raven & rose Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Upcoming December 2014 Brewery Dinners

December 6, 2014 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

I wanted to share a few upcoming brewery dinners that are being held this month in case you are interested.

Raven & Rose + Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Brewery Dinner

Tomorrow, you can get access to some incredible beers from Goose Island Brewery which you cannot always find here in Portland at the latest Brewery Dinner at Raven and Rose. This one is titled the Goose Island – Bourbon County Release dinner, and offers Goose Island cult favorite beers (with four of them being barrel aged beers aged in wine casks or bourbon barrels) with Raven and Rose’s English Style roast dinner.

The menu includes, for $75 a person, a welcome appetizer and beer pairing, followed by a Sunday Roast family style dinner along with a beer flight, and then a dessert with beer. This brings the total to 6 beers! The details of the menu include

Course 1: Welcome Snacks & Beer

Beer 1.IPA, a fruity aroma, set off by a dry malt middle, and long hop finish

Course 2: Salad

Field Greens, radishes, spiced pumpkin seeds, red wine vinaigrette

Course 3: Family style Mains and Sides for a English-style Roast Supper

Mains

Beef Tri-Tip

Oregon King Salmon

Portland Farmers’ Market Sides Like (depending on what is fresh at the Portland Farmers Market on Saturday – I have seen the staff there on more than one occassion loading up their carts!):

Oven-roasted Peppers & potatoes, olive oil, lemon, sea salt

Roasted Farm carrots & Beets, celery root puree

Fried Cauliflower, anchovy salt, sunflower seeds, manchego

Raven & Rose + Goose Island Bourbon County Stout December 2014 Brewery Dinners

Beer Flight for Course 2 and 3:

Beer 2.Class of ’88, The Class of ‘88 Belgian Style Ale was brewed in collaboration with Deschutes Brewery. brewed with whole flower Mt Hood hops, which were first introduced in 1988, then transferred to Muscat casks and aged with Michigan Riesling Grape juice and Oregon Pinot Noir grape must.

Beer 3.Matilda, dried fruit and clove aromas, a spicy yeast flavor, and a satisfying dry finish

Beer 4.Madame Rose, Brown Ale aged in French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with the addition of Michigan cherries and heavily inoculated with Brettanomyces.

Beer 5.Bourbon County Stout, A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense
mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke.

Course 4: Dessert Beer Pairing

Beer 6. Bourbon County Barley Wine, aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels this traditional English-style barleywine possesses the subtlety of flavor that only comes from a barrel that’s gone through many seasons of ritual care

The beer dinner is tomorrow, December 7, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in the Main Dining Room. If you are interested, please contact please email Natalia Toral at natalia@ravenandrosepdx.com. There are often Brewery Dinners at Raven & Rose (I think once a month) or beer specials.

Also, the Sunday Roast dinner is a weekly event at Raven & Rose that replaces the regular a la carte menu, priced at $35 per person for a table (all family style as would be the tradition so the price includes the whole dinner: roast, sauce, potatoes, and a choice of two sides for the table) and served only on Sunday. The dinner features roasts that change weekly like whole lamb on the rotisserie and slow-roasted local pork, each carved to-order for the table, and the sides based on whatever is fresh on the market.

For a peek at what the dinner might be like, check out the pictures and recap from. A preview of the event attended by fellow blogger ladies Beer Musings from Portland and Salt. Water. Coffee.

Cocotte and Upright Brewing Dinner

Thursday December 11th at 6 PM Upright Brewing, which specializes in farmhouse style ales, has a very tasty beer pairing dinner planned at French restaurant Cocotte by chef Kat LeSueur herself. Farmhouse and French food? Sounds incredible! This will be an intimate dinner limited to only 18 tickets. Reserve a seat by emailing the brewery at uprightbrewing@gmail.com. $65.

