March 2015 Stitch Fix review

I was surprised as I opened up my box of Stitch Fix to see at the top that my March 2015 box was Stitch Fix #15. Thanks to Stitch Fix, for the past year I’ve now spent less time wandering between and inside stores every season to see what I might want to add to my wardrobe to keep it fresh. During this time while subtracting my shopping time they have been  adding the times I have received compliments on some of my outfits because they have unique stand out pieces. And, the stylists have challenged me to try things and find out I like them, even though I would have never thought to even pick it up from a hanger – but once I try it on, I discover a new love!
Stitch Fix #15 March 2015

If you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix before, Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service personalized for you. You go online and they ask you questions, including showing you images of various outfits, to get an information on your size as well as your preferences in style. If you’d like you can also make a Pinteret board of fashion inspirations for the stylists to also check out and get an idea of what you like.
Stitch Fix Style Profile questions Stitch Fix Style Profile questions

Then, based on that, a stylist will pick out 5 pieces to ship to you that are mailed to your home. There is a $20 styling fee that is applied to your order as soon as the box is shipped to your home. You can choose whether you want to exclude anything (such as outerwear or jewelry or certain colors), or ask for certain things (I wanted pieces that were not too casual that I couldn’t wear them to a business casual office). You also get to choose how often you get your Stitch Fix boxes – monthly, quarterly, on demand if you want your Fix sooner or at a certain time because of an event.
Stitch Fix scheduling

Then, in the comfort of your own home with real mirrors and normal light and while looking/working it out with your own clothes already in your closet, you can try everything on and decide to keep any, all,  or none of the pieces in your Stitch Fix box. A $20 styling fee is charged when the biz first ships, but is credited  to the cost of the clothing if you do purchase anything, and if you purchase everything in the box you get 25% off.  If you return anything, there is already a postage paid envelope in the package and you will not be charged anything besides the styling fee. The most important part is to always leave feedback when you check out, whether you like or don’t like an article they have sent, so that the stylists understand what went wrong/right and can adjust accordingly. That’s how you get successful Stitch Fix boxes. Here is what I got in my March Stitch Fix:
Stitch Fix #15 March 2015 Stitch Fix #15 March 2015 Stitch Fix #15 March 2015

I don’t have a photo of the Henry & Belle Abana Skinny Jean – it’s just a black pair of jeans that have a good stretchy factor. They are more expensive then I would like, so usually I would have sent them back except that they also are high waisted. A lot of my jeans sit at my waist, so the fact these look hip but are not mommy jeans but tuck me in is appreciated. Then the fact with the simple black color these jeans could even pass possibly as pants felt like a good addition to my wardrobe. I hate jeans shopping, and so I debated in my mind whether I was willing to pay a little bit more than I normally would in order to trade off not going to multiple stores and trying on multiple jeans in the dressing room, and the addition of black jeans. Yes, I am willing to pay a little more to not go through wondering if jeans will go up my hips or button/zip fully.

When I first pulled saw the Honey Punch Ana Marie Mixed Material Top, I didn’t really like the pattern as it seems so preppie and conservative, and it requires I wear this a specific smooth bra as it shows bra lines easily and I have a weird thing with that. But, then I felt the shirt- it feels so incredibly soft, like a well loved well worn jersey knit T-shirt. I can wear it to work or casually. Sold, keeping.
Honey Punch Ana Marie Mixed Material Top from my March 2015 Stitch Fix -"Honey

I think I squealed after I pulled this Yumi Mckinley Printed Dress out of the box. I looooove it! The color is great for spring, the little bird pattern is adorable and very Portland, and the material is nice and thick, which is great since the spring weather is still pretty chilly in the morning and evenings. Love it! Love it so much!
Yumi Mckinley Printed Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix box

So this Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix may not look like much on the hanger, but it’s form fitting but not too tight on the top while the pop of color as part of the skirt makes it stand out from just wearing a little black dress or black/white dress. I also have this one set of earrings and necklace from Target already in a similar turquoise color that I love but don’t get to wear much, and they went perfectly with the colors in the skirt. I wore it 4 hours after I received it to attend TOAST 2015, so a keeper because it isn’t so low on top that I can’t wear it to work, but also great to go out in. And for someone who doesn’t have much of a chest, this dress creates an impressive illusion. Sorry that my selfie game is very, very very weak.
Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix

Given that I was keeping all those pieces above, it didn’t make sense to just send back the Skies Are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse. I loved the color and lace back, but didn’t like the fit because it is very boxy. But I was pretty much getting it for free with the 25% discount if I got the whole box, so it made sense just to keep it too.
March 2015 Stitch Fix find of Skies are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse March 2015 Stitch Fix find of Skies are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse

In my other Stitch Fix Friday post, I share some of my favorite Stitch fix matches I’ve gotten over the past other 14 boxes. I will also try to keep up a series monthly or so  with my latest Stitch Fix box review.

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? If you are not a Stitch Fixer, and are thinking of trying it, would you mind using this referral link that gives me a small credit? And, then become Stitch Fix friends with me so we can share what we have in our boxes, I’m always curious to see what others are getting based on their style information!

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How to put together a Food Crawl

Disclosure: This experience was sponsored, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

I was lucky enough to be invited to an awesome food crawl that was being organized by Little Green Pickle. For $40, the Little Green Pickle food crawl (heretofore dubbed LGP Food Crawl) included 4 stops of small plates and cocktails, and a karaoke bus to transport us between those 4 destinations!

