Craft Brewers Conference Beer and Food Events

April 8, 2015 by 4 Comments

Next week from April 14-17 is the Craft Brewers Conference in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. This means next week 10,000+ craft brewers and industry people related to craft breweries and brewpubs will all be descending to PDX from all over the US and multiple parts of the world. How does this affect you?

Well, you can expect that many of the breweries that are unique to Portland and/or nearby the convention center are going to get even busier then usual – Cascade Brewing, I am especially looking at you who is also doing a Cascade Brewing Sour & Wild Invitational special beer tappings all week from April 14-18.

You can expect the extra crowds to happen even before April 14 as many will probably fly in slightly before the conference, and/or may stay slightly after the conference as well.

But also, there’s a huge amount of special beer events, including beers that these brewers are bringing from wherever they are coming from, all over the city next week! There are many meet the brewers events, places that special beers are tapping, and my favorite, beer pairing events bringing together craft beers and foods. Beer and Food is totally my thing.
Fort George 3 Way IPA, paired with this delicious course from Whole Foods Pearl of Scallops with pea puree and greens  Whole Foods Pearl Brewery dinners, this one is with Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB). Dessert started with a honey herb butter custard with lavendar sage rosemary and thyme (and winner of a Whole Foods department ice cream competition) with house shortbread with many of those same herbs, then paired with Hopworks' Notorious FIG, a Belgian Dark Strong Ale that uses 30 lbs of organic fig

You can see a list of the activities on the Craft Brewers Conference/CBC Website, but a few highlights I thought I would share of the Craft Brewers Conference Beer and Food Events list:

Week long Craft Brewers Conference Beer and Food Events

  • Monday April 13- Friday April 17 Tap Takeover at Lardo. Enjoy delicious sandwiches (and those Dirty Fries) AND a portfolio of beer from a specific brewery all in one place. At the Hawthorne location, it will be Fort George Brewery, from Astoria OR that includes a wide range of Fort George one-offs and specialty beers on those 13 taps that will be rotated the entire week. Meanwhile, at the Downtown location, San Diego brewery Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits will control the 10 taps there, and at Lardo North the taps get commanded by Oakshire Brewing from Eugene, OR.
    Fort George Wit beer (conveniently in a can in case you want to take it camping or on a river float or on a hike) Ballast Point Brewing, taster sizes of various beers
  • Monday, April 13th – Sunday, April 19th Le Pigeon will offer beer pairings to accompany their five and seven course chef’s tasting menus. Usually they only offer wine pairings so this is a special pairing they are offering if you are into food and beer. Which, why wouldn’t you be. Beer flights: $30 (5 pairings) $45 (7 pairings) and the Chef’s tasting menu: $75 (5-course menu) $95 (7-course menu), gratuity not included
  • Monday April 13 – Saturday April 18 Bailey’s Taproom is doing “The Drinking Lot” a popup beer bar with 12 rotating beers and a rotating food cart at the East Burnside Street and NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in yes, a parking lot (it will be covered). See more details at this article on Brewpublic.
    Beer in a Bailey's Taproom glass in Portland

Monday, April 13

  • EastBurn is hosting a 7-course dinner featuring rare beers from Avery, Burnside, DC Brau, Firestone Walker, Flying Dog, Maui and Surly called the Charlie Bravo Charlie Beer Dinner for $100 a seat that includes 7 courses and the 7 beers. If you aren’t going to the dinner, EastBurn will be closed that night just for that private event.

Tuesday, April 14

  • Accanto will be pairing their Northwest/Italian cuisine with five farmhouse ales from Green Bench Brewing (from St Petersburg, FL)  for a private dinner in the elegant former Genoa dining room on Tuesday April 14th, at 6:30 PM. They are also saying they are hunting down funky Italian beers to have by the bottle all week long; specials to go with those will be on the chalkboard. Call Accanto at 503-235-4900 to reserve a spot at the Green Bench Brewery dinner.

