Beer
Keeping Busy
Jul 3rd
One of the great things about the summer season is the plethora of festivals, events, outdoor concerts and markets held on just about every weekend. Whether you live in a big city, the suburbs or out in the country, you usually don’t have to go far to find a variety of activities to entertain you.
Last weekend we attended a local event sponsored by our town’s Park and Recreation Department: the Battle of the Bones. This two-day bash focuses on a barbecue competition, with Saturday featuring pulled pork and Sunday offering brisket. Nine competitors from the Rogue Valley and northern California took part, vying each day for the $500 first prize in a People’s Choice vote. In addition, 13 Oregon microbreweries presented a total of some 30 stouts, reds and IPAs, while a handful of local wineries offered more than a dozen of their products to help wash down all those savory barbecue tastes.
We chose to go for the brisket on Sunday, and for $15 each we each got a ticket for nine barbeque tastes;  eight, 2-ounce pours of beer; and a hefty beer glass. (Much as we love wine, beer just goes so much better with spicy-sweet barbecue!). Of course, one could always go back and plunk down more a little more cash for more tastes, but we found our initial investment was sufficient for plenty of sampling and quaffing.
There were other food vendors offering side dishes and sweets, a kid-friendly entertainment area with those big inflatable toys, and live music (mostly blues and jazz) all day. It was a 90-plus-degree day, but there was plenty of shaded seating, and a nice breeze kept it from being too uncomfortable. It was nice to see a wide range of folks enjoying the event, from families with little kids to young couples to seniors. There was plenty of room to stretch out on the grass and enjoy the tunes or wander among the booths and compare notes with other event-goers as to their favorite brews and brisket.
It’s casual, relaxed events like the Battle of the Bones that make summertime such a pleasure. It also exposed us to some great local producers we hadn’t tried before, and we’ve already ordered some brisket for an upcoming family gathering from one of our favorites in the competition. Here’s to a summer filled with fun for you!
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
Cheese and More
Mar 21st
Yesterday my husband and I attended the 6th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival, hosted by our own internationally renowned Rogue Creamery and sponsored by the Oregon Cheese Guild. I wrote last year about the bounties I enjoyed while attending this event, and this year proved to be even bigger and better. The size of the tent doubled, as did the number of vendors who offered not only cheese but artisan breads; chocolates; wine; microbrews and local seafood, meats and condiments.
On hand this year were the publishers of two periodicals devoted to the making and consuming of fine cheeses and the authors of four different books on that subject. It would seem that even with a shaky economy, the interest in and support of carefully crafted, high-quality cheeses (and other foodstuffs) has, if anything, grown over the last few years.
As we wandered the booths, sampling a delectable variety of goat, cow and sheep cheeses, we picked up snippets of the cheese-making process and the history of the makers along with those tasty nuggets. One in particular had a fascinating, international pedigree: La Mariposa’s Chubut cheese (a mild, buttery, aged cow’s milk cheese) is created by Mariano Battro, whose family operates a creamery in Argentina’s Patagonian province of Chubut. The area was settled by Welsh immigrants in the 1880s who brought their cheesemaking skills with them, and the region long supported several creameries producing that cheese. Now, La Mariposa in Oregon and Mariano’s father’s creamery in Argentina are the only ones in the world who still do. All I can say is, the world is poorer for not having more, and I am lucky to have a source of it close to home.
Most if not all of the producers of the wonderful foods at yesterday’s event — and those who were there enjoying them — are committed to locally produced food and sustainable agriculture. In a part of the country bursting with the abundance coming from both land and sea, it is easy to support such a philosophy and not have to sacrifice much from one’s menu choices. We picked up a flyer from a Community Supported Agriculture collective (providing boxes of local produce to subscribers on a weekly basis throughout the growing season) and one for Farm to Fork dinners. Each month an area farm hosts the meal prepared by local chefs and inspired by seasonal, regional products. Their mission is to “reconnect people to the true source of their food and increase community awareness about the importance of supporting local & sustainable producers,” while proceeds benefit various local growers and farm organizations. That sounds to me like a winner on all counts, and we’re planning on attending as many as possible this summer.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
Mmmmm, Chocolate!
Mar 7th
Yesterday we headed down the road about 30 miles to Ashland, Oregon, home to the highly regarded Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University and, this weekend, the 6th Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. Because I am one of those people who believes that chocolate should be a separate (essential) food group, you can be sure that I was not going to miss this event.
More than 30 vendors offered tastes and sale of their products at the lovely and historic Ashland Springs Hotel (formerly known as the Mark Antony), just steps away from the OSF theaters. The entire town was focused on the chocolate event this weekend: Friday night the monthly First Friday Art Walk included chocolate goodies in many of the galleries, and all weekend theater-goers could enjoy 50 percent off their evening show tickets by mentioning “chocolate” at the ticket windows. (We weren’t able to take in a show this year but will have to keep that in mind next spring!) Able to devote just a few hours on Saturday, we nonetheless made good use of our time and had our fill of all manner of chocolate and chocolate-related goodies.
Four local wineries offered tastes of red wine varietals and blends as well as sweet dessert wines that paired nicely with the baked goods and truffles on hand. Rogue Ales offered samples of their Chocolate Stout, and Organic Nation Spirits provided sips of organically produced vodka and gin — distilled right in Ashland. All of the companies represented at the festival are genuinely Oregon-based, and many hail from the southwest region; a heartening thought: I don’t have to travel far to get a chocolate fix or something delectable to go with my favorite vice!