First – Cauliflower and Mushroom Raviolo with Aleppo Chili, Anchovy, Picholine Olives, Pecorino, Fir Tips
Paired with the Copper and Theory Fifth Anniversary Saison
Second – Apricot Puree, Bay Shrimp & Scallop Salad, Roasted Beets, Shaved Fennel, Grilled Pugliese, Fennel Pollen
Paired with Jeux d’eau, barrel fermented with Oregon muscat
Third – Charcuterie
Paired with the Six, dark rye saison
Fourth – Roasted Chicken Breast, Chicken Confit, Chicken Liver Mousse, Apple, Butternut Purée, Yolk
Paired with Fantasia Reserve, single cask from 2010 peach harvest
Fifth – Cheese Course
Paired with Spollen Angel, Belgian-style tripel
Sixth – Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding, Cinnamon Coconut Ice Cream, Coconut Coffee Caramel
Paired with Coffee Stout, wine barrel aged with Extracto cold press

Whole Foods Pearl + Rev. Nat’s Hard Cider Brewery Dinner

I’ve attended brewery dinners at the Whole Foods Market in the Pearl in the past, such as this one with Hopworks that I recapped and this one with Burnside that I also recapped. For December 18, a Thursday, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm they are at it again, this time partnering with Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider. This is a huge bargain / value of a brewery dinner I think, the best that I know of in Portland at the moment. You get four courses with four pairings for a mere $40. The dinner also offers you an opportunity to hear from Reverend Nat himself to hear about how he is a cider rebel / revolutionary and evangelist.

The brewery dinner is set upstairs in the room they call the Mezz, which is near where the cafe is. They have done incredible jobs setting up beautiful dinners there before in the past: you will forget you are in a store! If you look carefully, you will see me in the photo in the back right!

Whole Foods Pearl Brewery dinners, this one is with Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

Course 1

Gorgonzola cheesecake, tomato sauce, flat bread, basil oil

Paired with Reverend Nat’s Hazelnut Abbey, a cider utilizing Starvation Valley cranberries, Albina City hazelnuts, organic Minneola tangelos and a touch of winter spices

Course 2

Cider brined trout, apples, greens, pickled fennel, creme fraiche and spiced almond

Paired with Reverend Nat’s Revival, I think he is probably bringing Hard Apple which is a secret blend of Washington-grown apples and then they add piloncillo, dark brown evaporated cane juice, purchased direct from Michoacan, Mexico. Or, maybe he’ll bring the limited release Revival Dry, which is made with 2/3rds English and French bittersweet-bittersharp apples and 1/3rd American heirloom dessert apples and represents the first cider Reverend Nat ever made.

Course 3

Spiced crusted pork tenderloin with pickled onions, creamy shrimp hominy and yam Yukon whip

Paired with Reverend Nat’s Envy (one in the series of his 7 Deadly Sins ciders), this cider is big, as it is intensely hopped with 11 varieties of hops (boiled, bursted, whirlpooled, dry), a half-ton of dark muscovado and the finest northwest fresh-pressed apple juice

Course 4

Apple crumble with vanilla bean ice cream

Paired with Reverend Nat’s Providence, I’m not sure if he is bringing the Ginger Tonic (to which he adds to the cider pure squeezed ginger juice, hundreds of hand-cut fresh lemongrass stalks, the fresh-squeezed juice and zest of thousands of limes (zested by hand!) and top it off with hand-extracted quinine from the bark of the Peruvian cinchona tree) or the Traditional New England version, a traditional cider that follows a very old recipe dating from early 1600’s colonial America but additionally made with prime California raisins, dark Maldivian muscovado, whole Indonesian cinnamon and nutmeg and fermented to complete dryness on toasted American oak.

Whole Foods Pearl + Rev. Nat's Hard Cider December 2014 Brewery Dinners

To get tickets to this brewery dinner, you can sign up in the store or go to Eventbrite.com at this link. You can also try to win reservations for 2 people by going to the Whole Foods Facebook page here and leaving a comment!

Even if you can’t make either of these two brewery dinners, you definitely want to keep an eye out for future events, either for yourself or perhaps to give as a gift, as both Raven and Rose and Whole Foods offer brewery dinners often as part of a series.

Let me note even if you don’t drink beer often, one of the great things about pairing the beer with food is that it opens up a new way to appreciate the flavors in beer that you might not have realized when drinking beer by itself.

