Vindulge

A few of my favorite things: Portland edition

Moving day is here.  As of next week I will be officially living on the opposite side of the country.  As I wrap up my time in Portland I thought I would share some of the many places and things that I will miss the most.  In the five years that we lived here I think we really took advantage of many things that make Portland unique, but a few of them have made a strong enough impact on me that I will remember them for years to come.

Food, Wine & Beer Spots

Portland has some great restaurants, and for anybody who thinks otherwise, well you’re wrong!  Among the MANY wonderful dining options are some of my favorites and the ones I’ll miss the most. These are all places I highly recommend checking out if you visit or live in the area or are planning to do so. 

Andina, restaurant  
www.andinarestaurant.com
I’m pretty sure I’ve been to this restaurant more than any single restaurant in Portland.  Located in the Pearl District, it is my most trusted restaurant that I proudly bring most out of town visitor to.   Serving up traditional Peruvian food with a modern twist, "NovoAndina" cuisine as they call it, this restaurant serves tapas style dishes including my favorites, the grilled diver scallops with a garlic lime butter sauce and crispy onions, and their traditional cebiche.  They also have a mouthwatering list of great entrees and fantastic signature cocktails including the absolute must try “Sacsayhuaman”; with habanero pepper vodka shaken with pureed passion fruit and cane sugar, served up with a sugar rim and a cilantro leaf garnish. One word - addictive!  They also have a pretty good wine list too.  Make sure to make reservations at this place as it is packed from open to close every night. 

Equinox, restaurant   
www.equinoxrestaurantpdx.com
This is one restaurant that gets way too little attention in my book.  Located in the historic Mississippi Avenue district, it is one of our favorite places to dine both indoors in the winter, and outdoor on their large patio in the warmer months.  They serve a rotating menu of mostly northwest cuisine and I have never had a single thing I didn’t love here.  If you’re in Portland and you’ve never visited Equinox, please do me a favor and check it out. You won’t regret it!

Ten 01, restaurant
www.ten-01.com
Located in the Pearl District, this is another trusted and true restaurant serving up delicious cuisine seven days a week, an excellent cocktail menu, and one of the most extensive wine lists in Portland.  You can’t go wrong here.  One of my favorite nights to visit is Wednesday for Sommelier Jeff Groh’s “On The Spot” blind wine tasting.  Started by former Ten 01 Sommelier Erica Landon, Groh continues the tradition of selecting an always excellent and often unique array of wines to feature each Wednesday for an average of $15 per flight for diners to partake in.  Such a fun way to expand your wine tasting palate!  If you go for happy hour or just to hang out at the bar, definitely order the Truffle Fries, they are pure flavorful deliciousness.

Bread and Ink, breakfast spot   
www.breadandinkcafe.com
I wouldn’t necessarily say their breakfasts will blow your mind but they do have some great options, including a good eggs benedict (my favorite, and the dish in which I judge all breakfast restaurants by), biscuits and gravy (hubby’s fav) and most dishes are served with their homemade scones or assorted breads (yum!).  For me I will always fondly remember this place for the many great breakfasts I had here with good friends. 

Vino Paradiso, wine bar    
www.vinoparadiso.com
This was the very first place we visited on our first trip to Portland almost five years ago and it will be our last spot we visit before catching our flight to CT.  Owner and Sommelier Timothy Nishimoto has created a very comfortable yet hip wine bar with an always excellent selection of wine and food.  And if you go for happy hour many wines are ½ price by the bottle!  My favorite food menu item will always be his Pizza Margherita. Perhaps Timothy will share the secret for what makes his sauce so darn addictive as a goodbye present??? 

Cork • a bottle shop, wine shop   
www.corkwineshop.com
Owner Darryl Joannides, always has a great selection of wines in all price ranges at his two cork locations.  The selection is non-intimidating and the staff there are very knowledgeable, especially Darryl himself who has traveled to many of the regions where his wines come from.  If you may be intimidated by wine stores, or if you are budget conscience, he offers around 100 wines priced under $20, displayed in order of price, and all with good enough descriptions of the wines to know what you’re purchasing.  He also offers weekly wine tastings; which are always a great way to learn more about new wines.

Laurelwood Brewery   
www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com
Home of my favorite beer in Portland.  My favorite beers include the Hop Monkey IPA and the Free Range Red, so good!

Double Mountain Brewery   
www.doublemountainbrewery.com
Favorite beer spot in Hood River.  Look for this local brewery just across the street from the more famous Full Sail Brewery in downtown Hood River and you’ll find a fantastic lineup of delicious beers and awesome pizzas. 

