This post is not meant to alarm, but be forewarned: WAFFLES. BACON. BLOODY MARY BAR.
First. Duff Goldman made me breakfast… Continue Reading…
After an evening of Feasting on sandwiches in Director Park at the Feast Portland 2014 Sandwich Invitational, I returned downtown for more adventures at the Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting in Portland’s living room: Pioneer Courthouse Square. There, under sunny skies (and shaded cover of tents), every food and drink you could wish for from Oregon producers: wine and cheese, berries and beer, coffee and cakes and cookies and crackers, wild game and wild combinations.
(Shhh…don’t tell anyone, but I felt a little bit like Templeton in Charlotte’s Web.)
Food, Oregon
My Feast Portland 2014: Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational
September 29, 2014The first night in at Feast Portland 2014, I took my hungry self to the Sandwich Invitational to taste the 14 entries from chefs around the country and cast my vote for the People’s Choice winner.
Ted and I were traveling overseas during the inaugural Feast Portland 2012, and I salivated from afar as Oregon’s lavish bounty was shared with the world and splashed across the internet. In 2013, I wistfully wished to be tasting flavors and sharing stories in person…but I was occupied with the primary mission of getting to know (and feed!) my new little person, babyOregonian, who joined our family just two days before the Feast kick-off.
The third year was the charm! This time, 2014, I was so happy to make good on the mission to experience this terrific new Portland tradition and to share the fun with friends at home and around the world.
For peeks into the festivities, see my updates from:
Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Dave’s Killer Bread
Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting presented by Alaska Airlines
and my ultimate favorite: Tillamook Brunch Village
Head to Feast’s website for details on their Fighting Hunger Campaign and while you’re there, scroll through the who’s-who list of chefs, restaurants, and producers participating in Feast 2014. This post sponsored by Feast Portland. All opinions and ridiculous excitement over delicious food are entirely my own.
Director Park: Site of the soon-coming Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational Presented by Dave’s Killer Bread
Is it really any surprise that “the best food festival in the country” (thank you, Thrillist) is right here in our own back yard? I’ve been looking forward to attending Feast Portland for three years, and the week has finally come! Continue Reading…
Earlier this month, we bundled Lucie in her little beige sweatshirt and bright yellow leggings and set out for Saturday brunch with friends at Portland’s newly opened Oso Market + Bar.
After all the meals around the world, there’s still nothing like breaking bread (or splitting charcuterie plates, as it were) with people we’ve known since childhood.
“The Six of Us” are three couples who have palled around for decades (since grade school in several cases), and considering we’re only hovering at three-decade mark in median age, that’s saying a lot. Darian, Rebekah and their daughter Ashlynn were home visiting Oregon from transplant life in Nebraska, and Ryan, Sara and their daughters Genevieve and Madeleine made the hour drive up from Molalla. As part of our Portland reunion, “The Six of Us + Offspring” planned to start our day together at Oso Market + Bar, where Ryan’s brother Jason is executive chef.
Ryan, Ted, and Lucie with Oso owner Holly Johnson
“Spanish Brunch!” boasted the clever little shop sandwiched among the trendy taverns and tasty restaurants of the Central Eastside Industrial District. The bright orange chairs popped against sidewalks of Portland cement, and blustering fallen leaves chased us in the front door. Lucie slept contentedly, bundled in her blanket, oblivious to the cold and the commotion. Continue Reading…
BabyOregonian, Food, Oregon, Short and Sweet and Scattershot
Thanksgiving-Eve: This Calls for Pie
November 27, 2013Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Ted worked a half day and rode the MAX home from work, and as traffic stacked up on Portland freeways, we took Lucie a dozen blocks down the road for a holiday kick-off cup of coffee and slice of Bipartisan Cafe pie…
Argentina, Buenos Aires, Destinations, Food
Hidden Treasure in Buenos Aires: Jueves a la Mesa
November 21, 2013At home in Portland, Oregon, I love to grow and shop for fresh produce, cook in my own kitchen, share meals with friends, and advocate for sustainable, nourishing food systems.
On the road, few things are better than visiting farmers markets around the world, discovering outstanding restaurants, taking cooking lessons from wonderful teachers, and meeting people who also possess a penchant for celebrating the unadulterated joys of food.
During our four week stay in Buenos Aires during the sweltering hot summer months of February and March, we managed to find a clearing in the haze of steak and pasta: a breath of fresh air at a closed-door-dinner hidden in a nondescript apartment building in our neighborhood.
Jueves a la Mesa, Thursday at the Table.
Red wine runs freely in Buenos Aires, but cool, clear water and bright vegetarian food on a hot summer night gave traditional Argentinian fare a run for the money.
Our friend Kaylea was visiting us from Oregon, and booking a spot at the mysterious un-restaurant seemed just the kind of adventure we were looking for. There is no publicized address. No walk-up table service. You must make reservations ahead of time, and only then do you receive directions to the hidden meal prepared and hosted in the owner’s home.
We three headed out into the night, following instructions to reach the gold-knobbed door to the lobby and the dated elevator leading up into the unknown… Continue Reading…
Cambodia, Destinations, Featured Partners, Food, Intrepid
Frogs and Eels and Pig Heads
January 16, 2013We’d been in Siem Reap for just one night and wandered through the buzzing downtown market stalls: woven scarves and metal jewelry, tourist T-shirts and carved trinkets. Colorful, and fun to gawk at while eating ice cream from Blue Pumpkin, certainly.
But what fun to get up the next morning, hop in a remork, and ride in the opposite direction of the crowds toward a real taste of the vivid, smelly, real-deal village markets supported by the Cambodian families of Tonlé Sap.
Twenty minutes through the countryside, a turn down a few smaller roads, and we arrived at the outskirts of the morning bustle, where space is first-come-first-serve and people set up in the wee hours to claim the best spot. Continue Reading…
Destinations, Featured Places, Food, Thailand
Creamy-Sweet and Salty-Hot Cooking Lessons in Chiang Mai
December 9, 2012Q: What’s the next best thing to growing up in Thailand and learning to cook Thai food from your mom?
A: Taking cooking lessons in Chiang Mai from a local Thai chef, learning secrets she learned from her mom and tricks of the trade she’s picked up as a pro in Thailand…and around the world.
Celebrity Thai Chef “Yui” Siripen Sriyabhaya, at her home-based A Lot of Thai Cooking School
Here’s the thing. Much like any spot in the world open to eager tourists, Chiang Mai is chalk full of touted “authentic” experiences. Elephant rides and cooking schools, for example. Continue Reading…