Furthermore, even if you are a beer drinker regularly, these events also give you access to the brewers in a very intimate atmosphere, which is a really unique opportunity.

Which of these brewery dinners interests you? Have you attended a brewery dinner before, and what did you think of it, what brewery was it with?

Cheers!

Filed Under: Beer Review, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: #craftcider, #oregoncider, barrel-aged beers, beer, Cocotte beer dinner, craftbeer, December 2014 Brewery Dinner, Goose Island Bourbon Beer, hard cider and food pairing, Hazelnut Abbey, raven & rose, Reverend Nat's Envy Cider, Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, Reverend Nat's Providence cider, Revival Cider, Upright Brewing beer dinner

Raven & Rose Cocktail Paper Crane

May 21, 2014 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Until the end of this month, consider visiting the Rookery at Raven & Rose. First of all, if you haven’t been before, it is a gorgeous, classy space. When you enter Raven & Rose, turn right past the hostess desk to go to the stairway up to what used to be the hayloft of this former carriage house.

Second of all, until the end of this month, they have this fantastic cocktail called the Paper Crane. 50% of the sales of Paper Crane drink sales go to White Bird Dance Company, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing Portland-based, regional, national, and international dance companies to Portland, Oregon. Raven & Rose is one of 6 locations which have created a special drink for White Bird Cocktail Month (May 2014)- the other locations include Silk, Southpark Seafood, Higgins, Nel Centro, and Ringside Fish House.
White Bird Cocktail Month May 2014

But back to the drink I’ve had so far, the Paper Crane. It’s made with New Deal Hot Monkey pepper vodka, Benedictine, peach cordial, lemon juice, honey, egg white, and Angostura bitters to present a well balanced mix of spicy and sweet and sour and lightness. So, it’s a drink that’s both good for you in deliciousness, and good for the world in helping to support the arts via White Bird Dance Company.
Raven & Rose special drink for May 2014, the Paper Crane. It's made with New Deal Hot Monkey pepper vodka, Benedictine, peach cordial, lemon juice, honey, egg white, and Angostura bitters to present a well balanced mix of spicy and sweet and sour and lightness.

If you go on Wednesday, like I did, that is their Whiskey Wedsnesday, where they have additional special whiskey items and live music in the evenings.

Finally, if you didn’t know… The Rookery has a food menu that includes fried cheese curds & fried pickles served with a smoked chili aioli. You need this.
"The The Rookery at Raven & Rose has a food menu that includes fried cheese curds & fried pickles served with a smoked chili aioli.

Hurry, this cocktail is only available only until the end of May! However, visit the Rookery anytime to order those fried cheese curds and pickles with any drink you’d like…

Filed Under: Cocktails, Restaurant Review Tagged With: Paper Crane, raven & rose, White Bird Cocktail Month, White Bird Dance

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap and Upcoming Blogger Bake Sale #NoKidHungry

May 1, 2014 by Pechluck 3 Comments

Disclosure: I attended the Portland Taste of the Nation as a media member, but I am not being compensated for this post. 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.

Earlier on April 29 (my birthday!), I was proud and happy to spend it at Taste of the Nation Portland, helping to raise awareness through social media for such an important cause, and continuing to do so today.

As I mentioned in my previous post and giveaway, Taste of the Nation is a series of culinary events throughout the US and throughout the year to raise money for Share Our Strength, a national organization working to end childhood hunger in the US. 100% of ticket sales support the efforts of the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Taste of the Nation Portland, Team No Kid Hungry

This is a very meaningful cause for me. If you enjoy food and think of yourself as a food lover in any way, I consider it part of our duty to also give back in fighting against hunger. We should be thankful of what we are able to enjoy while also being aware not everyone is blessed with the access and plenty that we have and that we have the means, however large or small, in helping to ease that burden. I was fortunate in that I have never known true hunger, and it breaks my heart to think of children crushed when there is not a school day because it means missing a meal, or not being able to concentrate and learn because they are hungry. As little as $1 can connect a child to 10 meals – so feel free to sign up as I did to donate on a monthly basis and take the pledge.

Feel free to learn more at the No Kid Hungry campaign at their official website and also Twitter @NoKidHungry.

