Pechluck's Food Adventures

Stray Birds by Stray Dogs PDX

May 15, 2015 by Pechluck 18 Comments

Every Monday in May, Stray Dogs PDX (link to their Facebook account because sorry, their website is terribly uninformative and outdated), usually known for their popping up at various restaurants with their fancy take on hot dogs, has been hosting a Stray Birds concept at Beast. Nomadic chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach (aka the “Strays” as they have no brick and mortar home yet) for Stray Birds change the focus from Dogs (hot dogs) instead to Birds – which in this case, means Korean Fried Chicken (aka the real KFC).
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach. The 3 courses + beer for $35 was inclusive, but there were alternate drinks also available for purchase additionally, like a bottle or shot of Chamisul Sojo or a bottle of Makgeolli, or cans of Asahi or Oriental Brewery Beer.

Oh, sold! I’m sold! I loooove Korean Fried Chicken because it’s always crispy on the outside with a glaze that is both spicy and sweet, and succulent and juicy on the inside. It’s not something you can easily find in Portland.

So after an email to straydogsPDX at gmail.com, we secured our reservations for an opening during their service from 5:30-9:30pm. For $35, three courses and a beer equaled on my visit

Beer: Rainier Beer Lager in a can
There were alternate drinks also available for purchase additionally, like a bottle or shot of Chamisul Sojo or a bottle of Makgeolli, or cans of Asahi or Oriental Brewery Beer.
Rainier Beer at Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015. The $35 included dinner and this beer

Course 1: Bibim Gooksu

Bibim Gooksu, a cold buckwheat soba noodles with kholrabi, cucumbers and nori with chicken clam and pineapple dashi

Course 2: Korean Fried Stray Bird

The glorious main protein of korean fried stray bird, 1/2 chicken with gochujang and tamarind glaze. You will need the moist towelettes they also give you, and I appreciated that they gave a bone bin.
Course 2: The glorious korean fried stray bird, 1/2 chicken with gochujang and tamarind glaze at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

Side dish of Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter
Course 2: one of the side dishes to the Korean Fried Stray Bird of Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

Side dish (Banchan basically) of a Pickle Plate with bread and butter daikon, garlic chive stuffed cucumber, and dill pickled bean sprouts and kimchee
Course 2: one of the side dishes to the Korean Fried Stray Bird of a Pickle Plate with bread and butter daikon, garlic chive stuffed cucumber, and dill pickled bean sprouts and kimchee at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

This second course is served family style to each dining party, which is what you would usually expect dining Korean style.
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

Course 3: Milk + Cookie

Two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder (basically a shaved ice dish), plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice
Course 3: one of the two desserts of the Milk + Cookie, the koji brown rice milk bingsoo with toasted barley powder plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice at Stray Birds, a pop up by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015

A few shots of the staff at work. Since we had the 5:30 seating, and were literally the first guests to walk into the restaurant, I got to marvel and the beautiful tray of chicken awaiting the fryer and to have the glaze brushed on.
Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

I really enjoyed the chicken, and hope to visit a Stray Dog event sometime in the future. Again, if you are interested in attending one of the Stray Birds by Stray Dogs PDX pop up, they are every Monday in May at Beast, and you make your reservations ahead of time for 5:30-9:30 at straydogsPDX at Gmail dot com.

Stray Dogs is also popping up Fridays at Kitchen Cru serving their haute hot dogs for lunch only from 11:30 – 3 every Friday in May as Stray Dogs Luncheonette.

Stray Birds, a pop up at Beast by Stray Dogs PDX in May 2015 on Mondays led by Stray chefs Peter Cho and Johnny Leach

Have you been to a Stray Dog event, or had Korean Fried Chicken?

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #foodiefriday, #straybirdspdx, #straydogspdx, Beast popup, Bibim Gooksu, Black Sesame Corn Bread, Black Sesame Seed Corn Bread with Warm Brown Rice Syrup and Charred Ramp Butter, bread and butter daikon, Charred Ramp Butter, choco pie, cold buckwheat soba noodles, cornbread, cornbread and butter, dill pickled bean sprouts and kimchee, Foodie Friday, garlic chive stuffed cucumber, Johnny Leach, koji brown rice milk bingsoo, korean fried chicken, Korean Fried Chicken Portland, Korean Fried Stray Bird, pdx, Peter Cho, Pickle Plate, plus the choco pie with coffee marshmallow and puffed rice, Pop up restaurant, portland, Rainier Beer, Stray Birds by Stray Dogs PDX, Stray Birds Korean Chicken, Stray Birds PDX, Stray Birds pop up, Stray Dogs PDX, toasted barley powder

Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20th

May 13, 2015 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Wednesday, May 20th is the 6th annual Restaurants for Raphael House dine-out fundraiser. This event is one day only where many delicious restaurants, and you as diners, can show your support for families escaping domestic violence simply by dining out at one (or more!) of a list of 25+ establishments throughout Portland and Lake Oswego. All of the eateries are donating a percentage of the proceeds (10-25% of their day’s proceeds) to Raphael House of Portland.

Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser

Founded in 1977, Raphael House of Portland is a domestic violence agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of domestic violence. They offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education. Raphael House is the largest domestic violence shelter in Multnomah County. Annually, Raphael House provides 10,000 safe nights for women and children in their emergency shelter and support as many as 5,000 callers on their 24/7 crisis line.

It’s so easy for you to help this valuable cause and support this local agency. Just find a participating restaurant that is convenient to you and dine out! With so many on the list with different cuisines, you will probably find a place that can fit your food preferences. Keep in mind that every $100 that the fundraiser is able to raise during the event will provide one night in our shelter for someone.

So take your family, or go on a friend date. Order generously anything you want from the menu, all food and drink, and any time the participating restaurants are open (so all DAY in many cases), it all counts!

A full list of businesses participating Restaurants for Raphael House can be found online here at the Raphael House website, organized by quadrant of Portland. The list that I saw includes

Southeast

Accanto | Serving Italian fare like handmade pasta, and making the most of lots of local seasonal ingredients for lunch and dinner. Everything here is good!
Bread and Ink Cafe | Roomy, long-lived American restaurant with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
Chiang Mai | Dishing up traditional specialties from Northern Thailand for lunch and dinner, look for dishes you haven’t seen at a typical Thai food menu
Oaks Bottom Public House | Pub located in the heart of Sellwood offering food for lunch and dinner along with craft brew Lompoc beers and a full bar in relaxed atmosphere including a covered private patio out back.
PaaDee | Amazing Thai food that is among the top 3 best Thai in Portland right now with craft cocktails along with some Thai menu options you don’t normally see. Don’t miss the Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce, which was among several highlights in my previous Paadee visit post when you come visit for lunch or dinner.
Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more), plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
REDWOOD | American restaurant & lounge offering brunch everyday along with lunch and dinner that is a mix of classic (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, fried brussels sprouts, cheddar and corn fritters) and new (grilled eggplant sandwich, braised tongue sandwich, mussels in house curry).
Stickers Asian Cafe | Pan-Asian street fare that offers small dishes, snacks and street foods of Asia: Chinese, Thai, East Indian, Korean, Malaysian and Vietnamese for lunch and dinner.
The Country Cat | Southern food serving brunch (including classic cast iron fried chicken, or chicken fried steak or smoked bbq brisket sandwich) and dinner (from that fried chicken again to a fish fry, duck leg, lamb meatloaf or a dish of whole hog) every day.
Ya Hala | Family owned restaurant specializing in the homey traditional Lebanese cuisine for lunch and dinner. They are getting a big buzz right now for their brunch (which is only on weekends) but their lunch and dinner menus are several times larger than their brunch one!

Northeast

Bella Faccia Pizzeria | Funky neighborhood pizza with New York style pizza, including vegan pizza options for lunch and dinner.
Beulahland | Coffee and Alehouse offering breakfast, and then beer alongside American eats such as sandwiches & games including pinball or on the TVs (particularly futball/soccer from Europe, as well as local Timbers) during lunch and dinner.
Cocotte Bistro | French food in an intimate bistro atmosphere by amazing chef Kat LeSueur. Dinner only.
Dove Vivi Pizza | Pizza with a cornmeal-crust pizzas, there are also vegan pizza options from 4 PM on.
NePo42 | A dog-friendly hangout that offers draft microbrews & American pub food, plus weekly trivia night on Wednesday at 7, pool table, and patio from lunch through dinner.
Smallwares | Asian fusion restaurant from chef Johanna Ware who herself calls it “inauthentic asian” for for dinner.
The Alameda Cafe | Brunch and dinner everyday that is a neighborhood lil restaurant.

