Food and Drink Archives - Page 170 of 214 - Pechluck's Food Adventures

The Welcome Discovery of Pavlova at Picnic House

August 18, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

A dinner at the Picnic House recently introduced me to this wonderful dessert that I had never heard of before, pavlova. Ah, this light airy goodness of egg whites and sugar into meringue with fresh berries and vanilla cream. At first this plate looked intimidating as it is basically the size of a whole pie but then we realized you were being given the best part, the crunchy top half, a thin shell of firmness surrounding an inside that melted in our mouth so quickly that we needed another spoonful carefully balancing crisp bits of meringue with soft vanilla cream and such beautiful sweet strawberry in each bite to extend the rush.

Pavlova at Picnic House, from Pechluck at pechluck1.typepad.com

I also discovered my favorite two cocktails that the Picnic House offers from their cocktail menu. After trying the lighter cocktail sparklers of the Fleur de Lis and Sauvie on previous visits, this time I welcomed the Moulin Rouge martini with Indio Marionberry infused vodka, Clear Creek Blackberry liqueur, blueberry simple syrup, fresh squeezed lemon and garnished with a pickled blueberry, a combination of sweet with a touch of tart so it was not too sweet. But, my favorite was The Nymph cocktail, both delicate and strong, with Pink Spruce gin, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a simple syrup muddled with cucumber. Refreshing citrusy but you can feel the magic afterwards!

Picnic House cocktail Moulin Rouge martini Picnic House Nymph cocktail

The atmosphere is still as charming as I previously wrote about, and they still have a nice selection of side dishes and an unbelievably addictive chocolate cake as mentioned here also. Did I also mention how wonderful the Picnic House pavlova was?

Picnic House pavlova

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: blueberry simple syrup, Clear Creek Blackberry liqueur, craft cocktail, dessert, Indio Marionberry infused vodka, Moulin Rouge martini, pavlova, pdx cocktail, PDX desserts, picnic house, Picnic House Pavlova, Pink Spruce gin, portland cocktail, Portland desserts, The Nymph cocktail

Summer Patio Dining at Limo

August 14, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

I still am surprised to see Limo with their offering of Peruvian small plates, sangria, no corkage fees for Oregon wines and their large outdoor patio not on the PDX hot list, but the better for me to enjoy a leisurely summer dinner outside on a Saturday night. I was sad to see that the delicious lamb rack I had last visit (one year ago) was not on the menu. I ended up going with mostly small plates anyway… the better to have room for dessert at Salt & Straw up the street.

We started with the Classic Ceviche of fish tossed with Limo chili, cilantro and lime juice, topped with julienne onions, which came in a generous portion. The Causa, a dish of potato mashed with lime juice, Aji Amarillo chili and spices, this one with mushrooms, was ok but although the size was more appealing than when I had causa at Andina, the flavors were blander.

Another appetizer which I added to compose my combo of small plates entree, was Anticuchos, skewers marinated in Panca chili, black mint and spices with golden potatoes and drizzled with anticucho sauce, had good flavor for the beef skewers but were chewy dry meat once you went past the outside. Yuquitas con Huancaina, Fried yucca with a yellow pepper cheese sauce, had a nice crispy air puff quality, but the sauce again seemed very mild, although I liked that it had the slightest hint of heat to it.

The Asparagus with feta and white truffle oil drizzle was perfect as is: I love when it is lots of thin asparagus as there is more area exposed to char, and the addition of the saltiness from the feta and richness from the white truffle oil enhanced the fresh soft tip and firm crunch of the asparagus. The Arroz con Mariscos Tradicional, seafood, peas and rice cooked paella style, came brimming with seafood but didn't have the slight toast to the rice that you would expect from the advertised paella style.

I was disappointed that two other small plates I wanted were out of stock that evening. I guess I'll have to try it when I return on some future visit. Next time, I think perhaps Limo could be a starting point to a progressive dinner that includes sangria and small plates in the open air patio which I think are Limo's strengths, and then move north on NW 23rd for more courses.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: causa, ceviche, limo peruvian, yucca

A Summer Dinner at Gruner: Savory Alpine food served with apathy

August 11, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

A Friday early evening dinner at Gruner started with the fried smashed fingerling potatoes that came with a special sauce that was essentially the equivalent of ranch dressing. Thankfully, the Gruner bread service which includes a soft rye loaf and pretzel bread more than made up for this starter of crispy texture but greasy flavor.