I have been watching the feeds as the events in DC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco kicked off, and the one in Portland here coincided also with the one in Boston, though a few hours later because of the time difference. The caliber of the events have been amazing, and so was the one here in Portland. I’ll get to my recap and photos in just a minute!

Gorgeous display by Portland Taste local sponsor Charlie's Produce

Gorgeous display by Portland Taste local sponsor Charlie’s Produce

This year the event was held at the McMenamins Crystal Hotel & Ballroom. The proceeds are going directly to No Kid Hungry Oregon non-profit allies of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Oregon Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul Society and Klamath/Lake Counties Food Bank. The tickets to the VIP admission sold out a week before, and then the General Admission tickets sold out 2 days before the event… so remember that for next year to not wait for the last minute to buy your tickets!

There is still an upcoming opportunity to support No Kid Hungry though- and that’s with the National Blogger’s Bake Sale Portland Edition this upcoming Saturday May 3, 9am-1pm, at Powell’s Book Store, near Couch/11th Ave. I’ll be there after my workout to help support them even though I am planning on purchasing/consuming and not baking anything, or you can also visit the page and click the link to donate towards the Portland fundraising goal!

You CAN help make a difference!

Ok, now onto the Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap. First, a huge round of applause to all the chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, spirits, other beverages, and other sponsors who participated. I was really impressed with how prepared everyone was- there was rarely a line to get food because of how prepared everyone was to handle the many excited and hungry supporters of this cause that evening. And there was definitely a serious number of people who are serious about fighting hunger at this event:

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 at McMenamins Crystal Hotel & Ballroom

Some of my favorite samplings of the event included:

Mediterranean Exploration Company (coming soon from John Gorham, of Toro Bravo, Tasty n Sons/Alder) offered this delectable house canned Albacore Tuna board with Mediterranean accompaniments. I can’t wait for this to open in the former Riffle space (in the Pearl District) in July!
The Country Cat‘s offering of fried chicken lollipops & honey, and also of a vanilla hot fudge sundae! I was a little intimidated to pick up the big drumstick but it was well worth the sticky fingers.
Multnomah Whiskey Library with their Sazerac Punch with James Oliver Rye, Oleo Saccharum, Peychaud Bitters, and Anise spiked Sparkling Wine, a nice updated twist but still classic
Pok Pok‘s Khano Niaw Sangkhaya Bai Toei, a sweet sticky rice with duck egg pandan coconut custard wrapped and steamed in banana leaves was a little bit of sweetness that was a great followup after a sip of Moet, I definitely could have had more of these!
No photo from the event, but the Imperial potato latke topped with salmon pastrami, sour cream and dill cooked in duck fat that I first sampled at the Taste of the Taste preview (and my photo is from that). In addition, Imperial Bar Manager Brandon Wise made two sample cocktails utilizing Dogwood Distilling Union Gin and Franklin Vodka and since it’s from Brandon of course both were excellent.
Renata offered My Pharm Rabbit N’duja with pickled carrots and pea shoots, a medley of textures between the crispy crostini and the rich creamy rabbit
I really enjoyed the St Jack chilled Stinging Nettle Vichyssoise with crispy chicken skin and chili oil, it was definitely one of the top tastes of the evening for me
I know it’s simple, but I confess I had two samples of the Grassa Lumache Cacio e Pepe. I thought it made up for the fact that I resisted the Griddled Mortadella with Provolone, Mama Lil’s Peppers and Mustard Aioli mini sandwich across the way at the Lardo table since I had it during the Taste of the Taste event (with photo of it from then)
I also admit I went back twice for Laurelhurst Market‘s baked macaroni and cheese with house-smoked hot dog and potato chip crust. Of course Mac and Cheese was a perfect snapshot of the theme this year, What My Family Ate and comforting food memories
Bamboo Sushi, Jin Soo Yang, Kalbi Ssam House Kimchee Grilled Short Ribs with Lettuce and Rice was a bright bite of lots of flavors. I wish I could have grown up with this!
Many loved smallwares and their taste of Beef Tataki with Kimchi, Blue cheese, Thai basil, and Pickled pear- a very mature and complex medley of flavors that I wish everyone would demand was regularly on their menu
Aviary, soup dumplings that explain why they are planning a Soup Dumpling pop-up at $35/person on May 20th- check their website for more details!
Batch PDX Jeremy Karp impressed so many of us with his assorted chocolates that included so many interesting combinations of flavors like chocolate with Vietnamese coffee or Thai Ice tea or Earl Grey tea, flavors of Pina Colada and Margarita, this was definitely one of the surprise finds of the evening!
The bar up at the mezzanine included quite a few cocktails, including this Pegu Club with Aria Gin, Orange Liquor, Fresh Lime, and Angostura Bitters, as well as you call it cocktails made from Bull Run Distillery liquors and DRY soda

