Brewstillery Festival

February 22, 2015 by 1 Comment

Most of you know I enjoy beer – I’ve covered other beer events like festivals and beer pairing dinners in the past. Usually this world is completely separate from spirits – it’s like Mars and Venus with F having a beer while I have a cocktail at a happy hour. We might sip a taste of each other’s drink, but they never go together or are related in any way. The closest you might get would be a beer back after a whiskey or boilermaker or shots in beer, but whatever way it isn’t usually something where you savor the beer and liquor together.

Yet, brewers love acquiring the barrels from distillers to make barrel-aged beer. It seems like there could be more to the relationship than beer only absorbing flavors from the containers that used to hold the spirit,  but having nothing to do with the spirit itself.

Well, the great divide is closing, and to help promote and celebrate that is the upcoming Brewstillery Festival, a new festival coming to us on Saturday February 28th. The goal of the festival is for breweries and distilleries to team up to create perfect pairings, which means beers paired with a whiskey, scotch, or rum, etc. that are intended to be enjoyed together.

Advance tickets are now on sale for $20 (the cost of admission is $25 day of event), which includes tasting glass and 10 tickets. Each ticket gets approximately either a 4 ounce taster of beer or 1/4 ounce taster sample of a spirit.
Brewstillery Festival

This new festival is being hosted by StormBreaker Brewing which purchased the Amnesia Brewing space on North Mississippi last year at 832 N Beech. They plan to be using their inside and outside space as home base for this festival. This is pretty exciting as it is the first big beer fest event StormBreaker has held since taking the reigns. You can see StormBreaker Brewer/Owner Rob Lutz is pretty excited about the festival too, modeling a festival shirt that showcases anthropomorphic kettles from a brewery and a distillery that to me look like they have faces like something out of a steampunk robot graphic novel. Or maybe that’s just me.
StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland StormBreaker Brewing at 832 N Beech, Portland Rob of StormBreaker who set up the Brewstillery Festival preview I attended and was already proudly wearing the festival shirt Brewstillery Festival 2015

I was fortunate enough to attend a media preview of the event and sample a few of the pairings. A few pairings really stood out to me.

A pairing called “The Devil’s Coat” was the pairing in mind by StormBreaker in founding the Brewstillery Festival, and paired their limited edition Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Coat with Bull Run Distilling’s Temperance Trader bourbon whiskey. Winter Coat is their Winter Ale which has already spent 2 months aging in Bull Run Distilling Temperance Trader Bourbon Barrels, and bringing the barrel aged beer back with its original barrel inspiration spirit brought out new flavors in each of them. The beer started to have more pronounced spicyness and vanilla and chocolate flavors, while the bourbon seemed to have stronger caramel tones.
Brewstillery preview of a beer and whiskey pairing

Another pairing called “Gin & Juice Gose” brought together Breakside Brewery‘s collaboration beer with Fat Head’s, a Juggling Salted Plums Gose using Umeboshi (a fermented Japanese Salt Plum) with House Spirits’ Aviation gin. They together made a savory flavor combination that highlighted coriander notes and seriously was as good as a craft cocktail. I love both Breakside and Aviation so I was super pleased as I saw fellow attendees gush over how delicious Aviation gin is and how they would even just drink the gin straight – even from one guest who doesn’t usually do spirits at all. To me, that’s part of what Brewstillery is about, the great potential for delicious discovery.
Brewstillery preview of a beer and whiskey pairing> Brewstillery preview of a beer and whiskey pairing

Ex Novo Brewing Company demonstrated that a beer and spirit together can go further than complimenting each other. Thheir At Her Majesty’s Pleasure Brown Ale with Oregon Spirits Distillery’s Otis Webber Wheat Whiskey joined powers and combined to bring out more toast then either had and further upgrade it to that perfect golden crispy toast at breakfast that makes a scratchy sound but doesn’t break or smush as you butter it but isn’t hard like a crouton either. Oh, but that Whiskey makes sure it isn’t just plain butter on that perfect toast- it’s a hint of honey butter.

At the preview event, I further had the pleasure of meeting Stuart MacLean Ramsay, a whisky and craft beer expert who also happens to be the founder of the idea of WhiskyBack Beer. This family of beers currently consists of three beers which are brewed at Coalition Brewing’s location but take Stuart’s recipes.

