Pardon my bragging, but I’ve been on a roll this week.
First, there was Easter Sunday with my family, which was wonderful. I got to hang out with my youngest sister and her husband and adorable child. I took my niece to the zoo, and we got to see polar bears and bats and baby elephants. And, there was a lot of sunshine this past week which resulted in general merriment and sunburns (and an impromptu potluck on a friend’s porch).
Then, my friend Mari got us courtside seats to the Blazers vs. Memphis game on Wednesday. It was epic. We hollered and cheered and heckled Marc Gasol and had ourselves a grand ole time. (Note: the game was awful and the Blazers lost in the most horrific fashion, but we still had a blast.)
To top it all off, the morning after the game I attended a small blogger brunch at Imperial. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Imperial is a new restaurant from Vitaly Paley (Paley’s Place) and Ben Bettinger (formerly of Beaker & Flask). The menu is a stunning tribute to the region, with an emphasis on Native American cuisine and locally grown and sourced food. They make nearly everything from scratch – the barrel aged hot sauce, the bread, the cheese – and it all tastes perfect. We were treated to a gorgeous brunch spread, complete with coffee, cocktails (and mocktails!), the prettiest fruit plate I’ve ever seen, strawberry french toast, house made sausage patties and links, coddled eggs in spicy tomato sauce, fry bread with house made ricotta and grilled pears, and so much more. The brown butter beignets (served with Bee Local Honey from Montavilla) were one of the highlights of the morning – it was like biting into perfect little doughy pillows.
See, I told you that it’s been a great week. I feel so thankful (and spoiled).
And since it’s Friday (hooray!) I thought I’d share a little goodness with y’all.
Here, in no particular order, are some of my current favorites.
FRIDAY FAVORITES: APRIL 5, 2013
Actresses Without Teeth. This site is terrifying and hilarious. And it makes me want to take care of my teeth so that I always have a full set of pearly whites.
Oaxaca. Nich and I have been trying to plan a summer getaway, and I think we’ve settled on Oaxaca, Mexico. It looks like an amazing place, and I really (really!) hope we’re able to go. (If you’ve got the travel bug, I suggest you read The New York Time’s 36 Hours in Oaxaca. I promise, you’ll drool over all the good eats.)
Arrested Development is back (!!!). This is the best thing to happen to television in a very, very long time. (Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled that Game of Thrones and Mad Men are back on the air. But Arrested Development is the best TV show of all time.)
The new Justin Timberlake album. Cannot. Stop. Listening. To. It.
Sprouted Kitchen’s Kale & Slivered Brussels Sprout Soba Salad. I’ve made it a million times in the past few weeks. It’s so simple and delicious.
I implore you all to go rent/watch/see the documentary, “A Place at The Table.” I’ll write more about this next week for my Food Bloggers Against Hunger post, but I had to include this on my favorites list today as it’s an amazing and powerful film. Watch it.
Pope Francis. I don’t often pay much attention to the Pope, but Francis is making me pay attention. He seem humble and down to earth. He cares about the poor. And he’s doing away with a lot of the papal pomp and circumstance and I like it. (Also, I read this article about him washing the feet of a Muslim woman and it brought me to tears.)
The PDX Food Swap. We have a limited amount of spots left for our swap on April 14th. Visit Sustainable Food For Thought for more information (and come swap with us!).
Lastly, good friends of mine gave birth to a health baby boy named Henry this morning. I’m so excited for their family, and cannot wait to kiss his little cheeks. Henry is definitely my favorite thing about today, so I think I’ll leave it at that.
Happy Friday, friends!