Feast Portland 2017: Brunch Village

I received a blogger pass to Feast Portland. As always, all opinions are my own.

Today is a big day for Portland’s food community: it’s the day the schedule for Feast 2018 goes live! What better time is there to take a quick look back at last year’s Feast as we get excited about all fun that’s in store for this September! 2017 was my first Feast, and I was lucky enough to experience it with the perks of a blogger pass. Don’t miss my behind the scenes IG stories recap of Feast 2017, but this post is all about Brunch Village.

Everyone knows that Portland takes brunch seriously, and the long line wrapped around Pioneer Courthouse Square before doors opened for Brunch Village is further proof. When I entered the venue, it was only 8 minutes into Brunch Village, but there was already a woman standing on her chair going for that overhead shot with a table full of plates. My hero.

When I was at Feast last year, I got a lot of messages from vegans, vegetarians, and even omnivores, asking if there’s anything suitable for vegans and vegetarians at Feast. I have to admit that Brunch Village was more challenging than the Grand Tasting as traditional brunch foods are typically far from veg-friendly. That said, I was in mimosa heaven and found suitable bites to pair with the drinks. Kite Hill was serving up smoked carrot lox with their nut-based cheese on bagel bites… I lost track of how many of those I had. A few vendors were kind enough to leave the dairy ingredients off their dishes for me. The key is to wait until things slow down at their booth and ask nicely. Kindness goes a long way.

Brunch Village was a extra boozy affair (as if the Drink Tanks weren’t boozy enough, lol). Whether you wanted mimosas, Reyka lemonade (from the vodka man in the orange hut!), Aria gin slushies, or just a glass of bubbly, they’ve got it all. The main boozy attraction was the bloody mary bar, a collaboration between Bon Appetit, Reyka Vodka, and The Waiting Room. Most worcestershire is not vegan, and the build-your-own-bloody format allowed me to leave that out. You start with a basic vodka and tomato juice blend, then customize your bloody to your liking with hot sauce, pickled veggies, and more. Cheers!

So, who’s excited about Feast 2018? Which events are looking forward to the most?

Note: This post is in collaboration with Feast Portland. I received a blogger pass to the festival, including a ticket to Brunch Village. This was not in exchange for a positive review and all opinions expressed here are my own.