Spring, she is a-springing

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...

Why I Love Oregon (craft beer) and President's Day Weekend (Zwickelmania)

OK, I may have given away the answer to that one as soon as it was asked but seriously, when the folks from the Oregon Brewers Guild decide to ask some of the finest craft brewers in the state to throw an open house what is not to love?  The Saturday of President's Day Weekend 2013 brought us the Fifth Annual Oregon Zwickelmania.  There were brewery tours and tastings all across Oregon.

Besides being a great word to say over and over again for fun, the zwickel is the small spigot used to test beer straight from the tank.  It is usually connected to a curly tube called a "pig's tail" to minimize spillage and spray.

K and I decided to grab a quick breakfast before hitting the breweries with friends but I was feeling indecisive and couldn't find my way around the multitude of amazing eateries that offer Sunday morning fare. We rolled around the Mississippi area of Portland for a good 30 minutes or more before I spotted Muddy's. 

I'm trying to maintain right now just thinking about this place. I seriously want to sprint out of the house and get there right now.  It truly does feel like home away from home and the staff here are sweet as pie.  K and I felt absolutely comfortable grabbing a table in the front room of this modified home and playing some trivial pursuit.  In fact, just walking through the door felt like walking into a friend's home and the eclectic art only enhanced that groovy Sunday morning feeling.  Yes, the Bloody was delicious and I have to admit when my drink comes with a freakin' salad floating on top my heart flutters a little. Bloody Marys should be more than just a drink, they should be a meal.  The ones at Muddy's fit the bill and at only $6 a drink, your bill won't make you cry.  But I was really hungry and we were about to embark on some serious imbibing and so to the menu: So much good stuff and I really thought I knew that I wanted the Alison's Lovely Lox Party, a scramble of eggs, lox, cream cheese, green onion and dill.  Then our server offered a Strata with pretty much every breakfast meat under the sun and some lovely fresh veggies to boot.  Of course I folded.  That's not the first time I've been swayed by a suggestive server, but sooo happy I did.  The Strata was amazing, huge and just what I needed to pad my tummy for a day of tasters and teases. It was served alongside sliced red potatoes covered with cheese (yes, please) and an apple/cranberry slaw (refreshing).  K ordered one of my all time favorite breakfast offerings, Biscuits and Gravy.  Thinking about it brings a tear to my eye, a happy tear.  The Shroom it-Biscuit- Love it consists of a divine mushroom gravy smothering two homemade biscuits but not your usual run of the meal flaky breakfast biscuit.  These were more like a corn muffin or polenta type biscuit.  They held up marvelously well under the gravy that slightly reminded me of my Pop's stroganoff, hence the happy tear. Perfect way to start a day of Zwickeling.

 Our first stop was to be Widmer Bros, PDX's largest craft brewer but remember, they still do pour a good brew and they really treat you right during Zwickelmania.  Alas, it was not to be.  K and I waited at the first tasting station for our partners in crime for the day but were called out when the four of us decided the line was already too long for the first stop of the day and we had already done this particular tour a few times and so...

On to Breakside Brewing.  Now, I was a little bummed when we first entered this sweet contemporary dining room.  There was a very cordial greeter at the door, handing us a ticket for our ONE free sample.  Wait, what?  One sample?  I had looked at the menu before coming and saw at least a dozen beers on tap for the day, seven of them being seasonal offerings.  We were informed that any other tasters that we ordered would be 4 oz. tastes for $1.  OK, that's not so bad.  A taste is usually an ounce.  A flight taster is about 4 oz.  We can't expect these guys to go broke in one day of free beer to the public so I stopped whining.  Shortly after we arrived some very friendly brew-hands gave us a tour of the brewery facility downstairs under the restaurant and we were able to meet the newest Breakside brewer and a taste of his first batch.  It promises to be something good, after it leaves this tank and hits carbonation, I'll be back. The best thing on tap at Breakside currently is the Aztec Ale, an American style ale flavored with habaneros, serranos, and cacao nibs from Mana chocolate.  This 10.2% abv Ale was amazing.  The flavors blended sweetly and the heat didn't steal the show but simply made it more interesting.  I love a peppered beer that doesn't destroy you palate, Bravo Breakside. The Bourbon Maple Oatmeal Stout (7.2%) is a wonderful classic aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels.  I love Stout.  I love Maple.  Serve this to me with an amazing BLT and I'll be in Heaven.

