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Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch 2013

June 25, 2013 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Last Saturday, Portland Monthly‘s Country Brunch event was back! Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for “Best Bloody Mary” in the second-annual Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut. When entering, you receive a punchcard to sample each of these (shown in the order I sampled everything ,which was quite a feat but I felt compelled to gave a thorough report for you)…

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013. Six Portland chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while seven bartenders duked it out for a Bloody Mary Smackdown

Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Absolut:
Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2013, Bloody Mary Smackdown

Samayyah Sharif of Pine State Biscuits presented a housemade bloody Mary dressed with Texas Pete hot sauce and Pine State’s proprietary okra pickles that were pickled for… a long time. I wish I remember, but I remember being really struck by how long of a time it was. And then I drank all the other bloodys and don’t remember. Sorry 🙁
Olympic Provisions provided by Jess Hereth an Olympic Mary with House Mary mix, vodka, and a pickles and of course their excellent salami as part of the garnish. It was hard to resist just picking up an extra skewer.
Circa 33 and adorable Spencer Conger delivered an OMG Bloody Mary with their “The Experiment #3” with a Pan-Asian style Bloody Mary that included lemongrass, togarashi spice, fish sauce, freshly grated wasabi, tami, galanga root, and a little chili and a dried shrimp. Seriously, OMG. This was my personal favorite of the bloody marys I had. The seat I was able to grab so I can drink, eat, and take these photos was near his station so I watched his nimble fingers preparing these delectable drinks during my brunch.
Genies Cafe Horseradish Bloody courtesy of Nadia Mihalik included their house infused horseradish vodka and Genies bloody mary mix garnished with an olive, pepperoncini and celery, and a jalapeno infused salt rim
Florida Room (Church of the Bloody Mary) by Patty Earley concocted the Holy Ghost with Clear Mary mix that was filtered and garnished with honeydew or cantaloupe for a citrusy take on a Bloody Mary
Le Bistro Montage Steve Dodge created the Bloody Miles with house-infused andouille sausage, Absolut vodka, horseradish, celery salt, lime, Worchestershrie, Tabasco, other spices and garnished with Spam gave me a smoky drink that set my mouth on fire in a very pleasant way. At this point, I had to make my way to the Whole Foods garnish station for some shrimp and mozz balls so I could taste what was coming next… I could see why this won Judge’s Choice.
Irving Street Kitchen (Defending Champion) Michael “Fresh Mike Miller and Pete Koptiu” won People’s Choice with their Irving Street Bloody Mary

Featuring for country brunch food:

Kevin Atchley, Walt Alexander and Brian Snyder of Pine State Biscuits, whose sample was Ayers Creek cornmeal crusted Carolina catfish mini biscuits with vinegar slaw and sweet pickle remoulade.
Kate McMillen of Lauretta Jean’s showcased their bounty of baked goods all over their station, and it was hard to resist picking up an extra biscuit. But, they gave a pretty generous brunch sample that was a whole balanced plate. This included Buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy, seasonal dressed greens, and mini-tart-cherry pies in an all butter crust.
Chef Dee of Genies Cafe were making their Classic Bene, with housemade Canadian bacon topped with a cage free poached egg and famous homemade hollandaise sauce on an English muffin
Gregory Gourdet of Departure served up his Crunchy Fried Chicken with corn and coconut milk biscuit with papaya slaw and chili glaze, and a bonus of Blueberry + Asian Pear Crisp with candied ginger I was feeling a bit too light headed from the Bloody Marys I had enjoyed to squee, but it definitely crossed my mind but thankfully my physical body was too slow. Instead, I returned and savored the extreme crunch and pops of bright flavors of this fried chicken biscuit. I picked this at the same time I had the Circa 33 Experiment #3 Bloody Mary and was in heaven.
Patrick Fleming of Boke Bowl brought my personal choice for favorite bite, Boke Eggs & Bacon with fried quail egg with pork in black bean sauce over rice tots.
Scott Dolich of Bent Brick provided the end to my brunch with Corned Beef Hash Sausage with duck fat potatoes and fried egg sauce, and helped us cool our palates with some Aquavit slushies

Guests could add additional garnishes to their Bloody Mary thanks to Whole Foods, who provided a station with inspiring natural ingredients for skewers, while another station had sweet bites next to a Blue Moon beer station for those who wanted a beer pairing instead of a Bloody Mary. Finally, everyone could finish off their meal of brunch and bloodies with a special Zenger Farm – inspired herbal ice cream by Ruby Jewel (I was seriously too stuffed to even partake, but it looked awesome) as well as enjoy alternate refreshing beverages from Blue Moon beer, Stumptown Coffee, or Joia natural sodas that included one that was Pineapple, Coconut & Nutmeg, and another of Lime, Hibiscus, and Clove, and in the background wonderful country twang entertainment by Caleb Klauder Country Band

