Pechluck Laskey

Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Menu

June 26, 2014 by Pechluck 10 Comments

Very cruelly, I am about to share you the food porn photos of the dinner from Ryan Roadhouse’s heavenly pop-up, Nodoguro. The Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Menu is no longer available- he is doing a new one for July. But, I hope this will encourage you to purchase reservations for one of his just announced pop-up dates in July, all starting at 6:30pm, of

Tuesday July 8
Wednesday July 9
Tuesday July 15
Wednesday July 16

Like in June, the space Nodoguro will be using is that of Evoe/Pastaworks on Hawthorne and includes nine courses for $85, gratuity and alcohol not included. I love the use of this space as it is very intimate in being able to watch him work and ask question. I also adore how with just a few simple decorations, they have been so successful at evoking a restaurant feel even though I know they just “popped” in, and successfully reinforced the firefly theme.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, a Portland pop up specializing in Japanese by Ryan Roadhouse

There is a new theme each month. Honestly, it doesn’t matter because whatever the theme, whatever he is serving, I am there. You will see below why- and don’t forget that I also went to his first Nodoguro Popup dinner and had a different menu in May that I recapped here.

Anyway, I am going to have a hard time explaining how exquisite this dinner was. I was impressed by the execution that was high in technique, precision, and thoughtful melding of flavors and textures that definitely called back to me the great care that chefs in Japan have. It’s a little disorienting every time I looked behind the counter and saw young Ryan softly explaining how one component of a dish consisted of 5 ingredients and 5 steps and yeah, those are just the greens that go with the eel. Every ingredient has been carefully and with great intention included in any dish.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, a Portland pop up specializing in Japanese by Ryan Roadhouse

For this experience, Carl Donheiser of Pastaworks created a special menu of alcoholic beverage service for the dinner that included some wines, sake, and a cocktail. The cocktail I had was the Nashi Sparkler with Cremant de Loire, Genki-Su Asian Pear drinking vinegar, Kumquat
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, drink menu by Carl Donheiser of Pastaworks

Course 1: Squid Somen with Dashi and Radish Pods
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner
So there in the above photo you see Ryan separating out the squid for the first course of the menu… this was one of my favorites because the flavor was a great light start but the texture was soooo cool. The radish pods, like many of the produce, comes from Phantom Rabbit Farms (check out their website for their series of farm dinners!).
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Squid Somen with Dashi and Radish Pods

Course 2: Oysters with spring garlic and citrus
I would eat these all summer long if I could.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Oysters with spring garlic and citrus

Course 3: Chawanmushi topped with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi
I still love chawanmushi, whether hot or cold. This is a cooler presentation because of the fish. I also always feel like I’m being given a present. The soft custardy feel of one egg against the pop of the other egg is just incredible.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Chawanmushi topped with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi

Course 4: Green Strawberry sunomono
The little palate cleanser course. Ryan can put that aged miso just on rice and I would empty the bowl. I was pleased to see I was not the only one that after finishing the things you could pick up in this mini salad dish marinated in vinegar, picked up the bowl and drank the rest of the liquid.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Green Strawberry sunomono

Course 5: Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba
One of my favorite courses. Who am I kidding, half the courses of this menu were my favorite courses. The play of the big smoke that yet did not overwhelm the delicate fish flesh and crispy skin was melt in your mouth and alluring.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba

Course 6: Canned Albacore with Roasted Pepper
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner
Now, time for the most stunning presentation of the whole evening which consisted of all art on every plate. I couldn’t resist doing a whole photoshoot even though I really really also wanted to eat it.

Course 7: Sake poached Eel with cucumber and myoga

I always love eel, but I was surprised by how much I was smitten by those blanched greens which had been then dried, kissed by dashi and dusted with wasabi. The myoga here is the pink pickled Japanese ginger blossom
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sake poached Eel with cucumber and myoga

Course 8: Sweet Dashi omelette
And now, the start of the last two courses, desserts. It’s always delightful how both savory sweet this is
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sweet Dashi omelette

Course 9: Sterling Tiramisu
Everyone was rolling their eyes in ecstasy after taking a bite. There was silence. And then another small spoonful of it, it was such dessert sex. This was Ryan’s take on a tiramisu, although he admitted that as he made it, it kept getting farther away from an actual tiramisu except for the layers and the his original inspiration, the Sterling Coffee espresso reduction. Which was sinfully deep and dark, a counter to the lightness of the cheese cake (which was almost like panna cotta) and the texture and nuttiness of the toasted soybean (kinako).
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sterling Tiramisu, with a cheesecake and Sterling espresso reduction

Tea Service: Hydrangea Manju with Genmai Macha Tea
I am not usually a fan of sweet bean paste because it’s so dry and chewy. But, taken with tea like this, and just a few bites, and this version wasn’t as chewy, I did like how it brought a traditional close to this incredible meal.

I’ll be at Nodoguro PDX dinner in July. After all, I think it is currently the best Japanese omakase cuisine here in Portland. Will you try Nodoguro? What do you think of the courses of the Firefly June menu?
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner

North American Organic Brewers Festival 2014

June 25, 2014 by Pechluck 8 Comments

The 10th annual North American Organic Brewers Festival starts tomorrow! This year’s event (also nicknamed NAOBF) will take place Thursday June 26 through Sunday June 29.