All the beers are inspired by the flavors and ingredients of whiskies.  Although they  are designed to compliment whisky, of course you can also drink this beer alone or pair it with food. As he explained, he “want to make a very complex beer for a very complex whisky.”
Brewstillery Festival preview and meeting Stuart Ramsay and trying his WhiskyBack beer Brewstillery Festival preview and meeting Stuart Ramsay and trying his WhiskyBack beer

The WhiskeyBack Red I sampled had a lot of malty, herbal and grassy not bitter hop with a hint of spice in the flavor profiles. This is intended to highlight barley based whiskies’ own grain and malt characteristics (which it did with Monkey Shoulder).

Meanwhile, the WhiskeyBack Gold paired with a Jim Beam Black was smooth and brought out more sweetness together than either of them had alone. The third beer, a WhiskeyBack Black is not ready yet but that’s the one I’m excited about, since I prefer smokey whiskeys and dark beers and that’s what WhiskeyBack Black promises.
A beer and spirit pairing with WhiskeyBack beer, preview for Brewstillery Festival

There are more pairings on the list they are putting together, and flavors vary from Baerlic Brewing‘s Noble Stout working to be a dessert like treat with EastSide Distillery’s Cherry Bomb Whisky to Cascade Brewing 2013 Apricot with Indio Spirits‘ Hopka to Deschutes Brewery Dissociator Doppelbock pairing with the elusive (usually sold out in 20 minutes) Clear Creek Distillery McCarthy Oregon Single Malt Whiskey (I was swooning over the peat flavors – they import peat from Scotland to make them in copper stills and everything is on site in Oregon) and more!

For a list of all the pairings, check out the blog Portland Craft Beer’s post “Stormbreaker Brewstillery Preview”.

The 18 Participating Breweries of Brewstillery:

  • Amnesia Brewing
  • Baerlic Brewing Co.
  • Base Camp Brewing Company
  • Breakside Brewery
  • Cascade Brewing
  • Coalition Brewing
  • The Commons Brewery
  • Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
  • Ecliptic Brewing
  • Ex Novo
  • Hair of the Dog
  • Hopworks Urban Brewery
  • Humble Brewing
  • Laurelwood Public House & Brewery
  • Migration Brewing Company
  • Stormbreaker Brewing
  • Upright Brewing
  • Widmer Brothers Brewing

The 12 Participating Distilleries of Brewstillery:

  • 4 Spirits
  • Bull Run Distillery
  • Big Bottom Whiskey
  • Clear Creak Distillery
  • Eastside Distilling
  • Indio Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room
  • Stein
  • Parliament
  • House Spirits Distillery
  • Dry Fly
  • Oregon Spirits Distillery
  • Stone Barn Brandy Works

Don’t worry, there’s food available as well from the StormBreaker kitchen, with goodies such as their Pickle Jar of spiced pickled beets, sweet pickle chips, moroccan cauliflower and more; Warm Kale salad with bacon, aged gouda, almond and seed brittle, soft egg, all in a balsamic brown butter dressing; spiced peanuts; almond and seed brittle; house potato chips; and the $14 StormBreaker Smorgasboard, which is a Cheese Plate combined with their Meat Plate that includes selections of Cheeses with Olympic Provisions meats and mousse and sliced bread that adds a soft boiled egg and simple salad
Brewstillery Festival preview, StormBreaker showed off their Pickle Jar of spiced pickled beets, sweet pickle chips, moroccan cauliflower and more Brewstillery Festival preview of the StormBreaker Warm Kale salad with bacon, aged gouda, almond and seed brittle, soft egg, all in a balsamic brown butter dressing Brewstillery Festival preview, StormBreaker showed some of the snacks available such as spiced peanuts, almond and seed brittle, and chips Brewstillery Festival preview, the StormBreaker almond and seed brittle Brewstillery Festival preview of some of the snacks available such as Stormbreaker's house chips Brewstillery Festival preview of the StormBreaker Smorgasboard, a Cheese Plate combined with their Meat Plate that includes Olympic Provisions Selection meats and mousse and sliced bread that adds a soft boiled egg and simple salad, all for $14
What do you think of the idea of pairing spirits and beer, have you ever had both together? What style of beer and what kind of spirit do you think you might try together?

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Lunch at Giada in The Cromwell, Las Vegas

February 20, 2015 by 17 Comments

I last left off in my Travel Tuesday posts with a little pretend trip to Europe in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip after my tour of the South End of the Strip and breakfast at Della’s Kitchen. Also here in this middle area of Las Vegas Boulevard was my favorite meal during my long weekend when I was here in Las Vegas: a lunch at Giada in The Cromwell.

