Elite Event: Mussels & Brussels at North 45

Already free beer and mussels sounded great I really enjoy North 45 and really appreciated jamming to Wolfgang Gartner when I walked in. Matt, Don, and Amy were at the front greeting people with their great service and smiling faces. There were a lot of nice elites there, I really enjoyed meeting some. I love the comment cards for the place, those were creative. When they walked by with the hot mussels, I was dying to eat. My complaint is that I didn’t get to try many of the foods because they didn’t make enough to go around. I got some mussels and that was it, out of 5 or 6 dishes. They were really good about refilling my beer though. We got to keep the little beer glasses which was awesome to me. A little souvenir. The tent was pretty warm despite it being winter. The new beer is so good. Peach doughnut wouldn’t sound very good, but I loved it! I really enjoyed meeting other elites. I had never been to this location, but now I am considering maybe even doing business with them. There wasn’t enough seating for everyone, just too many people came. Which is great, but there should have been a little more area to accomodate for the large crowd. Thank you, Unilocal

Food & drinks were great, staff was very sweet, and it was great to meet other Unilocalers in the area! But, I really thought logistics were not handled well at all.
The intimate tent setting was cute, but I feel like it didn’t actually accommodate everyone who came. Also, some of the food ran out super early. Because it seemed like invitees outnumbered capacity, I really feel like people were suggested to move or even leave if they were finished with the meal. I’m not a fan of Unilocal events where people feel the pressure to leave — it’s kinda a nice feeling to get to know those in the community, so I wasn’t too keen on that.

The Mussels & Brussels event at North 45 was a great way to start 2016. It’s always a plus when the Unilocal Elite Event is at a venue I’ve never been before, and I had never heard of/​been to North 45– kudos to Matt!
We quickly lined up to enter the event that took place inside the enclosed patio. There were heat lamps, so although Matt advised us to dress warm, the combination of the heat lamps and many Portland bodies made it nice and toasty.
The 10 Barrel Belgian-​inspired beer was tasty. The Space Cadet is a rare release, and it paired well with the meals. It would have been nice to have a couple of different styles to taste, but the unlimited refills and take-​home glass quickly made up for that.
I think the overall food set up could have been organized a little better. There was one long line for the mussels and frites, thus food ran out quickly, and many of us were limited by our food options. I beieve there were warm mussels, chilled mussels, frites, and macaroni and cheese to choose from at the start; however, the chilled mussels and frites ran out, so we could only try the warm mussels and macaroni and cheese. The food was delicious, but I was bummed that I couldn’t try each of the offerings. Once they refilled these dishes, the line was too long to start over.
I would suggest having two separate serving areas; I think two lines would have helped tremendously.
All in all, it was a fun event, and I saw lots of new faces. I’m looking forward to going back and seeing how much my coupon is worth.

I got such a kick out of this first Unilocal event of 2016. It was wonderful to have a winter event outside but in warmed tents — the light breeze wasn’t bad and I was happy with my jacket off the entire time. North 45 made it rain mussels on the crowd — with heaps of them coming out, one after another, and so many pans full of french fries and delicious slightly-​tangy green beans with peanut toppings. My only qualm with the Unilocal event was that they ran out of some of the food before the line ended, but that just means I’ll have to come back if i want to try their mac n’ cheese (which I heard was amazing!). I really loved the way the event closed out with various gift certificates to come back with. It incentivizes coming back without necessarily knowing how much we’re getting — but what a surprise if we get a lot! Even a little, means we all a reason to try the things we may have missed on that first round.
Oh yes — the service and the peach saison were out of this world. I totally appreciated they handed out tons of Unilocal and North 45 swag at this event too — we got magnets, gloves, chapstick, pens, and even free glasses from our tastings!
Thank you so much for hosting this, North 45. I can’t wait to come back and try more of your mussels and other exciting menu treats!

Matt did a great job last night. The venue was a little small but after a little circus bit at the beginning all went well. The food was some of the best I have had at one of these events. The mussels were very nice and the beans were outstanding. The beer was also a nice surprise (I am usually not a fan of seasonals but this one was very nice). All in all a great event and a good way for North 45 to market itself.

The event was fantastic. Food was wonderful (what I had of it), especially the muscles and fries. The Saison 10 barrel was delicious. The venue delightful and cozy. Matt, the Unilocaltern Amy and North 45 really did a truly fantastic setup for us.
Why 3 stars and not 5? Unfortunately many of our fellow Unilocalers were discourteous. I’ve seen this at other Unilocal events recently.
First, the line. The line began as any, straight back, and singular. We made it in line fairly early, but then many decided to start new branches of lines, and suddenly we were towards the back of the line, as the other branches were making it up first, and the original line seized moving.
While we were waiting we saw beautiful plates layered high with mussels, green beans, fries, and mac & cheese. The venue had given us small plates, so with layering high, Unilocalers were able to heap it on. Here’s the thing with that. By the time we made it to the front of the line, there was almost nothing left but a few muscles and fries to stretch between my four buddies and I, and plenty of Mac & cheese and bread. Somewhat frustrating, but we figured, we’ll get the dishes we missed, and more than a couple muscles & fries each the next time around.
We got through the line a second time, again watching Unilocalers walk away with heavily loaded plates. This time when we got to the food, it was literally all gone.
This is the 3^rd time recently at a Unilocal event I have ended up with little to no food.
We are all grown ups. Cutting in line is not cool, and taking more than your share is not cool, let’s not be hogs people. There was plenty to go around, if the general masses had not been greedy.
All in all, Unilocal events are always wonderful, and I feel very lucky each time I open a «Great News» email :).
2016 #6

