Just like the Super-Friends, the area’s best local restaurants gather in an annual meeting to decide what you’ll be eating, when you eat out in the upcoming year.

The Food Services of America Trade Show takes up an entire hall of the Expo Center (each year’s show has a theme-this year’s was Wizard of Oz).  The Trade Show is aisle upon aisle, row upon row of fantastic food samples (and by samples, I mean a full plate serving or slightly smaller)!

the Trade Show is only open to Restaurant Professionals and as the area’s best and brightest of the culinary world gather, they walk the aisles, sampling produce, meats, cheeses, drinks, condiments, and of course, dessert.  All of this tasting in order to decide which fantastic new items you’ll be seeing on area restaurant menus in the next year!

I’m not a restaurant professional (though I keep hoping if I hang out in enough local restaurants, they’ll accept me as one of their own)!  Despite my lack of restaurant pedigree, the fine folks at Food Services of America agreed to let me roam the halls of the Expo Center, sampling the samples in an effort to find a few of the most unique local items you may be seeing on local menus!

The decision was tough, I found non-dairy ice-cream that tasted like the real thing, and chicken straws (just like chicken nuggets, only straw-shaped), and a local company that not only buys local berries, but turns them into fabulous home-made pies, but I finally narrowed the selection down to just a couple fun and hopefully recognizable items to highlight.  That way, when you see them in your area restaurant, you may say to your dining partner “this is a brand-new item, and I knew about it before almost anyone else”-people love to say that sort of thing to dining partners! 

My first pick was found at the Zenner’s Sausage Booth, where they were unveiling a brand-new sausage variety; a Tillamook Cheddar Jalepeno Sausage, which they’d wrapped in a flour tortilla and grilled.  If you see this on a menu, definitely give it a try!  It is fantastic and gooey and sausage-y and has just a little kick to it!

Second, I found the only Pacific Northwest pickle producer at the trade show!  Pleasant Valley Farms is located in North-Western Washington, and the gentleman manning the booth at the trade show was the pickle-maker himself (they called him “Mr. Pickle”…I’m not making that up)!  I got to learn about a brand-new pickle that Pleasant Valley Farms will be rolling out in the upcoming year, a horseradish bread and butter pickle.  I also got to try a garlic dill pickle at the Pleasant Valley Farms booth.  I will go on record as saying that the garlic dill pickle was the best pickle I’ve ever eaten!  If you want to try Pleasant Valley Farms, you will need to visit a local restaurant to do so.  The company only sells to restaurants, not to supermarkets or direct to us non-restaurant folk!

Unless you are a restaurant industry professional, you won’t be getting an invite to next year’s fabulous array of samples, so if you want to try any of the items from the Food Services of America Trade Show, a great way to do so is to visit DoItNW.com.  The website lists locally owned restaurants all over the area that may be carrying some new items discovered at the Trade Show this year. 

Did I read that headline right?!?  (you ask incredulously)

Yes…yes…you did! 

First, a little confession…I live in the ‘burbs!  The land of strip malls and mulitple chain stores.  On the bright side, my neighborhood is quiet, and I have a 10 minute commute to work…on the down side…I feel perpetually uncool!   

However, some of that uncool has been alleviated with my discovery of a unique, delicious little restaurant right in my neighborhood.  Kitty corner from the Starbucks (but what isn’t these days) there’s a super-cute little bistro called Bethany’s Table.  The food is sophisticated, but approachable NW cuisine.  On my last visit, I had a carmelized onion tart with gorgonzola cheese, and a beet salad with fennel and mint that was absolutely fantastic!  On another visit for brunch, I had a smoked Salmon scramble that was terriffic and my hubby had biscuits and gravy which he enjoyed very much!  (by the way, I’m thinking of doing a blog post just on different biscuits and gravy around town b/c that’s all the hubs ever orders)!   

