Dave Knows Portland

February 26-27: Chowder Challenge and Seafoodpalooza

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Update: 2010 Chowder Challenge results here!

Old Lompoc Chowder Challenge logoLompoc Brewing has expanded the annual Chowder Challenge to two days, and are now calling it, fittingly, Seafoodpalooza!

The Fifth Quadrant (3901-B N Williams) is the place to be on Friday, February 26 if you like shrimp, andouille sausage, and beer (and who doesn’t!?). From 6pm until 9pm they are hosting an all you can eat Shrimp Boil. Cajun music is included in the $12 price, though the special beers on tap will cost you extra.

Then return on Saturday, February 27th for the Fourth Annual Chowder Challenge. With admission ($10), you get the opportunity to sample chowders (New England-style only!) prepared by a bunch of local chowder purveyors (EastBurn, EaT: An Oyster Bar, Fifth Quadrant, Green Dragon, Hopworks Urban Brewery, New Old Lompoc, Rogue, Salty’s, Saraveza and SuperDog) and then vote for your favorites. Contest categories include Most Authentic, Most Flavorful and Best with Beer. The People’s Choice Award winner, the contestant who garners the most votes, takes home the Chowder Cup.

The event takes place from 1pm to 3pm, and features a beer garden (natch!), live music, root beer for the kiddies, and even Joe the Balloon Guy!

February 2: Save The Deli Author David Sax Visits Portland

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David Sax, author of Save The Deli, will be visiting Kenny and Zuke’s (1038 SW Stark) on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6pm.

From the Kenny and Zuke’s newsletter:

Come meet David Sax, author of “Save the Deli”, while you stuff yourself on pastrami, bagels, and other nosh at Kenny & Zuke’s on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6pm. David spotlighted Kenny & Zuke’s in Gourmet Magazine as one of two shops that represent the future of delicatessen. He also named Kenny & Zuke’s as one of the top 10 delicatessens in North America.

Follow David Sax as he blog his book tour on his website: Save the Deli. I’ve written about David Sax and his affinity for Kenny and Zuke’s before: Kenny and Zuke Save The Deli.

December 12: Holiday Booze Bazaar

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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!

Lovely Hula Hands closing on New Years Eve

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Lovely Hula HandsSadly, Lovely Hula Hands, one of my favorite Portland restaurants, will operate for the last time on New Years Eve, 2009.

In a mailing list email sent out this morning, Lovely Hula Hands owners Sarah and Jane Minnick write:

Also, at the end of this month, Lovely Hula Hands will be closing. The reasons for this are many, but in the end it comes down to one thing above all. When we first opened the restaurant six years ago, a family member was our chef. As time went on and this changed, we found ourselves in the position of running a restaurant from the front of the house. That is, we relied on someone from outside the family to direct the kitchen. As you know from the loyalty of our customers and the critical reception that Lovely Hula Hands has received, we have always been lucky with the talented people we’ve chosen. But now it just makes sense for us to focus on our new venture 100 % and have more of a hand in the production of the things we serve.

We plan to have a great final month at Lovely Hula Hands and finish strong with the same seasonal menu, cocktails, etc. New Years Eve will be our last night open.

On the bright side, they are opening a new restaurant next door, Lovely Fifty Fifty, sometime in January!

It will have a lot of things in common with LHH- a seasonal menu, buying exclusively from local farmers and ranchers, a hefty list of salads and starters, and even one or two wood fired entrees along with the pizza offerings. We will also have six flavors of seasonal homemade ice cream in a big case up front and people can get a scoop or a pint to go. Our current staff will stay with us and work next door, so no one is being put out of work in this economy.

The LA Times Visits the Food Carts of Portland

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LAtimesPortland’s flourishing food cart scene is now drawing the attention of the LA Times.

Katherine Tulich writes, in Portland’s food carts a winning stop:

It’s like walking into someone’s backyard barbecue. There are groups of people standing and chatting, while others are sitting and eating at makeshift picnic tables. Haphazardly strung lights give the scene a festive atmosphere. But this isn’t someone’s private party; it’s a gathering of food carts in Portland.

She visits several of the standbys; Potato Champion, Whiffies, Spella Caffè, Ziba’s Pitas (one of my favorites), and Brunch Box, and relative new comer Addy’s Sandwich Bar.

Recently opened Mississippi Marketplace gets a mentions, along with Nuevo Mexico, and new German pub Prost, which though not a food cart, permits patrons to enjoy food cart entrees with their imported beers.

Accompanying the article is a photo gallery of Portland food carts, and details about the carts featured in the article.

And of course, the pioneering Portland Food Carts site gets a well deserved nod too.