NAOBF aims to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living, and serves up nearly 60 organic beers & ciders from around the nation. There are more than two dozen styles represented at the festival, running the gamut from Belgians and goldens to porters and stouts, with a bit of everything in-between, so you can “Drink Organic, Save the Planet, One Beer at a Time.”

This year, NAOBF will also be hooking up four flat screen TVs to show all the World Cup matches as well as the Friday Portland Timbers game. WOOOooooo! Of course, as in previous years, there’s also live local music, organic food and sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits. Food that will be available from the various vendors include BBQ pork sliders, pizzas, Fifty Licks ice cream (YUM), samosas and curries, different German sausages like bratwurst, bierwurst, currywurst, and for any vegetarians/vegans one of the vendors has really great options (so vegetarian F tells me) including vegan cheesesteak, vegan bbq, and vegan reubens.

NAOBF also strives to be the most earth-friendly beer festival on the planet, and last year’s 2013 event recycled and composted 92% of the total of more than 2,000 pounds of waste, marking the second year in a row that more than 90% of the event’s waste was diverted from the landfill. Pretty impressive right?

Also, their festival logo is the best! I hope they will be selling tee shirts with their logo because I totally want one.
Logo for the North American Organic Brewers Festival NAOBF

Event hours are Noon to 9pm Thursday June 26 through Saturday and Noon to 5pm Sunday June 29.

It is being held at the usual location of Overlook Park in North Portland (1301 N Fremont St, at the intersection of N Fremont St & N Interstate Ave. This is right across the street from the Overlook Yellow Line Max Station, so it is highly encouraged for you to take the Max down. There is also going to be a Hopworks Bike Corral where volunteers from Rotary Club of Portland-Westside’s Cycling 2 Serve Fellowship will watch over your bike. Bicycle parking is free, but donations are greatly appreciated and donations will benefit Rotary International’s “End Polio Now”.

Admission is free to the event.

However, to taste any of the brews you need to purchase the $6 reusable, compostable cornstarch 2014 NAOBF tasting glass and $1 tasting tokens. A full glass of beer costs four tokens and most 4 ounce tastes costs one token (a few might cost 2 if they are rare or expensive brews)- tokens can be reused for future NAOBF festivals.

Remember how I mentioned riding the Max? You receive a $1 discount toward the tasting glass with a validated Tri-Met ticket (you also get the $1 discount if you show a Bike Parking ticket!).

North American Organic Brewers Festival, NAOBF cup, photo credit Timothy Horn

As my usual strategy, I reviewed the beer list and marked off certain brews that I wanted to make sure I wanted to try. My list includes a lot of Berliner Weisse style as I happen to enjoy them when it’s sunny summer weather:

Alameda Kiwi Strawberry Berliner Weisse: This sour mash Berliner Weisse features an added 95lbs of fresh kiwis and strawberries. A malt base of 2-Row and wheat malt gives a nice cereal finish on an otherwise tart beer. The finished product is a dry, tart beer with huge fruity character and a nice subtle sweet touch on the end to round it all out. Who needs Snapple when you’ve got beer?
Ambacht Bourbon Barrel Aged G+: This is Ambacht’s Belgian Strong Golden aged in Bourbon barrels from Hair of the Dog Brewing. HOTD used these barrels to age its Cherry Adam from the Wood and left the Adam-infused cherries in the barrel. Ambacht stored its Strong Golden Ale in the barrels for nine months, resulting in a barrel-aged fruit beer that is complex yet surprisingly light; a higher-alcohol beer with a light taste for summer drinking.
Falling Sky Brewing Biopiracy Best Bitter: So you want to save your own seeds? Yargh! Think your crop is safe from genetically modified contamination? Yargh! Scalawags using indigenous knowledge for profit? Yargh! Our uncertified best is made with 100% organic ingredients and features aromas of honeysuckle and pears with flavors of stone fruit and malt in the finish. Ok maybe this beer I just picked because the description is awesome…
Fort George , both their Spruce Budd Ale: The brewers hand picked over 500 lbs of spruce tips for a 30 bbl batch of this extremely seasonal elixir. Spruce tips, two-row organic malted barley, slow sand-filtered water and yeast keep this beer simple and spectacular AND/OR their Pi Beer 3.14 IBU Organic two-row barley, organic wheat malt, organic strawberry & organic rhubarb make for a light, tart, fruity, slightly pink and completely irrational beer.
FOTM Brewing Company Shocks of Sheba: This Northwest IPA is inspired by KBOO’s mainstay Reggae program, Shocks of Sheba. As strong as its inspiration, this IPA is made with 100% organic malts and copious amounts of Oregon hops.
Gilgamesh Brewing Sweet Potato Rye PA: This beer has been taken to the next level with a mash consisting of 800 lbs of organic sweet potatoes, and 400 lbs of organic rye. After fermentation was complete, a small dose of organic blue agave was added to balance out the Belgian yeast’s semi-dry finish.
Golden Valley Brewing Wheat Tart: Wheat Tart is Golden Valley’s take on the Berliner Weisse style. The mash was equal parts organic pilsner malt and organic wheat malt, with just a touch of Tettnanger hops. Soured with Lactobacillus and fermented with our house Kolsch yeast, this brew is very low in alcohol and just tart enough to be supremely refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
Hi-Fi Brewing Thai-Fi: For this pale ale brewed with Thai basil, the brewers took a page from the recipe book of Washington home brewer Mark Griffin. With basil and citrusy hops front and center in both aroma and flavor, this beer makes a great pairing with Italian or Thai food.
Hopworks Urban Brewery IPX Ahtanum: Fresh from the Hopworks Urban Brewery science lab, comes HUB’s latest creation, Ahtanumous Prime. Made with only organic Ahtanum hops from Perrault Farms in Toppenish, WA. This dual purpose hops contributes a bright, orange peel-like character.
Lakefront Brewery Fuel Café Coffee Stout: This unique stout combines the flavor of organic roasted malts and Milwaukee’s renowned organic Fuel Café coffee. It pours a deep, dark color with a beautiful creamy tan head. Coffee aromas dominate the nose, with a background of roasted malt. The fine balance of mild organic hops, gentle brightness of choice coffee and the full mouthfeel from roasted malted barley make this an unforgettable brew.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Seizoen Bretta and Seizoen– if you haven’t had these beers before, you might consider trying them, although both these beers are available by the bottle from them
Loowit Brewing Co Gaiabolical: Gaiabolical is a tribute to the seductive and destructive beauty of Mother Earth. Made with an amazing balance of 100% organic malts and 100% certified Salmon Safe hops, this pale ale is perfectly suited for a volcanic eruption, catastrophic landslide, massive tornado or any sunny day.
Natian Brewery Elder Jazz Man Organic Festival Blonde: This blonde ale entices the nose with sweetness that comes from cold brewed Jasmine tea infused into the beer after the fermentation process is completed. Earthy notes of elderflower dance on the palate with a flowery tea finish as if to the tune of an experienced jazz musician.
Pints Brewing Bio-liner Weisse: Brewed true to the traditional Berliner Weisse methods (Schultheiss-style), this “bio” (“organic” in German) exemplar is made with certified organic malts from Bamberg, Germany, and with the yeast and bacteria brought to Oregon via Berlin by PINTS’ Brewmaster (who received his Brewing Science Degree in Berlin in 1998). The Lactobacillus strain creates the mouth-puckering tartness and some wonderful fruity esters, Saccharomyces drives down the sweetness and a splash of Brettanomyces rounds out the flavor profile.
ThirstyBear Brewing Co. Panda Bear Ale: This is a unique easy drinking ale, lightly hopped, then dry-hopped with pounds of whole vanilla beans and TCHO cocoa nibs to infuse the beer with flavor and provide an incredibly aromatic sensation.
Two Kilts Brewing Saison De Poivre: This light, crisp saison was brewed with French saison yeast. It has a light to medium body with a small amount of wheat to give a full mouthfeel and slightly hazy appearance. It was finished with crushed peppercorns and sprigs of thyme to add an accent of spice to the flavor and aroma.
Upright Brewing Marble Tulip Juicy Gruit: The Marble Tulip Juicy Gruit is an intensely aromatic beer made with wild lettuce, galangal, calendula and white willow bark – all in place of hops. Made with the brewery’s house saison yeast, a light fruity character sits under the botanical elements while the copper colored beer drinks light and finishes soft.
Widmer Brothers Brewing Gruit to It! : a light, sessionable golden ale brewed with yarrow for bitterness and flavor, rosemary and lavender for aroma, and unmalted spelt to add some bready notes. This unhoped brew is floral and slightly spicy with an almost tea-like quality. So, Gruit To It for a refreshing summer beer!

North American Organic Brewers Festival, NAOBF cup, photo credit Timothy Horn

The event is cash only. Minors are only allowed into the festival if accompanied by a parent (must be a parent, not just a guardian) and there is a special Chipotle Kids’ Zone zone geared towards them, including free activity books, grow pots and Chipotle kids’ meal cards, plus face painting and a root beer garden with complimentary Crater Lake Root Beer for minors and designated drivers. Note animals are not allowed on the festival site except for service animals.

They do have some tables and chairs set up, but in good weather I have also seen plenty of people just spread out a blanket and make it a picnic. Also, don’t forget the sunscreen as there is no shade except if under a tent or under their one big tree in the park! If it is indeed rainy, I wear hooded rainwear so a hand is not lost to holding an umbrella, and look for a seat in the tent. If a chair is propped leaning up against a table it’s a sign it’s occupied but otherwise enjoy at group tables like the beer halls in Europe!

North American Organic Brewers Festival, photo credit Timothy Horn

Find out more about the North American Organic Brewers Festival or NAOBF at www.naobf.org, their NAOBF accounts on Facebook or Twitter @NAOBF account and check hashtag #naobf! And, happy 10th year anniversary NAOBF!