Anyway, back to Bethany’s Table, the food is slow food, prepared to order, so be prepared to sip a glass of wine and talk at one of the family style tables, or tucked off to the side in a candle-lit corner.  Windows cover 3 walls, so people-watching is plentiful, and the exposed brick and warm feel inside make this a perfect spot to eradicate your city-dwelling-friends’ predispositions about suburban cuisine!  (I wouldn’t try trotting that sentence out after a glass of wine however)!    Next on the list, I’ve decided that I have to go back to Bethany’s Table for a little sampling of the sweets menu.  I saw a strawberry cake concoction that looked amazing at a neighboring table on my last visit! 

If you make it over the bridge or through the tunnel, and you’re in the market for an original, refreshing dining experience (kitty corner from the Starbucks) pull up a chair, or a bench and relax at Bethany’s Table.  Also, if you have any other Suburban dining reccomendations, please let me know!  I’m always in the market for a little slice of cool originality to shake up the predictability of the ‘burbs!

Halloween is here!  I didn’t used to be a dress-up person…and now I am…but I’m a dress up person with no costume wardrobe!  That means I get extra excited when I see fantastical costumes (extra points for home made by the way)!

Now, where to where those ghostly get-ups?  Here’s a whole list of my favorite Halloween-y fun in Portland!

-Howloween at the Oregon Zoo:  This fantastic event is actually on Halloween this year–how cool is that?!?  Come out to the Zoo from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday this weekend!  Dress-up, do an educational scavenger hunt, and get a goodie bag!  Also, be sure to stop by and tell the Tigers Happy Birthday, and watch the elephants squish some pumpkins and see all of the animals at the Zoo get Halloween themed treats!  There is nothing cuter than watching an otter bob for a pumpkin!  While you’re out at the Zoo swing by the livepdx.com street team car too!  I’ll be hanging out all weekend, handing out goodies and taking pictures of cute costumed families to show on the 8 O’clock News on PDX TV Monday night!

-Scream at the Beach: I love this haunt!  We’ve been lucky enough to get to shoot with the gang at Scream at the Beach for five years running, and every year, this haunt just gets bigger and more creative and fun!  This year, all five haunts are located in the old Circuit City Building at Jantzen Beach Center, there’s a full carinval (or should I say Carn-EVIL) outside and inside, along with the haunts, you’ll find Halloween Town: food, face painting, a little kids play area, bands and you can even get a make-over into a real Scream at the Beach monster.  I know, all of this sounds pretty cool already, but I haven’t even told you my two favorite things about Scream at the Beach yet!  This year, there are no lines!  You pay once for all five haunts, you wait until your group  number is called, and then you and your group go through all five haunts at once, no stopping and getting back in line, no standing in line waiting for your turn…it’s fantastic!  My second favorite thing is that you can print out a coupon right from livepdx.com that will save you $$ on admission!  =)

-Rose City Rollers Get Ups and Get Down Halloween Gala: Need I say more?!?  The Rose City Rollers already dress up for every roller derby bout in fantastic team costumes and knee pads!  If these fierce females are throwing a costume party, you know it’s going to be EPIC!  Along with the costume contest, there will also be a not-so-talented Talent show, where contestants can do anything that will keep them from getting gonged off the stage before their act is over!  The dancing, prizes and mayhem all starts at 9pm at the Bossanova on Burnside! 

-FrightTown: in the basement of the Memorial Coliseum, like demons from an underground lair, springs FrightTown!  3 haunts, some of them more child appropriate than others, but all of them are a scream!  Baron Von Goolo’s Museum of Horrors is the most kid-friendly, offering oddities, rarities, and strange specimens from around the globe, not to mention a food court of the damned and a singing panda bear karaoke!  Elshoff Manor features goblins ghosties crazy doctors and hidden passageways, and the third haunt, the Chop Shop is scary, wrong, and disturbing in the best way a haunted house can be.  You can score a discount coupon to FrightTown at any area DQ too!

