The ChocolateFest at the World Forestry Center is going on now! Catch it today until 5 pm or Sunday from 10am until 5pm. Last night was absolutely packed. Walking around the vendor booths, I had a personal bubble only about a foot in diameter. At the sampling tables it was elbow to elbow.

Photographer Liang Liang, and I were literally running to the door in anticipation of free chocolate samples. We hobbled out two hours later feeling punched in the stomach. The samples are tiny but they add up. Any vendor with edible items (there was some soap and jewelry), had something they wanted you to try. Here are my local favorites.

Sweets

Sweet Masterpiece: Had a pear cinnamon ganache with a milk chocolate base. It was like mixing a pear pie with chocolate. May not sound like the best idea, but believe me, it is.

Brownies From Heaven (Vancouver, WA): Gorgeous brownie truffles! And they deliver.

Chocolate Craft Kits: Modeling chocolate. It looks and functions like modeling clay and comes in as many colors. I didn’t get a chance to try it, but I was told it tastes like a Tootsie Roll.

Coco & Co.: Most truffles are vegan. Even their bacon-flavored chocolate.

Missionary Chocolates: All of their chocolates are vegan. These ladies came dressed prom gowns. The Meyer Lemon Explosion delivers. BOOM! Meyer Lemon!

a little bit of sweet: This vendor was surprised to discover that their delicious fluffy marshmallows were selling more than their chocolates. The attendees had already eaten too much chocolate.

Wine

My favorite wine vendors were the ones that were giving away free tastes. (All two of them.) Most were asking me to pay. Thirst Bistro provided me with a mouthful of their surprisingly pleasant table red.

HV Cellars (Roseburg, OR) had an assortment of fruit wines: traditional grape wines as well as blackberry, pomegranate, plum, and cranberry. The cranberry and blackberry were especially complimentary to chocolate flavors. Less intensely sweet than a dessert wine, I decided I needed more of the blackberry wine and ordered a glass. Liang Liang bought a bottle. (That’s how sampling is supposed to work. Give us a taste for free and we’re hooked.)

The greatest delight came from a team effort of HV Cellars and Coastal Mist (Brandon, OR). Coastal Mist had an admirable assortment of chocolates on their own. But then they made some tiny truffles for HV Cellars out of their fruit wines. After my taste of blackberry wine I was given a blackberry wine truffle. Oh heavens, me. It was the best thing I tasted at ChocolateFest.

All photos by Liang Liang. To see more images of the ChocolateFest, check out her gallery on Roll35.

$8 adults, $7 seniors (62+), $5 children.
Under 3 and members are free.

$2 Metro Parking fee. Waived if you take MAX to our front door!

Categories: food and drink
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• January 25, 2010 -- ChocolateFest This Weekend (0)

Design for Living follows a trio of friends over a number of years and explores the dynamics of love and friendship. What happens when you love both your friends and you can’t choose which one you should be with? What happens when you figure it might just be better to leave and let them be friends? Can a dynamic trio be accomplished? These are all questions that Noel Coward raised with his 1932 play being performed now at Artists Repertory Theatre.

Now I’ve seen shows of varying degrees at ART in recent years. Design for Living, however, was one of the better ones. Despite the length it proved to be a solid, if not mostly enjoyable show.

The show was a bit slow to start, but that’s more the script’s blame than the production’s.  The first intermission, that’s right more than one, seems to disrupt the nice pace that has developed at the end of the first act. While the second intermission seemed to fall more naturally.

Todd Van Voris and Michael Mendelson are quite the comedic duo, and once this potenial is unleashed you want nothing more than the show to continue with these two alone.  Vana O’Brien provided a nice comedic break in the second act, while it seems Sarah Lucht failed to carry the same vitality as her male counterparts.

Jon Kretzu did a wonderful job of creating beautiful stage pictures and a solid pace throughout. Some of the Noel Coward’s more beautiful passages, however, could have been indulged a tad more.

Jeff Seats did a stellar job of creating three different and distinct locations by simple transformations the basic layout. Making the set a key player in the show. It’s a pleasure to return from intermission to see how so many small changes can effect a huge difference.

Overall Design for Living provides an enjoyable evening. Have a drink and settle into ART for a look into the complicated relationships of friends and lovers.

