Irvington news...
Nov 19,2008
Thanksgiving Resource Guide » Preparing the Feast (Part 2)
by pearlgirl
Portland has a bounty of local wine retailers, specialty cheese shops, and bakeries. Many are offering something special just for the Thanksgiving table. We sourced a great list of wine and cheese recommendations, special holiday breads and scrumptious holiday desserts. Enjoy! Wine Cork: A Bottle Shop Concordia 2901 NE Alberta St 503.281.2675 ( more info )
Mon–Sat, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun, noon–5 p.m.
Northwest District 1715 NW Lovejoy St 503.501.5028 Tues–Sat, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun, noon–5 p.m. Closed Mondays
Closed Thanksgiving Recommendation: Touraine La Briderie, 2007 - from the Loire Valley in France its made from gamay noir, cabernet franc, and malbec grapes. It has that lovely earthiness that goes well with roast turkey. $18 Hip Chicks Do Wine Reed 4510 SE 23rd Ave. 503.234.3790 ( more info )
Open daily,
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posted at 11:03 AM
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Nov 18,2008
Thanksgiving Resource Guide » Dine Out or Take Out
by pearlgirl
If you're not ambitious in the kitchen, Portland has a whole host of great restaurants happy to host your Thanksgiving celebration. Whether you want to dine out or take out, they've got you covered. Be sure to call ahead, because seats are going fast! Dine Out Aquariva Italian Kitchen
South Portland
0470 SW Hamilton Court Open 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
503.802.5850 Aquariva is serving a special Thanksgiving menu and its casual Sunday menu all day on Thanksgiving. Blossoming Lotus Pearl District
925 NW Davis 1st Seating at 2 p.m., 2nd seating at 5 p.m. Reservations required, 503.228.0048x2
See the menu Country Cat*** (added 11/18) Montavilla 7937 SE Stark St Open 2–7:30 p.m.
503.408.1414 See the menu Country Cat will serve a special menu at a set price. $40 per person. Price does not include beverages or gratuity
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posted at 07:19 AM
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Nov 17,2008
Thanksgiving Resource Guide » Preparing the Feast (part 1)
by pearlgirl
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Whether you're hosting or attending a holiday celebration, carnivore or herbivore, eating in or dining out, we've put together a Thanksgiving Resource Guide to address your needs. This guide is broken into four parts: Preparing the Feast (Part 1) – Where to get supplies, troubleshooting tips, and a recipe for the perfect turkey. Preparing the Feast (Part 2) – Where to find Thanksgiving wines, breads and desserts in Portland neighborhoods. Go Out or Take Out – Where to feast on Thanksgiving Day and where to find Thanksgiving take out. Things to do – Get out and explore! (coming soon) Supplies for the Holiday Feast Portland Farmers Market Downtown & Buckman Thanksgiving Feastival at Portland Farmers Market (PSU) November 22, 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastbank Thanksgiving Reunion at Portland Farmers Market
November 25, 1–5 p.m.
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posted at 01:50 PM
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Nov 17,2008
Is Your Neighborhood A Food Desert?
by pearlgirl
According to Wikipedia, "A food desert is a district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet , but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants." It may surprise you to learn that there are such places in Portland. Food deserts are problematic because they prevent access in three forms: physical, financial and mental (food knowledge). A recent article in the Oregonian chronicles one family's exhaustive journey for one of life's necessities. It's pretty disheartening. Neighbors, is your neighborhood a food desert? How should the problem be addressed? Ideas???
posted at 07:33 AM
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Nov 12,2008
Recipe Contest for Environmental Causes, including Portland-based Ecotrust
by pearlgirl
This holiday season, Organic Valley Family of Farms is holding "Celebrate Organic" , a national recipe contest that calls on individuals to share their favorite holiday recipes featuring organic ingredients. On behalf of each participant, the farmer-owned cooperative will donate $1 to an environmental organization. "Holiday food is meaningful fare—it connects us to each other and to our roots. By choosing organic ingredients, we can also celebrate our connection with the earth," said Sarah Bratnober, Marketing Director at Organic Valley. "We're hoping food lovers nationwide will celebrate their holiday traditions with a special recipe, delicious organic ingredients, and the opportunity to support a cause that truly gives back to the earth."Deadline of submissions is Dec. 31, 2008.