There are some weekend reccomendations for you!  Get out there and have a frighteningly good Halloween!  Remember, with daylight savings time this year, you can add one more hour of screams!  (insert your own version of an evil laugh here)…

It’s beginning to look a lot like…OK…I won’t say it…but you know how that phrase ends!    I just got this little press release in my inbox…looks like snow and a little hot cocoa are in order post haste! 

By the way, I would totally make my kid eat the grownup menu!  If I’m shelling out $$ for high tea, I’ll be darned if they’re eating celery sticks topped with peanut butter and raisins! 

HOLIDAY TEA RESERVATIONS OPEN AT 6 A.M. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13^th AT THE HEATHMAN RESTAURANT AND BAR

Tea menu offers smoked salmon profiteroles with house smoked salmon, Chicken salad panini and Classic cucumber sandwich; Peter Rabbit Tea for Little Sippers available for the younger tea crowd   PORTLAND, Oregon – (October 16, 2009) – The Heathman’s Holiday Tea kicks off the day after Thanksgiving with three daily seatings from November 27, 2009 through January 8, 2010. Reservations will be available starting Friday, November 13^th at 6 a.m. for this popular – and cherished – family tradition. With the two-story tall Christmas tree and festive decorations throughout the historic tea court, the Heathman’s annual Holiday Tea is perfect after shopping, with friends or as a family celebration. Seatings are daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Adults are $32 per person and the Peter Rabbit Tea for Little Sippers is $14 per person. After the holidays, Afternoon Tea continues throughout the year with a seating at 2 p.m. Monday to Friday and at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.   “We love providing this Northwest twist on the traditional English tradition,” says Culinary Director Philippe Boulot. “Pastry Chef John Gayer adds his creativity with desserts from Hawaii and even house-made marshmallows.”  

Holiday Afternoon Tea Menu ($32 per person)

Pot of Tea

Smoked Salmon Profiteroles

Chicken Salad Panini

Goat Cheese Crostini

Classic Cucumber Sandwich

Deviled Egg

Heathman Scone

John’s Famous Lanai Banana Bread

Parisian Opera Cake

Haupia (Hawaiian style coconut cake)

Lemon Bar

Devil’s Food Chocolate Tea Cupcake

Fresh Marshmallows

Peter Rabbit Tea for Little Sippers ($14 per person)

Hot Cocoa

Cheddar & Swiss Blocks

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

Gold Fish, Carrot Sticks and Ranch Dip

Fresh Fruit

Ants on a Log

Snickerdoodle

Coconut Cake

Banana Bread

Chocolate Cupcake

From demons to Zombies to marital counseling, I thought I’d share some of my cinematical adventures of late.

Before Drag me to Hell hit DVD last week, I got an advance copy.  Maybe it was the Sam Raimi cache, maybe it was every movie blog raving about the campy good time, or maybe it was my drive to be “in the know”, but whatever it was, I agreed to watch this film with my hubby last week.  Let me just tell you, I don’t care if critics are calling it “the best film of the year”, if you don’t like horror movies, and the film in question is a horror movie…don’t watch it!  I’m sure Sam, of Evil Dead fame, is a talented director, I’m sure his vision of horror is campy and over the top, and I’m sure that most viewers with even a passing affinity for the horror genre watched this film with great enjoyment.  I however, spent the first half of the film hiding my eyes periodically, and the second half of my film on my laptop steadfastly refusing to look at the screen (while simultaneously asking my husband for a play-by-play…which he loved).  At any rate, I woke up at 2am, couldn’t go back to sleep and ended up waking my husband because I was sure I heard noises like the girl in the movie.  Again…bottom line…if you don’t like horror movies…don’t watch them!  Lesson learned by me and my hubby!!

