Pike Chocofest 2014 Recap, and 24 hours in Seattle

I attended the Pike Brewery Chocofest last year, and we had planned to attend again this year. We didn’t want to use up too many vacation days, and we agreed to spend just a little more than 24 hours in Seattle.  We bought the tickets about a month in advance using Bolt Bus because it was closer to our home than going to the Amtrak station. The plan was for us to to be leaving Sunday morning of the festival and returning during Monday afternoon.

This entire planned getaway happened to fall on Sunday February 9- the same long weekend as the Portland Snowpocalypse. This is what it looked like by us, and the streets. These photos are before Saturday night/Sunday morning- when the snow turned to rain and that turned to ice everywhere! Yes, that is an abandoned car across the street, and some 2 feet icicles. There were also little snowmen in the Park Blocks as well as the amusement of fellow Portland citizens skiing down the street or sledding down sidewalks around our neighborhood.

Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014

Escape from Portland

So given all the snow, and now the rain that was turning into ice, that found us on late Saturday night wondering if we would really be able to get out of Portland. It had already been 2 1/2 days with the many inches of snow already on the ground essentially shutting down the city on Friday. Many businesses did not open (there was even a twitter hashtag to find the shorter list of who WAS open). I saw snow continue to pile up on abandoned cars that were left behind in favor of walking, and already there had been some cancelled Bolt Bus routes. The Worst Ride of the Year event was scaled back and the Polar Plunge even cancelled because the extreme winter weather was too risky in terms of safety.

So I was not too surprised when I got an email and text at 5am on Sunday morning saying that the 8:30am bus I had booked for us had been cancelled and the fare refunded. The two bus routes afterwards were already sold out, which meant that we would not have gotten to Chocofest in time. I quickly checked Amtrak and was surprised it was still running, so booked us tickets on the Amtrak 8:20 train instead.

That’s how at 7:45am, on the eerily quiet streets of downtown, you could hear the continued crunch of our feet as for 20 minutes we carefully tried to not fall as we navigated the ice all over the sidewalks and streets. We didn’t see another person out, and only 2 cars. It was like an abandoned apocalyptic city like from that movie The Day After Tomorrow. The freezing rain had made everything slick. A text message on his and my phone even warned everyone to stay home!

Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014 Snowpacalypse PDX in February 2014, Emergency Alert for Portland

It was sheer luck that 15 minutes before our Amtrak was scheduled to leave, one of the eleven Trimet Max trains that were reported to be running (they had actually stopped all public transportation- no buses were running and only the Yellow and Red had moving trains) fortunately coincided with our walk. Usually in the time we had been walking, we would have already been practically at Burnside and Broadway. That morning we only got to SW 6th and College. We felt like this.
Snowpacalypse commute in PDX in February 2014

The Yellow Line was able to transport us to Union Station, and the Amtrak train did leave on time at 8:20- three cheers for trains! Thanks to Trimet and Amtrak for saving us and assisting in our escape. The Chocofest Getaway Weekend to Seattle was on!

Travel by Train

Travel by Train via Amtrak, our escape from Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle

It was beautiful observing the winter wonderland from the comfort of warm Amtrak train cars. Our train did get delayed as we had to keep stopping for the conductor to shovel out switches, but given that we were safe and browsing the internet while she had to do all the driving and work, I can’t really complain at all.
View from the Amtrak by Kelso as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle View from the Amtrak by Kelso as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle View from the Amtrak by Kelso as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle View from the Amtrak by Kelso as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle

The train we were on happened to be one of the new trains that Amtrak and Travel Portland had added a special Portland Now car. If you have never taken Amtrak before to Seattle, it’s quite comfortable and I would not choose to drive to Seattle when you have this option instead. Every seat has outlets, there is free wireless (not fast enough to be streaming movies, but fine for lots of internet browsing), there are restrooms, and there is a dining car serving food and drinks (including alcohol if you are inclined).  Very comfortable! Unlike the bus you can get around and walk, and there are some pretty views to the west side.
View from the Amtrak car as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle View from the Amtrak car as we escape Snowpacalypse PDX for Seattle

The first photo you see are the coach seats, and then the seats in the Portland Amtrak Cascades “Portland Express” dining car with the cool Pendleton patterns! Check out this Portland Monthly slideshow giving you a peek of the Portland goodness inside the train car.
Taking the Amtrak to/from Seattle is comfy in the new Portland Now train Taking the Amtrak to/from Seattle is comfy in the new Portland Now train "Regular Lounge car in the Amtrak in the new Portland Now train