Organic Valley has selected four non-profits—all focused on earth stewardship—as the contest benefactors: Bioneers , Ecotrust , E
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posted at 09:19 AM
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Nov 9,2008
Pumpkin Bread Pudding w/candied maple pecans and whipped cream
by NoPo Ness
I love bread pudding. I am haunted by the smell of that cinnamon laced, raisin-laden, custardy treat and have been since my childhood when my mother often made this warm and comforting dish. I had no idea, as a child, that mom did so because it was a super affordable dessert to make for us kids as we clamored for sweets during a Reagan-era recession. Surprisingly, all you really need for a basic bread pudding is some stale bread, a few eggs, some milk, sugar and spice and you have a delectable dessert for the whole family. Over the years I have experimented with my bread pudding recipe and created quite a high brow repertoire using ingredients like currants instead of raisins, pannetone or croissants in place of week old white bread. I have added chunks of dagoba chocolate, flecks of lavendar and lemon rind. I have also topped it with homemade ice cream, hard, chocolate and caramel sauces and savored the tart juxtaposition of raspberry liquor poured straight atop a deep, dark chocola
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posted at 03:59 PM
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Oct 29,2008
Two Alcohol Sale Tidbits from OLCC
by pearlgirl
Some businesses gain an hour of alcohol sales when DST ends on Sunday Oregonians will officially move their clocks backward one hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 as Daylight Saving Time ends. As a result, some nightclubs, bars, taverns and other licensed premises that stay open until 2:00 a.m. or 2:30 a.m. will gain an extra hour of alcohol sales. According to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, some liquor licensees lost a half hour of liquor sales in March when Daylight SavingTime began. Oregon liquor stores open on Election Day The Oregon Liquor Control Commission reminds customers that liquor stores in Oregon will operate during normal business hours on Election
Day, Nov. 4. State law provides that liquor agents have the discretion to open or close on Sundays and holidays. Election Day is not one of the nine state holidays defined by state law. Please call your local liquor store to determine their normal operating hours. Phone numbers are avail
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posted at 04:07 PM
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Sep 9,2008
Tasty Bites in Portland Neighborhoods
by pearlgirl
These days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate Portland's food scene. There are so many new and existing restaurants, it's hard to keep up, and it's even more difficult to know what to try first. We thought it might be helpful to round up recent food news and reviews by neighborhood. If we missed something, send us an email and we'll add it to the list. If you've tried any of these places, definitely leave a comment and let us know about your experience. NW Portland Restaurants on the radar in the Pearl District: Nuvrei Patisserie, Chez Joly, and Bella Gioia We've been sitting on this news a while now, but Nuvrei Bakery has leased the space directly above it—formerly Olive Shoes—and will open Nuvrei Patisserie this fall. The space is teeny tiny, only 500 feet, but if anyone can maximize the space, it's Marius Pop. According to an article in the Oregonian , Nuvrei Patisserie will offer "obsessively crafted mousse-dacquoi
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posted at 01:11 PM
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Sep 5,2008
Favorite Neighborhood Dessert Spots
by pearlgirl
Did you know that stressed is desserts spelled backwards? I always knew that desserts factored prominently in stress relief (or at least wanted them to), but this really spells it out! (Thanks to the little birdie at Art Institute of Portland who sent this over.) What's your favorite neighborhood dessert spot?
posted at 11:54 AM
4 comments
Aug 27,2008
Presentation Leads Water Blogmistress to Strong Realization
by jenniferd
I had a really neat experience yesterday. I was invited to the adidas campus, located in North Portland, to talk about the excellent quality of Portland's tap water . The folks over at adidas have organized a group of "sustainability ambassadors," who are working to improve "green" practices at their company, from head to toe. The idea is that the ambassadors meet periodically and not only decide on changes they would like to implement company-wide, but also to learn information to transmit to co-workers. I spent about 1/2 hour talking to this group of people about Portland's great tap water and worked on dispelling many of the myths and fears that people have about drinking from the tap . I was delighted that they not only listened incredibly intently to my presentation, but they also asked some great follow-up questions. I could tell that this group was really thinking about what I had told them. They even invited me back for their health fair in October. T
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posted at 11:29 AM
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