BiGMoUtH

The Joys of January ( I stole that title from my daughter)

2022-01-31T17:40:00.001-08:00

I was going to title this blog entry BiGMoUtH Leftovers as it is a little bit of a photo-dump from a month of weekend eating/drinking/dinking around and because I've used that title before. This morning I saw a little photo-dump my daughter had posted titled "January Joys". I found it a fitting descriptor.

The weather here in Oregon this January has been pretty darn glorious by PNW standards and I have been taking full advantage by eating out, outside, as much as possible. Not so great for my figure or my wallet but oh so good for my tummy and my spirits. This month K and I visited the Gorge, the lovely town of Astoria and some friends at a food cart pod down in Oregon City.

Now I have probably told you this before but it bears repeating: One of the most delicious places to visit in the Columbia Gorge has got to be Brigham Fish Market in Cascade Locks. I cannot praise these people (two sisters), their market, their menu, all of it, can't praise it enough. Of course I love my lunch with a view and the view from Brigham's picnic area makes it one of my true happy places. The food though. Whether you get the Halibut, the Salmon or the Sturgeon (when available), the fish and chips are the way to go here but honestly, I haven't found a miss on this menu full of hits. This time around we over-ordered a Halibut Po'Boy (pictured) and the Smoked Salmon Quesadilla which for some reason I have to order EVERY SINGLE TIME we go here. Hence the over-ordering. I know that I want to try everything on the menu but when you get a cheesy, smoky delicious 'dilla like the one here, it's hard to not order one every single time. Afterwards you can go for a hike in the lovely Columbia River Gorge. Any one of the gorgeous waterfall hikes will help burn the calories you consumed over-ordering. Or do like I do and take the hike beforehand so you get good and hungry because the portions here are generous and the food is fresh, rich and delicious.

This past weekend K and I woke up and upon seeing the blue sky outside our window almost simultaneously announced we needed to head to the coast. Oh, but where? So many delightful choices. We decided upon Astoria. I love Astoria for so many reasons. Just it's placement between mountain and river and sea is enchanting. I am inexplicably drawn to the mix of industry and ocean, man vs. nature. I don't know. It is something I struggle to explain with words but feel in my heart every time we go there. The last couple of times we visited I was disheartened by the number of vacant storefronts and I missed the bustle the pandemic ripped from the heart of this little town but she appears to be fairing better these days and I was all too happy to be there.

Now some time ago (Leftovers, 2013) I had visited the Wet Dog Cafe. I have since visited this taproom several times after it's changeover to The Astoria Brewing Company (although many still refer to it as the Wet Dog). The food here is slightly better than standard Pub fare. Nothing too fancy but it really hits all the right spots when you are walking around in the Pier 11 area. I've had burgers here and tacos and Mac and Cheese (yes, please). This time around K and I decided to split the Hazelnut/ Blue Cheese salad with crispy chicken and an order of the absolutely fabulous Golden Rye Ale Cheesy Beer Fondue with pita and apples. The salad was fresh and yummy but let me tell you about the chicken on top. It was more like a Schnitzel than fried chicken strips and I approve. Also, my favorite way to enjoy the fondue was to take a pita and place a slice of apple in it. Fold it over like a little sandwich and then scooop it through the cheese. This is one place where the amount of fondue meets the amount of dippers for the win. And we ordered beer flights because I had forgotten which beer here was my favorite. Isn't that why anyone orders a full flight? I'm going to go into each of the beers and their very unique attributes in a later post dedicated to Astoria Brewing but for right now I will tell you my favorite was the Volksweissen Ale which is a 5.4abv wheat. It had that perfect banana-y front that was smooth with a slight refreshing bite. I'm usually a girl for the darker beers but my first true love was hefeweizens and this ale was Germanic deliciousness.

This pandemic has really made getting together with people I love challenging. Besides the outrageous amount of head games I play with myself, sometimes finding a place where we can sit together, comfortably, safely, outside (preferably) can be a task. Food cart pavilions seem to be our best bet with these circumstances. There is also the bonus of a fairly good variety of food if you choose the right pod. This past month we chose Corner 14. This is a fun place. I've never been here before, mostly because it is a trek but I would say now a trip worth taking. There is a lively tap room with brews, wine and spirits, axe-throwing ( I have yet to try this but I tell you, I will) and 12 food carts surrounding a wide covered patio with a fire pit. Now, the day we went, the firepit and the associated tables were coveted spots but we still found a nice table catching some elusive winter sun. It was chilly enough that I was not interested in beer but ordered a Tuaca Hot Apple Pie. I love Hot Apple Pies. I would order them at the Gold Spike Saloon when I worked up in Denali, Alaska. They are comforting, and tasty and warm, which is key. So here I was huddled at a picnic table on a day that was easily only in the 30s but my heart was warm because I was with friends and I was enjoying a delightfully warm beverage. Still seeking comfort and of course some more deliciousness, K and I perused the cart menus before landing at Maw Maw's Cajun Kitchen. I am a huge fan of all things Cajun and so this was an easy choice even with so much good stuff to choose from. I had the Crawfish Etouffee and K had the Red Beans and Rice and both were out of this world. So good, I'll probably drive down there and pick some up the week before Mardi Gras if K doesn't cook up some of his own. And the hush puppies? Ohmergoodness. Couldn't keep them on the table (hungry friends). Get at least the 6 pack because you'll want to be a hero and share. It will be hard to head back down to this pod and not order at Maw Maw's but all of the carts had severely tempting menus and I am hoping to try them all. It is my new quest.

I'm Baaaack! Well, at least I thought I'd try...

2022-01-17T13:18:00.001-08:00

I stopped writing in this blog format close to 6 years ago. I don't know why. I guess it was faster, quicker, easier to just do what everyone else was doing and post my quick pic of food and drink and fun on the 'gram. I stopped taking the time and energy to find the right words to describe my joy and just focused on the insta-joy. I felt pangs of self-doubt and discouragement. I compared my work to professionals and figured 'why bother?'. I'm supposing it just wasn't fun anymore but that's not really true. I loved writing. I loved drinking. I loved eating. I loved writing about what I was eating and drinking. I didn't get paid for blogging. I don't have aspirations of becoming America's darling food critic like I did back in my 20's. That was when I would type out reviews and send them in to various local news outlets hoping to catch the publisher's eye. The most I received from my Blogger writing days was the occasional extra pour or tickets to a beer fest and it was so worth it. Because I loved it. And I think I'm going to try doing it some more. Writing conventions, rules of grammar and Covid 19 be damned. I just want to sit down and type out some praise and some prose and share with whoever is bored enough to take a few minutes and read about what makes me happy. Which is what I think might make them happy. Which is really what makes me happiest.

Let's start with Breakfast. I'm getting older and the hustle and bustle of the Brunchtime crowd in Portland has lost it's allure for me. Plus...Covid...I'm not looking to jump into a super-spreader event but I do still like to go to restaurants that are still open (sadly, so many have closed these past couple of years). In my heart I had planned a day of gluttony and food hopping. In touch with reality, I chose to simply have breakfast at a locally famous diner and get there at the crack of dawn in an effort to avoid any crowds. K and I perused menus and decided on Milo's City Cafe. We had never been there and the thought of some delicious brunchy food and an outstanding build your own Bloody Mary sealed the deal.

We arrived at Milo's City Cafe moments after opening at 8:00ish which on the plus side pretty much gave us the place to ourselves and thwarted potential 'rona exposure but also thwarted some of our build your own Bloody plans. As our very kind server gently explained, the kitchen wasn't quite ready for the day and so many of the options for the BYOBM were not available. Regardless she poured us a fabulous drink and grabbed some bacon from the kitchen to zhuzh it up for us. I ordered my drink with mild spice as I am wary/weary of not being able to finish a too spicy Bloody and this one came out perfect. She made me one with just enough spice to keep it real but not so much to cover the flavor of the vegis and vodka.

The deliciousness of the Bloody Mary helped soften the blow when I ordered a Crab Benedict but found out that they were out of crab...ok...this is not a new unexpected occurrence. It's not even one that is synonymous with Covid and our present supply chain issues. Dungeness Crab is enormously popular and gets 86ed from server boards all the time, everywhere. I can handle this...OK. I'll have the Salmon Benedict and K will have the Chicken and Waffles.

The Chicken and Waffles were good, maybe better than good. I'd even say delightful. Topped with a crispy leek frizzle and served with whipped butter and a super yummy maple reduction (also known as syrup), the Belgian waffle was standard fare and the herb encrusted chicken fingers on top were crispy, juicy, herby goodness. I may have enjoyed them more than K did.

I may have enjoyed his Chicken and Waffle more than I enjoyed my own choice of Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. *Heavy Sigh* Let me just start off by saying that nothing kills my EB vibe faster than a weak English Muffin. The muffin for an Eggs Benedict should be toasted. Crispy. Not burnt, but at least crispy. The muffin is the base of a structure that holds all of that gooey, eggy, creamy deliciousness together. It should be crisp. I'm not sure my muffin saw the toaster. That being said the top of my SSEB was all that and more. Lemony, creamy hollandaise poured over a perfectly poached eggs cradled gently by some fairly decent alder smoked salmon. It had all the right components in all the right places. It was salty, it was sweet, it was creamy and rich. It was all sitting on top of a cold, un-toasted english muffin.

Now, I'm not going to write off Milo's based on my english muffin experience. I know that as I grow older I grow more particular about how certain things should or should not be and I have learned to leave space for providing grace in situations that may be less than ideal. It may be a while before I get around to Milo's again because, well, Covid. We just don't get out that much anymore and I like to spread the wealth, so to speak.

But I'm still planning on getting out. I'm still planning on eating and drinking and sharing my thoughts. So there, even from behind a mask, this BiGMoUtH is getting back to it.

Since Day One...Grixsen

2016-09-10T22:00:00.001-07:00

In the bare bones beginning

Way back in February, President's Day Weekend to be exact, we celebrated Oregon Craft Beer by attending Zwickelmania. We attend every year. It isn't something we want to miss, even though it is growing in popularity and crowds year by year. It is a genuinely good time mostly because each year we attempt to mix it up and find something new. It is far too easy to re-visit our favorites year after year and sample their newest brews, I have only love for the brewers, pubs and tasting rooms that participate in this event.

This year was no different and we found a brand spanky new brewery. When I say new, I mean newer than new. It hadn't even opened yet. We were excited by the prospect of new flavors and even more impressed with the fledgling brew staff. Then we had the beer. All darks, all delicious. You know how I feel about a Stout. And their Saison? Incredible.

And so we waited. A while. Longer than we wanted to. It could not have been easy for the owners, all still working their day jobs, to pull this all together. But they did. Piece by piece. Keg by keg. Thank heaven for perseverance.

We have been back a few times since Grixsen opened in April. The beer has always been delicious. The bartender, be it an owner or an employee, always gracious. It has been exciting to see the changes as the tap room and the brewery itself grows. The decor is handsome. Clean. Inviting. Fun. There is a pool table, darts, flat screens and Timbers' games. The only thing missing was food. There was always pretzels or popcorn on the bar, but I would be more inclined to hang out if there was more. There was a food cart that saddled up along side them some evenings, but K and I always seemed to miss it.

The wait is almost over. The lovely folks at Grixsen are developing a menu and it is something to get excited about. German picnic food. There really isn't a more proper food pairing for the Grixsen brand of brew. These beers are deep with flavor and body. The small sample of the trial menu holds up and more so. It is luscious. Savory sausages, pickled vegetables, and a spatzle that will have you switching over from Mac and Cheese with ease.

I especially enjoyed the cheesy spatzle, dolloped with apple butter and a fresh sprig of young dill. It was sweet. It was savory. It was spicy yet herbal. I paired it with the Kolsch because it's still warm outside and I felt this was the perfect version of Winter Fare to be enjoyed in late summer.

The sausages were tasty and hit the spot but I wonder why they are not from one of our top notch local sausage makers.

Before our food came out the chef brought out a sample dumpling she wanted us to try. Golden beet and goat cheese. I can only say, I pray this makes the cut for the final menu. This dumpling was a tease of the deliciousness to come and it was heavenly.

I will be headed back soon to try out the rest of the menu. Keep it up, Grixsen.

Getting there!

Leftovers: Mid year edition 2016 or why do I procrastinate so much?

2016-07-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

I last posted about my wonderful spring break adventures in March. Now, my summer break is winding down and I've yet to post about 4 months worth of delicious. I've done you a disservice. Disculpo.

You'll pardon if I resort to my old standby in the BiGMoUtH blog known as Leftovers. Basically, I upload all of my pictures from my phone and camera, sort through and if I remember when and where and why I took a picture, it makes it to the page. That is some major scrutiny so trust me when I tell you that this is some good stuff.

Reaching back to the beginning of the year, I returned to the People's Pig and actually took a picture of my feast before I plowed in. The lighting isn't the best and neither is my patience when I am sitting in front of the Smoked Fried Chicken plate with Greens and Jo Jos (which I can no longer find on the menu). This is the most uniquely flavored fried chicken I've ever tried, really. The smokiness under the perfectly crisp fried batter is what takes it over the top. The delightful People's Mules (Monopalowa Vodka, Lime, House Ginger Syrup, Soda Water) served authentically in copper cups only enhanced the warm fuzzy feelings this meal provided. The greens are good, mine are better. The jojos were delicious and one of the better side options so I hope they're not gone for good. This chicken is one of those items that you want to order every time you visit the place. It's hard to break away from something this good.

Another place we visited earlier in the spring was Newport, Oregon's Ocean Bleu at Gino's. Nothing new here, same old perfection on a plate. I ordered the fresh from the ocean that morning rockfish and chips. I can't even explain without crying. I love this place and everything about it. This time around I did dive into my food before I could take a picture and so I leave you with some pretty pictures from the comfy fun dining room and sweet hide-away patio. Someday, I'll actually have to write them a legit review. After all, this is a family who shops locally, supports their local industry, processes their fresh fish on site and even participates in some of the fishing themselves. Talk about a serious farm to table movement.

This next place is new to me and I get a bit giddy thinking about them. They are Donut Byte Labs and they are a food cart at SW 4th and Burnside. These little baby donuts are just enough. Just enough sweet, just enough savory, just enough soft doughyness, just enough delightful crisp. I cannot quite grasp why people will stand in a humongous line at the pink box place two streets over when this little cart is pumping out these little flavor bombs. They have passed my favorite three picks for best doughnut in Portland and have rolled themselves to the top for flavor alone. My favorite? So hard! OK, please try the Milk and Honey, it is heaven on earth. Just so you know, I still have tremendous love for Joe's in Sandy, Pip's Original, and Annie's on Sandy Blvd.

