Dave Knows Portland

Archives for October 2008

The DaveKnows.org Voters’ Guide

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Your two part Voters’ Pamphlet has arrived (if you accidentally recycled it you can find a copy online at OregonVotes.org), and most of us, in Oregon, have also received our ballots.

The editorial board of DaveKnows.org (i.e. me, Dave) convened earlier today to discuss the candidates and ballot measures in the great state of Oregon. After careful consideration the board has come to a consensus and presents to you the following step by step endorsements:

  1. Pour yourself a beer (or wine or booze; this is a democracy!)
  2. Down it.
  3. Pour drink #2.
  4. You’re a grownup, think for yourself. (But the booze does help.) Vote. You’re smarter than the yahoos on the editorial boards.
  5. Post your ballot (don’t forget proper postage!) so that it arrives before election day. Or you can save 42 cents and drop it off at a convenient county ballot drop-off location.

P.s. I’ve already mailed in my ballot, so stop trying to debate me already!

(Ballot return box image via Wikipedia.)

Portland’s Beast warrants one of Esquire’s “other awards”

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No Portland restaurants made it onto Esquire’s Best New Restaurants, 2008, but Beast (5425 NE 30th Ave) did garner one of the Other Awards:

MOST TOLERABLE EXAMPLE OF THE COMMUNAL-TABLE TREND.

In the regional seasonal utopia that is Portland, Oregon, the community table is exactly that: a way of gathering people for the purpose of sharing an experience. But it isn’t all peace, love, and understanding. From her open kitchen at Beast, chef Naomi Pomeroy keeps a hard line: two seatings for a six-course daily menu “based on what sounds great, right, and true”–in other words, whatever she wants to serve that night. Don’t even think about asking for substitutions.

In related news, Clyde Common‘s bar is recognized by Esquire as one of the Best Bars, but strangely they use a photo of Portland, Maine on the webpage.

October 23: Celebrate Atomic Living with Charles Phoenix

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Charles PhoenixThe king of retro, Charles Phoenix, comes to Portland Thursday for a performance at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St).

He will be presenting a live comedy slide show performance celebrating 50s and 60s, theme parks, space age style, car culture, roadside attractions and more!  For this Portland show he’ll be including vintage slides of 50s and 60s Oregon.

For those of you not familiar with Charles Phoenix:

From the kitsch to the classic, Charles Phoenix loves to celebrate mid-century life and style. His massive collection of flea market-found 1950s and 60s vintage slides inspire his live Retro Slide Show performances, “Slide of the Week” e-mails, and colorful coffee table books – including his latest, American the beautiful: Mid-Century Culture in Kodachrome. Charles is also a recurring correspondent for the Martha Stewart Show and NPR’s Day to Day. He lives in Southern California.

Mid-Century Modern League of PortlandIt is through the efforts of the Mid-Century Modern League of Portland, that Charles Phoenix is bringing his show to Portland.

The Mid-Century Modern League is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and our goal is to garner this appreciation through public education, hopefully stunting the razing and remodeling of these marvels in the process. As “Portlanders”, our agenda is two-fold – accomplish this great feat AND have fun commingling with like-minded individuals! (umbrella’d drink in hand!) We meet every month, if you have a passion for Portland’s Modern architecture, feel free to join us at our next meeting.

Tickets are $15 and the show is all ages. You can buy tickets at the Clinton Street Theater box office, at Deco to Disco (1960 Se Hawthorne), or online at MCMLeague.org.

October 17-19: Fresh hops, apples, and the Timbers Army

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Friday-Sunday

Portland Nursery‘s apple tastings continues this weekend, 10am-5pm each day. Enjoy the fair-like atmosphere, sample sixty varieties of apples and pears (pdf), and listen to the musical stylings of Pete Krebs Gypsy Trio (Saturday 10am-12pm), Hurricane Hole with Dale Jones (Saturday 1pm-4pm), The Mighty Filberts (Sunday 10am-12pm), and the Mike Danner Trio (Sunday 1pm-4pm).

Heather, from Mile73.com, and I made it out last weekend; read her recap and mine.

Saturday

The second installment of the Oregon Bounty Fresh Hop Beer Tastivals takes place Saturday at Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell Blvd). Part one was October 4th in Hood River; part three is next weekend at Ninkasi in Eugene.

Hopheads, rejoice! The autumn air is turning crisp, heralding the annual harvest of hops, and with it, the celebration of fresh hop beers by Oregon’s famed craft brewers. Oregon Bounty and the Oregon Brewers Guild have collaborated to host a statewide series of three Fresh Hop Beer “Tastivals,” each featuring more than 20 original fresh hop beers from many of Oregon’s top craft breweries.

Admission is free; the requisite tasting mugs cost $5. Beer tokens are $1 each.

The tentative beer list is available at the Oregon Brewers Guild Blog.

TimbersJonesing for some Timber-centric company?  Maybe thinking a celebration of sorts is in order for the official MLS bid?  Craving some haggis or a scotch egg? Head to the Rose and Thistle (2314 NE Broadway) for merriment, commiseration, argy-bargy, and whatnot with the Timbers Army Saturday night.  7:01pm of course!

Washington Post food blogger visits Portland

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A Mighty Appetite LogoKim O’Donnel writes the A Mighty Appetite blog for the Washington Post website. She’s also the creator and host of the long running weekly chat program What’s Cooking.

Her most recent blog post is Portland: It Really Grows on You

The post is an account of her recent visit to Portland. Of course she comments on the usual suspects; how the city is civilized and livable, the street car, how nice people are, and how there are bikes and restaurants everywhere. But this is the first time I can recall Portland being compared to the City of Light:

You know how people talk about eating their way through Paris? Well, Portland has become that kind of town. There are that many choices for eats and drinks.

It was a quick trip; she only had time to visit Besaw’s, Clyde Common, and Ken’s Artisan Bakery. But she says she’ll be visiting again soon.