I had a fun talk with Dan Cogan, the owner of the soon-to-open Batter. Follow their Facebook page for updates. We bonded over pancakes and peanut butter and the lack of fun interesting restaurants on the westside as defined by west of Sylvan Hill.

What is a Batter?
It’s an all day (7am-midnight) pancake, waffle, and crepe place with both sweet and savory styles, as well as a full bar.

How did you come up with this idea which I think is absolutely genius?
I love pancakes for almost any occasion and wonder why more restaurants to cater to us.

Exactly! I have wondered for awhile why Slappy Cakes isn’t open past 2pm and thought they would kill it if they were open late, and here you are!
I know exactly how you feel. To me, pancakes and late night, you just can’t beat it. For me, it was hitting the Hot Cake House after a show or something. But with us you can have a pancake and drink instead of just one or the other.

What are a couple of your favorites on your menu?
My current favorite is the Creole Shrimp. It’s on a nice cornmeal waffle and it’s a take on shrimp and grits.  My favorite breakfasty item is the Bacon Waffle, one of my favorite combinations.

A late night food for me is Mac and Cheese, I see you have and Mac and Cheese Crepes.
I would claim that as one of my favorites but I’ve been testing so many different recipes that I could probably hold off for a little while.

My friends make fun of me any time I order pancakes because they know the following question is coming, “Do you have peanut butter?”
Yeah, yeah, we’re blending our own peanut butter. I’ve been a peanut butter fiend since college.

What beverages are you going to serve?
We’ll have a full bar, local beers and liquor. I love the local breweries and distilleries that we have around us.  And we’ll have some fun and playful stuff. We’ll have a slushie machine, a premixed adult one and one for kids.  Portland Roasting has been great in training us and has some fantastic blends that we’ll be offering.  Also for mornings we’ll have great drinks like mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.

Besides the peanut butter, what else are you making in-house?
We’re curing our own bacon and salmon. We’re making our own gins which is fun because we get to be creative. I don’t know why more places don’t make their own gin.

I know you’re commuting from the west side. Why are there so few fun, great, and interesting restaurants on the westside?
It seems that people on the west side will go downtown and the east side, but those people won’t go to Beaverton or further out.  Getting the 20-somethings to go out there isn’t likely.

You said you had other restaurant ideas. If all goes well do you open more Batters or trying the other ideas?
I would like to open more Batters but I would like to try the other ideas. This whole process is organic. Batter works where we are but other locations we looked at wouldn’t have worked for Batter.  So the location actually set which restaurant idea I would have went with.

What’s a bar that you love in Oregon?
My favorite bar was Taylor’s in Eugene. A lot of great blues musicians have passed through there.  You could go with friends or alone and it was great.

Question via Twitter: What makes your buttermilk pancakes stand out?
We are planning on using locally farmed “Bulgarian” Buttermilk.  “Bulgarian” Buttermilk is a richer, more tangy form of buttermilk with a higher fat content. It is just a style of how it is processed, it’s still local, not from Bulgaria.  It’s also rbST free.

Lastly, do you think you will ever be over pancakes now that you have a restaurant opening?
It hasn’t happened yet and I can eat it so many different ways.

2015 Event Hours:

• Thursday, Feb 19th: 5pm-9pm
• Friday, Feb 20th: 12pm-9pm
• Saturday, Feb 21st: 10am-6pm
• Sunday, Feb 22nd: 10am-4pm

New This Year

Saturday continues to be the most attended day at the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival. In an effort to maintain safety and accommodate large crowds, they have made some adjustments to entry procedure and crowd management.

There will be NO General Admission available on Saturday. Standby tickets MAY be available after 1pm depending on capacity. Saturday’s entrance will be sold via E-Tickets ONLY. We will have two E-Ticket entrances to aid with the flow of the line. Be advised that many of our patrons arrive during peak hours (11am-3pm).

They anticipate that the adjustments they have made will improve crowd flow, however patrons who arrive during peak hours should expect a delay in entrance. Event Staff will be readily available to provide information.

“Awesome. Ka-Boom. Darn tasty.” These were among the tasting notes from last year’s Hillsdale Brewfest. For tasters to become part of beer history this year, they can drop by anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 a.m. to order sampler trays (from IPAs to stouts, goldens to porters) and cast their ballot for the beer they love the most. May the best beer win!

