Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch 2013

June 25, 2013 by 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 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 🙁
        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 pickle 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 pickle 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 pickle
      • 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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 garnishPortland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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  Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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
      • 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered 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
      • 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
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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  Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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
      • Irving Street Kitchen (Defending Champion) Michael “Fresh Mike Miller and Pete Koptiu” won People’s Choice with their Irving Street Bloody Mary
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Irving Street Bloody Mary Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, 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, Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State's proprietary okra pickle Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, 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. Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, 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. Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased 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
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Justin Johnson and 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, 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, paired with the Genies Cafe brunch plate of Chef Dee's 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves 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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves 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
      • 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.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl 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
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich

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 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Whole Foods, Bloody Mary Smackdown, garnish station Portland Monthly's Country Brunch and Bloody Mary Smackdown, Joia Natural Soda provided an alternative refreshment 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.

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Beer ‘n’ Burgers, 2011

August 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I really liked this Beer ‘n” Burgers event last year (see my photos and review), so I’m glad to see it back this year. They have moved it to the Fred Meyer Hollywood (3030 NE Weidler) in order to have more room, which they vaguely refer to as “on the East Side”.

The event is hosted by Portland Monthly in partnership with Fred Meyer and benefits Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. For $17, attendees can try tastings of beer from ten local breweries and sliders from seven local brewhouse chefs competing for the title of Best Burger- which the audience gets to vote for (the cost is $12 if not partaking in beer). The list of brewhouse participants:

  • Alameda Brewhouse
  • BridgePort Brewery
  • Buckman Brewery
  • Burnside Brewing Co
  • Deschutes Brewery
  • Full Sail Brewing Co
  • Henry’s Tavern
  • Laurelwood Brewing Co
  • Ninkasi Brewing
  • Widmer Brothers Brewing

The burgers:

  • BridgePort Brewing Company’s BIG ISLAND LITTLE BURGER: Beef and pork belly grind, char siu glaze, house cured pork belly, spicy sambal slaw, cilantro chimichurri, and tangy pickled red onions served on a toasted BridgePort Bakery Portuguese Sweet roll.
  • Deschutes Brewery’s THE YELLOW BELLY BURGER: Spicy pesto, candied yellow pear tomatoes, whipped goat cheese, and Obsidian Stout braised pork belly perched atop Deschutes Brewery Portland Pub’s classic spent-grain fed Coleman Ranch beef patty and elegantly gift-wrapped with a whole-grain mustard ciabatta bun.
  • Laurelwood Public House & Brewery is cooking up their TEXAS BBQ BURGER: Smoked brisket, horseradish coleslaw, crispy Walla Walla onions, and Laurelwood’s signature Free Range Red BBQ sauce.
  • Henry’s Tavern is grilling a HENRY’S HITMAN BURGER: Brioche bun topped with a burger patty, pesto aioli, provolone cheese, mixed greens, pickled sweet pepper, and jalapeño stuffed olives.
  • Burnside Brewing Co has in store their BURNSIDE BURGER: Liquid nitrogen-dipped and duck fatfried beef patty with ketchup, grilled onion, bacon, and cheddar powders, served with dill pickle “caviar”.
  • Widmer Brothers Brewing THE GASTHAUS BURGER: Local Oregon beef, butter lettuce, Inaba Farms tomatoes and caramelized onion topped with smoked blue cheese & Nelson IPA fondue, served on a toasted brioche bun.
  • Alameda Brewhouse’s TILLAMOOK CHEDDAR PEPPER BACON BURGER: Frank’s Choice free ground beef, Zenner’s thick cut pepper bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese on a Kaiser bun

100% of net proceeds will go directly to the Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Summer Meals Program that helps provide funds for organizations to serve meals to low-income children during the summer when school is not in session. I’ll be there… even though I need to be back to a party I am hosting later that afternoon, so I’ll be one of the first in line!

Portland Monthly is the host as I mentioned, and right now they are having a summer sale of $11 for the entire year- less then $1 an issue. You can access that offer through their FB page. I like to rotate these as reading material available in the bathroom…

Another interesting upcoming charity event also beings sponsored by Fred Meyer is Indulge at the Jupiter Hotel on September 22, 2011 from 5:30 to 9 PM. For regular admission of $45 (those purchasing tickets before September 9th pay $40), you can indulge in eats and drinks from 17 restaurants and food carts varying from Laurelhurst Market, Beaker and Flask, Genoa/Accanto, Screendoor, and Tabla to Cheese Bar and Lardo and Hot Pink Taco. Meanwhile beverages include various distilleries, breweries, and wineries.

The proceeds benefit p:ear programs helping to build positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15 to 24, through education, art and recreation so that they can engage in meaningful interactions with the larger community of Portland. Each year these programs serve more than 550 homeless and transitional young people.

I love how these events instead of being high price ticket fancy galas where you need to behave and dress up are more focused on bringing together good food and drink and are affordable to allow more supporters, and I can wear something with some tummy flexing room… 🙂

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