Martinis at Bartini, and a 3 Course Dinner at Urban Fondue

July 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Today I am in Los Angeles to help throw my sister’s wedding shower tomorrow. Later, there will be a bachelorette getaway in Montreal, Canada in September. Unfortunately, there is no shindig here in Portland, because I might have proposed some martinis at Bartini. Still, if you have a special occasion coming up soon, you might consider Bartini and Urban Fondue.

Ideally, you will start next door at Bartini. There, you will peruse their menu of 100 martinis and pick one to kick off your date – be it a romantic date or friend date. If like my friend and I, you come after work, you can practically be stealing these martinis at the happy hour prices (half off) making them in the range of $3-4 but still at full price pours! A huge deal!

Bartini atmosphere

The happy starts at 4pm and goes to 6:30pm Tuesday-Saturday and again 9:30pm-close, but is all night on Sunday and Monday.

There are a large variety of martinis to choose from here, for instance:

  • Cosmopolitans varying from Lavender Cosmo, Pomegranate Cosmo to Plum Cosmo, Sparkling Mandarin Cosmo, and Watermelon Cosmo
  • Lemon Drops, varying from Sweet Tea to Violet Lemon to Tuscan Rosemary and more flavors
  • Fresh and Fruity Martinis, including Very Mango, Bird of Paradise (shown below, a combo with coconut rum, mango puree, and pineapple juice and a bit of cinnamon), Hypnotic Strawberry, Peartini, etc with various fruit possibilities
    Bartini, Birds of Paradise martini with coconut rum, mango puree and pineapple juice topped with a dash of cinnamon
  • Aromatic Martinis such as White Elderflower, Ruby Rose, Sweet Nasturtium and a few others
  • Clean and Serene Martinis such as Bellinitinis with 8 possible flavors shaken and topped with champagne, Blue Eyes (with simple vodka, blue curacao and lemon twist), French Kiss or English Cucumber Martini. Below, you see the French Kiss martini, vodka swirled with a hint of strawberry puree and topped with champagne
    Bartini, French Kiss martini, vodka swirled with a hint of strawberry puree and topped with champagne
  • Herb Martinis, varying from Basil Berry and Lemon Basil to Rosemary Grapefruit and Juniper
  • Spicy Martinis, my favorite being the Diablo with habanero pepper infused vodka, passion fruit puree, cilantro and fresh lemon
  • Bold Martinis, which I question how martini they are as they include ingredients like tequila and bourbon in here.
  • Decadent Martinis, which seem to mean desserts turned into martini form, given the list that includes Bananas Foster, Caramel Apple, Chocolate Kiss, Creme Brulee, Key Lime Pie, Oatmeal Cookie, Rainbow Sherbetini, Snickertini etc. The Oatmeal Cookie Martini really is like liquid oatmeal cookie, I can never resist getting one. It’s concocted from butterscotch and Irish creme liqueurs shaken with cinnamon liqueur and cream
    Bartini, Oatmeal Cookie martini with butterscotch and Irish creme liqueurs shaken with cinnamon liqueur and cream

After 1 or 2 martinis, go next door to Urban Fondue where you have made your reservation. Make sure you do make a reservation- you never know if it will be a busy night because of a celebration of an anniversary, birthday, bachelorette party or any girls’ night out.

You can order each fondue a la carte, or you can choose to have a 3 Course Dinner at Urban Fondue that starts with your choice of a cheese, then a broth, and then a dessert fondue. I think the best fondues they offer are the cheese and the chocolate ones, so you can certainly just come here for appetizers or for dessert if you wanted. We ordered the 3 course.
Urban Fondue menu

To start, I recommend the Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine.
Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine

They have other options of cheese combos, such as a simple smoked cheddar, brie and gorgonzola topped with hazelnuts, tomato basil with smoked cheddar, or a white cheddar with roasted caraway. All yum right? The cheese fondue only comes with bread, but you can add for additional cost extras such as asparagus (which is what we did), mushrooms, sausage, or fruit (pears, grapes, apples).
Urban Fondue menu, Ruby Port Cheese Fondue with white cheddar, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, finished with caramelized sweet onions and port wine