While guests are sampling taster trays they can take a sip down memory lane. Hillsdale Brewery & Public House was the first brew pub opened in Oregon after prohibition cementing McMenamins role in cultivating Oregon’s beer culture.

Below are a few beers that will be included this year. The full list is at: http://www.mcmenamins.com/events/132011-22nd-Annual-Hillsdale-Brewfest 

Apple Jack Ale
McMenamins on the Columbia Brewery 

This is a full-flavored ale with a winter kick. The flavors from the malt have blended with apple cider, apple spice, and oak infused with our own Aval Pota as well as Jack Daniels and cinnamon. Aged for 6 weeks, this is a smooth winter drink that carries the season in every pint.

High Top Double IPA
Old Saint Francis Brewery

Take a trip to the top with this Double IPA. Brewed with excellent malt varieties to showcase a mellow malt flavor yet chewy and flavorful. Slight bread and grain complexities relax on the tip of your tongue. The dry hopping of the tank allows bold hop flavors to hit you on a high note! Floral aromas start your experience. Notes of lemon citrus and mild tropical fruit round out the middle of the hop flavor. Lingering hop bitterness doesn’t overpower-it leaves your tongue on a high note of enjoyment!  Overall, it’s a smooth drinking experience for those who enjoy the High Top moments of life!

Death Star
Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Brewery

What happens when the Roadhouse brewers and distillers unite to make the ultimate big beer? Behold the DEATH STAR. Built from 1,000 pounds of malt and capable of destroying minds in a single blast, this sinister ale has enormous body and bold notes of candied raisins, dark cherry, and brandied figs. Thirty months of cellar time transformed huge hoppiness into a citrus-blossom icing just bitter enough to have you longing for another sip. So raise your glass and yield to the dark side!

Cerberus Wild Ale
Edgefield Brewery

Tart and funky, this three-headed beast is a blend of Belgian strong ale, golden ale and Berliner Weisse. All three were aged together in a Hogshead Whiskey barrel from the Edgefield Distillery and inoculated with a Belgian wild ale strain, Brettannomyces bruxellensis, to create that pleasant, earthy tang that pervades this balanced wild ale.

Duck Pond Cellars is located on the North end of Dundee just south of Newberg. Duck Pond has received many awards including gold medals for their white and red wines.

Duck Pond’s tasting room is open daily 10am- 5pm May-September and 11am- 5pm October – April (except for major holidays) for groups up to 9 guests with no appointment.

Reviews from TripAdvisor: “I would recommend sitting on the patio in the lovely gardens, paying $20 for 2 glasses of wine & a delicious antipasto plate.” and “This place is one of the originals of Oregon’s wine country and they make the best reds especially the Sangiovesse and Pinot Noir.”

Find them on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

“Neighborhoods are the sum total of the emotions, experiences, occasions, and coincidences of the folks who live in them.”

Relish Gastropub is a new neighborhood restaurant in the Sellwood-Moreland area of Portland.  Relish has a vision to be to be casual-upscale where the prices are affordable but the food is exceptional.

You want beer? They have 20 rotating taps of the finest NW craft brews and selections from beyond and a 150+ wine list.  Of course they use locally sourced, seasonal, responsibly-raised, organic, and sustainably-farmed ingredients, what self-respecting upscale restaurant wouldn’t?

From their blog:

Our owners and chef have been working toward opening Relish Gastropub all of their lives. This endeavor is the culmination of their lives’ work and experience. As rich and complex as their careers have been up to this point, their pursuits are still quite simple: for Chef Valoff, to cook really good food; for Marla and Akhil, to take really good care of people. To say the team is eager to open the doors is an understatement.

Relish picked an interesting building, I actually missed what it was because it looked like a funeral home building.  I snapped the above picture when I realized what it was. I haven’t had a chance to try them out but I am hopeful for a great experience based on this quote on their blog;

…but what I really want is great people on staff. Basically, I just want to make everyone feel like it’s their home. I know everybody tries to, but it’s something that we are going to be very focused on.”

Find them on Twitter and at

6637 SE Milwaukie
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 208-3442

NW Wine Co just bought two Willamette Valley Vineyards for $3.87 million. In addition to their 185 acres in McMinnville, they purchased 385 acres of Pinot noir and pinot gris plantings near Monmouth.

According to an interview in the Portland Business Journal, the purchase was to secure land for their exponential growth.  NW Wine Co currently is the No. 2 in state for planted vineyards, just behind Duck Pond Cellars.