I'm not always out and about eating and drinking, I do plenty of that stuff at home too. I mean with someone like K whipping out baby Beef Wellingtons and Bacon and Eggs for days, I consider myself pretty spoiled.

I enjoy the familiar as much as I love trying something new. Sometimes, it's a little bit of both. Headed back to the Portland Mercado, we discovered the newly opened Que' Bola! Pretty much anything from the carts or vendors at the Mercado can be certified delicious but I was really excited to try the Cuban comfort food served up by Jose Perez and family. It did not disappoint. K went straight for the Cubano sandwich with a side of gooey crisp sweet fried plantains. My favorite. I was looking for the savory sour of Cuban Picadillo. Delicious green olives and golden raisins pack the sweet and sour punch required for this chopped meat dish. With a side salad and white rice it is a sizable meal; I could've shared but I didn't. Served with a smile, I will definitely be returning to Que' Bola! to check out the other items on the menu at this delightful Mercado addition.

Thank you for your patience while I cleaned out my phone and photos to bring you today's blog. It was stuffed with pictures from our family trip to Kauai.

Mahalo!

As my Spring Break comes to an end...

2016-03-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I continue to reflect on the delicious things I've done and anticipate more delightful things to come. I started my morning feeling a little blue; Today is the last day of Spring Break. But, today is also Easter and as promises are fulfilled and hope rises anew I'm going to leave this Spring Break, not lamenting the past but looking forward to each and everyday as I prepare for Summer!

Ok, that may seem a bit premature, but let's just roll with it for right now. It will at least get me through to Monday morning.

You can't really rebuff my wanting this Spring Break to last even a little while longer. It was really a fantastic one and my only true concern was trying to digest food and drink in time to enjoy more food and drink. Right, it was a teeny bit glutinous but I have it under control now. Oh what a start out the gate we had:

Hood River, Oregon, Windsurfing capital of the world. Oh don't give me that much credit, I am not the sole stand-up paddle boarder here, nor would you find me attempting to windsurf. First off, there was no wind for our first 2 days out here. Secondly, hahahahahahahaha no.

View from our Best Western balcony.

They are lovely to watch though and I admire their strength and skills to manipulate and ride the river this way.

While waiting to check into our hotel room we decided to check into a couple of local Breweries and try their fare. We have been to Full Sail a number of times and so we avoided that particular brewery this time but focused on a couple we hadn't been to at all but heard wonderful things about.

The first was pFriem Family Brewers. Clean, modern, bright wood and steel; this place has a cool money feel to it that was relaxed but still a tiny bit intimidating. I always feel a little bit like that when I hang around people who spend more on their hobby or sport than I do on my house payment each month but that is neither here nor there. Let's talk beer.

I, of course, ordered a flight. Took the waitress by suprise, I'm not sure why. I know it was just past 11:00am but she would have served me a breakfast beer, right? So why the look when I asked for 6 tiny beers? K ordered his own 6 tiny beers as well and I knew we were hitting the ground running.

K ordered mainly IPAs and I ordered mainly everything else so we hit a good portion of the menu. Two heavy hitters for me were the Belgian Strong Blonde 7.5% abv 30 ibu and the Belgian Strong Dark 10.25% abv 38 ibu. Both for very similar and very different reasons. Both are very bold, very boozy, in your mouth magic but, the Blonde finishes fresh and bubbly. Super balanced. The Strong Dark doesn't stop. Cherries, Chocolate, Figgy goodness. Makes me wish it was Christmas time again. My favorite, though, was the Flanders Blonde 7.1% abv 19 ibu. I'm not a huge fan of Blondes. I've always leaned towards the darker side of the tap but this had me thinking of Sunday Brunches and sailboating and lounging in a hammock wearing all white. This zesty, spritzy ~~champagne~~ pinot/oak barreled ale will be on my summer drinking list for sure. My apologies for not having tasted any IPAs this time around. I'm cutting back. :)

To accompany our libations we ordered the Meat and Cheese plate and an order of Deviled Eggs. The flavor of the eggs was fresh and delicious but the filling was too soft and sloshed out of the egg cups when we tried to lift them too quickly. I enjoy my Devil Egg filling with a little more body. But they were tasty. The cheese plate, don't let the $15 price tag dissuade you. The meats, (amazing!) pates and cheese on this plate, paired with a delightful sampling of pickles, olives, hazelnuts and a dried cherry mostarda lend themselves nicely to the crusty artisanal bread. Tasting these treats in a somewhat haphazzard way paired with the truly satisfying beers turns out to be the best way to begin your time in lovely Hood River.

After pFriem we headed over to the Double Mountain Brewery. This cozy place can be a bear to get into. There are often lines and long waiting lists if you attempt to come here on a sunny breezy weekend in Spring, Summer, Fall...Two reasons: Delicious pizza and outrageous beer. K and I split a Jersey Pie, capicola, mozzzarella, and peppers on a charredelicious crust. We did, of course, order more taster trays for our beer selection. I went with Witty Gnome 5.6% abv, 43 ibu (warm and refreshing wit), Black Irish 4.0% abv 50 ibu (creamy nitro stout), The Divine 9.0% abv 43 ibu (9th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout), Hail Yeah! (Cider) and the secret cask beer which turned out to be the Divine again so yeh. So Much Goodness. I couldn't finish the final taster. Pity. They were all truly amazing, my favorite being the Divine. No, the Gnome. No, The Divine. No. MMmmmm. I'll need to return to finalize my answer.

Theatre de la Mode, Maryhill Museum

We spent the next few days enjoying the Columbia River Gorge's eastern end, a place we really hadn't spent much time. We visited the Maryhill Museum of Art (surreal and breathtaking) and the Stonehenge of the Gorge (also surreal and breathtaking)

We hiked a beautiful plateau and ran into a flock of wild turkey and saw some lovely mule deer running on an island in the Columbia. All in all a really fabulous Oregon staycation. After returning to Hood River after a day of museums and sightseeing we were a little too pooped out to hit the pub scene again so instead we popped up the hill to Lake Taco, a totally unassuming, relatively hidden taqueria. I didn't take pictures of the food because I prepped it and stuffed it in my mouth too quickly. I can promise you, it looked lovely. It tasted even better. Now I'm not sure how I'm going to explain driving the 2 hours out to Hood River every week just to get my street taco fix.

When we returned to Portland after some delightful touring of the Gorge and her rich history and beauty we decided to continue in our quest to do what we had not done before and go where we had not gone before. So we ended up at Hale Pele on Broadway. This place is a kick. True Tiki Bar fashion, lighting is low but the mood is high as a kite. You can take an entire vacation in a couple of hours just sitting at the bar here. The drinks are a wee bit expensive but so delicious and terribly pretty to look at. The staff here is wonderful, attentive and friendly and will help you navigate the plethora of choices you have. I enjoyed this Coconaut after it took us a while to put out it's flame. Still, worth the wait. One thing we did not have to wait long for was our food. Although I had heard plenty about the drinks and the atmosphere at Hale Pale, I hadn't heard much about the food here. No idea why not, really. The menu is limited but really spot on. I enjoyed the Weebimbap and there was nothing Wee about it. Only $5 during Happy Hour and this was a succulent, sweet, spicy, cool plate of excellence. K ordered the Shoyu Chicken and proclaimed some

WeeBimBap, Shoyu Chicken, Hawaiian Bread

of the best he has had. But the Hawaiian Bread, Oh dear Pele, the Hawaiian Bread. I need more.

Portland Chocolatefest 2016: How sweet it is...

2016-01-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of Chocolatefest, big fan. Ever since it began, 11 years ago, what? 11 years ago? Whoa. I'm proud to say I was there back in the early years. It started up at the World Forestry Center as a fundraiser and then it grew, almost too big for it's britches and had to move to the Oregon Convention Center where it opens again this weekend, Jan 22-24. Tonight was opening night and catered to the 21+ crowd and so there were no young ones to worry about stepping on or tripping over as I ran to my next confectionery grab. There was a lot of deliciousness to grab for.

Let's begin with what I enjoyed starting my evening with: Tito's Vodka Chocolatini. Smooth, warm, Tito's Vodka distilled small batch in Austin, Texas and poured up rich and delicious, chocolate milk style. Yes and Please and Thank you, all at once. A nice way to begin the evening.

I want to go on and on about some of my favorite vendors but I know I've written about them before and I don't want to be redundant. But I must, at the very least, implore you to try their wares because thinking about them right now makes me happy and I want to share them with you. Perhaps the Chocolatini is prompting me with an "I love you, man" kind of mood but seriously. If you go to Chocolatefest this weekend or if you ever happen upon the chance to try out one or more of these vendors, please do yourself a solid and go for it. Who at that show warrants this kind of love and affection? Arrowhead Chocolate out of Joseph, Oregon comes to mind. My favorite will always be the Ginger Cream Truffle, no wait, the Stein Whiskey Truffle, no no the Juniper Gin. Dang! You get the point.
Sea and Sage Shrubs, a delicious drinking vinegar, and of course, Cupcake Jones, are all great folks to visit.

There is definitely a lot of sweet going on here but with all of the sugar, chocolate and alcohol that was flowing, K and I knew we needed something of more sustenance. We headed to the Eat area (see food court) and were delighted to find some nice chocolate complimentary entrees. We went with the Convention Center's catering table Pacificwild and their Cinnamon Dusted Pork Loin with Chocolate Stout Mole and seared polenta. Oh! Seriously. This was Convention Center catering and it was delicious! I know! I'm shouting! I would go back to this restaurant if it were a restaurant I could go back to.

Now on to my new Chocolatefest discoveries. I have found it! and by it I mean the perfect toffee. and by perfect, I mean Perrrrrrrrfeeeeeect. Cowboy Toffee Company out of Oakdale, California. How can I describe this toffee. First off, Sam McGinnis, one of the delightful owners, noticed K and I were drinking some beer (Rogue Chocolate Stout) and asked us to please try her Ghost Town Toffee ( dark chocolate, almond dust, roasted ghost peppers, salt). She knew it would be a perfect pairing and she knows her product. I was frightened at first. Mentioning Ghost Peppers in your ingredients intimidates me but this was some serious deliciousness. The toffee itself has a texture that most toffees wish they could attain, light airy, just chewy enough without sticky tooth residue. You won't loose your fillings to this but you will lose your heart. The dark chocolate is a perfectly creamy compliment hugging the toffee. Love at first bite.

Speaking of love, fera wyn's motto "Forget Love, I'd rather fall in chocolate" No truer words spoken when speaking of these delightful artisan style chocolates. I'm a little sad they didn't have the Green Fairy with them but I thoroughly enjoyed the Limoncello. The tang and zip were perfectly balanced. creamy but not too sweet. The Hawt Date was delightful. Not too hot with the lovely nutty chewy date finish. I will be ordering more.

I'm also a huge fan of Lillie Belle Farms' Most Awesome Chocolate Bar Ever. It really is. And Goldfinch Caramels. Creamy, delicious (love love love the Rosemary) Just great caramel.

(Amendment 1/23) Found out this morning that Nothing But Bundt Cakes took the Best in Show. Great Choice- they have amazing delicious baby bundts, my favorite was the Chocolate Turtle. Mmmmmm, soft and delicious. Not too sweet but just enough chocolatey goodness.

Finally, and worth the wait, we have Thomas and Sons Distillery. When I say wait, I mean wait because there were lines at this place All Night Long. but K and I finally just said forget about it and waited at the side for our turn to be served. Like I said "worth the wait". I have never had a liqueur distilled from tea and most likely neither have you because, as far as I know, these are the only people doing it. and I'm not talking about tea infused alcohol. I'm talking about Tea and sugar distilled into liqueur. It is surprisingly delicious and they have liquors that run the gamut from White Tea right through bitter black and onto my favorite, Smoke Tea. Smoke Tea is distilled smoke Lapsang black tea flavored with Vanilla Bean and blackberry honey. It seriously is camping in a bottle. I know they were using all of their liquors in mixed drinks but I don't think I would want to mix this one. It would be a nice long sip by the campfire, or the couch or the kitchen table, wherever. The new release from Thomas and Sons is the Bluebird Liquer. I'm not quite sure what it is but it reminds me of maybe St. Germaine or other herb and spice based spirits. Warm, yet fresh. Sweet and spicy. The perfect end to a delicious evening.

Leftovers 2015: Time to Ketchup...

2016-01-13T21:40:00.002-08:00

Oh my, sometimes I crack myself up. Funny stuff. Not funny stuff? Looking back at my blog and seeing my last post was in April of 2015 and then looking at my camera and seeing pictures of food that I truly meant to share with you. Best laid plans and all that. Here's to actually writing about more of the places and I'm eating and drinking at. Sláinte.

Always looking for control and order in my life before I just totally give in to the universe and loose all control, I make New Year's resolutions to eat at home more and eat more healthfully. That's when I generally whip out these great one pan meals like greens, beets and sausages. Seriously, it was good but then again, this was January.

February brings one of my favorite holidays of the year, President's Day. The Saturday of President's Day weekend to be precise: Zwickelmania. Brought to us by the Oregon Craft Beer people, this day brings food, fabulous fun and tasters of fine brew all gratis. It was this past year that I re-acquainted myself with my favorite stout, Base Camp S'More Stout. Served complete with a toasted marshmallow on the rim. Deeelicious!

It was while waiting to head over to another OCB event, the Malt Ball, that K and I discovered Martinotti's Italian Deli. The most delightful cappuccinos I've ever had. Sadly, this lovely little world market has closed. It only took me 30-some years to find. Cannoli just like Mrs Davi used to make and a Tiramisu from heaven. You may or may not know that Tiramisu is one of the only kinds of "cake" that I actually enjoy. Tres Leches being my first.

While we were packing for our trip to Austin, we treated ourselves to a Portland Monthly Dining Out deal and tried out Autentica and although we found the Ceviche Pescado and the Barbacoa delicious and the drink menu amazing, it was a little over-priced. Let's just say, I would go here again, with a coupon.

May brought back Farmer's Markets and as soon as the Beaverton Farmer's Market opened we headed over to Money Bowl for some savory sweet hot Rice Noodle Bowls. Just the thing on a chilly May morning.

Other discoveries for K and I in 2015 included The Local Cow in Gresham where you will find Rosemary, Garlic, Truffle Oil, Parmesan Fries. A delightful surprise. The Burgers here rank up with the best in Portland. Period.

