For Foodie Friday today, I wanted to start a series highlighting a Portland Drink and a Bite of food that I think not only is best in class within Portland, but is a classic representation of the character of Portland. Of course, that Portland Drink and a Bite Highlight is also delicious, and unique.
For the first highlight, I go to the first duo I craved when I returned from being away for 3 weeks or so – the A Radish Walks Into A Bar… cocktail at Imperial.
Crafted with Carpano Antica vermouth, Ransom Old Tom gin, lemon, radish gastrique, cracked pepper and salt, and served with a beautiful cube of ice (sourced from PDX ice) that they hand carve from an ice block. This unique cocktail is savory and sour and sweet (it’s name is a nod towards Chef Vitaly Paley’s win in Iron Chef with radish as the secret ingredient). And this cocktail is one of my top 5 favorites in Portland. It’s the best radish cocktail I’ve ever had, and I keep going back to it.
Apparently Portland Monthly agrees with me – it listed it among the Top 10 Cocktails in PDX in March 2015.
I don’t even have to look at the menu – as soon as I sit down (usually maybe once a month or so) at Imperial, I order this cocktail right off the bat, along with a Parker House Roll.
This is the best Parker House Roll I’ve ever had – larger then your fist, served warm with whipped butter and Jacobson sea salt, it’s buttery delicate softness with a hint of sweet is a perfect match for the slight peppery bite of the Radish Walks Into A Bar cocktail, making it a great starter. Every time I go into Imperial, I order the cocktail and roll. I’ve even done this when I was on my way walking to meet others for drinks and dinner – I stopped and got this first!
The rest of the Imperial kitchen and bar is firing on all cylinders, so feel free to add to your meal with a grilled salad, Dougie’s fried chicken, or many other items on the menu. This particular Portland Drink and a Bite feels like it really embodies Portland to me in it’s celebration of Chef Paley with that creative cocktail, paired with a nod towards James Beard with those Parker House rolls, and it gets you into the door of Imperial with it’s Northwest cuisine.
Have you tried this cocktail and/or Imperial’s Parker House Roll before? Do you have a favorite drink and a bite someplace that you think really represents Portland that you’d like to nominate?