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Whole Foods, Bloody Mary Smackdown, garnish station For the Portland Monthly Country Brunch 2013 and Bloody Mary Smackdown, in the background wonderful country twang entertainment was provided by Caleb Klauder Country Band

100% of net proceeds will benefit Zenger Farm‘s new Urban Grange, an 8,960-square-foot facility on the farm for classes, business incubation, and events for its ongoing efforts to connect Portland communities to fresh-grown food. Zenger Farm is a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. There is an article about Zenger Farm’s commitment to community and connecting people to the food ecosystem from the ground up (literally) at the farm level here from Portland Monthly.

Portland Monthly Magazine always puts together amazing events, bringing exceptional food and drinks and setting up a gorgeous atmosphere in terms of decorations and entertainment. Every event I’ve attended has been fantastic and positive. They had many of their magazines splayed out on the table (I already subscribe) and is definitely worth getting the print edition so you can thumb through their beautiful photos. I also love their Eat Beat, and you can rely on them to help point you towards the best in Portland. I mean, just look at my experience from this- such an embarrassment of riches, they are so cool. You can see more photos at their slideshow of the party pics.

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Absolut, Aquavit Slushies, Bent Brick, bloody mary, bloody mary garnishes, Bloody Mary Smackdown, Bloody Miles, Blue Moon, Blueberry and Asian Pear Crisp, Boke Bowl, Boke Eggs and Bacon, Buttermilk Biscuits, Caleb Klauder country band, Church of the Bloody Mary, Circa 33, Corned Beef Hash Sausage, Cornmeal Crusted Catfish Biscuits, Country Brunch 2013, Crunchy Fried Chicken biscuit, Departure Restaurant and Lounge, Experiment #3, Florida Room, fried chicken and waffle wrap, Genies Cafe, Genies Cafe Classic Bene, Holy Ghost, Horseradish Bloody, Irving Street Bloody Mary, Irving Street Kitchen, Lauretta Jeans, Le Bistro Montage, mini-tart cherry pie, Olympic Mary, olympic provisions, Pan Asian Bloody Mary, Pine State Biscuits, Pine State Bloody Mary, Portland Monthly, Portland Monthly's Country Brunch, Ruby Jewel, Spam, Spencer Conger, whole foods, Zenger Farm

A breakfast at Miss Shirley’s in Baltimore

April 17, 2013 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Another name of a restaurant that was recommended multiple times by other attendees of the IA Summit conference in Baltimore, Maryland the first weekend of April was Miss Shirley’s Cafe. Since I had a little time before I had to fly out on Monday, I got up early to get breakfast there.

I started out with a phenomenal spicy bloody mary, the Spicy Shirley, their version of a Bloody Mary with Absolut Citron, Green Tomato Slice, Pickled Okra, Peppers, Jalapenos, Celery, Peppadews, Lemon Wedge & Lime Wedge, with an Old Bay Rim. I mean, just look at this beautiful thing! I will definitely remember the option of an Old Bay rim.

Miss Shirley's Cafe Spicy Shirley, their version of a Bloody Mary with an Old Bay Rim

For my eating portion, I was so so so torn between so many options, and cursed myself for not coming earlier than the day I had to fly out. I will not make that mistake next time, that’s for sure. Finally, I settled on the Trio of Breakfast Sliders, served with Scrambled Eggs – one with White Cheddar & House-Made Carolina Pulled Pork, one with White Cheddar Cheese & Applewood-Smoked Bacon & one with Goat Cheese, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper, all on Mini Challah Rolls & choice of Shredded Potato & Onion Hash Browns or Savory Grits with Diced Bacon (I picked the grits).

