FEAST 2017: The 10 Dishes I'm Most Excited to Try

FEAST kicks off in ONE WEEK! I'm pretty darn lucky and this is my fifth year attending. Erin and I decided to mix things up and check out a few Fun Sized events this year, in addition to Grand Tasting and Sandwich Invitational.

Bakery Bingo -- My foodie life partner

As I mentioned earlier this week, researching the lineup is clutch. I've spent several hours doing so, have followed MANY chefs, and have narrowed down the 10 dishes I'm most excited to try at FEAST 2017.

Sandwich Invitational

Revelry: Originally out of Seattle, Revelry opened in SE Portland last summer. The Asian restaurant's best dishes are noodle and dumpling based, so I'm most intrigued to see their take on a sandwich.

Soulva: INSTAGRAM SENSATION. I can't decide if they'll go the traditional gyro route or get creative and make a sandwich with their iconic frozen yogurt. 

Red Star Tavern: A hotel restaurant?? YUP! Red Star Tavern is the most consistent restaurant in downtown Portland and the entire team gets extremely creative with ingredients. 

Pelmeni inspired by Kachka

Grand Tasting

NOLA Doughnuts: Cronuts and beignets -- sign me up!

Honey Mamas: Because these are delicious and I'll take any sample available.

Drinks from FEAST 2016

The Late, Late Show

Dan Wei Canting: In case you forgot how much I LOVE their fried chicken.

Kachka: While I love the traditional pelmeni dish available year round, I'm always blown away by Bonnie's FEAST creations.

Dan Wei Canting 

Vegetables: A Love Story

Butcher + Bee: The Nashville and Charleston spot has been on my list for ages. I'm elated to finally get a taste.

Junebaby: Southern veggies are the best veggies. A Southern chef based in Seattle? Bring on the creative twists.

Salad for President: 1. Amazing name 2. SALAD! 3. You follow her on Instagram, right? Badass.

FEASTPDX 2017: 6 Tips

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. I was down in San Jose meeting my nephew. The little guy is 2 months old and already my favorite person in the whole world. While he was taking care of business his puppy brother and I started thinking about FEAST and how to get prepared (FEAST #6 kicks off Thursday, September 14th with Sandwich Invitational) -- Thanks, Jonas! While he was quite sad to realize he wouldn't be able to attend he did agree on these six tips to make the most out of FEAST 2017.

BITE BUDDY

 Meg of Landing Standing

There will be an abundance of bites and you most likely won't want to miss one. There's just a tiny issue -- you only have one stomach. Here's my trick for trying everything, getting seconds, and avoiding pain: get a bite buddy. Here's how it works: get a buddy, split up, and reconnect. Each buddy will stand in line and grab a small dish. This way you each take one bite of each dish, compared to eating an entire mini sandwich or taco. After trying everything you'll know the one or two bites that are worthy of waiting in line and getting an extra taste. 

Get Moving. Every Morning.

Hangover or food baby, you need to get moving. It doesn't need to be a grueling class, but you need to get moving. Head to the gym, go on an urban hike, or take a class. No matter what, get your body moving for 45 minutes every morning.

Looking for a studio? Try BurnCycle, Firebrand (Urban Row and Full Tilt), Orange Theory, Fulcrum, and Barre3.

Portable Phone Charger

Find out what is in my bag.

Three words: Portable phone charger. 

Why? Instagram. Texting. Pictures. Lyft. 

Get a manicure.

Your hands will be photographed... by professionals, friends, strangers, and yourself. Have fun and pick a jazzy color.

Research.

Smoked Beef Tongue from Paul Kahan Feast 2015

FEAST brings in some of Oregon's most innovative and inspiring chefs AND stars from around the world. When heading into an event research which chefs and artisans will be represented. I find this helpful to strategize which booths I'll go to first and get me excited for FEAST. Be sure to give the chefs a follow on Instagram -- they usually share sneak peeks and previews of the dishes that will be served. I especially love following them on Instagram Stories and predicting what they are making.