And tucked away, in a tiny little mini-strip mall we found a wonderful Thai food place. Truly a hidden jewel. Sa Bai. The Tom Yum soup was fragrant, hot and sweet. Divine comfort food and comfortable prices. Really looking forward to returning here, feeling awful that we haven't as of yet.

For the first time ever, in my life, we ate OUT for Thanksgiving Day. I couldn't believe it but it was a pretty fabulous experience. There is nothing like a Mai Tai flight at Trader Vic's to let you know the holiday season has officially begun.

I know I've already told you about the Portland Mercado ( My new Happy Place) but we went back, of course, more than a few times and each time we try something different. The thing is, there is so much good stuff here, you can! Always delicious, always a treat. You need to try the Tlayudas at Tierra Del Sol. Feast!

2015 will go down in history as the year we discovered Pip's Donuts! Ohmygawd! You haven't been to Pip's? Who can honestly resist these little balls of goodness? Crispy, creamy, salty, sweet. Umami for a breakfast treat!

And then there is the Mama Leo's in the Roseway neighborhood. Colombian/Venezuelan/Caribbean cuisine served with simple style. Don't let the term Gluten free scare you from this dining room, embrace it! Be careful not to fill up on Patacones before dinner and be sure to order coconut rice with your meal.

Alas, I have no pictures of my food from The People's Pig. I dove into faster than my voyeuristic tendency could pop up and remind me to pull out my camera and it was really dark in there so the pictures I did take didn't do the flavors justice. This is some good stuff. Not your traditional bbq so I won't bother to compare it to other's but it has it's own unique style and menu to delight. Must Have: The Chicken. The smoked then deep fried chicken is outrageous. I would like to try it on a waffle but the sandwich does it fine justice, especially with the jalapeno jelly. Crunchy, juicy, spicy. Grab the napkins. Must Avoid: the coleslaw. Go with greens (although mine are better) and the corn bread or the dilly potato salad, if you must. Why do I have such a hard time with sides at BBQ places? I'll need to explore that more.

So, as you can see, we bounced around a lot in 2015 but I didn't really share the way I should and so I start 2016 with a new resolve and a few new quests ( I still haven't found my quintessential Monte Cristo). I'm getting excited for the festivals to begin again. First up, ChocolateFest January 22nd. After all, if I'm going to use the nom de plume BiGMoUth, I'd better act like it.

My New Happy Place

2015-04-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm just finishing it now. The Tequila Tres Leches cake that K and I picked up after dinner. I love it even more today. It could be because I stuffed my face silly last night and picking up the piece of cake for a very un-needed dessert was simply to satisfy my obsession with Tres Leches (3 Milks). No, this cake is worth it. If you really knew me you'd know that means something. I'm not usually a cake kind of person. I prefer Pie. Almost every time. Tiramisu or Tres Leches would be the exceptions. So let's talk about last night, and the delight that I found at the Portland Mercado. Or, make that plural, Delights, we brought home a lot of good food.

We had gone looking to simply "check it out". Friends had shared pictures from the Grand Opening a couple of weeks ago and I was excited to see how it turned out. We entered the vividly glowing building through the foyer that holds Cafe' Revolucion. That is where I first saw the Tequila Tres Leches. Sitting in a lovely pastry case next to an equally scrumptious looking flan, this particular Tres Leches indicated something a little special with it's fresh lime slices sitting atop the pillowy whipped cream frosting. If there was truly tequila in the cake, I couldn't taste it but no matter. The cake itself was the perfect spongy white cake consistency just slightly soaked in sweet condensed milk. The frosting was creamy, cool and carried the lime flavor through out the layers of lusciousness. Granted, it was the first thing I saw and I wanted it immediately but thought we should have dinner first. With eight food carts and the beer/wine shop, Barrio, calling our names, I decided we would return for it later in the evening. Barrio is definitely worth looking into. Growlers and bottles "to-go" along with a fine tap list and wines from Latin America to savor "in house". After K and I gathered all the food we could carry we picked out a prime seating location and took in some highly enjoyable and lovely people watching. We plan on spending many of our summer days parked in this same spot.

I enter the main room somewhat timidly, afraid to miss a single thing. There are good things happening all around us, including a meat counter. You can tell this place is poised to become a hub of the community. The perfect neighborhood hang, with meat counter to boot. A juice bar with line out the door, a dulceria (sweet shop), and did I mention the meat counter?

The lure of fresh spicy chorizo drew us quickly to The Don Felipe Chorizeria. There we found Salud and Angelica and their absolutely delicious chorizo. Hard to choose between the Red Chorizo, one of the best chorizos I have had or the exotic Green Chorizo, styled after chorizo popular to the Toluca region of Mexico just southwest of Mexico City. We chose green this time and K whipped up chorizo and eggs this morning that were so fantastic I am still smiling about it 8 hours later. Seriously. This giddiness may take me through Monday.

Let's get back to last night's dinner: 8 food carts, all highlighting cuisine from deliciously diverse regions of Latin America. Salvador, Colombia, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico; amazing, but now what to choose? Again with the choices people. Good thing I choose to come back another couple hundred times, this place wins.

K and I do finally choose to sample off of three different carts and with fabulous results I must say.
First: our appetizer. Yuca Frita from Que' Bacano. Oh sweet heaven above. These Yucca Fries are cut into little wedges and fried to crispy perfection. Dense and moist, served with a garlic sauce that makes ketchup bow it's head in shame. Enough for two to enjoy as a starter or just make it a deliciously reasonable meal. But who said I was reasonable?

On to Fernando's for a Tuc Burrito. A delicious vegi burrito featuring Nopales. I cannot bring myself to go through the tortuous task of preparing and cooking cactus segments and so I am really happy I have found a place that will do it for me and then wrap the "leaves" into a big fat burrito full of goodness. The menu here is so enticing I can say that at least three of my next five trips to the Mercado will include a fresh, spicy delectable burrito from here. All of the burritos at Fernando's EASILY serve two. Thank goodness I was splitting this monster with K.

Normal people would have stopped there. By now, you've deduced I'm not normal people and so onto Mixteca. Hailing from Oaxaca, Mexico, Paula Asuncion easily makes some of Portland's most delicious tamales. She's won awards for them for crying out loud. She started selling her tamales at Portland area farmer's markets in 2012 with business training and support from Micro Mercantiles. But I wasn't here for the tamales this time. Not this time, for there it was- a dish that is interpreted very differently everywhere you go but almost always turns up with delightful consequence: Mole (MOH lay). I like to say it slowly, drawn out, Mooooooooh laaaaaaaay. The Mixteca cart at the Mercado had Mole, either in a full plate meal or as a bowl. K and I went with the bowl: shredded chicken, black beans, white Mexican rice w/ veggies, Mole Negro sauce and topped with the Mixteca salad, a spicy lime-dressed coleslaw. Authentically tasty.

And THEN we went back inside to purchase the Tres Leches. To bring home. To eat later. K grabbed a fork and handed it to me. "For the ride home".

Take note: Serious heart and soul went into this food. Actually, serious heart and soul went into this entire venture. The Portland Mercado is an incubator for small businesses and an economic development project of Hacienda. Micro Mercantile runs a beautiful kitchen here, available for small businesses to use for a reasonable rental fee. While we were there, a small cooking class was using the space. This place really is a win-win situation for this neighborhood and this community in general.

I Heart Austin

2015-04-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

It was going to be quick but we had so much to do. So much to eat. So much to drink. Although there were a few places that definitely needed a re-dough, I mean a re-do, headed back to Austin, Texas for Spring Break this year was a little bit of a bucket-lister. Topping the list was Franklin Barbecue. I had heard enough. Lines be damned, it had to be done. And so it began...

First off, the re-do(ish). K and I had to go back to Gordoughs. The Granny's Pie (Cream Cheese icing, Caramel, Pecans, Bananas, and Graham Crackers) and a second sampling of the Ring of Fire ( Chipotle infused chocolate batter, Chocolate sauce, Brownie bits, Salted Caramel Sauce, Cayenne Candied Pecans) were all we needed to remind us that maybe a certain pink box organization in PDX could up their game a bit. Plus the drinks available at this Public House are over the top. Infused tequilas and vodkas, mason jars, splashes of St. Germain and the like. You get the picture.

Wednesday morning opened the quest. Is it a myth? Just a giant pile of hipster driven hype? A good thing taken to the limits by amazing marketing? We were here to find out and so at 9:00 am, a good two hours before they even open the doors, we headed downtown towards Franklin Barbecue. It is almost synonymous with Austin eating and so we braved forth. Empty handed. Hearing that some smarter folk bring chairs and games and coolers of provisions, we still were not sure what really to expect. Many of the reviews and articles I had been reading were over two years old. Was it still the experience being touted across the internet? I know I had been kicking myself all winter for not attending the PDX Feast which included the Tillamook Brunch Village that featured Franklins.

But we were here, now, our time had come. When we arrived approximately 9:15, we found about 35 people in line. We felt fortunate. SXSW was the previous week and we were here mid-week. No line wrapping around the building yet meant we may be walking in shortly after opening at 11 right? Don't hold your breath. The sweetest young lady came out to us to get a "pre-order". Simply feeling out the situation regarding how much brisket and other assorted goodies we wanted and gauge how soon she was going to cut off the line. She very graciously let us know we would probably eating around 12:15. What?! That was almost 3 hours away. Maybe she was being safe and expanding the time so we wouldn't grumble if she under-evaluated. Let me just tell you now she had it Right. On. The. Money. We had our food and found a lovely table inside at 12:15. Franklin magic. And it was. I'm telling you right here and now, it was worth a 3 hour wait for the brisket. And I would do it again. The restaurant has a small corral for rag-tag, take 'em and leave 'em chairs under the stairs so if you're early enough and didn't have the forethought to bring your own, all is not lost. There is also a CVS right around the corner to purchase "fortification" if you so need but around 10, a server from the restaurant comes out again to check on how y'all are doing and offer you beverages for a small fee. I, of course, went for a Shiner (when in Texas as the saying goes...)

Growing line...yikes.

Smoke rising from Heaven

Franklin hospitality. Thank you.

Almost there...

Getting the job done.

At this point, I may be tearing up a little.

We over-ordered. There were five of us and we ordered enough meat for 10. We were going to walk out of there with the meat sweats or die trying. This particular plate held a lb of Brisket, a lb of Sausage and 1/2 lb of Pulled Pork. We unfortunately did not order the turkey but I will next time. I probably will not order the sausage. It was good, but I've had better and so will not want to waste digestion energy. I wish I was better with BBQ words. I wish I could wax on about the "bark" and how it was crispy meat candy (it was). How the savory mixed with the sweet and married the heat and there was no need for a sauce ( there wasn't). Words like succulent, moist, melting, tender all leap to mind. Where are my words?! I can only tell you I would do it again. I would wait 3 hours to eat more meat in one sitting than I should in a week. Thank you, Mr. Franklin ( he was there but I didn't want to post his picture w/o actually meeting him and getting permission)

I know you may be thinking "that's enough food for the day" but no. No. We needed to head into Houston to our hotel so we could rise bright and early and hit as many Museums on Free Museum day as possible. Going to Houston meant there were different restaurants to try out. We headed to the Hobbit Cafe. Haven of Tolken paraphernalia and Guacamole goodness. The curried chicken is so thick on my sandwich I cannot pick it up. This is a good thing and I am in love. I am also in love with my sweet potato french fries and my Leprechaun Hard Cider.

The service here is fair. I don't think they were prepared for the number of patrons they were receiving and they were audibly complaining about how tired and busy they were but our server was pleasant at our table and so there's a plus. We ate outside on the patio which has a fun atmosphere, busy and colorful with special details that most fans of Tolkien would well appreciate. Parking situation for this place and the surrounding restaurants sucks. Simply being honest here. You'd do better to take a cab.

Thursday morning, we woke to pouring rain that threatened to damper a day of walking round so we delayed the walk and headed to La Guadalupana Cafe for amazing coffee. Cinnamon delicious. Not overbearing simply well, perfect. The delightful owner made us feel as if he had known us for years and after a wait for our breakfast tacos, machaca and tortas he brought us out a Tres Leches that was delightful. If I lived in the Montrose area of Houston, I would be here every week.

After we had finished with the museums and parks which were all amazing and lovely and a little overwhelming, we went to Tampico Seafood and Cocina. Had a very delicious and generously portioned Ceviche. The fish here was fresh and delicious.

Next stop: El Bolillo Mexican Bakery. Absolutely amazing. Took some home for breakfast on Friday. K knows how to set up a sweet bon voyage.

Headed back through San Francisco's Terminal 2 ( Thank you Virgin America!) Had a quick dinner at Cat Cora's Kitchen. The Lobster Mac and Cheese? Yes please! Creamy, delightful deliciousness.

The grilled Chili-Lime Flank Steak tacos were some of the tastiest most tender tacos we've ever enjoyed. Love this little layover. And so our Moveable Feast moves on. Heres to traveling on your stomach ;)

Leftovers: Ringing in 2015 with a quick glance back at 2014

2015-01-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

As a consummate procrastinator, the Leftovers portion of this blog brings me a sense of accomplishment in a backhanded way. Like sweeping dust-bunnies out from under the bed or finally filing a year's worth of receipts and check stubs; I love the practice of scrolling through old picture files and finding the ones that never made it to the page. This year there are many. I haven't posted since July. It may or may not have taken me this long to recover from the Oregon Brewfest.

And so I dive into my favorite food to boost my mood and make me feel better whether my ailment is of the body, mind or soul.

Wonton Soup from Taipei Noodle Haus is my go-to gotta-have-it when I'm feeling low and need a boost. Or the Chinese Style Beef Noodle Soup for when I'm cold and need to warm my bones or the the Seafood Noodle Soup for when I'm feeling adventurous. The food here is pretty good. I avoid some of the "standard" take out fare because it is pretty standard BUT the noodles and soups are out of this world fresh and delicious.

Talking about delicious Chinese food reminds me: The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland offers 9 days of free admission with the donation of canned food for the Oregon Food Bank. K and I usually take advantage of this by going in early and enjoying tea and moon-cakes. It is one of my favorite New Year traditions.

Last January, K and I also took a trip to Newport, Oregon and had lunch at the always delicious Ocean Bleu @ Gino's.
I can't resist the Razor Clams served with wild rice and sauteed vegis but the Rockfish fish and Chips make the choice a difficult one. Luckily K ordered them and was willing to share along with an order of hush puppies. Rolled out of there stuffed and happy I hadn't made any New Year's resolutions to diet.