Our Hotel For One Night: Edgewater

Usually the 8:20am train would get you to Seattle by 12:10, but because of the snow and ice we arrived a little late, about 2:30pm. We took a taxi to our hotel for the evening, the Edgewater. Besides being a cool boutique hotel with a lot of character right by the downtown and right on the waterfront, it was only a little more than a half mile walk to Pike Place Market and Pike Brewing. Each room has a fireplace for a little extra romance, and they seem to like bears!
Checking into Edgewater for our one evening getaway in Seattle. Right by the piers and on the waterfront! Checking into Edgewater for our one evening getaway in Seattle. Right by the piers and on the waterfront! Checking into Edgewater for our one evening getaway in Seattle. Right by the piers and on the waterfront! Checking into Edgewater for our one evening getaway in Seattle. Right by the piers and on the waterfront!

I really really wanted these bear footstools. They had such cute innocent, even if slightly vacant, expressions as they peered at me every time we passed by the lobby gift shop.

Adorable footstools

Progressive Lunch/Snacking at Pike Place Market Area: Crumpet Shop and Piroshky Piroshky

After several days where most of the city was shut down, it was so exciting to walk down Pike Place Market and see all the hustle and bustle of everyone being out and about! I returned to the Crumpet Shop– I had visited previously and enjoyed a crumpet with Walnuts, Honey & Ricotta (AKA The Walrus). My friend selected the crumpet with English cheese and tomato and pesto, which I also really liked then and I was tempted to get that so I could have a whole one instead of my previous tasting bite. But there were other ones I wanted to try- and so I decided to go with entirely new crumpet topping combos.

This time I got to try a crumpet with orange marmalade Blue Stilton. I also tried a crumpet with ricotta and pesto. Both were gobbled up in mere minutes. I highly recommend the Crumpet Shop– they have been there for 36 years and have perfected crumpets. You just need to pop in for one or two and you can continue on your eating journeys, I promise!
Crumpet Shop crumpet with orange marmalade Blue Stilton in Seattle, by Pike Place Market Crumpet Shop crumpet with orange marmalade Blue Stilton in Seattle, by Pike Place Market Crumpet Shop crumpet with ricotta and pesto in Seattle, by Pike Place Market Crumpet Shop crumpet with ricotta and pesto, by Pike Place Market

Next was some wandering around taking in the sights of Pike Place Market vendors and the people visiting the market- such great people watching. Even though we have visited Pike Place Market many times, I never get tired of seeing it all. This time, I had additional knowledge to tell F as we walked because I had taken a Pike Place Market Food Tour with a friend on a previous visit, so I was able to at this point easily navigate to vegetarian choices for him as I now really know the layout of the market!

I’ve usually been intimidated by the line at Piroshky Piroshky, but we had time to spare now since it was still a couple hours until Chocofest. Besides, having a little more would help settle my stomach for the Chocofest event, right? When I had walked by at first on our way to the Crumpet Shop, there had been a line that snaked and was probably 20 people deep. When I returned, there were only a handful of people in my way – cough – I mean in front of me. Score!

This famous Russian Bakery also by Pike Place Market has both sweet and savory Russian pastries. I ordered the famous Smoked Salmon Pate piroshky, and we watched the Olympics event of the Women’s Biathlon (the one with skiing and shooting) as I enjoyed this warm bread stuffed with a salmon dill cheese mixture inside. It seemed very apropos. We also got the Piroshky Piroshky Potato and Cheese.
Seattle Pike Place Market famous Smoked Salmon Pate piroshky with warm bread stuffed with salmon dill cheese mixture inside Seattle Pike Place Market famous Smoked Salmon Pate piroshky with warm bread stuffed with salmon dill cheese mixture inside Seattle Pike Place Market famous Smoked Salmon Pate piroshky with warm bread stuffed with salmon dill cheese mixture inside Seattle Pike Place Market Piroshky Piroshky Potato and Cheese

Pike Chocofest 2014 Recap

Around 5:15 we went to get in line for the Pike Chocofest. This event is also a fundraiser, as all proceeds go to Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a local non-profit dedicated to keeping Puget Sound clean. This event was even better than last year logically because they spread the 80 vendor tables out across more space and they also had garbage cans and water stations continually refilled and easily available at various points.
Pike Brewing Chocofest 2014 flyer

As we waited in line, there was even someone who walked down with samples of Intrigue Dark Chocolate Truffles and cheese from Cabot (some on Simple & Crisp oranges) for us to sample as we scanned the QR code to a pdf to browse the various participating vendors and their offerings.
Pike Chocofest 2014 Pike Chocofest 2014 Simple & Crisp and cheese

