Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

July 20, 2013 by 4 Comments

Chef Johanna Ware of Smallwares, specializing in “inauthentic Asian cuisine” and Head Brewer Ben Edmunds of Breakside Brewery created a beer paired dinner of 5 courses on Thursday July 18 for 20 lucky guests, of which I was one! When I saw the price was $45 for 5 courses (plus add gratuity), and thinking of how great the experience was at the Breakside Brewery’s dinner at Wildwood restaurant I attended, I was happy to sign up. I love beer pairing dinners, and with all the great breweries here I don’t know why I don’t see them more often.

Smallwares Breakside Brewery dinner,Chef Johanna Ware of Smallware and Head Brewer Ben Edmunds of Breakside created a beer paired dinner of 5 courses Smallwares Breakside Brewery dinner, Brewer Ben Edmunds chatting about the beer

The dinner was supposed to start at 6pm, but started a little late because of the logistics of everyone actually getting there by that time after work. After a day of doing presentations at work, I left around 4:30pm from Beaverton and was able to make it in time, which left me some time to sample a couple cocktails before dinner. I tried The Gin, with plymouth gin, mango, yogurt, rose water, cardamom, shaked and served on the rocks, as a way to cool off from my crowded commute, and also The Whisky, with templeton rye, raspberry shrub, vermouth, lemon, shaken and served on a big rock. This gave me an opportunity to admire the bold red and white modern atmosphere of the restaurant that combined the sleek lines and textures of contemporary design elements with thoughtfully and whimsically selected eclectic touches.

Smallwares PDX, restaurant Smallwares PDX, restaurant The Gin, with plymouth gin, mango, yogurt, rose water, cardamom, shaked and served on the rocks, Smallwares PDX The Whisky, with templeton rye, raspberry shrub, vermouth, lemon, shakend and served on a big rock, Smallwares PDX

Opener:

  • Beer: Newport Summer Ale
  • Food: Canapes and hors d’oeuvres
    Starter of shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, Smallwares PDX, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Starter of Cantaloupe, benton's ham, kimchi puree, shiso, at Smallwares PDX, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

This Summer Ale is an easy-drinking English golden ale that is lightly hopped and uses floor-malted barley. It was paired with starters of Shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, and Cantaloupe, benton’s ham, kimchi puree, shiso. Ben explained that he always like to start with a big pour of the first beer because who knows when dinner will start, and it helps everyone with a bit of liquid courage to socialize at the table. The oysters were clean acid that seemed to echo the clean flavors of the ale, while the heat from the kimchi puree and salt from the ham and sweetness of the cantaloupe were then refreshed and calmed down by the beer.

Starter of Shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, paired with Newport Summer Ale, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Starter of Shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, paired with Newport Summer Ale, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Starter of Shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, and Cantaloupe, benton's ham, kimchi puree, shiso paired with Newport Summer Ale, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Starter of Cantaloupe, benton's ham, kimchi puree, shiso, paired with Newport Summer Ale, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

1st course:

  • Beer: Smallwares Saison
  • Food: Grilled shrimp, aji amarillo, lychee, pink peppercorn, chive

The Smallwares Saison is a Belgian farmhouse ale made with lychee, pink peppercorn and aji amarillo, and was inspired by another dish at Smallwares that Ben confessed to falling in love with the combination of flavors and just “ripping off” by putting those flavors into the beer. This was my favorite pairing of the evening with beer and food building on each other so that even when I had finished chewing or swallowing the food or beverage, the flavors lingered long after, tickling my tongue and taste buds pleasantly.

Grilled shrimp, aji amarillo, lychee, pink peppercorn, chive + Smallwares Saison made with lychee, pink peppercorn and aji amarillo, was inspired by another dish at Smallwares, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

2nd course:

  • Beer: Biere de Juillet (collaboration Biere de garde with Persian lime and coriander)
  • Food: Mushroom salad, walnut puree, Persian lemon dressing, pickled shallots, hijiki

Breakside partnered with Smallwares to brew this Bière de Juillet, a summer version of a French bière de garde with Persian lime and coriander that debuted at this dinner. I was using the salad to try to wipe up that walnut puree as much as I could.