On the bread plate I enjoyed the contrast between the butter and doughyness of the rye and the more firm salted texture of the pretzel, and it delivered on both presentation to match the modern clean atmosphere as well as flavor and texture that reinforces the Gruner philosophy of classic German foundation with a contemporary perspective. Yes, they offer bratwurst and sauerkraut and schnitzel, but with intentions towards also adding layers of avant-garde sophistication. It’s too bad the waiter seemed reluctant to provide it- the appetizer came out before another server passing by asked if I would like some… and then 5 minutes later my waiter came by and asked if I would like some bread, as if he had heard the offer from the other server and now had to reluctantly follow through with this inconvenience.

Gruner, alpine food, fried smashed fingerling potatoes, Portland restaurant Gruner, alpine food, bread plate, rye loaf and pretzel bread, Portland restaurant

The entree of braised chicken alsacienne with hen of the woods mushrooms, fava beans, riesling, crème fraîche, crisp shallots & tarragon, served with quark spätzle offered juicy flavorful chicken with a crispy outside and moist savory inside with spatzle which had a nice soft very light texture, though I wished the spatzle had a bit more crispness in spots (similar to gnocchi, a little sear is a gratifying detail).

The housemade soda offering of cucumber dill verjus was a sparkling crisp contrast for the meal. The beverage softened the fact that my waiter never brought me back my boxed up leftovers. After waiting for a while, I flagged down another server in order to ask if the box existed or was the other half of my entree thrown away. At 6pm the place wasn’t even busy yet- only 3 other tables in the dining room, a few people at the bar counter, though all the seats outside were filled, being premium people watching spots in the warm but not hot yet August weather.

I really enjoyed the food and the concept, despite the hesitant and apathetic service I received. I think next time I’ll try for the bar, as the only smile from the staff during the entire meal was from the hostess and bartendress. Most of the care from the staff I saw was in concern for making the various empty chairs in the rest of the restaurant and place settings perfectly straight. I saw them adjusted here or there by multiple hands the entire visit, and they did look quite neat and orderly.

housemade soda offering of cucumber dill verjus, Gruner, alpine food, Portland restaurant braised chicken alsacienne with hen of the woods mushrooms, fava beans, riesling, crème fraîche, crisp shallots tarragon, served with quark spätzle, Gruner, alpine food, Portland restaurant

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: gruner, pretzel, soda, spatzle

Bailey’s Taproom 5th Anniversary Gloriousness 2007-2012

August 8, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Besides the fact that this Bailey’s Taproom 5th Anniversary celebration of an After Party included advanced ticketing only and limited to 100 people, and a 20 oz 5th anniversary snifter glass for your beer pours at the event and to take home, as well as open taps for all 5 hours and 5 beers not available on Saturday and (wait there’s more!), there was also a glorious cornucopia of complimentary charcuterie from Olympic Provisions and artisan cheese from Cheese Bar, curated by Steve Jones, winner of the national 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational, there he was also behind the counter, diligently keeping the counter full of snackitys.

The Olympic Provisions contribution included their mortadella, pork and pistachio terrine, and the dry cured salami styles of Saucisson d’Alsace (one of my favorites sausages they produce because of the interesting tingle it has from the cinnamon and nutmeg), Saucisson Sec, and touch of spicy Sopressata (from chili flakes) and Chorizo Rioja (from paprika).

All of these went well with any of the amazing barrel aged beers during the event- I don’t know if you can ever mismatch any of these with anything, all of them are so tasty. The only item which was a little harder to eat was the sliced mortadella because of its size, though I understand it would have taken a lot of extra prep to slice them into baguette sized (and maybe top them with a toothpick and cornichon)- usually those slices are perfect sized for awesome sandwiches, not snacking on.