Along the horror movie vein, but much more watchable by my scaredy-cat standards, I had to see Zombieland in theaters.  One of my favorite movies is Shaun of the Dead (not so much for the Zombies as for Simon Pegg), but judging by the trailers, this film had definite Shaun of the Dead potential.  Aside from few jumps at the beginning and at the end, I loved this movie!  Woody Harrelson is in top borderline crazy Woody Harrelson form, and the writing is fantastic.  I’ve also been on the Abigail Breslin bandwagon since Little Miss Sunshine and I’m not jumping off any time soon, this girl is good!  Is it a little bloody?  Um yes…it’s a Zombie movie (wrapped in a coming of age, romantic comedy)! 

Finally, Couples Retreat!  I don’t usually go to advance screenings when our station gives out tickets anymore, the screenings are almost always during the middle of the week, and apparently at 31 years of age, I’m officially too old to go out on a weeknight!    But, my husband desperately wanted to go see Couples Retreat, so, on a rare weeknight date, we went to the advance screening.  The film is almost a perfect date film!  Just enough bathroom buddy humor for the guys, and enough funny relationship comedy for the ladies.  Yes, the plot is horribly contrived and predictable, and yes, there are a couple of scenes with just plain bad lines and bad acting, but seriously…go with it!  This film isn’t exceptional movie making…it’s a popcorn film…and that’s OK!  Vince Vauhgn is great fun in a Vince Vauhn-y sort of way, Jason Bateman once again plays neurotic to a T, and Kristen Bell turns in a fun to watch performance.    Definitely worth at least a rental…a perfect stay at home weeknight movie date! 

If you’ve checked out anything worth seeing lately, drop me a line!  It’s getting to be rainy Fall movie-watching weather, and I’ll take all the suggestions I can get!  =)

If you have kiddos, you know that there are some conversations that are uncomfortable to have.  The birds and the bees, the talk about being nice to other kids and not turning into one of those mean teenagers, and of course, the big talk about not drinking.  The hard part about the not drinking convo. is that you want to get through to your kid, you want to make sure they hear you, but sometimes it’s hard to find a way to start that talk.

There’s a new state-wide website called BecauseOregon.com.  The site is sort of a clearinghouse list of all the best local and national resources to help you keep your kids away from alcohol.  You can search for local resources by county in Oregon, and you can find many different national sites, from those aimed at parents to those aimed at teens.  You’ll find ways to start the conversation, but you’ll also find persuasive facts and stories to share with your kids about why underage drinking is bad.

Recently we got to follow a local Mom and daughter as they looked through the website together and talked about some of the information they found.

Lori is the proud Mom of 2 middle schoolers and we sat down with her and Lori’s 6th grade daughter Elizabeth.  They looked through some of the resources on the site, and then talked about why underage drinking is the wrong choice for Elizabeth, and they also had some great advice for parents and kids about how to start that open dialogue. 

These two were amazing, and by the time I was done with the interview, I wanted to go give my own Mom a big hug!  Check out the News story I did with Lori and Elizabeth for the 8 O’clock News, and here’s a  shorter segments I did with them for PDX TV Reports. 

You have to talk early and talk often to your kids about this issue, and if you need any stronger motiviation…just think about when you were a teenager…I’m sure you did some dumb stuff (I know I did), and I also know if you could help your child come through adolesence a little less scathed than you were, you would.  So try BecauseOregon.com.  It’s a great way to get that conversation going!

It might not be the Great Pumpkin that Charles Schultz wrote about, but the pumpkins out at Bauman Farms are the kind of thing you have to see to believe!  I got to shoot out at the farm with Brian Bauman, and took a little tour while learning about the Giant Pumpkin Weigh off at the Farm 10/3-10/4.

Bauman Farms is in Gervais, right off of the Woodburn Company Stores exit.  The farm is part greenhouse, part Fall Festival and part farmers market!  There are Ziplines, hay mazes, apple cannons, a pedal cart track, a petting zoo, and you can see apple cider being made!  You can also buy potted plants, vegetables, shrubbery in the nursery area, and go inside the country store for farm fresh produce, a huge variety of baked goods, and country themed gifts! 