Have you heard of NAOBF before? Are you aware of organic beer? What beer calls out to you as interesting from their beer list?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: NAOBF, North American Organic Brewers Festival 2014

Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014

June 22, 2014 by Pechluck 9 Comments

Last Sunday, we once again (just like my recap in 2013 and my recap in 2012) spent Father’s Day (after calling my dad earlier in the morning of course) with a visit to the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014. This is one of my favorite beer festival events all year because it pairs tastes of beers with cheese. The event draws beer lovers rather than those who just want to drink beer, and we are more serious about trying to discern the detailed flavors in beer and cheese. Also, I love cheese. LOVE.

This year, the location of the event changed from The Commons Brewery to Burnside Brewing as The Commons is in the works of setting up a new bigger and better tasting room (very excited for them! Can’t wait!). Despite the location change that had us in the less photogenic brewing garage of Burnside (but also meant we had access to some of the tent covered outdoor tables and could get food and more beer at Burnside if we wish), and the crazy heavy rain that day, it was still a great event. Particularly, I really appreciated that there were more places to be able to put down my plate of cheese and beverage rather than having to hold them the entire event.
Beer and Cheese Pairing station at Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014

This year Chop took a break to actually spend Father’s Day as a father (good for him! And I had stopped at the PSU Farmers Market earlier and procured my pate for later!). Don’t worry Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings. Special shoutout on the “meat flowers” that were in the display (you can see one though slightly picked from in the last photo bottom right) as they offered their pork pistachio pate, sweetheart ham, mortadella, and various salami.
Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings

And now, for the greatness of cheesemonger Steve of The Cheese Bar using his genius for good in pairing cheeses with beer. I write this post not only for those of you in the future who may be searching on the internet and wondering what this event was about and whether you should buy tickets to the 2015 event (the answer is a resounding YES), but to also encourage you that in the meantime, this is a tremendous theme for any get together. Have everyone bring a beer from a brewery, bring a cheese, and then everyone enjoy! Here are some examples of pairings you might consider… And obviously, if you would like any advice, Steve is your man.

This year the pairings included:

The Beer and Cheese Pairings:

Breakside Brewing Pilsner with Vintage Cheese Company Mountina (cow – Montana)

This was one of my favorite pairings of the day. I loved the light well flavors of the Pilsner that was true to the style but yet also seemed to transcend it with more forward flavors then the typical lagers that leaned more towards malts with a slight sweetness. I probably would have never thought to order this beer if I saw it because of the style. But then paired with the earthy and nutty Mountina it was very tasty and would please anyone and I actually would recommend these two. As an aside, just the day before I sampled their seasonal Passionfruit Sour and it’s a fantastic summer beer, light, low alcohol, but very tasty and you can definitely taste the passionfruit and so well balanced. I encourage you to grab some! Meanwhile, that Mountina is a cheese that goes well with a wide variety of beers- I’ve had the cheese several times, and I know from other events Steve has paired it with beers in the past two Portland Beer and Cheese Festivals and at the Rookery with other German style beers such as Hefeweizen and Kolsch styles, not just lager styles.
Pfriem Family Brewers Saison with Satori Pastorale (cow and sheep – Wisconsin)

The Pfriem Saison’s grassiness was complimented well with the similar country field earthiness of the Sartori cheese that was sharp yet creamy and also had little crunchiness of aged cheese crystals. I adore cheese crystals.
Upright Brewery Black Lime Saison with Central Coast Goat Gouda (goat – California)

I wasn’t able to detect any lime or citrus going on here, but I can always get behind a gouda, and gouda and beer is a very safe win in terms of pairing. When we bring a cheese plate to any of the Bailey’s Taproom beer festivals, we always have a gouda as the rich nut and earth flavors of goudas go well with many styles of beer.
Burnside Brewing Company Spring Rye with Gruyere d’savoie (cow – France)

It was around this point I also needed some charcuterie to accompany the tastes. This whole plate was heavenly, with the tones of rye and coriander from the beer and which are present in the Olympic Provisions meats just a perfect match (in my photo you can see the chorizo salami, but that’s because in my mouth as I was taking this photo I had already stuffed the Italian style cacciatore salami that you had seen on the right side of the table in my other photos earlier), and the buttery, salty and savory Gruyere being the icing and sprinkles to this plate that was just destined to be together.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company DBA (Double Barrel Ale) with Ferns Edge Mt. Zion (goat – Oregon)

This was the only beer that wasn’t local, as Firestone Walker is from California. However, the brewer David Walker was on hand during Portland Beer Week so I understood how this toasty English Special Bitter type ale that balances hops and malts equally in the taste profile got on the list. The Ferns Edge Mt. Zion is delicious, but I am a huge fan of Ferns’ Edge Goat Dairy and I think their best cheeses are their various chevres and want to see more of that dammit. In this case, although I do I like the cheese, I thought the flavors overwhelmed the DBA rather than complimenting or contrasting them. I like other Firestone Walker beers (particularly their proprietor’s vintage series like Parabola, Sucuba, Stickee Monkee) and would probably pass on the DBA in the future as it is ok but not outstanding in my opinion.
The Commons Brewery Dunkelweiss with Quadrello di bufala (water buffalo – Italy)