This is a chocolate extravaganza- so many chocolates, 14 chocolatiers alone. Look at all the flavors of Theo Chocolates, and two examples of the plates housemade Caramels utilizing Pike beers from Taste Restaurant (one of the best museum restaurants I’ve ever tried – they are in the Seattle Art Museum, nicknamed SAM here). There were also beautiful Assorted Truffles infused with Pike Ales from Carters Chocolates. I was in love with the Pistachio Paprika Caramel (among many decadent caramels and smoked chocolate chips) by Hot Cakes–  which calls itself a a molten chocolate cakery. Love I tell you.
Pike Chocofest 2014, Theo's Chocolates Pike Chocofest 2014, Fleur d Sel, Absinth, and Rose Otto Caramels from JonBoy Caramels Pike Chocofest 2014, beautiful Assorted Truffles infused with Pike Ales from Carters Chocolates Pike Chocofest 2014, beautiful Assorted Truffles infused with Pike Ales from Carters Chocolates Pike Chocofest 2014, beautiful Assorted Truffles infused with Pike Ales from Carters Chocolates  Pike Chocofest 2014, Hot Cakes' offerings. They are a molten chocolate cakery. Love.

There were also baked chocolate desserts, such as these mini cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes, and Macrina Bakery with lovely Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding with Chocolate Drizzle and Powdered Sugar
Pike Chocofest 2014, mini cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes Pike Chocofest 2014, Macrina with lovely Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding with Chocolate Drizzle and Powdered Sugar

It’s not just chocolate in the expected sweet form however. It also appeared in

  • beverage form in beer (such as Triplehorn‘s Nemesis Imperial Milk Stout with Cocoa  Nibs, Naked City Brewing‘s Mint Chocolate Porter and Charlie’s Golden Ticket beers, or Airways Brewing‘s Maylani’s Coconut Stout)
  • salt and chocolate combinations via fingerling potato chips and/or pretzels with cocoa nib salt from Boka
  • savory sweet combos like Steelhead Diner’s Signature Chocolate Pecan Pie Tartletts with Bourbon Chantilly and Cocoa Nibs or a decadent bite like Copperleaf’s chocolate chip brioche with Pleasant View Farm Foie Gras mousse and Preserved Wenatchee cherry

Pike Chocofest 2014,  Kestrel late harvest chardonnay and Salish Sea Brewing Big Love Porter Pike Chocofest 2014 Pike Chocofest 2014, Airways Maylani's Coconut Stout Pike Chocofest 2014 Boka and chocolate covered potato chips Steelhead Diner's Signature Chocolate Pecan Pie Tartletts with Bourbon Chantilly and Cocoa Nibs Pike Chocofest 2014 a taste of the chocolate with Copper leaf and the chocolate brioche w mousse and cherry

Meanwhile, Honest Biscuits generously sampled 3 mini-biscuits- Beecher’s Flagship Cheese biscuits, some sort of gluten free one that my eyes glazed over past when I saw they also had Theo Chocolate and bacon biscuits. I am not ashamed to tell you I went to that table more than once and was wrapping some of those biscuits to eat the next day.
Pike Chocofest 2014, Honest Biscuits Pike Chocofest 2014, Honest Biscuits, Beecher's Flagship Cheese biscuits Pike Chocofest 2014, Honest Biscuits, Theo Chocolate and bacon biscuits

One of my favorite combinations was chocolate sprinkled on cheese, specifically Mt Townsend Creamery‘s cheeses sprinkled with grated Theo Chocolates). Combinations of cheese and chocolate included here Seastack with Theo’s 70% Ginger, Red Alder with Theo’s Coconut Curry, and New Moon with 75% Milk Chocolate!
Pike Chocofest 2014 Theo Chocolate and Mt Townsend cheese "Pike

Another great combination was the Chocolate Covered Raspberry beer cocktail, which combines Lindemans Lambic Framboise, a raspberry ale, with Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout, courtesy of importer Merchant Du Vin.
Pike Chocofest 2014, A great combination was the Chocolate Raspberry beer cocktail, which combines Lindemans Lambic Framboise, a raspberry ale, with Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout

Thankfully, there were also some other items to give you a break from all the chocolate. For instance, I really liked the Kestrel Late Harvest Chardonnay, which is a sweet dessert wine that is a steal at $18 a bottle. Pike Brewing also had a line for their BBQ Ribs meat vehicle for the Kilt Lifter BBQ sauce, accompanied by a Kimchee Cole Slaw (the Pike Kilt Lifter is their Scotch Ale), and offered some pretzel bread bites at one of their beer stations along with their Tinkertown Tart and Pike Octopus Ink beers.

