Portland Food Carts

Today was a special day, after buying ten burritos, I got my eleventh one free. The punch card is a beautiful thing! Which made me think how much I like the food carts in Portland, and how I am not alone. We don't have a concentration of carts in the Pearl District where I work, but there are several great ones including, Fuego, where I got my awesome chicken burrito, and Whole Bowl. If you head downtown there are about a dozen carts along SW 5th Ave. near Oak that range from Mexican to Indian to BBQ. There is also a cluster of carts by the public library downtown at SW 9th and Alder. Our food carts are so good, they almost get as many reviews as our restaurants. Sunset magazine has a top ten list, the NY Times has a great video about our carts, and there is even a website "Guide to Food Carts in Portland Oregon" that gives great descriptions and directions to all the food carts that is updated regularly. In fact, several restaurants in town started out as food carts, including the now famous Pok Pok. So don't be afraid to try something new just because it is sold on the street out of a cart.

Reading on the Bus

When I was a kid I could never read in the car or on the bus ride to school, which did not bode well if you forgot you had a book report due. I would always get car sick whenever I tried. So, I am constantly surprised to see people reading on the bus on the way to work. What if they get sick in front of everyone and throw up in the bus? Maybe as you get older car sickness subsides, because I have yet to see anyone puke on the bus (from reading). In fact this morning the bus was pretty full and almost everyone had a book or a newspaper they were reading (the earlier buses tend to have more people that look like they can read). I have even started to dip my toe in the water. I started with reading my overnight e-mail and have now graduated to reading the New York Times on my iPhone. So far I feel pretty good.

23 Hoyt

We had dinner last night at 23 Hoyt, over in NW Portland with two other couples. It was a beautiful evening and there were a lot of people out on the street. The restaurant is quite large, with a nice bar and outside seating as well as upstairs and downstairs dinning rooms. The menu is pretty diverse, with no theme as far as I could tell, but several interesting options. There are 9 or 10 "small bites" choices that also serve as appetizers, we started out with the Deviled Eggs (which were great), Fried Almonds, and the Garlic-Green Chilies as well as the Charcuterie plate and the Heirloom Tomatoes appetizer. The portions were very reasonable and everything was quite tasty. For entrees we tried the Steak and Fries, Pan Roasted Halibut and the Rib Eye. The steak came over cooked, but they were happy to replace it and took it off our bill. Apart from that small set back the food was great. All nice portions and well prepared. My only quarrel was with the price of the halibut, at $24 it seemed a little steep. Everyone was very happy with their desserts. I had the Rhubarb Crisp (I added another scoop of ice cream) and the Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Sorbet were also very nice. We enjoyed three great and fairly priced bottles of wine from their extensive list, that were expertly chosen by our friend Rob Morrison. As we left, around 10 PM, I was disappointed that the restaurant and the street around it was empty. I guess the economy is hitting everyone pretty hard.

23 Hoyt is open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner.

529 NW 23rd Ave.

Portland, Oregon 97210

503.445.7400

www.23hoyt.com/home.html

The Eagles - Hotel California

The Eagles Greatest Hits is the second best selling record of all time. They were a band that put out a lot great singles, but I would say Hotel California is a pretty awesome record. They were ahead of their time, hitting on the theme of paradise lost in California in the 1970's. The title track, "New Kid in Town," and "Life in the Fast Lane" are three of their best singles and "Victim of Love" and "Wasted Time" are good songs as well. This record came out the year we moved to Texas, so "New Kid in Town" has a special place in my heart as I seemed to hear it on the radio every morning as my parents dropped me off at my new school.

The Long Fall by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors. He is well know for his Easy Rawlins series of detective novels, Of which Devil In A Blue Dress was made into a major motion picture with Denzel Washington playing Rawlins. Easy Rawlins is a west coast PI we have followed for 11 novels, starting with his return to Los Angeles after World War II. The novels were not only good detective stores, they were a great look at life in post-war, black Los Angeles, a world that Mosley painted vividly with a menagerie of interesting characters. The Long Fall, the first Leonid McGill mystery is Mosley's New York version of Easy Rawlins, but unfortunately without the history and cultural lessons. Set in modern day Manhattan, McGill is a PI who is trying to turn his life from crooked to slightly bent. He has been, "in the life" for most of his 50+ years, but is now trying to go straight. Unfortunately, his past is harder to escape than he would like.