I was actually a bit pleased to see that this was something with a ticket price- so although LGP organized and sponsored this event, it felt more like being with peers with the LGP ladies because I was a contributing party and not being fully hosted. If you do the math it’s only $10 a stop that includes food and a beverage at each stop, so still a real steal and still sponsored, thus still needing disclosures.

#LGPFoodCrawl Levant stop #LGPFoodCrawl The Bent Brick experience

I took this as a great opportunity to be able to try new food, be it at new restaurants that I hadn’t made it to yet, or even ones I had visited but perhaps with new dishes to sample. I was not disappointed.

There were 12 of us on this little journey, with 9 of us being food bloggers, several who have already covered with fantastic photos the food we enjoyed at each of our destinations at their blogs, and I think everyone has stuff posted on Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #LGPFoodCrawl.

So I wanted to focus more on is how YOU can put together one of these events!

Guest List

You want to have enough people so that you can share several dishes and get 3-4 bites. At the same time, you don’t want so large of a group that the various restaurants cannot easily accommodate you.  I would recommend 6, 8, at the max 12.

The larger the group, the sooner you want to get this on everyone’s calendar and the RSVPs set so you can plan knowing how many you have on board. LGP signed us up 3 weeks ahead of the food crawl date!

Ask those signing up to tell you food restrictions because of allergies or preferences upfront now so they can be accounted for in the planning stage.

Remember- you only need a few bites of each dish- otherwise you won’t have the capacity to keep eating for the full Food Crawl! One alcoholic drink per place is probably best too- you don’t want to ruin your palate before you’ve gotten to all the stops. What you do at the last stop is up to you.
"It's You can only have a few bites of every dish on a Food Crawl, or your stomach won't last the Food Crawl!

Don’t feel like everyone has to already know each other- one of the great aspects of a food crawl like this is that you will not be seated in place for the entire meal. You will be moving from place to place, which provides an opportunity to change up who is sitting with who, so you can rotate through multiple conversations with guests.

And, because each location is a short stop, and everyone is trying out new food, you already have something in common to start the conversation and you will surely not run out of conversational material before the next rotation! Probably similar to me, you may feel that you wish you had MORE time to chat with the various other guests even though you just spend 4 hours at this event together!

Logistics

You want to select 3 or 4 restaurants. You don’t want to do more than 4 because you will get pretty full even on sampling over the evening.

The first restaurant is for appetizers.

If you pick 4 restaurants then the second location is for small plates, if you pick 3 restaurants then this location is for mains (if you pick 4 restaurants, then the next location is mains instead).

Finally, the last restaurant is is for dessert.

#LGPFoodCrawl Dessert Extravagance at Urban Farmer

Ideally, the restaurants would be in walking distance of each other- so pick a neighborhood. You can do this with restaurants that are farther away if you have set transportation.

For instance, for the LGP Food Crawl, we utilized the excellent karaoke bus Old School PDX, which gamely chauffeured us to our destinations while also providing us the opportunity to sing along our merry way! As a plus, with a designated driver, we were able to also enjoy Hawks View Cellars Wine as we were singing!
 

You want to spend about 45 minutes at each restaurant, giving you 10-15 minutes in between to travel to the next (thus the desire to make restaurants either walkable or use designated driver transport so you don’t have to sweat over finding parking spots!). So as you can see, this is a 3-4 hour party!

Make reservations for your party based on this schedule. Weeknights or a Sunday are clearly better because the restaurants can be more accommodating in quickly getting you in and out with your food if they aren’t in the weeds.

Let them know what you are doing as well- being upfront means they can plan and execute accordingly. You might choose to pre-select all your food ahead of time- or work with the restaurants to figure out a budget for the number of people/course you’ll be having there and let them surprise you.

You need to make sure the following roles are taken care of by someone in your Food Crawl party- it can be 1 person, or taken care of by 3 lovely LGP ladies extraordinaire as well…

  1. One person who is the people wrangler- getting all the people committed to the date and time and location. They will need to have everyone’s contact information to make sure everyone is reachable in case someone gets stuck in traffic or gets lost between restaurants (thankfully this did not happen to us on our food crawl, but I was very aware there was someone taking care of counting us to make sure we were all there, no one is left behind!)
  2. One person should also have the address/directions and phone number of each destination to help navigate the party to each stop, and if things are running 5-10 minutes late give the next destination a heads up with a phone call. This person is likely the restaurant wrangler- the one who helps each restaurant know what the plan for the Food Crawl is and which course they are to make sure seating and food will be ready for the stop.One thing that could entice restaurants to help you is if you provide an opportunity for them to market themselves- be it examples of the menu, having a manager or chef talk about what they are trying to do, or giving a cheat sheet of all the social media tags!
  3. One person needs to be the official timekeeper, to make sure that everyone sticks to this schedule by watching the time and giving the 10 and 5 minute warning and ushering everyone out to the next destination. This person will likely be the one making sure the check is paid- and make sure to include tax (although this isn’t applicable here in Portland, yay) and TIP!

Now in our Food Crawl, the drinks were included. But, I’ve also heard of ones where all the food is pre-selected and included, but drinks are on your own. In that case, you have to make sure the restaurant knows ahead of time and see if they would agree to separate checks… or perhaps everyone can agree to split evenly and 1 drink each.

Try to not get caught in the nightmare of trying to calculate each person’s portion individually from a group check! I know there are check splitting apps out there Billr.me and Clever Bill Splitter on Android, maybe there are better out there), but it interrupts the fun when you have to do it several times because you are going to multiple destinations. The easiest, fastest options are separate checks are even split.