Mushroom salad, walnut puree, Persian lemon dressing, pickled shallots, hijiki + Biere de Juillet (collaboration Biere de garde with Persian lime and coriander), Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Mushroom salad, walnut puree, Persian lemon dressing, pickled shallots, hijiki + Biere de Juillet (collaboration Biere de garde with Persian lime and coriander), Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

3rd course:

  • Beer: Sour ApriHot (sour golden ale aged on Apricots and Chinese mustard powder)
  • Food: Flank steak and apricots, mustard seed, red onion, parsley

Sour ApriHot is the latest of  experimental, culinary-inspired creations Breakside is trying, this particular one being an imperial sour apricot ale conditioned with heat… well, heat to come. At the dinner, they had added the apricot but not the hot portion yet, whether it be through Chinese mustard powder or horseradish or wasabi or what have you, they were still thinking about how they wanted to proceed. That was fine when combined with this dish though, which was already packing lots of spicy heat so the apricot ale was some relief.

Flank steak and apricots, mustard seed, red onion, parsley + Sour ApriHot (sour golden ale aged on Apricots), Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner Flank steak and apricots, mustard seed, red onion, parsley + Sour ApriHot (sour golden ale aged on Apricots), Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

4th course :

  • Beer: Alan from the Wood (strong smoked ale aged in rye whiskey barrels)
  • Food: Black cardamom panna cotta, mixed berries

This strong beer was my favorite of the evening in terms of flavor, and it paired well with the cardamom in the panna cotta. However, the raspberry puree was a little overwhelming in sweetness that didn’t seem to go with the beer, so I fixed that by just eating the puree on its own after scraping it off, and leaving the panna cotta so pair with my sips of Alan.

Black cardamom panna cotta, mixed berries + Alan from the Wood (strong smoked ale aged in rye whiskey barrels), Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner

F joined me, and Smallwares was able to accommodate him with a vegetarian menu. For his opener there was kimchee but no ham around his cantaloupe, although there was no second option to replace the oyster. Tofu was the protein instead of shrimp for the first course with the aji amarillo, lychee, pink peppercorn, chive + Smallwares Saison made with lychee, pink peppercorn and aji amarillo, although his dish seemed sweeter with more lychee than the omnivore version I enjoyed.

Both of us enjoyed the same mushroom salad, and then for third course instead of flank steak, zucchini, cashews and additional salt were used instead for his dish with and apricots, mustard seed, red onion, and parsley. Unfortunately he couldn’t enjoy the panna cotta because it uses gelatin, so a friend volunteered to help him out.

Tofu, aji amarillo, lychee, pink peppercorn, chive, Smallwares PDX, Smallwares Breakside Brewery Beer Dinner Zucchini, cashews and additional salt instead of flank steak for the vegetarian with apricots, mustard seed, red onion, parsley, Smallwares PDX, Smallwares Breakside Brewery Beer Dinner

The service was great, and the flow of the meal was well paced to allow everyone to have time to converse and enjoy their beer without feeling a need to rush because the next course was coming up. Later as the sun set, the staff lowered the curtains so we would not be blinded, and then later still they pulled open some of the garage door walls to open up the restaurant to the outside. The bartender returned to the table several times, offering to pour a little more of a beer taster for us from the growler, and Ben and his brewers gave a little talk at the beginning to introduce the beer, and also stopped by so that both ends of the table got to talk to them.

I love what Breakside is doing with experimenting with savory and sweet additions in their beer, and was even more excited to hear that the Milwaukie location has their Salted Caramel Sweet Stout (a collaboration with Salt & Straw Ice Cream and Jacobsen Salt Co) on tap!  It’s one of my favorite beers from them, though I also love their Aztec Bourbon Barrel, their Old Bourbon Woody, the Whiskey Dick…  it’s hard to believe they’ve only been around for 3 years because of all the great and balance of classic and experimental unique beers they have crafted in that time. Yay for the brewers of Breakside!

