10 Things You Can See At Feast

Portland's restaurant scene is all grown up, and that means we get a fancy food festival to call our very own. Feast Portland, the brainchild of former WW contributor Mike Thelin and PR consultant Carrie Welch, debuts this week and it's a bona fide big deal: marquee chefs, national media attention, its own flavor of Salt & Straw ice cream. It's pretty spendy and much of it is sold out, but we couldn't let it pass without comment. If you are going, or just planning to be in downtown Portland sometime over the next four days, here are 10 things to look for: 

1. East Coasters 
 
2. White guys cooking Thai food 
Nahm
 
3. The 15th best chef in the world 
Le Chateaubriand
the 15th best restaurant
 
4. Andrew Knowlton being an expert on everything 
Bon Appétit
The Next Iron Chef
and
pronouncement
5. Your tax dollars at work 
Travel Oregon
Travel Portland
 
6. The prodigal son returns 
Atera
7. A really expensive Reuben
 
Reflecting Portland’s love of gourmet stoner food, the most expensive event at Feast is a $200-per-person “showcase” of high-end chefs doing comfort food. Among other things, the program promises “a Reuben sandwich...made with Dungeness crab and sturgeon caviar.” Fun fact: for the same price, you can give two ducks, a pig, goat and sheep to a Third-World family.
8. Just these two barbecue guys; you’ve probably never heard of them
Franklin Barbecue
Podnah’s Pit
 
9. Celebrity chefs galore 
The Next Iron Chef
Top Chef Masters
Ace of Cakes
Cheap Bites
2 Dudes Catering
 
10. New York Times reporters working on their next big trend piece 
Portlandia

GO: Feast runs Sept. 20-23 at various locations around Portland. Visit feastportland.com for more info.

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