Beer in San Diego

July 10, 2013 by 3 Comments

I don’t discriminate against beverages- juices, sodas, hard liquors, cocktails, beer, wine… I am equal opportunity for deliciousness. This post however, happens to be highlighting beer in San Diego while I was there the last week in June because I did happen to have quite a bit of it. I was there for a few days for work, but then extended my stay over the weekend into vacation, with F joining me on Friday. F drinks mainly just beer. San Diego has lots of great craft beer- I only covered the tip of the iceberg here, and hope to continue my exploration when I return to San Diego March 2014.

Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing

First, I had a sampler with some of the guys I was working with on my work trip at Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing. I didn’t believe anything was so good I would go back on a second trip- it was more of the close location and the laid back atmosphere of a sports bar with lots of moving pictures on the many screens to relax after a day of work that drew us there. From the sampler, my favorite was the McGarvey’s Scottish Ale, but sitting outside the light Paradise Pale Ale Duck Dive Hefeweizen and California Gold also hit the spot.

Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California, sampler tray, beer sampler Oggi's Pizza and Brewing, San Diego, California, sampler tray, beer sample

Second, when F arrived, we had a beercation, where we visited on our first Friday evening two gastropubs in the Gas Lamp district reknown for their vast beer selection.

Ok, first, I have to admit we stayed at the Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton hotel, which means every evening they have a complimentary 1 hour beer and wine social to sample local beverages for guests. So F and I were able to try the Dawn Patrol Dark by Port Brewing Company. This was a special seasonal beer that was nice and chewy English style dark ale with its nutty maltiness. Perhaps I had it the next evening as well. And then we went out for more beer at two places. Yes.

Knotty Barrel and Neighborhood in the Gas Lamp district

The first, Knotty Barrel we stumbled upon on the way to our destination and decided to stay for a short visit. It was after all, already on the way… Also it was damn hot and we wanted a rest under their roof for shade and refreshment to continue our quest. We were impressed with the huge list of beers on the wall, and that they had a long card to fill out of 16 options for putting together your own small sampler of up to four 4oz pours if you didn’t want full glasses/bottles from their extensive menu of 22 drafts and more than 80 bottles. After a DunkelWeizen by Stumblefoot Brewing Company and Hefeweizen by Black Market Brewing Co. which were my favorites of what I sampled, it was time to move on.

Knotty Barrel, San Diego, East Village, gastropub Knotty Barrel, San Diego, East Village, gastropub

So refreshed, we headed towards Neighborhood, with their tap of only 25 drafts and 50 bottles, but their selection had more unique beers, including those that were harder to find and higher alcohol/barrel aged. Because of working up to lunch earlier that day and then logistics of shipping boxes back to work and airport drop off of coworkers and retrieval of F, I had eaten lunch rather late and was not very hungry for dinner. S

o, I found myself continually reading the script of beers on the chalkboard and in the helpfully named “These Are The Things You Drink” drink booklet. In retrospect, maybe I was not very hungry for dinner because I was all full of liquid, such as Biere de Chocolat by Almanac Beer and 10 Commandments by Lost Abbey, and because we had not enjoyed it before a Chimay Blanche (Cinq Cents).

Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub Neighborhood, San Diego, Gas Lamp Quarter, gastropub

Stone World Brewing World Bistro and Gardens

Saturday, we wandered the 1 acre garden at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. The atmosphere here is a wondrous escape, where you can just order a beer and then walk the backyard with its small streams, a waterfall, various patio furniture, seats around a firepit or two or three… and what would be usually mild San Diego weather. The bistro portion is vast, seating hundreds, with soaring ceilings and a mix of wood and stone (naturally) and a small river that runs inside the restaurant with koi. One side are huge glass doors which opens up the the outside tables for dining, which further expand out to the aforementioned gardens. This is probably about 30 minutes outside of San Diego and I was driving, so I limited myself to a single Stone Smoked Porter.