Wednesday, April 15 – the big beer dinner night apparently

  • There is a lunchtime event (lucky you who can actually make something like this) of Stone Beer & Blue Star Doughnut Pairing at Bailey’s Taproom/Upper Lip. It is beer paired with doughnuts from Blue Star Doughnuts! Dammit, such a good idea, Bailey’s Taproom! Bill Sysak known as “Dr.” Bill in the craft beer community is the Craft Beer Ambassador and Certified Cicerone for Stone Brewing Co. and will also be there to discuss his “Masterpairings” philosophy on pairing beer with food at The Upper Lip. A special private session will kick off the event at 11:30 AM which has limited tickets are available in advance for $28. Then, there will be Public tasting begins at 12:30 PM through 2:30 PM.
  • Wednesday is a big day for Dr. Bill (Bill Sysak, Craft Beer Ambassador and Certified Cicerone at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens) because after Upper Lip at lunch, he’s off to Zupans. From 4-6 PM he will be at a Beer & Tapas Social Hour (cost $45) and then 7-10 PM he marathons on with a 5 Course Dinner and Beer Pairing that includes Stone brews paired with a five course menu for $85. Both events listed here take place at Cellar Z (at the Zupan’s downtown cellar, at the Zupans located on Burnside). Purchase tickets in stores or on-line at zupans.com/
  • Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom is having a 40 Oz to Fort George and Free Pok Pok Wings Night. Fort George Brewery is taking over the Imperial 14 taps for one night and the first 80 lucky beer lovers that buy a 40 oz drink ticket package (10 tickets) for $15 will also get a FREE 1/2 order of famous Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings from the Imperial Bottle Shop neighbors Pok Pok! Wings will start to be delivered in waves at 6 PM, and be served until gone.
    Pok Pok Wing at the PDX airport offers Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings which you can get normal or spicy. You can get a half dozen in a full order, or just 3 wings in a half order of these fresh whole natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce and sugar, deep fried, and tossed in caramlized Phu Quoo fish sauce and garlic
  • At the McMenamins Crystal Hotel at the Zeus Café, you can make reservations for the Spring Brewers Dinner that includes a tour at 6:45 PM of the brewery and then followed by 4 courses and 5 beers as well as lots of tall tales from McMenamins Crystal Brewers Drew Phillips and Dan Black. $75 per ticket Tickets onsale now at mcmenamins.com
  • At Hotel Deluxe, a Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner option will be available. As part of their menu offerings a one-night-only four-course prix fixe beer-pairing menu during their dinner service (5-9 PM) that pairs food from Chef Mark Hosak in the sophisticated and elegant atmosphere but reasonable prices of Gracie’s Restaurant with the beers of Sierra Nevada is being offered for $50 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Make reservations to dine anytime between 5 and 9 p.m. by calling the restaurant directly at 503-222-2171 or using OpenTable.
  • Stammtisch Chef Graham Chaney is collaborating with Eric Toft, the head brewmaster of Schönramer Brauerei from Germany for a five course beer dinner at 6 PM. The beers from Eric will include the first US appearance of the new IPA & Imperial Stout. Tickets are $75, call (503) 206-7983 to make reservations
    Stammtisch and Schönramer Brauerei Beer Dinner
  • Ned Ludd and Breakside Brewery are doing a Collaboration Dinner with Elder Hall that includes 5 course, 10 beer pairing dinner with 2 beers for each course, one of them beers that Breakside created in collaboration with Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX), Melvin Brewing (Jackson, WY), Crooked Stave Artisan Beer (Denver, CO), and Moody Tongue Brewing (Chicago, IL) and one beer from the visiting brewery. Tickets are $90 (not including gratuity), with two seatings available at 6PM or 8:30PM. For reservations, email events@elderhall.com or call (503) 477-4725 or call Ned Ludd at (503) 288-6900