The Quadrello di Buffala is a pretty funky soft cheese, but this bit of barnyard paired with this Dunkelweiss combined for a very earthy experience that was a whole new experience. This is one of those great pairings where you have each one individually, and then when you combine them on your tongue it becomes a whole new flavor, in this case of caramel and buttery cream. I love when a pairing births something entirely new like this and is a surprise!
Hopworks Urban Brewery and Worthy Brewing Portland Beer Week Collaboration Session IPA with Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar (cow – Wisconsin)

This Hook 5 Year Cheddar is a great match to any hoppy beer. Unfortunately I am not a big hop fan (West Coast IPAs can be very happy bitter) so I admit I passed this beer on to F (he had given me his Quadrello anyway as it was too soft and pungent for him) so don’t have as much to say here except that if you are looking to match an IPA, an aged cheddar is your best bet.
Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd beer with Isle of Mull Cheddar (cow – Scotland)

The Carrie Ladd is a yeasty porter, which is nice that it focuses on celebrating roast rather than strong chocolate and smoke flavors like many porters do (or perhaps I’ve just had a lot of porters that are strong in those flavors, and I’m a sucker for any vanilla porter on a menu so probably is also self selection). The Isle of Mull cheddar seemed to further emphasize the yeast while also providing a little contrast with a bit of sharpness. Do those photos seem like an eye test (first focusing on the beer, and then the cheese) – for some reason even though only I had been drinking my cameraphone decided it couldn’t focus on both at the same time.
Widmer Brothers Brewing Smoked Schwarz with Idazabel (sheep – Spain)

Of all the cheeses, the Idazabel here was my favorite, and was a cheese I had never had before and has a subtle smokiness to it, which is why it complimented the smoke of the smoked schwarz beer here.
Gigantic Brewing Company Too Much Coffee Man Black Saison paired with Kirkham’s Lancashire (cow – England)

This was my favorite individual beer of the festival, with it’s strong coffee and chocolate roasty flavors in the beer. Add the buttery Kirkham Lancashire and I think I can have this for breakfast instead of coffee and buttered toast or english muffins. Oh man, that would be a serious awesome breakfast.
Lompoc Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Side Porter with Cascadia Creamery Glacier Blue (cow – Washington)

I am a big fan of barrel aged beers, and although the flavors of this Lompoc beer were nice, I’m spoiled in that I had tried many a bourbon barrel aged beer, and in comparison this one had a thinner taste then what I’ve experienced before. It did have a great nose. For a stronger flavor beer like this, a strong creamy and salty blue cheese like this Glacier Blue is the perfect contrast and counter for the beer. I was only too glad to take F’s Glacier Blue as he is not a fan of blue cheese. If you see me and also don’t want your blue cheese, please feel free to pass it on to me.

Logistically, I am a big fan of these events that have these punchcards that do double duty in providing some information as well as making me feel quite accomplished when I have completed my beer and cheese report card. I highly recommend the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival next year!

This Sunday is another punchcard day as I attend the Portland Monthly Country Brunch (unfortunately already sold out) that includes little tastes of brunch as well as a Bloody Mary Smackdown. You can look forward to that report next week (my report on it last year will explain why I’m so excited about it, though the mention of Bloody Marys is really enough isn’t it?)!

Which of these beer and cheese pairings do you think you would have enjoyed?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Cheese, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: beer and cheese, Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Side Porter, Cascadia Creamery Glacier Blue, Central Coast Goat Gouda, Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd, fern's edge Mt Zion, Firestone Walker Brewing Company DBA, Gigantic Brewing Companym, Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Idazabel, Isle of Mull Cheddar, Kirkham’s Lancashire, Lompoc Brewing, PDX Beer Week 2014, pdxbeerweek, Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, Portland Beer Week Collaboration Session IPA, Quadrello di bufala, Smoked Schwarz, steve's cheese, The Commons Brewery Dunkelweiss, Too Much Coffee Man Black Saison, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Worthy Brewing

Oregon Cider Week Highlights

June 19, 2014 by Pechluck 6 Comments

Just a couple weeks after Portland Beer Week, and just before Oregon Beer Month (July) is Oregon Cider Week, which runs June 20-29 2014 this year. That’s right, so it starts tomorrow! Oddly, just like PDX Beer Week, the “week” is actually more like 10 days than an actual 7 day week… more for everyone!
oregon cider week in 2014

This is the third year that the Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) has promoted this celebration of craft cider with a variety of events, varying from special ciders and cider tap takeovers to cider classes to cider and food pairing dinners. I wanted to highlight a few of the events of Cider Week, similar to what I had done previously for PDX Beer Week during my June 2014 Roundup.

So here are my Oregon Cider Week Highlights. Be sure to visit the Oregon Cider Week website for a full listing of events!

Cider Cocktails and Cider Pastries at St Honoré

Friday, June 20, 2014 – Sunday, June 29, 2014

St. Honoré Boulangerie on SE Division in Portland

For the entire Cider Week, St. Honoré Boulangerie, besides their usual eight different draft cider on tap at their SE Division location on 3333 SE Division St, will be offering 5 types of unique cider cocktails, priced at merely $5-6 during their happy hour 4pm-close. Yep, those are the hours. You an also enjoy a cider flight of 4 from those draft ciders for only $6.