There was a big rumor going around that somebody from California was going to buy land. That certainly made us more aware, but we had been working on our transaction already.

Want to create your own wine label? With wines in over 30 markets, NW Wine Company provides an all-inclusive service including supply procurement, package design and logistics to ensure your product can stand out as a premium Oregon Wine.

Find them here on Twitter and Facebook.

From Caravan Coffee – The Willamette Valley is dotted with wonderful wineries and the town of Newberg is home to many of them.  Newberg is also the home of artisan coffee roaster Caravan Coffee.  Our Roastmaster uses two San Franciscan to roast small batches of coffee in a 20 pound traditional drum.  We ship our artisan roasted coffee the day it’s roasted to ensure optimum freshness and flavor.

We source our coffees from all over the world and are proud to carry an extensive selection of relationship coffees as well as shade grown and Organic coffee.  Our proprietor, Pete Miller travels the world to develop relationships with farmers and search for the best coffees.

In June we received a much anticipated shipment of Organic Ethiopian Amaro Gayo, a coffee with distinct blueberry notes. This coffee is rich, full-bodied and velvety smooth.  It is one of the best natural-process coffees we’ve ever tasted!  We are also delighted to offer a treasure from Hawaii; natural Maui Red Catuai.  This coffee is light in body and coats the mouth with satiny smoothness.  It is slightly nutty at the beginning and finishes with a sweet, ripe tropical fruit flavor.

These two coffees are among a dozen we feature in our Tasting Room.  Our Tasting Room is a great place to try artisan roasted coffee via a fresh pour.  In July we added a new coffee bar to the Tasting Room.  The bar was rescued from a basement and lovingly restored by Pete before finding a home at Caravan!

In addition to the Tasting Room we offer weekly cuppings that are open to the public. Each Friday morning Roastmaster, Paul Allen leads the complimentary cuppings as part of his mission to raise awareness of great coffee.  On any given Friday up to 15 people gather to explore the fragrance, aroma and flavor profiles of two varieties of coffee.  Cuppings are an easy way to explore new coffees and to meet fellow coffee enthusiasts!  After cuppings everyone gathers in the Tasting Room for fresh pours of the coffee we’ve cupped.

Our Tasting Room is open on Saturdays this summer; offering wine lovers access to a remarkable cup of coffee and adding value to their visit of the Willamette Valley!

Mon-Thu 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
Fri 8:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
Sat 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.*
*Memorial Day through Labor Day

2750 E. 9^th St.
Newberg OR 97132
503-538-7365

Web: www.caravancoffee.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/caravancoffee
Twitter: www.twitter.com/caravancoffee

Noble Pig is a small, family-owned vineyard and boutique winery specializing in micro-production lots of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.  Founded in 2008 with the purchase of an 88-acre parcel of land just west of McMinnville, Oregon.  Four acres of Pinot Noir were planted in May 2010.

The vineyard is located in the McMinnville AVA where a significant geological history has helped shape a highly complex and varied terroir.  Fifty-five million years ago the Cascade Mountain lava flows and tectonic plate movements created the Coast Range Mountains which today keep the property in a protected weather shadow with rainfall lower than sites only twenty miles away. Our soils are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts with a base of uplifting basalt.  Harder rock and compressed sediments of basalt pebbles and stone are found under an average 20-40 inch soil depth, giving us a unique soil complexity on which to grow our grapes. Afternoon winds from the nearby coast help to control mold and mildew on the grapes during humid summer days.

The fruit from their 2008 Pinot Noir and 2008 Pinot Gris were sourced from vines grown at Coleman Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA of the Willamette Valley.  Their goal to create wines that reflect balance and purity of fruit came to fruition with the 2008 vintage.  The cool, breezy and sunny days of the 2008 harvest allowed the hang time necessary to develop the flavors and nuances apparent in these elegant wines.

2008 NOBLE PIG PINOT NOIR MCMINNVILLE AVA
This graceful wine was handcrafted with uncompromising quality into a memorable, Burgundian-style Pinot Noir. This wine was made from 100% Pinot Noir fruit and sourced from clones, Pommard and Dijon 114 and 115. It is an exceptional expression of wine of place. The cooling effect of the nearby Oregon Coast allows the grapes to slowly ripen on the vine. Aged 12 months in French Oak, this Pinot Noir has a silky, velvety texture with soft supple and structural tannins playing a supportive role. Especially nice with grilled salmon, ahi tuna, filet mignon, beef bourguignon, veal parmesan, mushroom risotto, pork tenderloin, roasted chicken and shellfish dishes. Limited to 100 cases.