This weekend is the International Beer Festival, and next week on Wednesday kicks off Oregon Brewers Festival… the beer continues!

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July is Oregon Craft Beer Month 2013

July 17, 2013 by 6 Comments

As I have mentioned a few posts ago, July is Oregon Craft Beer month. Throughout this month, there are breweries and beer festivals celebrating the craft of beer all over Oregon. Here in Portland, there are some particular events that caught my eye.
Oregon Craft Beer Month in July

  • Belmont Station’s Puckerfest, which celebrates sour, wild and funky beers from July 12 to the end of this week. If you have not been to Belmont Station for a while, check out their new larger space that includes a patio and also a food cart, Italian Market for a taste of Philly.
  • This Thursday (July 18), I will be attending a Smallwares and Breakside Brewing five course beer dinner pairing: I’ll be sure to report out, don’t worry!
  • This weekend  July 19-21 is the International Beer festival located in the North Park blocks with 150 beers from around the world
  • And then, the biggest of them all- the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, this time starting a day earlier than previously from Wednesday July 24 to Sunday July 28 offering the ability to taste 80 beers along the beautiful waterfront. This year, instead of the plastic glasses, they are going to actual glass glasses for your tasters.
    Sign showing the way to beer at Oregon Brewer's Festival
  • Fred Eckhart’s is hosting his 23rd Beer and Cheese tasting event at Rogue Public House in the Pearl that pairs 10 beers and 10 cheeses on July 22
    Rogue Dead Guy Ale and the smelly Monteillet Mejean
  • Another beer and food dinner event, Gigantic Brewing and Restaurant Beck which benefits Le Cordon Bleu’s Student ACF Hot Foods Team and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and SW Washington on July 25
  • July 27 is apparently Oakshire day- there is an Oakshire Barrel Aging Seminar at The Upper Lip over Bailey’s Taproom at 1:30pm, and you can warm up to taste those 4 beers pouring with Raven and Rose’s Oakshire Brewer’s Brunch with 3 courses at 11am… my arteries made me pass on the full Irish Breakfast at Raven and Rose, but I’ll be at the Upper Lip
  • The McMenamins at Cornelius Pass is releasing a special spicy beer trio for what they dub Pepperfest ’13 on July 31
  • Also on July 31 is the 3rd Annual Brewer’s Burger Brawl at Hop & Vine boasting a battle of burger and beer!
  • And ALSO on July 31 (you guys are killing me) is the 3rd Ben Fest, celebrating all the brewers named Ben that we have here, and they are all bringing a beer!

You don’t have to only drink your beer of course- check out recipes I have made in the past using beer, including beer cheese faceoff with two beer cheese recipes, beer ricotta, and my favorite beer recipe so far, beer soup of Butternut Squash and Ale Soup with Candied Almonds and homemade Mascarpone and with Cambozola. I’ll be sharing another beer food recipe in just a bit.

beer cheese recipe Saison Beer Ricotta on Cucumber Butternut Squash and Ale Soup with Candied Almonds and homemade Mascarpone with Cambozola

Or, perhaps you are just looking for something to pair with your beer. This recipe was shared by Cha Cha Cha and posted also at the Oregon Brewer’s Guild. This recipe from Cha Cha Cha was recommended to pair with a Full Sail Sessions Beer (Black Lager). The beers always stand out to me because of the unique bottle they come in, a stubby bottle. The bottle style is really called stubby, by the way.

When I saw this recipe, I thought of a friend I know who enjoys Full Sail as a regular beer to enjoy while watching TV, and who as of yesterday, just flew off to do a Bruseels to Amsterdam tour, 9 days of touring with cycling and drinking beer on a tour with Beercycling. We first found out about Beercycling a few years ago during Zwickelmania, and it has been on our wishlist- but our friends are actually doing it this year. Good for them, and Bon voyage, and bring back some beer (I will also accept gouda cheese)!