St. Honoré Boulangerie Cider Program - 5 cider cocktails and 6 draft ciders plus some draft beers as well

I was fortunate enough to get a little preview of these cider cocktails earlier this week at a Media Event the other day. Frenchman Chef Dominique Geulin, owner and head baker and also winner of a prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France in the boulangerie category, and mixologist Jacob Grier just happened to be on hand to explain how they deftly maneuver around not having a liquor license to still produce the amazing cocktails with cider, and how they are jumping full into the cider festivities with cider and cider food and even a cider dinner (the Cider Feast, more details below in the post).

St. Honoré Boulangerie Cider Program Media Preview, Frenchman Chef Dominique Geulin the owner and head baker at St. Honoré and winner of of a prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France in the boulangerie category St Honore Cider Program Media Preview, Jacob Grier making a cocktail for me

Seriously, these cider cocktails are fantastic, if anyone comes to visit me here in Portland, I will definitely take you here. Cider Cocktails is definitely a niche I want to encourage and see explored more.

St Honore Cider Program Media Preview, the Cider Sangrias, Blanc with apple honey and mint or Rouge with raspberries orange, pineapple and honey

The five cider cocktails that Jacob Grier has crafted include

Midnight in Paris: Finnriver Farmstead Cider, Lillet Blanc, sweet orange vinegar, elderflower syrup and orange peel Aromatic and floral.
Yuzu-Pippin: Reverend Nat’s Revelation Newtown Pippin single varietal cider, Yuzu citrus vinegar, mint and lemon. A citrus-forward drink that is simple, refreshing, and light. You can also see all the pretty cider taps behind the photo of the drink below!
Cider Sangria (Rouge): Finnriver Black Current Cider, raspberries, orange, pineapple and honey
Cider Sangria (Blanc): 2 Towns Bright Cider, apple, honey and mint
Snake Bite: A fifty-fifty mix of cider and beer, garnished with a lemon wedge

At all three of the St. Honoré locations (so also including NW Thurman and Lake Oswego) there will also be pastries, dessert, and bread made with cider! One example of this is this Grillé aux Pommes, a Caramelized Apple Butter Tart with puff pastry, apple butter made with slow roasted apples and apple cider, finished with apricot glaze.

St. Honoré Boulangerie Cider Program Media Preview, Grillé aux Pommes, a Caramelized Apple Butter Tart with puff pastry, apple butter made with slow roasted apples and apple cider, finished with apricot glaze

They have a clay firebrick bread oven that is used to make these perfect Tarte Flambées, which are Alsatian-style Flatbread pizzas baked to order. The ones below include one on the regular menu, a Lardon Et L’oignon (Bacon and onion) with Bacon lardon, fresh onions, crème fraiche, and also a special one with cider they had added, a Tarte Flambée with crème fraîche sauce, apples, Fourme d’Ambert bleu cheese, baked and topped with arugula, toasted walnuts and a cider gastrique.
St. Honoré Boulangerie, Cider Program Media Preview, Tarte Flambée, an Alsatian-style Savory tart baked to order, this one is LARDON ET L'OIGNON Bacon lardon, fresh onions, crème fraiche

Then there are also Cider and Green apple macaroons, Cider Marcarpone Tarts (Almond cream and caramelized apples, layered with tangy cider-rhubarb gelee, and vanilla bean mascarpone mousse) and Cider Bread with little slivers of apple here or there.
St. Honoré Boulangerie, Cider Program Media Preview, cider-green apple macaroons

And, if you haven’t been there already, you should know to be prepared to still want to take home some extra baked goods, because they are lovely here. I’ll just point out oh, this Bacon Roll just bread baked with oven roasted bacon, or Pain aux Lardons just croissant dough rolled with bacon bechamel and red pepper sauce then sprinkled with Emmentel cheese and Jacobsen’s sea salt. Because you needed to know these delights exist.
St. Honoré Boulangerie, a Bacon Roll with traditional bread baked with oven roasted bacon

Or want more apple with your cider? How about this Chausson aux Pommes (French style turnover with apple sauce filling) or Normandy Apple Toast with Viennoserie pastry pieces baked in a rum and vanilla custard and fresh apples on top. Yum… They have many other things, varying from quiches to spaetzle and salads and sandwiches like my favorite, a decadent Croque Madame… if you haven’t been before, I highly highly recommend that you must visit!
St. Honoré Boulangerie, Chausson aux Pommes, French style turnover with apple sauce filling St. Honoré Boulangerie, Normandy Apple Toast with Viennoserie pastry pieces baked in a rum and vanilla custard and fresh apples on top

The new cider cocktails will be available at St Honore all summer long!

Cider Tastings at Bushwhacker Cider

Sunday, June 22, 2014 – Sunday, June 29, 2014

All Tastings are complimentary, most are scheduled for 6:00-9:00 PM unless otherwise noted at Bushwhacker Cider located at 1212-D SE Powell.