The book opens with McGill getting a seemingly simple assignment to track down four men, who subsequently are murdered. This doesn't sit right with him, so he puts in a lot of extra time and effort trying to find out why, almost getting killed himself a few times. Along the way, we meet a broad spectrum of New York gangsters, politicians and other low lives that McGill must navigate to get answers. While not as rich as the Easy Rawlins series, the tension of an old school character in a modern world does makes for a good story and hopefully an interesting series to follow.

Crazy Enough

Storm Large is a Portland celebrity. That means she is huge here, but if you live outside Portland, you have never heard of her. The one possible exception is if you were one of the few people who watched CBS' Rockstar: Supernova a raunchy version of American Idol. In Portland we got updates on the show as if she were the Mayor, but again you've probably never heard of her. The great thing about Portland is a three month stint on a reality TV show gets you the change to bring your life story to the Portland Center Stage. Large does not fumble the opportunity. She has been playing to sold out audiences every night and the show has been extended for another month.

Crazy Enough has Large telling us the story of life with her literally crazy mom and a prediction at four years old, by the family doctor, that she would most likely end up the same way. Confronted with this possibility, she lives her life to the fullest, sex drugs and rock and roll all playing prominent roles. Large is, a large woman, at over six feet tall. She is pretty, loud and not afraid to let people know here opinion. In her words, she never fit in, she was too tall, too loud and too outspoken. Large seems to be reliving all the pain as she tells her story, intermingled with songs she has written for the show. It is intense and heartfelt. She has an above average story to tell, and she tells it with passion, that easily wins the crowd over. In the end you are rooting for her and looking forward to what she might do next.

Portland Center Stage
128 NW Eleventh Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
http://www.pcs.org/

The Hangover

The Hangover is the funniest movie I have seen this year. It is a great combination of two cliches, the crazy bachelor party and the crazy Vegas trip. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms (of The Office), Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha take off to Vegas for a bachelor night, three old friends and a very strange brother-in-law to be. Next thing we see is a trashed penthouse villa at Caesars Palace and no one has any idea what happened the night before. The room is destroyed, there is a live tiger in the bathroom, the father-in-law to be's classic Mercedes, they borrowed to get there, is gone, and most troubling of all the groom is no where to be found. The rest of the movie is spent trying to piece together the night before and find the groom, so they can get to the wedding on time. If you think you've seen all the funny parts in the trailer, you haven't. There is a great cameo by Mike Tyson and the bizarre, twisted Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is a scene stealer. Make sure you stay through the credits for the slide show.

Grey Gardens

Fresh from Broadway where it was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 2007, this new musical from Doug Wright tells the story of two interesting women, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter “Little Edie,” the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Once among the brightest names on the social register, these two women became East Hampton’s most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated 28-room mansion with their 52 cats. From the glittering high society of 1940s New York to the tabloid headlines that rocked the Kennedy clan in 1970s, Grey Gardens takes you inside the fascinating world of “America’s royalty,” asking: when should the private be made public? And what are the limits of America’s right to know?

The story started with a documentary in 1975 when the tabloids revealed that the two former socialites were living in squalor. People would drive by to take pictures on the way to the beach. Finally Jackie Kennedy had to come to their defense and stopped the board of health from evicting them. The documentary was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2006, and an HBO film starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the Eddies, aired this year. "Big Edie" died in 1977 and "Little Edie" sold the house in 1979 to former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. "Little Edie" died in 2002 at the age of 84.

The NY Times panned the documentary and suggested it never should have been made as it was a sad and bizarre invasion of privacy. When little Eddie wrote to defend the documentary they refused to print her letter, saying "we do not print letters from schizophrenics." I think that says it all.