Now let’s see the stops that were put together for the LGP Food Crawl…

Stop 1: Oso Market + Bar

Oso Market + Bar, Stop 1 on the #LGPFoodCrawl Oso Market + Bar, Stop 1 on the #LGPFoodCrawl
We started out with Stop #1, Oso Market + Bar at 726 SE Grand. This was the only destination I knew of ahead of time, and was only told 1 week ahead of time! The other 3 stops, LGP kept secret as a surprise until we met up at that first location! This seems like an optional step in planning your Food Crawl- it was certainly fun to be surprised with where we were going! And, by not knowing ahead of time there was no peeking ahead at the menus to guess what we might have- instead we just enjoyed what we received.


We were greeted with a glass of bubbly cava. I heartily recommend this as a festive way to kick off the food crawl- a little sparkling always feels special and celebratory.

I was excited to finally step foot into Oso, as I had passed by it many times and adored the big bear but never been in. I’ll definitely be back to try more here. Oso is a mixed-use space that is bottle shop, specialty market with some enticing grocery selections, and neighborhood bar (they have sustainable and biodynamic wines and well as handcrafted beer and ciders that represent local and international breweries). They had pushed together two long tables for us so that we could all sit in a big square table all facing each other, though that meant we had to really reach across the tablespace to pass the platters around.

Here, we had the perfect example of just small appetizer nibbles to get us started as we were doing our introductions to each other and meeting the Food Crawl crew for the evening. We had

  • Tails & Trotters Chorizo Stuffed Dates wrapped in bacon with cumin honey and sage oil. Seriously I could have eaten that whole plate by myself, and I’ll definitely make sure that is on the table for every future visit.
    Oso Market + Bar appetizer of Tails & Trotters Chorizo-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon w/ Cumin Honey & Sage Oil Oso Market + Bar appetizer of Tails & Trotters Chorizo-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon w/ Cumin Honey & Sage Oil
  • Baked Mortadella Montadito with tarragon mustard, peperoncini, and micro greens served on Little T focaccia
  • Bresaola Montadito with tomato-mint jam, Parmesan and basil served on Little T focaccia
  • Cremeux Montadito with fig, honey, arugula and balsamic reduction served on Little T focaccia
  • Ratatouille atop crispy polenta
    Oso Market + Bar appetizer of Baked Mortadella Montadito with tarragon mustard, peperoncini, and micro greens served on Little T focaccia and Bresaola Montadito with tomato-mint jam, Parmesan and basil served on Little T focaccia Oso Market + Bar appetizer of Cremeux Montadito with fig, honey, arugula and balsamic reduction served on Little T focaccia and Ratatouille atop crispy polenta

Notice how each of these are very small bites just to whet your appetite.

At the same time, I think this showcases some of the best of what Oso has to offer, which is great small plates to nibble on that take inspiration from local and global foods as you taste their excellent selection of wines by the glass. They also have sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie and some heartier dinner plates like wild boar bratwurst or steamed mussels with chorizo or bison shepherd’s pie, but this small sample captures their use of quality local purveyors to put together what is a simple appetizer concept (bacon wrapped dates, montadito/yummy stuff on bread) but yet create complex flavors. I can easily imagine how fun this would be to try with different wines to see how they compliment and contrast with different profiles in the wine.

Stop 2: Levant

Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl
Stop #2 was Levant, which offers French-Arabesque Mediterranean food. and located at 2448 E Burnside St that has an open kitchen with open hearth and a floor to ceiling L shaped bar with a library ladder. This is another restaurant that has been on my wishlist, but I had not made it to yet. We started out with being able to select one cocktail from their menu- any cocktail we wanted! I don’t know how the bartender whipped these up so quickly for us, hope his elbow is ok!

I went with the Cocktail of Root Down Daisy– Cognac, Ginger Liqueur, Carrot Reduction, Lemon, Egg White, Vanilla Salt. They had really cool individual kinds of glasses depending on what kind of cocktail you ordered. A couple others also ordered the same thing, and a few had a glass that looked like mine, others had a glass that was the same shape but had gold wheat etched instead.
Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl, Cocktail of Root Down Daisy- Cognac, Ginger Liqueur, Carrot Reduction, Lemon, Egg White, Vanilla Salt

We were all in the private back room, which usually seats 8 while being surrounded by racks of cabinets of wine, but in a pinch was an easy cocktail location for our group standing up. This can work out well if it is for small plates only, and since the stop is only 45 minutes- something to consider when thinking about whether a restaurant you are thinking of can accommodate you.

Even on a weekday night Levant was hopping with diners and it would have been difficult to talk with the noise level in the main dining room, so it was nice that we had a space to just our group for this stop. Since this was a longer rectangular table, the group essentially split up into conversations based on the half of the room.

Here, we shared 3 items from their Sharing Plates section and 1 item from their Hot Starters section of their menu, almost buffet style since we each got one piece of everything from a serving platter. My photos from my phone do not do justice to how beautifully plated these dishes are- several of my bloggers were carrying the heavy artillery of DSLRs and got closeups with better lighting that will make you want to eat your screen.