Design for Living is playing at Artists Repertory Theatre on the Morrison stage from now until Feb. 7th.

Categories: theater
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For the 5th year in a row, the World Forestry Center will present ChocolateFest. The event is Friday, January 29 from 6:00 -9:00pm and Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 from 10am -5pm. Pre-sale tickets are available at www.worldforestry.org. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (62+) and $5 for children (3-18). There will be plenty of chocolate to taste.

This year, the World Forestry Center is expanding the hours to include Friday night. This evening will be extra special as chocolate-lovers will get a sneak preview of the Center’s newest exhibit, The Chocolate Story, which opens January 30 and is on view through April 25. The exhibit explore the history, production and consumption of chocolate – a food which is derived from the cacao tree that grows in the tropics. On Friday night visitors will also be able to vote for their favorite chocolatier and products. Categories to be voted on are:

Best Truffle Category
Best Confection Category
Most Innovative Ingredient Combination Category
Best Organic or Fair Trade Products Category
Best in Show Category

Over 45 of some of the finest chocolatiers in the Pacific Northwest, and beyond, will tempt visitors with luscious truffles, decadent brownies, heavenly fudge, and more. Demonstrations, presentations as well as a few wine, beer and coffee vendors will be on hand to explore all the pairing possibilities of chocolate.

Located in Portland’s beautiful Washington Park. There is a $2 Metro parking fee per car that is waived if visitors take public transportation. The museum is five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Hwy 26 and is also accessible by MAX light rail line.

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• January 30, 2010 -- ChocolateFest (0)

Portland’s famous velvet painting museum is leaving Portland! This is the last week to check out over 300 velvet paintings. The final viewing day is January 24th. Admission is $5, but it’s worth a peek. There are Elvises, wide-eyed children crying, Elvises crying, clowns smoking and crying, naked women, matadors, even a naked woman matador. I was surprised to discover that there are also some genuinely talented velvet painters.

Supposedly, the owners of the Velveteria are planning to reopen their exhibits somewhere with nicer weather.

2448 E. Burnside St.
Portland, Oregon 97214
(503)233-5100
open Weds – Sun noon – 5pm

Categories: art
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The most prevalent argument against Measures 66 and 67 is that they will raise taxes on middle class families and small businesses. Vote Yes For Oregon has assembled the following illuminating chart. It shows not only how false that claim is, but how as recently as the last legislative session dissenting conservative groups like the Oregon Business Association advanced flatter tax increases which would have shifted the burden from the very wealthy back on to those very middle class families and small businesses they now purport to defend.

There’s a lot at stake for Oregon in this vote. As we work together to save jobs, fund public education, and maintain long term health care, those among us who can most afford to help must do so. As the above table indicates, Measures 66 and 67 are not tax hikes against the middle class, nor are they anti-business. Oregon state has the 2nd lowest business tax in the country. If we want to attract more businesses to Portland, then adequately funding education, social programs, and infrastructure is exactly what we need to do.

Ballots must be received no later than Jan. 26th at 8pm. You can find out where to drop your ballot at Vote Yes For Oregan’s site.

Categories: politics
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I’m constantly trolling craiglist for modeling and acting gigs. Most of them aren’t paid of course. I understand that sometimes there are mutually beneficial circumstances when you can trade your time for somebody else’s time. But I can find those delightful unpaid opportunities without the help of craigslist. Thanks. (And especially do not ever expect me to take my clothes off in front of a camera without paying me.) Don’t tell me that I’m going to get experience, exposure, or whatever. I won’t. If you’re out of high school you shouldn’t be naïve enough to believe that this will be a magical success that will bring all of us fame and glory.

But this guy is still in high school and his project sounds hilarious.

Casting for ‘Suitcase Sam’ (NE Portland)
Date: 2010-01-17, 2:15PM PST
Reply to: gigs-ac7kk-1557322824@craigslist.org

I am a senior in highschool and am now casting for my independent film called ‘Suitcase Sam’ which I plan to get to the film festival circuit. Please send headshot/resume, or if you don’t have any experience, just tell me a little about yourself and send a photo, and clarify which role you wish to maintain.