Oh, yeah…and then there are the giant pumpkins!  The Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off will host pumpkin growers from as far away as Canada and Ohio, and while the largest pumpkins will weigh around 1,500 pounds, you’ll be able to see a 500 pounder get dropped from a helicopter into a kiddie pool (as part of a Make A Wish benefit) and you can also see another 500 pound pumpkin crush a car! 

If you miss all of the giant pumpkin fun this weekend, you can still visit Bauman Farm for all of the other fun stuff I mentioned above, and I’m pretty sure the car vs. pumpkin aftermath will be available for viewing through Halloween! 

Bauman’s is a great place to start your own family Fall tradition!  It’s only $10 a person for unlimited activities  (Which is a great idea instead of the ride ticket thing)!  While you’re out there, you’ve also got to pick up a loaf of their Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Bread…YUM!

So this weekend,  bundle up the kiddos, put on some flannel and head out for a day at the farm!  and if you bring me back some pumpkin chocolate-chip bread…and drop it off at the station…I would be a very happy girl! 

Just got this in the old email inbox! 

If you’ve never tried Indian food, this is a great reason!  A tasting menu means that you’ll get to try a wide-range of stuff, East India Co. means that it’s going to be yummy stuff, and by stuff I mean food! 

CELEBRATE INDIAN NEW YEAR AT EAST INDIA CO. GRILL & BAR WITH DIWALI TASTING MENU OCTOBER 12-17 Festival of Lights celebration marks end of year; Menu features Parda Biryani, Kashmiri Chicken and Ras-Malai Portland, OR (September 29, 2009) – East India Co. Grill & Bar will celebrate Diwali, or the Indian New Year, with a special tasting menu for $22 available from October 12 through October 17, 2009. The menu will feature traditional dishes to honor this important Hindu festival, also known as the ‘festival of lights’. “In Hindu tradition, people exchange gifts and sweets on Diwali and it is known as a favorable day to begin a business,” said Pradeep Chandrana, culinary director of East India Grill. “We are honoring the tradition with a tasting menu featuring some authentic Indian dishes.” Diwali Tasting Menu $22 per person October 12th – 17th Samosa Chaat Paneer Tikka Garlic-Methi Naan or Lachha Paratha Malai Kofta Paneer stuffed ‘Koftas’ in a creamy cashew gravy OR Kashmiri Chicken Chicken cooked with red bell peppers & tomatoes Dal Makhani Red lentils, butter & warm spices ‘Parda’ Biryani The “Veil Biryani” is a rice dish with marinated vegetables & spiced with saffron, cardamom, mace & whole black peppers. The Biryani is cooked in a pot known as ‘Handi’ on coal embers Dessert Kulfi – Homemade Ice Cream OR Ras-Malai – creamy “Paneer cakes” in fragrant cardamom milk About East India Co. Grill & Bar East India Co. Grill & Bar features classic Indian cuisine from northern and western India prepared with a contemporary flair. Culinary Director Pradeep Chandrana remains true to the classic Indian recipes and offers a dinner menu as varied as kebabs grilled over hard wood charcoal, Biryani, an assortment of entrees from Goan Jhinge ka Salan (Goan Shrimp Curry) to Begam Bahar Ratan (Scallops & Asparagus) and a variety of breads and sides. With a warm and contemporary interior design, East India Co. pays attention to details – from the jeweled napkin rings to the sepia images of historic India and the small culinary touches that give the cuisine its authentic touch. East India Co. welcomes the after work imbibers with a long, narrow bar that draws attention to the list of tropical cocktails and Indian beer and a popular happy hour from 5-7 p.m. A $20 prix fixe menu is available from Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to close. For more information, please visit www.eastindiacopdx.com or call 503-227-8815.

Here’s a press release I just got in from one of my fave FREE PDX Halloween events!