The Trace Restaurant Kalua Pork Sliders were popular, as were the Metropolitan Market presented Ploughman’s Platter with Irish Cashel Blue topped wtih bacon and drizzed with honey, Colliers Welsh Cheddar, Olympia Provisions’ Salami (creminielli, wild boar) and Cornichon and Onion Mix. Maybe I went back for two helpings of that Cashel Blue mixture.
Pike Chocofest 2014 a vehicle for Pike Kilt Lifter Bbq sauce Pike Chocofest 2014- some of the offerings of pretzels and beer from Pike. I Like Pike Pike Chocofest 2014, Kalua Pork Sliders were popular Pike Chocofest 2014, Metropolitan Market presented a Ploughman's Platter with Irish Cashel Blue topped wtih bacon and drizzed with honey, Colliers Welsh Cheddar, Olympia Provisions' Salami (creminielli, wild boar) and Cornichon and Onion Mix.

Seastar brought Porcini Mushroom Soup with Truffle Crème, and it being Seattle, of course there were some seafood highlights, thanks to Taylor Shellfish patiently shucking Shigoku and Kumamoto Oysters all evening.
"Seastar Pike Chocofest 2014, thanks to Taylor Shellfish patiently shucking Shigoku and Kumamoto Oysters all evening

We both really enjoyed the vendor of Finn River Cidery as well, with their brandy dessert fruit wines including a tart Black Currant and they also offered a spicy Habanero Cider with balanced sweet with a bit of fiery burn. Finn River was one of the 5 Ciders/Mead vendors that participated. There were multiple samplings of Spirits along with the available beverages of Beer (13 vendors) and Wine (9 vendors)- but with 18 Spirit and Distillery Vendors there was no way I could visit them all! I couldn’t possibly highlight all the fabulous vendors.
Finn River Cidery booth at Pike Chocofest 2014 <a href=

It finally was 9pm, and we took an evening stroll back to Edgewater, with its roaring outdoor fireplace greeting us and then turned on the fireplace in our room to snuggle up. So far, we had been in Seattle for about 7 hours. We had no more tummy room, but stopped to check out the cool Six Seven hotel restaurant. We oohed and ahhed over their menu, which uses backlighting to help you read the menu, so smart!
Edgewater hotel, Seattle, at night with its big roaring fireplace outside its entrance Edgewater hotel, Seattle, the cool Six Seven hotel restaurant. We oohed and ahhed over their menu, which uses backlighting to help you read the menu, so smart!

Museum Monday – Pacific Science Center for Modernist Cuisine and Butterflies

The next day, we ordered room service breakfast before packing up and walking a little over half a mile to Pacific Science Center to check out the Modernist Cuisine exhibit before it started to travel starting February 17. The exhibit includes about 100 photos selected from the Modernist Cuisine body of work, some that were not even published in their various Modernist Cuisine books previously. Along with this exhibit, putting together this collection also resulted in a new Modernist Cuisine tome, The Photography of Modernist Cuisine. Note this is a food photography book, not a recipe book like their others. But, I personally think viewing it in the exhibit, with its large print, is the best way to admire the outcome of their work. If you want to learn more about how, you will want the book.

The photography exhibit definitely showcase a merge of Food, Art, and Science together.  It was fascinating being able to see so much exquisite detail in the larger than life formats- many of the prints you see were my size! They had to do a lot of engineering and inventions in order to create these photos.

My favorite photos were of the cross-sections like the work with the noodles and shrimp, as well as the levitating sandwiches, such as the Mushroom Swiss Burger you see next to the Mac and Cheese. My photos don’t nearly do it justice- I just am sharing a hint of how beautiful some of the work really is, if you haven’t heard of the Modernist Cuisine books or the Cooking Lab in Bellevue before.

Museum Selfie, checking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center Checking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center: Variations on Pesto, and Infused Butters, both by Chris Hoover 2011 Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center: Mac and Cheese by Chris Hoover 2011 and Levitating Hamburger by Ryan Matthew Smith 2009Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center: Wok Stir Fry by Ryan Matthew Smith 2008 Checking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center Checking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science CenterChecking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center Checking out the Modernist Cuisine Exhibit at Pacific Science Center: A Panorama of Steak by Nathan Myhrvoid 2011

Museum Selfie by duh, me; Variations on Pesto, and Infused Butters, both by Chris Hoover 2011; Mac and Cheese by Chris Hoover 2011 and Levitating Hamburger by Ryan Matthew Smith 2009; Wok Stir Fry by Ryan Matthew Smith 2008; A few photos of behind the scenes setup behind some of the cross-section photos in Modernist Cuisine; A Panorama of Steak by Nathan Myhrvoid 2011, all © Modernist Cuisine LLC. Modernist Cuisine exhibit.

