaurants participated, here is Radio Room with French fries, mozzarella, roasted green chiles, crispy pig ear, soft-poached egg, sausage gravy Poutine for the People eating fundraiser for cancer research where proceeds go to the Providence Cancer Center. 7 restaurants participated, here is Radio Room with French fries, mozzarella, roasted green chiles, crispy pig ear, soft-poached egg, sausage gravy

Smokehouse Tavern

French fries, curds, pulled pork, smoked brown gravy

Tabor Tavern

French fries, curds, onion gravy (pulled pork’s extra)

#PoutineForThePeople starts today all around PDX!! Come in for this mouthwatering combination of fries, cheese curds and…

Posted by Tabor Tavern on Monday, April 20, 2015

Check the hashtag on Twitter or Instagram for #PoutineforthePeople for more!

I only have the fortitude to visit maybe 3 – which ones interest you? I’ve already visited Radio Room and The Original, what should be my third?

By the way, if you go for any poutine yourself, I strongly recommend you share, because the two I’ve had are big enough for 2 as their main meal, or easily 4 as a starter, I mean look at the scale of these…
Poutine for the People eating fundraiser for cancer research where proceeds go to the Providence Cancer Center. 7 restaurants participated, here is The Original Dinerant's version with french fries, curds, red wine-braised short rib, brown gravy Poutine for the People eating fundraiser for cancer research where proceeds go to the Providence Cancer Center. 7 restaurants participated, here is Radio Room with French fries, mozzarella, roasted green chiles, crispy pig ear, soft-poached egg, sausage gravy

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Tips for Attending Feast Portland

September 10, 2014 by 7 Comments

GAH! Where did the summer go soooo fast? Can you believe Feast Portland, the best, most delicious, food festival in Portland, the all holidays rolled into one long weekend of September 18 – 21, is only 1 week away! EEEEEeee!!!

I have shared before an overview of Feast PDX 2014 in a previous Countdown to Feast post. This time, assuming you have a ticket to at least one event or have signed up for volunteering for Feast, I wanted to share tips for attending Feast Portland.

Tip 1: Carry a tote bag

You will be picking up business cards and pamphlets for instance if you are attending the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting on either Friday or on Saturday. Tickets are still available for these two events BTW! Anyway, I have a tote bag that has a small little mesh pocket on the side which I actually use to carry my drink glass sometimes. That way I had someplace to put my glass when I wanted to get both hands on my mini sandwiches when I was at the Sandwich Invitational last year (I also plan to attend the Sandwich Invitational this year also. And there are still tickets available for this event if you are interested).

The glass for beer at the Widmer Sandwich Invitational at Feast 2013 Supporting local, thanks to Whole Foods at Feast 2013

I also use the tote bag to carry extra napkins (including wetnaps!) and to carry the same knife/fork/spoon all night so I don’t have to use additional ones because I threw it away. I also have a bottle of water in there!

My tote bag also has a little notebook where I might jot down notes of things I might hear, be it stories from the vendors or one of the chef demonstrations at the Grand Tasting, or from talking to various people I may meet as we are simultaneously tasting wine together.

Who knows, you may even find something you’d like to buy and carry back with you… like I got these awesome T-shirts from Flavour Gallery that are super soft and comfortable and proudly proclaim my love of deliciousness. Only a week after Feast 2013 last year, I was excited to pack that shirt and wear in when I was traveling looking at waterfalls in Ithaca NY. I remember seeing them at the Sandwich Invitational and at the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting
Shirt from Flavour Gallery at Feast Portland 2013. I love this shirt. Me wearing my Feast Portland 2013 shirt from Flavour Gallery just a week later after Feast while posing with Buttermilk Falls in New York

The biggest secret in my bag? I have little ziploc bags in there. You don’t have to sample everything, but believe me, even so you can only eat so many of those Sandwich Invitational sandwiches without feeling overly full. One thing I learned from being a certified PNWBA barbecue judge is that there is no reason to take more than a few bites. Since I don’t want to waste the food, I then put the rest in the ziploc bag in my tote and move on to another taste. And then I eat those leftovers the whole next week after Feast…

Tip 2: Talk to Strangers

Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, Friday, Kyra's Bake Shop Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, Friday, Ben Jacobs3n himself of Jacobs3n Salt

I give my personal business card out freely as anyone I meet whether it be in line or while trying to balance samples is a food lover like me, and we can surely be friends. Something as simple as “Oooo, what are you having? Where did you get that?” or “Did you have a favorite sandwich/sample/wine/etc” is a great conversation opener. Everyone here is HAPPY to talk about food and drink while eating food and drink, believe me!