Mole Poblano from Cha Cha Cha (makes about 4 cups of mole)

  • 3 Chiles Mulatos
  • 2 Chiles Pasillas
  • 2 Chiles Anchos
  • 1/2 Chipotle peppers (optional if you want it a little spicy)
  • 6 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 onion (chopped fine)
  • 1/4 cup ground coriander
  • 1/8 cup ground cloves
  • 1/2 stick Mexican Cinnamon (ground)
  • 1 ounce bittersweet Mexican Chocolate chopped coarsely
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • Brown sugar or salt to taste
  1. Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Then take all the chile peppers and garlic on an aluminum sheet and toast for 6 minutes until fragrant. Remove chiles and let them cool before then removing the seeds and stems and chopped them into 1/4 inch pieces. Make sure to wash your hands, and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYE. Ouch.
  2. Meanwhile in the oven before turning it off, toast the almonds and peanuts by putting them on on ungreased sheet in a single flat layer for 10-15 minutes, and then ground them in a food processor.
  3. In a large skillet, heat without any oil on the pan the sesame seeds at medium heat until they are toasted and fragrant. Remove.
  4. Now add oil on medium heat, add garlic and onions until soft. Then add all the toasted pepper pieces, coriander, cloves, cinnamon and chocolate. (Make sure you stir constantly until chocolate melts).
  5. Add to skillet chicken broth, raisins, and your toasted almonds, peanuts and sesame seeds. Stir for about 15 minutes until sauce is thick.
  6. Place everything from skillet in a blender or food processor and blend well.
  7. Place sauce back in the skillet and stir for another 8 minutes, season with brown sugar or salt.

Now, the question is as you open up that beer what to pour this mole on. Enchiladas? Burritos? Maybe. You can continue to poach a protein (chicken, pork, tofu) in the sauce in the skillet. Or take the easy way out instead if you want and pour this on some store bought rotisserie chicken and eat it on Mexican rice.

And maybe you’ll have some beer left after dinner, and you’ll decide to follow suit from the menu at the Full Sail Pub and Tasting Room at Hood River and throw some vanilla ice cream in it and call the beer float your dessert! Don’t forget to check into the beer on Untappd – if you check in 2 different Oregon beers and you’ll get a special badge for this month. So go out and get a sampler tray from your local Oregon brewery!

Can you identify my sampler trays?
all the beers at Bridgeport Brewery in a sampler tray McMenamin's Ale Sampler tray for beer Laurelwood Beer Flight Deschutes Brewing, make your own beer sampler with 6 options possible from their menu which changes seasonally (though it has a few constant ones) Sampler tray from Upright Brewing Walk the Dog sampler, plus a glass of another beer, at the Hair of the Dog tasting room Tasting tray of beer at Coalition Brewing A sampler tray of beer at Breakside Brewery Tasters at Cascade Brewing, specializing in sour beers <Sampler at Fort George Brewing in Astoria. Back left to right: 1811 Lager, Quick Wit, Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, Vortex IPA; Working Girl Porter, Cavatica Stout, Quiet Rye-It, Red Tide; OmegaTex, North 5, and Firkin Nut Red dry-hopped with Cascade Hops

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Lardo Chefwich- 3 down, 3 to go

July 16, 2013 by 10 Comments

Lardo is doing a special Chefwich series in which other guest chefs of various Portland restaurants collaborate with Lardo (and Grassa) chef Rick Gencarelli. Each month, a new collaboration sandwich will appear just for that month, and the proceeds of the limited time guest chef sandwich going to benefit the guest chef’s charity of choice. When you order the sandwich (available at either of the two Lardo locations, Lardo West in SW downtown or in Lardo East in the SE), make sure to ask for your Chefwich Series stamp card, because if you collect all six stamps you can earn VIP admission to the Lardo Fall Party.

I’ve collected 3 so far… and here’s a report out.