Breakside Brewery on NE Dekum

From Breakside we moved on to Migration Brewing.  Migration was celebrating their Third Anniversary and the crowd was loud and happy to be there.  I was a little bummed because the brewer here clearly knows his business and I'm sure he was sharing all sorts of valuable brewing information but I couldn't hear a word he was saying.  So I just stood there and enjoyed my Lupelin dry-hopped IPA and tried to weasel in closer for a better view.  By the time I made it to the front of the pack, our Brewmaster was sampling out a keg of some amazing Cream Ale flavored ever so slightly by the Pinot/Aquavit barrel it was aging in.  I must say, I was beginning to get really happy about the Zwicklemania's celebrating the 5th year with the traditional gift of Wood.  Barrel-aged brews were in delicious abundance.  

Migration Brewery on NE Glisan

After Migration, we trekked down to Burnside Brewing.  Waste of time.  Long line.  No tour, just a winding line through the brewery for ONE sample of beer.  You could choose either have a taster of Barrel-Aged White Out, a pretty tasty Barleywine or Sweet Heat, an Apricot/Scotch Bonnet mess of an ale.  A true palate destroyer, can't see enjoying this beer with anything.  K, who usually enjoys the heat in food and drink found this totally undrinkable.  When he asked if he could try the Barley wine instead, the server ( I hope he wasn't a brewer) rudely dismissed us.  Hey, I understand busy but douchey is uncalled for.  Like I said, wasted of time.  I'll try to drop the Yellow card on this one and hope they make a better showing for their Fruit Beer Festival in June.  I'm all for redemption.  

Last stop for the day was The Laurelwood, one of our favorites for Zwickelmania.  We have always come here first because the pairings are always so sweet and delicious and there really isn't anything more fun than beer for breakfast except dessert and beer for breakfast.  Because we started a little bit backwards this year, we came to the Public House last.  Still, the best part of the day.  The staff at the Laurelwood Public House on Sandy Blvd. are great.  Friendly, knowledgeable.  They had been at this all day by this time and they still wore relaxed, welcoming smiles.  Ready to answer questions and serve their delicious beer.  It was crowded, yes.  It was loud, yes.  But for some reason the set up at Laurelwood allows you to talk to the people who brew the beer practically one on one, in an intimate setting and they have always made K and I feel as if we belong there.  I honestly don't know why I don't go here more often.  I've always loved their seasonals, especially the Organic Moose and Squirrel.  Today's offerings included the St. Wenceslas Winter Bock (abv 9%), the Ein Hopfen single hop ale (abv 4.5%), NATE Cascadian Dark (hoppy dark deliciousness) ,  and a really soft but on it's way Pilsner that was being released just for Zwickelmania.  Served straight off the Zwickel cellar style, it is meant to be cloudy and flat.  Fermentation has not really started to clean it up and turn it to the crisp Pilsner style many are used to.  I found it enjoyable and liked the young flavor.  My favorite of the day, however, was their sour cherry red, Red Rum (7.7% abv).  Not sure if this is the same collaborator's Sour Red from last year but if it is, it has aged well.  I remember it being good last year.  This year's Sour was Grrrreat! Laurelwood Public House and Brewery continues to be one of the better showings at Zwickelmania.  I will be going back for more.  It's time to fill my growler. 

Crowds did not damper the spirit or the specialness of Laurelwood's showing.

