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January Events

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January 2020 is here and we are excited about so many events all over Portland! Whether you are looking for a fun day with the family or a wild night on the town, we’ve got you covered with our list below.

Gorgeous Resolution Run

Thursday, January 2nd

Looking to get a jump start on those resolutions to make this the year that you really start running? Gorgeous Series is here to help get you on track (haha). Meet at Sasquatch Brewing for a 3 or 5 mile run, followed by a raffle of cool swag and a rewarding post-run beer. 2531 NW 30th Ave, 6:30 pm, Free.

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O-Shogatsu Japanese New Year

Sunday January 5th

Portland Japanese Garden celebrates the Japanese New Year with a traditional Lion Dance, tea ceremony, and harp concert. In addition, there will be an ink-wash brush drawing session and Hyakunin Issyu (a poetry game) plus pounded rice cakes to share. 611 SW Kingston Ave, 11am-3pm, Adult $16.95, Youth $11.50, Members Free.

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Biggest Clothing Swap in the NW

Sunday January 5th

Every year, hordes of people descend on the Crystal Ballroom to pass on clothing that no longer works for them and dig through piles to get new duds. There are three floors of swapping goodness and all gender identities and sizes are included. Bring a bag of clean, wearable clothing to trade. 1332 W Burnside St, 12pm-3pm, $8 advance, $10 at the door, $5 for an empty bag.

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Portland Onesie Bar Crawl

Saturday January 11th

What better way to stay warm this winter than to don your favorite fuzzy onesie and hop from bar to bar? There will be drink specials, DJs, a scavenger hunt, and a whole lot of silliness. Registration is at the Barrel Room. 105 NW 3rd Ave, 4 pm -10 pm, $20 in advance.

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Dragons Love Tacos

Saturday January 18th-February 16th

Oregon Children’s Theatre presents a fun and dance-filled tale of a boy, his dog, and a quartet of hungry dragons. Based on the book by Adam Rubin, this show is sure to delight. 1111 SW Broadway, Sat shows at 2 pm and 5 pm, Sundays 11 am and 2pm, $15-$37.

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Ramen and Whisky Fest

Sunday January 19th

Willamette Week and Fubonn team up to bring us a battle for the ages. Six of Portland’s best ramen chefs compete to take home the title, as voted by you. Your ticket gets you a sample ramen and paired whisky cocktail from each table, plus the right to cast your vote for the coveted People’s Choice award. 101 N Weidler St, 12 pm- 2:30 pm and 3 pm- 5:30 pm, $45.

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Wizard World

Friday January 24th- Sunday the 26th

The Oregon Convention Center will once again fill up with cos-players galore to celebrate all things nerd. Celebrity guests include Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes, and Emily Swallow. 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Fri 4 pm- Sun 4 pm, $30-$150.

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Stout Bout

Saturday January 25th

Stout Bout is one of my favorite events every January. Portland Brewer’s Collective hosts this annual all Stout homebrewers competition. Show up to taste and vote on 12 or more homebrews. Sometimes traditional, often experimental, you’re sure to find something you like. There is a People’s Choice award and a raffle to boot! 2235 SE 11th Ave, 2 pm- 5 pm, Free.

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OMSI After Dark: Cards and Consoles

Wednesday January 29th

OMSI After Dark this month focuses on all things gaming, with demos on counting cards, board game mechanics, and drunken goggle gaming. Food and drink vendors and samples, plus admission to the current featured exhibit, Exquisite Creatures. Is this my dream event? Yes, yes it is. 1945 SE Water Ave, 6 pm-10 pm, $16.

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Portland Seafood and Wine Festival

Friday January 31st-Saturday February 1st

Head over to the Oregon Convention Center at the end of the month for a celebration of delicious seafood and wines. There will be over 190 exhibitors, including 60 wineries, plus it is the very height of Dungeness Crab season. Yum!!! 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Fri 2 pm-10 pm, Sat 12 pm- 10 pm, $13 advance, $15 at the door.

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Which of these January events are you most excited for? Did we miss an awesome January event in Portland that you want to tell us about? Let us know in the comments!

Hat Yai – Belmont

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For our Hot Spot of the Week, we decided to check out the newly opened SE branch of Southern Thai spot Hat Yai. With counter service and checkered plastic tablecloths, this casual eatery is a perfect spot to grab a bite while checking out the great bars along the Belmont strip with friends. If you want to check out the menu, or see more information, you can do that here

As usual, we each got a cocktail to start. While the cocktail list here isn’t extensive (3 options and a seasonal special) we were both able to easily choose something that catered to our preferences. The Turmeric Sweet Tea was a lovely Thai twist on the classic, and was perfect alongside the fried chicken. The Tamarind Whiskey Smash made me seriously wish it were a hot sunny afternoon. If cocktails aren’t your thing, there is also a no-frills wine and beer list to choose from.