  • Fried Halloumi with honey and walnuts. I think I actually said “get out of my way, there’s cheese here!”
  • Fava Bean Falafel with zhoug (a hot chili paste- though I didn’t detect any fire but maybe that’s just me) and tahini
    Stop #2 at Levant on #LGPFoodCrawl, a shared dish of Fried Halloumi, Honey, Walnuts Stop #2 Levant as part of #LGPFoodCrawl, a shared dish of Falafel, Zhoug (a hot chili paste) Tahini
  • Feta and Armenian Cheese ‘Cigars’ with dried mint, garlic, lemon zest and Aleppo chili – again, I don’t remember it being spicy so no worries for you there if you are worried
  • Grilled Beef Kofta with barberries, pine nuts, herb relish and Sumac yogurt… wait, now that I think about it, I don’t remember getting a sample of this. Which one of you ate two?!
    Stop #2 was Levant #LGPFoodCrawl, a shared dish of Feta 'Cigars,' Harissa Yogurt Stop #2 was Levant #LGPFoodCrawl, a hot dish of Grilled Beef Kofta with barberries, pine nuts, herb relish and Sumac yogurt

So win with two cheese dishes! My cheese loving soul thanks you so much Levant. I think this is a perfect example of how with just a couple dishes, you can get an idea of a restaurant’s perspective, and I left still curious and wanting to know more.

Stop 3: Bent Brick

Bent Brick, a German style tavern with an American twist at 1639 NW Marshall St was where we had the main portion of our dinner. I had been here before, but only 1 dish was repeated so I was still able to experience Bent Brick in a new way.

We each ordered a cocktail off the menu- and the Bent Brick has fabulous cocktails it was hard for all of us to choose just one! The Fall Back cocktail sounded very alluring with its butternut squash whiskey, root, herbal liquor, and spiced syrup combination. That’s right, butternut squash whiskey. There was also a cocktail called l.g.p. with lettuce, ebb & flow gin, parsley oil- how curious?!

Then there is this lovely cocktail below on the right, the Smoke n’ Herb with rosemary, tito’s vokda, lavender, lemon, smoked Jacobsen’s sea salt. The one on the left wasn’t mine, but notice the cool herb ice there too: it’s the Bucket List cocktail, with vodka, cranberry-thyme shrub, and soda.
Cocktail at the Bent Brick, stop 3 on the #LGPFoodCrawl, Smoke N' Herb with tito's vodka, rosemary, lavendar, lemon, smoked sea salt Cocktail at the Bent Brick, stop 3 on the #LGPFoodCrawl, Smoke N' Herb with tito's vodka, rosemary, lavendar, lemon, smoked sea salt

We sat at two different rectangular tables here, essentially two groups of six. We dined family style here where 3 dishes were shared among every 3-4 people.

  • Meat Board featuring house made country pate, house made coppa rillette, wigwam and Finchville country ham with pickled vegetables
  • Deep Fried Beef Cheek with fried egg aioli
  • Rye Sourdough Spaetzle pan fried with mushrooms and caramelized onion, topped with Tabasco pickled shallots.
    At The Bent Brick, Stop #3 on #LGPFoodCrawl: >Meat Board featuring house made country pate, house made coppa rillette, wigwam and Finchville country ham with pickled vegetables At The Bent Brick, Stop #3 on #LGPFoodCrawl: Deep Fried Beef Cheek with fried egg aioli The Bent Brick, stop 3 on the #LGPFoodCrawl, Rye Sourdough Spaetzle pan fried with mushrooms and caramelized onion, topped with Tabasco pickled shallots

You may be intimidated by the sound of deep fried beef cheek, but let me assure you that it was tasty and rich. This was a case that I’m not sure anyone in the party would have ordered it off the menu, but because Bent Brick sent out what they wished (I assume for let’s say a set price limit), it pushed us to explore outside our regular boundaries. This item isn’t normally on their menu, but they do have a braised beef cheek in horseradish cream with sauerkraut and beets. This is typical of the Bent Brick, which celebrates locally raised meats and seafood served in unconventional ways.

It does bring up a good question though- should you order ahead of time specific dishes? Or, when you let the restaurant know ahead of time with reservations, and that you are doing a food crawl, if they could recommend/pick for you what to serve your group of xx people that fit within your visit time frame?

Ordering when you get there probably works ok for small dishes like appetizers that are usually fast anyway if the restaurant isn’t swamped, but when it comes to dishes that take longer to fire like mains it’s definitely something to consider.

Stop 4: Urban Farmer

We finished with amazing desserts at the modern steakhouse Urban Farmer. I’ve been to Urban Farmer before, but always filled up on starters, mains, and sides. It wasn’t until this visit with the Food Crawl that I tried dessert. I had no idea Urban Farmer and Pastry Chef Carrie Merrill were producing such exquisite desserts- I have already been back to Urban Farmer since this Food Crawl in fact to have dinner and a dessert experience where I didn’t have to share!

I also didn’t know until this visit that Urban Farmer has a barrel aged cocktail program, where their mixologists are continually barrel aging and creating new limited edition signature cocktails.
Urban Farmer has a barrel aged cocktail program, where their mixologists are continually barrel aging and creating new limited edition signature cocktails

At the other locations, you probably noticed there was a main serving platter that everyone then served themselves a portion onto a small plate. For dessert, hopefully you have all become good friends with everyone as you will probably be digging into the same plate with your spoons!

