I’ve Moved!
Dearest Readers,
In case you haven’t already noticed, Preppy in Portland has moved! You can now find me at preppyinportland.com for the same great Preppy in Portland restaurant, salon and boutique reviews; local events; product finds and general insights on life.
See you there!
– Preppy in Portland
My New Perfect Pick-Me-Up
I don’t know about you, but sometimes my life gets a little stressful. And when the usual pinot, pilates or peonies pick-me-ups fail, there’s just one thing left: cupcakes. I had heard amazing things about Portland’s own Saint Cupcake but never experienced them myself – that is until I stopped by a couple weekends ago and discovered the Mecca of all things pink plus absolute heaven in a cupcake.
I subscribe to the school of thought that believes everything is better if you, as they say, pink it and shrink it. Saint Cupcake does both in a unique, fun and stylish way. They bake a dozen or so varieties each day, from carrot cake to chocolate fudge and offer both regular sized and (my favorite!) mini cupcakes. But it’s more than just the cupcakes that makes Saint truly saintly. It’s the airy, friendly and just down right optimistic feel of their NW store. It’s the kind of place that makes even the most stressful week fade away in a cloud of pink and buttercream.
Don’t believe me? Check them out for yourself! You can visit heaven, ahem, Saint Cupcake at NW 17th and Flanders or at Saint Cupcake Deluxe on SE33rd and Belmont.
Enjoy!
The Countdown to BrewFest Begins!
It’s that time of year again, my dear friends. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. And the Oregon Brewers Festival is just around the corner. If you’ve never been, BrewFest is best explained by the numbers:
- 23: number of years Oregon Brewers Festival has been celebrating craft breweries
- 4: number of beer-filled festival days (July 22-25)
- 2: number of tents (North and South)
- 6: number of participating restaurants on site
- 81: number of beers from across this great country served (including many from our amazing state)
- 24: number of hours it takes to recover
I’m a huge fan of attending during the weekdays, if you can swing it. The lines are much shorter, and we always enjoy having a little extra time to chat with the pourers and our fellow beer drinkers – which is a major part of the fun.
Don’t worry about purchasing mugs and tokens in advance, since the lines are never that bad (if you really want to, click here for places to buy). If you’re a returning BrewFest-er, don’t bother bringing last year’s mug, since they won’t let you use it. You can, however, use tokens from years past, something to remember if you end the weekend with some extras (though we never do).
Keep an eye out for more BrewFest posts as the countdown continues!
Sweet Summer Sale at Mabel and Zora This Weekend!
I Love a Good Preview…
Last week, I attended a preview tasting for the Best of Oregon Food and Wine Festival, thrown by the amazing Pravia Wine and Events (you might remember them from Pinot in the Pearl).
The event brought me to the Red Star Tavern and Roast House downtown, which, I have to say, I really liked – but that’s for another post. The tasting featured wine from five Oregon wineries, including ADEA, VX and Willamette Valley. The food was provided by Red 
Star and featured some of the most amazing Dungeness crab cakes I’ve ever eaten, plus several other tasty treats.
Let’s be clear, I’m not a wine connoisseur. I’m just your garden variety drinker. But during events like this, I’m always determined to judge the best wine of the night, and at this preview, there were some major contenders. Top of my list were ADEA’s Chardonnay, a Pinot Gris from VX and Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noir. (Next time, I promise, I will remember the vintages). Aside from the wine itself, I really enjoyed the intimate nature of the event, which allowed time to chat with the reps from the wineries and learn more about their offerings.
Overall, I had a great time tasting my way around Oregon. And after this preview, I’m definitely counting the days until the Best of Oregon Festival (36 – do the math). To hold us over until then, there are two more preview tastings – follow @BestofOregon for details!
Preppy in Portland 