My Feast Portland 2014: Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting

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.)

It's that perfect kind of almost-autumnish afternoon in Portland. Blue skies and breezes in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the #feastpdx Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting. Sampling sips and bites from all around the region here in "Portland's Living Room" (Fun landscape architecture fact: did you know Pioneer Courthouse Square used to be a parking garage?? Glad they changed it, right?) #lifeinPDX

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 5:03pm PDT

When I was little, my mom took us on field trip after field trip to the Oregon Coast (#thepeoplescoast!) to find beautiful things in the tide pools. Great to see the gorgeous, flavorful salts from those same coastal waters harvested by @jacobsensaltco and shared with the world. #feastpdx

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 4:51pm PDT

Homemade BLTs:

Platter after platter of heirloom summer bounty served up by @wholefoodspdx & @jacobsensaltco… #feastpdx

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 4:53pm PDT

Can't help it. Love food, love flowers. Story of my life. 🍴🌿🌸 #feastpdx

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 8:32pm PDT

It was a silent "e" anyway. #feastpdx /// good grief: the CHEESE.

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 8:33pm PDT

I'm not even kidding you. Bowled over. Imperial PDX's offerings at the #feastpdx #medialounge: cheeses, pâté, wood fired grilled veggies, pig head stuffed with pig tongue and sausage (Janene F., you'd be proud), Georgian eggplant rolls with pomegranate seeds, and so much more… I couldn't clean my plate. (Also! @parmaham_usa's delicious and familiar taste of nutty #prosciuttodiparma all the way from my dear Emilia-Romagna, Italy).

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 8:54pm PDT

@stumptowncoffee beating the heat in all the right ways… #coldbrew #feastpdx

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 20, 2014 at 7:38pm PDT

Honestly, I grabbed my wine glass fully intending to start the, uh, traditional sampling circuit…but I got a little side tracked when they offered me a @Widmer_Brothers Krystal Pear + @saltandstraw Freckled Woodblock Chocolate float. 🍫🍐 (Note: trusty @betsyandiya #fremontbridgecuff. Thinking of you @jkoz27 & @pdxfoodlove) #feastpdx #hāndyme

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 20, 2014 at 7:50pm PDT

#feastpdx

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 20, 2014 at 7:53pm PDT

The great thing after all that Feasting? I came home positively stuffed with the best of the land – then I found Ted at home grilling salmon in our back yard and happily sat down for another full course.

I know I’m biased, but that’s the very best Oregon food around…

Gotta be honest, though: came home from #feastpdx to find my hubby grilling fresh caught Chinook salmon + veggies for @thelittlepeach and me, and I suddenly grew a second stomach.

A post shared by bethany rydmark (@bethanyrydmark) on Sep 19, 2014 at 8:56pm PDT

Up Next: 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.