Random Order Coffee House

Beer Tasting Party

The spring held all kinds of spectacular traditions including the Chocolate Fest and Wine and Seafood Festival but some of the best times I had eating and drinking were spent with K and a handful of excellent people. Beer and burgers, Pie and Cocktails; all made several appearances on my dance card this year.

Mt Hood Brewing's version of Poutine

Mt Hood Brewing Sampler

Slowburger Mushroom Swiss

Quick trips around town this summer led to some super yummy and indulgent behavior like a dessert bigger than lunch at Honey Toast.

I finally found a Monte Cristo!! My favorite sandwich from childhood (is is any wonder?) has come back to me in the form of brunch at the Country Cat! The last time I was able to enjoy this sandwich was in the Blue Bayou at Disneyland. Quite a spendy excursion but oh so worth it ~~to this little fat girl.~~ This one at Country Cat is reasonably priced and quite delicious but still... as 2013 was the quest of Biscuits and Gravy tdf (to die for) and as 2014 was the quest of the Chicken and Waffle, so 2015 shall be the quest for the perfect Monte Cristo!

Delicious treats from Lanvin French Bakery.

I have some delicious memories from 2014 and I'm going to use them to inspire me to reach out and make some new and exciting changes and choices in 2015. I want to mix it up. A little bit like the Lanvin French Bakery that also puts out a delicious Banh Mi.

I've been writing about the same festivals and fairs for a few years now and although I still love love love them, it is time for some fresh tastes. Of course that won't prevent me from attending my old favorites like NAOBF or OBF, I'm just saying I may or may not write about them. Woman's prerogative and all that. Right now, I think I'm going to go get more of this soup.

WonTon Soup from Taipei Noodle Haus (Portland)

Rain? Bring it on. I'm going to the Oregon Brewers Festival 2014

2014-07-26T15:10:00.001-07:00

"Whether the weather is wet, whether the weather is hot. Whatever the weather, we put up with the weather, whether we like it or not."
That popular tongue-twister is a favorite of mine. It is Oh-so-true and ever more so here in the Pacific Northwest. I, myself, am fond of the rain and so when the forecast for opening day of the Oregon Brewers Festival was for 100% precipitation I rejoiced. Rain tends to keep the crowds at bay...wait, remember we are in Portland. If we didn't drink beer in the rain we'd almost never get to drink beer. That is not an option. So damn the crowds and off we go to one of the largest outdoor beer festivals in the nation, 27 years strong.

To start off the festival there is a brunch, followed by a parade. K and I missed both this year, unfortunately, but are planning on attending next year as I hear it is a good time. We did, however, arrive in time to catch the end of the official Festival Barrel of Lucky Lab's Superdog. Superdog is a consistently delicious Portland style Pale. It comes in at 6.5% abv and a well balanced 90 ibu. Deep and nutty but crisp.

I wanted to go into this year's festival with a plan. Something like "hit all the IPAs that we can" or "do all the darks" or even "only beers from out of state". Nah, I became so giddy when they put my wristband on, I'm surprised I remembered to grab a program. It was more like a book at 70 pages long and I would have referred back to it often if it hadn't been for the constant drizzle/drenching we were receiving from the sky. Temperature-wise we were fine but the rain did prevent me from being able to take detailed notes on my tastes. I had to rely on a checks/plus/star system to quickly keep note. But no matter, there was beer to be had. 88 offerings in the trailers alone. There was also the return of the specialty tent. Higher priced, specialty or import beers that rotated through in limited quantity. Over 100 were featured this year with 11 imports from our friendship city, Ultrecht, Netherlands and one from Germany. So much good stuff. I could have driven myself nuts sticking to a set itinerary. So I let myself go, enjoyed the sweet reggae sounds coming from Sol Seed and hit the trailers.

I am going to start with a trailer that immediately called my name. Loud and Clear. Trailer #9. K and I sampled 21 beers at the festival, 7 of them were at Trailer #9. Drawn by the brewery, stayed for the beer. All of these are from brewers who have consistently produced delicious beers, although these brews were new.

Ballast Point: Oh wait, this brew isn't new. And it was K's favorite from last year. Sculpin IPA is hop-heavy fruit and flower with a pleasant bite at the end. 70ibu 7%abv

Deschutes Peppercorn, Lemon Verbena, Sumac and dried Lemon give this Saison a wonderfully fresh, spicy vibe. That's why I really enjoyed Ester the Farmhouse Maiden. 5.9 abv 15 ibu

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery from Milton, Deleware has an impeccable reputation around here even though they've only been at OBF for seven years. This year's Oak aged Strong Ale is just one example of a reputation well-earned. Strong without being too boozy. 11% abv 70 ibu

Gilgamesh The Radtke Radler almost qualifies as a beer cocktail with 40% grapefruit juice added after fermentation. Who cares? It's light and refreshing and truly enjoyable quaff. abv 4% ibu 19

McMenamins Concordia Brewery schools us once again with the Double Helix Double IPA. You've probably heard me complain about McMenamins' service but their brews are consistently good drinking. In my fumbling-rain-soaked note taking I gave this a CheckPlus and it looks like I meant it.

Rogue Again, consistently good stuff. I know, I have friends who disagree and I would say that I'm not madly in love with many of their brews but most rate high on the deliciousness scale and the Rogue Doppelsticke is up there. Copper colored, clean and crisp. abv 8.5 ibu 52

Stone Witty Moron: It's a Wit, but wait, it's black. It's a black wit? Yes, an oxymoron and it makes perfect sense. Dark carafa malt, white wheat, flaked oats, coriander, bergamot and spicy clove create a deep, spicy, yeasty brew. abv 4.9% ibu 40

Can you see why I spent so much time at Trailer #9? There were so many more to go: Fitger's Brewhouse, Laurelwood, Omission Gluten-free, 10 Barrel, Gigantic, Terminal Gravity (woot woot!), Alaskan, Elysian, Sierra Nevada...whoa. My fingers are getting tired so I'm just going to skip to four beers that I found to be extremely notable considering all of the great beers and breweries that we stumbled upon, or away from. However you want to look at it.

Boneyard is a newish Bend, OR brewery that continues to delight and carries one of my favorite IPAs, Bone-A-Fide. abv 5.5 ibu 40. Hoppy and delicious but super well balanced. West coast style ales continue to rule.

Caldera Brewing out of Ashland, Oregon brought a toasted coconut chocolate porter that stole the show. Deliciously hand toasted coconut chips dry-hopped into this deeply chocolate malted porter makes for an amazing dessert any time of day.

Speaking of amazing desserts, if you're looking for fruity, tangy, sweet-tart pow to the kisser- go for Pullman, WA Paradise Creek's Huckleberry Pucker. This sour in the Berliner Weisse style uses just enough of the delicious Huckleberry to create a unique sweet aromatic draw followed by a quaffable tartness. Yum. Beer candy.

Now my favorite. And back to my true and genuine beer drinking nature, it is another chocolate porter style brew. Shake from Boulder. Cacao nibs, lactose, chocolate malt, chocolate wheat malt, crystal malt, black malt, layered on top of pale malt base providing a depth of chocolate and deliciousness that rivals it's namesake- the chocolate milkshake. Not bad for an old guy like Boulder, 35 years in business and 22 years at OBF.

Prost!

And so K and I made our final judgements, jumped on the train towards home, and bid OBF2014 adieu. To you and you and you. And the other 85+ brewers representing this year. Can't wait to do it all again.

Back for another round: The North American Organic Brewers Festival

2014-07-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, K and I once again ventured up to Overlook Park to attend our favorite beer festival of the year, The North American Organic Brewers Festival. I love Overlook Park. I love that tree. That magnificent tree. I love NAOBF. Since K and I discovered it we have only missed it twice. Once, for our daughter's wedding and once for an out of town family function. The wedding was forgivable, after all, we were DIY catering the event. After the second miss however I vowed, Never again. It's that wonderful.

The tap volunteers are conscientious and kind and willingly share their knowledge or honest lack thereof of any beer they are pouring. Other volunteers at the event are warm, welcoming and keep the park in the tidiest condition. Keeping the beautiful park beautiful. There have been vicious rumors that the event may change venues next year. I pray not. I feel like they have finally gotten into a sweet pattern with this place. The layout is un-crowded and convenient. The giant Elm in the middle of the park is glorious. Yes, parking sucks but the Max train is RIGHT THERE. Park at a Park and Ride and take the train. That being said, I do not run the event and am not aware of any issues they may have with power, water, sanitation, etc. But isn't that the point? If I can't tell if there are problems, then someone, somewhere is doing a bang up job. That's a good thing.

Farm to Fire folks working their tails off

We went on the busiest day, Saturday, and the only inkling of an issue that we were aware of was vendors running out of food early. They were getting slammed and doing a killer job of feeding the hungry masses. Lines never appeared too long and that is one of the reasons I love this festival. Even beer lines are moving quickly and efficiently. Or perhaps I have just acclimated myself to the beer line. Grab a taste, move on to next line, enjoy taster and the company of other patrons while waiting for next taste. Seems simple enough.

Back to the food for a second. Let's talk delicious options this year. Vegan satay from Viva!Vegetarian? Yes, thank you but wait- that German Schweinbraten from Urban German Grill looks as amazing as the Wood-fired pizza from Farm to Fire. And pork sliders from Bottles? Forget about it. I'm going to consume as many calories in food as I do in beer, it'll be a banner day. I promise it was not I, who was responsible for the food selling out, although grabbing the second-to-the-last pizza was quite a score.

flying high pizza pie

Fellow beer lover putting her best fist forward

Now, for the beer. This is a beer festival, after all. Working my way through A-Z I'm going to hit on my highlights. Because I had tasted a lot of beer. And some of it was just good beer. And some of it was not so terribly good beer. But some of it was stand out yummy beer. So here goes.

Ambacht Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged G++ I really wanted to like this beer. You know I love Bourbon barreled beers. Love 'em. This one was not to love. Too much cherry? I wouldn't have believed there could be such a thing but with the extra cherry and the bourbon aging this Strong Golden was just too much. And too much is usually just right by me. Sadly not this one. 8.5% abv 18 ibu

Bison Brewing I admit, I've reviewed the Honey Basil Pale Ale (6% abv) before and loved it. Still do. The floral notes of the Hop Cuvee (5.5% abv) west coast style ale was also remarkable. Bison brings it, again.

Ft. George Brewery from Astoria offered up their yummy Spruce Budd Ale (4.9% abv). I'm a big fan of Spruce and this Pale Ale packs a refreshing pop. Could be the hand picked 550 lbs of spruce tips they used for the 30 barrel batch. Hug a tree, friend.

800 lbs of organic sweet potatoes and 400 lbs of organic rye married and produced a Belgian Pale Ale, Sweet Potato Rye (6.4% abv 32 ibu), that is smooth and delightful. Well, actually Gilgamesh Brewing out of Salem, Oregon produced it but you know what I mean.

Loowit, our lovely neighbors to the North unleashed Gaiabolical (5.3% abv 45 ibu). With fury and form, this goddess of beers proves to be more seductive than destructive.

The only dark I had at the festival was McMenamins' Pavol, the Collector. This Baltic Porter was boozy chocolate yum but a little heavy on this humid summer day. Hopefully, I'll be able to find it in October.

German import Neumarkter Lammsbrau was a simply refreshing pilsner (4.7% abv) that paired wonderfully with the German food we had and was delightfully hoppy and floral.

Old Town Brewing served up one of my favorites of the day, Chemtrails are real, man! (5%abv, 65 ibu) No really, that is the truly given name of one fine wheat Ale with an amazing hoppy-ness and the cloudy citrusliciousness of a heffe.

That was one of my favorites but Thirsty Bear from San Francisco had the beer that stole my heart, PandaBear Ale (5% abv 20 ibu). Dry-hopped with organic vanilla beans and cocoa nibs this is a deep, rich ale with amazing aroma. I will search for this one.

Two Kilts from Sherwood, Oregon, brought out a French style Saison. Now I know it was getting warmer and a little sticky and nothing adds to sticky like a deep, sweet, warm Saison but I decided to try it anyway. Glad I did. This particular saison was crisp and light and peppery. Happy surprise!

The day then turned to night and I realized that with all of our eating and drinking and talking to marvelous people and listening to fabulous music we had been at the festival a total of six hours. Not a terrible way to spend the day. Highly recommended.

Portland Magazine's Country Brunch and Bloody Mary Smackdown

2014-06-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, We've gone over this all before. Several times. I love Brunch. Mainly because I love breakfast foods, eggs being one of the most perfect foods in the world. Then add the delicious elements of lunch and dinner to it and that's it. I'm done. Lightly done, like an overeasy egg. Cooked to perfection. Sorry, I'm come back down to earth now. I want to tell you about my experience from last Sunday. It was glorious. A fabulous little known brunch held once a year and sponsored by Portland Monthly. After the first Country Brunch in 2012, Portland Monthly then joined forces with Zenger Farm. It makes so much sense. Celebrate our Urban Bounty. The amazing food and sense of community. Raise some money for a most beautiful cause, the Zenger Farm Urban Grange, a community space promoting urban farming education, small business incubation and communal growth and grace. I really can't think of anything better right now.

Although only three years old, this is no Toddler Brunch. This is a full blown, grown up delicious intro to some of the best restaurants, bartenders and chefs Portland has to offer. Six delectable Brunch bites + six outrageous Bloody Marys= One happy girl in Portland. Or make that hundreds of happy girls and boys because the event sold out pretty early and for so many good reasons.

Castaway: warehouse turned fabulous event space

Next year, I will be logging in early to buy VIP tickets. VIP gets you into the venue an hour early and grabs you a bag of goodies. General admittance tickets, although still a fantastic experience, leaves you in a pretty intimidating line around the building if you don't arrive early. Consider yourself forewarned.

The layout of the room harkened to barn dances and farm fests.

Immediately transported to a delicious time and place. MC'd by the warm and wonderful Poison Waters. Delightful sounds by Foghorn Stringband.

So basically, you check in and get a brunch card. Similar to a dance card, you only get to try each dish once. And each beautiful Bloody Mary once. Safe choice. After trying all six Bloody Marys you have consumed the equivalent of three full sized drinks. 6 "brunch bites" of food plus the freebies provided by New Seasons and Whole Foods and I was stuffed. Here is a wrap up of how and why I left fat and happy:

First stop, Smallwares, for a breakfast style Congee with Chinese sausage. Basically egg, oatmeal, scallions, and maple flavored ponzu. Others at my table shunned it for it's consistency. I was strangely addicted to it and used their cards to enjoy more.