And here are a few other excellent tastings that evening to give you a feel for why you should go next year if you aren’t convinced already:

Gregory Gourdet of Departure was there, glowing and smiling as always, hands on as they gave samples of chicken stewed with peppers, pickled chilies, and ripe plaintain
Smokehouse 21 was calling my name with this Smoked Land and Sea tasting with pork and eggs. Also bonus points as I watched the man crack half a dozen soft boiled eggs perfectly and speedily. Minus points for what sea are you talking about, what kind of eggs were those…
Produce Row Cafe offered a vegetarian winner with their crispy chickpea fritter, harissa, and cultured cream
Black Rabbit offered “Ham and Eggs” with black truffle custard, Marsala braised duck “Ham” Fennel Jam on a parmesan crostini
Irving Street Kitchen refreshed the palate with a smoked Albacore Tuna crudo with charred padron pickle and creamy tonado
I always love the charcuterie of Olympic Provisions
It was nice to take a break from so much meat with Biwa‘s Ohitashi of asparagus steeped in a dashi base sauce
Boke Bowl brought the heat with their crawfish and pork in spicy black bean sauce over rice tots
Zeus Cafe had a big serving of pork belly and kimchi croquette with black vinegar aioli and herbs.
Gracie‘s taste was a stuffed Medjool date with spicy marcona almond and local goat cheese wrapped in pancetta
I stopped by for some Strawberry rhubarb pie from Pacific Pie, though they also offered their popular staple Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut. I had to try the Strawberry Rhubarb though, especially after I saw their cute segment about making it on TV the week before
Xocolatl de David‘s Fluffernutter and Chocolate Milk! Great idea for the theme of memories from family time!
Raven & Rose offered a few desserts of delicious simplicity
Moet & Chandon flowing during VIP hour

There was more I missed- with more than 60 possible participating restaurants and beverage providers to visit, there were more tastes than I or anyone could have in one night. I took all my photos and ate and when that was done (because I was getting really full, not because I managed to visit everyone!), that’s when I put my camera away and went beverage tasting, so there are many distilleries and wineries that are not in this recap. Amazing vendors right??

I also was outbid on silent auction they were holding, but they had some really unique baskets and experiences- examples were

Summer School that included 4 tickets to an Around the World rum tasting with Blair Reynolds of Hale Pele, tiki mugs, mai tai glasses, and syrups/mixers, and four weekend passes to Tiki Kon;
French Mathematics that included champage tasting for 12 from David Speer of Ambonnay; Chemistry Tutor with cocktail tutoring for 10 with appetizers with Kasey Kasten of Saucebox;
various baskets of impeccable wines (donated by wonderful wineries, or one package in which 12 famous Portland chefs each picked a wine and included a pairing recipe suggestion for the wine!);
and my favorite, a Hall Pass that offers the opportunity to cut to the front of the line at hot spots like Toro Bravo, Salt & Straw, Mother’s Bistro, Pok Pok, Tasty N Sons, Besaws and Multnomah Whiskey Library – WOW!

Taste of the Nation Portland Silent Auction

Remember to support No Kid Hungry at the National Blogger’s Bake Sale Portland Edition this upcoming Saturday May 3, 9am-1pm, at Powell’s Book Store, near Couch/11th Ave. Say hi to me as I drop by around 11:30 Saturday after my workout and squee at the beautiful blogger baked goodies with me, or you can also visit the page and click the link to donate towards the Portland fundraising goal!

