It seems as though Portland, the one in Oregon, is a destination people are
place-dropping every chance they get. The city that spans the Columbia River has become a trend hotbed, offering residents and visitors alike an abundance of
food cart cuisine and
green living, both long before they became yuppie standards. Hot on the heels of
the latest Project Runway winner, here’s what’s been cookin’ in PDX lately.
DIY Coffee Roasting: Until recently, we were content with a standard latte, but leave it to the city that gave us
Stumptown to make us realize that a run-of-the-mill cup of Joe doesn’t cut it anymore. A new crop of DIY javaheads is catapulting headfirst into the roasting process, from
roasting beans on a stovetop to upcycling
popcorn poppers into affordable coffee roasters. Establishments like the
Lovejoy Coffee Company are selling unroasted green beans (not the vegetable) along with hands-on counseling. For more “formal” instruction, aspiring roasters can take a class at
Mr. Green Beans or
Portland Roasting. Just be warned: once you DIY your beans, Starbucks will never be the same again.
Indie Designer Fair: Portland has no shortage of jewelry designers, print makers and knitters, but a singular location at which to find fine handcrafted wares has been elusive, at least until this past weekend, when a select group of artisans with an eye for quality and style came together at
Little Winter. This carefully curated (read: none of that
Regretsy type stuff found at other craft fairs) two-day engagement was held at
The Cleaners in Portland’s Ace Hotel. Bloggers/crafters
Abby Powell Thompson and
Chelsea Fuss organized the event to showcase 20+ talented crafters and artists from around the region. The
event had the design blogosphere buzzing. Our fingers are crossed that a Little Spring is in the works.
Portland on TV: Save for a few episodes during
season two of The O.C. and a couple of unmemorable short-lived series, Portland has never been a TV star. But that’s all about to change.
Debuting on
IFC in early 2011,
Portlandia is a
30-minute original comedy series starring
Fred Armisen (
Saturday Night Live) and
Carrie Brownstein (
Sleater-Kinney). Inspired by the duo’s web series “
ThunderAnt,” the show will be shot entirely on location in the City of Roses, with each episode consisting of comedy sketches that lovingly satirize Portland’s socially progressive culture. The show will feature numerous compelling guest spots from the likes of Jason Sudeikis, Selma Blair, Kyle MacLachlan and Gus Van Sant. Tune in to see just how side-splitting rain gear, pinot noir, and
bikes can be.