You can tell she thought about every detail of the experience, even starting with the bottom of the escalators that take you to the second floor where the restaurant is located, to the long reception hostess area where you check in and see arranged shelves as if you were in someone’s home. Naturally some of those shelves include some Giada branded products and cookbooks.
The downstairs area where the escalators where take you up to the second floor of The Cromwell, where the Giada restaurant is located The downstairs area where the escalators where take you up to the second floor of The Cromwell, where the Giada restaurant is located The escalators take you up to the second floor of The Cromwell, where the Giada restaurant is located The escalators take you up to the second floor of The Cromwell, where the Giada restaurant is located

There are some cushioned seats and a PHOTO BOOTH in that waiting area. The photo booth is FREE, so take some photos if you are waiting! You can upload the photo booth strip directly to Facebook and Twitter or print them directly to photo strips as keepsakes.
The Photo Booth in the waiting area of the Giada - it's free, you should stop in before and after your meal The Photo Booth in the waiting area of the Giada - it's free, you should stop in before and after your meal

This is Food Network star Giada de Laurentiis’ first restaurant and the interior is large with big window views and terrace that look out across the street to the Bellagio fountains. Despite the size, at the same time it evokes a feeling like you are inside her home, with the same feel as the interiors she films her shows. It’s posh yet warm and homey.

And, very branded, from the G on the seats to the Giada on the placemats and more. The round light fixtures read one of her most famous quotes, which is an answer to how she eats so much great food and stays slim: “I eat a little bit of Everything and not a lot of Anything”.

When you first walk in, you can take a look at the big open kitchen. After you are seated, you might consider coming back to peer at the antipasti plates like I did.
A look at the big open kitchen inside Giada inside The Cromwell, Las Vegas A look at the big open kitchen inside Giada inside The Cromwell, Las Vegas A look at the big open kitchen inside Giada inside The Cromwell, Las Vegas A look at the big open kitchen inside Giada inside The Cromwell, Las Vegas

I was there for lunch. The complimentary bread service includes fresh Lemon Thyme flatbread fresh from that big wood oven you saw when you were walking in. It is served with pesto instead of butter – healthier and yet even tastier! I think at dinner the bread basket is filled out further with doughy thick focaccia and parmesan breadsticks.
Lunch menu at Giada in the Cromwell in Las Vegas, the bread service comes with lemon thyme flatbread and pesto Lunch menu at Giada in the Cromwell in Las Vegas, the bread service comes with lemon thyme flatbread and pesto

Many years ago, it was Giada who first taught me about burrata – I had never seen or heard of it while living in Chicago. As an homage to that, I ordered the Burrata with balsamic salt, olive oil, and microgreens.

OMG it was amazing. I’ve had burrata before, but the freshness of the burrata here combined with the simple but excellent oil and a touch of salt and those microgreens was the best way I’ve ever had burrata, ever.
Lunch menu at Giada in the Cromwell in Las Vegas, the Burrata with balsamic salt and the bread service comes with lemon thyme flatbread and pesto Lunch menu at Giada in the Cromwell in Las Vegas, the Burrata with balsamic salt

The Signature Cocktail at Giada is the G with Kappa Pisco, pineapple simple syrup, fresh lime, homemade apricot preserves, egg white and Angostura bitters. I was impressed with how even this cocktail was so strongly branded…
The Signature Cocktail at Giada is the G with Kappa Pisco, pineapple simple syrup, fresh lime, homemade apricot preserves, egg white and Angostura bitters The Signature Cocktail at Giada is the G with Kappa Pisco, pineapple simple syrup, fresh lime, homemade apricot preserves, egg white and Angostura bitters The G Cocktail, Lemon Thyme flatbread (served with pesto) and Burrata with balsamic salt.