You know of my love for Lardo, right? Well they brought it big-time with a buttermild biscuit topped with Pork Belly, fried quail egg, and a rich and creamy hollandaise. Lardo brought a Biscuit Benedict at it's best. Sign me up. If we were able to vote on best dish, this did it for me.

Another delicious savory/sweet breakfast sanny was the The Bohemian from Urban Farmer. A stroopwaffle served with bacon jam and eggs and a bourbon maple syrup. Don't ask me what a stroop waffle is. I'm not sure. It was simply yum. I will go to Urban Farmer for more of their Breakfast/Brunch menu. Oh wait. Wikipedia tells me this: A stroopwafel (Dutchpronunciation: [ˈstroːpʋaːfəl] ( listen)) (English translation: syrup waffle, treacle waffle, or caramel waffle; lit "syrup waffle") is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle.^[1]^[2] They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands. Large versions are sold in the streets as a snack.

Other delicious items included Ataula's Albacore Tuna Sandwich (coca bread, mango, arugula, and tuna sashimi) Pictured here with Doug Fir's award winning Antidote. (Candied Bacon Bloody anyone? ) Very delicious but not my favorite Bloody Mary of the Day. That honor goes to Broder who boasted an ancient Danish secret. Basically infused vodka with citrus and spice. Curry, cumin, fresh dill, toasted fennel, celery. Bringing it as close to an Aquavit Bloody Mary as possible. So dreamy.

Another refreshing twist on the Bloody Mary came from Radar with their Voddie Mary: Tomato, peppercorn, roasted garlic, tapatio, lemon-lime and a Rainier- Celery soda shot. I just dumped that little baby shot in there and enjoyed. I recommend you do the same.

The Bloody Mary Garnish Skewer pictured here includes beet pickled hard boiled eggs, saffron dipped mozzarella balls and summer sausage from Olympic Provisions. Well, certainly.

Along with this American Beauty from Irving Street there were warmingly yummy entries from La Bistro Montage and the Imperial. Other bite delights included a smoky tempeh and polenta dish from Harlow and TenTop's miso soy ginger bagel with bulgogi beef and kimchi schmear (difficult to handle but oh so good to eat).

Truth be told, there wasn't a bad dish in the room. It was a wonderful experience every way you looked at it. Just wish it happened more than once a year, but then, where is the joy in anticipation. Next year, VIP, for sure.

Time to get busy Eating and Drinking our way to a Happier and Healthier Portland

2014-06-25T18:17:00.001-07:00

It was a busy freaking weekend. I know that started out blunt and maybe a little crass but no ill -will was meant. I overbooked and it looks like I've set the stage for an entire summer of overdoing. Over-eating, Over-drinking, spreading my time too thinly and my budget even thinner. Oh why should this summer be any different from any other summer? I clearly have no desire to change. So when I do over-indulge, I at least like to think that some good is coming from it somewhere.

This weekend's events did just that: good stuff. The Portland Summer Food Cart Festival, that helped raise awareness and funds for ALSO: Adult Learning Systems of Oregon and The Portland Monthly magazine sponsored The Country Brunch, a fundraiser for Zenger Farm.

Both wonderfully worthwhile causes, creating wonderful events worth attending. Today I want to talk about the food carts but tomorrow, I promise, I'll give you a complete rundown of the Brunch and Bloody Mary Smackdown. How's that for a teaser?

I had not been to either of these relatively new gatherings and was therefore intrigued. The Food Cart Festival was in it's third year. Enough time to iron out some kinks but still new enough to not get too crowded, right? Well...

K and I went early enough to get to the food cart festival and not hit a crowd. We really didn't need to worry. The parking lot in Mt. Hood Community College where the festival was being held was nearly empty. We were assured by the volunteer putting on our wristbands that we came at the right time. People had come later in previous years and run into long lines and 86'd items all over the place. OK, I can deal. I'm not a huge fan of crowded situations but a few more people to help generate a festy type mood would be nice. There was food to be had. We lapped the lot once and took stock of what we were in for. Some nice options, I was getting excited. BBQ, Comfort Food, Tacos, where would I start? Then I noticed that the carts were all charging basically full price for full items. (insert Debby Downer face and waa waa flugelphone noise here.) Not sure why, I just feel that if an event is charging a cover charge and there are numerous food items to be tried and there is a contest for best "entry", you shouldn't roll in with your full cart item and charge full price. This would be the atmosphere and event for "trials" and "tastings". Pick your favorite item, downsize it and offer "mini-me" selections. In this manner, patrons wouldn't fill up on one sandwich or noodle bowl or what-have-you and have the opportunity to try-out more carts. It's called exposure. "Try this little nibble of mac and cheese now but you're really going to want to come to the cart/restaurant/bar later and try the entire Southern Comfort Food Platter." OK!

I'm just sayin' I would've spent the same amount of money and spread the wealth even if the offerings were little bite sized tastes for $2 a pop. Instead, I had to make a choice and risk further over-indulgence.

Oh well, I went for a personal favorite of mine. PB&J's Grilled. Yum! If you have not enjoyed one of their grilled sweet, smoky, savory confections get over to one of their carts quick. The Cartopia location at 12th and Hawthorne will unfortunately be closing down with the rest of the pod later this autumn. Reason to smile may be if rumors are true and the developer leaves street level options for businesses. Could brick and mortar be in PBJ's future? Truly hope so. This time around, I ordered the Smokin' Goat: KALAMATA OLIVE BREAD, PBJ’S ALMOND BUTTER APPLE WOOD SMOKED BACON, GOAT CHEESE, APRICOT JAM. The olive bread hit the grill and immediately sent up a warm, pungent, savory toast. Feel inward smile grow. The heat, the sweet, the tang, the smoke. There isn't a sandwich on the menu I wouldn't order twice. Glad they were here to start me off on the right foot.

Now K is a big fan of all foods southern. Southwest? Southeast? Southern Pacific? Doesn't matter. I thought for sure he would go for the Gumbo or Etoufee from Cajun Life but today he felt lucky and pulled the re-invented Comfort Food card. A fried chicken Po'Boy with a remoulade dressed salad atop a brioche. See the irony there? It was fabulous. In spite of the big pink truck and laid back attitude,Retrolicious is slightly illusive in the cart scene. Coming out of Beaverton, you may want to look these people up on Twitter or Facebook as they post where you'll be able to catch them and their rotating menu of deliciousness. It is worth the hunt. Trust me.

Now after those sandwiches and the delicious brews from Base Camp, I was tempted to say "Uncle, I'm full", but nooooo. I was determined to try out just a few more items. I was on a mission. There was more I needed to know. And so we turned to Da Fat Boys, They had bbq ribs for $2. Thank you for showing them how it's done. Less your typical food cart and more your beefed up competitive BBQ team with catering AND food cart options. These people knew how to draw a crowd. Warm, spicy, crunchy bark wrapped around silky sweet meat. Sauce delicious, but optional. And now, much to my joy of joys, I hear that Da Fat Boys will have their truck at the Troutdale Farmers Market on Thursdays from 3-8pm. Good enough reason as any to head east.

Now I was looking for something a little sweet. Retrolicious was putting together a NanaWafer Pudding but it wasn't ready so we decided to take a lap and wait it out. We were waylaid at the end of the block by Stumptown Dumplings. Now I had enjoyed the Stumplings at a Timbers' game. Savory, hot. Just a perfect little pocket of pow. I was ready and willing to try their Nutella Bao. I wish I hadn't. It didn't live up to my delicious expectations and the bao itself was slightly underdone, making it more doughy chewy than fluffy, dense bao. I had not had their bao before and so cannot say if this is their usual bao faire.

We walked further around the circle and stumbled onto Hungry Heart. And hence, I lost mine. This little pink truck puts out some of the sweetest little baby cupcakes you've ever seen. But wait! I know you're thinking cupcakes are a thing of the past. A cliche' dessert that had it's heyday. More than once. Sure, you can say that but you still cannot deny the delicious POW! to your mouth that is the Sweet and Salty: Chocolate cupcake filled with Salted Caramel, Creamy Peanut Butter frosting, Crispy Applewood Smoked Bacon and more Salted Caramel.

The chocolate cake is dense, moist and almost meaty. Not overly sweet, it is deep and rich and complex. The peanut butter frosting doesn't have a hint of cloying sweet or pasty grease. Something I have unfortunately found in many a frosting mishap. This frosting is silky and warm like a peanut butter blanket. The salty caramel and the bacon balance any sweetness and turn this cupcake into a dessert worth dying for. So don't eat one everyday. It's bad for you. Except right now, it's too good to give up and K and I want to arm wrestle for the last piece of bacon.

I understand that there was a vote on best dish but I was unsure how to do this and I did read later that Hapa Ramen took the prize with a Pork Belly Shaka Bowl. Congratulations! I will definitely look them up and try that dish later this summer.

My choice for winner would be Retrolicious and their amazing menu options. But that is the joy of cart hopping, right? We all get our favorite.

Brought in for Brunch, came back for Happy Hour

2014-05-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

I love Brunch. Easy enough. There aren't many silly enough to say they don't enjoy a delicious all-morning-long meal even if it does mean an hour long queue around the block. But my love for Brunch will keep me in that line. Better yet, I wake early enough to beat the others to the best spot to "build-your-own" Bloody Marys or catch the nuanced rays of sunshine on a slightly damp but warming nicely bench on the patio. As Portlandia as my witness, I will not face the disappointment of an 86 board with my favorite biscuits and gravy again.

Nothing gets me to the front of the line faster than the promise of, yes, Fried Chicken and Waffles. You say I've already talked about my love for this dish of olde made new? That may be because my love/quest for this perfect dish is legendary. Enough so that I have been approached by friends and loved ones with the opening line of "you need to come and try this place's Chicken and Waffles". They know I will not say no. More likely I will say "What time do they open?"

This was the case when K and I accepted an invitation (dare I say challenge) to brunch with friends at NEPO 42. So, so very glad we did. First off, there was no line. In Portland. On a Sunday. For Brunch. Was there something wrong with this picture? Yes. But not in the way you may be thinking. I'll blame the crummy parking situation. There is only street parking available and it is sketchy but let's not digress into negativity. Inside, you'll find a quaintly decorated, slightly Portlandy but not over the top, cozy neighborhood pub. It holds all of the familiar trappings: pool table, large tv, dark wooded bench booths and a large chalkboard with the taplist (local and extensive) and today's specials. In the lower left corner you'll also find a small list of the current infusions. Luck have it, Cucumber Vodka will be there. Have it in a Bloody Mary. Yes, go there.

Now, let's talk about the delicious food.

In spite of a delicious sounding menu of biscuit dishes and scrambles I had, drum-roll please, the Fried Chicken and Waffles. Delicious fried Chicken and Waffles. In this case I would place more emphasis on the Chicken than the waffle. The waffle, although flavorful without being overly sweet, became too soggy too quickly. The Chicken, however was tasty and succulent and generously portioned. Two full chicken breasts on top of two strips of peppered bacon on top of the waffle doused in a maple sage syrup. Fragrant, sweet, savory, mmmm. Yes, I've had better (see Austin), but you could do a whole lot worse.

K enjoyed a delightful combo called Mr. October: A bacon (yes bacon) and cheddar biscuit topped with a fried chicken breast, bacon, sausage gravy an two eggs. Yes, yes, yes! I'll have what he's having. Sounds greedy? Maybe, but to tell you the truth it would have been my first choice if I wasn't being driven by my quest. But oh, what a wonderful quest it is.

I was so impressed with this first round of yum that K and I brought some more friends back in later in the week for Happy Hour. We stared out the window, drooling over someone else's food choice that I would have sworn were corn dogs. No. They were the Poppers. Peppers, stuffed with your typical cream cheese, cheddar, cilantro and spices. These were not run of the mill frozen poppers. These were...tender, tasty and filling (plan on splitting your order). I ordered the Mac and Cheese. Yes, I am a comfort food fanatic. Although I enjoyed it's blend of flavors, I found it to be more of a Penne Alfredo with bacon and chives than a true Mac and Cheese. Enjoyable but not what I expected. K ordered the Chicken and Waffle HH size. Perfect.

Spring in Portland answers: How do I love thee?

2014-03-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

What a delicious Spring Break this has been. I have really been going overboard and there is simply too much to share in a singular post and so today let's focus on....mmm...breakfasts? burgers? beer? How about a little bit of everything? No, too overwhelming. Let's focus on beer, or at least a sweet little brewery and a tasty lunch.

Let's start with a quick snowshoe trip up on Mt. Hood a couple weeks before Spring really sprung. It was soggy. The snow from the previous storm had begun to slush up with whispers of warmer weather on the way and a light rain was helping it all along. Puddles of water pocked the trail and pools of pine-needle tea formed at the bases of the trees. Small emerging creeks added to the wonder and beauty of our venture but I started to long for a cozy lodge and a warm bit of something delicious.

And so we headed into Government Camp and the Mt Hood Brewing Company. I've been watching this place on and off as they went through renovations and a transformation of their brewery and their dining room. They receive pretty inconsistant review on Yelp and fairly good ones with TripAdvisor and the Beer Advocate. Inconsistant reviews are fairly common and that's what makes life so interesting right? The three of us were pretty hungry and definitely thirsty but even without ordering an appetizer we rolled out happy and stuffed. Yes, the beers we ordered were filling. I ordered the sampler tray and our waitress brought out three, that's ok. We'll finish them. I mean who doesn't want to try 8 delicious craft brews?

And yes, they were delicious. I wouldn't say they were amazing. Or my new favorites. Or spend too many adjectives trying to describe them but the were delcious and refreshing. Especially the Highland Meadow Blond. It went down delightfully. Light, easy to drink. Just bubbly enough. Flavorful, something I don't usually identify Pales with. The Ice Axe IPA pleased K but he admitted he could name several other IPA's he enjoyed more. The Hogsback Oatmeal Stout was delicious and the best one on the tray in my opinion. The Smoked MultorPorter came in third behind the blond, and the Amber did not impress. I was also not fond of the overly sweet Barleywine that was a seasonal choice or the Saison. Too sticky sweet for me, at least on this day.

