Can’t afford a $200 Chefs Week Dinner? Fear not: There are a ton of ways for non-gazillionaire eaters to eat well during Chefs Week PDX.
Chefs Week PDX brings together some of the best chefs from all over the West Coast—Top Chef winner Mei Lin and big names from Vancouver, B.C. to Los Angeles are all on the list—for glitzy, expensive collaboration feasts. The annual culinary series starts officially tomorrow, and most of the fancy dinners have been sold out for weeks.
Here’s the breakdown on where to get some good grub nonetheless:
I’m most excited for Friday’s Hapa Ramen takeover of Smokehouse Tavern. Richie Nakano, founder of the popular and now closed San Francisco Hapa Ramen, is teaming with BJ Smith to make soup from 11 am-3 pm. Cost? $14 a bowl.
Downtown LA’s Madcapra is also taking over Bunk Sandwiches on Alberta to make their famed falafel from 7-10 pm to 10 pm. When you’re done there, walk down to Salt & Straw’s Alberta location, where owner Tyler Malek and chefs Gregory Gourdet, Nong Poonsukwattana, and Maya Erickson will all be on hand to personally scoop out their own Chefs Week concoctions.
If that still isn’t enough: swing by Whole Foods through the 14th, where the hot bar will feature the following: roasted pomegranate carrots and agave glazed sweet potatoes from Gourdet, pork adobada and cola rice by Matt Sigler, plus Doug Adams’ slow grilled spiced chicken with fire roasted avocado and bean salad and roasted pearl onions with pineapple and hot chiles.
Oh, and there’s also a Double Mountain beer collaboration—a slightly bitter Pilsner called Come Together—and a special Alma Chocolate.
As of last night, there were still a few tickets to Saturday’s $70 Stumptown Brunch at Ava Gene’s, featuring dishes inspired by the chefs’ pasts and rare coffee pairings. Here’s a link for the chefs and tickets. Just don’t try to hit Sunday’s after party at the Commons; its already at capacity.