For the entrees, it is a broth fondue, and you have the choice of 5 different broths and half a dozen kinds of meat/seafood combination plates that you can dip in the broth for cooking, varying from baby lobster tails or Carlton Pork to New York strip loin or Tiger Prawns, and they also have a vegetarian option with tofu and other vegetables. All the meat options do have a few vegetables and a couple raviolis to balance out all the meat and seafood on your plate.

This is nice in that even though you are sharing the broth, you can customize your selection of what you want to eat. It may not look like much when it first comes to the table, but it does add up as you eat each piece 2 at a time (using your 2 skewers). Make sure you use the skewers for dipping in the fondue, and then when it’s cooked transfer it to your other plate that you eat with a fork so you don’t cross-contaminate!

To the left you see the Chef’s Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns.
Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns. Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns. Urban Fondue, the broth courses with meats you cook. To the left you see the Chef's Cut entree with thin sliced Carlton pork and local New York strip loin seasoned with marjoram, extra virgin olive oil and spices, and the one to the right is the East Meets West entree with Carlton pork, local breast of chicken, east coast scallops and Tiger prawns.

When cooking the meat, you want to keep it in the broth for a certain amount of time, so Urban Fondue provides you these cute little hourglass timers to help you keep track.
Urban Fondue, cooking timers for the broth fondue

To further customize the experience, they bring out all these dipping sauces for you to try with your broth cooked meat/seafood. There are a whole bunch of different ones, complimenting the meat and seafood in different ways:

  1. Lime Chili
  2. Wild Mushroom Demi Glace
  3. Bavarian Balsamic Grain Mustard
  4. Au Poivre Peppercorn (really good with the steak)
  5. Thai Peanut Sauce
  6. Blackberry Ketchup
  7. Basil Pesto
  8. Meyer Lemon Hollandaise
  9. Smoked Tomato Aioli
  10. Lemon-Garlic Butter with Parsley and Caper

Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue Urban Fondue menu, dips for the main course, the meat and broth fondue

I was pretty full but we still had dessert to go! One of the strengths of Urban Fondue is their dessert fondue options- they have almost a dozen options, varying from simple chocolate with whipped cream or chocolate with hazelnuts to more complex chocolate combinations such as a Rocky Road Fondue with chocolate with marshmallow ganache and peanuts, a Heathbar version with chocolates and chunks of Heath bar, Marionberry Cheesecake Fondue with cream cheese with marionberry and lemon puree and graham crackers, or a Caramel Cognac… yeah. We picked the Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers
Urban Fondue, dessert fondue of Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers Urban Fondue, dessert fondue of Tiramisu fondue with creamed chocolate swirled with espresso and topped with lady fingers

One thing Urban Fondue does is do special occasions right- in addition to the normal accompaniments to the dessert for dipping like banana, cheesecake, cookie dough, and pound cake, they brought out a special birthday lit plate that included pretzels, strawberries, more cheesecake and a bit of caramel sauce!
Urban Fondue birthday surprise

So that summarizes a happy hour at Bartini followed by our 3 course dinner experience at Urban Fondue. Thank you S for taking me out for this wonderful dinner for my birthday. Sometimes they have Groupons so be on the look out for that too!

Have you been to Bartini or to Urban Fondue? What do you think you would want to try?

