Monday, September 22, 2014

Feast: High Comfort

I hope that you all didn't feel too full from yesterday's Feast post (my mom complained about it), because here comes another. On Saturday night, after a full day of eating at the Grand Bounty, I dolled up and headed to the OMG High Comfort event at an amazing hotel downtown called The Nines. The Nines is home to a fantastic restaurant, awesome rooftop lounge, and gorgeous decor and events there usually don't disappoint. The High Comfort's broken-AC incident notwithstanding, it was a pretty awesome night.

To start, I got in line next to the managing editor and editor of Kinfolk (the nicest women) and tottered about in heels through the awesome champagne and cured meat room. Champagne towers at the entrance to a party are always a good sign that you're going to attend something fantastic. The event led me into a room full of crazy sweets (foie gras topped donuts glazed with marionberry to name one), a gin bar, and then into the main party which was a madhouse of wine and comfort food redone in a very Chef-y way.

Oregonian Media Group High Comfort at the Nines 








Jambon persille from Chef Ben Bettinger, Laurelhurst Market


Flatiron pastrami with asiago and cacao from Chef Matt Christianson, Urban Farmer


Deconstructed olive bite - "Spanish Kisses" (think fruit gushers, with olives) from Chef John Gorham, Toro Bravo


Housemade chorizo, fuet, onion, pear, pepper and anchovy picadors from Chef John Gorham, Toro Bravo




Bloody Mary (virgin) shooters with Oregon Bay Shrimp from Chef Jenn Louis, Lincoln Restaurant



Green tea beignets, cajeta, almonds, pears from Chef Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia (Louisville, KY)



Fried chicken and watermelon salad bite from Chef Vitaly Paley, Paley's Place



Hendricks Gin Bar - Lemon and orange juice with gin, a sprig of mint, and a cucumber


It was lovely to see a ton of other PDX bloggers at the event (including Jane above) and snag some photos all together, toasty from wine, champagne, and the best food in town. All in all, my favorite bites were the spanish kisses from Toro Bravo and the fried chicken bite from Paley's Place. I was so honored to be among great chefs, food critics, writers, photographers, and the shockingly kind and lovely PDX media elite, all dressed to the nines.

Though the event was really fun to attend and the food wowed, I think it's worth mentioning that it was a very busy event with a hefty price tag ($175 per person). The wine was free-flowing, as was the gin, and there were no lines for drinks, however there weren't as many wineries present at High Comfort as the Grand Bounty tasting. There were also long lines to snag taster-size bites of the delicious food and they ran out about 20 minutes prior to the event ending. To actually fill up, you needed to spend most of the event darting between people to find the end of winding lines. The event did allow a chance to try some of Portland's best chefs and other well-known names around the U.S. and an up close and personal chance to actually meet some of the chefs. Vitaly Paley doused my chicken bite with sauce and greeted everyone stopping by his station. I'd recommend this event for those interested in unique cuisine, seeing some local chefs, and partying with the best in PDX. The after-parties were also well worth it, according to many of the people brave enough to go out and eat after a full day of rich food (not me!). 

8 comments

  1. This looks like a great time!

    XX

    www.floortjeloves.com

    www.facebook.com/floortjeloves

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  2. This event looks like so much fun!

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  3. What beautiful pictures! Looks like a great event!

    xo ClassToCloset

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  4. I always like to see how chefs present their fare. It gives me ideas on how to make food prettier at home—but alas, I always end up just slopping it on the plate!

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  5. Don't forget about the excuse to get super dolled up too! Why are there not more champagne fountains in my life...

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