MATT BROWN

Matt Brown owns Bunk Bar in Portland and plays in the band Phantom Ships.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Herring in a Red Fur Coat at Kachka. Such a badass 7 layer appetizer with beets and herring and potatoes. Looks incredible. Google a picture. And the carafes of cold vodka to boot. Love. 

What was the music highlight of your year?

Album: Blank Realms "Grassed Inn" and Purling Hiss "Weirdon". Incredible year in music. So many young bands that are influenced by Modern Lovers and the Feelies. Love the new trend in indie rock.

Live: Fat White Family. Scary. Classic. They may not live much longer.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

I love shows at Bunk. I always end up in the kitchen at some point drunk having tomato soup with potato chips in it. It's my drunk show jam.

@laserass

JEFF BUNDSCHU

Jeff Bundschu is President of Gundlach Bundschu Winery and co-founder of Huichica Music Festival.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Hands down stumbling into State Bird Provisions one night last spring. I was taking my daughter and her friend to see G-Eazy at the Fillmore in SF and had a few hours to kill. SBP is just adjacent to the venue and the commotion through the window, the line outside, and the understated sign all caught my eye. Somewhere in the fog I might have heard the name and it was enough for me to go in and ask the concierge if there was any way I might get a seat at the bar. I have since heard that it books two months in advance for reservations. She took my phone number, pointed me to a good bar and said she'd text within 45 minutes. Thirty minutes later I was in and sitting and then the adventure started. The bar was right up against the kitchen and the cook in front of me doubled as my server, host, and food educator. Knowing nothing of the format when I sat down, I was mesmerized by the checklist menu, the pick-and-choose little dishes that kept coming by seat-side, and the continual commentary by the super friendly chef. I don't remember any one thing I ate that night, probably because I ate EVERYTHING. On a night where sitting in my car in a parking garage reading the latest New Yorker was an acceptable option, I instead wandered into the meal of year!

What was the music highlight of your year?

My homegrown choice has to be Real Estate at the amphitheater under the stars at Gundlach Bundschu winery. It was just down right epic. I LOVE that band and to have them on our hillside making that beautiful music brought me to tears more than once. Like Blitzen Trapper in 2013, it was one of those pinch me moments - as in, 'That band, here?'.

Away from home it was for sure tUne yArDs at the Pabst theater in Milwaukee. I had been wanting to see them/her for years having stumbled into an early record prepping for a SxSW trip a while back, and it was serendipity that they were playing one of America's most iconic theaters on my one free night. Merrill Garbus is a treasure and she just killed it. So super unique and creative, her music is driven by rhythm and vocals, and some other worldly force. They really are way way outside, but some how still so approachable.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Easy breezy: Jammin on a BUNK cubano, swigging Gun Bun Mountain Cuvee, and grooving to Kelley Stoltz at Huichica Music Festival. Yeah I am a homer and totally biased, but blah blah. If there is a better food/music (and wine!) scene I haven't found it.

@sonojeff

PETER ELLENBY

Peter Ellenby is a music photographer living in Portland, OR.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This year's Thanksgiving was the food highlight of the year for me. I love to cook the Turkey and this year we were going to do an eat all day buffet kind of thing so I needed to make a lot of bird. I brined two birds and roasted one in the oven. The second I did something I'd been wanting to do forever and cooked it with indirect heat from charcoal on the grill, also adding alder wood chips soaked in beer for smoke and extra flavor. Both of them were excellent and the one cooked outside was the crowd favorite. The brine recipe I used is my take on one from Chez Panisse that was published in the SF Chronicle years ago. I ad lib a lot when I cook but like a solid foundation. I also put pepper bacon on the each of the birds as they cooked. This adds amazing flavor and makes the drippings delicious. Plus you get to eat the bacon when it's done. Keep adding more and you get more bacon for the stuffing etc.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Music highlight of the year was seeing We Were Promised Jetpacks TWICE this year in Portland. Once at the Doug Fir and once at the Wonder ballroom. Such a great treat to have a band all the way from Scotland come and play for us twice in one year. They really play an amazing show and I was kind of going nuts at the Wonder show. Sorry if I pogo'd on your toes - Next time pogo with me, Portland!

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

I curated and took part in a group music photography show called Shutter Rock 2014 at the Bunk Bar Wonder. It was really great to have amazing photos on the wall to look at while enjoying amazing Bunk sandwiches and Icebergs.