For dinner, we decided to share the famous fried chicken. We opted for the half-chicken portion so we could try several different dishes. The dark meat was, of course, the winner. Even the breast was tasty when doused with the Thai chili dipping sauce. We also shared the Goong Tom Gati, a shrimp and clam curry served with sticky rice. The curry was fine, but we wished we had gone with our instincts and ordered the special Jungle Curry. With trout belly and Chanterelles, it sounded outstanding. However, the person at the counter somewhat warned us off of it saying, “It’s a 9/10 on the spicy scale.” Sometimes in Thai restaurants, that would mean inedible, but once we had tasted the other curry, we felt that we certainly could have handled it.

Our surprise winner of favorite dish of the evening was the seasonal special pea tips. Simply sauteed and served in a light curry sauce, pea tips have been an exciting discovery for me in restaurants this year. They were my favorite of this evening, as well as another spent at delicious newcomer Eem a few months ago. After this experience, I know I will be ordering them every time I see them on a menu! Have you been to Hat Yai yet? What should we order next time?

What Hot Spot should we try out next? Let us know in the comments!

Belmont Station

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For our Hot Spot this week I visited Belmont Station over the weekend during a beer release event and we had the best time. This small bar is heaven for anyone who loves beer.

There are 2 sections to Belmont Station, one side is a very diverse bottle shop. They have all your favorites, some of their own favorites, and rare beers you have never heard of. They take very special care of the nearly 1,400 bottles to ensure they stay fresh. For anyone that appreciates beer, it would be very easy to spend a long time perusing the selection at hand.

The other side is the taphouse. You can choose a beer from their 34 draft tap list. They tend to serve beer mostly from the Pacific Northwest, but they also usually have on a European beer and a couple from elsewhere around the country.

The “beertenders” were incredibly knowledgeable, very friendly, and quick to get to you. All the beers we tried were perfect fresh and tasted brand new. I would definitely recommend checking out this incredible beer destination.

Want to see what they currently have on tap? Head over to thier website here

Have you been yet? What is your favorite beer or experience so far? We hope to hear from you in the comments!

Do you also love our Hot Spot Belmont Station? If you want to check out our other hot spots you can do that here

Modern Times

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This week we are featuring a brewery! While it isn’t a super local hot spot, it has certainly found its home here in our beer centric city.

Modern times has a great list of beers. Ranging from year round favorites, like the hazy IPA and tropical fruit Gose, to the experimental and seasonal like the fresh hop double IPA or the Pistachio-coconut stout. You are sure to find something that you love here.

The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable, and the bar decor is decidedly hipster. You can find a giant piñata of a macho man hovering over the entire dining room, floppy discs in a colorful display adorn the bar front, and string art with dioramas line the walls to the bathrooms.

Whether you are a native Portlandian, a new transplant, or just visiting, this is a great place to get a taste of the new portland while you drink some delicious beer.

Let us know what you love about this place in the comments! And be sure to subscribe to the blog so you can stay up to date with all our favorite places and top tips. Talk to you soon!

August Events

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Portland summertime. The season we look forward to all year, that always passes in a flash. But never fear! If you are looking for some last minute summer fun in PDX, here are some August events that you may enjoy.

  • Saturday 8/3 Rosé All Day You know this one has our heart. Entrance includes a frosé, tasting glass, 8 tasting tickets, and snacks. Produce Row $45 11am-5pm Benefits Make-A-Wish https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rose-all-day-at-produce-row-cafe-tickets-63984632759
  • Monday 8/5 The Moth StorySLAM Amazing storytelling, and you can enter as well! Keep it under 5 min, the theme this month is Animals. Secret Society $15 Doors-6:30pm Show-8:00pm https://themoth.secure.force.com/ticket/#/instances/a0F0e00000V3lsUEAR
  • Monday 8/5 – Saturday 8/10 BURGER WEEK! $5 burgers all over town! Can you eat them all? Probably not, but why not try? https://www.portlandburgerweek.com/
  • Saturday 8/10 Pan African Festival Live music, dance, food, and entertainment, plus supporting education, awareness, and opportunities for community involvement! Pioneer Courthouse Square FREE 12pm-8:30pm panafricanfestivalor.org.
  • Saturday 8/17 Adult Soapbox Derby One of my favorite (and most ‘Portland’) events of the year; a bunch of people make extravagant and homemade vehicles and plummet down a big hill to the delight of all. Mt.Tabor Park FREE 10am-4pm https://www.facebook.com/PDXsoapboxracer/
  • Saturday 8/17 Cocktail Crawl This month’s cocktail crawl highlights the classic Cosmopolitan! Each distillery creates their own spin and $1 of each one goes towards Causa: Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Org. Distillery Row $6 per cocktail https://www.cocktailcrawlpdx.com/2019-causes-and-cocktails
  • Saturday 8/24 Soulful Taste of Portland Eat delicious food and enjoy live music while supporting and celebrating the contributions of African Americans to Portland’s epic culinary scene. PCC Cascade Campus FREE 11am-7pm https://www.facebook.com/events/414652442596225/
  • Saturday 8/24 ANDAZ Bhangra Bollywood Dance with DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid The longest running Bollywood dance party anywhere, you are sure to have a blast learning fun moves and sweating the night away with this fantastic duo. The Liquor Store $10 ($5 before 10pm) 9pm-2am https://www.facebook.com/events/517664808977484/
  • BONUS Every Wednesday in August Movies at Dusk Every year Pix Patisserie hosts movies at dusk. Epic champagne list, amazing macarons, and a free movie on the patio? Count me IN. This month features The Terminator, Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail, The Breakfast Club, and Pulp Fiction. Pix Patisserie $5 min. purchase of food or bev (includes free popcorn) Seating opens at 7pm http://www.pixpatisserie.com/events