My only disappointment was that we didn’t see many unique beers that you could not see anywhere else on tap or in bottles at the World Bistro. So we actually ended up trying new beers by ordering other bottles they had on their menu (and at least they do offer a pretty good selection there!), such as Beaver Milk Stout by Belching Beaver and a Goudenband by Brouwerij Liefmans

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido

Brunch at Karl Strauss in Sorrento Mesa

Next, Sunday was brewery visit day, where we started with the brunch buffet of Karl Strauss Brewing Company.

Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

The location we visited at Sorrento Mesa included a gorgeous view of Japanese Gardens and a koi pond as you enjoyed a beer flight with your brunch OR a beer mimosa which mixed their Windansea Wheat hefeweizen with champagne. I was SO full from their generous offerings at their brunch buffet. Items included an omelet station, bagels with cream cheese that you could further top with smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy, a pasta station, a carved meat station, little waffles you could top with strawberries and cream, a selection of fresh cut fruit too, warm chips that you could scoop artichoke cheese dip, boneless buffalo wings, little bbq ribs, a whole table of baked goods for sweet desserts, cocktail shrimp and ahi tuna…

In fact, they even suggested pairings with a board on the wall that suggested certain items of food to enjoy with the offerings of their featured june brunch beer flight. For instance, they suggested their raspberry hef balsamic salad or blueberry crumb tart with their Winadansea Wheat, the Red trolley BBQ Pork shanks or beer brined roasted turkey with their Red Trolley ale, the blue cheese salad, boneless buffalo wings, or Thai basil curried chicken with their Tower 10 IPA, or the blackened salmon with mango salsa or carrot cake with their Blackball Belgian IPA.

sign from Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

I was stuffed for the rest of the day. The service was great – even though they were really busy, servers made sure to take away our plates, check on our drinks, refill champagne in mimosas, even come around with samples of some of their beer for the tables.

sign from Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location of the beer mimosa using Windansea Wheat hefeweizen, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California Karl Strauss Brewing Company, view at Sorrento Mesa location with Japanese Garden, San Diego, California

Green Flash Brewing Company

This brewery visit was then followed by a visit to Green Flash, with their 20 taps, including some which don’t really get to Oregon and stay local. An example of this was a Saison Diego golden farmhouse ale brewed with Seville orange peels, Chinese ginger that was very refreshing but carried interesting flavor profiles even in its lightness. I also liked their Barleywine and their Double Stout With Serrano Chiles. The Green Flash tasting room is part of their warehouse/production facility, with most standing along the long counters that curve in a U from the entrance, although there is a small area of outside seating, and a different food truck that visits outside that you can purchase food from to balance the beers. Definitely a different atmosphere from which we had just visited.

Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, California

Pizza Port at Solana Beach

And then one more different kind of atmosphere- we finished up with pizza and beer while enjoying the Pacific Ocean breezes at Pizza Port at Solana Beach. This pizza joint/brewery is small and open to families, including the requisite arcade games in the back and bench shared seating that is first come first serve. You go up to the counter and order, and then wait to hear your name called and go back to pick up your pizza. They did have an interesting selection of beers to select from besides their own brews, and the pizza combinations were above the norm. For instance, F (since I was still full) ordered a pizza with asparagus and squash, which you see me enjoying with my choice of their selections that visit, Saison De Mule

Pizza Port, Solana Beach, San Diego, California Pizza Port, Solana Beach, San Diego, California

Coronado Brewing

The last beers before we returned to Portland was at Coronado Brewing and it was my last chance at fish tacos- Wahoo Fish tacos with onion rings. Here, my favorites were the refreshing Orange Avenue Wit you see below, as well as a smoked style beer from the sampler F created (you could get a sampler of their core, or write your own selected sampler on a postcard which you could then mail to yourself/others) called Rauche Sham Bo.

Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado Island, San Diego, California

Too late for our visit, but perhaps not too late for you… Untappd (which is how I track my beers- ok, if I remember to check them in, a great app you can use to understand what you like and don’t like or remember what you had before, or help look up when deciding beers to order) and Brews Up (a craft beer promotions organization and membership program in San Diego) are teaming up to put together a brew based scavenger hunt that will take you to up to 60 different breweries in the San Diego area. This was entirely coincidence that I was writing this post last night and this contest starts today until September 2. The scavenger hunt involves reading clues and then checking in a beer at that brewery’s location using Untappd at 16 of the 60 breweries that are answers to the riddles. The grand prize are a pair of VIP tickets aboard the Brews Cruise, San Diego’s 1st ever floating craft beer festival, and other prizes include some prizes that are geared a bit more towards San Diego locals, but also brewery merchandise, so don’t feel like you can’t go enjoy a Beer Vacation even if you don’t live in San Diego.

I wish they were doing something like that in Portland- I don’t even need a grand prize, just making it a game on promoting and knowing your local breweries sounds educational and fun! July is Oregon Craft Beer Month though, so you should still expect more beer reports coming up- I’m just getting started!

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Manhattan Beach Post

July 8, 2013 by 3 Comments

The last week of June, I spent in LA and San Diego. One of the best restaurant experiences I had during that trip was at Manhattan Beach Post. The day was beautiful, with lots of sunshine streaming down upon us and a slight ocean breeze as we arrived at Manhattan Beach. After our dinner of lots of small plates and some cocktails, we had a walk to aid our digestion along Manhattan Beach Pier.

The restaurant, also known as M.B. Post,  was just opening for its dinner service as we arrived, with the front windowed walls thrown open to take in the summer weather, and the wood with modern metal frames throughout the restaurant gave off a beachy chic while touches of nostalgia were brought in with multiple post boxes and the menu delivered in an envelope like a mail package.

Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles  Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

We started out with their infamous bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter. They are worth the hype, warm, gooey with cheese inside and speckled with bits of delicious salty bacon and everything was gone from when we each picked ours up just a few minutes either. The maple butter was not needed. If we had not already ordered a third of the menu I might have been tempted for another round.
bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits with maple butter, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

Now let me pause to discuss some of the handcrafted cocktails. The impressive looking Mo-Pho-Jito, a mojito with starr, kaffir lime, mint, ginger, and coriander honey and a name that makes you roll your eyes but also crack a smile as you order it. The Manhattan Avenue, a manhattan with templeton rye, vanilla, caramel, and bacon dust. You read right, Bacon Dust.

Then, there was the hint of apple pie but not too sweet with cocktail named The Fall of Man, penicillin with compass box ‘oak cross’, apple, maple, cinnamon. And, the Hearts of Darkness, matador with hacienda de chihuahua, pineapple, basil, clove, smoke, oh so much smokiness. Also, finally, the cocktail called Avila’s Heir, a clean citrusy palate cleansing margarita with corralejo reposado, serrano, mandarin, yuzu.
Mo-Pho-Jito, a mojito with starr, kaffir lime, mint, ginger, and coriander honeyManhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles The Manhattan Avenue, a manhattan with templeton rye, vanilla, caramel, and bacon dust. You read right, Bacon Dust. Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles cocktail named The Fall of Man, penicillin with compass box oak cross, apple, maple, cinnamon, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles cocktail named Hearts of Darkness, matador with hacienda de chihuahua, pineapple, basil, clove, smoke, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles cocktail named Avila's Heir, a margarita with corralejo reposado, serrano, mandarin, yuzu, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

Now back to the food, to our meal of the small plates between the four of us. The ones we loved the most were:

  • Raviolo- it was a seasonal special of egg yolk raviolo with herb ricotta, snap peas, baby artichokes, red onion jam, and lardo. We attempted to share (each plate had a single supersize ravioli aka raviolo we split in half) and we carefully spooned the broken yolk as we cut the raviolo as to not lose it on the plate. This was the most delicate dish of the evening, and I relished it because of this.
  • Roasted brussels sprouts with emmental, hazelnuts, sage, which prompted an amusing discussion at our table on the difference between “roasted/browned” and “slightly burned”. Of course the key is charred kind of caramelization, which these sprouts had plenty of
  • Blistering Blue Lake Green Beans with thai basil, chili sauce, and crispy pork was a bright dish of fresh flavors that had no surviving green beans left
  • BBQ Moroccan Lamb Belly with harissa caramelized onions, Japanese eggplant was essentially a love note to sticky caramelization
  • White Oak Grilled Skirt Steak with grilled broccolini and red chimichurri- as you can see, it comes as a layered dish of broccolini, skirt steak, broccolini, skirt steak, one of the best stacks ever!