Thursday, April 16

  • Brewer’s Dinner with Oakshire Brewing (Eugene, OR) and 3 Floyds (from Indiana) at modern steakhouse Urban Farmer promises to be classy and delicious with a four course tasting dinner with three beers from each brewery! Tickets are $125 per person and include beer and gratuity. Call 503.222.4900 to make your reservation
  • Ninkasi Space Beer Dinner at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, $60 inclusive, 21+ older only, ID required. Advance tickets required, purchase from the OMSI website. This is the Portland premiere of Ninkasi’s space beer, Ground Control, made from yeast that’s traveled in space. The evening starts with a space science demonstration on “What Would It Be Like to Drink Beer in Space?”, followed by a three-course dinner courtesy Bon Appetit’s Executive Chef, Ryan Morgan. The courses are paired with Ninkasi beers.
  • Definitely one of the most affordable events is the Heads and Tails CBC Dinner at Culmination Brewing from 5-9 PM (5-6 PM is the CBC VIP hour for those with CBC Badges. Free shuttle service from 4:30 – 10 PM from Oregon Convention Center to Culmination Brewing for CBC attendees.). For only $20 with a CBC badge or $25 without a CBC badge, guests receive a four course tasting dinner starring Tails & Trotters and a commemorative Culmination / Tails & Trotter Belgian tulip beer glass, 2 beer tickets, and a tour of the Culmination Brewery.
  • Interurban from 6 – 10 PM will offer a special 9 item menu specifically designed to pair with 3 beers each from breweries of other states, namely Alesmith Brewing from San Diego California, Trinity Brewing from Colorado Springs in Colorado (they have already shared that they are bringing Koelorado Spontaneous, Magic Brett Tour #1 Drie, and their Wild Apple Saison), and Against The Grain from Louisville, Kentucky.  All items will be available a la carte so this is also a great deal in terms of tasting beer (9 beers!) and food pairings (9 special food items!).
  • Deschutes Brewing is going all out at the event space Pure Space by throwing a party they call BEER MACHINES A Steampunk Ode To The Craft Revolution. Besides beer, they promise lots of entertainment including circus theater and steampunk art pieces. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and includes beer tokens and all entertainment and starts from 8 PM – 1 AM

Friday, April 17

  • Lardo ups the game with its beer and sandwiches with a special one day special highlight with Breakside Brewing thanks to a Breakside and Lardo Beer & Sandwich Pairing Collaboration Event at their Hawthorne location from 5:00 pm – 8:00 PM that includes Breakside Brewery and Lardo offering amazing collaboration beer (each beer is a different collaboration of Breakside with another brewery, including Stone, Pinthouse, GBonfire, Iron Goat, NoDa, and Elliot Bay) paired with collaboration sandwiches event. 7 breweries, 13 beers and 6 sandwiches. No cover.
  • Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom is hosting The Bruery Pop-Up Beer Pairing Dinner with Coquine Supper Club. Limited to only 40 people, this 6-course, pop-up beer pairing dinner is $75 per person (18% gratuity added for a total of $88.50). For reservations, please email info@imperialbottleshop.com or call Imperial at 971.302.6899 between noon – 5PM. Check out the awesome menu and beers here

Saturday, April 18

  • You have another chance with doughnuts and beer thanks to Baker’s Dozen Coffee Beers & Doughnuts Festival at Culmination Brewing from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM that offers a total of 13 3-oz coffee beer samples, and 13 gluttonous doughnut morsels along with Olé Latte Coffee. Tickets are limited to 300 and are available through Eventbrite for $20 (or $10 for those with a CBC badge, checked at the door.)
  • Or, about sour and coffee beers for Saturday brunch instead? Hop & Vine is hosting a Sour Sunrise w/ Sante Adairius, Rare Barrel & Almanac brunch that starts this funky brunch with sour beers with a flight of “mimosa-esque” apricot sours, followed by a “coffee-ish” trio of dark sours, all to accompany a special Hop & Vine brunch lineup to compliment the flights from these three California breweries. Each flight offers three 5 ounce pours. Hop & Vine will be offering 3 seatings for this brunch at 10:30 AM, 12 noon, and 1:30 PM. The reservation is only necessary for the member(s) of your party who will be partaking in the flights/brunch pairing, they have a limited amount of the beer and brunch servings available. An additional brunch menu and full drink menu will also be available. Reserve your spot(s) in person at the Hop & Vine on Sunday, April 12th or make reservations earlier (my recommendation, you pay upfront but gratuity is already included in the presale price) at this link here. Brunch and the two flights are $30 for the beer only and then $20 for the food for $50 total for both. There is also a vegetarian option available for this brunch food (though as noted, you can also decide to offer item from their other brunch menu instead of the pairing one)

So yeah, there’s a lot going on. I didn’t even list the special beer events because then this would be 10 pages long. If you’ve ever wanted to try a beer pairing of beer and food, I can help you out with this list, but you’re on your own looking the rest up for beer only events!