2008 NOBLE PIG PINOT GRIS MCMINNVILLE AVA
Pinot Gris, popularized as one of the noble grapes of Alsace, finds an ideal second home in Oregon. The cool climate of the Willamette Valley and the influence of volcanic soils matured these grapes into a zesty wine kissed with hints of grapefruit, Meyer lemon and key lime. Acidity plays the starring role here, each sip ending with a crisp, steely finish. Refreshing and exquisitely tart, a sure bet to serve with white, flaky fish, grilled salmon, light pastas and will stand up nicely to spicy Asian fare. Limited to 100 cases.

22734 Southwest Latham Road
Mcminnville, OR 97128-8825
(503) 843-2707
Map It

You can follow them on Twitter.

“Do what you love and love what you do.” It’s a well-known recipe for happiness.  For Trevin and Ginny Miller, that recipe combines their love of family, the pride in doing things themselves, the dream of owning their own business, and, of course, their enthusiasm for coffee.

Coffee is a big part of the cultures of both of their extended families.  Family gatherings are always filled with never-ending pots of coffee and lots of laughing and conversation.  Coffee and family go back as far as either can remember.  When opening Mr. Green Beans, it just made sense to them to extend that love of coffee and family to include their customers.

Where to find green coffee beans in Portland Oregon?

This is the question that started it all.  As they neared the end of their sample coffee beans, which they had received at the coffee roasting class they took, they knew we would have to find a solid source for more green coffee beans.  The instructor had told us that finding good quality green coffee beans was the most difficult part of home coffee roasting.  There wasn’t a reliable source in Portland, a few ethnic shops sold unroasted coffee beans, but they were of questionable quality and source.  Even though Portland is flush coffee roasters from the huge CBI to ultra micro roasters, very few of them were willing to provide small lots of beans to the home roaster.

It isn’t feasible for people to purchase #150 bags of coffee.  For a short period they relied on the internet, which is a great source, but the shipping was a killer.  So the question arose, “Could you set up a business that catered solely to the DIY coffee Roaster?  Would you be able to provide green coffee beans at a competitive price, and still make enough money to support of business?”  These are the questions we now leave to the people of Portland to answer.

Mr. Green Beans has now opened and will have their Grand Opening on October 16th, at 6pm.  They offer classes in store, accesories, 20 kinds of coffee beans, brewing systems, and much more.

Visit them at
3932 N Mississippi Ave.
Portland Or. 97227
customercare@diycoffeeroasting.com
503-288-8698

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

From Seufert Winery – Our winery bears the name Seufert (cy-fert) from the winemaker’s family. Owner and winemaker Jim Seufert is a 4th generation Oregonian and loves everything about Oregon.  Jim’s family plays an integral role in the wines – from picking and processing grapes to selling the finished wine… it’s a family affair.  Stop by our winery to experience some of this family love.

Jim started his journey into Pinot Noir and the world of Oregon wines in 2005 as a winemaker in the McMinnville AVA with the help of Randy and Kim Coleman at Coleman Vineyard.  Before jumping into the winemaking business, Jim discovered his love for great wines while globe-trotting some of the worlds best wine producing regions on his employer’s dime.  With this global wine experience, Jim realized that Oregon was the perfect place for a small-scale Pinot Noir winery. He decided to focus on the winemaking part of the business and purchases grapes from regional growers that are dedicated to growing only the best quality grapes.  The grapes come from a dozen different vineyards straight to the small winery in a warehouse in Dayton, Oregon.

We believe that our wines reflect our philosophy to let the vineyard nuances shine through in every sip. Therefore, we use a very light hand when it comes to winemaking. We specialize in single vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, and we take a similar approach to each vineyard with minimal intervention. We want each wine to capture the time, place, and the vintage it was crafted in. We employ techniques that produce wines with great structure and maintain the connection back to the vineyard of origin.

Come, join our family!

Tasting Room and Address
Open 11-5 Tuesday- Sunday
415 Ferry Street
Dayton, Oregon 94117
503 864 2946

Follow them on Facebook

www.seufertwinery.com

Sign up for their newsletter by sending an email to wine@seufertwinery.com.