Raviolo- it was a seasonal special of egg yolk raviolo with herb ricotta, snap peas, baby artichokes, red onion jam, and lardo, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Roasted brussels sprouts with emmental, hazelnuts, sage, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Blistering Blue Lake Green Beans with thai basil, chili sauce, and crispy pork, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles BBQ Moroccan Lamb Belly with harissa caramelized onions, Japanese eggplant, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles White Oak Grilled Skirt Steak with grilled broccolini and red chimichurri, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles White Oak Grilled Skirt Steak with grilled broccolini and red chimichurri, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

The tasty, but not quite as oh wow reactions as the above dishes, were:

  • Fleur De Sel Pretzel, with “David’s nuclear horseradish mustard” I think oversold us with the name of the mustard but was decent
  • A charcuterie plate- the only negative surprise of the evening as we asked for them to put together a charcuterie plate for us to share rather than picking and ordering some of the individual 5 meats in their cured meats section, and then when we got the check we saw their interpretation of this request was to put all 5 of the meats at full price/full portions, plus a $2 mustard order they put on the board, totalling that charcuterie plate at a cost of $63! Surprise!
    Anyway, the cured meats included La Quercia Spec, an applewood smoked americano prosciutto raised by Heritage Acres; Picante Salami, by Cristiano Creminielli from Utah; La Quercia ‘Tamworth’ Prosciutto and also      La Quercia ‘Acorn Edition’ Coppa, both raised by Russ Kremer from Czarks, Missouri; and Cabacero de Iberico de Bellota Puro from Extremadora, Spain. The $2 mustard selection included pink pepercorn, stout, and redwine mustards.
  • Grilled Yellowtail with smashed cauliflower, crispy onions, romesco sauce was a great steaky cut but without the romesco sauce to help it, seemed to me a underseasoned and a bit dry on the outside as if it didn’t spend enough time in a flavored olive oil marinade before hitting the flames 
  • Broccoflower with lemon, caper, chili flake, parmesan was a great idea for a dish, but based on how hard the florets were seemed like they could have used a few more minutes to soften them up just a smidge more

Fleur De Sel Pretzel, with horseradish mustard, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Charcuterie Plate, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles. The cured meats included La Quercia Spec, an applewood smoked americano prosciutto raised by Heritage Acres; Picante Salami, by Cristiano Creminielli from Utah; La Quercia 'Tamworth' Prosciutto and also La Quercia 'Acorn Edition' Coppa, both raised by Russ Kremer from Czarks, Missouri; and Cabacero de Iberico de Bellota Puro from Extremadora, Spain. The mustard selection included pink pepercorn, stout, and redwine mustards Grilled Yellowtail, smashed cauliflower, crispy onions, romesco sauce, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles Broccoflower with lemon, caper, chili flake, parmesan, Manhattan Beach Post restaurant, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

Despite my notes on the second string dishes, they were still tasty, it was just a matter that we were not polishing it completely off because they were so amazing, unlike the the first string dishes I mentioned.

Looking at the beauty of the food above, it’s no wonder that when I tried to make reservations even a week before, the only two openings for our party were at 5:30 or at 8:30 even on a Tuesday evening. We got there when it first opened for dinner service, and this place quickly got busy, the tables all filling up and every chair occupied. My dining companions had a good time along with I grooving to the good background of fun rock music, the staff was smooth in providing recommendations and checking on us to keep us happy with beverages. Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere, great service, this place has it all together.

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Bäco Mercat and Bar Amá in Downtown LA

July 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The last week of June I spent in California, travelling from LA to San Diego for work, and then staying the weekend in San Diego for vacation. Here’s a look back at some of my eating adventures from that trip.