Miss Shirley's Cafe Trio of Breakfast Sliders, served with Scrambled Eggs - one with White Cheddar & House-Made Carolina Pulled Pork, one with White Cheddar Cheese & Applewood-Smoked Bacon & one with Goat Cheese, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper, all on Mini Challah Rolls Miss Shirley's Cafe Savory Grits with Diced Bacon

No wonder Miss Shirley’s Cafe has such acclaim, making the local Baltimore magazine’s list multiple times in categories in the Best Restaurants. There is also a mobile truck version, also serving their menu of breakfast, brunch, lunch.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review, Travel Tagged With: Baltimore, bloody mary, breakfast, breakfast sliders, brunch, grits, grits with diced bacon, Inner Harbor, Maryland, Miss Shirley's, scrambled egg sandwich, Southern Breakfast, Spicy Shirley

Lunch at Tasty n Alder

March 1, 2013 by Pechluck 6 Comments

After I visited Tasty n Alder as part of Portland Food Adventures for dinner (it was a set prix fixe for the event), I wanted to also try their lunch menu. So I visited twice in the past month, during their soft opening month. Today marks their official opening as a restaurant now, and they will not only have their lunch and dinner shift, but be open between that as well and have a happy hour. They have not announced their reservation policy yet- not sure if it will be differant than the other two restaurants which are geared to be walk-in and so only take reservations above a certain size group.

Now, I realize that this is still during their soft opening, so I am waiting to see what happens now that they are officially open in March. However, I did notice that the restaurant was really hopping already- Gorham’s reputation from Toro Bravo and Tasty n Sons is already generating interest and filling the seats. And clearly, people are happy to get a chance at his cuisine on this side of the river.

I first tried for a Sunday brunch, but there was already a 45 minute wait. So, my first visit for their everyday brunch was actually a weekday lunch, and I ate at the bar. I started out with Bloody Mary of Dim Summore with hoisin, lime, sriracha, ginger. I then had a half order of the Patatas Bravas with over easy eggs and aioli, and my main was the Korean Fried Chicken with short grain rice, house kim chee & egg two ways (boiled and sunny side up).

Still, despite the busyness, the bartender was quick at making sure I had a menu and water, and the food came from the kitchen very quickly- the out of town visitor next to me had just received his check and before he could sign it, I already had my Patatas Bravas. And, it was the bartender who told me that I could have a half order so I would have room for the Korean Fried Chicken. I was in and out in just a little over 40 minutes.

Tasty n Alder Bloody Mary Dim Summore with hoisin, lime, sriracha, ginger Tasty n Alder Patatas Bravas Tasty n Alder Korean Fried Chicken

Of these three items I ordered, none stood out in terms of bowling me over with deliciousness however. The Dim Summore was the best, with an interesting blend of spicy with sour and funky. The Patatas Bravas were oversauced for me and became soggy potatoes, and the same problem with the Korean Fried Chicken which after I diluted the sauce with rice, the boneless chicken hunk had a great crunchy texture that tried to survive under the sauce. Maybe they made my dish a little too fast in trying to keep up the pace with service.

There were more items on the menu I wanted to try though… I was curious about the Bim Bop Bacon & Eggs, and I admired the plate of The Alder Burger with Cascade Natural chubut cheese & hazelnut romesco I saw coming out of the kitchen as I left, and what about that Duck Duck Steak dish…so I went back for a second lunch.

This time, I sat at the kitchen bar seats. This second opportunity gave me a chance at the Bim Bop Bacon and Eggs, as well as a temporary new small plate that appeared during this visit, Chipolata Sausages from LaughingStock Farms. It also let me witness firsthand how they oversauce that Korean Fried Chicken- yeesh one spoonful of the sauce is enough when tossing that deep fried chicken, you don’ t need that second ladle… I also observed how awesome the bartender is, mixing up all the drink orders and serving those at the bar seats but also stepping in to help get dishes from the kitchen window to tables quickly. Again, I was in and out within less than 40 minutes.

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

The Chipolata sausages were small but every bite was as good as the Nurenberg sausages I recall when I was in Germany– Chipolata sausages are seasoned with different herbs and spices, but it tasted so fresh and with the perfect grill that I had no reference but another country where sausages are a source of national pride and specifically one that is a famous regional delicacy for close comparison.

Meanwhile, the Bim Bop Bacon and Eggs starts out with rice that is topped with vegetables (such as here carrots, spinach, kimchee, bean sprouts), a chili pepper paste and an egg that you mix up all together. When they place the rice in the bottom of the bowl I think they put some sort of sesame oil so that the rice touching the bottom gets crispy. The Bacon they refer to in the name of the dish turns out to be not just regular bacon, but a a sweet grilled Korean pork belly.
Tasty n Alder Chipolata Sausages from LaughingStock Farms

I also got to try the other two Marys- they offer four and the Tasty Mary I’ve already had at Tasty n Sons, and so that left the Cuate Mary with chili infused tequila, tomato, pimenton, and calabrian chili, and then another offering called the Dockside Bloody Mary with gin, kummel, tomato, old bay, and shrimp. Both were kickin!