Meanwhile, Steve brought

fresh Samish Bay Ladysmith (perfect for the tasty Upright Bailey’s Fifth Anniversary Six with cherry, currant, and sweet vermouth in Pinot barrel and the Commons Cascadian Table Beer Amber with Brett Lambicus in Gin barrel), this was the mildest cheese and probably was the reason this was the first to run out
the slightly funkier Mon Sire Raclette (I prefer it warmed and melted which softens the pungency while bringing out more flavor and cream, so paired these with sours and hoppier beers),
the boldly sharp Hooks 5 year cheddar (which found its match in the Block 15 Imagine and other >10% beers such as the Stone 2008 Imperial Russian Stout in Bourbon barrel and the Uinta Labyrinth Imperial Black Ale in Rye Whiskey barrel),
and Rogue Smokey Blue (also good with any strongly alcoholed beer) that had a smokey salty flavor.

Beer at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness
Steve Jones of Cheese Bar offering cheeses and charcuterie at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness

Filed Under: Beer Review, Cheese, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: anniversary, bailey's taproom, cheese, cheese bar, olympic provisions, salami

A Visit to Chicago

August 6, 2012 by Pechluck 3 Comments

In for a surprise party, we stayed at the Marriott downtown so we could convieniently visit some of our old and new Chicago stops. Our lunch stop was F’s favorite Thai restaurant (he would order from them sometimes 2-3 times a week until his office moved out of their delivery area), Garlic and Chili Thai. Despite being gone to Portland for 3 years, the owner/chef still remembered us. We started out with the very light fried tofu served with sweet and sour sauce, topped with ground peanuts. We have not found a fried tofu that is less greasy and as lightly fried as these. Then, the other two standby plates of Massamun Curry with coconut milk, white onion, carrot and potato, and Pad Se-Ew, stir fried wide rice noodles with eggs, broccoli and carrot in sweet soy sauce. On the wall was a sign from Grubwithus celebrating their Pad Thai… which we realized we had never even tried. Next time.

We met up with some old friends at Beer Bistro, where we enjoyed their conveyer belt fans and beers (and $5 martinis) until the fact it was IPA day and the launch of Hopothesis brewery made the place so packed (although our waitress was very attentive, making sure to check on us even though the place was super slammed), we retreated from the West Loop to Randolph street and Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Our last stop for those of us with alcohol endurance was The Aviary, with their cocktail kitchen and showmanship presentations of said cocktails (as well as little bites) clearly inspired by Aliniea and El Bulli, with a stop at G Cue Billiards while we waited to get in at Aviary. If it hadn’t already been so late I might have allowed a few games of pool, and I wanted to get to Aviary.

The next day, I really needed something to calm my stomach… and as I was also craving Chicago style deep dish pizza, that meant Lou Malnati’s. Since the pizzas take 30-45 minutes to fire up, we started with an appetizer of Stuffed Spinach Bread: “A Malnati creation, this crusty handmade loaf is served fresh out of the oven, stuffed with a delicious blend of cheeses, fresh spinach, garlic, onion and chunks of tomato”. This sucker is filling, which is even though we ordered individual 6″ pizzas we only were able to finish half of it- well, more for later! We had the “Lou” with Fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese, and also the “Malnati Chicago Classic” which uses its specialty of the house, Lou’s lean sausage, along with some extra cheese, and vine-ripened tomato sauce” with both pizzas of course on their famous Buttercrust.

Our hotel was next to the Purple Pig, so of course I had to visit. Most stomach capacity was filled up by Lou Malnati’s, so two glasses of wine and two appetizers were all I had. I started out with what I wanted so much that I was willing to brave the 1-2 hour wait (longer depending on size of your party, obviously, and it as a Fri night so this seemed fair as they take no reservations… and you could order drinks from the bar and wait outside, at least soaking in the Chicago River scented breeze) but lucked out with a place at the bar: Burrata Pugliese with Peas, Radish, Celery, Spring Micro Greens & Aceto Balsamico. Delicious! From the Smears section of the menu, Pork Neck Bone Gravy with Ricotta was complex in flavor but the fact it was a hot dish and the weather was so unbearably hot and humid made it less appreciated. I only wish I had more room at the time for more food.