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Goodbye Wildwood Restaurant

February 20, 2014 by 10 Comments

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

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

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

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

  
Photos above by Sunpech Photography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tilt Restaurant in the Pearl

January 10, 2014 by 5 Comments

In December, Tilt Restaurant– previously its only location was on Swan Island- opened in the Pearl District at NW Everett and 13th in a former industrial building. This location is much larger than the original, and includes a restaurant portion as well as a bar area. Their philosophy of “Handcrafted Food and Drink” that features burgers, biscuits, beer and cocktails “Built for the American Workforce” seems right at home in the space with concrete floors and walls, exposed piping, and large planks of wood with stools that serve as communal dining areas, although there are also a dozen booths and an area in the bar back area that has some cushioned benches around a fireplace and by the ping pong table.
Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland  Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland

When you first enter, you are greeted by the espresso counter (serving Ristretto Roasters), and you walk past a large pastry case showcasing their pies, to where you will be ordering your eats. You are then given a pager to let you know when to pick up your food – it’s self-service here. If you go to the right, towards the wall with the Swan Island pin-up you will enter the bar area. There, they have a dozen cocktail options, 8 draft beers plus 1 draft cider and 1 draft house sarsaparilla, almost a dozen canned local beers, half a dozen local wines, and the well is beautifully stocked, including 100 whiskeys. Happy hour starts at 3 and goes to 6, offering $3 draft beers and $2 off cocktails, and $6 wine pours.

Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland Tilt Restaurant, Pearl District location in Portland

You should definitely check out some of bar manager Nick Keane’s cocktails. If his name sounds familiar, he was previously dealing amazing flavors at Parish, and has participated in several cocktail mixology competitions. Similar the cocktail menu at Parish, there is a classic section and a seasonal section, but with Tilt there are no longer the confines of a Cajun perspective to the restaurant.

My friend started out with the cocktail that she had texted me at 10am earlier that day excited about: the 2nd Amendment cocktail, with rum, aperol, lemon, cinnamon, bitters. Nick told us this drink was inspired from his time when he was trying to open a bar I believe in the Caribbean… and this drink definitely transports me there with its smooth flavors of rum and fruitiness that to me are reminiscent of a Bahama Mama but without the obvious punch of coconut and doesn’t cross the line to sweetness which you normally associate with tropical cocktails. And how beautiful is this?
Tilt Restaurant handcrafted cocktail of the 2nd Amendment, with rum, aperol, lemon, cinnamon, bitters

I love egg white drinks – I love the fluffyness of the texture in beverage form. It’s as fancy and indulgent to me as champagne, but tastes so much better. And then when I saw Applejack… sold! This cocktail is The Pie Break, with applejack, lemon, Don’s Spice #2, egg whites. I would order this again in a heartbeat with its refreshing clean flavors of bright apple and citrus.
Tilt Restaurant handcrafted cocktail of the The Pie Break, with applejack, lemon, Don's Spice #2, egg whites

For eats, my friend went with the Island Trucker and shared large original beer battered house fries that we could not stop eating. The Island Trucker burger is one of their 10 signature burgers, which offers original toppings combinations. In this case, the Island Trucker includes their fresh ground, 100% natural, local chuck patty, topped then with house baked honey cured ham, beer battered onion rings, grilled pineapple, house recipe teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, lettuce, mayo on their house recipe bun.
Tilt Restaurant, burger Island Trucker includes their fresh ground, 100% natural, local chuck patty, topped then with house baked honey cured ham, beer battered onion rings, grilled pineapple, house recipe teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, lettuce, mayo on their house recipe bun. Also their beer battered house fries in large

I went with the Carne Jefe for a bit of spiciness, as it is that same patty and bun but with the toppings of jalapenos, sliced avocado, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, thin-shaved onions, monterey cheese, mayo, and fresh squeezed lime. I was loving the fresh squeezed lime touch that added some acidic bite to the creamy avocado and cheese and bits of fire from the jalapenos. I knew this burger wasn’t going to be quite as tall/stacked and impressive as several of the other Tilt burgers, but I was getting my calories from liquids today.
Tilt handcrafted burger of Carne Jefe with fresh ground, 100% natural, local chuck patty, topped of jalapenos, sliced avocado, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, thin-shaved onions, monterey cheese, mayo, and fresh squeezed lime on their house recipe bun