I noted a couple of interesting variations on your typical chocolate decadence. Two vendors offered raw chocolate confections: no sugar at all, but sometimes flavors such as ginger or chiles were added. The idea, I guess, is to get the nutritional benefits of chocolate without those added, processed calories. And Missionary Chocolates out of Portland creates dairy- and gluten-free truffles; their creations are a feast for the eyes and the palate!
Several local restaurants participated in a Chocolate Dessert Competition, and this presented a nice opportunity to the crowd of sweet-lovers. Plates of the contested items were available at a silent auction, with proceeds to benefit a local food bank. Although we didn’t place a winning bid, it was great to see some truly extravagant presentations and make a note of a place or two where we might drop in for a special dessert some evening in the future.
Once we’d had our fill of chocolate (hard to imagine, I know, but it is possible) and the crowds, we took advantage of the sunny, warm, early spring afternoon and strolled Main Street for a bit of window shopping. Ashland is a charming town with plenty of fascinating shops which appeal to its flood of play-going visitors, and we’ve barely begun to plumb what it has to offer. I’m sure we’ll be back over and over again — especially if the chocolate is out!
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
PDX Satisfaction
Feb 21st
I just learned that my original hometown airport — Portland International (PDX) — came in second in J.D. Powers and Associates’ 2010 North American Airport Satisfaction Study in the medium-sized airport category (10-30 million annual passengers). The study measured overall passenger satisfaction with six general factors: accessibility, baggage claim, check-in/bag check process, terminal facilities, security check and food & retail services. PDX came in just behind Kansas City International (MCI), with 733 points out of 1,000 compared to MCI’s 742. Aside from justifying my admittedly biased pride in my city’s airport, the study affirmed that other flyers appreciate most what I also enjoy about the facility: its food and retail offerings.
Oh, I also like the fact that Portland’s light-rail system, MAX, provides quick, convenient mass transit links to downtown and beyond; and the parking garage’s setup makes it easy to spot the open parking slots. Also, the overall design of the complex is both pleasing to the eye and functional; the arching glass canopy between the parking structure and terminal lets light stream in to the lush vegetation draping over the sides of the building while keeping visitors dry on those too-often rainy days. And I really appreciate the free Wi-Fi available throughout the site. But I admit that what I really look forward to when a trip to PDX is in the plans is the opportunity to visit some of my favorite shops and restaurants — anywhere, not just my favorite airport shops and restaurants.
Checking out the list of the airport eateries, it is clear that the managers have made a conscious effort to load the place up with popular, long-time local favorites rather than a slew of tired chain representatives. Rose’s Restaurant and Bakery has been a Portland institution for decades, offering up both New York-style deli foods and the most amazing, enormous desserts. The Beaverton Bakery since 1925 has also been serving up great baked goods, and their airport outlet also sells soups, salads and sandwiches. Samplings of local liquid libations can be had at Rogue Ales Public House and the Laurelwood Brewing Co.; the biggest problem for me is deciding which one of these many fabulous options I will enjoy during my limited time traveling through the airport.
While most of the restaurants and pubs are located beyond the security checkpoints, a number of the retail stores are not, so if I’m picking someone up or dropping someone off, I like to leave time to stop in for at least a quick browse if not some serious shopping. Again, some fine local institutions are represented here, most with well-deserved national and international reputations. The parents of both Columbia Sportswear and the Nike Store are Portland-area based with products sold world-wide. If you’re looking for gifts that speak of where you’ve been, the Made in Oregon shop has everything from the upiquitous t-shirts and caps to fine wines, gourmet foods, chocolates, jewelry and smoked salmon. I love meandering through the Oregon Pendleton Shop, letting my eyes rove over the fantastic variety of beautiful woolen blankets while my fingers trail across the soft wool plaid shirts and lovely shawls. The famous trade blankets first came off the looms in Pendleton in Eastern Oregon in 1909, and one of my most prized wedding gifts is a blanket from this venerable company.
My two favorite shops, however, I save for last (or, when time is short, they are my only stops). Powell’s Books is Portland’s legendary new and used bookstore, with the original store taking up an entire block downtown. The airport branch, necessarily smaller and lacking some of the aged charm of the original, nevertheless offers a generous assortment of gift items and new and used books — not just the ordinary NYT bestsellers but an eclectic and fascinating cross-section accompanied by interesting notes and comments from store employees (who are a very well-read bunch!).
The Real Mother Goose started up in 1971 and is a feast for the eyes. It is both gallery and retail shop, with the most stunning array of handcrafted jewely, art glass, ceramics, textiles, woods and exotic items I’ve ever seen in one place. My sister gave me a silver and turquoise bracelet from Mother Goose when I was 16, and I’ve been in love with the place ever since. You can spend a lot of money here or not very much, but you’re guaranteed to come away with something beautiful and unique.
I hope all your travels are swift and easy. But if you find yourself with extra time to kill at Portland’s airport, don’t despair. I think you’ll find you’ve got some very agreeable options for whiling away that time, and you might actually be glad for the opportunity.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