Portland Center Stage

128 NW Eleventh Ave.

Portland, OR 97209

http://www.pcs.org/

Neil Young - Decade

You gotta have a Neil Young record in your collection, he is classic rock. He influenced the entire grunge movement, he has never sold out any of his music for a commercial (wait that's not true, he let us use a song for a TV spot we did for the American Indian College fund) and he is an all around cool guy. I'll never forget when I saw him in concert in Houston back in the early 80's. Half way through the show he stopped playing and took an intermission. He said, "when we come back we are going to go way back in time." Of course everyone thought he was going to come back and play all the old tunes solo. Not the case, he came back on stage dressed like Elvis and proceeded to tear through an hour of 50's tunes. The band did not take a break the entire set, so they could drown out the boos. I looked around after three songs and half the crowd had left. I could not believe people were walking out on Neil Young. A year or two later later, the Stray Cats and a few other bands brought the 50's sound back, Neil was just a little too early.

So not that you are ready to get into Neil Young, Decade is the starter set. You get 34 songs that trace the early history from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Crazy Horse. It's a great tw0-CD set that you will enjoy from the first song to the last.

Most Valuable Puppets

If you have not seen the Most Valuable Puppets commercials that Nike was running on the NBA playoffs, you need to check them out on the Nike Basketball site. The Lebron puppet is dead on, but it took me a second to recognize the Kobe puppet. Also, the little Dez puppet is based on a guy who works at W+K, and in my opinion is the funniest of the three. There was obviously a little hiccup when the Cavs did not make it to the finals, but the spots are still funny and they worked around it well as you can see with this great celebration spot.

The puppets were in the office last week, and there was a very special puppet that the public won't see, puppet Phil Knight, I had to get a picture with him.

Tiger Billboard at Penn Station

If you are in NY this week and you happen by Penn Station at 34th and 7th street, you will see a 69' 6" high x 39' 6" wide billboard that, "highlights some of golf’s most dramatic moments from Tiger’s 14 major wins—from April 13, 1997, when a baby-faced 21-year-old officially began changing the game, to his playing on just one knee at Torrey Pines last year."

The billboard went up yesterday, for U.S. Open week and will be up through June 26th. Hopefully Tiger will win this weekend at Bethpage Black and we can add a new square to the bottom right hand corner..

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton began writing novels when he was medical student at Harvard. He went on to be one of the biggest selling authors of all time, with many of of his books being made into major motion pictures, like Jurassic Park and Raising Sun. He is also the creator of the TV show ER. Throughout his career he specialized in medical and technical thrillers. The Andromeda Strain fits both these categories.

The books opens with a military satellite returning to Earth, and a recovery team is dispatched to retrieve it. During a live radio communication with their base, the team members suddenly die. Aerial surveillance reveals that everyone in Piedmont, Arizona, the town closest to where the satellite landed, is apparently dead. The base commander suspects the satellite returned with an extraterrestrial organism and recommends activating Wildfire, the government-sponsored team that counters extraterrestrial biological infestation. The scientists believe the satellite, which was actually designed to capture upper-atmosphere microorganisms for bio-weapon exploitation, returned with a deadly microorganism that kills by disseminated intravascular coagulation, or turning your blood to toothpaste. When they search the town, the team discovers that the residents either died in mid-stride or committed bizarre suicides. However, two Piedmont inhabitants, the sick, geriatric, Peter Jackson, and a constantly-crying infant, somehow survived. The man, infant, and satellite are taken to the secret underground Wildfire laboratory, a secure facility equipped with every known capacity for protection against a biological element escape into the atmosphere, including a nuclear weapon to incinerate the facility if necessary. Further investigation determines that the bizarre deaths were caused by a crystal-structured, extraterrestrial microbe on a meteor that crashed into the satellite, knocking it from orbit. The microbe, code named "Andromeda", mutates with each growth cycle, and it is the scientists job to find out how to stop it before it invades Los Angeles.