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

This time lunch was wonderful, full of punches of flavor with every bite and sip. I’ll be back…

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: bim bop, Bim Bop Bacon and Eggs, bloody mary, chipolata sausage, Chipolata Sausages from LaughingStock Farms, cuate mary, dim summore, Dockside Bloody Mary, dockside mary, korean fried chicken, patatas bravas, Tasty & Alder, Tasty and Alder, tasty n alder

Brunch at Brasserie Montmartre

February 19, 2013 by Pechluck 1 Comment

When the wait at Tasty n Alder for brunch the other Sunday was too long as we were afraid of missing the Bolt Bus to Seattle, we were forced to a Plan B. We wound up at Brasserie Montmartre. They offer a complimentary breakfast pastry as you wait for your order to come up- I had a flakey buttery croissant, and F had a scone.

For our brunch entrees, F was surprised at how good his oatmeal was: the secret was because it had bananas already mixed in even before adding the brown sugar and milk. Meanwhile, I tried an unusual breakfast dish with my Bloody Mary: D’Anjou pear fritters with breakfast eggs, potatoes, and Italian sausage. For breakfast potatoes, the oven roasted offering here are wonderfully crispy and seasoned, which is nice to see given so many other soggier potatoes that are often served during brunch.

Brasserie Montmartre, brunch

There were several other groups brunching, including several groups of all ladies- and that’s how I learned they have a $10 bottomless mimosa. There was no line/wait during brunch time, service was prompt and we were in and out in 45 minutes which gave us plenty of time to go to an ATM before even going to the Bolt bus stop. Because the space is historic it has a charm that was relaxing and beautiful, without the din of other people or crowding like so many other brunch locations in PDX. It really seems like a hidden secret brunch gem.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: bloody mary, brasserie montmartre, brunch, d'anjou pear fritters

Bloody Mary Bar Planning

April 7, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

I'm throwing a Brunchy Lunchy birthday party for my birthday at the end of the month this year! Part of the menu I plan include

For the brunchy, I'm thinking

Bacon Bloody Mary bar
a make your own quiche/mini-pie station
a veggie hash brown casserole
Emeril's breakfast casserole (has sausage and eggs)

For the lunchy, I'm thinking

wine and beer
stuffed pasta shells with homemade ricotta in marinara
french "cheese"/tofutti dip and bread,
chicken meatballs and veggie meatballs
vegetable tray

Friendly to carnivores and herbivores!

In this post, I'm going to cover what I think are the key things for the Bloody Mary Bar:

The ingredients to have (proceeding forward from left to right or wherever the line starts):

Glasses with the option to rim them using a small saucer that has lime juice and kosher salt. I picked out compostable cups that are clear because I won't have enough glasses for my current count of RSVPd guests, which also have the advantage of leaving out a sharpie marker for guests to mark their cup.

Ice! Don't forget the ice!

A few shot glasses and at least two types of vodka: I like to use regular and also a flavored vodka like smokey Bakon Vodka or spicy New Deal Hot Monkey- for this occasion Bakon. Leave the vodka in the freezer at least overnight to make sure they are nice and cold and don't water down your drink with a lot of ice.

Base of regular tomato juice, and I also like V8, partially to increase my perception that this is healthy. I know some people also use Clamato, but since I have to possibly deal with the leftovers, I wasn't planning on offering it- bring your own, sorry!

The standard liquid additions of hot sauces: the hot sauces of my house include traditional Cholula, chipotle pepper Tabasco, and Sriracha. I also like to offer BBQ sauce for those who want to go smoky or sweet instead of spicy (or in addition to!). And of course, there will be Worcestershire sauce, and wedges of lemon for squeezin.

What really makes a DIY bloody mary bar fun are the accompaniments. Of course the standard celery stalks will be ready standing in a nice iced glass for stirring your drink. And, this being Portland, there's all sorts of pickled garnishes to choose from- little gherkins, pickled green beans, pickled beets, pickled carrots, pickled onions, etc. for your toothpick. The sea salt and fresh ground pepper grinders, and bbq shaker seasoning, appears at this end of the bar as well.

Bacon! This is the star of the bloody mary bar. Soak some skewers in water, and then put a slice of thick cut bacon on each one and then into the oven at 350 degrees until done. For the bacon, you can additionally treat it by coating it with brown sugar and pepper to caramelize it.

I wanted to put you in the mood, so here are some archived photos of some bloody marys of my past… varying from Sarabeth's in New York (last bloody mary I photographed), Sepia (most bacon) and Fireside (my first bloody mary bar) in Chicago to Simpatica (best mix I've had in Portland) and Tasty N Sons (best pickles and kick) in Portland.