Charcuterie

Portland Weekend Amusements (September 7-9, 2012)

September 6, 2012 by Dave 1 Comment

September always treats Portlanders to the best summer-like weather of the year; perfect for the furious rush of street fairs and festivals! This weekend treat yourself to Baconfest, Widmer’s Oktoberfest, the Belmont Street Fair, and more!
Ongoing

Portland Movies in the Park – last weekend!

Portland Parks and Recreation has released the 2012 summer schedule of Movies in the Park. From June 29 through September 18 sprawl out at one of Portland’s fine municipal parks several times a week for an evening of free entertainment.

Friday 9/7: Funny Face (1957) @ Director Park
Friday 9/7: Hugo @ Multnomah Arts Center
Saturday 9/8: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure @ Wallace Park [more]

Chapman Vaux’s Swift Watch 2012

Every September thousands of Vaux’s Swifts come to Portland. After spending their day eating bugs, the Swifts coalesce in Northwest Portland, flying in a giant undulating swirl in the sky above the school. Around sunset the swirl gets more compact, like a ground pepper tornado, and begins disappearing, measure by measure, down the chimney. On the lawn below hundreds of Portlanders stare mesmerized at the sky, from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets. Boos erupt when opportunistic Peregrine falcons get lucky. [more]

Friday

Exhibit Opening: Streetcars Build a City

Streetcars Build a City, the new exhibit at the Architectural Heritage Center (701 SE Grand), opens Friday, September 7, 2012 with a free showing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“In Portland, our urban neighborhoods are a product of the pre-automobile era.” [more]

Friday-Saturday

Widmer Oktoberfest

The eighth annual Widmer Brothers Brewing Oktoberfest expands to two days this year, taking place Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, 2012 at the brewery (929 N. Russell Street).

Widmer’s beers, brats, chicken schnitzel wraps, sauerkraut, and pretzels are available, and of course there will be accordions! [more]

Saturday

Belmont Street Fair

The 16th Annual Belmont Street Fair takes place Saturday, September 8, 2012 from noon until 7 p.m. The fair extends from 20th to 48th on Southeast Belmont, with car free blocks from 34th to 38th.

The fair features over 100 craft booths, two music stages, food vendors, and activities for the kids. There will be a beer garden at SE 33rd! [more]

PDX Baconfest

The fourth annual Portland Baconfest takes place Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 18th and East Burnside, adjacent to the East Burn (1800 E Burnside), from noon until 9 p.m. – it’s a giant street festival celebrating bacon!

Thousands of bacon lovers attended last year’s fest, thoroughly lubricating their cardiovascular system and contributing hundreds of pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank. [more]

Kennedy School Oktoberfest

When you imagine Oktoberfest, what comes to mind? Oom-pah bands, loads of beer, bratwurst and hamburgers and more! One and all are welcome to participate in the German celebration that is Oktoberfest! Begun as a wedding party for Germany’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810, today Oktoberfest is celebrated all over the world with music, singing, dancing, beer, food and revelry. [more]

For even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and Oregon Events at OregonLive.com.

December 12: Holiday Booze Bazaar

December 8, 2009 by Dave 2 Comments

Whiskey! Really, the 4th Annual Holiday Booze Bazaar is the only bazaar you need – who doesn’t like booze?!

I know what I’m doing Saturday.

Hosted by House Spirits Distillery (2025 SE 7th) from noon until 5pm Saturday, December 12, their new whiskeys will be available to taste, and to buy.

We will be releasing 3 different whiskeys, all 100% malted barley:
-56.79% (cask strength) straight malt whiskey in 375ml (limited amount)
-50% white dog (unaged) in 375ml (limited amount)
-44.93% straight malt whiskey in 750ml

But that’s not all! The local shops below will be hawking their wares as well: Chop Butchery, Garden State, Imbibe Magazine, Jacobs Creamery, Joyas de Panama Cigars, Rogue Creamery, Xocolatl de David, Koi Fusion, Cellar Door Coffee Roasters, and Whiffies Fried Pies.