North

Las Primas | Peruvian eatery serving sandwiches, empanadas & other traditional street food & cocktails for lunch and dinner. I love their happy hour with their pisco sours (the national Peruvian cocktail) and I can’t resist getting the appetizer of Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. It’s a popular street food and I see why because they go down very fast. Though it comes with a dip already, I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them. Also try the empanada, and a main dish.
¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Southwest

Bento Box | A downtown food cart offering chicken with with vegetables, rice, and sauce (teriyaki, grilled onions, sriracha, and/or sweet chili sauce) for a simple and effectively filling lunch from 11-4.
Cheryl’s on 12th | Cute cafe, bakery & market offering American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have simple but good salads and wraps and burgers and pasta, but also a stuffed meatloaf stuffed with ham and cheese, and an affordable homey prime rib. They are generously donating 25% of the day’s proceeds, so a great choice for dining and doing good at the same time!
Masu Sushi | Japanese sushi served on the 2nd-floor spot of the Indigo building with validated parking in the Indigo Garage, for lunch and dinner.
Mother’s Bistro & Bar | Cafe and bar with homey decor made a bit more fancy with beautiful chandeliers specializes in hearty comfort-food by moms (traditional, homey, comforting, made from scratch), if your mom really knew how to cook, serving breakfast lunch and dinner. They also serve great Cocktails at the bar, and fabulous French pressed coffee.

Northwest

Justa Pasta | Hidden secret with handmade pastas and other Italian classics (mmm their mushroom lasagana) for lunch and dinner.
Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more), plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs in the Pearl. The Burgers and Fries are monstrous and sooo good Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Lake Oswego and Happy Valley

Chuckie Pies | Neighborhood pizzeria offers classic Neapolitan-style pies in Lake Oswego.
Chuck’s Place | Neighborhood cafe with coffee, tea, and baked goods (particularly the scones) in Lake Oswego.
Petite Patisserie | Bakery & coffee shop offering European-inspired baked goods, plus crêpes & sandwiches in Happy Valley.

I hope if you do plan to dine out on Wednesday May 20th, you will choose from that list. Eat well while also supporting an important and worthy cause.

You can post on social media about your support and encourage others to also dine out for the Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser using the hashtag #R4RH. I will definitely be out, though I still haven’t quite decided where to go yet. Will you be dining out on Wednesday, and where do you think you’ll go?

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights Tagged With: #pdxevents, #pdxfood, #R4RH, Eat for a Cause, Raphael House of Portland, Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser

Recipe for Balkan Cheese Pie – Burek and Adjika Sauce

May 11, 2015 by Pechluck 9 Comments

I have had this Recipe for Balkan Cheese Pie from the Darina at the Gratinee blog pinned for a while, and for some reason in the past couple months I have been on a real Eastern European food kick. Most of it was Russian food, but also Mediterranean, so no surprise that the Balkans and this pie has risen to the top of my to do list to try.

This Balkan Cheese Pie sort of combines the best of both of these cuisines, the lighter Mediterranean touch where the pie is eaten with simple yogurt or salad or fruit, but also a lot of cheese and oven pie method of making a meal from the Serbia area that is so close to the Soviet and Russia and shares history and perception of Slavic brotherhood.
Balkan Cheese Pie - Burek recipe. Just easy layering of cheese egg mixture with phyllo sheets, like a Mediterranean or Eastern European quiche

Also called Burek, this pie is at its core a pastry made from phyllo dough and filled with cheese (in this case cottage cheese and feta, though ricotta might also be used) and optionally also throw in some vegetables (commonly greens or mushrooms) or ground meat.

Thank you for the inspiration Darina. For an alternate version, instead of a pie, you could make a pita version – a pie and pita version are covered by Superfora here and Darina makes a spiral version that is a cross of pita and pie.

Balkan Cheese Pie – Burek

Balkan Cheese Pie - Burek recipe. Just easy layering of cheese egg mixture with phyllo sheets, like a Mediterranean or Eastern European quiche
Ingredients:

8 phyllo sheets (you can find these in the freezer section. Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight, and take them out to get to room temperature while you are mixing your cheese/egg in step 1 of directions below).
1/2 pound cottage cheese
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs
1/2 cup club soda (this helps make the pie fluffy)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (optional, depending on how salty you think it already is from your feta)
Browned meat or mushrooms (optional)
1 teaspoon dill (optional)

Directions:

As you are making your cheese mixture, let the phyllo dough which you probably bought frozen and have defrosted overnight in the refrigerator come to room temperature – still in the box though. Ok, now to the mixture. In a large mixing bowl combine the cheese, eggs, club soda, oil, and salt (optional, depending on how salty your feta already is). For this recipe I used cottage cheese and feta cheese that were both reduced fat, and you can also use ricotta. I hear it’s still not quite like actual Eastern European cheese, but this is the closest to it. Once the mixture is ready, now open the phyllo package and release the sheets – you wanted to wait until now to do this so it doesn’t dry out because then it will break easily (though for this recipe, it doesn’t matter as much is there are small tears and holes since you are folding the phyllo sheets in anyway).
Grease a 9 inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place two sheets of phyllo, one crossed over the other, over the pan and gently tuck in. With a ladle, spoon over some of the cheese mixture.
(Optional) For variation, sprinkle layers with fresh spinach leaves, sauteed mushrooms, or browned ground lamb or pork on top of the cheese and egg mixture.
Otherwise, fold the corners of the phyllo over the filling. Pour over some more of the cheese mixture. Repeat a few more times, using 2 layers of phyllo sheets and the cheese and egg mixture alternating. Pour any leftover filling over top layer.
Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden and pie has puffed up.
Cool until lukewarm and then cut into pieces like quiche and serve.

If you’d like, top with poppy seeds or like I did, with dill.
Balkan Cheese Pie - Burek recipe, using cottage cheese and feta, topped with dill. Just easy layering of cheese egg mixture with phyllo dough, like a Mediterranean or Eastern European quiche

You can serve your slice of Burek with a green salad, fruit salad, tomato salad or cucumber salad. In cooler days you might choose soup. Another option if you made it plain cheese like I did is serve it alongside your choice of cooked vegetables that are steamed, sauteed or roasted.
Balkan Cheese Pie - Burek recipe, here served with sauteed mushrooms in garlic butter. Burek is an easy layering of cheese egg mixture with phyllo dough, like a Mediterranean or Eastern European quiche

I went super Eastern European and added Adjika sauce on the side.
Balkan Cheese Pie, or Burek, here with Adjika Sauce - recipe for both on http://pechluck.com

Adjika is sort of like a Russian pesto, but instead of basil, oil, and pine nuts it’s dried red peppers, garlic, salt, and some dried seasoning that are then ground up together. Yes, it’s supposed to be a bit spicy. There are some recipes out there with tomatoes, but I like it without because I don’t want it to be like salsa or ketchup – I want it to be a mix of sauce and chili paste, sort of what is alluded to by this article at Roads and Kingdoms on “Adjika: Sauce of Glory, Pride of Abkhazia“.

Most recipes for Adjika sauce I found use a lot of ingredients like tomatoes, carrots, and make a lot of cans. The version I do is a small amount – about 3/4-1 cup. You want the ingredients to be as dry as possible so that the most liquid comes from the additional of the oil, so you can choose for instance to use regular parsley instead of the dried kind in the spices and seasonings section, just make sure it is chopped and dry.
Balkan Cheese Pie, or Burek, here with Adjika Sauce - recipe for both on http://pechluck.com

Adjika Sauce

Ingredients:

4 hot red chilli peppers
1 cloves garlic peeled
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
a large pinch of salt
A few teaspoons of Walnut or Olive oil, as needed for consistency

Instructions:

Spread peppers on a table with wax paper underneath and let air dry until the chilis become slightly wrinkled if you can – you can make it without this step, but you’ll want to taste and add a pinch more to balance the liquid from the chilis
Wash the chillies, cutting off the stems, and then cutting the chilies in half to scrape out the seeds – if you like spiciness, save the seeds so you can add them to the heat level you want in step 4.
In a food processor, add your cut seedless chilies, garlic, coriander and parsley into a food processor, add a splash of oil and pulse until a paste.
And salt and pulse for another couple of seconds. Check the spiciness and add some of the reserved seeds if the sauce seems too mild to your taste. Add more oil as needed to get the desired consistency.

Adjika sauce, sort of like a Russian pesto that uses dried red peppers, garlic, salt, and some dried seasoning that are then ground up together

Have you ever heard of any of these two dishes? Do you know of any good places in Portland to get Eastern European food?

When you first read Balkan Cheese Pie, did you think of the Balkans… or Balki from Perfect Strangers?