They haven’t announced what and when all the cities are the exhibit is traveling to as of this date, so I wanted to check it out in case it did not come to Portland and who knows how long before/if it returned to the Northwest.  According to their Modernist Cuisine exhibit website they will be announcing those stops soon. The exhibit was only in Seattle for four months, and these four months were its premiere before starting it’s 3 year journey around the world. If it comes into your area, I recommend taking a look, and then picking a nice place for dinner afterwards! Here’s a bit more from the TED talk by Nathan Myhrvold: Cut your food in half

After this exhibit, we stopped by the Butterfly House, where it’s 80 degrees F, to warm up a bit before we walked by the Seattle Space Needle and downtown to Yardhouse for lunch (after that photo of the wok and noodles, I was really craving garlic noodles!). We had just a smidgen of time to even make a stop at a branch of F’s company office to say hello. Then, we caught the 2pm Bolt Bus back to Portland, arriving in Portland around 5pm, and walked home to rest for our work week.

And that’s how we spent a little less than 24 hours in Seattle!

Warm up with the butterflies at Pacific Science Center it's 80F in here Warm up with the butterflies at Pacific Science Center it's 80F in here Warm up with the butterflies at Pacific Science Center it's 80F in here Seattle Space Needle

If you haven’t been before, I highly recommend visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum here- I covered this is a previous post. It is my favorite of the offerings at Seattle Center, even higher on my must do list than going up to the Space Needle! Portland Monthly has their own picks for 12 hours of eating in Seattle (and I have never been to Mamnoon), but my recommendations include (I have a big spreadsheet wishlist, as I often do when I travel, but here’s the highlights I have confidence in)

  • Breakfast: Serious Biscuit, Lola, Portage Bay Cafe, Skillet Diner, Toulouse Petit
  • Lunch: Revel, Serious Pie, progressive eating by Pike Place Market, Salami Cured Meats, Paseo
  • Drinks: Bathtub Gin, Bravehorse Tavern, Tavern Law, Quinn’s Pub, Rob Roy
  • Dinner: The Whale Wins, Spinasse, Shiro’s, Sitka and Spruce
  • Things to Do: Pike Place Market Wandering (or take a food tour), Chihuly Garden and Glass (if you can come late so you can see it in daytime and also when it is lit up at night), Olympic Sculpture Park, Seward Park for great view of Mt Rainier if clear, Kerry Park for a view of the Seattle skyline, Theo Chocolate tour

I’ve visited Seattle several times, so feel free to also browse other recaps I’ve done to see other deliciousness and activities I’ve enjoyed!

Photo of me between two Modernist Cuisine exhibit photos at Pacific Science Center: Mac and Cheese by Chris Hoover 2011 and Levitating Hamburger by Ryan Matthew Smith 2009
Proof I was there- a rare photo that I am actually in!

Have you ever done a quickie Seattle getaway? Do you plan to- and where would you go? Can I recommend two upcoming events – this coming weekend is the Seattle Wine and Food Experience, and at the end of March is the Taste Washington at CenturyLink Field Event Center on March 29 and 30- both big food festivals!

Signature

A February Seattle Getaway Plan

I’m planning a February Seattle Getaway, and wanted to highlight some of things I’m planning in case you too, want to do a Seattle mini-vacation soon.

Last year, I attended the Chocofest in Seattle at Pike Brewing Company, as I recapped in this previous post. Here are a few sample images from what I experienced last year:

Macrina Bakery's brioche cocoa puff

This year, I’m returning again to attend Chocofest 2014. This will be their sixth event, this year held on February 9 from 6-9pm. All proceeds benefit Puget Soundkeeper, a local non-profit dedicated to keeping Puget Sound clean. As last year, the event includes samplings of wine, spirits, cider, mead, chocolate, and other food samples. Last year, there were 70 vendors- and this year they are targeting 80. The entire Pike Pub- from restaurant to brewery, all 3 floors- will be dedicated for this event. The $45 includes entrance, all the food, and ten scrip tickets which are used for the alcohol, as well as an adorable little baby snifter glass. 10 tickets doesn’t sound like much- but F and I were having a hard time finishing off those tickets and if you’ve read this blog, you are familiar with how experienced we are with beer festivals so that’s saying something.

Getting to Seattle is easy- for instance, consider the Bolt Bus. This bus goes direct from Portland downtown to Seattle’s downtown, and was less than $20 each way. The bus features wireless and a power outlet so I can keep updated on my various RSS feeds after I wake up from my nap. Another option is to of course drive, or ride the Amtrak. You may even see the special Portland Amtrak Cascades “Portland Express” dining car, covered in Portland art outside and inside featuring Portland furniture, food and drinks! If you book 2 weeks in advance- which is still possible to make this Chocofest- you also get 25% off). Check out this Portland Monthly slideshow giving you a peek of the Portland goodness inside the train car.