June 22nd: Oregon Cider Week Event – Red Tank Meet the Maker & Portland Juice Co. 2-5pm
June 23rd: Oregon Cider Week Event – EZ Orchards & Steve Jones from Cheese Bar 6-9pm
June 24th: Oregon Cider Week Event – Finnriver & Salt & Straw 6-9pm
June 25th: Oregon Cider Week Event – Woodchuck Cider & Smitten Truffles 6-9pm
June 26th: Oregon Cider Week Event – Bull Run Cider & Brooklyn House 6-9pm
June 27th: Oregon Cider Week Event – Schilling with Olympic Provisionspm
June 28th: Oregon Cider Week Event – Cider Riot & PNW Kale Chips 2-5pm

Cider Appreciation Class with Reverend Nat’s

Thursday, June 19, 2014 8:00pm – 10:00pm

Reverend Nat’s Cidery & Public Taproom at 1813 NE 2nd Ave is holding an event where Rev Nat walks participants through 25+ all apple ciders from around the world so you can taste the wide range of apples and cider styles, including ciders from England, France, Spain (Basque and Asturias), New Zealand, Germany, Eastern US and Western US. Tickets are $40, either by buying online at Brown Paper Tickets or at the cidery (503-567-2221).

Cider Summit PDX in the Pearl District

Saturday June 21 – Sunday June 22 2014

This year the Cider Summit PDX is celebrating its 4th year in Portland at the northern Pearl District at Fields Neighborhood Park at 1099 NW Overton Street. It will be held Friday, June 20 from 2 – 8 PM and Saturday, June 21 from 12 – 6 PM. As before, cidery owners and cidermakers will be on hand to inform and guide guests through the samplings which will be available in 4-ounce tasting portions in a souvenir festival glass.

In addition to the range of ciders, the event will feature the DoveLewis / Unleashed by Petco dog lounge, expanded food selections from World Foods & St. Honore Boulangerie, special dessert pairings from Smitten Truffles and cider ice cream from Fifty Licks.

Transportation wise Brewvana Brewery Tours shuttle will run a continuous loop from SE Portland to the Park because of its location you can easily also ride the Portland Streetcar to the event.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 (cash only) at the door and are available online via Stranger tickets, Umpqua Bank Pearl District branch, and at many of the area’s leading bottle shops. Admission includes a tasting glass and 8 tasting tickets. Additional tasting tickets will be available for sale onsite at $2 per ticket. There is also a special VIP ticket available for $35 that includes 4 additional tasting tickets and early admission on Friday from 2p-3p, only 200 of these tickets are available – exclusively online via the event website.

Dogs are allowed at the event, but no minors. Re-admission will be allowed at any time with event wristband and tasting glass. The Cider Summit event will benefit Northwest Cider Association, Cascade Blues Association, DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, and The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.

Cider and a Movie at Reverend Nat’s

Saturday, June 21, 2014 8:00pm – 11:00pm

Reverend Nat’s Cidery & Public Taproom is also having a more casual event called Spaceballs, Sizzle Pie and Cider. For $10, you can visit the Cidery & Taproom to drink Rev Nat’s cider, eat pizza from Sizzle Pie (“Death to False Pizza”) and watch the 1987 classic spoof movie Spaceballs. Fun! The $10 entry at the door gets you all the pizza you can eat and a folding chair in front of the projector, though you are on your own for the cider. The movie starts promptly at 9 pm.

Science and Cider with OMSI After Dark

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 7:00pm – 10:00pm

This month, the OMSI After Dark theme is Archaeology and Cider! Besides demonstrations where you can cast velociraptor claws or dig through owl pellets, you can taste ciders (requires a tasting glass and tokens) from participating cideries such as 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Bull Run Cider, finnriver cidery, Original Sin Craft Ciders, Portland Cider Co, Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, Schilling Cider, Tieton Cider Works and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks. And you are in the OMSI museum browsing the exhibits in a 21 and over audience!

Cider Feast dinner with cider pairings at St Honoré

Thursday, June 26, 2014 6:30pm -8:30pm

Another way to taste those cider cocktails I mentioned earlier is at a special Cider Feast event St. Honoré Boulangerie is having on Thursday, June 26, 2014 6:30-8:30pm, a special five-course dinner where each course is created with different cider and paired with cider or cider cocktail.

The event will be at their SE Division location and is by reservation only and costs $45.00 per person, the cost includes gratuity. Make Reservations by calling the SE Division store (971) 279-4433 or infodiv@sthonorebakery.com. You can look at the intriguing cider menu here.

Crushin’ It! Finnriver at BeerMongers

Thursday, June 26, 2014 6:00pm -9:00pm

Crushin It event with Finnriver and Beermongers
BeerMongers will be hosting Finnriver Farm & Cidery for a night of specialty cider including special limited release, draft only offerings of Finnriver Autumn’s Blush Cider and Finnriver Belgian Style Cider as well as complementary tastes of hand selected bottles. I’m a big fan of Finnriver, and of Beermongers so was happy to see both of them working together at this tasting event.

For instance, I have to warn you that the Finnriver Spirited Apple Wine is dangerous, tasting light with a bit of apple spice but kicking in at 18.5% and absolutely delicious, and I also like their tart Black Currant and spicy Habanero Cider with balanced sweet with a bit of fiery burn – all of these which I have enjoyed tasting at Pike Chocofest, which is where my below photo is from.
Finn River Cidery booth at Pike Chocofest 2014

English and French Ciders and Cheese with Bushwhacker & Reverend Nat’s

Friday, June 27, 2014 6:00pm – 10:00pm

This event is a collaboration with Bushwhacker Cider and Reverend Nat’s Cidery & Public Taproom in which they present an English and French Cider Experience. The Brewvana bus picks up participants at Bushwhacker at 6 pm sharp, and during the bus ride guests enjoy a can of Cascadia en route to Rev Nat’s Public Taproom where Nat guides them through five dank, dark, barnyardy English ciders.

