Churchill Nines: Watch the Kentucky Derby at The Nines Hotel in Portland

Mint Julep, Straightaway Cocktails, flowers, and a horse for Churchill Nines.
Mint Julep, Straightaway Cocktails, flowers, and a horse for Churchill Nines.

Earlier this week I had a chance to stop in on the 8th Floor of The Nines Hotel to get a sneak peek at the plans for the inaugural Churchill Nines party in May. This is a chance to watch the Kentucky Derby, AKA “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” with a festive crowd under the light-filled atrium alongside the hotel’s onsite restaurant, Urban Farmer.

We tried a few of the scheduled eats, mint juleps were passed around (more on the NA option later), and I had a number of interesting conversations with folks there—on both the upcoming Derby event and some thoughts and feelings about the efforts in service of a vibrant downtown Portland.

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Small Bites: Hearth & Vine Opened, Nyamazo, Spotlight Brewing, and More

Hearth & Vine opened yesterday and you can get this burger and fries there.
Burger and fries at Hearth & Vine. Photo credit: Aubrie LeGault

Hearth & Vine opened yesterday. We covered this restaurant last year when it was shrouded in mystery. I can’t deny that doing the research at the time was a lot of fun, uncovering details incrementally. There are a couple of publications that got the first bite of info right before Hearth & Vine opened, but here’s a condensed version of the press release we received yesterday, with tidbits we think you’d like to know.

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