I’m leaving in the morning, and during the daytime before the Chocofest I am planning to visit the Pacific Science Center.

Until February 17, the Pacific Science Center is hosting an exhibit called the Photography of Modernist Cuisine. This exhibit includes more than 100 images over the past 7 years, some at more than 6 feet long, that explore the world of the science and art of food via photography. It’s a mix of art and technique via the photography, food love, and the story of the science behind food. Images include the fractal structures and color gradations of vitamin C crystal, the physics that propels and explodes a bursting kernel of popcorn, or a cross-section photo of what it looks like when boiling vegetables.

Here’s a peek of what Modernist Cuisine is via video- you can get more information at the website Modernist Cuisine.

If this sounds like a Foodie February Seattle Getaway… you are RIGHT!

How much does planning food factor into your vacation planning?

Note: I’ve already seen the Chihuly Garden and Glass, but if you haven’t, I recommend that you include it as part of a Seattle mini vacation: I had a whole post dedicated to it here. I’ve visited Seattle several times, so feel free to also browse other recaps I’ve done to see other deliciousness and activities I’ve enjoyed!

Signature

Chicago French Market

After I moved to Portland from Chicago, in an area downtown close to Oglivie and Metra stations they opened up an indoor marketplace, called the Chicago French Market. Inside you can basically eat around the world- there are more than 30 food vendors all in various aisles.

You could start with kosher lox on a bagel, go on to French crepes to a raw food stand, sushi and sashimi, sandwiches from Stephanie Izard’s Little Goat Bread or a cheese plate from Pastoral Artisan Cheeses. Order steaming bowls of pho or banh mi from Saigon Sisters, check out which gourmet lasagna that combines home grown with exoctic flavors is available today, or try ceviche from the Mexican vendor, wash it down with fresh smoothies/juices, and then finish off with beautiful little cakes and macaroons (such as below from Vanille Patisserie).

Chicago French Market Beavers Coffee + Donuts, coffee and fresh donuts at Chicago French Market Chicago French Market Vanille Patisserie macaroons, at the Chicago French Market Vanille Patisserie at the Chicago French Market

During my lunch visit during Christmas week, I made the Chicago French Market one of my stops while we were staying downtown our first 36 hours. As I was reading about the Chicago French market online, my eyes immediately zoomed in on this vendor and it was happening. Portland is a crab city, so being able to get my lobster fix, especially in a buttery lobster roll, was enough enticement that I even told F that if he wanted to meet his friend elsewhere for lunch, he could go ahead- I was coming here alone if I had to.

I was able to try clam chowder, and of course the lobster roll sandwich from Da Lobsta. And, boy did it happen.
Da Lobsta stand at the Chicago French Market Da Lobsta stand at the Chicago French Market  Da Lobsta stand at the Chicago French Market, menu Da Lobsta stand at the Chicago French Market, Lobster Roll Da Lobsta stand at the Chicago French Market, Lobster Roll

I also tried Belgian frites with Belgian beers rom Frietkoten Belgian Fries and Beer. The frites are hand peeled, cut, and washed and double-fried in vegetable oil to ensure perfect crispyness. The beer selection is pretty impressive as a stop in the mid-afternoon before you return to the suburbs, or if you are coming from the suburbs on the Metra trains for an evening in the city. I tried 3 sauces from their selection of 12- Truffle Mayo, Blue Cheese Mayo, and Wasabi Mayo.

Of the two sizes the regular is more than enough for 2, and the large enough for 4 or more for just a $1 extra. They also offer hand pressed burgers, but with the lobster roll I had to defer the burger for a future Chicago visit in 2014. F’s friend testified to how good they are, and considering how great his recommendation was of the next item I’m covering, I believe that the cheeseburgers are excellent. The frites were all crispy- usually I pick around, looking for the crispy ones. They fry them fresh to order, and there is no need to pick around here- all the fries were perfect, every one.
Frietkoten Belgian Fries, Sauces, Beers, at Chicago French Market Frietkoten Belgian Fries, Sauces, Beers, at Chicago French Market Frietkoten Belgian Fries, Sauces, Beers, at Chicago French Market

Later, there was bonus sample round of what F’s friend shared with me, the best pastrami ever, a Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats. Their meat always includes fatty as well as crispy end bits, which makes it a perfect package of a sandwich. Poor guy, he gave me his leftover half of a sandwich before we bade farewell to our respective trains, and later I found out he forgot his keys to his home which left him in the cold December freezing weather and sandwich-less.