If you made it to last weekend’s Season’s Eatings at New Deal you get the idea. But this event has more food carts!

Admission is free, must be 21 or over. Hours are noon until 5. See you Saturday!

December 5: Season’s Eatings at New Deal Distillery

November 28, 2009 by Dave Leave a Comment

SeasonsEatings Season’s Eatings, a local artisans food, wine and spirits market, takes place Saturday, December 5th from noon to 5pm at the New Deal Distillery and Tasting Room (1311 SE 9th).

Participating artisans include:

Xocolatl de David
Monteillet Fromagerie
Little Red Bike Cafe
Organics to You
Tails and Trotters
Cafe Velo
River Wave Foods
Nonna’s Noodles
Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery
Black Sheep Bakery
Pacific Pie Company
New Deal Distillery
Patton Valley Vineyards

A benefit for the Oregon Food Bank, some of the region’s best chocolates, cheeses, wines, spirits, charcuterie, baked goods, and pasta will be available to sample and to purchase.

Admission is free with one non-perishable food item or cash donation.

Dave Goes: The best block in Astoria

November 9, 2009 by Dave 2 Comments

The 1400 block of Duane Street (my favorite block in Astoria) houses both Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe and the Fort George Brewery Man (and woman) can’t live on storm watching alone.

Saturday morning Heather and I drove up 101 to Astoria. My favorite block in my favorite town on the coast is the 1400 block of Duane Street, which houses both the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe and the Fort George Brewery.

I ordered the Americano on my first visit to the Blue Scorcher months ago, out of fear their normal coffee wouldn’t be up to snuff (I’m eternally disappointed with the coffee at coffee shops). And that dry Americano was one of the best Americanos I have ever experienced. It was rich and aromatic and tasted like coffee should taste. Was it a fluke? The Americano I experienced this past Saturday was not quite as good as the first one, but it was still damn good (though to be fair I did not order it dry this time). I’m still afraid to order the coffee though . . .

We wandered around town for a bit after finishing the paper and our coffees, and then settled in at the Fort George Brewery (right next door to the Blue Scorcher) for lunch.

Fort George brews fantastic beers and serves respectable pub fair, but one menu item is particularly notable: the house made sausages. Less greasy and salty than you’d expect (they taste almost healthy), and especially delicious. The flavors of fennel and oregano; roasted garlic, basil, and white wine; and mushrooms (the sausage du jour was flavored with bolete mushrooms) really come through (and stick with you all day!).

FortGeorgeSausage

Due to previous experience, we knew the shared sausage sampler appetizer was enough for both of us.

Heather enjoyed a Cavatica Stout, while I savored both the fall flavored Drunkin’ Pumpkin, and a fantastic Belgian Trippel.

FortGeorgeBeer

All in all a very pleasant few hours at my favorite block in Astoria on a stormy Oregon coast Saturday.

October 3: The Wedge and the 2009 Portland Baconfest

September 30, 2009 by Dave 2 Comments

The Wedge: Portland Celebrates Cheese Festival brings over 30 cheesemakers to SE Portland to share (and sell) their artisan and farmstead cheeses.

Hosted by The Green Dragon Pub (928 SE 9th), the farmers market style event takes place on SE 9th between Belmont and Yamhill from 10am to 4pm. Activities include seminars on pairing cheese with distilled spirits, demonstrations on how to make cheese at home, and contests and prizes for the kids. Visit the website for more details.

As the cheese fest winds down, head over to the EastBurn (1800 E Burnside) to celebrate another fantastically arteriosclerotic food: bacon. The 2009 Portland Baconfest, a Bacon Extravagana for the Masses runs from 3 to 10pm.

Yes, there will be bacon eating contests! Other bacony activities include a bacon dance off, a bacon confessional, and count the bacon.

This event is sponsored by PDX.fm and The Meat Show, and is a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank and Outside In. 21 and over only, $5.00 + 2 cans of food gets you in.