The first Chefwich debuted in April to mid May, with Cathy Whims (of Nostrana and Oven & Shaker) and her Straccetti sandwich featuring bavette steak, provolone cheese, roasted asparagus, and horseradish creme fraiche. Beautiful, messy, delicious richness. Her chosen charity was Friends of Family Farmers which promotes responsible farming, and I collected my first chefwich card.
Lardo chefwich, collaboration sandwich, Rick Gencarelli, Cathy Whims, Straccetti sandwich featuring bavette steak, provolone cheese, roasted asparagus, and horseradish creme fraiche

I washed this down with a refreshing Grapefruit Margarita with tequila, house-made sour mix, gran gala, and it is a generous glass.
Lardo, Rick Gencarelli, Grapefruit Margarita with tequila, house-made sour mix, gran gala

Chefwich #2 was courtesy of Scott Snyder (of Levant), with Morroccan Lamb Meatball and black olive mayo, harrisa carrot slaw, feta. This chefwich benefits Urban Gleaners, whose mission is to eliminate waste of surplus food by redistributing to the hungry. I meant to eat half the sandwich and save the other half for dinner. That didn’t happen because I could. not. stop.

Lardo, chefwich, Scott Snyder, Levant, Morroccan Lamb Meatball and black olive mayo, harrisa carrot slaw, feta Lardo, chefwich, Scott Snyder, Levant, Morroccan Lamb Meatball and black olive mayo, harrisa carrot slaw, feta Lardo, chefwich, Scott Snyder, Levant, Morroccan Lamb Meatball and black olive mayo, harrisa carrot slaw, feta

And finally, recently I had Chefwich #3, The Aaron Barnett (of St. Jack)- #3 in Chefwich Series, a sandwich of Fried Calamari – caper & red onion mayo, marinated tomatoes, lettuce. Mmm, that crispy crispy calamari which was perfectly executed to be crunchy but not overdone or greasy would have been excellent even on its own, but bonus! You get a whole squidwich! Proceeds go to the Special Olympics and their support their mission to provide sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The Hemingway cocktail that accompanied this sandwich with Bacardi, lime, simple syrup, and soda looked like water in a pint glass but packed a nice punch that made me happy.

Lardo, chefwich, Aaron Barnett, St Jack, Squidwich sandwich, Fried Calamari - caper & red onion mayo, marinated tomatoes, lettuce Lardo, chefwich, Aaron Barnett, St Jack, Squidwich sandwich, Fried Calamari - caper & red onion mayo, marinated tomatoes, lettuce

I wonder what the next chefwich will be? 2 of the 3 were ChefStable partners (of which Rick also is)- I am crossing my fingers for Trent Pierce or Greg Denton or Andy Ricker, but really all of these have been home runs so I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for the next collaboration.

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Schwenking. No really.

July 14, 2013 by 1 Comment

Shwenking is going on tour in Portland this summer. No, really.

The schwenker (or schwenk for short) is a special kind of portable grill and technique originating from the Mosel Velly and Saarland region in Germany that cooks meat over an open flame on a swinging grill platform over the fire. This grill platform can be pulled up and down and swiveled or of course, put into a swinging motion over the fire by the “schwenk meister”. No, really.

During the grilling, or schwenking process, you can watch the meat slowly cooking as it moves, like watching a hypnotist swing a watch but this is much more appealing to watch as it is glistening meat that has already been marinated for three days versus some ticking stopwatch, and it spins not just swings.  Yes! Really!

The Tuttles of Teutonic Wine Company are ambassadors of Schwenking and brought this back from their trip. They are taking their coal fired tripod schwenker grills on a Schwenk Portland 2013 tour this summer to 13 Portland restaurants, where each restaurant will create their own schwenk dish, and then pair it with Mosel Riesling imported or produced by Teutonic.

I tried out my first schwenking dish at Raven & Rose yesterday (I missed other tour stops during June).