Then, hop back on the Brewvana bus and back to Bushwhacker where Jeff guides guests through five fruity, sweet, funky French ciders. Everyone will be able to buy buy bottles to go or pints of favorites at Bushwhacker, and there will also be cheese at each stop curated by Steve Jones of Cheese Bar. $25 advance purchase only, buy online via Brown Paper Tickets or call Bushwhacker or call Reverend Nat’s.

Cider Farm to Table Dinner with Phantom Rabbit Farm and Reverend Nat’s

Sunday, June 29, 2014 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Farmer Melissa Joubert, Chef Mark Wooten and Reverend Nat team up for a cider paired dine on the Phantom Rabbitl Farm in Portland’s West Hills. This farm to table dinner event includes a multi-course pairing with items harvested on the Phantom Rabbit Farm that day, their milled grains, locally sourced beef, and fish, hand churned butter, Oregon hand harvested sea salt and many other details, then paired with Reverend Nat’s Cidery & Public Taproom Cider.

Make reservations $85 advance, buy online here at the Phantom Rabbit website.

Do you like ciders? Do you think you will attend any of these events?

Disclosure: The preview of the St Honoré cocktails was complimentary, but I was going to include them in this Oregon Cider Week highlight anyway so it was a happy coincidence and I have already been loving them since their original NW Thurman location a couple years ago. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Cocktails, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: Archaeology and Cider, Bushwhacker, Chef Dominique Geulin, Cider and a Movie, Cider Appreciation Class, Cider Cocktails, Cider Dinner, Cider Farm to Table Dinner, Cider Feast, Cider Food Dinner, Cider Food Pairing, Cider Pastries, Cider Sangria, Cider Summit PDX, Cider Tastings, Crushin’ It! Finnriver at BeerMongers, English Cider, Finnriver, French Cider, Jacob Grier, Oregon Cider Week, Phantom Rabbitl Farm, Reverend Nat’s, Reverend Nat’s Cidery & Public Taproom, Science and Cider with OMSI After Dark, Sizzle Pie and Cider, Spaceballs, St Honore Boulangerie, St Honore SE Division

Strawberry and Cheese Bruschetta Recipes

June 16, 2014 by Pechluck 15 Comments

It’s strawberry season right now in Portland, and although the small looking Hood strawberries may look not as plump and juicy as their California cousins, let me assure you that they make up for their appearance in flavors. This makes them such the treasure that people get up early to rush to the Farmers Market before they sell out – and yes, they do sell out.

I like strawberries usually with a little bit of cream, but of course with cheese is also quite acceptable, like in these strawberry and cheese bruschetta recipes. I have two ways of making strawberry and cheese bruschetta, which celebrates the flavors of these strawberries by complimenting them just with a little rich creamy cheese and olive oil, a little counter with good balsamic vinegar and then uses the vehicle of toasted bread to get them into your mouth.
Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and good cheese on good bread

One uses mozzarella, as well as salt and fresh ground pepper, and the other uses goat cheese. I decided to share both with you. Perhaps for fun, since the ingredients are so close together, you might make both at once like I did for a little bruschetta face-off.

After all, it might take you tops 20 minutes to whip this together for your early summer get together.

They look gorgeously impressive as a starter for a dinner party, or just for yourself to go with your sangria or glass of wine as you sit outside on your porch or patio reading a book.

Strawberry Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh mozzarella cheese on good bread
This is a lot like caprese, but instead of heirloom tomatoes (oh, can’t wait for those treasures to start appearing on the plants and markets) it uses the current in season strawberries. This version of bruschetta highlights the strawberries more as they are contrasted against the very fresh subtle taste of the rest of the ingredients, and there’s something delightful about the parallel bursts when you bite both into a strawberry and a little mozzarella piece. The amount for the recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/2 French Baguette or you can also use a good bread loaf that has a nice crust that you might slice into quarters or halves depending on the loaf size
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
Extra virgin olive oil
Good balsamic vinegar
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Slice your baguette or bread into palm-sized pieces, brush with oil and toast or grill until lightly toasted.
Clean, dry, and then dice strawberries.
Chop your basil leaves finely, add to the mixing bowl of strawberries and toss, then let stand.
Dice up your fresh mozzarella, and add to the mixing bowl. Toss together, and then spoon this mixture onto each of your bread slices.
Drizzle all the slices lightly with a little bit of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh mozzarella cheese on good bread

Strawberry Bruschetta with Goat Cheese

Strawberry Bruschetta, vegetarian and easy to put together with fresh strawberries, basil, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, and fresh goat cheese on good bread
The reason why I like this version of bruschetta is that the texture of the goat cheese is very luxurious, and depending on what goat cheese you purchase it often has an extra bit of tangyness that is added.