I’m a fan! My first event of the year, and I’m looking forward to more. The whole crew was great, and the bartender was on top of it. The fries, mac n cheese, and asparagus were really good. And I can’t forget the beer, that was my favorite. I felt ‘elite’ when we got to try the limited edition Saison.
There seemed to be too many people for the space, but it ended up working out okay. The line was a little long, but the beer definitely helped. That would be my only complaint. It was nice having it outside in the winter. Oh, and the mystery gift card was a nice addition too. I will be coming back!
Thanks for a great event!

As usual, Unilocal Elites are offered a pretty unique experience, this time in the form of exclusive beer, patio dining in the winter, and mussels to boot. I didn’t get much time to absorb the interior, but I certainly enjoyed the patio space and all it had to offer. The staff was super friendly, and the Elite company was great, as usual.
I do think the guest volume was a bit too ambitious for both the space and quantity of food provided (see: any reviews below 5 stars), but it still turned out to be a very cool event. I’ll definitely try the venue again with my mysterious envelope of Unilocal Bucks™.
Thanks to Matt E., Amy, and Don for making it a spectacular time! Looking forward to the next.

It was a fun time, though the food ran out fast and a lonnnnnng wait to even get to the food. I was wondering if this venue could hold enough people for a Unilocal event and I was partly right in assuming it would be over-​crowded. Maybe I just have a short attention span and a large appetite for food and drink, but I still enjoyed the company, the delicious Belgian beers while waiting in line (Thanks Matt!), and seeing North 45 for the first time. I really hoped to try a bit of all the food; but only got to try the mussels, green beans and fries. Mac and cheese, you elude me. I’ll be back, North 45!

First event of the year, and my first event since moving to Portland — I have to say, WELL DONE! Big thank you to the Unilocal team for putting this together. I met some new friends and had a great time. I might not have found North 45 on my own, but I will definitely be back. The food was really good — especially the mussels. Unfortunately not everybody was able to try everything. I actually saw some folks with two plates, loading them up as much as they could carry, while the line was 30 people deep. Hey Unilocalers, it’s a tasting evening, not a free all you can eat buffet. Leave some for the rest of us.

Mussels From Brussels.
So excited I was invited to The 1^st Unilocal Elite Event of 2016. You had me at Mussels!
Plus my + 1 is my #1. The True Tree of my life.
Free Mussels.
Free Beer.
Free Beer Glass.
Free Unilocalstick. (now with more reviewing power)
Free Pen. (because Unilocalers have the write stuff. Pen intended.)
Free Cool Fingerless Black Gloves that say Unilocal LIFE.
and
A Door Prize.
and
A Gift Certificate for North 45
Wow.
2 C. M.‘s in the house Matt and Don. Our new Unilocaltern Amy L.
Does it get better? Yup! Lots cool people and the patio space is awesome. They had tents up and the heat on for all the cool Elites. Mac N Cheese. Cold n Hot Mussels. Fries and other yummy stuff. Naturally the free food line was a bit of a wait but worth it. Not everyone knows what a Tasting means but I think we all still got to try some of menu at North 45. Every part of the night was great. From meeting fun people in line to sitting next to and getting to know other ELITES.
NORTH 45 is small but cool. Check out the floor tiles when you walk in. Cool. Great service. Decent prices. Great Events. Check them out on Thursday. Meet a Brewer and eat some North 45 BBQ or enjoy a $ 4.00 special Brew Keg.
I wanted to bring my girl back for sure. After a couple coupons from Matt. I know we will.

I was privileged to be invited back to the first Unilocal elite event of the year!
Honestly, despite the lines and the lack of food I had a great time!
The crew at North 45 and the Unilocal Pdx team did their best under the circumstances and the free beer was Amazing! I haven’t had a good Saison in a really long time and the special release was delicious !
On top of that, I was with good company in line and got to meet other elites that I haven’t met before so that was super fun!
Thanks for including us!!!