Schwenking at Raven & Rose The Schwenk Meisters, Schwenking at Raven & Rose

For their schwenking stop, Raven & Rose were offering 3 schwenk dish options, and also 3 Kabinett style Rieslings or you can get a flight of all three rieslings:

Menu Raven & Rose Schwenking Stop

  • Trout on fennel fronds, gooseberry conserva, cucumber radish salad
  • Pork tenderloin, German potato salad, kolrabi slaw
  • Spatchcocked Quail with peaches, green beans, walnut sauce
  • 2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard
  • 2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb
  • 2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett

Ok, first I confess I got temporarily distracted from the schwenking. I love the Rookery, and while I was waiting for a friend to join me I had a flight of single barrel bourbons. But then, it was time! I tried the riesling flight, as well as the pork and quail dishes. The Ackermann Kabinett Feinherb was the most dry of the 3 rieslings, which paired well with the sweetness of the spatchcocked quail. Meanwhile, the pork tenderloin was perfect in its hint of smoke and the oh so tender texture like ahi which I accompanied mostly with sips of the Philips Kabinett which was in the middle between dry and sweet. The Teutonic riesling which was the sweetest of the three I matched up with the kolrabi slaw and the bacon flecked bites of the German potato salad.

single barrel bourbon flight at the Rookery in Raven & Rose Schwenking and Riesling at Raven and Rose, Flight of Kabinett style Rieslings: 2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb/ 2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett / 2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Spatchcocked Quail with peaches, green beans, walnut sauce From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Spatchcocked Quail with peaches, green beans, walnut sauce From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Pork tenderloin, German potato salad, kolrabi slaw From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Pork tenderloin, German potato salad, kolrabi slaw From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Pork tenderloin, German potato salad, kolrabi slaw

Here are more upcoming stops on that tour (you can find more pictures also at the Schwenk Portland Facebook page) or you can also look at the NPR coverage of Tuttle and his schwenker here, including a simple pork recipe!

  • Accanto – July 14
  • Ned Ludd – July 21
  • Olympic Provisions NW – 7/28
  • Wildwood – August 1
  • Old Salt Marketplace – August 10
  • Sauvage – August 11
  • Grüner – August 17
  • Cheese Bar – August 18

And if you have not visited the Rookery before, get your butt over there! The atmosphere is relaxing and warm in their big open loft with 2 TVs and a pool table, several couches. And, a nice long bar to sidle up to and get an education on whiskeys or whatever you are thirsty for while listening to, if you are lucky, the deep husky voice of Dave Shenaut, bar director / president of the Oregon Bartender’s Guild, or Alan Akwai’s incredibly efficient way of mixing while simultaneously eloquently rolling a whole vocabulary of descriptors of flavors and knowing exactly what bottles or eye droppers or misters to reach for to concoct the perfect drink for your palate, all belying his fresh face. Well, I’m sure Dave is eloquent too but I was lulled by that voice. It doesn’t even matter what he’s saying.

I’ve written previously about how they have special beer events (Beer with the Bird, such as one I attended with Double Mountain and Logsdon and with cheese!!) and whiskey Wednesdays (including special event Raven & Rye Wild Turkey I attended and blogged about) so you can see more wonderfulness of my crush on the Rookery there. Please note the Rookery does not serve the full menu of the restaurant downstairs, though it seems they are experimenting with offering some more than just the bar snacks they have been doing so far (a ploughman’s platter was the most substantial item). There is another bar downstairs though, tended by Angel and she is also great at taking are of you, including one evening providing F an ice cube to put in his too hot soup so we didn’t have to wait so long to enjoy it.
A flight of single barrel bourbon at the Rookery, upstairs of the Raven & Rose Flight of Kabinett style Rieslings: 2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb/ 2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett / 2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard

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Eating Alone at a Restaurant

July 12, 2013 by 7 Comments

Do you ever feel weird eating alone in a restaurant? Or doing to a food festival event alone? I don’t.

I never think twice about anyone else I see eating alone- it doesn’t seem awkward or lonely to me. The only time it ever seems out of the ordinary is when the hostess at a restaurant asks me how many and after I reply, they say “Oh, Just one?” which dampens my “Yep” only for a moment as I realize not everyone is as comfortable with this and it may not be as common. I did a Google Search and it came up so many times with guides and advice on dining alone. What? It never even occurred to me that some people are intimidated or actively avoid it, or need tips on things to do while eating alone.

I have no problem with dining on my own- before I had smartphones (as I have been eating alone here or there ever since college), I would have a book I might read. Now, I might be reading RSS feeds or the news on my phone. Of course, both of these usually only work until the food appears. So most often I am people watching- curious about other diners, or I watch the restaurant work, and contemplate what today, right now, must be like from their perspective. And usually I get lost in my own thoughts.