While this book is a classic, it does feel dated. It relies on many intricate technical details that seem very old fashioned, especially when Crichton details what in 1965 must have seemed like an amazing main frame computer. With the Internet and the speed of communications today, teletypes and atomic self destruct devices seem laughable. However, Crichton clearly researched this book thoroughly and the details and attention to detail help create an exciting finale.

Gran Torino

I have always been a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, from the spaghetti westerns to Dirty Harry, I have seen a lot of him over the years. I have also enjoyed Bird and the WWII movies he directed. In Gran Torino, Eastwood stars, directs and produces, which is impressive for a 79 year-old. But this is no regular 79 year-old, this is Clint Eastwood, still intimidating and still captivating.

In Gran Torino, Eastwood plays a recently widowed senior, Walt Kowalski , who speaks his mind no matter who he offends, and growls under his breath whenever he disagrees with you. He would be part of the "greatest generation," except they are mostly gone now, so he is a Korean War vet. He does not get along with his two sons or their families and sees them as trying to get rid of him so they can sell the house and make some money. Speaking of houses, Walt has lived in the same one his entire life despite the fact that the neighborhood has transformed from a white middle-class neighborhood to an immigrant neighborhood. He is one of the last holdouts in an area the rest of his family would prefer not to visit any more, and he does not get along with the neighbors. That is until Walt saves the neighbor's son, Thao, from getting a beating by a Vietnamese gang. This incident sparks the neighbors to get to know each other and shower Walt with (unwanted) gifts. Walt reluctantly takes Thao under his wing as the tension builds with the local gang.

From the start you know this is not going to end well, but the tension and the relationship between Walt and the neighbors, specifically Thao's sister (Ahney Her), keep you riveted. If you missed this one in the theaters, it's time to rent the DVD.

Portland Pride Parade

Today I tagged along with the Oregon Humane Society as a participant in the Portland Pride Parade. This is the second year I have participated and it is a lot of fun. There is an interesting mix of people from the drag queens to the human rights activists to families. Everyone cheers as you pass along the parade route from the Pearl District through downtown to the waterfront. It is a good idea to get there early if you are participating in the parade because you are going to want to walk around and see the other participants (when you are in the parade all you see are the people immediately ahead and behind you). As you walk around you will see a lot of men in thongs, very short shorts, dresses, leather, utilakilts and other interesting outfits that would probably get them arrested on any other day. This year I also saw several topless women, and a few more with just pasties on, again I am sure this would get them arrested on any other day. Like the Humane Society, there are several large organizations that participate, Nike and Kaiser Permanente both had good turnouts, but I am sure there were many more.

The Humane Society had about 15 people and six dogs in the group. We were carrying three small banners and one big "End Petlessness" banner (pictured), as well as handing out stickers and $55 discount adoption coupons to the crowd. And what an amazing crowd it was. It seemed like it was a lot bigger than the last time I participated. People were packed along Broadway, cheering and wanting to pet the dogs. Each participant gets a shout out at Embers, right before you cross Burnside, and at Pioneer Square, and people go crazy for the Humane Society. The crowd is a diverse mix as well, with people of all ages and lots of families with kids. Some are dressed up for the occasion, but most are dressed as if they were at the Rose Parade. The crowd thinned out a little as we turned down SW Salmon towards the water front, but then it was packed out again on Naito Pkwy. Even with all those people, we still managed to spot one of our neighbors and some friends from work. Once you get to the end of the parade route there are lots of booths and places to eat set up on Waterfront Park. The park was not very crowded when we got there, as we were number 34 of 150 parade participants and there were a lot of people still waiting to begin as we walked back to the car, but it looked like a fun way to spend the afternoon.

Helvetia Half Marathon

At about mile 10 I was wondering, why the hell did I pass up a trip to Bandon Dunes to run a half marathon? It was a little bit of a struggle today. I should have know when I had a great 11 mile run last week; you never have a good race if you have a good practice run the week before.