Filed Under: Cocktails, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #nokidhungry, #pdxevents, #portlandtaste, Albacore Tuna crudo, Aria Gin, aviary, Bamboo Sushi, Batch PDX, Beef Tataki, Biwa, Black Rabbit, Boke Bowl, Bull Run Distillery, charcuterie, Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut, crawfish and pork in spicy black bean sauce rice tots, crispy chickpea fritter, Departure, DRY soda, Fluffernutter and Chocolate Milk, fried chicken lollipops & honey, Gracie's, grassa, Gregory Gourdet, Imperial, Irving Street Kitchen, Jeremy Karp, Jin Soo Yang, Khano Niaw Sangkhaya Bai Toei, Kimchee Grilled Short Ribs, Laurelhurst Market', Lumache Cacio e Pepe, macaroni and cheese with house hot dog and potato chip, Mediterranean Exploration Company, Moet & Chandon, Multnomah Whiskey Library, National Blogger's Bake Sale, Ohitashi of asparagus, olympic provisions, Pacific Pie, Pegu Club, pok pok, pork belly and kimchi croquette, portland, Produce Row Cafe, raven & rose, Renata, Sazerac Punch, Smallwares, Smoked Land and Sea, smokehouse 21, soup dumplings, St Jack's Aaron Barnett, Stinging Nettle Vichyssoise, Strawberry rhubarb pie, stuffed Medjool date, Taste of the Nation, Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap, The Country Cat, Xocolatl de David, Zeus Cafe

Classic Cocktails with the Rookery

November 15, 2013 by Pechluck 6 Comments

The Rookery at Raven & Rose recently has launched a monthly cocktail classes with the men of the Rookery bar, bar director David Shenaut and barman Alan Akwai. This past September, October, November, and for one more class in December, the title of the class is “Essential Classic Cocktails You Can Serve at Home”. I recently attended the November class, which apparently had the largest attendance yet of the series, and David says that next year they plan to change up the theme so that even if you took the classic cocktail class you will want to follow up with another class for further continuing education!

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai at Raven and Rose's the Rookery

The Essential Classic Cocktails class I attended covered the history, construction and recipes for four vintage cocktails, included samples of the four cocktails, as well as some “fancy snacks” for the $50 class price. Afterward, by showing the recipe notebook after class, you can enjoy a complimentary dessert with an entree purchase at the Raven and Rose restaurant downstairs.

I’m a big fan of the Rookery and David and Alan- I’ve been to the Rookery a couple times for beverages, and also events like Beer with the Bird or one of their several whiskey events (the one I attended was Raven and Rye). I’m not going to repeat my crush on their ability to articulate details of flavors in ingredients and craft combinations that are unique and perfect just for you. Instead, I’m going to recap the Classic Cocktails with the Rookery class for you!

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - Dave

Upon checking in, we were led to our seats which were marked by placecards and there was a punchbowl of an autumnal punch they had whipped up (and as we found out later, just “winged it” with Jameson, apple cider, and spices) to welcome us. We were soon double-fisting it however as the samples of the first drink we would be learning, the Margarita were passed out. I’ve made margaritas before, but Dave and Alan immediately educated everyone on their philosophy of building cocktails Dry – that is, with no ice. By waiting on the ice the drink does not diluted and you can still make changes when you take a stirring straw taste, or wait so you can prep for all your dinner party guests.

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - the starter sample of an autumn punch

Dave and Alan have a great friendly rapport as they answered questions varying from how long to shake or how they explain how to know whether to shake or stir a drink (answer: citrus, egg, and creme are shaken, drinks that are more boozy are stirred.) Furthermore, they illuminated that the shaking is about aeration, not just a way to mix ingredients. Also, how does Alan make it look so fun to shake? There was also a difference in opinion as Dave would never make more than one serving in a shaker, while Alan realistically says he would.