Sometimes I sit at the bar. The bar might have a TV, but most of the time, the TV is just a front though- I might only be watching until something on the screen sparks a thought, and then I follow that thought down the rabbit hole. Sometimes, I am at the bar because it is a really trendy restaurant but getting a seat for one at the bar where I still have access to the menu is a great sneaky way to get in without the wait. Sometimes, I am actually sitting at the bar because I want to eavesdrop which might be harder to do depending on the restaurant seating arrangements. See above paragraph about taking in other perspectives.

At a food festival, attending alone means I can go at the perfect pace for me, in the order I want. And if I want to just take 2 bites and then put the rest in a ziploc bag in my purse and move on, I can and be less self conscious about the fact I have a purse full of accumulated food. Though, I guess I just announced I do this to the internets…

But many times, I will make a reservation on OpenTable- yes, for one. And I will sit at that table in the restaurant by myself and enjoy it. I won’t rush either- in fact I will often enjoy and savor my food more because I am not multi-tasking with conversation.

In fact I sometimes treasure being able to eat alone at a restaurant because it means I can be as greedy as I want. 

I might order the most expensive dish, or a dinner of all appetizers and sides, or 3 dishes that all have cheese since I love cheese and no one can stop me! I don’t have to share and can pick and eat all the crunchy bits off the dish before they go into the take home box(es) and get soggy. I don’ t have to worry if there is a vegetarian option for F. I don’t have to coordinate schedules of anyone to try the place. I don’t have to be social- I can just enjoy the food and my own thoughts, I can think over my workday or other internal matters I just need to work through mentally and not get distracted. 

So on the last night in San Diego when F just wanted to relax and watch TV in the room, I didn’t hesitate to go on my own to LOUNGEsix, the rooftop outdoor lounge overlooking the Gas Lamp quarter on the Solamar Terrace. I decided to sit at the bar. Part of the area was partitioned off for a wedding (where you see the tents), and there were also a few scattered drinkers/diners around in the darkness of that evening. Some of the other guests seemed to be there for work, although I did overhear a group of 4 people (half male, half female) come up and the guys then ask the bartender for whatever shot of liquid panty removers he could concoct. Two women also came up to the bar and introduced two guys that happened to already be sitting there a shot with chaser as an opener to conversation. I don’t think the shot buyers in both these cases were in San Diego for work. Probably.

LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining

As for myself, I had the Chili Mango Margarita with chili infused Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila, Cointreau, mango syrup, and house sour mix, which came in a generous size. And then there was the Raw Vegetable Salad with Burrata, summer squash, squash blossoms, carrots, cucumber, croutons. This was one of the most prettiest salads I have ever seen. And seriously, I love burrata, and the fact there was a good amount of it, but moreso I loved the freshness of everything that was on this plate and play of textures.

Chili Mango Margarita with chili infused Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila, Cointreau, mango syrup, and house sour mix at LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining Raw Vegetable Salad with Burrata, summer squash, squash blossoms, carrots, cucumber, croutons at LOUNGESix, Solamar Terrace, San Diego Gas Lamp district, outdoor dining, rooftop dining

I also ordered a cheese plate, which was full of greatness, but is not pictured. That’s because even I have a ceiling when it comes to dining alone. The wedding party had been playing romantic Spanish guitar music for a while during their dinner service, and then had just transitioned to the first dance of the bride and groom, and then the dances with the parents and bridal party. Meanwhile on TV was being shown a montage of various men and women in the military who had served now surprising their loved ones with their return home. With the music playing around me, and then looking at the tears of joy and loving embraces of relief of the wives, children, and pets made me a little teary eyed as well, and I decided I could just take that cheese plate to go and watch some TV (apparently, Treehouse Masters, where they brought Ireland to California) with F snuggled back at our hotel room. I mean, I’m only human.

And also I rocked the rest of that cheese plate for breakfast, blue cheese in the morning, yeah!

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