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: #MeatlessMonday, adjika sauce, alternate quiche, Balkan cheese pie, Balkan food, burek, cheese and phyllo pie, Cheese Pie, cooking, Eastern European Food, Eastern European quiche, European quiche, meatless monday, recipe, recipe for adjika, recipe for burek, savory pie, Serbian Food, variation on quiche, vegetarian, vegetarian recipe, vegetarian recipes

The Lion at Portland Center Stage

May 9, 2015 by Pechluck 3 Comments

On Friday, I attended the opening night of The Lion playing in the Ellyn Bye Studio at Portland Center Stage from May 2 — June 14, 2015. Written and performed by Benjamin Scheuer and Directed by Sean Daniels, the description of the show The Lion reads:

One man, six guitars, and a true story of love, loss, family loyalty, and the redemptive power of music.

The Lion is a candid, poignant, charming offering from a next-generation troubadour.

The Lion premiered in 2014 at got raves in New York during its commercial run Off-Broadway, with reviews such as

“Mr. Scheuer seems to have found a measure of redemption by exposing his own, with a directness and good humor that only the hardest-hearted could resist.” – The New York Times

“Scheuer’s songs are miniature monologues and short stories you’d otherwise expect to find in The New Yorker. The lyrics are smart and highly detailed, the music sweet and satisfying…” – Theatermania

“Poignant and unexpected! Benjamin Scheuer’s songs are powerful, charismatic, and easy to become lost in.” – NBC New York

“For Audiences, Loving Ben Scheuer Will Be Easy… he’s the kind of debonair that reminds you of F. Scott Fitzgerald, a lit match, and whisky on the rocks.” – The Huffington Post

The story of the Lion is at a high level, an autobiographical tale through 16 or so songs that deals with the relationship and legacy of a father and son, and about perseverance from the painful things that may happen in life and are out of your control.

“Truth gets revealed when you’re broken and healed,” Benjamin sings. “Every heart is made stronger by scars… It’s the way that we weather the storm”

Benjamin Scheuer performs “The Lion” at Portland Center Stage. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/http://blankeye.tv

With his strong smooth voice, charismatic presence, and then the heartfelt, intimate musicality of his songs, it’s easy to identify with Benjamin. At first The Lion seems easy going and folksy with it’s start with childhood. It is as if you are at a house living room party together late after dinner and rounds of strong drinks on, telling stories and talking about memories.

But, then the narrative and the music gets into loss. As we follow Benjamin through time, the music and lyrics grow from his impetuous youth and typical initial musician exuberance to more reflection and sifting through multiple complex emotions at once as he matures in adulthood.

Now that you feel like you are friends with Benjamin, he will bring tears to your eyes as if that regret and longing is partially reminiscent of your own somehow. He weaves through a boy and his father, a boy out on his own, a boy and his mother, falling in love, the key that another person can unlock in yourself, about growing apart, battles, family, disappointment, anger, waiting, recovering, understanding the past in a new light, gratefulness. This is not just a story about him and his journey, but tugs at your own past and current parallels to his tale.

The music and sincerity of his performance takes you from listening to a story to resonating emotionally with the heart he is baring open to you and in doing so, opens your own heart to yourself. Don’t worry that you’ll be bawling though or the show is overly manipulating your heartstrings – there is a balance of quips of humor interspersed throughout that has you laughing through your tears. Music is the medium to the tale, but also is the tale – it is the connection to his father, to himself, and between all of us in the theater.

If you haven’t been to the Ellen Bye Studio yet, it’s a small theater where the configurations are very flexible but in general you are never very far from the stage and performers. Pretty much every seat is a good seat, and they are all unassigned, so it’s first come first serve when they open the doors. It feels like you are right there in the living room with Benjamin throughout the play, just one of a small group of friends.

Benjamin Scheuer performs “The Lion” at Portland Center Stage. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/http://blankeye.tv.

Benjamin Scheuer performs “The Lion” at Portland Center Stage. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/http://blankeye.tv

Performance Times and Prices (Wheelchair and youth/student tickets $20-25. See more details and other ticket specials for groups or military here):

Evenings: 7:30 PM: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun ($50) and Friday or Saturday ($55)
Matinees: 2 PM Saturday and Sundays ($40) or Noon on Thursdays ($40)
Note: Tickets to show in the studio are general admission: a ticket reserves you a place for a specific performance, but not for a specific seat so it’s first come first serve as you enter the theater. They open the doors about 20 minutes or so before the showtime.