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - Alan shakes it

The next classic vintage cocktail was the Old Fashioned. After Alan showed us the right glassware, Dave tagged in to talk about making simple syrup and how to not heat the mixture as it loses flavor. Then Alan was back showing us techniques in dashing bitters in different amounts with various flicks, and Dave went on to wax poetic about bitters as well as where he sources his ice (he sources from PDX Ice – I also recognize that ice from Imperial!). Alan brought us back to how stirring is about binding, and how important it is to stir on the edge of the glass and create a whirlpool with no lifting of the spoon to add air. After a good stir the drink should look viscous and feel round.

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - the glass for the Old Fashioned

We tasted the Old Fashioned 3 ways. After we each had a chance to practice trying to pour a perfect jigger of the cocktail for ourselves, we took a sip of it plain. Next, we broke a lemon peel over it in order to infuse lemon oils. Finally, we added the lemon peel into the drink (our tables’ favorite).

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - the next cocktail sample and second recipe we learn is the Old Fashioned

Next up was Punch. After being schooled on Oleo Saccharum (“oily sugar”), we were then taught the magic ratio. Although it sounds like a lot of work in making Oleo Saccharum which includes peeling 4 lemons and making hot tea concentrate, it opened up my eyes to how much layering and complexity of flavor you can add just with your selection of the type of tea. Since the base spirit and dilution (juice, wine, soda, water, or sparkling cider or champagne as we sampled in class- the second punch we would soon be sampling used champagne) can also vary, the possibilities are endless, and Dave sagely promised that the Magic Ratio has never failed him.

Also, making punch seems fun since in order to get the right amount of liquid, you will end up having a glass of base spirit and glass of dilution (champagne below!) leftover that Dave encouraged us to have ourselves to loosen us up for our dinner party!

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - Dave takes a glass of bubbly out before pouring the rest in for punch

After the punch lesson, it was time punch, and for the Fancy Snacks.
Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai at Raven and Rose's the Rookery, the fancy snacks portion of class

The final cocktail was the famous Rookery Irish Coffee, which was a warm, wonderful end to the class before going back out into the night and the rain. If you haven’t had the Irish Coffee here (which uses Spella coffee), you must try it- it’s the best I think in Portland.

Essential Classic Cocktails, a cocktail class with David Shenault and Alan Akwai - the next final cocktail and my favorite, the Irish Coffee

If you want to find out more about or sign up for upcoming classes, be sure to contact event manager Natalia Toral, at natalia at ravenandrosepdx.com.

Filed Under: Cocktails, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Alan Akwai, Champagne Punch, Classic Cocktails, Cocktail Class, David Shenault, Irish Coffee, margarita, Old Fashioned, Punch Autumn Punch, raven & rose, raven and rose, rookery, The Rookery, Vintage Cocktails

Schwenking. No really.

July 14, 2013 by Pechluck 1 Comment

Shwenking is going on tour in Portland this summer. No, really.

The schwenker (or schwenk for short) is a special kind of portable grill and technique originating from the Mosel Velly and Saarland region in Germany that cooks meat over an open flame on a swinging grill platform over the fire. This grill platform can be pulled up and down and swiveled or of course, put into a swinging motion over the fire by the “schwenk meister”. No, really.

During the grilling, or schwenking process, you can watch the meat slowly cooking as it moves, like watching a hypnotist swing a watch but this is much more appealing to watch as it is glistening meat that has already been marinated for three days versus some ticking stopwatch, and it spins not just swings. Yes! Really!

The Tuttles of Teutonic Wine Company are ambassadors of Schwenking and brought this back from their trip. They are taking their coal fired tripod schwenker grills on a Schwenk Portland 2013 tour this summer to 13 Portland restaurants, where each restaurant will create their own schwenk dish, and then pair it with Mosel Riesling imported or produced by Teutonic.

I tried out my first schwenking dish at Raven & Rose yesterday (I missed other tour stops during June).