For my first evening’s California dinner, my sister/LA resident recommended Bäco Mercat, listed by Alan Richman as one of the top twelve restaurants in the LA as well as getting recognized by Bon Appetit and Los Angeles Magazine and LA Weekly. Just a block away was Bar Amá. Both of these restaurants are only a block away from each other downtown in LA, both owned by Josef Centeno. Both celebrate bold flavor.

Instead of choosing just one, we decided to visit both. A progressive dinner! One thing I should note is that this area is just a few blocks away from Skid Row, so you may want to exercise some caution on what streets you travel through if you visit for dinner. Suddenly you may turn down a street and just see people standing around, a mix the sadness of homeless and abused and the menace of mentally unstable and pushers, as garbage piles on the street and perhaps blows across before your car like you stepped into a modern post-apocalypse part of town. Yet, Bäco Mercat and Bar Amá are part of the Old Bank District, where I saw grand old bank buildings, a Mercedes park at a meter, and across the street bright lights twinkled from a cupcake storefront (Big Man Bakes).

First, after cheering for the Blackhawks at cool but weird dive bar Bar 107, we then headed to our 7:45pm reservation. For first dinner at Bäco Mercat, we started out selecting from their menu of sandwiches (baco, a sandwich made with flatbread that for me was reminded me of shawarma), their homemade bazole soup, and a few small plates. Unfortunately the lighting wasn’t great with my point and shoot, but here is what we had at this bar of small plates that celebrates fusion flavors from Mexico, Spain and the Mediterranean. Inside, the atmosphere mixes metal punctuated with yellow tinged lighting and the blue of their napkins and butcher paper on the table for an industrial urban feel.

Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

We kicked off with the “caesar” brussels sprouts with pecorino, anchovy, garlic. Another dish was the tasty Bacon-Wrapped Half Hen with cucumber, kumquat, quinoa. The brussels sprouts were decent but seemed overdressed in this case- I preferred the ones I will be showing you in the next post from M.B. Post. On the other hand, I did like the hen with its mix of savory bacon and chicken with the brightness of the cucumber and kumquat and the toothsome texture of the quinoa. And, it was a magnificent looking plate.

Caesar brussels sprouts with pecorino, anchovy, garlic, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining Bacon-Wrapped Half Hen with cucumber, kumquat, quinoa, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

Then was the arrival of the signature baco sandwiches. I shared the Baco Sandwich Original with pork, beef carnitas, and salbitxada, and also got a taste of the Beef Tongue Schnitzel baco with harissa, smoked aioli, pickle. The chunks of pork belly were generous in the Baco Original, and I found myself sometimes picking out a piece to eat on its own. This is a pretty messy sandwich to eat, and you will be wiping that salbitxada sauce (pronounced salbi-tch-ada, a mix of tomato, vinegar, olive oil, chilis, garlic, parsley, and almond to make a kind of pesto) from your face and trying to tuck the ends of that arugula into your mouth. I liked the tender yet crispy beef tongue schnitzel, though I am unsure if I could handle a whole sandwich of it. I was too engrossed in my own dinner party companions, but I wonder how the beautiful people around me managed to still look good while eating this sandwich…

Baco Sandwich Original with pork, beef carnitas, and salbitxada, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining Baco Sandwich Original with pork, beef carnitas, and salbitxada, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining Baco Sandwich Original with pork, beef carnitas, and salbitxada, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining Beef Tongue Schnitzel baco with harissa, smoked aioli, pickle, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

I felt that the star of this first dinner however was not the baco that Josef invented, but the the not photogenic but complete fireworks of flavor in your mouth Bazole soup with housemade noodle, pork chili broth, pork and beef, carnitas, mushroom, and fried egg. Holy moly. It almost got to be too much and I needed something to calm my mouth down because there was so much going on.
Bazole soup with housemade noodle, pork chili broth, pork and beef, carnitas, mushroom, fried egg, Bäco Mercat, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

Our next stop, for second dinner, was Bar Amá. This restaurant doesn’t take reservations unlike Baco, and the viewpoint here is Josef Centeno’s homage to his grandmother and hometown San Antonio Tex-Mex nostalgia. The atmosphere here at Bar Amá was hip but more relaxed then the trendy buzz in the atmosphere from Bäco Mercat. Honestly, I liked my experience at Bar Amá better.