So when I had this later, I made sure to take a few extra shots of the sandwich to show my appreciation of his generosity and sacrifice. Thanks Smitty!
Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats, in the Chicago French Market Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats, in the Chicago French Market Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats, in the Chicago French Market Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats, in the Chicago French Market Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich from Fumare Meats, in the Chicago French Market

If you are ever in Chicago, definitely consider visiting. It is very reminiscent of a street market- but thankfully housed indoors, since it get can pretty cold in Chicago winters. Each vendor is an independent business- but they all seemed to accept credit card via Square, so it was also reminding me of food cart pods here in Portland but with the benefit of being indoors, access to more room and display cases etc. There is a main area for dining (in better weather there are also seats outdoors for al fresco dining).

They offer free 1 hour parking as long as you spend $20, and several of the vendors you can call or go online to order ahead of time!

Signature

Collegetown Bagels in Ithaca, New York

While I was in upstate New York at the beginning of October for a wedding, I had a chance to spend a few days in Ithaca. This included, to my delight, the ability to visit Cornell University. I went to University of Chicago for my undergraduate, but there was a summer semester that I took at Cornell, and which I look upon very fondly. It was an intensive class meant to cover a year during that summer timeframe, so I was in class from morning to mid afternoon, and then I spent some time in the labs in the evening as well. This basically made the experience like camp for us because my classmates and I were constantly seeing each other basically all day every weekday, in constant conversations and discussions.

I subletted a studio during my stay just off campus (in the aptly named Collegetown) during that summer semester. Every morning on the way to my 8am class I would stop at Collegetown Bagels for my usual toasted bagel with butter. I had never really eaten bagels much- my experience with them had been they were chewy and too dense. But also most of my bagel experience was at the college cafeteria. These were different. These were so much better. These were New York bagels. I also discovered that I liked bagels with melted New York cheddar. I’m not kidding when I say I was here everyday.

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

I was glad to see they were still there when I visited- in fact, they have been there since 1976, still opening early and late, matching the hours of the college crowds. It’s still a small independently owned business, and still completely and utterly charming to me, from the overwhelming chalkboard menu to the assault on the eyes of stuff to look at, even read, just everywhere, just like you would expect if you were a young college student decorating your dorm room for the first time with “art” aka “posters you tape up everywhere”. I can’t even recall exactly how many posters I had when I graduated college- probably 30?

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

I admit I went slightly out of my way to visit them, because it was the same day I needed to go to Cooperstown, and this was the opposite direction. But I refused to leave the area without a visit. I found parking a couple blocks away and dug in the bottom of my purse, trying to find change to feed the old fashioned meter. The service was just as quick, efficient, yet friendly as I remembered (I’m not a morning person, but could always get in and out with my bagels every morning in less than 5 minutes, including the toasting!). I wanted to purchase a t-shirt to remember it buy after the bagel was gone, and the young girl brought every color of that shirt design in my size for me to choose from, and after opening up the shirt and realizing it was a little big, she did the same thing in the next size down- and did so cheerily.

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

And the bagels were still just as delicious as I remembered, doughy but crispy at the edges but not heavy so it didn’t take too much chewing.

For 5 minutes or so while I was eating this  bagel with melted cheese, still a little bubbly, I was 19 again.

I totally bought a bagel (cheddar, buttered) to go as well. I wish I had been able to buy a whole dozen of bagels to take home to freeze, but I knew I still had several days vacation left. Collegetown Bagels is forever remembered by me where I learned how good bagels could be, and will be the best bagels ever.

Do you remember a place fondly that you would always be at when you were going to college, the first place you were a “regular” when you left home? If you were in the area again, would you go out of your way to visit it?

Signature

Two Goats Brewery, Horseheads Brewery, Fly Creek Cider Mill

So after talking about Surfing Goat Dairy in Hawaii, I wanted to transition to Two Goats Brewery, Horseheads Brewery, and the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard. These were part of a trip to upstate New York I took at the end of September in order to witness the beautiful wedding of Sarah and Jarrett at the Seneca Springs Resort over looking Seneca Lake.

First of all, what are the chances within a month I would be visiting another place with goat in the name? Two Goats Brewing is in a prime location along the Route 414 which winds along the east side of the Seneca Lake (one of the Finger Lakes, several lakes that are long and narrow facing north-south, and almost looks on a map like finger scratches), on the same road as many wineries for when you want a break from circling the wine country around this lake, sampling wines.

