The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB, Las Vegas

February 27, 2015 by 12 Comments

After my little free Art Walk Tour through Gallery Row and The Shops at the Crystals and Aria, I was feeling a little snacky and thirsty. It was Saturday and sunny, and they serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays until 3 PM so I stopped at Todd English P.U.B. Restaurant (P.U.B. standing for Public Urban Bar). On a Sunday, the regular brunch time this place is likely crazy, but on a Saturday I was seated immediately.

Pretty much I am a huge fan of a good bloody mary, and that was exactly what they were advertising so… sold!
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas

For the bloody mary menu, you can build your own starting from a choice of vodka or infusion (example infusions include “chipotle” with chipotle, bell, ancho and jalapeno peppers and sugar or “bacon” with applewood bacon and maple syrup), many fixings varying from Old Bay Seasoning and juices (Todd’s blend or V8 or even beef broth or cucumber water) to 9 different hot sauces, 3 kinds of splashes (lime, lemon, or olive brine) and 18 garnishes varying from various pickled items to salami to even shrimp or lobster!
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom

If that’s too much freedom and choice for you, they also provide 3 bloody mary pre-created combinations or 4 bubbly blends if you want a take on a mimosa. The two shown below are two of those combos from the Todd’s Farm Fresh Bloody Marys section. The Todd English Meat N Potato Mary includes TE knob Creek single barrel bourbon, beef broth, Todd’s Sinful Blend, Worcestershire, steak sauce, toped with waffle fries, bacon, salami, scallions and black olives
At Todd English PUB located between Crystals and Aria, the Meat N Potato Mary includes TE knob Creek single barrel bourbon, beef broth, Todd's Sinful Blend, Worcestershire, steak sauce, toped with waffle fries, bacon, salami, scallions and black olives

And, if that wasn’t enough, here is the proof that the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas and are currently the winner for best garnished bloody mary. This one is the All About Mary with choice of vodka, Todd’s Sinful Blend, stacked with a slider, crispy chicken wing, chilled shrimp, corn dog pup, stuffed olives, celery, carrot and pickled asparagus.
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas. This one is the All About Mary with choice of vodka, Todd's Sinful Blend, stacked with a slider, crispy chicken wing, chilled shrimp, corn dog pup, stuffed olives, cleery, carrot and pickled asparagus

If you want further snacks to soak up the alcohol, I was smitten with the crispy beer battered pickles served with bbq sauce, ranch, sauce, and blue cheese fondue.
Fried pickles from the Todd English Pub

Other options to eat include duck buns, corn dog puppies, junk chips (with bbq beef ragu and blue cheese and more), prime rib beef chili… and that’s just the appetizer and snack section. There’s almost a dozen burger and sandwiches, another dozen PUB favorites from classic bangers and mash or fish and chips to shepherd’s pie and ribeye…

There’s 9 different carved meats from the rotisserie available by the half or full pound, and several RAw Bar selections. Don’t forget brunch options like a English Bagel Taco or Lobster Benedict.

If the bloody marys don’t tempt you, there are almost 50 beers, beer flights, beer cocktails, more than a half dozen bourbon cocktails, there’s sangria, mead, cider, buckets of canned beer, and more. Happy hour everyday from 3-6 PM and 10-? PM offer $1 wings, $2 oysters, $3 sliders, 1/2 price pints.

Did I mention dessert includes a S’mores Board for two or more? And there’s 3 kind of Adult Shakes?

Todd English PUB is located in Las Vegas by Aria, and also in Birmingham, if that is more convenient.

Have you ever been to a Todd English establishment? What do you think of these over the top bloody marys? What would be your dream garnishes for a bloody mary?

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

  • Las Vegas Hotels at the South End of Strip: Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, and MGM Grand and what each offers in terms of feel
  • A look at some of the breakfast options at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano, including juice, Doughssant, bacon cheddar biscuits, and Pecan Raisin French Toast
  • Take a little trip to Europe with the offerings and recommendations for free stops in the Middle of the Las Vegas Strip like Paris, Caesar’s, and the Bellagio properties. Did I mention they are all free, and include the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain?
  • Photos recapping my lunch at Giada Las Vegas inside the Cromwell, including the G signature cocktail, flatbread with pesto, burrata, grilled cheese, gelato
  • Art Walking Tour at The Shops at Crystals and Aria, Las Vegas, including Gallery Row with Richard MacDonald and Dale Chihuly to the various art in Crystals and Aria
  • The garnishes of the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas are outrageous, ranging from bacon, onions rings, sliders and corn dogs to chicken wing
  • My tour of The Wynn in Las Vegas, including details on The Lake of Dreams, Parasol Down, the Conservatory, Jeff Koons sculptures, and Le Reve The Dream show
  • Lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesar’s Las Vegas of Shanghai Wave cocktail, Sichuan Dan Dan Mein Spring Noodles, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and Lamb Pancakes
  • A Steampunk restaurant of Rx Boiler Room by Mandalay Bay brings an opportunity for a cocktail from a crystal skull
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Portland Dining Month 2015

February 26, 2015 by 16 Comments

Starting Sunday March 1 2015 Portland will be kicking off Portland Dining Month 2015. During this month, more than 100 participating restaurants all over Portland will be offering a special menu of 3 courses for $29 in order to entice you to visit and see what that restaurant is all about.

Almost all the restaurants will also have their regular menu available, so your dining party doesn’t all have to eat the Dining Month menu, though several of the Dining Month menus offer multiple choices for each of the courses as well so you can all dine at that price.

Portland Dining Month 2015

In terms of the Portland Dining Month menu items, make sure you do ask for it because sometimes the restaurant lists it on a separate menu from the regular menu. Other times, it is part of the regular menu because it’s an item usually on their list but in many cases is priced special only for that month, thus lets you have one of the signature dishes of that restaurant for cheaper than normal.

On the other hand, some restaurants create new items especially for Portland Dining Month and so the special is only for this month!

Furthermore, about 1/3 of those restaurants will additionally have curated a beer pairing or incorporated beer into their dish in some way to highlight a local brewer.

If you are an OpenTable user where you can make reservations for your dining party with just a few clicks of a button, about 60+ of the restaurants on the Portland Dining Month list are also available on OpenTable to make your online reservations.

I wanted to highlight my personal picks for some restaurants that are participating in Portland Dining Month and what their dining month menu offers. There are many, many, many wonderful picks on the list, I’m just pointing out a few based on value or what the menu choice item is to my taste.

Aviary

Aviary had me at their first course option… Their food is consistently good and surprising with their twists on Asian inspiration mixed with unusual flavor combinations. And, they take reservations on Opentable. Update! I went and posted a photo recap here

  • First course (choose one): Dungeness crab chawanmushi with bone marrow, sea urchin, Asian pear, snap peas and truffle vinaigrette -OR- Warm vegetable salad with romanesco, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, lime-pickle vinaigrette and black garlic
  • Second course (choose one): Miso-braised beef short rib with taro root, Asian pear, yuzu kosho slaw -OR- Pan-seared salmon with cauliflower, saffron, green apple, trout roe and American caviar
  • Third course (choose one): Chocolate tart with banana ice cream and cocoa nibs -OR- Baked meringue with huckleberries and Meyer lemon sorbet

Laurelhurst Market

Usually that second course item alone at Laurelhurst Market is $26 on their regular menu. Update! I went and posted a photo recap here

  • First course: Roasted cauliflower arancini with radicchio caponata, roasted red pepper aioli and arugula
  • Second course: Ten-hour braised beef shoulder with potato pancake, warm oyster mushroom salad and beef jus
  • Third course: Honey panna cotta with candied fennel and fennel seed brittle

Nedd Ludd

Nedd Ludd not only is a fantastic restaurant in terms of food and charming atmosphere, but with participating in Portland Dining Month are offering you a huge value because their dinner plate mains are already usually already in the 20 dollar range, so you are getting a bonus that you’ll be getting 3 courses! And, you even get a choice with your first or second courses, and the option is vegetarian friendly so I can take my vegetarian F.

  • First course (choose one): Escarole salad with lemon, egg, olives and crouton -OR- Charred broccoli raab with sumac, za’atar, pomegranate and yogurt
  • Second course (choose one): Chicken breast with leek and mushroom ragout, preserved lemon and green olive -OR- Vegetable gratin with walnut-parsley sauce and spring greens
  • Third course: Bourbon-buttermilk panna cotta with cocoa nib crumb

Park Kitchen

Based on last year when I went to a Portland Dining Month dinner at Park Kitchen, I would recommend Park Kitchen as an option for you. Besides just casually dining near the table of Gabe Rucker, the dinner was one of my favorite of all the Portland Dining Month dinners I went to last year. Make sure you get those chickpea fries! And, they take reservations on Opentable.

  • First course (choose one): Chickpea fries with squash ketchup -OR- Salad of escarole, radishes, red onion and buttermilk dressing
    Park Kitchen's Chickpea fries with pumpkin ketchup
  • Second course (choose one): Ayer’s Creek corn grits, mushroom gravy and Hoppin’ John -OR- Payne Family Farms pork roast with collards, red-eye gravy and cornbread dressing. Last year they offered the grits as a vegetarian option as well, but I went with the pork, which last year was this Milk braised pork with Your Kitchen Gardens leeks, curds and whey so I think this year’s Pork Roast will be just as good.
    Park Kitchen Milk braised pork with Your Kitchen Gardens leeks, curds and whey
  • Third course: Double-chocolate tart with salted caramel and hazelnuts

Lincoln or Sunshine Tavern

While Dumpling Week was going on, I had an amazing dumpling dinner (in which the dumpling was Malloreddus tossed in sea urchin butter with mint and preserved lemon) at Lincoln Restaurant. That it was phenomenal shouldn’t be a surprise, especially given that chef Jenn Louis has just released her book Pasta by Hand: A Collection of Italy’s Regional Hand-Shaped Pasta. Based on the fantastic experience I had at that small dinner, I would highly recommend Lincoln for Portland Dining Month, especially since she is showcasing another pasta, and this pasta by itself is usually $18 on their menu. And, they take reservations on Opentable. For a more casual option, consider Sunshine Tavern with it’s list of 8 different sandwiches as your second course.

Lincoln

  • First course: Baked hen eggs with cream, Castelvetrano olives and herbed breadcrumbs
  • Second course: Spaccatelli pasta with smoked tallow, speck and sherry
  • Third course: Brutti ma buoni cookies

Sunshine Tavern

  • First course (choose one): Salad of romaine with fried capers, Parmesan, croutons and garlic vinaigrette  -OR- Iceberg wedge salad with buttermilk blue cheese, roasted tesa pork and sieved egg  -OR- Chopped salad of lettuces, pepperoncini, provolone, French fries and salami
  • Second course (choose one): Chicken burger with provolone, radicchio and arugula  -OR- Crispy oyster sandwich with fennel, cabbage and tartar sauce  -OR- Monte Cristo sandwich with fried egg and Marionberry preserves  -OR- Fried chicken sandwich with blue cheese dressing, celery, red onion and chili mayonnaise with spicy chicken lacquer  -OR- Duck-egg sandwich with pimento cheese, spicy pickles and arugula  -OR- Pork burger with Swiss cheese, preserved cabbage and brown mustard  -OR- Jambon beurre royale with butter, fleur de sel, radishes and fennel  -OR -Pork belly medianoche with ham and spicy pickle
  • Third course:Soft-serve ice cream

Little Bird

Little Bird is giving you a deal as well for Portland Dining Month, since their entrees are usually in the $20s and the appetizers in the $15s so you are making out for a mere $29. That choice of chicken fried trout is enough for two people. And, they take reservations on Opentable.

  • First course (choose one): Soup du jour -OR- Salad of frisée, citrus, pistachios, olives and sheep’s cheese vinaigrette -OR- Goat cheese gnocchi, celeriac, mushrooms and Le Chevrot
  • Second course (choose one):Chicken-fried trout, pickled carrots, fine herbs, radish, Dijon and gribiche -OR- Cider-braised pork shoulder with cabbage, carrot and apple slaw, toasted walnuts and bacon vinaigrette
    Little Bird Bistro's Chicken-Fried Trout, gribiche, fines herbes, radishes, pickled carrots
  • Third course: Chocolate mousse cake with pistachio, Meyer lemon and nougat -OR- Ice cream -OR- Sorbet

Fogo de Chao

Another example of a huge value, the dinners at Fogo de Chao are usually $49 for the salad bar, sides, and meats. The Portland Dining Month menu gives you a more limited selection of the meats, but it’s 8 of them and most importantly includes what I think is their best meat cut, the Picanha. The Portland Dining Month menu excludes the Costela (beef ribs), Beef Ancho (ribeye), Filet Mignons and Lamb Chops. The price you are paying with Portland Dining Month is usually the cost of the salad bar alone during dinner! And, they take reservations on Opentable.

  • First course (choose one): Fresh seasonal salads, rare and exotic vegetables, imported cheeses and cured meats
    Fogo de Chão grand opening in Portland- some examples of what is at the salad bar Fogo de Chão grand opening in Portland- some examples of what is at the salad bar
  • Second course (choose one): Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo), caramelized bananas, garlic mashed potatoes and crispy polenta
    Fogo de Chão grand opening - that chewy Brazilian take on gougeres of pão de queijo Fogo de Chão grand opening - sides for the table of caramelized bananas Fogo de Chão grand opening - sides for the table of polenta
  • Third course: Fire-roasted meats carved and served tableside, including Picanha, Alcatra, Fraldinha, Cordeiro, Linguica, Costela de Porco, Lombo and Frango. Check out what these meat cuts really are here, and I covered the restaurant opening so have some photos and descriptions also here at “Grand Opening: Fogo de Chão Portland Churrascaria”
    Fogo de Chão grand opening - Picanha (2 versions)- prime cut of top sirloin, either traditional light seasoning or garlic version Fogo de Chão grand opening - Linguica - cured pork sausage

Paley’s Place

An excuse to visit classy Paley’s Place for an intimate, romantic dinner!

  • First course: Salad of kale and roasted acorn squash with chèvre and balsamic vinegar
  • Second course: Red wine-braised elk, soft polenta and orange gremolata
  • Third course: Warm gingerbread with roasted rhubarb and crème fraîche
  • Rogue Ales beer pairings for an additional $15 or house wine pairings for an additional $20

Acadia

Take a mini-vacation to New Orleans by visiting Acadia and enjoying Creole cuisine.

  • First course: Deviled egg with blue crab meat
  • Second course: Louisiana barbeque shrimp with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. I’ve had this dish before and you will want to spoon the sauce onto your bread
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Louisiana Barbeque Shrimp with lemon, black pepper, white wine and butter. I went back to the bowl and spooned the sauce right onto my bread.
  • Third course: Bronzed wild-caught Louisiana sheepshead with buttermilk cornbread purée, green tomato relish and brown butter. If you haven’t head sheepshead before, it has a texture that is almost creamy but not fatty, and some describe it as “crab-like” which is interesting because the fish’s diet is comprised heavily of shellfish and bivalves. When I had it came with different sides but was still bronzed
    Acadia Restaurant Portland, Bronzed, Wild-Caught Louisiana Sheepshead with Spinach Madeline pie and blue crab meuniére.

Accanto

I love the Northwest freshness at Accanto, which I had blogged about previously for a Portland Dining Month visit in a previous year and also when I went for an amazing brunch (they take reservations for brunch! No waiting in line!). And, they take reservations on Opentable.

  • Antipasto:House marinated olives and fried almonds with rosemary
    Accanto, Portland, restaurant: first course of marinated olives and spiced almonds
  • First course (choose one): Soup of the day -OR- Escarole salad, goat’s-milk feta and oven-dried olives with burnt orange vinaigrette
    Accanto: second course of a chilled potato leek soup
  • Second course: Rigatoncini, water buffalo ragù, broccoli raab and ricotta salata
  • Third course: Tiramisu

Besaw’s


Above photo taken by my brother and his Canon EOS 60D camera

Everyone thinks of Besaw’s for brunch, but they still utilize the bounty of their garden and local fresh Northwest ingredients at dinner as well. For their Portland Dining Month 2015 menu, they are offering an entree that also celebrates local Oregon brewer Deschutes Brewery.

  • First course: Grilled prawns with cornbread croutons, arugula and chili aioli
  • Second course: Fontina- and chard-stuffed pork roulade with soft polenta and Deschutes Cinder Cone Red jalapeño chutney (YUM)
  • Third course: Rhubarb crisp with vanilla whipped cream

Meriwether’s

exterior of Meriwether's restaurant in Portland

Meriwether’s suffers from a similar fate as Besaw in that people think of them too often for brunch and not for all the other goodness they get from their own Skyline Farm. As a plus, I love pointing out Meriwethers has their own parking lot, so is great not only to meet with others (including out of towners) but also if you have a family. Their menu offering includes an amazing entree (note that it utilizes local Reverend Nat’s hard cider) and dessert. And, they take reservations on Opentable.

  • First course: Salad of arugula with shaved fennel, olive oil-fried almonds, feta and preserved huckleberry vinaigrette
  • Second course: Braised pork cheeks glazed with Reverend Nat’s Hallelujah Hopricot hard cider, Roy’s Calais flint corn polenta and braised early spring greens
  • Third course: Butterscotch pot de crème

Which of the Portland Dining Month 2015 restaurants is calling to you? Check out the list at Portland Monthly or the Eater PDX PDM List for their picks, as well as picks from fellow blogger friend Erin at Bakery Bingo and from Annie of Serious Crust and Kristi from Kristi Does PDX (who overall has lots of fun guides of things to do in PDX – not just eating). Blogger friend Meredith at Martha Chartreuse also had put together a great way to break down as you’re reading the list, how to make your own picks!

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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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Cafe Castagna Family Style Dinner

February 6, 2015 by 10 Comments

Have you been to Cafe Castagna? In the past half year or so, they have been making several updates. First, back in June of 2014 Chef Wesley Johnson updated the menu to have a more Middle Eastern flair, inspired by Israel and Chef Wes’ previous experience prior to his sous chef position at Castagna with Michael Solomonov at Zahav in Philadelphia (the restaurant that helped put Israeli food on the American radar a handful of years ago) as well as time at Levant. It seems that in the past year celebrating Middle Eastern food has finally arrived in Portland – both in a huge boom of gyro, hummus, and falafal carts oddly downtown, and the elevated food such as Levant, Mediterranean Exploration Company, and Cafe Castagna.

Then in October, Cafe Castagna started serving brunch, which was quickly raved by Karen Brooks at Portland Monthly as an intriguing new brunch option. Cafe Castagna takes reservations so you won’t need to stand in a line like many brunch options. I personally like their offering at brunch of malawach, served with tomato sauce, zhoug, hard boiled egg. A Malawach (pronounced mal-ah-wak) is a thin folded pastry that is fried, sort of a mashup between a pita or naan and phyllo dough. During my brief visit in Israel, my typical breakfast was just pastry and cheese (so much glorious fresh Israeli cheese!) and sometimes a bit of shakshuka but more often, not- coffee and pastry and cheese was quick and easy.
Cafe Castagna brunch item of malawach, served with tomato sauce, zhoug, hard boiled egg. A Malawach is a thin folded pastry that is fried, sort of a mashup between a pita or naan and phyllo dough Cafe Castagna brunch item of malawach, served with tomato sauce, zhoug, hard boiled egg. A Malawach is a thin folded pastry that is fried, sort of a mashup between a pita or naan and phyllo dough

To recreate my breakfasts in Israel I also order the grilled halloumi with honey they have at Cafe Castagna and for a little bit, I am transported to when I was there. It’s not the best value – you would pay less if you ordered their eggs benedict with their house smoked lamb ham, or their version of shakshouka with tomato, chili, goat feta, egg served with pita and optionally adding sujak sausage, or even their classic burger with the additions of cheese and bacon and hatch chili if you wanted. But this combination is too authentic and nostalgic for me personally to mind.
Cafe Castagna brunch item of grilled halloumi with honey, here with some torn basil Cafe Castagna brunch item of malawach, served with tomato sauce, zhoug, hard boiled egg which I like to pair with the grilled halloumi wtih honey

This month, Cafe Castagna also unveiled a simplification of their menu into starters, shared plates, and a few classics left over from the original Cafe Castagna menu. They also offered an option of a Family Style Dinner in which for $30 or $40 a head, the entire table gets served various chef selections to eat family style, just like you would see families doing Israel with tables covered with plates and everyone eating a bit of everything.

Thanks to Watershed Communications, I was able to try the Family Style Dinner experience. The difference between the $30 or $40 price is that you get more options such as cheese, or meats, to your table. Although it’s Chef’s Choice, you can let the server know if you have any dishes from the menu that you really want to make sure are included/not included.

For our group of 5, we began with starters like the fried panissa with aioli and harissa that tastes lighter than you would initially think, with a perfect crisp outside and pillowy inside, and the other starter of the warm fresh flatbread served with a trio of dips that include chicken liver mousse, blend of harissa and labneh, and Turkish hummus. That harissa and labneh container was completely empty when we were done with it.
Cafe Castagna starter of fried panissa, aioli, harissa Cafe Castagna starter of flatbread & trio of dips that include chicken liver mousse, harissa & labneh, and turkish hummus

We were able to try all the salads. Of the three, the citrus salad with meyer lemon, ginger, orange, grapefruit, charred garlic, and basil was a revelation- I would have not thought to order it, but now you and I both know better. The charred garlic is light and has a bit of sweetness!

My equally favorite salad was the salad with baked halloumi cheese, romaine, apple, pomegranate, and candied nuts which just had wonderful texture and bursts of flavor from the components. The big chunks of halloumi cheese definitely do not hurt.

The last salad we shared was the celery and apple salad with yogurt, golden raisins, and chile which was also great – the coolness of the yogurt with the crunch of the celery and apple and fun surprises of chili is yet another pleasing profile of flavors.
Cafe Castagna citrus salad with meyer lemon, ginger, orange, grapefruit, charred garlic, basil Cafe Castagna salad with baked halloumi cheese, romaine, apple, pomegranate, and candied nuts Cafe Castagna celery and apple salad with yogurt, golden raisins, and chile

These 3 salads are all unique and with their own character that shows how Cafe Castagna and Chef Wes can celebrate vegetables on their own. Sides of vegetables that we were able to try included seared beets with tahini, roasted carrots with zhoug and feta, and (not pictured) roasted brussels sprouts with chickpeas, preserved citrus, black olive, and aleppo chile. All three were compelling in their complexity of flavor that again, showcase vegetables and flavors without needing any help from a lot of fat and/or meat.
Cafe Castagna seared beets, tahini Cafe Castagna roasted carrots, zhoug, feta

I was extremely excited thinking about taking my vegetarian F back to this restaurant already, even though I hadn’t even finished my meal yet. I would recommend Cafe Castagna for anyone with vegetarians because of the combinations of flavors and large variety you can order!

On the meat side, our group shared an Ultimate Meat pie in the form of Cipaille with braised hen, pork, veal marrow bone, baharat spice, and potatoes under crispy puff pastry. Look at the big marrow bone and hen legs sticking out!

A dish of whole grilled trout with tabbouleh, sorrel, tahini, and pomegranate was excellent.  We also tried the lamb meatballs with braised cabbage, cilantro and serrano pepper, which is the only dish I had that evening which was off to me – the lamb meatballs seemed a bit dry to me and not as flavorful as all the other dishes on the table.

Of these 3 proteins, my recommendation is the fish, which symbolic of new beginnings, progress and prosperity. Traditionally greens and grains represent money in the Middle East, while pomegranate is for luck and a whole fish is allegoric of coins, prosperity and progress.
Cafe Castagna, Cipaille with braised hen, pork, veal marrow bone, baharat spice, and potato under crispy puff pastry. Ultimate meat pie! Cafe Castagna shared dish of whole grilled trout with tabbouleh, sorrel, tahini, pomegranate"Cafe

One of the highlights of the evening was also this rich (and still vegetarian) celery root and Parmesan agnolotti with sauteed black trumpet mushrooms. So rich, a little went a long way in making you satisfied.
Cafe Castagna rich pasta special of elery root and Parmesan agnolotti with sauteed black trumpet mushrooms

Coming soon to the menu as Chef Wes is trying to perfect it is another dish we were able to preview, a combination of Middle Eastern flavors and French ballotine technique with a crisped fried rabbit, a forcemeat with rabbit and lamb ham, and Persian Wedding Rice. 

The Persian Wedding Rice is cooked with butter and specked with various additional ingredients to the rice until the bottom layer of the rice crisps up in a manner reminiscent of a good paella or korean stone bowl. The dish was served with the deglazed jus but I didn’t think it needed it because there was already so much tasty goodness going on, and I didn’t want to soften my rice. I am anxiously watching and waiting to see this dish be added to the menu so I can have it again.

Cafe Castagna, coming soon to the menu a Rabbit Ballotine with a combination of Middle Eastern flavors and French technique with a crisped fried rabbit, a forcemeat with rabbit and lamb ham, and Persian Wedding Rice

The dinner included desserts in the form of these perfectly sized profiteroles with halva ice cream, honey and pistachio and chili, these are not listed on the dessert menu and are a special light finish to the Family Style Dinner.
Cafe Castagna finishes with perfectly sized profiteroles with halva ice cream, honey and pistachio and chili, these are not listed on the dessert menu and are a special light dessert to end the Family Style Dinner

One of the amazing values at Cafe Castagna is their wine menu, which is a list of $45 bottles. That’s right, just $45, all carefully curated to include some unique options and all go amazingly well with the food. If you order a bottle to go with a family style dinner, the cost drops to only $40 a bottle, and so is really worth it when dining in a group. There are also some exquisite cocktails and non-alcoholic mocktails also.

Cafe Castagna (as well as Castagna) offers reservations, including by OpenTable. Cafe Castagna is open for dinner only 5 – 10 PM Tuesday – Sunday, and has happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 5-6 PM and from 9PM to close. They also offer Sunday Brunch from 10 AM – 2 PM.

Have you noticed a trend in Middle Eastern food, and have you had or are you interested in trying the new Israeli cuisine that seems so hot now?

Disclosure: The family style dinner meal was complimentary, my trip to brunch was on my own dime. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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Dosirak Food Cart

January 30, 2015 by 18 Comments

I admire a food cart that knows it has such a spectacular single dish that they are going to devote themselves to that one dish. That’s what the Dosirak Food Cart does with its Teriyaki Chicken. They’ve had their loyal fans since 2009, which is a testament of what a simple but great offering they provide.
Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College

Located at  SW 4th and College and open 10:30 AM – 6 PM on weekdays only, this lunchbox cart (Dosirak means lunchbox) makes ordering simple as you just have to decide whether you want the mandoo (dumplings) or not and whether you want your rice to be white rice or brown rice.  Or you could just order a bunch of mandoo, but why would you turn down this chicken?
Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken in a lunchbox (dosirak) with salad, rice, dumplings at its location of SW 4th and College Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken in a lunchbox (dosirak) with salad, rice, dumplings at its location of SW 4th and College

The red chili sauce you see in my photos I added, but the rest of the sauce is the marinade of that teriyaki chicken.
Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College, though your dish also comes with 2 mandoo (dumplings) or you can choose a plate of all dumplings. Here I also picked brown instead of white rice Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College. They've had their loyal fans since 2009, which is a testament of what a simple but great offering they provide.

The food is hearty, filling, but an excellent value (that whole thing is $7 and includes salad, rice, 2 mandoo and all that chicken you see, plus your choice of various hot sauces if you’d like). You can’t help but feel good supporting this small little business with its super nice owners when the weather is cold and they are in their cart, braving the dark gloomy day with their cheerful bright cart and their bright smiles as they make your lunchbox.

The wait usually isn’t long as they assemble your lunchbox, but in case you didn’t bring your umbrella that day and only have your rain jacket, you can call ahead and order so that it’ll be ready as soon as you get there using their number (503) 896-3493.

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