Beer tastings are fun.  Free food pairings are totally enjoyable.  The chance to meet and speak with some of Oregon's finest Brewers, Brewmasters, Cellar Chiefs and Brewhands and Pub owners is priceless.  Perhaps the smoozing colors the way I feel about the beer; I'd like to think my palate is a little more honest than that. Friendliness, charm and yes, sharing knowledge and showing pride in your place and your product is good business.  There will be places I WILL return to and spend some money and places I MAY return to...One thing for sure? I'm counting the days until next year's Zwickelmania.  Thank goodness I live in Portland.

Time to kill a cold with this delicious hearty healthy stew

Some time ago, I received a small monthly periodical with healthy tips and recipes.  This was a recipe I loved and have made time and time again.  This past week I have suffered from a terrible cold, can't shake it.  It kept me going to the Portland Seafood and Wine Festival and a couple of great beer openings.  It is time to pull out the cold-kickers~cinnamon, garlic, turmeric and ginger.  Add some healthy veg and voila!  Healthy in no time.

• 1 finely chopped rib celery
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup Pacific Curried Lentil soup
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced or stewed tomatoes with no salt added
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves (or fresh frozen) 
• lemon wedges or lime

DIRECTIONS

1.     In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and saffron, if desired. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the spices are fragrant.

2.     Add the soup, chickpeas, and tomatoes (with juice). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, or until wilted. Garnish with the lemon wedges, if desired.

First Taste Oregon: A tasty beginning indeed.

On January 18-20 there was ChocolateFest.  I, unfortunately, missed it but I'm simply going to chalk it up to taking a year off and I'll return to all of its' deliciousness and decadence next year.  I mean nary a month goes by in the Pacific Northwest without some amazing festival of Food and Libation occurring and this weekend K and I attended the "first" of the new year. First Taste Oregon  is the current incarnation of the Oregon Wine, Food and Brewfest and they've been at this game for thirty years.  Located at the State Fairgrounds in Salem, for being the first "fest" it is still relatively small and I consider that a bonus.  I like to be able to spend a little time at each booth, sampling the fares, purchasing some for later.  Too large of a venue wears you out by the time you've seen half of it.  Don't get me wrong though, there was still plenty to see and do but not enough food choices.  That may be one reason for the name change, there were over 30 Winerys, 7 Distillerys, 16 Breweries and only 27 "Culinary" stands.  6 of those offered cooked food for purchase.

That is a lot of libation vs. actual sustenance and there comes a time when the crackers in between my wine tastings just won't do.  Reason number one why I dove into my pulled pork sandwich from Adam's Rib with such a voracity.  Reason number two?  It was delicious(!) as was K's bbq tri-tip.  This place warrants another trip down to Salem just to check out their extensive smoke bbq style menu.

Some other food friends that made a great showing:

Melting Pot Candy:  First of all, who can resist a man wearing a shirt that claims his blood type is chocolate and a nametag that identifies him as "Awesome" ?  Yes, this vendor was awesome and so was the chocolate he was peddling.  The toffee was out of this world, first creamy, then crisp, then melt in your mouth.  The chocolate covered bacon may be too salty for some but I enjoyed it fine and with beer?  for breakfast?  Yes, please.

Willamette Valley Cheese:  I'm a huge fan of cheese.  I admit, I am not a cheese snob.  Yes, some cheeses are truly better than others but I can't tell you about the "nose" of a cheese or explain why I like one cheese better than another.  Until today.  Willamette Valley Cheese Company makes good cheese.  A good Gouda.  A fairly good smoked Gouda which I had heard friends raving about.  A GREAT Alpine style Gouda that won me over.  Creamy, soft but slicable, I want this cheese on everyting I eat now.  I may have to take a break and go make a grilled Gouda sandwich right now.  brb.



One thing I walked away from without buying, and now I'm kicking myself for it, is the olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Olive Grand.  There was a delightful combination of their Dark Chocolate Balsamic and their Blood Orange Olive Oil fusion. It could have been an amazing drizzle over the cantaloupe I have in the kitchen right now.  I just couldn't justify the $40 price tag but darn, I wish I had some right now.  That cantaloupe is awfully naked.

