By Julia

Summer passes far too quickly, especially here in Washington County where there's so much to do when the skies are blue and the sun is shining. That's why my Saturday evening was a touch bittersweet - it was SakeOne's last summer concert for 2008.

 
This was my third concert at the sakery this summer, and my friends and I were not disappointed. The lovely and soulful Stephanie Schneiderman of Dirty Martini and the multi-talented didgeridoo-playing Keith Schreiner of Dahlia were the perfect complement to the balmy evening. We finally came prepared this time with a full picnic spread. The special drink was a Blueberry Lemonade Saketini which was a smashing success judging by the number of recipe cards disappearing and bottles of Diamond sake and Monin Blueberry syrup flying off the shelves. In case you're up for a bit of libation experimentation, SakeOne often lists new drink recipes on their website and in their e-newsletter.

 
As another beautiful summer evening in Forest Grove came to a close, I consoled myself with one thought: At least they have Saketini Saturdays the third weekend of every month!

If you're anything like me, you wait until the last possible second to make weekend plans. Lucky for both of us, the Washington County Visitors Association has got you covered.

Here are some fun events going on this weekend in our neck of the woods...

Salsa Contest (no silly, not the dance! the food!) at the Hillsboro Farmers' Market. Here's what you need to know: Bring your homemade salsa to the market on Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24, no later than 9:30.  We recommend that if you are making it fresh, use products that you have purchased from the market.  This is not required, but it is a good way to support the market.  Please bring approximately 1 quart of salsa for us to use.

BTS@BPV - Ah! The kids these days and their lingo. For the over 30 crowd, that's Back to School at Bridgeport Village. Here's the Scoop: Go to participating stores, find a Key Word, text it in to 81530 and you'll immediately be entered to win one of 8 grand prizes plus you'll receive a reply with an offer from one of our participating stores each time!

Bug Fest 2008 - Drop into Tualatin Hills Nature Park & Interpretive Center on Saturday, August 23, for a day that highlights all those tiny critters (such as beetles, butterflies, bees, slugs and spiders.  These little creatures help recycle fallen trees, pollinate flowers and provide food to larger animals.  Games, displays, live bugs, Bug Lab, crafts and guided activities offer fun for the whole family.  This year's Bug Lab will focus on spiders and their kin.  You can even bring in a bug to be identified by an expert!

Summer Concert Series at SakeOne - Enjoy SakeOne's beautiful lawn and delicious Saketini's while listening to Stephanie Schneiderman of Dirty Martini & Keith Schreiner of Dahlia. Be sure to pack a picnic dinner!


There, that should give you some ideas! GO! Have fun, and be sure to let us know of anything I missed!



For more, Washington County Events, visit our Events Calendar

 

 

I was thrilled to find that my favorite Portland band, The Dimes would be playing in Bridgeport Village's Summer Concert Series on July 31st. The weather turned out to be perfect for an outdoor concert that day, so I rallied some friends and off we went. Concerts are held in Bridgeport's Center Court, right next to the play structure. We settled in the wine garden, where our very own Oak Knoll Winery was pouring their delicious wines. We were happy to sip cool Pinot Gris while listening to The Dimes.

The Dimes have been described as, "Reminiscent of groups like Death Cab for Cute..." I just describe them as amazing, and I think you'll agree. The guys are fun to watch and it's clear that they love what they're doing. I was excited to see them play my favorite songs Catch Me Jumping and Stacked Brown Boxes.  

For more information on The Dimes, visit their website. And, more more fun summer events, visit the WCVA's Event Calendar.