The run time of the play is about 75 minutes with no intermission. The Lion is recommended for ages 13+ because of use of mature language, children under 6 are not permitted at any PCS production. Because of the small nature of the Ellen Bye Studio, there is no late seating or re-entry.

Disclosure: I was invited to see this production, 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

Filed Under: Sponsored Post, Theater Tagged With: Benjamin Scheuer, Ellyn Bye Studio, musical, PCS, PCS Proud, PDX Theater, play, portland center stage, Portland theater, The Lion, theater, theater review

Ox Blood Cocktail Recipe with Dickel Whisky

May 8, 2015 by Pechluck 12 Comments

Last month, I had the honor of being invited to a special Whisky Dinner featuring George Dickel Tennessee Whisky at Ox Restaurant. As part of the event, I was able to sample various whiskies from the Dickel Whisky portfolio (you can see me in green in the second photo!):
The various whiskies from the George Dickel Tennessee Whisky portfolio Doug Kragel at the Portland Ox and George Dickel Whiskey Dinner - you can see me in green at the table listening!

Dickel Foundation 1 is a clear, unaged whisky that pretty much doesn’t seem like a whisky. I would characterize it as more of a category of clear liquors, similar to vodka, gin, rum that you would want to mix in a drink. Although it comes from the same mash bill and cold mellowing process, the flavors are very light.
Dickel Classic 8 is the the most common, standby Dickel whisky. Dickel whiskies go through a cold mellowing process by which they chill their whisky to 40 degrees F before filling vats with chips of special charcoal from sugar maple timbers, producing a smoother whisky compared to that other Tennessee whisky company that uses the Lincoln County Process as well but not with the steps to chill or fill vats. This classic Dickel is well balanced and easy drinking. The whisky is aged 5 – 7 years.
Dickel Superior 12 is an aged blended version (barrels are aged 7 – 9 years), giving it more smokiness, the texture gets more soft and round, and there’s a hint of vanilla. I like a lot of smokiness and buttery texture to my drinks (or anything…) so this was my personal favorite.
Dickel Rye Whisky has a notable spicy taste you can detect. I found this honestly a bit difficult to drink neat like 8 or 12, but it was great when paired with a Breakside Pilsner.
Dickel Barrel Select are created from only 10 barrels hand selected by the Master Distiller, and all the barrels have already been aged 10 – 12 years. This gives the flavors of the whisky a complexity that includes smoothness like the 8, smokiness and vanilla and some roundness in mouthfeel like the 12, and some spice like the Rye.

Although I enjoyed tasting the little sips of whisky, what made the strongest impression in my mind was this gorgeous looking and incredible tasting cocktail they served using Dickel whisky. It is very simple, with only 4 ingredients, but packs a huge payback in terms of presentation and flavor. It doesn’t hurt that it also uses the Dickel recipe that I liked the most (and now own a bottle of!). So I thought I would share the Ox Blood Cocktail Recipe with Dickel Whisky…
Ox Blood Cocktail with Dickel Whiskey

Ox Blood Cocktail

Ingredients:

1.3 oz. George Dickel Tennesee Whiskey No. 12
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1 oz. Beet Syrup (2:1 Beet Juice:Sugar mix)
Tarragon Sprig

Directions:

Fill rocks glass with ice.
Shake George Dickel No. 12, beet syrup and lemon juice.
Pour over rocks.
Garnish with tarragon.

I think Ox Blood Cocktail with Dickel Whisky is a cocktail anyone can enjoy – and if you don’t want to make it yourself, it is still on the menu at Ox or next door to them at Whey Bar. The stunning appearance could work for Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, a Game of Thrones or horror movie themed party with its quite bold appearance… or no occasion or reason at all on any day.

I had the chance to enjoy the drink while eating Ox Restaurant Oysters and Squid & Octopus Salad. The conversation was enthralling, so the cocktail also lasted into the Ox starters like Empanadas of Spiced Beef with green olive and raisin, a Bruschetta of Dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber, radish and shiso, and also their House Baked Ricotta with button mushroom confit in balsamic brown butter and grilled bread – and all the food went well with the cocktail.