Schwenking at Raven & Rose The Schwenk Meisters, Schwenking at Raven & Rose

For their schwenking stop, Raven & Rose were offering 3 schwenk dish options, and also 3 Kabinett style Rieslings or you can get a flight of all three rieslings:

Menu Raven & Rose Schwenking Stop

Trout on fennel fronds, gooseberry conserva, cucumber radish salad
Pork tenderloin, German potato salad, kolrabi slaw
Spatchcocked Quail with peaches, green beans, walnut sauce
2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard
2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb
2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett

Ok, first I confess I got temporarily distracted from the schwenking. I love the Rookery, and while I was waiting for a friend to join me I had a flight of single barrel bourbons. But then, it was time! I tried the riesling flight, as well as the pork and quail dishes. The Ackermann Kabinett Feinherb was the most dry of the 3 rieslings, which paired well with the sweetness of the spatchcocked quail. Meanwhile, the pork tenderloin was perfect in its hint of smoke and the oh so tender texture like ahi which I accompanied mostly with sips of the Philips Kabinett which was in the middle between dry and sweet. The Teutonic riesling which was the sweetest of the three I matched up with the kolrabi slaw and the bacon flecked bites of the German potato salad.

single barrel bourbon flight at the Rookery in Raven & Rose Schwenking and Riesling at Raven and Rose, Flight of Kabinett style Rieslings: 2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb/ 2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett / 2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard From the schwenker during Schwenking Portland 2013, Raven & Rose stop: Spatchcocked Quail with peaches, green beans, walnut sauce

Here are more upcoming stops on that tour (you can find more pictures also at the Schwenk Portland Facebook page) or you can also look at the NPR coverage of Tuttle and his schwenker here, including a simple pork recipe!

Accanto – July 14
Ned Ludd – July 21
Olympic Provisions NW – 7/28
Wildwood – August 1
Old Salt Marketplace – August 10
Sauvage – August 11
Grüner – August 17
Cheese Bar – August 18

And if you have not visited the Rookery before, get your butt over there! The atmosphere is relaxing and warm in their big open loft with 2 TVs and a pool table, several couches. And, a nice long bar to sidle up to and get an education on whiskeys or whatever you are thirsty for while listening to, if you are lucky, the deep husky voice of Dave Shenaut, bar director / president of the Oregon Bartender’s Guild, or Alan Akwai’s incredibly efficient way of mixing while simultaneously eloquently rolling a whole vocabulary of descriptors of flavors and knowing exactly what bottles or eye droppers or misters to reach for to concoct the perfect drink for your palate, all belying his fresh face. Well, I’m sure Dave is eloquent too but I was lulled by that voice. It doesn’t even matter what he’s saying.

I’ve written previously about how they have special beer events (Beer with the Bird, such as one I attended with Double Mountain and Logsdon and with cheese!!) and whiskey Wednesdays (including special event Raven & Rye Wild Turkey I attended and blogged about) so you can see more wonderfulness of my crush on the Rookery there. Please note the Rookery does not serve the full menu of the restaurant downstairs, though it seems they are experimenting with offering some more than just the bar snacks they have been doing so far (a ploughman’s platter was the most substantial item). There is another bar downstairs though, tended by Angel and she is also great at taking are of you, including one evening providing F an ice cube to put in his too hot soup so we didn’t have to wait so long to enjoy it.
A flight of single barrel bourbon at the Rookery, upstairs of the Raven & Rose Flight of Kabinett style Rieslings: 2011 Ackermann Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, Kabinett Feinherb/ 2010 Philips Eckstein Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett / 2012 Teutonic Wine Co Crow Valley Vineyard

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Wine Tagged With: grill, kabinett riesling, pork tenderloin, quail, raven & rose, raven and rose, riesling, Schenker, Schwenk, Schwenk Portland 2013, Shwenk meister, Shwenking, spatchcocked quail, Teutonic Wine, Tuttles

Upcoming December 2014 Brewery Dinners

Raven & Rose + Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Brewery Dinner

Course 1: Welcome Snacks & Beer

Course 2: Salad

Course 3: Family style Mains and Sides for a English-style Roast Supper

Course 4: Dessert Beer Pairing

Cocotte and Upright Brewing Dinner

Menu

Whole Foods Pearl + Rev. Nat’s Hard Cider Brewery Dinner

Course 1

Course 2

Course 3

Course 4

Raven & Rose Cocktail Paper Crane

Taste of the Nation Portland 2014 Recap and Upcoming Blogger Bake Sale #NoKidHungry

Classic Cocktails with the Rookery

Schwenking. No really.

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