If you are interested, make reservations ASAP because as of this blog post one dinner (Wild Side at Imperial) already sold out and I expect other Beer Food Events to do the same.

I’ll be going to the Bruery Brewery and Coquine Supper Club dinner at Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom on Friday – that was the one that really stood out to me. I also might try to make Interurban on Thursday because I am highly interested in Trinity beers, and at Culmination on Saturday The Baker’s Dozen as those coffee beers sound really fun paired with doughnuts, though I am equally torn by the Hop & Vine Sour Sunrise Brunch – do I dare do both? Add to this that I also have multiple other events on my calendar (3 a night!) so let’s see how my palate (and my liver) feel.
Starter of Shigoku oysters, tomato, fish sauce, lime, cilantro, paired with Newport Summer Ale, Smallwares PDX, Breakside Brewery, Smallwares and Breakside Beer Dinner A course at the Saraveza Block 15 Winter Dinner Block 15 Saraveza Dinner Pairing Seared Foie Gras on Brioche Coffee Dusted Roasted Figs, Chocolate Almond Sauce

Did you know about the Craft Brewer’s Conference coming to Portland? Are you thinking of attending any of the beer events happening around Portland next week?

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Bailey’s Taproom 5th Anniversary Gloriousness 2007-2012

August 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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

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

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

Meanwhile, Steve brought

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

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

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First August Weekend… Bailey’s Taproom and Meriwethers

August 7, 2011 by 1 Comment

August is a busy month in terms of eventful weeks and weekends, so I think I may be very brief in my blog writings and rely on photos to give you glimpses of what I am up to.

This past weekend was Bailey’s Taproom fourth Anniversary Festival. As a gift to themselves for their fouth year of successful beertending, they installed a new electronic tap list sign. It so happened I was there to see the sign’s grand opening on Monday when the shot taken shows me foursquare checked in. Below is a photo of the munchies to go along with the beers: various cheeses from Spain, Ireland, Beecher’s Flagship and Marco Polo… and Saucisson D’Alsace from Olympic Provisions

Meriwether’s Restaurant for a lovely brunch in the garden… look at those super fluffy blueberry pancakes! I had an omelette stuffed to brimming with lots of dungeness crab folded with a light sweet herb crema. There must have been at least 2 crabs worth of meat in there.  It came with potato au gratin, of which the redeemable and best part was the top with the burnt crunchy cheese, and also two pieces of almost crouton-state toasts with strawberry jam. I did appreciate that they were dishing out potato au gratin instead of the normal breakfast potato most brunches use.

I didn’t take a photo of the beverages- it seemed a bit pricey for the mimosas though it was nice that they provided choices of orange, pineapple, grapefruit or pomegranate juice which is a great idea and was gorgeous looking on the table. These Meri Mimosas come in a champagne glass though unlike the Grand Mimosa (with Grand Marnier) with comes in a  pint glass. I went with my usual bloody mary (“Bloody Meri”) which of course also comes in a pint glass and was peppery but nothing out of the ordinary.

The garden was wonderfully cultivated with flowers and greenery and little birdhouses and wrought iron furniture so it felt like an oasis. The only drama was in a friend’s tales during conversation, and not during any overwrought wait as you would typically expect at brunches (you can even make a reservation via OpenTable and they have their own parking lot), so it was a calming escape and a peaceful and positive start to Sunday.

I think this is my new favorite brunch place in terms of atmosphere usurping Mother’s… although food-wise I am still really blown away by Screendoor and Pine State Biscuit. The prices here are also slightly higher then many other brunch options, though they also are supporting the farm to table with their direct connection to Skyline Farm, which I support.  Ultimately I prefer my mornings to be more slow starting rather then feeling competitive or rushed and then feeling time slow down because we’re waiting for a table, so having brunch in the courtyard here is much preferred as I can feel time slow down because I can relax.

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Pics from Yesterday: Bailey’s Taproom Germanfest, Cartopia for FourSquare Day

April 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

We started out with the Germanfest at Bailey’s Taproom. Our group of 7 were fortunate enough to get a great seat by the front so that we could watch Rob Widmer deliver the Widmer Alt in his red pickup truck thanks to our pre-sale tickets  that for a $10 more allowed us in 2 hours earlier in a more leisurely drinking environment since it was limited admission. Usually we have a small cheese plate with a little bread to help absorb the alcohol since we seem to insist each time at these festivals on trying every single beer. This time with 7 of us and because we wanted a German theme to the food given it was Bailey’s Taproom Germanfest, it got a little crazier.

