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Portland Tonight: The Internet Cat Video Festival is upon us [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. :: ]
[June 13, 2014]

Portland Tonight: The Internet Cat Video Festival is upon us [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. :: ]


(Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 13--UPDATE: Whew. This edition of Portland Tonight has changed a lot, you guys. I had corrected references of the Internet Cat Video Festival after a reader told me the event is next week (and even incorrectly fact checked at the Hollywood Theater website, which still lists last year's showings as June 21 and 22, which happen to show up first in a Google search), but then changed it back after other readers said that I was actually correct in the first place. Egg on my face. Let's forget this whole thing ever happened.



This weekend is all about the little guys heading for the big leagues in Portland, as our simple trends become big deals around town.

There are not one but two classic food carts opening brick-and-mortar locations: Nong's, which cooks up particularly good Thai, and Cultured Caveman, the "paleo-friendly" cart. Sour beers are having a moment too, most recently shining in Breakside Brewing's Passionfruit Sour Ale.


And in case you were worried that Internet cat videos were going away anytime soon, there's the appropriately popular Internet Cat Video Festival, coming to Portland on Saturday.

A paleo restaurant, sour beer and cat videos? Summer 2014 is gearing up to be a weird one, Portland.

[EAT] Cheap Eats: Food cart frequenters in downtown Portland have likely been to Nong's, the two-cart chain of charming Thai food. Adding to the carts is Nong's new brick-and-mortar location in Southeast Portland, which features Savory boiled chicken over rice with piquant ginger sauce and broth ($8), and pork braised in Coca Cola with chili sauce, mustard greens, and a boiled egg ($8).

Fine Dining: Portland's own "paleo-friendly" food cart chain, Cultured Caveman, has also gone legit with its first brick-and-mortar location on North Denver Ave. The restaurant is still in a soft opening phase, but they will be open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, as well as a Father's Day lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Home Cooking: Sweeten up your shrimp cocktail sauce with an appropriate summer substitute: strawberries. Spiced with garlic, ginger and jalapenos, this Shrimp With Strawberry Cocktail Sauce is a quick and quirky take on a cocktail party classic.

[DRINK] Beer: If IPAs are on their way out -- and I'm not suggesting they'll be gone any time soon -- what style of beer will replace them? How about sours, which have been multiplying in Portland over the last year? Breaking into the sour scene is Breakside Brewery, with their new Passionfruit Sour Ale, which is light, refreshing and, naturally, pretty tart.

Liquor: Jeffrey Morgenthaler has made a name in Portland as bar manager at Clyde Common and its new counterpart Pepe Le Moko, but he's now reaching a new audience with, "The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique." In it he focuses on technique over recipes, but we would be remiss not to note his frothy and delicious White Lady cocktail, made with gin, triple sec, simple syrup, lemon and egg whites.

Wine: You've probably had plenty of Oregon wine, but how did the industry flourish here? The Oregon Historical Society has a new exhibition, "Clink," that tells that story, dating back to Oregon pioneer Peter Britt in the late 19th century. And, best of all, the history lesson comes with a wine tasting.

[DO] Friday: The Internet loves few things more than cat videos, and coming to town to prove it is the appropriately popular Internet Cat Video Festival, which will bring a whole program of viral cat videos to Hollywood Theater on Friday and Saturday night. Bring all of your Surprised Kitty excitement.

7:30 and 9 p.m. @ Hollywood Theater; $10 Saturday: The U.S. won't be playing in the 2014 World Cup until Monday, but that won't stop Portland's numerous soccer bars from filling early up this weekend. Sit down with a pint on Saturday to watch the high-profile matchup of England vs. Italy in the afternoon, and stay for the Ivory Coast vs. Japan in the evening.

3 p.m. for England vs. Italy, games all day @ Bars and restaurants in Portland; on TV at ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC; online at ESPN3 Sunday: Wine is out and beer is in at Sunday's Portland Beer and Cheese Fest. "Champion cheesemonger" Steve Jones, of Portland's Cheese Bar, pairs 11 different craft beers with cheese at Burnside Brewing, starting at noon. And if your dad is either a beer or cheese nerd, it makes a perfect last-minute Father's Day activity.

Noon @ Burnside Brewing; $35 --Jamie Hale ___ (c)2014 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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