@peterellenby

COLE GERST

Cole Gerst is a designer and illustrator living in Portland, OR. He recently illustrated and authored the book Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Sometimes my fondest memories of food are not simply great meals but revolve around other events of some sort. I've had some spectacular meals this year but I think my favorite food highlight was just an impromptu trip to the Oregon coast where my girlfriend and I hit every dive bar and seafood shack we could, devouring massive amounts of oysters & crab and just drinking beer and getting to know the local people far away from all the touristy places.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Built to Spill at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I had seen Rocket from the Crypt earlier in the day at an outdoor festival so I was already in a good mood and full of PBR. I hadn't seen them in maybe 15 years, it was a bit sentimental to me. I think I teared up for a second.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

A friend of mine surprised me with last minute tickets to Guided By Voices and told me to meet him at the taco place below the venue. When I got there, to my surprise, the taco place had been replaced by my favorite sandwich shop, Bunk Sandwiches. I proceeded to eat my old standby, the Meatball Parmigiano Hero, and bounce around to GBV for almost 3 hours. Now every time I have that sandwich I remember that show.

@optiong

MATT NORRIS

Matt Norris is co-owner and bar manager at Soluna Cafe in San Francisco.

What was the food highlight of your year?

The food highlight of my year is difficult to pinpoint, living in SF means no shortage of delicious food and drink. A truly memorable experience would have to be a meal I had at Hartwood Restaurant in Tulum, Mexico. A funky little place on the edge of the jungle,  just a stones throw away from the beach. Everything that comes from the kitchen, luscious meats, fresh seafood, gets a touch of smoke from being cooked over various wood fires. No electrical appliances in the kitchen, everything done by hand, just simple, straightforward food comprised of quality ingredients. Sitting under the stars, surrounded by the silhouettes of coconut palms, there is no better place to enjoy some chorizo empanadas and fresh caught octopus washed down by a few (or more) mezcal cocktails.

What was the music highlight of your year?

One of my favorite sets this year would have been Atoms for Peace at Treasure Island, it was freezing by the time they took the stage, but it was worth toughing it out to watch two musicians with very different backgrounds come together. The thump of Flea’s bass was more present live than on the album and Thom Yorke, as always, gave a hypnotic performance.  Alt-J at the Fillmore blew my mind, odd a capella harmonies coupled with deep, atmospheric music giving voice to some truly unique and poetic lyrics. 

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Food and music memories are really punctuated by a few great experiences from this past year. The first would be the Huichica Festival at Gundlach Bundschu winery in Sonoma. Food from Craftsman and Wolves, Salumeria, Bunk Sandwiches, and way too much wine coupled with sets by Cass McCombs, Blitzen Trapper, and a super jam with Bob Weir. Extra points for the surreal experience of waiting in line for a port o potty with a former member of the Grateful Dead and the amazing summer weather that was a nice escape from the fog bank that is the city. The second would be a few days spent in NYC with the wifey that included some incredible meals (Gramercy Tavern, Franny’s Pizza), solid drinks (Dead Rabbit, Clover Club), not to mention the wonderful company of friends and family while getting to enjoy the final show of Knapsack’s reunion tour in Brooklyn. Lot’s of fun times, full bellies, and ringing ears.

SEAN MCBRIDE

Sean McBride has the rough job of traveling the country turning people on to Deschutes beer.

What was the food highlight of your year?

I’d have to say the food highlight for my 2013 was at Euclid Hall (Denver, CO) after the Great American Beer Festival. The team there puts together a wonderful beer list that can be paired with their menu and off menu items. One of our Chefs from Deschutes was there for a beer dinner and has a relaxing way to end the exhausting week we were treated to a first time experience. Bone marrow luges with apple brandy and a pigs head served on a platter. I’m never one to say no to new experience with food and it paid off once again. If you ever find yourself in Denver and hungry seek out the Euclid Hall and let their chefs take you on a journey.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Music highlight of the year is a bit harder. Most of the time I am busy at work and don’t get to enjoy the music but there is one festival I go to every year where my ears are opened up to the world of Americana and Folk. 30 minutes from the brewery in Sisters, OR is the Sisters Folk Fest. Every September this small town fills with fun loving fans and great music. Musicians from genres like Folk, Blues, Bluegrass, Americana, and even some wonderful singer songwriters get me to slow down and stop to hear the music. I am new to the music scene and this annual party really set me out to seek more music off the beaten path.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Music and Food really came together at Huichica. I have never drank so much wine, listened to so much good music, or eaten as many Bunk Sandwiches. Those two days had me meeting new people and enjoying another part of the country I don’t get to go to as much as I’d like. I hope I can make it down next year.