The Helvetia Half is a great race, it starts at the Hillsboro Stadium, circles through some beautiful countryside, then back to the stadium. It is a pretty hilly track, which can be a test for people who have not practiced on hills. It is very well supported with lots of water and aid stations. You also get a nice medal and t-shirt for finishing. The best part about finishing (apart from being done) is the free Helvatia Tavern burger and the beer garden. Nothing tastes better than a cold beer and a burger after 13.1 miles at 11:00 AM. As I said, this is a great race, and it is consistently voted the best half marathon in Oregon, but I wonder if it is growing too big. They had over 4000 runners there today and the result was a huge traffic jam trying to get in and out of the parking area. Hopefully next year they will have more cops out there on traffic control.

I started out slow today, then picked up the pace at around three miles. I was going well until about eight miles, when all of a sudden I felt really tired. The rest of the way in was hard work, as the mile markers that were flying by earlier, seemed to be taking forever to appear. Finally at mile 12, I saw the stadium again and that made it a lot easier to get home. The one thing you always forget as you are finishing is that extra .1 you have to run after you see the 13 mile marker. I clocked myself at 2:40, but my official time will be a little higher as I had to stand in a long line for the bathroom at mile 5. All in all, I am happy with my time as I was hoping to beat 2:45.

Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

You can't have a record collection without a few Elton John records, specifically Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection, Honky Chateau, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and the last great record he made before descending into pop star hell, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. A concept record, Captain Fantastic end to end is the best of the bunch, plus it includes "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" one of John/Taupin's all time greats. I even prefer their version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" over the original Beatles version. But back to my original premise, Captain Fantastic is not about singles, it is a great full-length recording that deserves to be played start to finish (a couple times over if possible).

Tin Roof Blowdown - James Lee Burke

Tin Roof Blowdown is author James Lee Burke's seventeenth Dave Robicheaux mystery, so obviously I am a little late to the party here, but I am glad I finally got on board. The good news is, if you are new to the series there is comprehensive background information provided to get you up to speed. Burke is a vivid writer and can bring a setting to life as well as anyone I have read. He also knows how to keep you glued to a story. Tin Roof Blowdown is set in New Orleans during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. Robicheaux is living outside the city, working for the New Iberia sheriff's department when the hurricane hits. He is called in to help investigate the killing of two looters who have broken into one of New Orleans leading mafia leader's home. The two surviving looters have made off with the score of a lifetime and the gangster of course wants it back. Following the money leads Robicheaux on a series of suspenseful twists and brings in several colorful characters. One of the most colorful of all is New Orleans itself. Burke does a great job painting the picture of death, confusion, and frustration that was (and to some extent still is) post Katrina New Orleans. He is obviously well versed in the rhythm of the city and the characters that inhabit it.

Moving Day

After about three years on the fifth floor, I moved down to the fourth floor today. The creative folks decided they all want to sit together, so the rest of us had to clear out. I really liked the fifth floor, I had a nice view and good folks sitting around me, plus it was a little secluded down on the end of the aisle. The new space is an inside office so I am even more secluded, but maybe too secluded. It is harder to just turn around and talk to people now. Another con is no view. In the new space we look into a storage building across the street. I can't believe I am complaining about having an office. When we first moved into this building the offices were coveted and no one wanted to sit in the open. How quickly things can change. On the plus side, I was able to close my door and have a quite, uninterrupted conference call this morning.

Portland Central City Concern

On Friday I got a tour of one of Portland's biggest, least known charities, Portland Central City Concern. In short, they help people get back on the road to self-sufficiency. The people they help are homeless or addicts or both. Many have been to jail and have a very hard time getting a job. PCCC takes people in, gets them sober, helps with medical issues and puts a roof over their heads. Most of the five hundred people who work for PCCC have been through the program. They work on the janitorial staff or painting crews that keep up the 24 buildings they own in downtown Portland. They also work for the clean and safe program you see around the city, picking up trash. Some graduate to be counselors and work in administrative positions.