Award-Winning Davis Graveyard Lights Up in Early October

rd Avenue, will light up its annual display officially starting Monday, October 5th. Preview week will be Monday September 28 through Sunday October 4th. rd Avenue will be closed from Johnson Creek Boulevard to SE Roswell Street for the duration of the event. rd Avenue will be closed from Johnson Creek Boulevard to SE Roswell for the safety of the trick-or-treaters and graveyard fans. The display will remain up through Friday, November 6th.

Any adventure that starts with wine and ends with ice cream is pretty much fantastic in my book, but I got to try three brand new (to me) places in downtown Vancouver last weekend.  Feel free to check out one or all or follow in my proverbial footsteps and do all 3 in one night! 

We started out with Gouger Cellars, a brand new full production winery right in downtown Vancouver!  The new winery shares a space with a wine storage company called Cellar 55, so it’s very industrial and winery-feeling inside!  The winemaker is a big believer in blends (which is how they do it in Europe BTW), he believes that the sum of the various single varietal wines is greater than the parts.  The winemaker’s name is  Gary and he does a nice Viogner blend and a few fabulous reds!  The fun thing about Gary is that all of the wines are numbered, and the numbers represent various important dates in his life.  If you ask…he’ll share the stories behind the numbers with you!  Also, when you go into Gouger Cellars, be sure to try one of the most delectable desserts you’ll ever have: Brownies from Heaven!  Gary’s wife Bonnie makes them and they are brownies covered with a Belgian truffle covered in a flavored cream cheese (raspberry, peanut butter, coconut etc) and then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate ganache!  YUM!  

**Please note that I did not eat a brownie at this time…I’ve just had them before and they are to die for!  I had to preface the rest of my story lest you think me a complete glutton…really, I’m only a partial glutton)!   

We did a wine tasting at Gouger and then walked a short block up to dinner at La Bottega.

La Bottega is a little wine shop/deli/Italian restaurant.  The space has a great feel, with charcuterie hanging above a small deli counter, shelves of wine in the corner and little candlelit tables perfect for conversation and good food!  I had Sweet Potato Ravioli with Creme Fraiche and a spinach and roasted beet salad with fresh Chevre (soooooo good)!  My hubby had some torellini with bacon, carmelized onion and sage  (again…at the risk of repeating myself…soooo good)! 

After dinner, we lounged and chatted as the waiters opened the large bay door onto the sidewalk patio.  as the setting sun streamed in, splashing against the earth-toned walls, we decided a stroll was in order…as was dessert!

We ended our evening in a delightfully unexpected ice cream parlor!  Ice Cream Renaissance.  The little shop was at once brightly lit and cozy.  Small tables ringed with low benches and large menus full of home made ice cream and pies greeted us as we walked in.   All of the ice cream is made on site and tastes home made…in the best possible way, fresh and creamy and original with flavors like honey vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, lemon and coconut.  The menu offered several amazing ice cream concoctions with layers of ice cream and toppings and brownies and cookies and fruit and magic.  OK I’m making up the magic part, but the menu is pretty fantastic.  One of the best ideas on the menu is “indecision”  if you can’t decide what to get, you choose a size and the staff makes you a surprise ice cream treat off menu and on a whim!  I got the “guilt free” which let me choose three miniature scoops of ice cream and a chocolate chip cookie (I chose peanut butter, bittersweet chocolate, and honey vanilla ice creams) and though the treat wasn’t entirely guilt-free…I have to admit…I love the concept!    My hubby got a towering concoction consisting of ice cream, warm brownies, nuts, chocolate sauce and whipped cream!  When he wasn’t looking, I have to admit that I stole a couple of bites and it was pretty fantastic! =)

As we waddled back to our car I have to admit…it was a pretty fantastic night in downtown Vancouver!  =)

I don’t go into the ‘Couv that often, so if you have some spots you’d reccomend, let me know, or if you have any unexpectedly fantastic night stories from any area of town, I’d love to hear those too!  =)