The Two Goats building, a renovated barn, is set back a little bit from the road on a rocky unpaved road so make sure you slow down so you can make the turn. But, you’ll soon see why- the tasting room sits back on the top of a hill overlooking the lake, and they have a big deck in the back where you can enjoy your beers with the view.

View from the back deck of Two Goats Brewing View from the back deck of Two Goats Brewing

Two Goats feels like a dive bar inside- random sized bar art covering all over the walls, darts, the only food are roast beef sandwiches, there are dollar bills all over the ceiling. When we visited they had 6 of their own beers available, including two mixes: one which I tried was called the “Dirty Butt”, which is a mix of their two beers the Dirty Shepard Brown and Cream Ale. I also really enjoyed the Whiskey Richard, has the complexity of whiskey aging from Finger Lakes Distilling barrels (the distillery is just down the street!) but oatmeal stout base still clear in the flavor profile. They also have a nice bottle selection. Everything is very reasonably priced at about $4-6 for draft or $3.5-8 for various 12-16 oz bottles, $12 for 22 oz bottles.

Two Goats Brewing Two Goats Brewing

The sun came out eventually from behind the clouds, and then I was able to enjoy the sunset from their back deck.

View from Two Goats Brewing back deck View from Two Goats Brewing back deck View from Two Goats Brewing back deck View from Two Goats Brewing back deck

While at the bar of Two Goats, the bartenders highly recommended we visit Horseheads Brewing. It was vaguely on the way to Cooperstown, so we decided to make it an after lunch stop. We were really glad we did- it is a very unassuming lil tasting room that is bare bones- just shelves of many kinds of glasses and growlers, a small cooler with some of their bottles, and then a standup bar that fits maybe 6 people where you can go through a tasting of their beers. The tasting fee is $3 or $5, the pours are the same but you get to keep the tasting glass and so the difference in price really correlates with which of the many tasting glasses you want to take with you!

We were able to taste 8 beers, many which were great beers- particularly outstanding was the well balanced Pumpkin Ale (a steal at only $5.99 a bottle), the nicely nutty Newton Brown, the well layered in flavors Lager-Rhythm Dark, and a spicy but not overly so (again, consistent balance) jalapeno beer Hot-Jala-Heim. We were also fortunate enough because a bottle was open by another visitor (who eventually bought a whole case of them!) to taste the dangerously delicious but high ABV Domination barleywine. If you are in the area, take a break from the wine and try this great little bare bones hole in the wall tasting room!

Horseheads Brewing in Horseheads New York Beer sample at Horseheads Brewing, NY - Chemung Canal Towpath Ale Beer sample at Horseheads Brewing, NY - Pale Expedition Ale Domination Ale by Horseheads Brewing. Domination Ale by Horseheads Brewing. Doesn't taste boozy like the 12 percent abv it is!

After reaching Cooperstown by late afternoon, we stopped for about an hour at the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard. What does this have to do with goats, or cheese, or beer? Not much. Well, Fly Creek does have a huge marketplace store which includes at least a hundred different dip mixes (sampling is encouraged), all sorts of james and creamed honey and hot sauces and salsas, cake and bread mixes, apples, fudge, and yes local cheeses (I really liked the Applewood Smoked Sharp Cheddar). It was a lot of fun snacking through, trying so many products of New York state. They also have various fruit wines and hard ciders. Nothing says fall to me as much as fresh apple cider- and the pamphlet even offers you coupon for a free tasting of an apple cider slushie!

Apple Cider Slushie at Fly Creek Cider Mill Apple Cider Slushie at Fly Creek Cider Mill Apple Cider Slushie at Fly Creek Cider Mill

They also had a back area where you could feed geese and ducks. The kid in me was so so thrilled to have them nubbing out of my hand. I was very stubborn about feeding them- I had not a single quarter, but then found a change machine by the barn and tried several different dollar bills (doing the normal trying to straighten and smoothing in between tries), very very determined to get more quarters so we can feed all the ducks and geese along the fence, not just the ones by the deck over the pond. I was also very into even distribution among the fowl. But it was worth it! They had a interesting variety of geese and ducks, including ones I have not seen before.

Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill, like this duck with a fro Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill

I also loved how fluffy these Sebastopols geese were. Apparently they have a curled feather “mutation”, but seriously… I just call it FLUFFY!

Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to geese and ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to fluffy Sebastopols geese at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to fluffy Sebastopols geese at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to fluffy Sebastopols geese at Fly Creek Cider Mill Feeding 25 cents worth of corn kernels to fluffy Sebastopols geese at Fly Creek Cider Mill

Do you like feeding animals and going to the petting zoo… even if you don’t have kids, or if you take your kids you get your own times for petting of animals for the childlike thrill part of yourself?

Signature