ROLES:

STAN-30’s. Tech-savy, has a past with the mafia.

* Location: NE Portland
* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

PostingID: 1557322824

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/tlg/1557322824.html

Aw. Good luck, plucky student.

Categories: film, internet
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At the end of this month some good friends of mine will be touring through and playing Ella St. Social Club (714 SW 20th Place). Wheels of Fortune are from Central California and play a poetic, steady blend of American folk and rock with debts stretching back to Leonard Cohen and Hank Williams. It is some of my favorite stuff.

Joining them on the bill will be Otis Heat, 1776, and The Hugs. I haven’t seen Otis Heat, but I’m liking what I hear online. My band has played with 1776 a couple times, and they’re great. The Hugs are a solid good time. For $5, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better bargain in Portland on a Saturday night.

Categories: music
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Portland citizens have a lot of good will, but not a lot of money. I’ve been looking around to try to find ways of volunteering to alleviate the situation in Haiti without donating money.

Many people in the US are trying to contact family and friends in Haiti, but can’t afford to spend all day (time or money) calling. But we can help out by making calls for them.

Former Reed student Clare Payton is working at a calling center at the Haitian Enlightenment & Literacy Project (H.E.L.P.) in New York. Right now there are only two volunteers making calls and they are soon going home for the day. If we on the West Coast could continue to make calls as long as we can, it would be really helpful. Do you have some spare Skype credit to burn? Do you have T-Mobile? T-Mobile is offering calls to and from Haiti and you will not be charged for international long distance.

Join the Facebook group Haitian Response. You will see a list of people and phone numbers on the wall. Call the 509 numbers. On Skype select Haiti as the country and dial the number after 509. On a regular phone you will need to dial 011 + 509 + Phone Number.

If someone answers, find out: 1. Who picked up? 2: Where are they? 3. Is the target person alive? 4. Are any other family members dead or alive? 5. Tell them who on the list is trying to contact them.

It is especially useful if you speak French, but if you don’t, it’s ok. If you can’t communicate with the recipient, or if the call cuts off before you can ask them questions, it’s ok. Just the fact that someone, anyone, answered that phone number is very valuable information. Most likely, you will get a variety of error messages or even recorded music playing at you. You may not find anyone, but what you are doing is important. If you do get an actual person on the phone, report the details on the Facebook group immediately.

Good luck, and thank you for your help.

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I’m in love, love, love with the blog Regretsy: the blog making fun of everybody’s right to free expression and to sell their crappy art on the internet (Etsy).

Occasionally, a featured artist will have talent (or a sense of humor), but just produced something mindbogglingly peculiar.

Today, Regretsy highlighted Portland artist John Larriva and his terrifying windup toy with the head of Bill Nighy.

As is common with Regretsy art, the horrid handcraft sold very quickly.

Categories: art, internet
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DJ Beyonda’s Soul Night has been a huge night in Portland for 3 years now. Every second Thursday of each month the inevitable line to get into Rotture’s second story space stretches down the stairs and out under the fluorescent streetlights of Portland’s inner SE warehouse district.

The space is a popular venue for larger acts and touring bands, but it’s also a gay friendly club that hosts local unsigned bands, experimental noise, and all flavors of electronica. This belies the fact that Soul Night has turned into something other than an event for appreciators of soul music and their friends; it’s turned into a come-one-come-all party.

In an attempt to keep out the “douche bags”, DJ Beyonda is trying an experiment for the first Soul Night of 2010.

The dress code will honor sharply dressed people (suits, shirt tie leather jacket, dress shoes or boots, dresses, skirts, mod or rocknroll style) the usual $3 cover charge. Those who choose to not participate in the theme (by wearing beenies, hoodies, baseball caps, tennis shoes, baggy pants, and overtly casual dress) will pay a $10 cover charge.

I have been to my share of Soul Nights, and while standing outside on Rotture’s upstairs patio in a sea of people it has felt like a crucial part of living in Portland. The great view of the city doesn’t hurt. However, I have seen the charm of the event fading as it becomes even more crowded and even less focused. I hope the dress code will sharpen everyone’s game and return some intimacy to the event. And I can’t help but see this as a cultural milestone in Portland’s big city adolescence.

Categories: fashion, music, recreation
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