   

By Julia

I'm still behind schedule on this blogging thing, but I'm trying to get better! So Cherie and I were lucky enough to have some great site tours last week, and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you all. Tuesday we visited the Bamboo Garden which is a great spot for you if you (a) love bamboo - they have over 300 varieties! - or if you (b) love the outdoors. In addition to bamboo, the property is filled with an interesting variety of fruit trees and flowers which attract hummingbirds. Schedule a tour in advance and someone will be available to show you around; it's definitely worth planning ahead. Oh, and be prepared, because the last mile or so to the property is unpaved, though the road is still perfectly passable. On the way back, we stopped in North Plains at the Rogue Brew Pub & Eatery for some sandwiches (though unfortunately not for a brew - being on the clock as we were). The place isn't fancy, but it was good, and the service was great.

Now, hold onto your hats, because I know some of you are going to be really excited about this one! After lunch, we got a special tour at Roloff Farms! For all of you who aren't familiar with the TLC show Little People, Big World, I'll clue you in. The Roloffs are a family of six, four of whom are Little People. They run a farm here in Washington County, and they open to the public during pumpkin season when they offer tours and pumpkin picking. They've expanded their season this year and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10am-6pm, September 27 through October 26. Matt Roloff was kind enough to take us on a tour in the Mule, and I'll just bet that the place is a whole lot of fun when the big orange pumpkins are dotting the fields and kids are hopped up on pre-Halloween candy. If you're a fan of the show, definitely plan a trip that falls within their open dates.

Friday we got to visit the new and coming-soon properties of Old Recreation B&B in Forest Grove. One of two houses is open, and it's a beautiful craftsman that's been remodeled into a 5-bedroom B&B. The other property, just around the block, will be a 6-bedroom. Either, or both, of the properties is ideal for a group get-away like a wedding or family reunion, and the Forest Grove location makes it a perfect jumping-off point for wine tours and outdoor adventure. I can't wait to plan a visit myself!

Last but not least was my Saturday adventure. After rolling straight out of bed and to Cedar Hills Crossing, I went to see The Dark Knight (along with 15 million other people). It was so great that I was all revved up and raring to go, so I ran home, changed into some biking gear, loaded up the new mountain bike, and headed off to Hagg Lake in western Washington County. I'd heard tell of the 15-mile single track trail surrounding the lake, and in my post-TDK euphoria, I though "oh, I can do 15 miles at 3pm." Now, in post-euphoria, I would not recommend such an undertaking. Luckily, Cherie called and invited me over for a barbecue, so I cut the ride short. Next time, I'll be starting early! The trail is serious single track, lined in many places by blackberry brambles, and it features (from the southeastern portion that I rode) quite a few switchbacks and steep inclines/declines. Definitely check it out, but be prepared! The trail is multi-use, non-motorized, so be sure to keep an eye out for pedestrians, horses AND bikes!

By Sylke

Ok, I am not a foodie, nor do I try to pass myself as a foodie, but I have to say that I love food! I cannot cook - and I don't have the patience for it - so I eat out... a lot. So, I thought I would share my non-foodie views on some of my favorite dining spots in Washington County.

First and foremost, I must make a public declaration: I love sushi. There are so many fantastic sushi places in Washington County, and whittling them down to only a couple of spots is extremely difficult, but here it goes.

Syun, located in downtown Hillsboro (just a couple of blocks from the MAX light rail), is fantastic. The authentic Japanese restaurant makes many "best-of" lists, and after one taste, it's easy to see why it continually ranks among the best sushi places in the Portland Metro area. Good selection, fresh fish.

Hakatamon, located next to Uwajimaya in Beaverton, is also a fantastic place to get great sushi. It is always busy, the food is amazing. This is one place where you definitely will not leave hungry. The best bang for the buck is definitely at Hakatamon, where many entrees, including sushi, include miso soup and salad. Yum.

I can't talk about sushi without mentioning Mio Sushi, in Beaverton, which has a baked sushi-like dish called, sushi pizza. No, it's not fish and wasabi on a pizza crust, it's a very filling - and very satisfying - mixture of fish topped onto seaweed and baked. Delicious!