We ended with a cocktail here as well, but you might also consider ordering coffee, tea, maybe Irish Coffee…

  • Elixir Bianco cocktail, concocted with Pinnacle vodka, Calisaya, Cocchi Americano aged thirty days in oak barrels at/by Urban Farmer, and served up with a lemon twist. The Calisaya may look and taste like an imported Italian liquor, but is actually Oregon-made from Eugene although it is based on cinchona calisaya, a tree bark that actually made its way from Peru to Italy.
    Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl. Elixir Bianco, vodka, Calisaya, Cocchi Americano aged thirty days in oak barrels and served up with a lemon twist The Calisaya may look and taste like an imported Italian liquor, but is actually Oregon-made from Eugene
  • Butterscotch Sundae with warm brown butter blondie, cherries, praline and toffee chip ice cream. This alone already had me planning to return before I even left Urban Farmer that evening.
    "Dessert
  • Honeycrisp Apple Doughnuts with apple butter and rosemary ice cream
  • Woodblock Chocolate Pate with dried fruit compote and olive oil ice cream
    Honeycrisp Apple Doughnuts, with apple butter, rosemary ice cream. Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl Woodblock Chocolate Pate with dried fruit compote, olive oil ice cream, Jacobsen sea salt. Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl
  • Seville Orange Souffle for Two with creme fraîche chocolate sauce. I didn’t catch the dramatic pouring of the chocolate sauce onto the souffle, but Erin from Bakery Bingo did!
  • Candy Cap Crème Caramel with citrus, tamarind with candied candy cap mushrooms
  • Carmella Affogato with cremeux and Hairbender Stumptown espresso
    Seville Orange Souffle for Two with creme fraîche chocolate sauce. Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl Candy Cap Crème Caramel citrus, tamarind with candy cap mushrooms: Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl Carmella Affogato with cremeux and Hairbender Stumptown espresso: Dessert Extravagance thanks to Urban Farmer, stop 4 on the #LGPFoodCrawl

Want more?

Here are links to the other bloggers that were part of this adventure and that you should check out their recaps and their lovely photos!

Also, special applause, shoutout, hugs, and love to our LGP hostesses of Chloe (@ChloeHighberger), Brooke (@brookeadamspdx), Frances (@frances_pdx)!

Disclosure: This meal was sponsored, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

 

What neighborhood or what restaurants do you want to see put in a food crawl that you would participate in?

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Momofuku Noodle and Momofuku Milk Bar

When a work conference I was attending sent me to New York City for 6 days,  I was super excited. Although the conference started on Sunday and was 9-5 every day so I would lose the weekend (Saturday was almost all travel to you know, cross to the other side of the country and absorb the 3 hour time difference and 1 additional hour lost because of Daylight Savings time),  I was determined to make the most of my time in checking things off my wishlist.

After all,  NYC is one of the major food capitals of the world. And I Love Food. If a foodie will plan trips by first researching and planning what to eat,  and if a foodie wins the lottery would plan an eating adventure around the world, then I more than qualify.

I’ll have another post or two to share about how I used Custom Google Maps to show me where everything on my wishlist was located, along with logistics like hours and tips for each location and how I gathered that info.
Creating a Custom Google Map to help your Vacation Planning

But for now,  I’ll share the first meal I had when I arrived that Saturday evening. After the long flight from PDX to San Francisco to JFK, I craved comfort but also Saturday vibrancy and energy. And, I would wind up with my first bites in New York being Momofuku Noodle Bar, and just for convenience for me I’m also going to cover my stop at Momofuku Milk Bar even though it was a few days later.

The United flight had been fantastic in being on time and with an individual TV for each seat from San Fran to New York. The seats I had passed up in business class were those kind that fold into beds,  but even in coach I was OK in comfort.

Usually I don’t experience those kind of nicer planes unless it’s an international flight, but apparently they also use the United p.s. Premium Service Boeing 757-200 aircraft for this leg. There was an outlet in front in between the seats (I was in an aisle) for power cords, but since they also had a USB plug right by the personal monitor I used to to keep my phone charged up. I appreciated that even in coach, I was given some amenities like access to chargers, every seat had a pillow and blanket, and all complimentary movies and TV shows.

I never thought I’d write on this blog about an airplane experience, but since it was so good I wanted to share it. This was so worth flying SFO to JFK rather than to EWR/Newark because of this plane (looks like it also works a LAX-JFK route).

I had felt empowered during my flight by watching Frozen and laughed outloud several times (than remembered to keep it down unlike the two college gals 3 rows diagonally from me that chatted loudly enough for the whole back section to hear,  despite my headphones,  on the whole 5 am flight!) and rewound scenes with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. There were actually a lot of movies I wanted to watch from their complimentary selection like Gravity, or Ender’s Game, or Hunger Games 2, but since I was planning on watching these with F anyway I tried to pick ones he would probably roll his eyes at. It’s definitely something when you wish the flight was a little longer so you could finish watching a third movie (I ended up watching White House Down because there were parts I could easily forward through and still follow).
Frozen Movie Poster Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Movie Poster

But then there was the long ride to my Midtown hotel a few blocks from Times Square. I walked around Times Square after checking in to try to absorb the energy and excitement. But being alone I was a literal small face in a crowd and felt unimportant and lost and annoyed as people around me shared their sightseeing with their companions and caused me many times to walk around as they would suddenly stop short or walk 3 or 4 people across on the sidewalk, really really really slowly.
New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night New York City in March 2014- Times Square on a Saturday night