At events like the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, take this opportunity to find out the story about the various artisan vendors and to explore new things you have never tried before. This is a serious tip- Urban Bliss also included it on her tips list, and you should also check out her Top 10 Tips for Feast Portland Newbies post!

Tip 3: Make a Game Plan

When I first go to an event, before I even attend I take a look to see if their are any names that initially jump out at me as ones I want to visit right away. Then, when I actually arrive at the event, based on how busy it is, I will decide how I am going to order my visits. I personally like to be there when the event first opens. Then I walk around the entire event space, seeing who is where and what everyone is offering. Based on that, I then plan my visit order!
The layout of the High Comfort event at Feast 2013 Grilled Cheese Please! From Tillamook Widmer Sandwich Invitational at Feast PDX 2013

An example might be at the Sandwich Invitational and when I attended High Comfort last year (there are tickets still available to High Comfort for 2014!), I picked out certain chefs who I knew were from out of town and likely to be in high demand and figured out where their booths were and looked to see what they were serving as their sample tastes. Then based on that,  I picked out what I wanted to eat most and went from there. Pretty much I’ll be making a beeline for Hugh Acheson at Sandwich Invitational and for Aaron Franklin at the Tillamook Brunch Village (tickets already sold out!) for instance. <3 <3 <3

At an event like the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, check the schedule of the day to see who and when the chef demonstrations are occurring at the KitchenAid Main Demo Stage!
The Lee Brothers charm the audience during their Kitchenaid Demo, regaling with many stories while making oyster peanut stew on the KitchenAid Main Demo Stage at Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, Feast 2013 Naomi advise to squeeze butter w your hands to help warm it up as she prepares corn souffle on the KitchenAid Main Demo Stage at Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, Feast 2013

Tip 4: Wear Comfy Shoes and have Pockets

For events in which are will be visiting a lot of different booths in a food market style – namely the Sandwich Invitational Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting, High Comfort, and Brunch Village, you will be on your feet a lot. If you are attending the dinners or tasting panels you will be seated so relax.

Be prepared accordingly. These events are also rain or shine, so check the weather and bring a rainjacket hoodie if necessary. Don’t do an umbrella – you don’t want to waste your hands that could be holding food and drink!

I also highly recommend wearing something with easy accessible pockets. Even if you have your tote bag, you don’t want to go scrounging around in there each time you want to get your camera to grab a photo.

Tip 5: Use your Phone! Take Photos and follow Social Media

One of the best tricks for remembering delicious things is to take a photo of them. I take photos of signs describing the dish as I’m going up to the booth, and if I really like a particular beer or wine or anything, I take a photo. The visual cue of seeing the descriptions (particularly wine bottle labels) when I look on my phone is so helpful later!

In order to see what is happening and hot, be sure to check the hashtag #feastpdx on Twitter #feastpdx  or the handle 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 do share, make sure you tag #FeastPDX too.

I know I’m sorry to be missing the Night Market, but I’ll be following the pictures online to live vicariously through all the social sharers out there.

Given that you may be taking photos and twittering… don’t you think of leaving home without your phone charger with you. Who knows how long the evening might extend to and you don’t want to run out of battery.

Make sure you also program a taxi number in your phone. You may not need it, but it’s so useful to have just in case you get invited to party on with new friends that you meet…

I’ll be on Twitter and Instagram myself covering Feast, so I hope we are already friends on Twitter @pechluck and on Instagram @pechluck .

If you don’t have tickets yet, the recommendation I would give (and apparently so would Carrie Welch, one of the co-founder of Feasts – she noted this in an interview Bakery Bingo recently posted. Also check out some interesting tidbits about her at an interview of Carrie at love, rachel with her post Coffee Conversations: Carrie Welch Co-Founder of Feast Portland is to strongly consider either the Sandwich Invitational on Thursday evening, or Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting on either Friday or on Saturday.

I hope these tips are helpful to you, and maybe I’ll see you at Feast? Don’t be shy about coming to say hi!

Disclosure: I was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2014 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 – so it just means I will have more to recap for you now!

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