Other things I will miss... Uniquely Oregon

Plate and Pitchfork   
www.plateandpitchfork.com
An absolute gem!  These dinners have been around for about eight years now and held each summer.  The dinners are held on local farms with local chefs preparing 5-course meals paired with local wines, with most items picked that day from the farm.  When diners arrive at the farm, they are presented with a glass of local wine and some appetizers as they head out for a tour of the farm.  After the tour you are led to your dining area, usually outdoors in the middle of the farm, for your five-course meal with each course paired with wine.  Throughout the dinner you hear from the chef, winemaker, and farmers about what makes the food and wine so unique.  Honestly, these farm-to-table dinners are one of the most unique and amazing experiences I have had during the time I’ve lived in Portland and I sincerely thank my good friends, Jen and Spencer, for introducing them to us during our first summer here.  Make sure you get on their mailing list because the very day (sometimes hour) that the tickets for these dinners go on sale they are sold out! 

Wine Country, including the Willamette Valley, Columbia Gorge, Eastern WA

I’ve been spoiled over the last nine years to have lived first in San Francisco, now Portland where I've have hundreds of wineries to chose from within an hour of my home.  It has become a part of my lifestyle to have access to wineries at the drop of a dime.  I will sincerely miss being so close to some of the amazing wine regions both in Oregon and Washington, especially the Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge, which are both less than an hour drive from Portland.  All the more reason to make many visits back! 

 

Soter Brut Rosé   
One taste of this sparkling wine made by Soter Vineyards in the Willamette Valley and bubbles will be quickly become your favorite style of wine too.  Just sayin'.

Mountains, real ones not the cute little hills they call mountains in the east coast.

West coast in general, I am and always will be a west coast girl.

No snow!!! Unless I chose to drive to it.

Most of all, and more important than any winery, restaurant, or any amount of scenery, I will miss the incredible friends and neighbors we made living here.  We have been very blessed in the last five years to be surrounded by such wonderful people, many of whom even live within a 5-minute walk from our house.  I can just hope we are even half as lucky with friends living in Connecticut.

Cheers to you Portland, I will surely miss you… but not the rain ;)
 

Olympic Provisions: Checking things off my Portland to do list

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my goal to do, see, and eat certain things in Portland before the big move date.  And with the date growing closer and closer everyday I’ve finally made plans to accomplish them all.  This past Monday I checked the first of the four restaurants off the list (and will check off two more within the next few days), by eating lunch at Olympic Provisions.

We were celebrating some good news and all my hubby wanted to eat was meat (no big shock there), and the first place that popped into my head was Olympic Provisions, known for their meat… charcuterie to be more specific. 

Olympic Provisions opened in late 2009 and is described on their website as “European-style restaurant and deli serving lunch and dinner, as well as Oregon’s first USDA certified meat-curing facility”.  They are located in the Southeast Portland industrial area near the corner of SE 2nd and Washington.   The restaurant is led by chef Jason Barwikowski, formerly of the popular Clyde Common, in addition to Elias Cairo as the Salumist.   The menu is small but diverse, featuring a selection of meat options as well as a variety of vegetable and egg dishes.  So have no fear if you’re not a meat freak, there are plenty of options for the vegetarian and carnivore alike.  They also sport a petty diverse wine list worth checking out.

Parking can be tricky, at least during the lunch hour.  Hubby was having flashbacks to our former life in San Francisco having to circle the building a couple times, but I assured him nothing is worse than parking in San Francisco (except maybe New York) so he calmed down after finding a spot with a short walk to the restaurant.  Lunch options are plenty with a small variety of sandwiches, vegetable, and a couple of egg-based dishes to choose from.  The ambiance is super casual and open and they even had a wall open to the outside for fresh air.  It felt like we were dining al fresco, which is perfect for the summertime. 

We selected the house charcuterie plate to start with (how can you not?), then a couple of sandwiches.  We attempted to be conservative with the charcuterie, but I won’t lie to you, it went fast.  My favorite was the smoked salami (pictured in the top left, the darkest one on the plate).  The best west coast charcuterie I’ve had outside of Salumi in Seattle. 

For lunch, I opted for the roasted pork loin sandwich with rapini, romesco sauce on focaccia. This was basically a very healthy portion of fresh delicious thin cut pork with small broccolini bites, and a romesco sauce (a sauce traditionally made from roasted red peppers or tomatoes, almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, and olive oil - although I have no idea exactly what was in this one. I do know this, it was good).  The sandwich was delicious and hit the spot.  Nice fresh crusty bread, lots of meat, a sauce I could drink, and the broccolini for crunch!  Yes please!

Hubby, feeling more risky, ordered the beef tongue sandwich with arugula, pickled onion, salsa verde on baguette.   As a recovering semi-vegetarian I really wanted nothing to do with beef tongue, but tried it anyway.  It was interesting, and the meat (is that even considered meat?) was very tender. I’ll leave it at that.  He, however, loved the sandwich and raved about it. 

At that point we were pretty darn full but their pastry options sounded very tempting and all very inexpensive (all $5 or less).  Next time…. And there will be a next time.  We plan to return for dinner some night soon, as we empty the shelves of our pantry and fridge and need to dine out before moving day. 

