Feast Portland: A Cornucopia of Oregon’s Best

It’s one of the country’s newest food fests, having just completed its third year. But Feast Portland quickly became the most buzzed-about eating orgy in the nation. Though 2014 is a wrap, here are 8 reasons why it will be next year’s hottest ticket, too.

1. Collaborative cooking! Each year, Portland locals pair up with visiting chefs for one-of-a-kind, multi-course dinners. This year’s roster read like fantasy football in the kitchen, with Departure’s Gregory Gourdet welcoming NYC’s Anita Lo and Pichet Ong; San Francisco’s Charles Phan teaming with Andy Ricker at Sen Yai for a “DIY feast;” Louisville’s Edward Lee partnering with Jenn Louis at Lincoln, preparing an onslaught of meat cooked in a caja China; Chicago’s Paul Kahan, James Beard Foundation Best Chef honoree, with Jason French at Nedd Ludd, among others.

2. Anything can happen at the kickoff event, the annual Sandwich Invitational, which welcomes 14 chefs to compete for title of “best sandwich.” You might be standing on line behind, oh, Ruth Reichl for Cathy Whims’ lamb ham sandwich or Paul Kahan’s gyro. And an ice cream sandwich might take the prize (which it did). Salt & Straw’s PB & J, peanut butter Cap n’ Crunch ice cream, whipped cream and jam wedged between buttered bread took the People’s Choice prize. Local Russian spot Kachka took the Judges’ Prize with smoked sprat, egg and sour cream on fried toast.

3. The after-parties. And the after-after parties. And the after-after-after parties. For those who craved no sleep, the entire weekend was one long party. After Sandwich Invitational, roasted pig’s heads served as the evening’s décor during “Pork of Ages” at Rontom. There was a hot dog cart, a photo booth, and plenty of baskets to shoot at Spirit of ’77 on Friday night; and nachos with caviar stole the show on Saturday at the Eater “Go Out Big” party at Cooper’s Hall.

4. Night Market’s new setting at Zidell Yards turned on a slew of people to a burgeoning, riverside neighborhood. The former shipyard will be connected in 2015 with Portland’s new Tilkum Crossing, “Bridge of the People,” a car-free span for pedestrians, cyclists and streetcars. It was also the site of some of the most original, tasty food of the weekend: Jose Chesa’s rabbit pintxos, with Serrano ham, nori, and ginger-soy aioli; Andina’s alfajores, cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche; Brad Farmerie’s blood popsicle with chili jam and peanut powder; and Clear Creek Distillery’s whiskey cocktail based on duck sauce.

More delicious moments from Feast Portland, next… [pagebreak]

5.  Tasting panels and hands-on classes where people actually learn something. Many can now put oyster-shucking and artisanal soda making on their resumes after hour-and-a-half sessions at Le Cordon Bleu.

6.  A grand tasting that focused on the local bounty, instead of celebrity. And Oregon product is truly eye-opening, from the cheese to the wine to the beer to the seafood to the meats. USA Pears-sponsored “pop up” tasting menu, where diners could actually sit in 15-minute shifts and enjoy three courses from a skilled chef, was a clever touch. And of course, the food celebs were there, doing demos, enjoying the offerings, or just hanging out all low key-like. Spotted in from out of town: Chris Cosentino, Sarah Simmons, Paul Qui, Jamie Bissonnette, and Hugh Acheson.

7. When and where else do people get to dress up to eat down than at the annual High Comfort event, held at the Nines hotel? The two hit dishes: Vitaly Paley’s fried chicken with watermelon and hot sauce and Marco Canora’s eggplant parmigiana.

8. The newest addition—Brunch Village, was a true highlight, when Feasters took to sunny Pioneer Square to soak up the weekend revelry with terrific morning staples, such as hearty biscuits and gravy, generously served by Mother’s Bistro’s Lisa Schroeder; bagels from NYC’s Black Seed; that treasured barbecue from Austin’s Franklin Barbecue; and a sprawling bloody Mary fixins bar from Whole Foods.

The Brunch Brawl cocktail competition was an extravaganza of doghair, with bar masters from PDX’s most popular bars, including Clyde Common, Hale Pele and Interurban all competing for the best eye-opener. Tyler Stevens of Teardrop Lounge took the honors with his “Hot and Bothered” cocktail, made with heirloom tomato sangrita, vodka, lime, cilantro and champagne. It deserved the trophy, (yours truly was a judge) though Chauncey Roach’s Portlandia-esque artisan Alka-Seltzer was equally impressive in terms of creativity. The biggest surprise of the weekend: though Portland is known for its unending brunch lines, interminable waits at Brunch Village were absent.

Maybe we’ll digest it all in time for next year’s event, September 17-20, 2015. Keep informed—and don’t miss out—by following @FeastPDX on Twitter or Feast Portland on Facebook. We’re planning on booking our tickets just after we sleep off this food coma.