For my lunch entree, I was tempted by the wood fired pizzas and pastas (one of the pastas is the Pasta of the Day, which changes daily), but ultimately picked out of of the half dozen sandwich options, the Lemon Pesto Grilled Cheese with heirloom tomatoes with prosciutto San Daniele and fried zucchini scapecce (or salad, but I went with the zucchini fries as my side, you get a choice of either). My rationale is the day I had this lunch, I was leaving on a plane that evening and I knew I could take the other half of this plate with me on the plane as my dinner. The prosciutto is optional so you could keep it vegetarian.
Lunch Menu at Giada in the Cromwell Las Vegas, Lemon Pesto Grilled Cheese with heirloom tomatoes with prosciutto San Daniele and fried zucchini scapecce Lunch Menu at Giada in the Cromwell Las Vegas, Lemon Pesto Grilled Cheese with heirloom tomatoes with prosciutto San Daniele and fried zucchini scapecce

Dessert was a Chef’s Choice Assortment of sorbet and gelato, one of which was an incredible toasted banana pine nut gelato.
Dessert of an assortment of Sorbet and gelato at Giada in the Cromwell, Las Vegas Dessert of an assortment of Sorbet and gelato at Giada in the Cromwell, Las Vegas

I was thrilled when I later opened my doggy bag with the other half of that grilled cheese and found an autographed photo of Giada in the bag too! Notice the check presentation too (along with the doggy bag and placemat). Even the paper towels for drying hands in the restroom was not missed in terms of detail.
Giada branding details with the doggy bag, check presentation, even the placemat at the table at Giada in The Cromwell, Las Vegas Giada branding details with the doggy bag, autographed photo that came with the doggy back, a paper towel from the restroom for drying hands, and photo strip from the complimentary photo booth in the waiting area

I was here for lunch, but could imagine with the views of the Bellagio fountain shows in the evening this restaurant could get super busy in the evening, so you want to try to make reservations (they are also on Opentable). The portions at this restaurant are reasonable, unlike most of Vegas so keep that in mind. The dishes are very flavorful, but they are at the same prices you would find anywhere on Las Vegas Boulevard for this class of restaurant, so you are paying for the high quality ingredients.

For me, service was very friendly and smooth where the dishes came out quickly for me and the others around me. We were checked on but left alone to enjoy the atmosphere with no pressure like we were in a friend’s living room in her oh, million dollar mansion in Los Angeles. When I’m back in town, whenever that is, I would definitely return and try Giada Las Vegas again.

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

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TOAST 2015 Ticket Giveaway – The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting

February 18, 2015 by 8 Comments

Coming up in 18 days, on Saturday March 7, 2015, is TOAST 2015 – TOAST standing for The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting. The event will be held 4 – 10 PM at the Left Bank Annex. This lets you still enjoy most of the day Saturday doing what you need to, and then spend a leisurely 6 hours being able to wander and learn and taste from among the over 40 distillers and producers and over 120 spirits ranging from locally here in Oregon to across the Northwest, the United States, and oh just the world!

TOAST 2015 - The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting
Tickets are $45 for General Admission and includes entry into the event, a commemorative tasting glass, unlimited bites from popular local chefs, unlimited spirit samples from 40+ distilleries, an Oregon Distillery Trail Scout book,  plus the opportunity to purchase cocktails from the cocktail bar and purchase exclusive products from the distilleries.

You can upgrade yourself to a VIP ticket priced at $60 that additionally provides 2 cocktails from the cocktail bar, access to the VIP area, and access to the after party with the distillers. Designated Driver tickets, which gives you entry, free non-alcoholic beverages, and food are $15.

Or you can win a ticket to yourself from my giveaway below!

About the Oregon Distillery Guild

The Oregon Distillery Guild was founded in 2007 to promote and celebrate Oregon spirits.  Oregon Distillers Guild President Ted Pappas explains that “As the country’s first distillery guild, it was something we looked to our brothers and sisters in the beer industry for.  They had their guild and it made sense for distillers to have one as well.  We have always worked together and the spirit of cooperation continues.”

The distillery trail has a lot of diversity, ranging from vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, tequila, brandy, liqueurs like limoncello, coffee or butterscotch or chocolate liqueurs, gluten free bai jiu, spirits like absinthe or aquavit… We are very rich in artisan spirits here.

Ted Pappas further noted that “I’m about growth of the industry in our state as it creates jobs not only to the distillery but all of the vendors needed to support them.  Growth in the industry is everywhere. It is very strong in the NW as both Oregon and Washington are in the top five total distilleries in the country.”

As mentioned, with your admission you will get the Oregon Distillery Trail Scout book (aka ODT Scout Book). This is a small pocket notebook that provides a map with details of the location and contact information of each distillery on the trail, including the spirits produced and tours and tasting information.

As Ted Pappas explained, “The idea behind the ODT was for the end consumer to fully grasp who we are, and that there is a vast amount of spirits right in their own backyard.”

I’ll say… In Oregon alone, there are 400 spirits being produced by more than 30 distilleries, and the number continues to grow.