After sushi, my second favorite type of food is Greek. When Greek Cuisina opened a new cafe in Tualatin, I couldn't contain my excitement. Unlike the original restaurant in downtown Portland, Tualatin's Greek Cuisina has a more casual atmosphere. However, the menu is very similar, and includes my personal favorite dishes: gyros and spanokopita. It's very festive, especially if someone is celebrating a birthday. Ouzo, anyone? Opa! 

One restaurant that I want to get back to, and soon, is Cafe Allegro, one of Tigard's best-kept secrets. I recently went there with a colleague, who is a regular of the cafe and recommended it for lunch. The menu has a wide variety of Italian specialties, from traditional Italian pasta dishes and risotto to Panini and spinach sautes. Luckily for me, they have take out, which can be a girl's best friend.

There are so many places to check out, and I've only hit the surface. I'm thinking barbecue for dinner tonight...

By Julia

So, as is clear from my absence on this blog, I've been really busy the last few weeks. The sun came out, and my energy level automatically kicked itself up from "snail" to "cheetah." Well, maybe not quite cheetah, but at least up to a respectably speedy animal pace. Anyway, now I have to catch up on everything I've been doing. I'll try to be brief!

Back on Friday, June 27 I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of The Broadway Rose Theatre Company's production of Les Miserables. Now while the Deb Fennell Auditorium at Tigard High is far from the madding crowd in Times Square, the performance was more than respectable, and even I, jaded art school graduate that I am, shed a tear when poor little Gavroche, played by utterly charming 5th-grader Alex Thede, met his end. The theatre's summer season runs through August, so be sure to catch one of their upcoming performances.

Rhiannon already covered our participation in the LIVESTRONG Challenge, which was a great event, so I can skip over that. In keeping with our active theme, we've taken up golf lessons. Meriwether National Golf Club offers a great "Ladies Learn to Golf" program, so after years of running my mouth about how much I wanted to learn to play, I'm finally doing it. AND...our pro, Tom Carey, just qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, being held next week in Colorado! That means I'm learning from an expert!!! My dad's going to so regret that he never took me to the driving range, because now that I've got such a great teacher, I'm going to kick butt when we play!

The weekend before last was The Main Course in Forest Grove, which was fantastic. They closed down Main Street and a whole bunch of local wineries set up tables and tents and did a two-hour tasting session which was accompanied by delicious appetizers from Andina, Portland's highly touted Peruvian restaurant. Believe you me, we sampled all of the tasty bites multiple times - quality assurance, right? It was so hot that we stuck with mostly white wines, and by the time 7pm rolled around we had tried most of the wines on our "must-sip" list. We had double-booked, so instead of sticking around for the al fresco dinner (which I hear was wonderful!) we bounced over to SakeOne to check out their summer concert series. Between the fabulous tunes by Jonah and the tasty tartness of the Lavender Lemonade Saketinis, I could have stayed there all weekend. Alas, the music ended, but we were still in fine form, so we proceeded to McMenamins Grand Lodge where we sat outside at the Yardhouse Pub and had a relaxing and much-needed dinner. What a truly perfect day - it was a great reminder of why I moved to Oregon in the first place!

By Sylke

Washington County is filled with hidden treasures, and finding them makes me feel like I won a lottery. A weekend filled with errands and trips to the farmers' markets was punctuated with side-trips that made my Saturday seem like a mini-vacation.

My first stop was at the Hillsboro Farmers' Market, where I scored some of the sweetest berries - strawberries, blueberries and some hybrid blackberry - so far this season. Of course, I couldn't leave without getting a rhubarb pie, made with locally grown rhubarb, no less.

There is something nostalgic about Main Street, and the just the sight of the new Venetian theatre and adjoined wine bar had me planning future sojourns to downtown Hillsboro. So with my head in the clouds, and my car smelling like a field of fresh berries, I headed home, but decided to take the back roads rather than the main drag.

It is on one of Washington County's "back roads" where I discovered Rood Bridge Park. I stopped and explored the park. The weather was perfect, cool and a little cloudy, and the park wasn't crowded.  I envisioned a friends-and-family get-together with B-B-Q and a friendly game of croquet, and started planning the guest list and menu in my head.