Considering how variant in taste those four dishes I mentioned are, the Ox Blood cocktail is incredibly versatile so it’s not just good looking.
Ox Restaurant Oysters and Squid & Octopus Salad Ox Restaurant starter of Empanadas of Spiced Beef with green olive and raisin Ox Restaurant starter of Bruschetta of Dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber, radish and shiso Ox Restaurant starter of House Baked Ricotta with button mushroom confit in balsamic brown butter and grilled bread

As you might not be surprised to hear, grilled food goes really well with whisky in general because of the shared flavor component of the earthiness and smoke. No wonder that Dickel picked Ox Restaurant as the host restaurant. Some of the other dishes of the evening that I enjoyed with various samplings of Dickel whisky, served neat:

Starter of Spicy Braised Beef Tripe & Octopus, Mint Aïoli, Crispy Sunchoke
Charcuterie of Smoked Beef Tongue en Vinagreta, Horseradish, Ensalada Rusa, Sweetbread Croutons
From the Grill dishes of Wild Alaskan Halibut on the bone with Nettle Pistou, Lemon, as well as House Chorizo, there was Beef Ribeye and Skirt Steak, and Maple-Brine Pork Loin Chop
Side dishes like
- Leaf Lettuces, Mozzarella Milanesa, Spicy Anchovy Vinaigrette, Marcona Almond and Avocado
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Everything Bagel Seasoning, Chive Mascarpone, and Smoked Salmon Roe
- Fried Russet Potatoes, Horseradish Aïoli, Dill
- Maple-Glazed Heirloom Carrots, Chèvre, Tarragon, Truffle-Salted Pistachios
- Roasted Broccolini, Charred Poblano Romesco, Toasted Pecan, Pickled Red Onion

Ox Restaurant starter of Spicy Braised Beef Tripe & Octopus, Mint Aïoli, Crispy Sunchoke Ox Restaurant Charcuterie of Smoked Beef Tongue en Vinagreta, Horseradish, Ensalada Rusa, Sweetbread Croutons Ox Restaurant From the Grill dish of Wild Alaskan Halibut on the bone with Nettle Pistou, Lemon Ox Restaurant House Made Chorizo Sausage Ox Restaurant side dish of Leaf Lettuces, Mozzarella Milanesa, Spicy Anchovy Vinaigrette, Marcona Almond and Avocado Ox Restaurant side dish of Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Everything Bagel Seasoning, Chive Mascarpone, and Smoked Salmon Roe < Ox Restaurant From the Grill meat dish, Ribeye Ox Restaurant side dish of Fried Russet Potatoes, Horseradish Aïoli, Dill Ox Restaurant side dish of Maple-Glazed Heirloom Carrots, Chèvre, Tarragon, Truffle-Salted Pistachios Ox Restaurant side dish of Roasted Broccolini, Charred Poblano Romesco, Toasted Pecan, Pickled Red Onion Ox Restaurant From the Grill meat dish of grilled Skirt Steak

And then there was dessert:

Pineapple-Cucumber Sorbet with Mandarin Orange Granita
Bittersweet Chocolate-Olive Oil Cake, Fudge Sauce, Peppermint Ice Cream, Molasses Anglaise
Warm Hazelnut Brown Butter Torte, Honey-Chamomile Ice Cream, Honeycomb Candy

Ox Restaurant - save room for dessert like this Pineapple-Cucumber Sorbet with Mandarin Orange Granita
Even served family style, I was not the only one staggering out the doors at the end of the meal just completely stuffed with food. Family style is definitely the way to go with Ox Restaurant because we got to try so many things, as you can see!

Have you ever heard of or had Dickel whisky? What do you think of the Ox Blood Cocktail idea?

Have you dined at Ox Restaurant before, what did you think of their Argentine inspired Portland food?

Have you ever paired whisky and grilled meats or vegetables before such as at a BBQ? It’s definitely an upgrade on normal bbq beer… though since beer also can serve as a beer back after whisky, maybe you could serve both?

Disclosure: I was treated to a whisky sampling and meal that was hosted by George Dickel Tennessee Whisky and Serious Barbecue at Ox Restaurant with talks by Dickel spokesperson Doug Kragel and Adam Perry Lang promoting Dickel Whisky. However, 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. Thank you Taylor Strategy for providing the Ox Blood Cocktail Recipe with Dickel Whisky to me and the first three photos of this post.

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #dickel, #pdxcocktail, cocktail, Dickel 1, Dickel Barrel Select, Dickel Classic 8, Dickel cocktail, Dickel Foundation 1, Dickel No 12 cocktail, Dickel No. 1, Dickel No. 12, Dickel Rye Whisky, Dickel Superior 12, Dickel Whisky portfolio, George Dickel Tennessee Whisky, Ox Blood Cocktail, Ox Blood Cocktail Recipe, x Restaurant

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