If you are in Ashland, Bend, Brookings, Corvallis, Dundee, Eugene, Hood River, Hillsboro, Medford, Newport, Portland, Roseburg, Sheridan, Troutdale or Warren you can check out the book to see if there’s a fun tasting adventure nearby with tarragon or saffron vodka or limoncello…

About TOAST

Or, save yourself the roadtrip and do all your tastings all under one roof of the Leftbank Annex building in Portland, Oregon with TOAST 2015. This is right by the Moda Center so easy to park as well as convenient to lots of public transit options like MAX and Streetcar. Event organizers have also coordinated with Broadway Taxi to ensure attendees have other transportation available (Broadway Cab will be there to provide free rides home between 8:30pm and 10:30pm, which is included with the ticket).

This is the 5th time the event is being held, and this year boasts more than 40 distillers on hand pouring samples of 100’s of distilled spirits from Oregon and beyond. Click here to view a list of all the TOAST 2015 distillery participants
Save yourself the road trip and sample 100s of spirits at TOAST, The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting event by the Oregon Distillery Guild Save yourself the road trip and sample 100s of spirits at TOAST, The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting event by the Oregon Distillery Guild

Local chefs will provide food prepared to pair with spirits and participants include

  • Elias Cairo of Olympic Provisions
  • Johanna Ware of Smallwares
  • Scott Dolich of The Bent Brick
  • Matthew Fields of Stella Taco
  • Kevin Schantz of (soon-to-open) RingSide Grill

There are so many times when I am browsing the liquor shelves and am intrigued by descriptions of different kinds of coffee liqueur for a more tasty Espresso Martini, or see a lemongrass lime vodka or lime flavored rum, or fresh peppers or ginger infused vodka, or marionberry whiskey or cherry whiskey…

Or coffee rum or ginger rum, how about apple pie liqueur, or Sweet Tea, Spice Tea and Smoke Tea spirits, or Chai Tea vodka…

OK OK I may lean a lot towards vodka in my own cocktail making. That’s why I am excited to attend TOAST 2015 this year and learn more about these other spirits and learn to appreciate them and distinguish their flavors on their own pre-cocktail.

All these flavors by the way that I mentioned above are all products that are produced by participants at TOAST. 
Save yourself the road trip and sample 100s of spirits at TOAST, The Original Artisan Spirits Tasting event by the Oregon Distillery Guild
It’s continuing education… because we should all keep learning and expanding our view right? Including with spirits?

I mentioned the admission came with unlimited samples of the drinks and food right?

I asked Ted Pappas what his tips might be to experience TOAST, and he said “I see TOAST in two waves. For those who just want to have a quiet sampling experience interacting with the participants, the first part of TOAST is for you.

Once 6pm or so rolls around, the activities start with “Ted Talks” (interviews I’ll be doing with participants) on the half hour, introduction of the Oregon Starka Project, and who knows, maybe a few more fun things. Plus, VIP passes get you access to the after hour party with the distilleries, so making an evening out of it is very much an option. ”

And, you can win a General Admission Ticket to TOAST 2015 – I’m happy in conjunction with Little Green Pickle to help hook you up! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. You must be an adult 21+ and have valid ID to use the general admission ticket. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To increase your chances of winning, hop on over to my friend’s blog Urban Bliss Life or to Salt. Water. Coffee. or to The Good Hearted Woman or at The Spicy Bee where those lovely ladies are giving a ticket away also!

You can follow the latest news via @TOASTPortland on Twitter and @toastportland on Instagram and/or checking hashtag #TOAST2015!

If you attended TOAST this year, how would you explore spirits? Would you try to taste a variety, or try to taste all of the versions of your favorite kind of spirit, or try new spirits?

Disclosure: I am being provided a ticket to the event for myself and a ticket to give away to you, my reader, in exchange for promoting TOAST and social media coverage. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. Special thanks to Little Green Pickle for the tickets, and to Oregon Distillers Guild President Ted Pappas for answering some of my questions! Images in this post are courtesy the Oregon Distillers Guild. Follow me and the hashtag #Toast2015 to see more of the TOAST adventures to come!