The food that followed was a little slow but so good. I ordered what was listed as an appetizer but struck me as something that would satisfy, Poutine. Holy Canadia, this was some order of Poutine. A ginormous order of pub-fries, drenched with a pepperyummy peppercorn demi-glace, Fontina and fresh herbs. I blushed when our server brought it to the table but left that shy-little-girl demeanor behind while I devoured the thing. K ordered what was my second choice and if I looked up too long from my french fry frenzy, I would have been more jealous. The Big Tube (it's a snowboarder thing?) Mac and Cheese was absolutely fabulous. It features three cheese mix that includes Tillamook Cheddar, fontina and a garlic cream sauce I want to swim in. Instead it is poured over penne pasta and perfectly cooked cauliflower (al dente and delightful) He was a gentlemen and let me have a couple of tastes but I knew I may have overstepped my boundaries when he had to whack away my fork with his as I reached for yet another bite.

Our snowshoeing friend, Sue, ordered the Grilled Cheese w/ Applejack Onion jam. Served with the pub fries and dipping sauce it may not look like an impressive sandwich but the quality of the sourdough and the smoked provolone made this one tasty sammy. Thank goodness snowshoeing burns so many calories. If you're concerned about that sort of thing.

ChocolateFest 2014: Returning to Yum

2014-01-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend K and I decided to return to the ChocolateFest after taking a year hiatus from the event. Last year we headed south to Salem for the First Taste of Oregon and that was wonderful but we missed the decadence and yumminess that is ChocolateFest.

Still fun, still delicious and filled with vendors of all things chocolate and some things not so chocolatey but still quite wonderful. And occasionally quite decadent.

SakeOne again brought it in big with their delicious fruity but not overly sweet Saketinis. This Forest Grove, Oregon based craft sake brewer stole my heart long ago with their Momokawa, Moonstone and G+ Sake lines. I had never enjoyed sake before SakeOne and now I purchase it as regularly as wine or beer. It is a refreshing change and should be considered.

There is a small coalition of wineries at the festival and although they are fun and often offer a unique sampling of flavors (ie Chocolate wine) they aren't my favorite part of this event and so I try not to spend too much time lingering around them. (I know a few of you who know me personally are doubting the validity of that statement but it's true). I was however, intrigued by a sampling of sipping vinegars that were absolutely delightful and had me envisioning an evening of concocting old-timey flavored punches and cocktails. I had to pick up the warming sweetness of the Ginger Honey Shrub from Sage and Sea Farms.

It was a difficult choice and I'm sure I'll need to visit the Portland Farmer's market and pick up a couple more bottles. Perhaps the Beet Sipping Vinegar or the sweet soft and refreshing lavender. Don't balk, just try them and let me know what you think.

Because we had already attended the Wine and Chocolate Pairing seminar a couple of years ago, K and I decided to watch the cooking demonstration for Chicken Mole by Lane Community College's Chef Clive Wanstall. His humorous and delightful presentation may have been a little rushed but it introduced a delicious way to serve up chocolate in an unorthodox manner.

Now certainly some of my favorite suhweet treats were represented and we quickly sought out Cupcake Jones. Still the best place for cupcakes in Portland, if you ask me. Did I tell the about the time I was sitting outside of Cupcake Jones face deep into an Orange Cremesicle when Timothy Hutton rode up on his bike? Let's just say no words were exchanged but I know he wanted my cupcake.

Another favorite purveyor of dreamy deliciousness is Arrowhead Chocolates out of Joseph, Oregon. They create the best single-malt whiskey truffle ever. Their salted caramel, earl grey, tiramisu and huckleberry truffles should not be missed. I need to stop talking about them because seriously I could talk myself into driving the 5-6 hours out to eastern Oregon just to buy some more.

I'm also a big fan of Cocotutti, although they are neither a local nor a small batch chocolatier. They do, however, offer some bold adventures in chocolate without tasting fake, waxy, or false. The tea infusions are amazing. I know. Overused word. But amazing pretty much wraps it up here.

Some of the vendors were simply producing run of the mill, waxy, flat chocolate but some stand-out yum appeared around each corner and I was especially impressed with the organically and sustainably driven Stirs the Soul. The owner/chocolatier, Darren Hayes, was especially informative and in spite of his laid back demeanor his passion for chocolate was clear. I found him later on YouTube, so you can check him out here and see what I mean. The man and his chocolate are the real deal.

I was also really delighted to meet the owner/creator of Kilikina's. You can tell that this chocolate is created with and inspired by love. Really sweet, make you smile, kind of love.

With no doubt, I love ChocolateFest and was very happy to return this year. Sadly, there were no chocolate fountains or sculptures or models drizzled in chocolate as in previous years but that just left more time for meeting people who love their product and eating more chocolate. And really, that is the point.

New Year's Resolution~ Experience Deliciousness

2014-01-01T14:16:00.001-08:00

This autumn was a little rough for me. I must admit, even when I ate or drank something that inspired me to tell all about it, by the time I was home in front of the computer the words wouldn't come. But the Winter of my contentedness is here and I'm feeling primed and ready to spread Words of Yum all over the internet.

I have much to tell you but I'm going to start with one great meal/restaurant/festival at a time and work my way back into a delicious groove. I hope you'll bear with me. Especially when I've been chomping at the bit to tell you about a new restaurant in my neighborhood. The Taipei Noodle Haus may appear to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis but I believe their strategy just might work out for them.

The Parkrose area of NE Portland doesn't have too much to offer in terms of great places to eat. Aside from El Indio's Mexican Food and the truly fantastic Halibut Fish and Chips up at the Wooden Chicken most of the area's "restaurants" (read as bar and grill) don't really offer much more than standard fried bar fare. Sure, a couple of places have tried but then seem to head right back into the PBR and Bud on Tap pitfall and there is always a quick trip up to Sandy Blvd and the Rose City area for more authentic attempts in adventurous dining. Parkrose isn't much for adventures in dining but the new Chinese restaurant that offers everything from Korean Kim Chi to traditional Chinese/American standards to Noodle soups may just make it. I hope so.

Let's not digress. Let's talk about a fresh, light, perfectly seasoned consomme swimming with meaty, tender pork wontons, and the most crisp and delicious shoots of bamboo, sliced carrots and mushrooms. This is the soup you want at home when you feel ill and need comfort. This is supreme comfort food. I dream about this soup interchanged with my dreams about their Chinese style Beef Noodle Soup. Tender sliced beef served over house-made noodles and drenched with a spicy fragrant sinus clearing soup.

When I return my next couple of rounds to the Noodle Haus, I plan on sticking with the Signature Noodle dishes because these have shown the most promise from this new addition to the neighborhood. Although the Salt and Pepper Shrimp served in shell did knock my socks off, other typical 'main course' dishes were merely fine. Passable Chinese fare such as General Tso's and Szechuan Chicken are a little bit over-breaded for my liking but still use flavorful seasonings and fresh tender meat and vegetables.

In the starters section, the crab wontons, potstickers and fried shrimp appetizers are all tasty distractions but the fried Spring Rolls delight with a lemongrass tint to the tastiness. The Korean Kim Chi is perfectly sweet sour spicy and a bargain as well.

All of the items we have ordered on the menu so far have been very generously portioned and you should plan on taking home some carry-out if you order from the Family Style section of the menu. I'm notorious for indulging in too large portions and I still had to split our food ordered for two into three separate meal times. So good.

The management and service here is fabulous. Always attentive without excessive hovering.

The ambiance is lacking. It's pretty sterile and instead of music there is a flat screen tv tuned to the news hanging in the far corner. Perhaps some more wall art, live plants or softer lighting may perk things up a bit.

I look forward to returning to the Taipei Noodle Haus many many times and I hope that the neighborhood treats them well.

请用餐！

Beer and BBQ? Yes, thank you.

2013-08-08T11:43:00.005-07:00

It's warm today. A little too warm for the Pacific Northwest but nothing that a breezy bbq with chilly good beer can't cure. And so K and I headed down to the Rogue Brewery's 19th Annual Bones and Brew situated down in Portland's lovely Pearl District. This year's beneficiaries were the Portland New Generations Rotary Club.

The "festival" itself seems a little sleepy, tucked away in the T zone of 15th St. and NW Flanders. There were a few booths from local radio stations, organic dog food vendors and cigar shops. A couple of restaurants who weren't participating in the actual cook-off. Pretty much your usual fundraiser/street fair. There were Events scheduled at the Bones and Brew that included a Wings eating contest, a Kobe Bleu Ball eating contest, "Official" meetings and swearing in of Rogue Nation members and, of course, the $3,500 purse for the most delicious Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association smoke-off winners. This is really what we were here for.

We've been indulging a quite a bit of BBQ and beer lately and I felt a need to focus more on the BBQ and less on the beer but I did taste a couple of delicious brews.

DogFish Head provided a delicious "hybrid" of some of my favorite styles. Their Indian Brown Ale
has a warm nutty richness and is still quite refreshing. ABV: 7.2% IBU: 50

Was really excited to see the Widmer Brothers Prickly Pear Braggot, a no-longer-available Brother's Reserve from 2010. Boozy, slightly sweet. Mead-like but more effervescent. A good beer that I may be more attracted to for homey back-in-Arizona feelings than true taste. No, I take that back. It's tasty. ABV: 10% IBU: 20

Bison Organic brought their Gingerbread Ale that would probably be tastier to me later in the year. A warm sweet Porter with hints of cinnamon and spice. It was good, I just wasn't feeling it in the 89F weather, standing on the asphalt. Next year, I recommend a few more tents over the dining areas. Standing in the middle of the street juggling beer and meat tasters was brutal. ABV: 6%

Let's talk about those tasters of meat. Now, unless you've been chosen as a judge for a cook-off or smoke-off, don't expect to roll in, try everybody's wares and roll out fat and happy. These people have serious business to attend to (smoking deliciousness) and will roll out the samples/for sale when they darn well have time and the notion to do so. I believe many competitions forbid sampling until all categories have been judged. The Bones and Brewfest officially allowed sampling on the second day or Sunday. Be patient, grab a beer and circle like a shark until you see the vividly colored "Samples Here" sign go up. Then leap on it. Samples go fast and this is not for the timid. Keep your attitude in check, be kind to other patrons and exceptionally kind to the sample giver and a good time will be had by all.

Now it was hot. I was a little cranky but I still kept my cool as to not seem un-grateful for the wonderful bites of bbq. One team that made remaining cool and having a good time super easy was the G2 Pit Crew. Verl Green and his friends and family make you feel so welcome to the bbq tent and they were my number one pick for the Pulled Pork. Tender, flavorful and needing no sauce or garnishment to make it so.

More deliciousness was to be had at The Big Swede's, Rockin' the Smoke, Dazed and Confused, and Woodstock Smokers but, Bad Bones BBQ took the prize (and my heart) with their Brisket. It had a crusty

black and sweet shell around a moist, smoky pink center. They brought a sauce that was so well balanced and flavorful. Smoky, spicy, warm, sweet. OH! It was fabulous and I hope the judges scored accordingly.

Didn't get to sample any chicken or ribs because by this time I was getting pretty full and over-heated. Needed some cold water and shade and didn't want to catch myself whining about the heat to some poor pit-master who had been standing next to a smoker all day. I was ready to call it a day and a good day at that.
I would have posted this earlier in the week but I fell into a food coma immediately afterwards (or maybe heat stroke) and was unable to focus long enough to get my happiness translated into coherent thought.

Oregon Brewer's Fest 2013: Hoppy 26th Year!

2013-07-26T17:20:00.004-07:00

Killer PBPB

Starting off this post with a heavy sigh. I just finished the Peanut Butter Pickle Burger that I picked up from Killer Burger on my way home from the Oregon Brewer's Festival yesterday. It was amazing. The burger and the festival. I just couldn't finish the burger yesterday. Too full, even for the amazingness that is the PBPB.

I must admit that between K and I we tasted approximately 28 beers. I will not bore you with a review of every beer and so I'll give you my top 10 and the worst two that I tasted. I'll also notably mention 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon because I tasted it even though I have a six-pack of it in my fridge. It's just so refreshing.

At the bottom of this I'll post the names of all of the beers we tried out so you can discover them for yourselves and, of course, check out the OBF website for full details of all of the beers offered at this weekend's festival.

In order of no particular preference I give you OBF 2013:

Summer Solstice Cerveza Creme~ I lied. There is an order of preference because this was my favorite beer at the festival. You know I generally prefer darks but I really took myself by surprise this year and was really drawn to the fruit and ale crew. It may have been due to the blazing sun but no whining here... The Anderson Valley Brewing Co. comes to us from Boonville, Cali and brought a delicious cream soda session beer. Not too sweet, not tart or bitter. A gorgeous bouquet of Pacific Northwest hops give it a floral, citrusy finish. Soft and delicious on the palate. I could see myself drinking a few of these Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall. ABV: 5.5 IBU: 8

Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing Co. was K's favorite of the day. Another Cali beer, this one from the San Diego area. Really well balanced with an IBU of 70, BPB used seven different hops several different times during the brewing process to reach this refreshing, unique IPA. ABV: 6.6

Now THIS is the perfect beer for a BBQ right here: Smoked Helles, originally brought to life by homebrewer, Joshua Boelter, winner of the Widmer Collaboration competition run with the Oregon Brew Crew. Described as a Bamberg Style Helles Rauchbier Lager, this fine brew has a hidden smoky hoppiness that plays with the palate. Perfect accompaniment to smoked salmon, a fine brat or burnt ends. ABV: 5.9 IBU 25

K did not like this next IPA but he is not a big fan of orange or grapefruit anything and he compared it immediately to a chardonnay and henceforth, did not approve. I, however, enjoyed & Juice's effervescent citrus finish immensely. Like champagne, was this Beermosa n' IPA. Gigantic scored big with this one. ABV: 6.0 IBU: 65

Small Batch Brewing at it's finest! Heathen Brewing started in 2011 as a one man show has now doubled it's staff and runs a 10 Barrel establishment. These two have done some serious hops-works with Transgression IPA. The hops play with your palate on every level without becoming a bitter brew. Delightful. ABV: 7.5 IBU: 80

Rogue Beer Crust Pizza

Now, I could go on and on about how much I truly enjoy Rogue beer. I do. I don't believe there is anything outstanding about their beers but they are consistently delicious and really run the gamut of beer styles and flavor. Some of my favorites? Juniper Pale Ale, Chocolate Stout, Double Chocolate Stout, Hazelnut Brown, and Mocha Porter. See what I mean about dark beer? But it is sooo hard to choose with 40+ rotators, seasonals and specialities. For OBF this year, Rogue outdid themselves. Brewer John "More Hops" Maier sports a beard he's maintained since the early 80's and has overseen more than 15, 000 brews. Rumour has it that the yeast used for this Golden-Belgian Beard Beer was discovered, yes, within his own beard. How rogue is that? ABV: 5.6 IBU: 25

The Dude's Brewing Co. from Torrance, California brought Grandma to the party and I was so happy to see her. Grandma's Pecan Brown was dessert and also one of the darker beers on the menu. Nutty, creamy, delicious. Second slice please! ABV: 6.9 IBU 34

On the lighter end of the color spectrum the Offen Kolsch from Upright Brewing was light, bright and refreshing. Balanced, sweet malts with a soft floral hop finish. Quaff-able but you'll want to slow down and enjoy the flowers in this one. ABV: 5.0 IBU: 25

Yes, I understand that they are bordering on Mass Production Mayhem but I love the Widmer Bros. Again, it's a consistency thing. I can trust that when I crack open a bottle of Widmer it's going to be tasty and just what I asked for. I can even say that they consistently surprise me with their delicious special releases and Reserves. I hope to find Eye of the Thaiger on the shelves somewhere soon. Crisp, clean kaffir lime, lemongrass and ginger. Would complement spicy delicious Thai food so well, the thought of pairing this with my favorite Thai curry dish from Honey Jar brings an actual tear to MY eye.

