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Archives for September 2007

Cheese blogging and other good stuff

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Next Saturday the Portland Farmers Market at PSU will host the The Wedge: Portland Celebrates Cheese. Cheese is one of my many interests, and the main reason I could never become a vegan.

With the big cheese event approaching I thought I’d share some of the cheesy local blogs I peruse regularly.

Pacific Northwest Cheese Project
This is the blog to visit for all the local cheese news and events in the Northwest, in addition to book reviews and stories about local cheese makers. This is the blog of record when it comes to Northwest cheese.

The Cheese (B)Log
Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods (2518 NE 15th Avenue) and Curds & Whey (8036 SE 13th Avenue) are two of the best fromageries in town, but what sets Foster & Dobbs apart in my view is that they have a blog! Check it out for recipes, events, and featured cheeses and wines.

Good Stuff NW
Not strictly a cheese, or even a food blog, Good Stuff NW eponymously features stuff that is good in the NW. Cheese is well represented, however. Other sundry subjects include markets, travel, horticulture, restaurant reviews, and recipes. It’s a blog after my own heart.

Portland Food & Ink
Even less strictly a cheese blog, but a recent post does extol the merits of Sriracha Mac & Cheese. I also think the author has the best idea for a blog I’ve seen in a while; it’s a blog about restaurants, food, chefs & tattoos.

September 28-30: Jugglers, Polka and pierogis

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Friday-Sunday

Portland Juggling FestivalBrush up on your juggling skills and terminology, the 15th annual Portland Jugglers Festival begins at 6pm Friday and runs through Sunday at Reed College. More a convention than a festival, the three days are filled with workshops and vendor displays and demonstrations.

But Saturday night Benson Highschool hosts The Juggling and Vaudeville Extravaganza, a rare chance to experience the best of local and national juggling and variety acts in one live performance. You can purchase tickets separately for this event from TicketsWest or Serious Juggling.

Saturday-Sunday

Polish FestivalOne of my favorite Fall festivals is this weekend: Polish Festival 2007. According to the website it’s the best kept secret in Portland, Oregon, but I don’t think it should be.

From the press release, here are some of the highlights:

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, and noon to 6p.m., Sunday, with continuous stage entertainment and a “Let’s Gdansk” street dance. Performers will include, for the first time, the 28-member Mali Gorzowiacy dance troupe from Poland. The popular Polonez renaissance court dance company from Vancouver, B.C. will also return.

This year’s festival foods will include potato and cheese filled pierogis, Polish entrees, fruit-filled Krakow pastries and, of course, delectable kielbasa sausages. Chefs have ordered 15,000 pierogis for the two-day feast and imported 6,000 bottles of Polish beers and wines.

This year’s Polish Festival also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the completion of St. Stanislaus Church, the heart of Portland’s Polish immigrant community.

There’s little excuse to miss this one, as there’s beer, pierogies, and it’s right on the Yellow Line; get off at the Overlook Park station.

Yet another paean to Portland, this time with slideshow

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The steady stream of New York Times articles about Portland’s quirks and merits continues in Wednesday’s paper: In Portland, a Golden Age of Dining and Drinking.

At first it was a sort of underground stop for food and wine lovers who had heard word of small, fascinating restaurants run by young, talented chefs serving a bounty of local produce. It’s underground no more. Portland has emerged from its chrysalis as a full-fledged dining destination.

And there’s a slide show too!

On a side note, has anyone else noticed how every article in the national press about Portland uses the phrase “at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers?” This one does in the second sentence.

Charles Barkley McLovin moves in with Greg Oden

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BlazersOver at his blog Greg Oden tells us about his new dog, a Boston/Beagle that he has charmingly named Charles Barkley McLovin. I’m sure the TNT crew will get a kick out of that.

He is not too big because i cant have a big dog while im renting my house. He is very quiet, hasnt even barked since i had him so far. He does of course pee in the house, making me mad. I know it takes time to train a dog, but don’t you wish that a dog can just be born knowing to go to the restroom outside and to eat his food out of the dish?

A great season ends for the Mighty Mighty Timbers

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TimbersI’ve never liked shootouts. a pretty move reminded us before the match that there is another way: if the USL had the away goals rule the result might have been different (but of course it still might have ended in a shootout; there’s no completely fair way to end a hard fought draw).

But in any case the Timbers played a fantastic defensive game for most of the 120 minutes, and very well could have won the match in regulation and/or overtime if not for the heroics of the Silverbacks’ keeper. With the addition, perhaps, of more size up front, and another play making winger next year I think we can compete for the title again.

The Timbers had a great season and look strong going into next year. I don’t think anyone expected Gavin to turn this team around so quickly; he’s not only improved the team by leaps and bounds, he’s created a powerhouse. Attendance this season was way up, the new owner appears to be interested in the success of the team, and the best fans in the country have a fantastic season to look back on and more fantastic seasons to look forward to.

The Oregonian – Timbers fall short in penalty kick loss

Missed opportunities.

Those two words summed up the Portland Timbers’ heartbreaking semifinal playoff series loss Sunday to the Atlanta Silverbacks. Portland dominated through 90 minutes of regulation play and another half hour of overtime, racking up shots and near misses on goal. But when none came through, Atlanta won 3-1 in penalty kicks.

The Portland Timbers – Timbers fall to Atlanta on penalty kicks

The Portland Timbers’ 2007 season ended Sunday night at PGE Park falling to the Atlanta Silverbacks 3-1 on penalties in front of 11,879. The Timbers out shot the Silverbacks 22-10 in the final leg of the 2007 USL First Division semifinals, but the two sides finished regulation and overtime tied at 0-0.

I’ve found links to several great photo galleries of the match last night: