gardein Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Yard House Portland

I am a proponent of visiting local taprooms and breweries and drinking local beers. This philosophy extends both to when I’m in my home city, or when I’m traveling for pleasure or work. But, I am also a big fan of The Yard House – and I have been for many years. It is a national chain – I’ll disclose that upfront, and owned by Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze) – restaurants you may recognize from suburban retail and tourist areas. However, there is still a place for it, even for a craft beer lover. Here is a look at why and what you can expect from Yard House and Yard House Portland.
Some of the taps (but not all of them!) at Yard House. This is likely the most taps you will ever see in one place - an average of 130 at each location. Yard House Portland offers 130 taps with a keg room holding over 5000 gallons of beer

The Yard House was founded more then 20 years ago in 1996 in Southern California, and since then the national chain has expanded to more than 66 restaurants and 23 states. Before I moved to Portland, Yard House was a major gateway for me to try beers besides the buckets of Bud and Corona of my college years, and for that I am still grateful. Plus, I know that for many just dipping their toes into craft beer, Yard House still serves that purpose of being an introduction to what is available in beer flavors, and that is something craft beer aficionados should give Yard House credit for, it’s nothing to sniff at.
Yard House Portland offers 130 taps with a keg room holding over 5000 gallons of beer. You can order beer in multiple sizes, including putting together your own sampler tray

There are 5 big things you can expect from every The Yard House experience, and which you’ll see some examples of from our local Yard House, Yard House Portland located on the first floor of Pioneer Place Mall (entrance is on on SW 5th and Taylor, a few yards away from the street level shiny Apple Store).
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Washington’s Birthday and Peanut Soup

President George Washington loved cream of peanut soup, so here is my vegetarian take on a presidential peanut soup in honor of the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday. Unlike the version I tried at Mt. Vernon or later at Gadsby Tavern (which is where the painting below is photographed from), this peanut soup version does not use chicken stock. The soup serves about 6 people.

George Washington in a painting at Gadsby Tavern

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 2/3 cups broth – the original recipe calls for chicken but I used vegetable to be vegetarian
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup ground peanuts

Directions:

In a heavy soup pot melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute a little until the onions are translucent. Then add the flour and peanut butter. I had crunchy peanut butter, so I added that first and then after the peanut butter had softened and incorporated the onion and garlic did I add the flour. Stir until very smooth.
Beat in the stock and season well with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat and it will thicken, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the cream and heat through. Serve warm with ground peanuts.

For my main, I decided to make a vegetarian chicken in a lemon butter white wine sauce. So, while I was simmering the soup to thicken it, I took 1/4 cup of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and sauteed some Gardein chick’n scallopini that I had floured, then removed the chick’n to a plate. With the leftover oil still in the pan, I turned off the heat, then I added 3/4 cup of white wine and 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs (I used fresh tarragon and sage) and 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Turn the heat back on, return the chick’n, and reduce the sauce to half or whatever is tasty for you, and this was the sauce I topped the chick’n off with when I plated.