The rich delicious Tex Mex Queso, with chorizo added was so good I wish I could have poured it over rice and eaten it with a spoon, I will never be able to eat regular nacho cheese again without thinking upon this queso. What Bar Amá offers is that recognizable cheesy liquid gold, but celebrated in all its glory. We threw in another vegetable for our dinner here with the cauliflower and cilantro pesto with cashew and pine nuts and lime, but that kind of pesto brightened up with lime could go on any vegetable and honestly the size of the cauliflower here was a little big- everyone was cutting theirs down.

Tex Mex Queso, with chorizo, Bar Amá, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining cauliflower and cilantro pesto with cashew and pine nuts and lime, Bar Amá, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

What blew us all away and stretched the waists of our pants was the stunning chicken fried steak. We were taken aback by the size and moist tender meat and the size of this chicken fried ribeye steak with cream of wheat and fried egg. The crispy outside was just like eating the best extra crispy fried chicken skin, but inside was that juicy meat, and then you break that egg and have the yolk running outside and mixing with that cream of wheat as a soft sauce… Look at this impressive and wonderful thing. Be prepared to share. Thanks for the recommendation J!

chicken fried ribeye steak with cream of wheat and fried egg, Bar Amá, Josef Centeno, LA, downtown Los Angeles dining

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Spaghetti Carbonara

June 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

Since I grew up in a family that didn’t like cheese, it wasn’t until I went to college that I discovered how awesome just plain pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese is. It is my go to meal in an emergency when I need to fill my tummy quickly. By emergency, you can surmise I usually mean when my mental and physical state is more poor than usual, my tummy feels upset, often after some consumption of lots of liquids with some sort of alcohol component. Perhaps you can surmise that anyway.

I also learned in college from others that sprinkling cheese from a salad bar on top of hot rice is more than workable too (what!!?? People put rice and cheese together!??), and this made me even lazier than my previous ways which used to be fried rice or plain jasmine rice with Maggi Seasoning Sauce. I use a rice cooker, and so the upside of that is that instead of having to watch a pot of water boil (which inevitably will boil over, alerting me that it is now time to put in the pasta), I can just really stick the rice and water in and walk away until I hear the click from the rice cooker that it’s done.

But college days and those early 20s are over. Ok, so I still eat those things (in particular, fried rice is a great way to use old rice from takeout or dining out). And sometimes out of laziness hot rice with a sprinkle of cheese is easier and faster in a pinch than making mac and cheese, although it probably will make most Asians shudder.

Sometimes, I try to get a bit gourmet. By that, I mean I think making spaghetti carbonara is a nicely refined backup when I am making a meal alone but am not so desperate for comfort in my stomach/dizzy that I can’t crack an egg and crumble some crispy bacon, all serving 1. The fact that I throw in a vegetable (even if they start from frozen peas) also makes me feel like “hey, I’m an adult. There’s a vegetable in there. It’s more sophisticated, see.”

Extra Note: Whenever I buy bacon, I will use a few strips fresh (or whatever my recipe calls for) and freeze the rest. My tip for freezing bacon is that I always freeze each piece individually in the saran wrap by folding them accordion style, just like you do when you make those creases for paper fans. That way, when I only need a couple pieces, I don’t have to break them off a huge slab of frozen bacon. I also always save the bacon juice- though in this case you will be using it right away as part of the recipe.

What’s your favorite comfort / sober up food?

Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg

Ingredients (serves 1):

  • 1/2 box of spaghetti
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 2 slices of bacon
  • 1/2 cup of chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1 cup of cooked peas (I steamed mine in the microwave)
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
  2. While the water is boiling, cook chopped bacon until crisp on a skillet. Remove the bacon and drain onto paper towels. Save the bacon fat in that skillet!
  3. While the water is boiling, I also beat the egg. Add the cheese and nutmeg, and beat it again. Set aside for later.
  4. Reuse that skillet to now cook the chopped onion until it is caramelized and translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook few minutes more. If you want, you can throw in other ingredients to your taste, such as peas, mushrooms, cream or splash of white wine… but will you be tempted to keep that wine out to eat with your pasta is a potential problem / opportunity :X
  5. Now to that pan, add the drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through. Remove the skillet from heat and add beaten eggs and toss quickly all throughout the pasta until the eggs are barely set. Finally, crumble the bacon in, add the cooked peas, and toss again. Add some ground pepper to taste.

Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg

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Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch 2013

June 25, 2013 by 8 Comments

Last Saturday, Portland Monthly‘s Country Brunch event was back! Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for “Best Bloody Mary” in the second-annual Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut. When entering, you receive a punchcard to sample each of these (shown in the order I sampled everything ,which was quite a feat but I felt compelled to gave a thorough report for you)…

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013. Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for a Bloody Mary Smackdown Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013. Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for a Bloody Mary Smackdown

Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut:
Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown

      • Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State’s proprietary okra pickles that were pickled for… a long time. I wish I remember, but I remember being really struck by how long of a time it was. And then I drank all the other bloodys and don’t remember. Sorry 🙁
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State's proprietary okra pickle Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State's proprietary okra pickle Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State's proprietary okra pickle
      • Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish. It was hard to resist just picking up an extra skewer.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnishPortland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish  Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish
      • Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered an OMG Bloody Mary with their “The Experiment #3” with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG. This was my personal favorite of the bloody marys I had. The seat I was able to grab so I can drink, eat, and take these photos was near his station so I watched his nimble fingers preparing these delectable drinks during my brunch.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered The Experiment #3 with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered The Experiment #3 with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered The Experiment #3 with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered The Experiment #3 with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG
      • Genies Cafe Horseradish Bloody courtesy of Nadia Mihalik included their house infused horseradish vodka and Genies bloody mary mix garnished with an olive, pepperoncini and celery, and a jalapeno infused salt rim
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Genies Cafe Horseradish Bloody courtesy of Nadia Mihalik included their house infused horseradish vodka and Genies bloody mary mix garnished with an olive, pepperoncini and celery, and a jalapeno infused salt rim
      • Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary  Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary
      • Le Bistro Montage Steve Dodge created the Bloody Miles with house-infused andouille sausage, Absolut vodka, horseradish, celery salt, lime, Worchestershrie, Tabasco, other spices and garnished with Spam gave me a smoky drink that set my mouth on fire in a very pleasant way. At this point, I had to make my way to the Whole Foods garnish station for some shrimp and mozz balls so I could taste what was coming next… I could see why this won Judge’s Choice.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Le Bistro Montage Steve Dodge created the Bloody Miles with house-infused andouille sausage, Absolut vodka, horseradish, celery salt, lime, Worchestershrie, Tabasco, other spices and garnished with Spam Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Le Bistro Montage Steve Dodge created the Bloody Miles with house-infused andouille sausage, Absolut vodka, horseradish, celery salt, lime, Worchestershrie, Tabasco, other spices and garnished with Spam
      • Irving Street Kitchen (Defending Champion) Michael “Fresh Mike Miller and Pete Koptiu” won People’s Choice with their Irving Street Bloody Mary
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Irving Street Bloody Mary Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Irving Street Bloody Mary

Featuring for country brunch food:

      • Kevin Atchley, Walt Alexander and Brian Snyder of Pine State Biscuits, whose sample was Ayers Creek cornmeal crusted Carolina catfish mini biscuits with vinegar slaw and sweet pickle remoulade.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kevin Atchley, Walt Alexander and Brian Snyder of Pine State Biscuits, whose sample was Ayers Creek cornmeal crusted Carolina catfish mini biscuits with vinegar slaw and sweet pickle remoulade, Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State's proprietary okra pickle Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kevin Atchley, Walt Alexander and Brian Snyder of Pine State Biscuits, whose sample was Ayers Creek cornmeal crusted Carolina catfish mini biscuits with vinegar slaw and sweet pickle remoulade
      • Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean’s showcased their bounty of baked goods all over their station, and it was hard to resist picking up an extra biscuit. But, they gave a pretty generous brunch sample that was a whole balanced plate. This included Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased their bounty of baked goods all over their station, and it was hard to resist picking up an extra biscuit. Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased their bounty of baked goods all over their station, and it was hard to resist picking up an extra biscuit. Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean's showcased Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust
      • Chef Dee of Genies Cafe were making their Classic Bene, with housemade Canadian bacon topped with a cage free poached egg and famous homemade hollandaise sauce on an English muffin
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Justin Johnson and Chef Dee of Genies Cafe were making their Classic Bene, with housemade Canadian bacon topped with a cage free poached egg and famous homemade hollandaise sauce on an English muffin Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Genies Cafe Horseradish Bloody courtesy of Nadia Mihalik included their house infused horseradish vodka and Genies bloody mary mix garnished with an olive, pepperoncini and celery, and a jalapeno infused salt rim, paired with the Genies Cafe brunch plate of Chef Dee's Classic Bene, with housemade Canadian bacon topped with a cage free poached egg and famous homemade hollandaise sauce on an English muffin
      • Gregory Gourdet of Departure served up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger I was feeling a bit too light headed from the Bloody Marys I had enjoyed to squee, but it definitely crossed my mind but thankfully my physical body was too slow. Instead, I returned and savored the extreme crunch and pops of bright flavors of this fried chicken biscuit. I picked this at the same time I had the Circa 33 Experiment #3 Bloody Mary and was in heaven.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Departure's Gregory Gourdet serves up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger
      • Patrick Fleming of Boke Bowl brought my personal choice for favorite bite, Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots.
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Boke Bowl Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots
      • Scott Dolich of Bent Brick provided the end to my brunch with Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushies
        Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushie from Bent Brick Scott Dolich

Guests could add additional garnishes to their Bloody Mary thanks to Whole Foods, who provided a station with inspiring natural ingredients for skewers, while another station had sweet bites next to a Blue Moon beer station for those who wanted a beer pairing instead of a Bloody Mary. Finally, everyone could finish off their meal of brunch and bloodies with a special Zenger Farm – inspired herbal ice cream by Ruby Jewel (I was seriously too stuffed to even partake, but it looked awesome) as well as enjoy alternate refreshing beverages from Blue Moon beer, Stumptown Coffee, or Joia natural sodas that included one that was Pineapple, Coconut & Nutmeg, and another of Lime, Hibiscus, and Clove, and in the background wonderful country twang entertainment by Caleb Klauder Country Band

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Whole Foods, Bloody Mary Smackdown, garnish station Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Whole Foods, Bloody Mary Smackdown, garnish station Portland Monthly's Country Brunch and Bloody Mary Smackdown, Joia Natural Soda provided an alternative refreshment For the Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2013 and Bloody Mary Smackdown, in the background wonderful country twang entertainment was provided by Caleb Klauder Country Band

100% of net proceeds will benefit Zenger Farm‘s new Urban Grange, an 8,960-square-foot facility on the farm for classes, business incubation, and events for its ongoing efforts to connect Portland communities to fresh-grown food. Zenger Farm is a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. There is an article about Zenger Farm’s commitment to community and connecting people to the food ecosystem from the ground up (literally) at the farm level here from Portland Monthly.

Portland Monthly Magazine always puts together amazing events, bringing exceptional food and drinks and setting up a gorgeous atmosphere in terms of decorations and entertainment. Every event I’ve attended has been fantastic and positive. They had many of their magazines splayed out on the table (I already subscribe) and is definitely worth getting the print edition so you can thumb through their beautiful photos. I also love their Eat Beat, and you can rely on them to help point you towards the best in Portland. I mean, just look at my experience from this- such an embarrassment of riches, they are so cool. You can see more photos at their slideshow of the party pics.

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