Eem

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After months of hearing and reading rave reviews, we finally made it to Hot Spot of the week, Thai and BBQ fusion spot Eem, and it did not disappoint. Backed by a powerhouse team, the flawless execution of food, cocktails, and relaxed but efficient service come together to achieve an experience that deserves the accolades they are receiving. 


The cocktail menu tends towards the rum-based, citrus-heavy vacation style, and the ones we tried were delicious. Some are served in delightful Tiki mugs and feature sprightly flourishes. Food comes as it is ready, which ended being a perfect pace for always having a variety of new things to taste without having an over-crowded table or feeling rushed. 

On our recent visit, we tried a variety of dishes from all parts of the menu, including a fantastic pork belly dish with fermented pineapple, a burnt end brisket curry, and the simply prepared but outstandingly delicious snow pea tips. The Thai street food flavors melded so well with the smoky slow-cooked barbecue flavors, it makes one wonder why people haven’t been combining them for longer. 

We can’t wait to return and try everything else on the menu, and live that vacation life without leaving our lovely city of Portland.


Where should we head next? Let us know in the comments!

Montesacro Pinseria Romana

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We all love Italian food, but generally I’ve found that people in the United States tend to oversimplify the wide array of deliciousness that the country has to offer – too often reducing it down to pasta alone. Montesacro Pinseria does a wonderful job of showing off all of the other mouth-watering offerings of Italia.

I actually lived in the Northwestern corner of Rome for 6 months back in 2006, and since returning, had not found a single restaurant that transported me back to those times until sitting down for lunch at this unassuming spot in the Pearl district. However, one bite of the Gambuccio panini (not the pressed white bread variety you may be thinking of) and I was instantly back to a street-side bistro of Trastevere. Perfectly crunchy and soft bread, heaped with a generous portion of prosciutto and burrata, yet it was the zucchine sott’oli (zucchini marinated in olive oil and spices) that honestly brought tears of nostalgia to my eyes. I highly recommend getting the Sbagliato, a wonderfully bright and bitter combination of bubbles, Campari, and Cocchi Torino to cleanse your palate between blissful bites.

I cannot wait to return to try all of the deliciousness on this menu, and relive those days living in the epicenter of amazing Italian cuisine.

Have you tried this place yet? Let us know in the comments!

Keys Lounge

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This week for our featured hot spot we went to Keys Lounge in NE Portland. We have been really wanting to try the cocktails here because their Instagram game is on point. I am happy to report that we finally made it and we were not disappointed!

They have some wines, a decent tap list, and a great mix of cocktails. I tried the Bootsy Collins which is vodka, lemon, soda, and a splash of Lillet Rouge. It was perfectly refreshing for a hot summer evening. We didn’t try any of the food but the menu looks to be perfectly Portland. They have all the bar staples like popcorn and fries, and burgers. They also have some fun twists like pork belly bites and vegan “calamari”. Whether you are a meat eater, vegetarian, or a vegan you will find lots of options on this menu.

One of my favorite things about this visit was the numerous places to sit! There is a huge wrap around bar with stools both inside and outside, a cute patio with a decent amount of tables, booths surrounded by old records, and a back lounge where they were showing the game.

The building is a old locksmith building from the 60’s and still features the giant KEYS sign out front. The building had been abandoned and run down for many years. It has now been returned to it’s full potential and is ready for your patronage!

Be sure to check this place out and let us know what you think!

Do you have a place that you want us to feature? Let us know in the comments!