@deschutesbeer

TOMMY HABETZ

Tommy Habetz is co-owner of Bunk Sandwiches and Bunk Bar in Portland.

What was the food highlight of your year?

The food highlight for me was a dinner that Nick and I were lucky enough to be a part of a few weeks ago in Toronto. My friend, Scott Vivian, invited us up to take part in a Charlie’s Burger dinner with the Group of 7 Chefs and David Bazirgan from the 5th Floor in SF. We got to cook alongside some of Canada’s best chefs. It was a great dinner, so much fun. It really opened my eyes to the incredibly talented chefs living and working in the great white north. David Bazirgan did a great Walleye poached in horse fat. And Matty Matheson did a sort of a Horse Pot au Feu. Eating horse is pretty common in a lot of other countries, but still is a hot button topic in Portland, OR. I really don’t understand why it is socially acceptable to eat cows, ducks, deer, etc., but horse is a no-no. Or is it a nay-nay, maybe? Anyway, one animal’s life is just as important as another animal’s life - And, as a disclaimer, selling horse meat is still illegal in the US, including Oregon. It was a great meal, and incredibly eye opening and educational to boot. Unfortunately, Mayor Rob Ford and Drake weren’t there, but you can’t have everything. Thanks, Canada! 

What was the music highlight of your year?

I feel so lucky to say that this is a really tough question. There have been so many musical highlights this past year: Parquet Courts, Deafheaven, Angel Olson, Love Language…so many great shows at Bunk Bar. But the highlight, for me, was getting to go to Chicago to Riot Fest with my brother, Michael, to see The Replacements reunion, and then an after show from the one and only Rocket From the Crypt at The Double Door. They shook both doors off, goddamnit. So good. 

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Food and music came together for me at Huichica Festival at Gundlach-Bunschu Winery in Sonoma. Whether it was driving through the Redwoods blasting “I Am a Tree” by GBV, eating Poppycock. Or maybe somewhere right about here: Bob Weir! Muffalettas! God bless America!

@tommyhabetz

TOMMY HABETZ

Tommy Habetz is co-owner of Portland’s Bunk (multiple restaurants, one bar/music venue, and a truck) and Trigger. His take on the cuban sandwich is the subject of many a television show, magazine article, and road trip.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Wow! Is it the end of the year? What a weird, anxiety ridden, fun, delicious year it’s been. We started a mobile Bunk Truck, opened up Trigger (our new Tex Mex place) and I became a father (again) to the most beautiful baby girl, Vivienne.

The food highlight for me was probably going to NYC for the Oregon Bounty Food Assault, a precursor to our Portland Feast inaugural event. I got to see first hand that people really do dig what we’re doing in Oregon. I also got to eat at Roberta’s in Bushwick, which was pretty mind blowing. I also got to meet Danny Bowien and watch a bunch of famous chefs and food media folks devour a sheet tray full of Doritos and Fritos chili pie, made at the hands of Danny.

What was the music highlight of your year?

My favorite musical moment has got to be The guys from Built to Spill surprising us with a free show at Bunk Bar. It was crazy, packed to the gills and filled with friends that I have never seen smile so much. What a great band.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Sitting at a table at Bunk Bar, talking with John Reis from Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, etc. about Tex-Mex food. He couldn’t understand why we were opening up a Tex-Mex place, because he thought Tex-Mex sucked. But, of course, he’s from San Diego. I knew what he was talking about, though. He and his band mates had had many many bad experiences eating at bad Tex-Mex places. And, oddly, that’s what’s been inspiring me lately. It’s been fun to tackle the opposite of haute cuisines, get in there and find the sweet spots. To me, it’s endlessly more fascinating than seeing a grape deconstructed, then reconstructed as a grape.

All in all, a beautiful and inspiring year. I look forward to eating Jimmy Albee’s Queso Deluxe in the post-Apocolyptic, hopey changey, zombie wasteland of 2013!