Now, most folks I know including myself, try to maintain a "buy local" aspect as best we can.  That is what led K and I to what we consider one of the best Vodkas out there, Crater Lake, produced by Bend Distillary. Filtered through charcoal and crushed lava rock, this is simply the smoothest Vodka.  Less byproducts of distilling, less "pollution", smooth, drinkable straight or with mixers.  Less hangover creating toxins.  Bring me a better Vodka if you think you can, I'll give it a shot but be forewarned, it has heavy competition with Crater Lake.  I do enjoy their other products, which includes an exceptional American Style Gin, a yummy hazelnut espresso infusion and the new Sweet Ginger Vodka but their best is clearly their Vodka, Crater Lake or for even more discerning vodka palates, the Reserve.




A couple of people that we had the extreme pleasure of meeting were the owner and distributor of 4Spirits Distillery from Adair, OR. Dawson Officer and Sarah Wayt.  They do have two vodkas in their offering but the real draw here is their Bourbon whiskey.  Pleasant, warm, slightly sweet but not cloying.  This relatively new distillery is worth checking out.  They are also wonderfully sweet, unassuming people and the story of the hows and whys of their business will charm you.





Speaking of charming, I have to give yet another rousing shout out to John Olsen and his amazing family for the 11, yes 11 medals earned at the show.  If this were the Golden Globes of Oregon wine shows, I'd say we will be seeing many more ribbons, medals, and countless accolades showered down on TeSoAria Vineyard and Winery.  I won't go on too much because I know I've spoken about these fabulous drinkable wines before but if you haven't had the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of their amazing Pinot Noir, the crisp Vermentino, the fully quaffable Bella Bianco, the decadent Dolcetto or (my continued favorite) Bull's Blood, I am telling you, get on it.  Did I mention they won 11 medals?

Another delightful vendor with an equally delightful wine, Phillipe Girardet first brought his beautiful style of winemaking to Oregon in 1971 and by the mid-80s introduced us to his Girardet label and now his world class Baco Noir.  I will be seeking out more Baco Noir and I will definitely be seeking out another chance to talk with Phillipe.  How can you resist?



Now, what's next?  Mt Angel Wurstfest?  Newport Seafood and Winefest?  Have I told you how much I love living here?

EaT: an oyster bar or Another touch of Southern Hospitality in the PNW

Reggie Houston's Box of Chocolates

Went to meet friends to celebrate a birthday in one of my favorite little bastions of Southern Hospitality in the Great Pacific Northwest.  Actually, here in Portland, there are several strongholds of delicious fare with southern flare.  Country Cat, Screen Door, My Brothers Crawfish, Tapalaya...but today found us at the NOLA Jazz Brunch at EaT: an oyster bar.

Now we all know I'm in continual quest of a great Bloody Mary most every Sunday well, whenever possible, so when Sue asked K and I to meet her at EaT for brunch I became giddy.  Celebrating birthdays is one of my favorite things to do besides eating and drinking and I always celebrate them by eating and drinking something fabulous.

Even though the drink menu sounds and looks like something I may need to revisit often, I did order the Build Your Own Bloody.  Of course I did. Who can resist the chance to make a Bloody exactly to your own specs, picking from a veritable vegetable garden of garnishment?  The pickled asparagus was still crisp but not thick and so it had that fresh picked tender quality that you find in a first year Spring crop.  Little crunchy baby carrots, trimmed just so.  At first I thought they may have been pickled too, but if they were it was such a brief pickling process it left the sweet carrot crunch.  Drunken green beans and cocktail onions and olives.

Seriously, it's a salad bar for your booze. 

Not sure what I was going to order.  I had been hungering for Hoppin' John lately due to a friend showing me an insanely delicious sounding recipe for it but I also was leaning towards Shrimp and Grits.  No one else in our house is really that big on grits and so buying and preparing them just for myself seems a little wasteful.  Then our waitress leaned in and whispered "I forgot to mention our special today: Smoked Chicken Hash with a poached egg and Cajun style Hollandaise"  Sold.  The smoked chunks of chicken were moist and had a bacony flavor that was mellowed nicely by the perfectly cooked, diced potatoes and just slightly caramelized sweet onion.  That poached egg with the warm, sweet hot Hollandaise was like an amazing delicious cherry atop the proverbial cake.