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Las Vegas – Middle of the Las Vegas Strip aka a Fake Trip to Europe

February 17, 2015 by 30 Comments

I consider the area with the Bellagio, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, Venetian and the Wynn to be the middle of the Las Vegas strip. In a previous post, I covered starting by Mandalay Bay and walking up to New York New York after a breakfast at Della’s Kitchen. That leaves us now walking past the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino where I always mention The Pub (“Food You Can’t Forget, Drinks You Can’t Remember” “Eat Like a King, Drink Like the Village Idiot”) as an option for visitors looking for a big beer menu.
Monte Carlo in Las Vegas Monte Carlo in Las Vegas The Pub in the shopping mall area by Monte Carlo- Food You Can't Forget, Drinks You Can't Remember The Pub in the shopping mall area by Monte Carlo- Food You Can't Forget, Drinks You Can't Remember The Pub in the shopping mall area by Monte Carlo- Food You Can't Forget, Drinks You Can't Remember

You can even get some beer tasting flights here at The Pub, particularly one of local beers from Sin City Brewing and Tenaya Creek Brewery. Sin City Brewing also has some small beer bars in a few locations on the Strip, or you can try it here with many other beers from other breweries. Of course in Las Vegas, I can come through with some local beer options for you! Their beers also show up on some of the beer menus at various places all over the Strip, so if you in the mood for a beer check out the list and see if a local beer might be available.
Tenaya Creek Brewery Calico Brown Ale

You can to walk through the Crystals, where there is a stop you can also make at Aria (or ride on through the monorail from Monte Carlo, through Crystals, to Bellagio). I happened to have spent quite a bit of time there in the Crystal Shops so I’m going to save that as a separate post. Instead, I’m going to point out that at this point, starting with Monte Carlo, and the rest of the casinos I’m about to cover, you are about to be transported from North America (as represented by MGM Grand and New York New York) or the faux historical themed Excalibur and Luxor. The trio of Bellagio. Paris, Caeser’s Palace and Venetian is essentially your fake trip to Europe you can go on while visiting Las Vegas. Let’s follow that theme… so onto from Monte Carlo and Monaco to the capital of France, that city of lights Paris!

I always enjoy visiting Paris Hotel and Casino. I’ve never actually been to France, so I can’t say how good it is as at representing France or Paris, but I’ll take what I can.
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
At Paris, the most obvious attraction is the Eiffel Tower. You can buy tickets to go up this half scale replica, but I like to recommend dining al fresco at Mon Ami Gabi (it’s the red awning you see in part of one of my photos). They are open from breakfast to dinner, including having a kids menu and gluten-free and vegetarian options so perfect for everyone at a better value than everyone going up the tower. Instead, pretend to be eating on the streets of Paris with a glass of French wine from their cart and pate or escargot, or a bananas foster crepe. My friend from Urban Bliss Life visited and had a great meal here – check out her photos as well as other recommendations here mid-strip!
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
If it’s too busy or too chilly for you to eat al fresco, go inside the casino as they have a few cafes in an area that mimics sidewalks in Paris and you can grab crepes from Le Creperie, or baguettes and croissants at JJ’s Boulangerie or Cafe Belle or Le Café Ile St Louis. If you feel like lounging and a drink, there’s a champagne bar with dueling pianos in the evening. Besides the obvious chance to gamble, these are the highlights I think of visiting Paris Casino, and visit both during the day to see the detail and at night to see the City of Lights effect.
My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas My pretend little trip to France thanks to Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Ready to continue on to another part of Europe? How about the glamour of Caesar’s Palace and the height of the Greek and Roman empire time period just across the street?
Exterior of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Exterior of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Exterior of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Fountains just outside Caesars Palace Fountains just outside Caesars Palace Fountains just outside Caesars Palace Fountains just outside Caesars Palace

Some of the best shopping (well, for me, window shopping) is here in the Forum Shops and a huge 3 story H&M. At the end of the mall by where the Cheesecake Factory is, the statues at the fountain come to life telling the story of the Fall of Atlantis with animatronics and fire for a free 10 minute show (you should come early in order to find a good spot to stand) that plays every hour on the hour at 11 AM – 11 PM and is totally family-friendly. And free. There’s also a large aquarium here with feedings twice a day. If you have kids that are tweens or under, this could be a fun surprise. For more details on those activities fellow blogger Meagan as some info at her post Mommy Travels Caesers Palace Forum Shops
Caesar's Palace The Forum Shops area, Exterior fountain Caesar's Palace The Forum Shops area, Exterior fountain Inside Caeser's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Inside Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas

Besides the various headliner concerts shows and other events that also are held at Caesar’s, you might also consider visiting the newly redesigned Bacchanal Buffet that features more than 500 items and is rumored to be one of the new best buffets at Vegas. I didn’t have the room during my short stay to eat there, but I was fascinated how they have kiosks by the entrance where you can input your party size and print out a ticket so you know when to return to queue up – a bit of a combination of a FastPass at theme parks, but for a buffet.