As a plus though, I was introduced to Edelweiss Deli, which is where all the cut up cheeses, the Champion bread with its seedy goodness, and the hungarian, paprika, and pepper salami came from, as well as some European chocolate and gummy candy.

The cheese board you see is what I usually bring and fits the wedge for the table, but since I thought we might have more cheese then we could fit on the plate this time based on snack roll call the day before, I cut mine into cubes. In the left, largest compartment was a favorite of many, the havarti with caraway. To the right of that was a traditional German brick cheese- which tasted creamy but also had a bit of a smell that necessitated using a toothpick unless you wanted to smell it all day. In the smaller compartments, from left to right, was the butterkase, a smoked cheese, and then I cut up pieces of a Bees and Beans honey bar.

More pictures of various brews. My personal favorites were the Vertigo Zen Dunkelweizen with its touch of banana; Berlinerweiss in various combinations with the syrups they had ranging from raspberry and huckleberry to the mysterious woodruff (the raspberry accounts for the pink beer you see); the Cascade 10 Autumn Gose offered Cascade’s signature tartness but not too sour; the Oakshire Schwarz Black Wolf offered some roasty malt; and Rauchbier, at least the first time around- I liked the smokiness, but it was overwhelming on my second 6oz pour- but great with the salami. Others also liked the Heater Allen Hugo Bock and the Hopworks “What the Helles” Helles Bock. Thanks for the 19 beers Bailey’s!

We then went to Cartopia to help celebrate Four Square Day with a Swarm Party. Every checkin at Whiffies that night would garner a $1 donation to the Red Cross for Japan- and we got to eat some delicious cart food from Whiffies (fried pie, with here a filler of BBQ Beef Brisket with Mozzarella), Potato Champion  (fresh cut, twice fried, Belgian-style pomme frites, served in a paper cone. They are just as crispy as they look) and from Pyro Pizza (Italian style wood oven fired White Truffle pizza that has white truffle oil brushed on the dough and then is topped with romano cheese and a dash of black pepper. Next time, I’ll try to remember to ask to add as an additional topping basil or sundried tomatoes).

Whiffies fried pie with bbq beef brisket with mozzarella Pyro Pizza White Truffle Pizza

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Bailey’s and Santeria go together like milk and cookies

March 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I’ve certainly mentioned Bailey’s Taproom often enough, but I may not have mentioned that almost every time we go there, we also get the best Mexican we have found in Portland so far, Santeria. Sure, it’s a hole in the wall, hidden between Mary’s and convenience store and Tugboat and Bailey’s along a tiny street. But, they are fast, delicious, and deliver to your table at Bailey’s as you are enjoying the inevitable taster tray because Bailey’s has rotated their taps (as they do every week) and now there are a dozen new beers you may not have had before. No wonder we come here weekly. This time though, we tried to capture the experience with our guests.

When you walk into Bailey’s first grab a table. There a lot of 2-tops and only a few that can comfortably fit more. Ignore the armchairs- not if you want to eat anyway, because the tables by them are low. After you have claimed your territory, come up to the front to read the beer menu in plastic sheets. The front has all the drafts, the back is all bottles. The chalkboard also has the list of all the drafts – but the menu has more detailed descriptions of each beer on tap.

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray

You can order a pint, or a 10 oz, or tell the good man that you want a sampler and he will give you a little sticky to write down your do it yourself tray. Order by number!

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray

Once you have your liquid deliciousness safely at your table, now is the time to get the solid delicious stuff. You can actually grab a Santeria menu from the barkeep and call your order, but we like to walk across that little alley in order to see what the specials are and see what is available, and that way when they come deliver your order they can find you since there is a good chance the delivery person has already seen you. After you order, hurry back to plot how you are going to fit the food and drinks on the table. In this photo below, the left side of the table ordered single tacos so it came on a smaller plate, but the food are usually the size of the platters you see on the right.