Along with my Carne, I had another cocktail, Modern Times, with fernet, sarsaparilla, lemon, cream. Nick explained this drink was inspired by New Orleans’ Gin Fizz, but with the important upgrade of carbonated water with their house sarsaparilla. This went down WAY too easy. The drink has no ice so be mindful to enjoy it before it gets warm, but that was no problem whatsover with me. Way too easy to drink.
Tilt Restaurant handcrafted cocktail of the Modern Times, with fernet, sarsaparilla, lemon, cream

I finally wrapped up with satisfying my curiosity when I saw that one of their signature cocktails was ON TAP. It is indeed as I watched him fill the cocktail glass from a tap before the lemon twist over the glass to just add a bit of lemon oil.  The cocktail packed quite a punch: the Seelbach, with Bulleit Rye, Cointreau, Bitters and Bubbles.
The Tilt bar had this on tap!! One of the signature cocktails, the Seelbach, with Bulleit Rye, Cointreau, Bitters and Bubbles

Overall, I had a great visit. I admit the burger patty was not as juicy as I was hoping for, but I would like to try their Freebird, which boasts a buttermilk dredged, golden fried chicken, and also their Blue Collar biscuits which are served all day. And, I only got to taste some of the fabulous cocktail menu… You may be coming here for blue collar homey burgers and biscuits. But don’t leave without trying a cocktail.

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Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour

November 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

Food porn from a happy hour at Bamboo Sushi. My intention that day was to go to Salt & Straw for their monthly special ice cream, and by combining forces with my friend, try all the flavors of the month. The friend I was meeting was a little late (say, leaving at the time she said she would meet me there :P) And it was a day where it was raining super hard too, which is unusual for Portland even with its reputation for Pacific NW rain because it usually is “misting” not full on rain that soaks you in a minute. Usually I might walk up and down window shopping, but with the rain, I wanted shelter. I already sort of anticipated and was even slightly hoping for both of these reasons, because I know Bamboo Sushi is right next door to the Salt & Straw on NW 23rd, and it was happy hour time. Now I had 3 reasons to go in to add to the knowledge of Bamboo’s reputation!

Bamboo Sushi Cocktail of the day and complimentary edamam

3? Right. Besides, rain, and happy hour, there’s Bamboo being a business with a conscience. You probably have already heard all the accolades about how Bamboo Sushi not only offers delicious food, but also focuses on sustainability, and has been for about 5 years now. The founder of the two locations of Bamboo Sushi (one in NW 23rd that I went to, the other at SE 28th) Kristofor Lofgren has a background in environmental science, and besides operating the two restaurants, also works to partner with others and promote environmental responsibility in policy.

They know where all their seafood comes from, how it came to them including how their vendors operate, and all their seafood menu items are chosen according to the Seafood Watch list from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute then certified by The Marine Stewardship Council. This miniature video film at 4 minutes, the Story of Sushi, made splashy news last year in marketing the importance of making smart choices as a seafood diner, especially of sushi.


The Story of Sushi from Bamboo Sushi on Vimeo.

So how could you not be a fan? Especially, if you can make happy hour, which included for my friend and I

  • Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day… what you don’t see is that I already consumed the complimentary edamame bowl. Shh don’t tell my friend.
  • From their signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks
  • Imo koroshi—“potato killer” roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-butter, sesame chili powder, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour. Tastes as wonderful as it looks.
  • From House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing.
  • $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice
  • Also on the happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour
  • Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at happy hour

Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day From the Bamboo Sushi signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Imo koroshi— 'potato killer' a roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-bu From Bamboo Sushi's House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing. $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice Also on the Bamboo Sushi happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at Bamboo Sushi's happy hour

I also had from the signature cocktail menu a sample sip of the Sparkling Blossom (prosecco, shiso schochu, elderblossom nectar, rhubarb & lemon bitters, lemon juice, with a toschi cherry in a flute, as delicate and beautiful as it sounds), a sip of the super refreshing Shiso Serious (muddled cucumber, shisho infused shochu, lemon-lime juice and soda, garnished with a cucumber), and Sempai Mojito (muddled red grapes, mint and sage, with rum, lemongrass rum and sage simple syrup- very dangerous as it comes in a pint glass and took me over the line in my happy hour libations, oops! The hazards of a happy hour review!).