Thanks to Matt, Don, Amy, and the crew of North 45 for a great event. I’ve been to North 45 before, but usually just for drinks and soccer. It was nice to hear a little bit about the special food offerings they do (house-​smoked ribs on Tuesdays?!) and spend time on the back patio.
The evening started off a little «unprepared», for lack of a better term. There was a delay as they had to take the door off for fire code issues, but once that was taken care of, the check in process worked smoothly. We grabbed our complementary glassware filled with a special 10 Barrel saison release and grabbed a spot at a table. The food wasn’t announced, and once it found its way to the serving tables, the line immediately formed. It was a little packed and not easy for people who had their food to leave the area. Like others mentioned, once we got to the food, we could only try the mussels and mac & cheese.
The mussels were great and the white wine sauce was on point. Certainly would have loved some bread to soak it up. I thoroughly enjoyed the mac & cheese as well.
To be honest, I was a little bummed the beer was not actually «Belgian» because I had an image in my head of tasting a few different imported options with it advertised as «Mussels & Brussels», but hey, the beer we did have was good, even if it was an Oregon brewery now owned by AB/​InBev which is HQ’d in Belgium, so I guess «technically» it was Belgian beer! Wow, that was a poorly crafted sentence.
I liked the interesting twist on the giveaways this time around. We were given envelopes and told they contained anywhere from $ 5-​$ 50 and to bring them to your next visit to North 45 where you would find out then. Maybe its a crafty way for North 45 to get back the cost of the food they provided for the evening, but cool nonetheless. Certainly entices you to revisit instead of forget.
Thanks again and lots of gratitude to everyone who puts these events on.

This was my first elite event and what a treat! Great beer, great food and Unilocal brought me to a really cool bar I hadn’t otherwise heard of. Will be back to check out North 45 again and thanks for the return Unilocal bucks!

This was a great idea for kicking off 2016! The fresh mussels served 2 ways were perfectly paired with the bottomless 10 Barrel saison beer, and true to Matt’s message, we got to meet a few of new 2016 elites, and still catch up with some old friends.
Logistics were a little off kilter as it seemed there wasn’t quite enough food and seats for everyone (we were really hoping to try the mac & cheese that looked delicious), but on the plus side it gives us something to try when we come back.
Thanks to Matt & his crew and North 45 for hosting such a fun event!

I LOVE mussels. Such a great event to kick off 2016. I’ll be back sometime to try other things and check out a brewer’s event!
Not much of a beer drinker, but the 10 Barrel beer was actually pretty good.
Welcome to Unilocal Portland, Amy!

Great to see familiar and new faces at the first Elite event of the New Year. Mac & cheese; green beans; delicious mussels and awesome beer from 10 Barrel. Great way to spend a Monday evening!
North 45 also has a featured brewery every Thursday and they cook up some ribs to go with the beer too. Thursdays beer and ribs goes through April. Be sure to contact them to see which brewery is featured on a particular Thursday.
The last Thursday that they will do the event in April they will bring all the breweries back and set up stations for each brewery. That should be an epic night to try a lot of beers!
Erin our bartender was friendly and very informative. Thanks to Matt E; Don B and intern Amy for being gracious hosts!
And… I am saving my check in deal to get a selfie with all of them till the next Elite event.
Cheers!

This was my first Unilocal elite event as an elite and I had a dashing good time!
The event was really well coordinated and Matt and his team are ever so welcoming! You don’t know anyone here? That’s fine! We are all united by open stomachs and curiosity. The smell of the wafting mussels helped too, oh and the limited edition saison beer.
Onto the food.
I am going to find out where they bought the mussels because even though the mussels were fully steamed in a bath of garlic, butter and red shallot? The texture of the meat was incredibly creamy! I kid you not it reminded me of raw oysters, the freshness and creamy slurp that you get.
The Mac and cheese was on point, north45 knows their Mac. Al Dente pasta with not too much cheese or salt. The Mac ran out fast.
I saw green beans and mashed potatoes but could not get past the sea of fellow Unilocalers to have a taste.
Thanks Matt for making this event! It was really fun and interactive!

Lovely event under a warm tent in the back with fantastic 10 Barrel beer. I never quite realized how well mussels and french fries go together… add an incredibly delicious mac and cheese and you have an amazing meal.
North 45 is near my house so its a place I go sometimes, especially when I’m craving their wonderful calamari. Warm and cozy with soft lighting, this place is as romantic as it is welcoming.
The event saw lots of Unilocalers happily enjoying themselves. It was a fun event in a cool place that has a nice international vibe… I really like the guidebooks from all over the world in the back bar. If you ever want a cool back area to hang out with your friends, then this is it.
Thanks Unilocal team for putting this together!

First event of the year and lots of new faces! Not a bad way to start off 2016. Matt, Don and our new Unilocal intern Amy welcomed us to North 45 (45^th parallel for those wanting to know the origins of the name). We had mussels, fries, mac and cheese, green beans and even more mussels plus a special saison from 10 Barrel that few in town will get to enjoy.
The food went fast and unfortunately not as much went around but the beer was flowing and the staff was super informative and friendly. I will make it in for one of the Thursday events and try some ribs!
Great event to start off 2016 Matt, look forward to the next one and my first gold elite event.