I decided I would go with some bao and a tummy full of ramen. I didn’t grow up with chicken soup as a comfort food when ill. It was Thai rice porridge or Mama Noodles (you can get them in Portland at Sen Yai as I wrote about here). I also remember when on family trips we touched down in Bangkok from a grueling long flight (back when smoking was still allowed and we always flew through Japan… I remember a haze sometimes above my child size head) this was part of our first meal as we got off the plane, often close to midnight there. I remember the flavors and smells meaning “welcome, you’re here, relax, rest from your trip but also be nourished, get ready to go out and explore”.
8th St / NYU Stop 8th St / NYU Stop 8th St / NYU Stop

If you get off at the 8 St/NYU stop and walk on 8th street towards 1st, keep your eye out for a little red bunny (I mistakenly labeled it a dog in my Instagram) in the window of the 51 Astor Place building. Red Rabbit by Jeff Koons, the father of shiny balloon dog sculptures (he does them in 5 Colors- Blue, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, Red) is a 4 feet tall, 6,600 pound mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture. It has. four siblings (Magenta, Blue, Yellow, Violet) also out there somewhere.
Red Rabbit by Jeff Koons, the father of shiny balloon dog sculptures (he does them in 5 Colors- Blue, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, Red) at 51 Astor Place.  It is a 4 feet tall, 6,600 pound mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture. There are four (Magenta, Blue, Yellow, Violet) others in the world Red Rabbit by Jeff Koons, the father of shiny balloon dog sculptures (he does them in 5 Colors- Blue, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, Red) at 51 Astor Place.  It is a 4 feet tall, 6,600 pound mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture. There are four (Magenta, Blue, Yellow, Violet) others in the world

I don’t usually mind solo dining. It lets me enjoy food and atmosphere without the distraction of conversation. I can devote my whole attention to the experience. Every bite and sip can be slowly unfolded uninterrupted, and my thoughts allowed to chase impressions into forming into something more solid rather than temporary emotional responses.

Also, it usually means I can easily get  a seat. I walked into Momofuku Noodle Bar past a few groups and was immediately seated at the bar in the middle of the room- I hadn’t eaten since breakfast or I would might have waited for a counter seat by the kitchen, but this was fine.
Momofuku Noodle Bar Momofuku Noodle Bar

I had seen earlier than I had a refrigerator and microwave in my room, so I didn’t hold back on ordering knowing I could take back leftovers. I started with 2 orders of buns- which come 2 buns each to an order, the Shrimp Bao with spicy mayo, pickled red onion, iceberg and the special on the board the Pork Belly Bun with soft white steamed bun folded around pickled cucumbers and green onions, sweet hoisin and roasted pork belly. I washed this down with a local beer, the Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk stout. This is pretty typical- I’m always asking what local beer, wine, or alcohol a place has.
Momofuku Noodle Bar- Shrimp Buns with spicy mayo, pickled red onion, iceburg Momofuku Noodle Bar- Shrimp Buns with spicy mayo, pickled red onion, iceburg

If it’s one thing that Momofuku is famous for, it is these pork buns. When I bit into one, any annoyance, irritation, or tiredness faded away into the juicy tender melt in your mouth pillowy soft bun. I was only supposed to eat one each of the buns, but there was no way I wasn’t going to eat both these, and I even thought about ordering another but reminded myself there was a lot to eat in New York. I would totally come back here my next visit for these buns.

Man, I really wish I had some RIGHT NOW. They were so so so good. It sounds simple,  but that’s like calling your favorite family dish just home cooking – embedded in these Buns is both nourishment and nurturing.
Momofuku Pork Bao- Pork Belly Bun with soft white steamed bun folded around pickled cucumbers and scallions, sweet hoisin and roasted pork belly Momofuku Pork Bao- Pork Belly Bun with soft white steamed bun folded around pickled cucumbers and scallions, sweet hoisin and roasted pork belly

Eventually, new people were seated next to my left, and as they pondered aloud what buns to order, I turned and demanded that they had to order the pork buns. I tried hard to then return to my solitude and not listen too much to how the man was trying to set up the woman with various friends, and the woman complaining how hard it was to find someone in New York and dish on a recent date. I guess I wasn’t totally successful there huh.

It’s hard to not absorb some of the conversations around you since it is a crowded, loud restaurant that is popular and the communal seats so close you will probably exchange an elbow or two at one point. I’m not sure if it was me that changed, or the feeling of the crowd, but unlike the isolation I felt earlier at Times Square, here I felt camaraderie in everyone was seeking comfort, like I was. When I walked back to the station to return to the hotel, I no longer felt rushed, or irritated, or lost. I had transitioned into being relaxed, patient curious observer, and I was sorry for all the unkind thoughts I had when I was hungry (thinking back, I only had a breakfast sandwich I grabbed to eat on the plane in SFO and nothing else until this meal). I was back to smiling at strangers, the Portland me.

For ramen I went with the classic, Momofuku ramen, with pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg. It’s homey, and made me regret having the beer because I had wasted previous stomach space that could have been used for all of the broth- I had to leave some behind. Don’t worry, only broth and maybe some green onion was left, nothing else.
Momofuku Noodle bar, classic Momofuku ramen, with pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg

If I returned, I would definitely try the Spicy Miso Ramen with smoked chicken and swiss chard or the Chilled Spicy Noodles with Sichuan sausage, spinach and cashews. This is the biggest negative of dining alone- if I had been with others I could have tried a bit of those all on this visit. I also would have had room for dessert… but not for this meal.

Instead, it wasn’t until a couple days later, on Tuesday, when I was able to try a Momofuku dessert at Momofuku Milk Bar, this was the East Village location. I made myself work for this dessert by walking here from Chelsea Market, and totally spacing on the fact that I had thought I would walk and visit The High Line Park first and then come for dessert. I would pay for this later because when I did return to The High Line another day it was raining hard. But that’s another post.