This last one didn't make my "love" list but it did hit the "like" list pretty stongly. Lompoc's EleventyOne CDA was the darkest beer at the festival and is a really fine Cascadian Dark Ale. Hopped throughout the brewing process from Mash through the final stages of the boil a lot of work went into this one and it shows. Efforts appreciated, Lompoc friends. ABV: 6.6 IBU 75

Speaking of friends. I have friends who have friends at Burnside Brewing and I DESPERATELY want to love something from these people. But I can't. I've tried, I really have. I don't know what the attraction is. I compare it to repeatedly going on dates with someone you'd like to like but always walking away at the end of the night thinking he's the biggest d-bag you've met in a long time. I feel sad even saying that but it smacks of truth. I tried the Marionberry Berliner-Weisse but the off-putting flatulent nose carried through to the flavor that didn't leave me with Marionberries or beer. Insert really sheepish look and "Sorry" here. ABV: 3.5 IBU 8

Another "not so friendly" encounter was with Seven Brides' Frankenlou's IPA. This 105 IBU powerhouse punches you in the face. I've hung with some serious hop-heads and I don't think I'd recommend this to them even. K tried to convince me that your taste-buds were revived at the end of the sip but even he admitted that this wasn't the IPA he'd spend a night with. Too pushy. ABV: 7 IBU: 105!

Best Beer skirt ever.

Again~ Overall~ a fine year at Oregon Brewer's Festival. Well run, only hit two tap-outs (Stone Delicious IPA and West Highland's Mango Moon) bummer. Love the fact that the festival moved to glassware this year, really does improve tasting experience. Really enjoyed the musical talent especially Water Tower. Caught them twice this week and I'm a happy camper. Super happy with the extended schedule of Wednesday-Sunday, took some of the pressure off.

So, here is the list I promised you. Some good, some better. Also, there were 85+ beers available and I already topped off so check the OBF website for further info. There are a couple that didn't make my official "like it/love it" list but were nice notable brews and I'm not a professional so don't take my word for it. Get out and try some of these for yourself and let me know what you think. Prost!

· Loved:

· SWILL

· 10 Barrel Brewing Co.

· Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema

· Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Sculpin IPA

· Ballast Point Brewing Co.

In-Tents India Pale Lager

· Base Camp Brewing Co.

Smoked Helles

· Collaborator

Dick’s Pulp Friction

· Dick’s Brewing Co.

& Juice

· Gigantic

Transgression IPA

· Heathen Brewing

Beard Beer

· Rogue Brewery

Bone Crusher Imperial Red

· Silver Moon Brewing

Grandma’s Pecan Brown

· The Dudes’ Brewing Co.

Offen Kölsch

· Upright Brewing Co.

Eye of the Thaiger

· Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

· Liked:

Traverse Cherry Wheat

· 13 Virtues Brewing Co.

Hell or High Watermelon

· 21st Amendment Brewery

Pump up the Jam

· Boulder Beer Co

80-Acre Hoppy Wheat

· Boulevard Brewing Co.

Double Dry-Hopped Bravo Pale Ale

· Boundary Bay Brewery

Double Impact Belgian IPA

· Deschutes Brewery

Bogart IPA

· Fire Mountain Brewery

Hop Contract

· Fort George Brewery & Public House

Evil Sister

· GoodLife Brewing Co.

EleventyOne CDA

· Lompoc Brewing

Lemongrass Saison

· Maui Brewing Co.

G’Knight Imperial Red IPA

· Oskar Blues Brewery

OverRated! West Coast IPA

· Surly Brewing Co.

Not so hot: this year's offerings from Breakside, Burnside and Seven Brides :(

Leftovers...

2013-07-07T00:02:00.003-07:00

Well, alright then. I just unloaded the contents of my phone into my computer and found countless pictures of food I never shared. I know that if you're a friend of mine on Facebook, that sounds highly unlikely, right? It has gotten to the point when I take a picture of my food, K asks me to please not post it because our friends will think that all we do is eat. Which isn't true...really. It is kind of a funny phenomena these days though, food voyeurism. Not sure if it started back in 2010 when the NY Times asked readers to send them pictures of their food and received hundreds of submissions. I have the article bookmarked. I still refer back to it occasionally when I'm feeling itchy for a foodie fix.

Some of the pictures I have taken I may have felt uninspired to write about, or got too busy, or I simply forgot about them. OR, I have even felt too self conscious to write about my experience. I get shy sometimes, it happens. I'm not feeling shy right now. I'm feeling like I'm in one of those house-cleaning, dust off the cobwebs and clean out the attic moods. Or better yet, clean out the fridge. And here are the leftovers. Some of them moldy and ready to be tossed but some just as tasty or even more so, than the day they were first served.

There was the night we spent with our good friend celebrating the New Year and working our way through the Stone Vertical series. I really didn't have much to say besides "it was Epic" Truly epic.

Also epic were the shots I took at Timbers games and the delicious offerings from the Food Cart Alliance. These tots from Timber's Dog House were an extreme example of how delicious tots can be be.

Or how about these somewhat yummy tots with a more delicious Po'Boy and some even MORE delicious gumbo from Roscoe's?

There are these yummy pics from the Russell Street BBQ in Portland. We went some time in April in our quest for BBQ comparable to Austin and for the life of me, I don't know why I wouldn't have told you all about it. The BBQ was delish but I really would have raved on about the drinks like this cucumber cooler and the Frito Pie appy. So good.

Also in our great search for well, great food, we like to try out different pizza places. Who doesn't, really? So far we've found many notables including the pies at Baby Doll Pizza in Portland and these monster slices at Deschutes Pizza Company in Maupin. Actually, BDP requires more discussion. I think we'll head there this week for a "refresher" and I'll tell you all about it later.

Deschutes Pizza

Baby Doll Pizza

There were these lovely pictures from the Wet Dog Cafe in Astoria, Oregon. Such a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon in Astoria. Great staff, yummy food and look at that sweet taster. I can't believe I didn't give you a breakdown of those little beers. Maybe I did and I just can't find it. The more the pity.

Some more delicious offerings came courtesy of our friends at TeSoAria. There wine pick up parties are great fun and they always put out a lovely spread of treats created by Joy Olsen with a little help from John and his Traeger.

I'm not sure if I've ever shared with you my love for OHana on Sandy Blvd. If I haven't, I have been remiss. This lovely little restaurant serves it up Hawaiian style with authentic family recipes and some of the most ono this side of the Pacific.

And then there are the pictures that had me uploading my phone shots in the first place. This morning K and I went on our continued quest for the best Chicken and Waffles ever. Miss Kate's Southern Kitchen may fill the bill as far as Portland Ops are concerned. I enjoyed the Chicken and Waffle while K ordered Miss Kate's Biscuit. Chicken on a biscuit with bacon, egg, and the most scrumptious bacon gravy, Good Heavens! I didn't even know such a thing existed. The gravy was creamy, spicy buttery sweet. The biscuit flaky but not dry. The bacon was, well, perfect. The Chicken deserves the capitalization I give it here. Boneless, skinless, battered in a spicy but not too hot flaky crust. So tender, juicy and delicious. The waffle it sits atop is crispy, fluffy sweet. Just a drizzle of the delicious maple syrup is needed here. This is the real deal. Took me back to Ms. P's in Austin. It was that good. Wash it down with a Mexican coke or a Sweet Tea and we're talking Heaven.

The rest of the pictures consisted of our trip to Phoenix. We consumed some really good food in Phoenix, and some really mediocre food. I'll save that all for a different post.

Best Burgers in Gresham...bold claim and follow through.

2013-06-23T13:22:00.002-07:00

Although I'm sure I'm not the first, I do want to be one of the many to congratulate Shannon Chisom and Adam Reid on saving the iconically delicious Best Burger, now named Best Burger and BBQ. I'm not going to get into the rise and almost fall of the relatively new brick and mortar via award winning food cart establishment. I just want to concentrate on what was clearly one of the best burgers I have had and yes, I've had a few.

K and I stopped in to Best Burger and BBQ on our way home from a short hike and driving loop around the Columbia River Gorge. I was hankering for a burger and recently had heard there a many places popping up deep in Gresham that would fill the bill. We decided on Best Burger because we knew exactly where it was already and didn't have to hunt for it. Really happy with our choice.

We were ordering to-go because we had our four-legged hiking partner with us and don't like to leave him in the truck on warm days. We hurried in and were greeted warmly by a hostess/server and handed two menus. The place is small and the you can either be seated in the not-quite fast food looking dining room or order from the counter at the back of the restaurant. Behind the counter is the open air kitchen and a door to an Asiany themed full bar called Woks Up, which also boasts 4 full sand volleyball courts out the back patio. I had hoped for a patio where we could bring the pooch but there is a giant "No Pets Allowed" sign and so there I had my answer...

The menus are a little overwhelming and we were in a bit of a hurry and I imagine with my sunglasses and sweaty ponytail looked a little lost. It was at that moment that the owner, Adam introduced himself and his co-owner, Shannon to us. He then asked us how we were, how we had heard about them and if we needed any help. Very nice. Very aware of his customers and their situation. In a moment we had decided on the Hawaiian 1/4 pound and the Ranger 1/2 pounder. Oh, and a basket of Garlic Parmesan Fries ( a basket easily treats two).

The Hawaiian was pretty much what you would expect; a very tasty burger with provolone cheese, a ring of pineapple and teriyaki. The hamburger buns are sweet, soft and sturdy enough to hold up to the sauce without being dry. I loved being able to enjoy the burger with just the right amount of "juice" and not get too sloppy with a soggy bun. I do however, enjoy a teriyaki that is a little less salty than what is on this burger. That may just be my personal preference.

The Ranger is their prize winner. We had the 1/2 lb. version of this wonderful cheeseburger topped with beef brisket. Warily, I poked at the brisket. It looked like it may be a little dry. I was wrong. Oh So Wrong, and delightfully so. This brisket was moist and flavorful, fully complementing the meat deliciousness of the hamburger. I want to come back for this one. My only problem with it is that a portion of the proceeds for this particular burger goes to the USS Ranger Foundation, dedicated to bringing the decommissioned aircraft carrier to rest in the Columbia in the Troutdale/Fairview region. I don't think this is a good idea but enough about politics, back to burger. And fries. Oh the fries. Hand-cut fresh potato french fries, golden brown and covered with parmesan cheese and just enough garlic to clear your sinuses but not everyone around you. Straight up yum.

We'll be back when we have a little more time to spend. Linger on the extensive (maybe too extensive?) menu and possibly check out those volleyball courts in the back. Oh yes, we will be back.

Gemini Lounge: I wish I were two people so I could come here twice as much...

2013-05-19T19:47:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I want to share this. I'm feeling selfish and don't want this place, The Gemini Lounge, over-populated. I'm sure there is a later night life here that has the place popping but for happy hour ( a delicious 3 hours long, Thursdays-Sundays 4-7pm) the cozy seating was readily available and the service and food were on the mark.

This place has some great seating street-side but today was a little chilly and so K and I headed inside to meet with our friend, Sue and were greeted warmly by the owner. He brought us a menu and guided us through the Happy Hour options happily.

We went for the Fried Pickles which were amazing! Delicious dill spears perfectly breaded and deep fried. Served with a Horseradish aioli sauce and ranch. Both the owner (who was also our server) and the cook who brought out the pickles were careful to warn us to wait before we dove into our plate lest we burn the heck out of our mouths. Nothing kills a happy hour faster than a shot of scalding hot pickle juice down the back of your throat, and so we thank the staff at Gemini for keeping our welfare in mind.

Now Sue, she's a straight shot sippin' kind of gal and was already into a double of Hornito's Anejo. K and I were feeling bold and well, happy and so we went for the Cocktail Creations. K ordered the Medusa; Kracken Rum, Bushwacher's Hard Cider, Cointreau and freshly squeazed OJ. Very pretty, very dangerous...I went for the Jenny Jen, which happened to be the drink special of the day, $5 all day. It was basically a grown up Shirley Temple, Prosecco and Pomegranate liquor and Pomegranate juice. Simply delicious.

As the name foreshadows, the specialty of the house is an amazing array of twin sliders. I, again, went with the Happy Hour special which follows the current Zodiac sign. The Taurus sliders are delicious little Painted Hills Beef burgers with Gouda cheese on a sweet, light brioche bun. K ordered the Sagitarius, a Bleu Cheese burger with carmelized onions and the standard dressing of pickles, lettuce and tomato. All fresh, mostly local (whenever possible) and just wonderful. Sue had the Pisces, Wasabi Ahi and a horseradish slaw that brings a happy tear to your eye. I seriously can't wait to get back and try out the rest of the Zodiac. There are some amazing vegetarian and vegan options.

All sliders are served with your choice of House salad, Spring Mix, Caesar salad, Truffle fries, House fries (yum), Cajun fries, absolutely crisp and delicious Sweet Potato Fries or a Tomato Gorgonzola soup that I vow to try next time. Amazing, right?

This is not your average bar food. Sure, if you broke it down to simple format...soups, burgers, sandwiches and salads, but the good folks at the Gemini do it better. K and I are excited to plan our return trip to this little diamond in the "rough" of SE Foster.