So we definitely… or maybe me as I pre-ordered everything but the rolls before she arrived to get happy hour prices… over-ordered. But at the same time, I was pleased to see the variety of items on the happy hour menu and could have easily ordered more. I didn’t even get any sashimi because I was so tempted by all these other options!

For happy hour there were 17 options there for food, of which more than half were vegetarian or could be vegetarian by omitting bonito flakes, one choice can even be made gluten free! The rest of the menu includes more of the same so that anyone with any diet can dine at Bamboo Sushi happily. It does get busy and has a hip, trendy vibe, so prepare your arrival/eating time accordingly. It’s obviously not going to be priced like a conveyor belt sushi place- but I think their cause is worth it. If you have the opportunity, come support this great local business with a conscience and enjoy incredible food for happy hour and dinner!

Do you like sushi and/or sashimi? During your visit would you go the raw route with sushi and sashimi and hand rolls, or go with the alternate options like I did during this happy hour? How much does a business with a conscience factor into how you select it as a destination?

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Happy Hour at Planet Thai, Beaverton

July 25, 2013 by 4 Comments

I am a wordy person. I know. That’s just the way I am when I write. Though in person I have all those same thoughts, I don’t always string them out verbally… I save it often for when I can type at my 90+ words per minute, because even as a fast talker I can’t keep up.

Yes dad, all those typing speed games you gave me and my brother and sisters on the Type-right a Pre-computer Typing Tutors when we were young totally paid off beyond getting us easily through typing class (I can’t believe my typing class was still on a typewriter, and the entire time I thought how they missed an opportunity by not using Word Invaders…)

Looking back, my parents were SO clever. Besides this trick to teach us, they also would take us to the Teachers Store to load us with all the workbooks for us to “play school” during the summer. I also remember super fondly listening to Little Thinker tapes where I would just sit by myself, listening to the storytelling on the tape which had pauses to play music and draw that part of the story, and that all the tapes could be put into one large plastic case. It seems they come in mp3 format now, but I still remember fondly the feel of the cassette tapes. What a clever way for a me as a kid to entertain myself.

Wait, here I go ahead, typing a whole bunch of stuff when this is supposed to be a photo post of a Happy Hour at Planet Thai, Beaverton. This was supposed be a clever setup where this post shows you some pictures, and you have to use your own creative storytelling to fill in the blanks.

Just imagine it’s Friday, it’s finally 5, and it’s happy hour time! Planet Thai is right at the Beaverton Central Max station. Planet Thai boasts $5 martinis such as these, as well as 20 items on their happy hour menu 3-6pm daily, all $5 or less to nosh on, including the spicy saucy Street Vendor Thai Chicken wings and a generous side of Thai fried rice. That last martini isn’t on the menu, but is an alcoholic take on a Thai Iced Tea. When the weather is nice, they can pull back the garage door walls/windows by the bar so you can enjoy the summer breeze as you sip. They have only been open since January (this was the previous location of Typhoon, and this is the second location of a Planet Thai the other being in Vancouver WA), and seems to still be an undiscovered gem.

What are you thinking/talking about as you enjoy lime, pear vodka and blue curacao, and thai iced tea cocktails?

Lime cocktail at Planet Thai, Beaverton, happy hour, cocktails, $5 cocktail Pear vodka and Blue Curacao cocktail at Planet Thai, Beaverton, happy hour, cocktails, $5 cocktail Thai Iced Tea cocktail at Planet Thai, Beaverton, happy hour, cocktails, $5 cocktail spicy saucy Street Vendor Thai Chicken wings at Planet Thai, Beaverton, happy hour, cocktails, $5 food

Is it Friday yet?

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