For now, be jealous of my Oatmeal Creme Pie flavored soft serve (this is specific to this particular Milk Bar location) with crunchies AND I got a slice of Crack Pie. FTW. The woman behind the counter even teased me that as I was ordering the slice that I had a really guilty look on my face, which may have had something to do with progressive eating for 6 hours and it wasn’t even dinnertime yet. I promise you that’s another post too! These desserts are all that they promise. The crack pie is very sweet and buttery but with a bit of saltiness, and the texture of that oat meal cookie crust gives it a bit of crunchyness while the filling is barely in solid form as its silkiness melts on your tongue.
Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC, East Village Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC, East Village Oatmeal Creme Pie flavored soft serve (this is specific to this particular Milk Bar location) with crunchies AND I got a slice of crack pie (not pictured) Momofuku Milk Bar- buy the Crack Pie by the slice!

Which Momofuku would you choose to go to, and what would you get!?

Other New York highlights from this trip that I have blogged about:

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Goodbye Wildwood Restaurant

It was with a sad sigh that I read on social media on  on Tuesday that Wildwood Restaurant would be closing in 1 week (on February 25).

When I was thinking of moving to Portland in 2007, I was not sure I would like it. I was born and raised in Chicago and lived there all my life- the bustling metropolis with its diversity and food scene were something I was very attached to. When I thought of Portland from my previous visits (usually for a long weekend to visit F, as we were only friends then and not romantically linked), I remember it being the opposite- not very diverse, and the food couldn’t compare to the level at Chicago. At the time, a visit to Rogue Brewing and a meal at Edgefield or Kennedy School McMenamins were the highlights.

By 2007, F and I had been dating for a while, and he had tried living in Chicago but still longed to return to Portland. Instead of a weekend, we planned a one week trip for me to see what Portland had to offer.

We were shocked at the changes we saw when we came- the Pearl District had come out of nowhere, and Pioneer Square was no longer hippie/transit central (at at least there was a lot less). I picked out the restaurants to try out, and Wildwood was one of them. It opened my eyes and tastebuds to what Northwest cuisine meant, and I loved it. Portland had promise after all. I moved here a year later.

  
Photos above by Sunpech Photography

Since moving here, I’ve dined at Wildwood many times for lunch and dinner. It is one of the first places that comes to mind to recommend to anyone, particularly out of town visitors who are new to Portland. When my in-laws, including my mother-in-law who is afraid of flying, came to visit, this was at the top of my list of where I wanted to take them. I tried to take my parents too but the available reservation time was too late in the evening, so I shrugged it off, thinking “next visit”. I’m sad I won’t be able to take them now.

Wildwood is of course not the only restaurant that uses local seasonal ingredients, but they do so in a perfect blend of classic and new by including some less utilized local ingredients or in new combinations. The atmosphere is both refined and casual, classy but not pretentious. The booths offer cushy private spaces, while the chef’s counter gives you a front row seat to the rhythm and magic of their open kitchen. They changed up their menu frequently so it was also an adventure of discovery to see what they had now with any visit. 

Here are a few food memories (I had a lot to choose from, but didn’t want to go overboard with this post!) that I wanted to highlight of memorable food moments at Wildwood for me. This is where it pays off that I’ve been photographing food for so long to help me remember, since visuals help spark memories for me of that week of discovery.

From that decisive, impressive Lunch at Wildwood that gave me faith in Portland’s food scene in 2007:
Crispy duck confit with microgreens and oranges and a sprinkle of almonds.
From a Lunch at Wildwood PDX: Crispy duck confit with microgreens and oranges and a sprinkle of almonds
Chestnut ravioli with roasted d’anjou pears, cider brown butter and almonds. We both really liked this concept of a fruity sauce on the pasta rather then a tomato-based or cream sauce.
From a Lunch at Wildwood PDX: Chestnut ravioli with roasted d’anjou pears, cider brown butter and almonds
House cured ham (it was juicy!) and gruyere and grilled onion sandwich with house made potato chips. It sound simple, but there was something about how this still tasted different and unique from Chicago, something so very Portland- I would say it’s the taste of the locality here.
From a Lunch at Wildwood PDX: House cured ham (it was juicy!) and gruyere and grilled onion sandwich with house made potato chips

Another Lunch – for a while, I was part of a Lunch Club with a few coworkers, until our group got broken up by too many reorganizations and cubicle moves and changes of managers and layoffs. They were among the first friends I made when I moved here, and the first where I revealed I had a food blog and wasn’t embarrassed to pull out my camera to take photos of food.
An appetizer of puree of butternut squash soup’s depth of flavor was elevated by the guajillo creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds
Wildwood PDX Lunch: an appetizer of puree of butternut squash soup's depth of flavor was elevated by the guajillo creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds
Braised cattail creek lamb stuffed crepes with carrot puree, sauteed lacinato kale, frisee, almonds, goat cheese and minted meyer lemon yogurt. The picture pretty much sums it up, with all those textures and all those tastes on the human tongue of salt, sweet, sour, hints of bitter and comforting savory were blending together here
Wildwood PDX Lunch: Braised cattail creek lamb stuffed crepes with carrot puree, sauteed lacinato kale, frisee, almonds, goat cheese and minted meyer lemon yogurt