Time to get back on the road, and I decided to make one more stop before I get home to nosh on my treasures from the farmers' market, so I traveled to the Beveland Street Coffee House. This was my first time there, and after pulling into the parking lot, I knew that this was going to be my new hangout. It is a quaint coffee shop that serves a tasty latte, not to mention that they also serve beer and wine...I went for the coffee, but stayed for the shopping. About a fourth of the shop has fun and unique gifts, candles and other goodies that I couldn't resist.

After spending $50 on candles, coasters and a cute bag, I finally ventured home, where I made a yogurt parfait with my fresh berries, lit my new eucalyptus and lavender candle from Beveland Street Coffee House and started planning my next perfect Washington County Weekend.

After an IMPRESSIVE win (second place, but it came with $8 cash!) at Pub Quiz at Dessert Noir in January, the WCVA Girls were excited to hear that Pub Quiz Oregon would be returning to Washington County, this time to a new pub! Parkside Station has taken up residence where Crowley's of Cork served Irish Pub Fare to Hillsboro for many years.

Eager for a repeat win, we headed to the local party store to buy decorations for our table, and players - as well as the standing American Flags needed to gain bonus points.

We had enough players for two teams and appropriately named ourselves The Liberators and The Patriots, to go with last week's Americana theme.

Sadly, Americana Themed Trivia was NOT our strong suit, and did not come home with the win. There's always next week...

By Sylke

During a media tour of the fabulous wineries in Forest Grove, we stopped at SakeOne for a tour and tasting. As the public relations manager for the WCVA, I have made many stops at SakeOne, since it's definitely a draw being the only sake brewery of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, if not the entire country. However, this trip was especially delicious since I was able to try their new line: organic sake!

According to Dewey Weddington, SakeOne's marketing guru, their organic sake, under the Momokawa label, is the first (and only) to carry the USDA Organic seal, which ensures that every step in the creation of this beverage is organically certified. (Other items to note are that the green bottles maximize recyclability, the screw-cap is made from recycled materials and the label is printed on "tree-free" paper that is made from renewable fibers from bamboo and grasses.)

You may ask, "But how does it taste?" In a word: Luscious. There are two styles of the organic sake, Ginjo (filtered, with a smooth finish and bite) and Nigori (unfiltered, creamy and lush), with the latter being my favorite of the two, although they are both very tasty.

Not being a sake expert myself, I recommend that you take a trip to Forest Grove to check it out for yourselves. And while you're there, don't forget to try their Coconut Lemongrass nigori sake - after one sip of this, you'll forever forgo the pina colada as the perfect summertime cocktail.

For the second year in a row, the Washington County Visitors Association (that's us!) had the opportunity to participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge. We had a booth in the Tiger Woods Center on Saturday during packet pick-up where we handed out Washington County Maps and Visitor Guides to our out of town guests.

On Sunday, Julia and I got up EARLY and headed to the Nike Campus to do the 5K Run/Walk. Now, if you're from here. You know that it was ridiculously hot this weekend - so we opted to walk.

 

Before we took off on our walk, we heard a little bit from Lance - thanking the 3,000 participants for getting up early to fight such an important cause.

Can you believe these guys and gals are about to bike 100 miles throughout Washington County?

 

We walked with families, babies in strollers, even someone in a wheelchair. Along the route, there were bikers riding PediCabs with patients from Doernbecher Children's Hospital in the back.  We crossed the finish line at about the 51 minute mark, along with a 3 year old little boy, who crossed the Survivor's Finish Line with his dad. It was truly a moving moment. We watched him get his yellow rose and then have water dumped all over his head by his mom.

Success! Rhiannon and Julia Post-Race

 After the race, we walked through the Misting Tent sponsored by Embassy Suites and enjoyed a celebratory beer. We had a great time and both plan on doing it again next year (Right, Julia?)