Dinner at Tiffin Asha

April 12, 2019 by 5 Comments

Tiffin Asha was adored as a food cart from when it first opened in 2013, and in 2017 expanded into a brick and mortar restaurant in the NE Killingsworth in the NE Portland neighborhood. This now provides owner Sheila Bommakanti along with partner Chef Elizabeth Golay more comfort and space to show off South Indian food. Here’s a look at what a dinner at Tiffin Asha (open Thursday-Saturday, and also offering brunch on Sundays) can offer you.

Dinner at Tiffin Asha, food cart now grown up into brick and mortar in NE Portland Dinner at Tiffin Asha, food cart now grown up into brick and mortar in NE Portland

Start off with a beverage – such as a warm Chai with Nilgiri blue mountain black tea, spices,, or Banana Lassi with ripened bananas, lime, coconut, yogurt . They even have a their unique take on the Mango Lassi here with their Mango Almond Lassi with mango, creamy almonds, orange, tamarind, saffron

Dinner at Tiffin Asha, food cart now grown up into brick and mortar in NE Portland Tiffin Asha Banana Lassi with ripened bananas, lime, coconut, yogurt Mango Almond Lassi with mango, creamy almonds, orange, tamarind, saffron at Tiffin Asha

The menu is divided up into Tasters, Nibbles, Curries, Idlis, and Dosas, with additional add ons of chutneys, pickles, sides of sambar, dosa, idlies or rice or additions of gun powders always relevant to any of the menu choices.

Gun Powder? Yes, explosive housemade gun powders, eaten just like a chutney, served with unrefined sesame oil and idli pieces. These spice-blend condiments are very common in Southern India but not often seen in the US, so don’t miss out. Just sprinkle this on anything you want from the Tiffin Asha menu. You see below

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Bunny Bar Portland

April 10, 2019 by 3 Comments

Recently I had the fun of joining a limited time cocktail bar pop-up in PDX. It’s Bunny BarPortland, offering 3 super cute drinks with a precious garnish at Bar Miranda. Bar Miranda is a hidden gem in downtown Portland, located at the mezzanine of the Portland Food Hall. This cocktail pop up offerings are in addition to the regular drink offerings of Bar Miranda.

Bunny Bar Portland a pop up cocktail bar Bunny Bar Portland a pop up cocktail bar

The three drinks are being offered only when Bar Miranda is open – which are limited to Wednesday – Saturday, 4 PM – 9 PM only – but only until April 20. I can only hope there may be other versions of Bunny Bar that might pp up in the future – though spring is seasonal, bunnies are timeless right?

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Good Coffee and Kolaches

April 2, 2019 by 2 Comments

When the much anticipated boutique hotel Woodlark Hotel downtown opened, besides the already well loved Oregon meets Texas meatcentric restaurant from Chef Doug Adams of Bullard, and the pre-Prohibition cocktail lounge of Abigail Hall as conceptualized by Jennifer Quist, the lobby also became the home to Good Coffee. Unique to this location you will find both Good Coffee and Kolaches.

Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland

Good Coffee was recently featured as the best coffee in Oregon by Food and Wine Magazine for their 2019 list of best coffee in every state. The Good Coffee menu here includes the expected coffee drinks varying from regular filter coffee, single origin coffee, cold brew, espresso, cappuccinos, americanos and a wide variety of lattes from vanilla, maple and smoked orange, matcha, and spiced fig to almost a dozen Townshend Teas.

Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland

If you have your coffee here rather then to go, it will be served in mugs by local ceramic artists like Margaret & Beau (the green mug you’ll see) and Mary Carroll (the pink mug). I love how these mugs feel and they have a pretty calming happy effect on me that puts me at ease. It’s yet another way the Woodlark shows how supportive it is of women by showcasing these women ceramicists. Besides Jen Quisty’s the Abigail Lounge named after women’s activist Abigail Scott Duniway and their cocktail menu of drinks with nods towards strong women leaders, Good Coffee offers The Founders Series of coffee drinks also named for women, including one called The Activist after Abigail.

Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland. If you have your coffee here rather then to go, it will be served in mugs by local ceramic artists like Margaret & Beau (the green mug you'll see) and Mary Carroll (the pink mug). Good Coffee and Kolaches in the Woodlark Hotel in downtown Portland. If you have your coffee here rather then to go, it will be served in mugs by local ceramic artists like Margaret & Beau (the green mug you'll see) and Mary Carroll (the pink mug).

And now let’s talk about 75% of the draw for me for picking any coffee shop over the other – what they offer as bites to eat!

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Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails

March 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted to just relax with a cocktail at home after a hard day – but then you don’t want to deal with the hassle of concocting it by pulling out the multiple bottles, the fresh juices, the shaker, the measuring and mixing? And then you have to start all over again after you finish that one drink when you want your next? Now you can make easy cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, who wondered why can’t having a cocktail be as easy as opening a bottle of beer or wine – and then created 5 answers for the question.

Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to their tasting room on the near East Side to try their mini cocktail flight with snack pairings for an influencers event last week (I was not paid to promote them). I thought these pre-made cocktails in a bottle may lean on the sweet side, or not be very alcoholic so that I’d end up with more “mixer” then cocktail. I was impressed when I was proved wrong, I really liked the experience and the products, and that’s why I’m sharing the story with you. Their tasting room is part of Distillery Row, and part of the Portland Distillery Row passport program too. They are new to the Portland drink scene – they just opened in December 2018.

Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to their tasting room on the near East Side to try their mini cocktail flight with snack pairings. I thought these pre-made cocktails in a bottle may lean on the sweet side, or not be very alcoholic so that I’d end up with more “mixer” then cocktail. I was impressed when I was proved wrong.

Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails

Here’s what it will look like if you try one of the mini cocktail flights with pairings at the Straightaway Tasting Room. The snacks may vary from my favorite pairing, which were the hazelnuts with the Old Fashioned, to ginger popcorn with the Cosmo or more.

Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails. Try their mini cocktail flight paired with snacks at their Tasting Room, part of PDX's Distillery Row Easy Cocktails with Straightaway Cocktails, offering premade shelf stable cocktails. Try their mini cocktail flight paired with snacks at their Tasting Room, part of PDX's Distillery Row

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Farmhouse Kitchen Thai for Portland Dining Month

March 21, 2019 by 1 Comment

Another week in March, another Portland Dining Month stop for the amazing deal of $33 netting me 3 courses – and sometimes more! For instance, at Farmhouse Kitchen Thai for Portland Dining Month, you get a free starter soup, and the starter gives you a taste of 2 different starters available on their regular menu. Here’s a closer look.

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First, I would highly recommend you make a reservation. It is definitely not a secret that the Portland Dining Month offering from Farmhouse Kitchen Thai offers a lot of variety with its 6 entrees to choose from. It is also a shrewd dollar value since those entrees are usually in the mid $20 range. So expect a packed house during peak times – if you try to walk in, you may have to wait an hour or so.

Second, you should expect that the service is going to be very functional, and forgive them for that. They are trying to serve everyone they can who comes to their door, which necessitates a lot of turnover at the tables. Sitting at a table towards the back of the house is a lot more calm then the boisterous tables at the front.

If you want to avoid the crowds, consider coming at slightly off times. I came at 8:15 pm and was never rushed out – in fact we got so caught up in conversation we were literally the last to leave the now closed restaurant as they prepared for staff meal. I saw another guest smartly order the Portland Dining Month menu but also order additional dishes to take home – I wish I had done that, even though all my meals for the next 2 days are already accounted for…

Ok, let’s get down to business. Although for the first course the official Portland Dining Month Travel Portland site lists that there are 5 options for the starter, when you get to the restaurant you actually have the choice of 3 combos. Each combo gives you tastes of TWO starters available on the menu. Each is plated individually and then put on a tray to make that duo for you, so I wonder if they would customize the duo for you on request. The default duos they offer are

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