Bunk takes Gotham: Tommy Habetz of Bunk Sandwiches.
The week before last was a big one for local chefs, who gathered in New York City for the May 21 launch party for Feast Portland, the much-anticipated food and drink festival that will take place Sept. 20-23 in downtown Portland.
Later in the week, two other culinary standard-bearers — both of whom will also be participants in Feast – led hands-on, Portland-focused events for travel writers and meeting planners. In Chicago, Jenn Louis of Lincoln (one of Food & Wine‘s Best New Chefs of 2012) led a hands-on cooking demonstration. And in DC, Mark Bitterman (owner of The Meadow and author of the James Beard Award-winning Salted) piqued attendees’ taste buds with samplings of artisan-made finishing salts.
I am staffing an information table with Kelsey Bunker, the owner of The Jupiter Hotel, who is helping negotiate the French as she lives here half-time. In the hall, about 500 people are milling about, drinking, eating, chatting. Five hundred really nice polite young hip people who are amazed that I am giving out really cool Portland pins (or badges, as they are called here) for free. They love the bumper stickers, too. Again the incredulity at the price: rien — nothing!
Editor’s note: “Keep Portland Weird” is a 10-day series of concerts in France featuring Portland musicians. Barbara Steinfeld is sharing her experiences as she represents Travel Portland at the events.
Departing in two days for the Keep Portland Weird festival in Paris. Do I have everything I need? Pins, bumper stickers, CDs, brochures, maps, fliers, umbrella contact info, functioning iPad and iPhone with international programs installed, USB stick loaded with Portland photos … the list goes on.
Will the bands from Portland playing each night let me join them after the shows for a night out in Paris or will my old clock kick in and send me back to the Best Western to bed? Met with Kristan Kennedy (of PICA) today for lunch at Kenny and Zuke’s to talk about the trip. She has almost as many questions as I do about how it will all turn out. Comforting somehow. We’ll be in it together. Can’t wait to hear the Portland bands in Paris. Stay tuned for the next edition of “An Americanne in Paris.”
Cyclists with a yen for fine food and drink are gearing up now for a highlight of the summer – the Chris King Gourmet Century. On July 28, Chris King Precision Components hosts this challenging ride over Portland’s West Hills; cyclists will be amply rewarded by pastoral views and tasty vittles all along the way. A team of the city’s renowned chefs, led by Jason French of Ned Ludd, will be cooking up breakfast, lunch and – at the end of the line – a full sit-down dinner with Oregon wine and beer on tap.
The ride begins and ends at Chris King headquarters, tucked into a corner of industrial Northwest Portland. Aficionados of Chris King’s high-end bicycle parts will relish the opportunity to visit the facilities where metal bar stock is transformed into hubs, headsets and bottom brackets, and the workshop where Cielo bicycles are lovingly handcrafted. Chris King, an avid foodie himself, will be on hand to join the company’s staff in serving meals and cheering on the riders.
With just 300 spots available, now is the time to race to register – and get ready to ride!
Travel Portland’s annual visitors guide was published this week — and it’s yours for the asking!
In addition to the latest on the city’s great neighborhoods, shopping, family, outdoors and nightlife offerings, this year’s magazine includes features about Portland’s hot culinary scene; nearby destinations (think wine country, Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge and more); and attraction-packed Washington Park (home to the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Oregon Zoo — to name a few). In short, everything you need to know to plan your trip to the Rose City.
We’re entering the final weeks of our winter hotel special, which invites visitors to enjoy a different kind of getaway (filled with one-of-a-kind Portland experiences such as Powell’s, Voodoo Doughnut, food carts and tax-free shopping) and a different kind of discount ($72 off your second night).
Based on our math, these savings will go a long ways. So, how would you spend your $72?
Check out our new radio ads, in which the City of Roses — brought to life by Live Wire radio’s Courtenay Hameister — invites Seattleites to come down for a different kind of weekend getaway, and different kind of discount: $72 off a two-night stay.
In these spots, produced by our friends at Sockeye, Courtenay gives our neighbors to the north four great reasons to visit: Powell’s, Pinot noir, food carts and tax-free shopping.
To which I would add one more: attending a taping of Live Wire, the spirited, literate and laugh-out-loud radio show that resumes its live shows Feb. 18 at the Alberta Rose Theater.
So, what’s on your list of can’t-miss Portland experiences?
Behind the scenes: Douglas Derrick (Nostrana) mixes a Manhattan for Mike Thelin (Feast Portland) and my colleague Barbara Steinfeld.
Working with our friend Mike Thelin — co-founder of the much-anticipated food and drink festival, Feast Portland (Sept. 20-23, 2012) — we recently wrapped up some fun video shoots at three leading restaurants, which shared their recipes for chocolate hazelnut toffee (Country Cat), butternut squash soup (Metrovino) and a seasonal Manhattan (Nostrana).
Visit the “Flavors of Portland” tab on our Facebook page to download and share the recipes, watch the videos and enter to win two tickets to Feast. (Must enter by Jan. 6, 2012.)
2010's Photo of the Year winner. "Eagle in Flight with Nature's Illumination" by Lois Settlemeyer of Camas, WA
If you’ve snapped some great pictures in Portland this year, you might have already taken the Photo of the Year. Friends of Outdoor School’s 10th annual Photo of the Year Contest is going on now. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to enter — it only takes one picture to win, and it could be yours!
There are five categories: Top 100, Faces, Youth, Portland and Professional. This year, the Portland category is brand new and is sponsored by Travel Portland.
Photo submissions are open through Jan. 5, 2012. Entries are then reviewed and narrowed down to the top 100. Online voting will be open to the public Jan. 8-15 and the winner will be unveiled at the awards ceremony on Jan. 21 (location TBD).
We’d love to see lots of entries in the Portland category and wish the best of luck to all who enter. Enter your photo >>
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