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray Santeria, mexican food,

One thing Santeria does well are mole. Also, their tinga is outstanding- it is chicken or a vegan version using soy chorizo, cooked to a nice spicy burn with cooked with chorizo, tomatillo’s, onions, tomatoes, and chipotle peppers. Add mole and tinga for a super combination of spicy flavor bursting with every bite- you’ll need the rice and beans to give your tongue a break. And your beer of course. Below are Mole enchiladas with tinga in brown mole sauce.

Mole enchiladas with tinga in brown mole sauce, Santeria, mexican

If you can’t decide what kind of meat you want, try the First Class Flight which includes 3 tacos, one each of the Tinga taco, Pastor taco (sweet pork cooked with onions and pineapple) and Cochinita taco (a tarter Mayan recipe with pork slow cooked in orange juice, lime, achiote and banana leaves) served with rice, beans and guacamole for a very filling meal. Alternatively, you can switch out the Tinga taco for the saltier Carnitas taco if you order the When Pigs Fly taco flight instead. Below is the First Class Flight.

Santeria, mexican, First Class Flight which includes 3 tacos, one each of the Tinga taco, Pastor taco (sweet pork cooked with onions and pineapple) and Cochinita taco (a tarter Mayan recipe with pork slow cooked in orange juice, lime, achiote and banana leaves) served with rice, beans and guacamole for a very filling meal

If you want to really absorb alcohol though, the burritos are the best choice. Thick and stuffed with alcohol absorbing deliciousness. I often get the Chorizo Burrito (filled with chorizo, eggs, cheese and pinto beans) to get lots of protein, or if I am feeling a bit sweet and spicy and no-bean please I get the Pastor Burrito with pastor, rice, cilantro and onion. More recently I’ve been getting the Fish (Pescado) Burrito with breaded cod, rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream because although hey, it’s a burrito, I’ve been crushing on the texture of the crunchy deep fried flaky fish inside the soft burrito. For a hint of what’s inside, it’s the same kind of fish that would use for what you see below in my fish taco (I did just eat 3/4 of a Cheesus/Quesus before I got here after all). I like to switch out the sour cream for salty Cotija cheese but when F goes over to order on my behalf he always forgets, thus you see sour cream on the taco which is the normal combination.

Santeria, Fish taco, breaded cod

If you are veggie, you can get the vegan burrito (Black beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole)- they always bring you the green and red sauce but request the habanero one to really kick that burrito up. Or, get the burrito using veggie chorizo or vegan tinga. Below check out the vegan taco version, and the size of a burrito- in this case a vegan chorizo burrito. Another plus of the burrito is that you don’t need to manage silverware on your table and you can hold the swaddled warm burrito in one hand and your beer in another. It also can take less space because the swaddling is so good you don’t really need the plate

vegan taco, vegan taco, guacamole Santeria, vegan burrito, Black beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole

Don’t forget to eat the carrot! It’s pickled but spicy, don’t waste it! After you are done, bus up your dishes and empty glasses to the bar where the beer dude will hold it for the Santeria person to take back, get your one beer that didn’t fit on the 6-drink sampler tray, maybe in a 10oz or pint. Don’t be surprised if you eat everything… or if you want to run back over to Santeria for a takeout container. It’s a little hole in the wall, but it’s good authentic Mexican- surprising almost everyone because the looks really are deceiving here. I didn’t even have this on the list for my guests to eat, since they were from LA I assumed good Mexican was a dime a dozen so had other food in mind- but F insisted, and since other F wanted Bailey’s anyway, this ended up working out. And… this was judged to be really good Mexican by them. In fact, this is not the first time that Santeria has heard from LA residents about how authentic and better their food is!

Now, drink, talk, play. Bailey’s has boardgames if you would like to play a game, but on my part our weekly visit is also our “lots of talking about work, the local/national/world news, gossip of our friends, etc” catch-up time that is so easy to fall out of at home when you have your own computers and TVs and one wants to play a videogame while the other wants to read a book in bed, etc. Email and Twitter and FB can’t compare to actual conversation and goofy faces. No one is there rushing us out like a date night at a restaurant, there’s no TV that inevitably draws your eyes away from the people you’re with… it is like 21st century Cheers. Actually, all the guys who run or work at Bailey’s do know our names when we go in… and we recognize many of the other regulars as they probably do us. Awww.

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