The music from Reggie Houston's Box of Chocolates was a fabulous, upbeat addition to our lively brunch conversations. The man could charm the socks off of a fox and his banter with patrons moving in and out of the restaurant was proof enough that people enjoyed coming here again and again and again.  Definitely homey, made you feel like you belonged here every weekend.  Considering the dishes I ended up not getting to order and the dishes that K and Sue ordered that had me doing food happy dance, we'll return, soon.

Jambalaya

Soft-shelled Crab Po' Boy

Portland Nursery 25th Annual Apple Tasting Extravaganza

I love the Autumn.  It is truly my favorite time of year.  The weather is a perfect mix of sunny, clear, cool and wet. It is the only time of year I will tolerate scary movies.  I often wax nostalgic on childhood memory lane.  I can watch any number of football and/or futbol (soccer) games.  And then there is the food...Winter squash, sausages, every mac and cheese combo imaginable, pork in every glorious cut and apples.  Oh I do love apples in the late fall.

For the past 25 years, Portland Nursery has hosted a legendary apple tasting party that runs the course over two weekends.  Apples, Music, Apples, Scarecrows, Apples, Cider, Apples, Strudel, well, you get the picture. It is glorious.  This year was especially sweet. It is their 25th Anniversary and they brought out all of the bells and whistles:  Cooking demos, tastings, crafts, amazing music, an old fashioned cider press, there is no better way to greet the Fall. AND true to Portland Nursery form, it is a great benefit to the community.  A portion of the proceeds goes to the non-profit Elders in Action and there is a food drive benefiting Impact Northwest.  Why do I love this place? Oh yeah.

I was a bit nervous because we were waiting until the Sunday of the final weekend to go.  I have been to Apple Tasting when they've run out of apples and it literally made me cry. We wanted to go today though because the son of our good friend was playing in a band and I had heard they were a must-see. It was no lie.  LoveBomb Go-Go, an intergalactic marching band by nature, was fantastic fun. Hard to really put them in a box or genre, just know they can rock, pop, oompa, swing and march with the best of them.  Hope to see more of them around the Pacific Northwest festival scene soon.

Now, of course, this was "Apple" Tasting but Portland Nursery learned a while back that there are some pleasant accompaniments and products that glorify this delightful immigrant to North America.  It's true, the Crab Apple is the only actual apple that is native to the U.S.A although we now grow over 2500 varieties. Makes you think about that "American as Apple Pie" in a whole new light, doesn't it?

But I digress.  Next year, before hitting up the looooooong line for the actual apple tasting tent, I suggest you seek out the treats tucked away in the Shade Plants building.  There is traditional delicious cider tasting available across the way but here is where you will find the Hard Cider tasting along with cheese, wine, chocolate, oh my.  There is no better way to spend a day than with that happy trio.

 

Enso, a wine vendor I had not encountered before but will definitely seek out at their Urban Winery, represented well.  There was a crisp Pinot Gris, a well blended table red and an as of yet unreleased Malbec.  The Malbec was young but very promising and the ResOnate (the table red) was quite drinkable.  The young woman behind the counter was also brilliant in her suggesting we take each of our tastings over to the Smitten Artisan Chocolatier for a complimentary pairing.  The results were brilliant but the stand out sample of the day had to be the Apple infused Bourbon Dark Chocolate.  Sadly, I did not purchase any and when I turned to their website could not find it listed along with their other stunning chocolates I almost shed tears.  I will turn to my second favorite, the Kalamansi and Creme Honey for comfort.  This is melt-in-your-mouth-and-take-you-to-heaven chocolate and it pairs lovely with wine.