Come back next week for the 10 bites I'm most excited to try at FEAST 2017.

Know why you FEAST.

FEAST is amazing, but the reason WHY we Feast is even more important: ending childhood hunger. FEAST donates a portion of the proceeds to Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Specific initiatives with Oregon Fruit Products provide children with lunches and summer meals. In addition to a portion of ticket sales supporting this organization, you'll have the opportunity to meet the PHFO team at FEAST events -- donate and sign up to volunteer!

What to Order | Danwei Canting

If anyone ever writes a biography about me I sincerely hope it is cleverly structured around ordering. I really consider it one of my greatest strengths -- knowing how ingredients go together, accommodating everyone's needs, and having a true appreciation for (quality) fried food. 

Last week I was able to check out Danwei Canting's brand new happy hour and meet with owner James Kyle and chef Kyo Koo. 

I was really engaged by James' passion for the cuisine and his journey to open Danwei. After more than a decade of working in China and becoming fully immersed in the culture and making it home, he returned to Oregon. If you get a chance, be sure to chat with him and learn the history of different street foods, just how you go about importing the OG orange soda, and how he and Chef Koo studied and adjusted each and every dish on the menu. Seriously, find out about the burger buns!

Beibingyang aka the ORIGINAL Orange Soda!!! I don't even drink soda pop and I GULPED this down! It is so refreshing and not overly sweet. Be sure to ask the staff the story behind this one.

Want something stronger? The green tea cocktail is refreshing and dangerously delicious. Drink responsibly, as this will be a summer favorite.

 The Beijing Peanuts are crispy with a surprisingly light sauce. I was worried these would be super salty, but the balance was superb.

 Crispy tofu! Crispy tofu! Crispy tofu! The sauce was delightfully spicy and the tofu maintained a non-greasy crunch for at least one hours. What?! There was a lot of food and it took us awhile to eat.

The lamb burger is super craveable and has such a complex seasoning story. Also, if lamb is on the menu and it is good, GET IT!

I'm about to make a wildly bold statement: This is one of the best fried chickens in Portland! (I rank it right after Mae and Real M Inn) Again, the seasoning or marinade is so interesting and the crunch is what every southern grandmother dreams of. It wasn't greasy and really held up for the evening of eating.

Danwei Canting

803 SE Stark

Sunday-Thursday11:30am-9pm

Friday + Saturday 11:30am-10pm

Sips + Bites

I feel like a broken record -- no, no more rain talk -- but life has been so full lately. The calendar is jam-packed with lots of fun foodie events here in Portland, celebrating friends, and savoring all that summer has to offer.

While it is overwhelming I'm also grateful that my life is filled with so many great things. Except for my spin studio closing down. That has been a bummer and has prompted me to start a running program. I'm not a natural runner and am not falling in love. Any tips to make this a more amorous relationship? 

Below are some foodie highlights as of late! This week I'll be checking at Danwei Canting, lunch at RingSide Fish House, and Duniway. Not to mention I'm heading to Mt. Hood for a girls' weekend in the woods. You should probably follow along for all of it. (MereCDavison if you aren't already!)

How is your summer going so far? Anything fun on tap?

Went on a hike and had the BEST NACHOS EVER at Everybody's Brewing in White Salmon. Add this to your summer bucket list. 

Prettiest iced tea at Cafe Umbria in the Pearl.

Mushroom + lentil stuffed eggplant with Halloumi. It was delicious. Would you want the InstaStories video uploaded?

Country Brunch was fantastic this year!!!

Finally checked out HunnyMilk and it did NOT disappoint. For $20 you get a non-alcoholic drink, savory and sweet dishes. I had ribs over grits and an almond crepe. 

Hosted a last-minute happy hour with some girlfriends. Made a plate with burrata, cantaloupe, basil, prosciutto, and crackers. Delicious and easily accessible items.

Feastly has launched!!!

I went to the MOST lovely Makers dinner at Three Degrees overlooking the waterfront. There will be another one in August, so be sure to sign-up for the emails.