You can also actually get into Rao’s here, unlike the Italian original iconic outpost in New York, and there are also restaurants by famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Guy Savoy, Bobby Flay, and there’s a Nobu here too. Similar to my previous post on the South end of the strip where I highlighted a lot of food options at Mandalay Bay, when it comes to the middle of the strip if you are a foodie there are a lot of options at Caesar’s.

Now that you’ve seen all the gold and marble of the ostentatious Caesar’s, let’s up the luxury with a trip to Italy via the Bellagio. Let’s get this out of the way – the famous fountain shows play every 15 minutes starting at 8 PM to midnight everyday, but also during the day every 30 minutes starting at 3 PM on weekdays and at noon on weekends and holidays. There’s more than 2 dozen songs with routines that the fountains might play, and you never know what they will run. I’ve already seen them at night so I didn’t take any photos this visit, but you can see even during the daytime the fountains can be mesmerizing to watch.
The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio The fountains of the Bellagio

The other famous attraction at the Bellagio are the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which are updated with new themes every few months. The website has the various seasonal themes and dates for when they change the themes.Similar to the fountains, they are free to visit, and probably take about 10-15 minutes to walk through. The gardens are open 24 hours every day of the week. Here are some examples of how the garden appeared for the Autumn Harvest theme in Fall 2014.
Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme.
Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme. Details inside the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Autumn Harvest 2014 theme.

The last photos are showing the floral arrangement modeled after Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork Red Tree, Yellow Sky of 1952.

Another reason to go inside the Bellagio? There’s also the obligatory admiration and selfie with the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby. You can also see some great sculptures of the human form in the gallery of The Art of Richard MacDonald by the O theater lobby
obligatory admiration of the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby in Las Vegas obligatory admiration of the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby in Las Vegas

Mee!
obligatory admiration and selfie with the Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como glass sculpture in the Bellagio lobby

But, that’s not the only reason you should visit. Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio happens to also be the home of the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). The fountain of liquid chocolate includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, over 500 feet of stainless steel piping, with 2 tons of chocolate at a rate of 120 quarters per minute rising up 27 vertical feet. And it’s free to see!
Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio and the World's Largest Chocolate Fountain (as listed in the Guinness World Records). Includes white, medium and dark confectionary grade chocolate, and free to see inside the Bellagio Las Vegas

To complete your trip to Italy, go back across the street and walk inside the Venetian with its “canals of Venice” inside. The wandering and window shopping and people watching are free – the food, drinks, and buying things of course are priced individually. 🙂
Exterior of the Venetian at the Las Vegas

Have you ever done a “trip to Europe” in Vegas, and if so which “European casino stop” is your favorite? If you haven’t been, which one do you think interests you the most?

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

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Tasty and Alder Highlights

February 13, 2015 by 10 Comments

Back in 2013, purchased a ticket to my very first Portland Food Adventures eating extravaganzas. What Chris puts together is a special dinner that includes the chef coming out to introduce/discuss the dish, each course comes with a pairing, and at the end we each receive an envelope of gift certificates to encourage us to continue our food adventures at picks for eats by the chef. I highly recommend each and every food experience he puts together both for the excellent food and the outstanding atmosphere of the great people you can meet at these gatherings.

That first one I attended was for right before the opening of Tasty N Alder with John Gorham. I loved my experience, and the fact that during that special dinner I got to try and realize I enjoyed so many options (rather than just an entree or so at a time) made me very confident that this restaurant worked for me.

Tasty n Alder restaurant area Tasty n Alder restaurant space, kitchen bar seating Tasty n Alder restaurant space, bar seating Tasty n Alder restaurant space, bar seating

Since then, I can’t even exactly recall how many times I’ve been to Tasty N Alder. I thought I would list my Tasty and Alder Highlight of some of my very favorite things since it’s now the 2 year anniversary of that first experience for me. Specifically, my top things that I insist you must order when you visit.

1. Bloody Marys. Any of them. Below you see the Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili, and then another offering called the Dockside with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp. Both were kickin! I’ve had many other delicious cocktails from the bar here, including three Grown Ass Milkshakes that are alcoholic ice cream dessert drinks, so don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to bloody marys.

The Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili at Tasty n Alder The Dockside Mary at Tasty n Alder with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp

2. As a dinner  starter, if you are willing to get your fingers a little messy get the Blaze’s Smoked chicken wings. When I attended the Portland Food Adventures dinner, I got to hear from John Gorham the story about how he had these wings at a big get together and hired Blaze after eating these wings.
Tasty and Alder Blaze's Chicken Wings at dinner as a starter are messy but delicious

3. For a less messy start, the Radicchio​​​ with bacon lardons, manchego & six minute eggs is amazing, and you don’t often hear me praise salads. This is available on all their menus throughout the day, be it brunch, mid day, or dinner. It’s one of my top favorite salads in Portland.
Tasty and Alder famous salad, the Radicchio salad with bacon lardons. manchego. six minute eggs Tasty and Alder famous salad, the Radicchio salad with bacon lardons. manchego. six minute eggs

4. Any steak or duck is good, a version is always on the menu at brunch or dinner. When friends are looking for steak but want an alternative to the plated Steakhouse entree experiences at Ringside, Laurelhurst Market or Urban Farmer, the meats of Ox and here at Tasty and Alder are always my recommendation.  That’s because they are cut to be served family style so that everyone can feast on multiple cuts of meat family style.
Tasty and Alder offers lots of meat dishes at dinner that are steakhouse quality but in a format that is tapas style for sharing family style Tasty and Alder offers lots of meat dishes at dinner that are steakhouse quality but in a format that is tapas style for sharing family style

This is the Duck Duck Steak available at Brunch, where it’s served medium rare with an egg and duck fried crispy potato wedges.
Tasty and Alder brunch dish of Duck Duck Steak Tasty and Alder brunch dish of Duck Duck Steak

5. For a dinner side, get the Skillet Corn Cake at dinner.
Tasty and Alder's buttery skillet corn cake side at dinner Tasty and Alder's buttery skillet corn cake side at dinner

6. It is listed as a starter on the dinner menu, but I also like eating the Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata as a side with the meats here.
Tasty N Alder Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata

7. The best option to eat on the Mid Day Menu between 2-5:30 (aka brunch and dinner) besides the already raved about Radicchio salad, is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken
at Tasty and Alder, the best option to eat on the Mid Day Menu between 2-5:30 (aka brunch and dinner) besides the already raved about Radicchio salad, is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Last year, after surprising Portland residents with listing the Oregonion 2014 Restaurant of the Year as no restaurant at all but the concept of restaurant pop-ups, the next article of dining note was the list of five best new burgers in Portland.  I guess they define “new” pretty broadly since the Number 1 burger from Tasty and Alder, has-been  open and offering that burger for a year and a half almost at the time of the article.
Tasty N Alder burger, composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles. Tasty N Alder burger, composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles. alt=

But, I can’t say the burger isn’t tasty. The Tasty N Alder burger is composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles.
Tasty N Alder burger, composed of Cascade Natural Chubut cheese and bacon, with a hazelnut romesco sauce and housemade pickles

I don’t think it ascends to the height of the Toro Bravo burger, whose burger also boasts romesco and bacon, and I personally like the Manchego cheese better than the Chubut. Not sure how much it matters, as both are the creations of the Gorham empire of restaurants though. The Tasty and Alder burger is available at both brunch and dinner, but not mid-day – which is fine, because if you really want a sandwich get the Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish instead.
Tasty N Alder Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish Tasty N Alder Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish Tasty N Alder Steakhouse Sandwich with Cascade Natural smoked coppa steak with fried onions & horseradish

At just 2 years old, Tasty and Alder has settled into executing good dishes without the mad rush of people and lines that it had during its first few months. The only time I’ve seen a line now is on brunch on the weekends, but that’s easily avoidable since they serve that brunch menu everyday they are open.

Meanwhile, I continue to jealously look at the recaps of other Portland Food Adventures that I don’t get to attend, even though I just went to one (and recapped) a few weeks ago featuring Chef Ben Bettinger at Simpatica. Chris is expanding his Portland Food Adventures to now go abroad with the Ataula Chef Jose Chesa. I love and fully support the idea of a food vacation I don’t have to plan! If you get a chance I highly recommend trying a PFA experience to see the fun of these food parties yourself, and the maybe new regular stops you may learn about from the food adventures.

Have you been to Tasty n Alder yet, or any o the Gorham restaurants? What are your favorite dishes at them? 

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