Then there was cheese.  Chevre, to be precise and it was amazing.  If you've ordered Chevre  in some of Portland's finest dining establishments, you have undoubtedly enjoyed Portland Creamery's fabulous fare. Their goat cheese is served in all of my favorite places including Screen Door and Tabla.  Enough said, right?  Liz Alvis and friends were on hand at the nursery to share some of their indescribably delicious cheese.  The creamy sweet texture of her chevre gives proof positive why her creations took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place titles in the  2011 American Dairy Goat Association Cheese competition.  While my friends and I contemplated what we could smear the amazing Pumpkin Stout Chevre on we stumbled upon the Sweet Fire nosh of Creamy Oregon Chevre topped with a marionberry/habenero preserve that took our breath away.  I almost caused a brawl when I purchased the second to last tub of it.  I didn't wait around to see what happened to the lucky(?) lady who got the last one.  As the tagline on their product site states: Live, Love, Chevre.

The cider, dips, organic chestnuts roasting on an open fire and hard ciders that we tried were all yummy.
K is, of course, attracted to the dry-hopped and hops infused type of cider.  He loves the Finnriver Dry Hopped Apple Cider.  I, on the other hand, like my ciders a little more sweet and am attracted to ciders blended with pears, cherries or berries but I still love a clear, crisp Apple cider, which is really what this is all about.  Why don't I get into the kitchen and make something with my 10+ lbs of apples and I'll talk about the apples in another post...promise.

Lardo PDX is open!

Lardo, the food cart, has received accolades from Willamette Weekly and Sunset Magazine. High praise from local food bloggers to Oprah magazine. It was a cart destined for greatness, and like many carts that I have enjoyed in the past, (Violetta/ Salt and Straw...)it was also destined for a brick and mortar store front. A real, true place to call home. I admit, I hadn't tried Lardo's cart fare. Just never made it down to it's location on Belmont. Today, though, as I was browsing through various foodie websites and monitoring Facebook I noticed that New Deal Vodka had posted about Lardo finally being open. They posted a copy of the menu.

I had to go. I was concerned about going to such a high profile opening day. I dreaded long lines and longer ticket times. I didn't give K the time to say "not today". We hustled down through rush-hour traffic to the defunct Winchell's Donuts building right across Hawthorne Blvd from my favorite cart pad, Cartopia! Although the fresh, picnicky patio area was crowded with happy diners, there was only a few people in line ahead of us in the restaurant. A large chalkboard behind the counter confirmed what FB had told me earlier. I was in for the long haul! What to try first? The Meatball Banh Mi? The Grilled Mortadella? I settled on the Pork Belly Egg and Cheese while K ordered the Double Burger Pork Belly. We decided to split an order of Lardo fries, parmesan, fried herbs, house-made ketchup. Although they have a full liquor license and some tasty looking specials on the drink board, I stuck with beer. And then came the wait. The seating inside has a little to be desired. Although attractive, not terribly comfortable. Fine for a fast food joint when you need a quick turnover but when the real wait is for the kitchen, I'm looking for something a tad more cozy. As soon as a table opened up outside Kieran and I bolted for it. And we waited some more. With all due respect this was their first night. They were extremely busy for the size kitchen they have. The staff remained cheerful and patient, why shouldn't we? I'm so happy we were patient. I know it's a cliche' to say something is worth the wait but please indulge me this...it's worth the wait. First off, the fries. When the person behind the counter asks you if you want them "Dirty" please reply with a resounding YES! The addition of pork scraps and marinated peppers will have you wondering why you hadn't done dirty before now. These fries alone are reason to return but let me tell you about the sandwiches. The Pork Belly is smoky, sweet deliciousness served on a crusty soft Fleur de Lis bun. Accented with a fresh, golden fried egg and the peppery bite of arugula and caper mayo. I have to pause quietly between bites to wipe the tears from my eyes. Nothing short of amazing. K's burger was also a crowd pleaser, fantastically flavorful and topped with Pork Belly and the now famous Lardo sauce. Simply fabulous. I won't wait to return.