Dave Knows Portland

July 12: Mississippi Street Fair and a pair of Fêtes de la Bastille

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The Mississippi Ave. Street Fair is the best street fair in Portland. Five blocks of the avenue, from Skidmore to Fremont, will be closed to cars from 10am to 7pm. In place of traffic you’ll find “Live Music, Dance Lessons, Storytelling, Beer & Margarita Gardens, BB’Q Rib Off, Dunk Tank and much more.”

And just up the street Pix Patisserie (corner of Failing and Williams) is throwing a block party too, celebrating Bastille Day. From 11am until late there are a slew of events: a Mini Medoc “Marathon,” a pet parade, a tour de Portland bicycle scavenger hunt, a Citroen car show, a dessert recipe contest, a pillow fight, and lots of live music and more. Seriously, they’re packing in tons of stuff. Check out the Pix events page for more details. And of course the most important details: no foie gras floats, but plenty of interesting food:

60# Roasted Pig from Carlton Farms
Special guest Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon serving up the Eastburn Cocktail
Cheese from Steve’s Cheese
Champagne & Oyster Bar
Vegetarian Quiche
Ice Cream Stand – Beer, Lambic, and Moscato Floats
Giant Eiffel Tower Cookies
6L Bottles of Buzet Wine
French Aperitifs such as Pastis, Lillet, Rosé Wine, Peitra Chestnut Beer
Remy VSOP Cognac Jello Shots
oh, and there will be a whole bunch of fancy pants French desserts, too!

You can celebrate the Fête Nationale in the Pearl District too. The Alliance Française de Portland is throwing their 6th annual Fête de la Bastille at Jamison Square from 11am-6pm. Celebrate the storming of the Bastille with “French wine, cuisine, art and sport; Portland Waiters Race, pétanque exhibitions and French music.”

Timbers to face the French Champions?

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With my super ninja google skills I found this French-language nugget:

Lyon envisage sérieusement de suivre un camp d’entraînement aux Etats-Unis lors de la deuxième semaine de juillet. On cite la ville de Portland pour accueillir les champions de France. Pour l’occasion, deux matches amicaux seraient programmés.

Now I’m only in French 102 (seriously), but this seems to be saying that the French League champs, Olympique Lyonnais, will be training in the USA, in the town of Portland in particular, and will be playing two friendlies in July.

If this is true, it will be quite the coup for the Timbers.

Pardon my québécois

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aflogo1.jpgI guess I have to stop with the frog jokes.

In college I studied Spanish, Portuguese, and even Hungarian; all more useful to my cultural prejudices and post-college travel plans than French.

I never made it to Budapest.

Two years ago, however, I did spend a week in Montreal. I fell in love with countless cosmopolitan women, and Canadian football. I first experienced the culinary genius that is poutine.

This is all the French I knew and/or learned on that trip:

  • Je voudrais une bière, s’il vous plaît – I would like a beer, please
  • pas grave – No worries, not a big deal, it doesn’t matter

Oh, and some Quebec French profanity to spice things up. (Want to see your French Canadian friends cringe? Scatter the following exclamations throughout your next conversation: crisse, maudit, ostie, tabarnac!)

Fortunately I was traveling with several French speakers (who cringed frequently for various reasons). With their help, code switching by the Quebecers I encountered, and pointing, I was able to order an adequate supply of beer and poutine to survive the trip.

In November I’m traveling to Montreal again, to see the Grey Cup (Canadian for Super Bowl).

So in anticipation of the trip, at the ripe old age of [late mid thirties], I’ve signed up for a French class.

French 101 at the Alliance Française de Portland:

The Alliance Française de Portland is a nonprofit cultural and educational group with annual enrollment of 700-800 students in French classes and monthly social and cultural events in the Portland metropolitan area. The group is a chapter of the Paris-based Alliance Française which promotes cross-cultural understanding and the French language and culture, and today has 1,071 chapters in in 133 countries.

I lured a few friends to the open house last week with promises of brie and fruit and wine. Lo and behold; brie and fruit and wine! (I did not predict the vanilla wafers however). We watched a brief theatrical presentation of which I understood nada. But I met my professeur and picked up my books. Classes start Monday. Wish me bonne chance!

Saturday, July 14th: Pix Patisserie’s Bastille Day Block Party

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Update: 2010 Pix Bastille Day Fest info here!

Pix Patisserie LogoYet another must-do for Saturday, July 14th: Pix Patisserie’s Bastille Day Block Party.

Pix Patisserie’s Bastille Day Block Party AND Employee Talent Show! On July 14th, everyone’s favorite patisserie is going to be closing down Failing St. next to our North location in celebration of France’s national holiday, Bastille Day. We’re staging a huge street fair complete with live music (Copy, Dat’r, Quiet Countries vs. Wilding, Team Evil, Alan Singley and the Pant’s Machine, and a very special mystery guest), our 2nd Employee Talent Show, Waiter’s Race for kids and adults, Citroen Car Show, 12 liter bottles of Buzet, a Champagne and Oyster bar, whole boiled pig, French movies, clowns and monkeys, Petanque Tournament, a Pinot Noir face off between Oregon and Burgundy, and last but not least, Pix will set the Guinness World Record for the largest Croquembouche ever, with festival attendees invited to “storm” the giant cream puff pyramid after the unveiling. Ooo . . . la! la!

This solves the problem of what to do after the Mississippi Avenue Street Fair closes down at 7pm; Walk over to Pix Patisserie, as the block party goes from 12pm-2am. And it’s free!

Restaurant Review: Fenouil

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Fenouil LogoI visited Fenouil in the Pearl recently.

The big, modern and airy space was bustling and First-Thursday crowded. We sat outside on the patio looking onto Jamison Square.

We shared several appetizers:

The lobster beignets are as delicious as they sound; little fried lobster chunks with an anise-flavored aioli for dipping.

I tried my very first foie gras. It was served in a terrine with brioche and fig jam. It tasted like vanilla butter. Poor duck or goose 🙁

The steak tartare, with kobe beef and a quail egg on top, was mildy flavored and pleasant. My only point of comparison is a venison tartare I had in Montreal a couple years ago, which had a texture reminiscent of raw ahi and a stronger, more capery flavor.

For the main course I had the paella, which was fantastic. Prawns, halibut, chicken, clams, mussels, and chorizo! Try it.

We shared several bottles of a good Pinot Noir from Alloro Vineyard in the Willamette Valley. 2005 I think?

In lieu of dessert I ordered a flight of Calvados, which we passed around the table. My favorite was the Boulard, but the table’s consensus favorite was one that was 20 years old. Alas, I don’t remember the name . . .

The food is excellent, but in general not on par with Higgins (my Portland gold standard) and a bit more expensive. The service was great. I would definitely go back with a party again (especially if someone else is picking up the tab!); I’d like to try the frog legs and escargot; two classic dishes I have yet to try.

The bistrot menu (pdf) is Higgins-esque, and they have a happy hour, so I intend to check it out. There was no crowd at all in the bistrot around 6pm.