Austin: home away from home for this Portlander

2013-04-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

I love Portland, Oregon. I love Austin, Texas. It's a little too easy to draw some comparisons and truth be told, although I'm not normally a competitive person, I look at these two bergs as if in constant competition. Best weather? I choose Portland because I enjoy the cooler, wetter climate. Best Nightlife? Austin: Dirty 6th St. and South Congress are hands down more fun at night than any other place I've been including Vegas Strip and New York (although I'd be willing to give NYC another chance). Best Beer? Portland, by a landslide of hops a mile wide. Best Food? Wait a minute. It isn't that easy. With so much goodness in both regions you can't simply blanket "best" this category.

K and I were highly anticipating our Spring Break trip to Austin. Salivating actually and with good reason considering we were planning entire day's itineraries around where we would be eating each meal. It started as soon as we got off of the plane. Our son and his friends greeted us warmly and then asked what our plans for dinner were. Salt Lick...it was a given. We had passed up going to Salt Lick on our last trip down and decided it was time. It looked as if a good two-thirds of Driftwood High School was employed at this sweet ranch style restaurant and all of them spoke with a sweet Texas drawl, " How Y'All doin' this eve'nin?" You don't hear accents that strongly in Austin. I suspect it is because they have a high transient hipster population mixed with a million or so out-of-towners. Our server was a more seasoned veteran of food service and she kindly guided us through the menu although we already knew what we wanted. We ordered family style, all you can eat...seriously, no regrets. The food came in baskets and on Melmac plates and bowls. This was picnic style the way I remember it from the 70's. Although the sides of potato salad, beans, cole slaw and bread were standard fare, the meat made the meal. We had ordered a little bit of everything including "Burnt Ends". Meat candy if ever there was. The juices and excess sauce they've slathered on the brisket while it was still on the grill collects on these ends and crisps up to black gold. Saltysweet, Crispytender, Delicious. The ribs were a little fatty for my liking but the flavor was yum. The brisket, including the burnt ends, was amazing, melt in your mouth meat with a soft smokiness. The sausage, surprisingly, was my favorite. These smoky links were really packed with flavor. I wasn't expecting it to tell the truth and my favoritism still swings back and forth to the burnt ends. If I close my eyes right now I can almost taste it. Did the Salt Lick live up to the hype? Yes. The meat is front and center here and it is the shining star. It took us days to digest but we couldn't slow down. There was much food to be had.

The following morning, we couldn't resist and K and I went to the free breakfast at our hotel. Of course it was convenient but no food really noteworthy. I did find the Texas shaped belgian waffles charming if not terribly edible. Budget hotels are not to be known for the quality (or quantity) of their food.

Our son redeemed our morning fare by taking us to a sweet, comfortable vega-friendly restaurant called Bouldin Creek Coffehouse. An array of teas, coffees and specialty drinks may leave you befuddled but trust your gut, you can't go wrong here. The food items reflect that same pattern. I had the Bello Jiafra portobello sandwich. Indescribably good. K ordered off of the breakfast menu and had the Tamale Breakfast: Two cage-free eggs served with two sweet potato pecan tamales. Yes, sweet potato pecan tamales. Unbelievable and oh so delicious. The vegetarians here have it gooood. It was also a sweet alternate meal to the previous evening's delicious debauchery. It was wonderful and I hope to return to this place soon. The menu was so intriguing and sounded so scrumptious, I truly could have finished the rest of the week just eating here but it's always good to leave something to return to and so...

OK, this part is a little hard to write about. I'm actually tearing up a little. A little bit from guilty pleasure shame, but more so because I miss this place so much. It is a longing I'll have to live with for a great long while. Later, that same day, we headed over to the brick and mortar version of Gordoughs. A cozy looking Public House equipped with horseshoes and cornhole boards on the patio, extra woody, pubbiness on the inside. There wasn't a crowd, which was pleasantly surprising considering all the publicity this place gets on the Food Network and the like. We were quickly seated and given menus but our food took a little longer than I enjoy but I have a theory about that. When a food cart establishment moves to a full sized dining establishments there are adjustments to be made. I ran into the same issue with Lardo here in Portland, but as I think about it, the wait bothers me less and less because the food is simply that damn good. I don't want them to change their mode if it means sacrificing the taste that feeds my dreams. OK, off of my soap box and back to the review...I ordered the Squealing Pig, I have to pause, my knees are weak, 3 strips of amazing bacon sitting on top of a Jalapeno Jelly donut with Cream Cheese frosting. Top it off with candied jalapeno. Now squeal with delight. K ordered the Ring of Fire (and so our penchant for HotSweet continues) and our son ordered the Dirty Harry. The Ring of Fire is a brownie batter doughnut iced with chocolate icing, drizzled with salted caramel butter sauce and sprinkled with copious amounts of brownie bites and cayenne candied pecans. So much to love. The Dirty Harry took it to the next level. This is a bowl of coconut cream filled donut holes covered with chocolate sauce and fresh coconut flakes. It was like a bowl of cocoa puffs, gone to heaven. It will make your day, punk. OK, sorry, I couldn't resist. Voodoo Donuts in Portland are unique but I have often whispered that they are simply so-so flavor-wise. I much more prefer to drive out to Joe's Donuts in Sandy or head up to Annie's donuts on Sandy Blvd when I'm looking for delicious donut flavor. Gordough's kicks all of their donut...well, let's just say Gordoughs wins. Over and over again. Next time I may need to stop in here for an actual meal and not just the "snack" we craved, but goodness knows these donuts are a meal in themselves. This place serves their burgers on their doughnuts...I'm tearing up again.

Quick note: There is a fast food chain in the Midwest and California named "Freebirds World Burrito" I want one to open in Oregon, pronto. And this is why...$5 piled high nachos.

And then there is the Lucky Robot. Based on a Tokyo restaurant concept, this self proclaimed Japanese Kitchen brings cool to the hot days in Austin. Don't let the iPad ordering frighten you, it's basically drive-in style ordering brought into the 21st Century and it is fun. Traditional menus are available but once you get the hang of the iPad you'll forget about hiding your face behind laminated plastic. With the exciting spin on traditional Japanese cuisine, the super attentive, sweet staff and the wonderful atmosphere, this is a quick favorite. Over-ordering will be your only regret here because everything we ordered was delicious, and delicious is a weak word for what I'm feeling. Let's start with the Love Replica Taco. Sesame crusted ahi tuna with cabbage, thai basil, mint, ginger scallions and cilantro, finished with cranberries, avocado and wasabi aioli on a flour tortilla. The ahi in this was perfection and the blending of these flavors had me wondering, then proclaiming it was the best thing I had ever eaten. Now granted, that may have been the spicy sweet sake punch, Thai Basil Lemon Drop, talking but we did split the pitcher so I think I'm safe here. Try the Asian Tacos, try the sashimi, try the Crunchy Atomic Tuna Roll. お楽しみください！

For this trip to Austin,Texas, I had some very specific meals in mind. One of them was the chicken and waffles at Ms. P's Electric Cock. Our last trip to Austin left us traveling to this popular food cart not once, but twice turned away without Ms. P's sumptuous chicken. This time we would persevere. This time we would not fail. This time we would dine on the dusty but comfortable picnic benches on South Congress not once but twice! The first time we arrived too early for chicken and waffles, which is confusing to me noting my old fashioned assumptions that waffles are breakfast food but it makes sense. This is a food cart. The space is small and if they were rolling out those chicken and waffles they wouldn't have room to create and serve their amazing breakfast burritos. Whatever you may like on your breakfast burrito, I suggest you choose chicken strips. The coating on these strips is crisp, spicy, savory good. Well, who cares what came first, the chicken or the egg? They belong together wrapped in a warm tortilla and covered with a spicy green tomatillo sauce. We returned the following day for this...

The waffles are crisp, sweet chewy goodness. Pair them up with Ms. P's succulent, spicy, chicken and some pickled hot jalapenos and carrots and you're in a level of Heaven I call Austin. I will go here again and again and again but does Portland have a contender? Plenty. None of them are carts and most are a little spendy but I still battle it out over whether the C&W at Screen Door or Country Cat is the better plate. Both are absolutely delightful but for different reasons. And I'm still eagerly anticipating the re-opening of Mac and Dub's, scheduled for June 1st. Best chicken and waffles in Portland. Better than Ms. P's? mmmmm I think I need another bite...

Spring, she is a-springing

2013-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

In my real life, I work in Education. It is an especially rewarding/trying/wonderful/excruciating career to consider. I feel equally blessed and damned on many occasion. This time of year, in the district where I work, we blessedly receive one week off to recuperate from the dreariness of winter. It is called Spring Break. This year, it couldn't have come soon enough so I decided to start early. I choose to celebrate Spring all March long.

Well, actually I did wait until March 16th when K and I attended our quarterly TeSoAria wine pick up. Owners John and Joy Olsen again put out a yummy, casual spread of goodies and their always amazing crew of staff and volunteers poured their fantastic selection of wines. I know I usually skip the whites and head straight for the deep and delicious reds but I must profess, the Vermentino truly has me dreaming of long and lazy summer days, sitting on the porch, putting away a bottle of this stuff. Now if I can just get Joy's recipe for Barbacoa pork that she used for the little sliders she served at the pick up...

On the 17th K put together our traditional St. Patrick's Feast of deliciousness pulling together not one, not two but four Corned Beef Briskets served with Colcannon. Shae made her own Irish specialty, Kerry Cake. (recipe to come) So amazing. Thank goodness we had burned a few calories earlier in the day during the 35th Annual Shamrock Run for Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

On the 21st we attended the Laurelwood Public House's 12th Anniversary. Owners Mike De Kalb and Cathy Woo De Kalb have been successfully gathering friends, fans and family to their Public Houses for 12 years. Touting some of the tastiest beers made as organic and sustain-ably possible, the family friendly "pub" on NE Sandy Blvd is one of my favorite places to go. To celebrate their 12th, LPH held a wonderful little party and released The Boss IPA 12.0. Now, at first I misread this as 12 % and thought "what?! how can that be?" Can IPA's even get to 12% The answer is "yes" there are a few Imperial IPAs out there that reach that level although when you get above 10% you're generally looking at Barleywines, Barrel aged, and Stouts. But let's get back to the Boss 12.0. with it's ABV around 6.5%. This is a really well balanced, not too bitter IPA with the sweet floral ending I look for whenever I sip off of K's IPAs. I'm proud to say that over the past couple of years I have learned to enjoy an IPA or two or four leaving my generally favored Porters and Stouts for chillier weather and cozier evenings. I think I really came to appreciate the Oregon style IPA when we started growing our own hops, a delight to look at and breathe in.

After a couple of rounds of delicious chicken wings, garlicky fries and IPAs, my friends and I enjoyed a little impromptu dance party with the amazing Loop Ninja, Tony Smiley. This one-man-band loop artist extraordinaire was amazing to watch and listen to. A quick congrats to Mr. De Kalb and his crew on another great year in beer.

Then it was time to celebrate K and my 27th anniversary. So we headed down to NE Alberta district to do what we love best, eat and drink. First stop was Aviary's happy hour, a nice way to introduce yourself to this smarmy little place. This menu has some really bold offerings and although I was intrigued by such menu items as the red curry braised goat and the fennel cured sturgeon, we did just want to start our evening here and so we stuck to the bar's HH menu. K ordered an IPA. Yes, I'm smiling when I type that. I ordered a Death by Snu Snu (yes, I'm smiling as I type that as well) cocktail in spite of it's $11 price tag because I really wanted something funky and absinthe inspired. This puppy delivered, not death, but sweet sweet deliciousness. I suppose those guys drawing Futurama knew what they were talking about.
To munch on, we had the brussel sprout nachos, trotters and eggs and the slaw dogs. I loved the queso fresco and the sauces served but perhaps the brussel sprout could have been a teeny bit less charred and they would have come off better and not so bitter. The trotters and eggs are basically a scotch egg deconstructed. Very pretty and tasty, satisfying but nothing to knock your socks off. The Slaw Dog however is a deal-maker. The smoky sweetness of the dog and the spicy sting of the slaw, whoa. Don't worry what your date is thinking when you stick this messy thing in your mouth, it's worth it.

After Aviary, we decided to walk up Alberta and stop wherever we darn well wanted to. And there it was. Pie and Cocktails. You don't have to beat me with a stick, of course I want pie and cocktails. This was going to be an evening of mixing it up so who cares if dessert is the "middle course"? I hadn't even heard that Travel and Leisure had voted Random Order one of the best pies in America. Yes, BEST PIE in America. Here we were, and they were right. K ordered the Irish coffee and a Tahitian Vanilla Suger Salted Caramel Apple Pie. I had the Temperance Trader Bourbon infused SDF-PDX Salted Pecan pie and a Nudge. Truly, the only way I ever want to have Pie and Coffee again. Sitting in the window, watching the sunset down Alberta, listening to Devo's Are We Not Men? Thank you, Random Order, thank you.

Off and running again, the Branch Whiskey Bar beckoned. Not only because I had a Groupon, but because I wanted to try a Lobster Corndog. I mean really, we had set out this evening to try things we had not tried before and a lobster corndog was definitely on that list. So glad we stopped in. This place was hoppin' but we found a perfect little table at the back, perfect for kitchen spying, K and I love watching kitchens at work. It reminds us of when we were younger and able to keep that kind of pace. I shudder to think of myself on the line now. Someone would get hurt. Probably me.
We ordered whiskey drinks because this was, after all, a Whiskey Bar. K had the Dark and Stormy and I ordered a Whiskey Ginger with Ginger Beer. It'll put a whistle on your lips for sure. We shared an order of Lobster Corndogs which fortuitously comes with two dogs. Warning: don't disrobe your dog. It is a wonderful salty sweet indulgence but definitely not pretty if you separate "dog" from "corn". Just close your eyes and enjoy. The corndog was firm, not greasy and had just a hint of savory sweet seafoodness. I want more. To double our indulgence we ordered the Duck Fat French Fries. I promise, this isn't just naive consumerism talking. These fries are wonderful, crisp, herbaceous, fat, delicious. But rich. A little too rich to take in all at once so you definitely want to share your order. Putting all these away yourself will have you diving into your water glass like a mad dog. Unfortunately, my Groupon wouldn't load...guess I'll have to come back and try that Chicken and Truffle Pot Pie.

All in all, a great start to the month, and she isn't even over yet...