It is an amazing place that boasts a lot of success stories, I heard from four of them. They had all been homeless at on point in their lives, one woman for 9 years and one man for 11 years. One lost a job and spiraled down from there, failing a couple of drug tests which made it harder and harder to get the next job. Another had been around addicted parents and drugs for as long as they could remember. Almost all of them had lost spouses and kids due to their addictions. One of the women had been arrested multiple times for identity theft, making her virtually unemployable. At rock bottom, each found PCCC, who helped them get clean and gave them a job. Even though it is a menial janitorial job for three of the four, they were all happy to tell me how much they liked their job and how happy they were to have someone take a chance on them.

Thanks to great people like my friend Adrienne, this organization is making a real difference in our community, moving people from burdens on society to tax paying citizens. Ade is responsible for the business enterprises at PCCC, so she is always trying to get companies to hire her paint or cleaning crews, which is a challenge when they are filled with ex-cons and recovering drug addicts. The biggest challenge is to find jobs that people in transition can do without being a security risk. In better economic times crews could pick up trash and separate out the recycling to make money, but no one is paying much for recycling right now, so we need another alternative.

Check out the website and you can see all the amazing things PCCC does. It is truly one of he biggest, most successful charities in Portland that more people need to know about.

Dizzy Gillespie - The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever

Who is the greatest trumpet player of all time? Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie? As the leader of two of the finest big bands in jazz history, Gillespie differed from many of his generation by being a masterful showman who could also make his music seem both accessible and fun to the audience. With puffed-out cheeks, bent trumpet (which was the result of an accident in the early '50s when a dancer tripped over his horn), and quick wit, Dizzy was an amazing man to watch. He was also a comedian of sorts, a superb scat singer and occasionally played Latin percussion , but it was his trumpet playing and band leadership that made him into a jazz giant. Another point in Gillespie's favor is that like Davis, he transcended his era and made great records for four decades. As an inventor of bop, he made the seminal music of the genre, but he also went on to bring Afro-Cuban sounds and Latin percussion into jazz. Like many of the jazz greats there are more than 100 recordings of Diz you could choose from, The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever featuring Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Bud Powell is a good starting pace.

Bar Avignon

Last night we met our good friends Jenny and Al at Bar Avignon for dinner and drinks. Located in the trendy lower Division St. area, it's a cozy place with casual inside and outside seating. The cocktails and wine selection is great, they also have Miller High Life on draft for $2.50.

We started out with the meat and cheese board which was outstanding. I would recommend the shropshire blue and the triple cream cheese as well as the lonza - dry-cured pork loin. For entrees we had the chicken liver mousse, tomato-bread soup with basil and a grilled cheese sandwich, a meatball sandwich with side salad, and the mussels. They were all excellent and the home made bread that accompanied it was fantastic. We finished with two amazing deserts, the dagoba dark chocolate cake with bourbon caramel almond cake and the vanilla bean crème brûlée.

Overall I have to say the food and the atmosphere are excellent. The owners are also very nice as well as the attentive wait staff. The only thing is, I am not sure want to say this restaurant is about. Everything is good, but it has no signature dish or theme. Maybe it's just a great neighborhood place and that is enough.

Bar Avignon
www.baravignon.com
2138 SE Division St
Portland, OR
(503) 517-0808

Presenting to the Oregon AMA

This morning I presented the marketing campaign we did for Coraline to the Oregon chapter of the American Marketing Association. Here is a picture I took from the stage. Their big yearly seminar is called Brandologie and is all about brand building in these difficult times with a special emphasis on new media. If you go to site, you can read some of my thoughts on branding, although it looks like they left out some of the commas in what I wrote.

This afternoon we are having a cage match, no holds barred debate on branding. There will be two teams that have to give opinions on some marking issue and the audience gets to vote on who is more persuasive. Should be interesting.

Boardin' on Mt. Tabor

One thing I have yet to try, but looks like a lot of fun, is hiking to the top of Mt. Tabor and riding a skateboard all the way down Belmont. I see a lot of guys on long boards cruising down on the weekends as they go flying by the house. Of course this can be a little dangerous as you share the road with cars and trucks, but the worst part would be getting back up the hill. For the lazy people, like me, you can skate down and ride the bus most of the way back up.