I have a blog entry about the Wildwood and Breakside Brewery Beer Dinner I enjoyed in 2012, but I wanted to highlight this particular food and beer pairing: Pastrami pork belly éclair spring onion, pickled chile cream cheese icing paired with Newport Summer Ale. I think I could have had 3 or 4 of these. Wildwood for a while was doing a sublime series of food and beer pairing dinners.
Wildwood and Breakside Beer Pairing Dinner: pastrami pork belly éclair spring onion, pickled chile cream cheese icing paired with newport summer ale

Oh, and the fabulous cocktails at the bar. Wildwood has/had 🙁 an amazing bar and craft cocktails using seasonal ingredients and local distilleries. I don’t have as many photos of these, but I did have a couple:
Wildwood cocktail of Oh Snap! Tanqueray, cointreau, mint tincture, lemon, and sugar snap peas puree
Wildwood cocktail of Oh Snap! Tanqueray, cointreau, mint tincture, lemon, and sugar snap peas puree
Wildwood Cocktail of The Naughty Kitty with pimm’s, india lemongrass, lime and strawberry puree
Wildwood Cocktail of The Naughty Kitty with pimm's, india lemongrass, lime and strawberry puree

The cocktail “An Apple a Day” was made with calvados, tuaca, fresh lemon, egg white, rosemary, and apple gastrique.
Wildwood PDX Cocktail of An Apple a Day was made with calvados, tuaca, fresh lemon, egg white, rosemary, and apple gastrique

Below is not my photos, but that of my brother of Sunpech Photography when I took him on a Forktown Food Tour of the Alphabet District while he was visiting me.
Spicy martini using crème de pêche and New Deal Hot Monkey chili vodka (the name eludes me, sorry!)
Wildwood PDX Cocktail of a Spicy martini using crème de pêche and New Deal Hot Monkey chili vodka

I will miss you Wildwood, and I shake my fist at how the lease negotiations did not work out. But best of luck to everyone there as they go forth on their new endeavors. If you could pick a new location for your place closer to my home, that would be cool too. 🙂

There will be one more post- I was able to eat there for dinner last night, but I would like to squeeze in one more, a lunch so that my first and last meals at Wildwood Restaurant will be a lunch.

Is there a restaurant in Portland that holds a lot of memories and meaning for you?

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President’s Day Holiday Recipes

I thought I would link up to some posts I did previously for President’s Day. What better way to celebrate a holiday, any holiday, even President’s Day, than with food right? Food brings all people through all times together.

I did three President’s Day Holiday Recipes, each honoring 3 different presidents.

President George Washington and Peanut Soup


President George Washington loved cream of peanut soup, so here is my vegetarian take on a presidential peanut soup in honor of the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday. This peanut soup version does not use chicken stock and serves about 6 people.

George Washington in a painting at Gadsby Tavern President's Day Holiday Recipe: George Washington and Peanut Soup

President Abraham Lincoln and Chicken Fricassee


In a way, this recipe honors two presidents: chicken fricassee, which is a dish that President Lincoln enjoyed  (he liked it with biscuits), and the way I adapted this recipe comes from Thomas Jefferson’s Chicken Fricassee via CD Kitchen in order to also pay respects to also past awesome president Thomas Jefferson (sometimes called “America’s founding foodie” because he was such a lover of food). Check out my Vegetarian Fricassee– I used fake chicken in my post, but I have also totally omitted any chicken whatsoever when I’ve made this recipe and just had it be a really hearty sauce that you can place on biscuits, rice, pasta, quinoa, etc.

President's Day Holiday Recipe: President Lincoln enjoyed (and this recipe is from Thomas Jefferson) Chicken fricassee, with chicken, made vegetarian with chik'n by Quorn

President Franklin D Roosevelt / FDR and Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese was one of FDR’s favorite foods. Franklin D Roosevelt is one of the most quotable presidents of history, and his quotes reveal his introspection and understanding of the nature of humanity and the path America was on – including stating several warnings about the rise of private power and how poverty and unemployment and a culture of fear was the enemy of democracy.



For my recommendation of a grilled cheese recipe, I would point to asparagus and cheese sandwiches. Any grilled cheese sandwich is good- I particularly like the addition of coating the outside with Parmesan for a bit extra richness and because it gets crispy!

President's Day Recipe for President FDR, who loved grilled cheese. This Asparagus Cheese Sandwich has Parmesan coating outside the sandwich for extra cheese and crunch!

Ales of the Revolution

One last fun note: did you know Yards Brewing Company (based in Pennsylvania) has a series of beers called Ales of the Revolution that are based on our founding fathers and beers they enjoyed? For instance, Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce is based on a recipe by Benjamin Franklin that does include essence of spruce. A Tavern Ale pays homage to Thomas Jefferson, who was a brewer himself. Finally, a Tavern Porter is based on is based on some letters from George Washington in which he notes using molasses to give a caramel notes to a roasty ale that might have been similar to this porter beer.

Since this brewery is from the east coast you will probably not find this beer in stores locally here, but hey, it had to do with beer and this IS Beervana we live in, so I had to throw it in!

Tavern Porter, Washington, Ales of the Revolution series from Yards Brewery, colonial food, Virginia   Tavern Spruce, Ben Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, Ales of the Revolution series from Yards Brewery, colonial food, Virginia Thomas Jefferson, Tavern Ale, Tavern Porter, Washington, Ales of the Revolution series from Yards Brewery, colonial food, Virginia

How are you celebrating Presidents Day?

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