I highly recommend this spot for lunch (and I’m sure I’ll have the same to say about dinner).  The most expensive thing on the lunch menu was the charcuterie plate at $12, after that nothing exceeds $8.  You just cannot get a better sandwich than that for $8!  Their dinner menu is equally enticing price-wise, with most dishes resting at about $12.  How’s that for value?  Plus they have a decent wine list to top it all off.

Cheers

Question:  Have you been to Olympic Provisions?  If so, what’s your favorite thing to eat there?


 

WillaKenzie, Aquariva and a Great Food & Wine Pairing

Trying to explore as much Oregon as I can before moving to the Northeast, I accepted an invitation to a wine and food pairing lunch a couple weeks back hosted by WillaKenzie Estate Winery.  Lunch consisted of a five-course food and wine pairing prepared by Chef Andy Arndt of Aquariva that turned out to be very memorable experience.

The Winery
Located in the northern Willamette Valley in Yamhill County, WillaKenzie Estate sits on a beautiful 420-acre property overlooking the Chehalem Mountains with just over 100 acres of vines planted.  The focus of the vineyards is Pinot Noir, with over 10 different Pinot Noir clones planted, along with additional plantings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and Gamay Noir. 

With the first plantings in 1992 the vineyards were planted with the belief of sustainable agriculture with the goal of producing high quality fruit with minimal use of any chemicals or fertilizers in order to protect the environment surrounding the estate.  The vineyards of Willakenzie are both L.I.V.E. (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon-Safe certified.   In addition to sustainable practices in the vineyard they also aim to extend that to their employees.  Winemaker Thibaud Mandet shared that over half of his vineyard staff have been with the winery for over ten years.   To me that’s an impressive fact.

WillaKenzie produces over ten different Pinot Noirs, most of them single vineyard, along with a representation of some of their other bottlings.  Throughout lunch we experienced a variety of their wines carefully paired with small plates created by Chef Arndt.

The Restaurant
Aquariva Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
Located just south of downtown Portland, next to the Avalon Hotel and Spa, Aquariva sits along the banks of the Willamette River with outdoor seating and fantastic river views.  They have a large and open indoor dining room, with a private event space upstairs that is well equipped for anything from business meetings to weddings. 

The restaurant boasts 40 wines by the glass.  That combined with outdoor riverfront seating on a warm summer evening, you don’t have to twist my arm to try out this restaurant.  Although I did not dine at the actual restaurant for this particular lunch, we did receive a brief tour before venturing to the winery for the five course pairing while snacking on popcorn with black truffle oil, sea salt, and toffee prepped by Chef Arndt.  Probably the most creatively delicious popcorn I’ve had in years.  The crunchy toffee combined with the salty and earthy flavors in the popcorn hit the spot!

The Pairings
What struck me most about the event was the attention to detail Chef Arndt put into the lunch to highlight both the wines and his own creative dishes.   When asked about his thought process in the pairings he described how he really hoped to enhance the flavors of the wine through his food pairings.  To me he succeeded.  I loved the 2007 Triple Black Slopes Pinot Noir (earthy, tobacco and spice meets spicy red and dark berry fruit) paired with Lamb Rillet Tortellini, Lamb Jus and Candied Black Pepper, with tender lamb that brought out the earthy nature of the wine.
 
The most impressive pairing for me, however, was the 2008 Pinot Meunier paired with a Braised Pork Belly, Turnip and Rhubarb Syrup (pictured right).  As if it wasn’t good enough that the pork melted in my mouth like butter, the delicate syrup paired magically with, while enhancing, the pretty fruit of the Pinot Meunier.  

Wine Highlight:  2008 Pinot Meunier
Pinot Meunier (pronounced mehr-n-yay) is one of the three varieties used in making traditional champagne (along with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), and is rarely seen alone as a still wine.  I was very intrigued even before tasting it.  The wine immediately struck me as a perfect summer red. It reminded me of a light, earthy, and yet fruity Pinot Noir.   It was light bodied and fresh with aromas of bright cranberries, raspberries, and strawberries.  The mouth followed with more cran-strawberry flavors with the addition of spice, toast, and very light tannins.   A nice alternative to a wine you don’t want to, or need to, lay down for ten years.  It is intended to and ready to drink now.  Served slightly chilled this wine would be the perfect accompaniment to a nice summer day if you’re craving something red. 
Appelation:  Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton District 
Retail:  $25
Alcohol:  14.2%
Screwcap closure

While it was my first time being at the WillaKenzie Estate and also tasting food from Aquariva Chef Andy Arndt I have decided that if the food at the actual restaurant is anything like the food Arndt prepared for this lunch then I’m certainly looking forward to a visit there. I think I’ve discovered another restaurant to add to my “Portland to do list”.  

As for the wines, if you’re into single vineyard Pinot Noirs then it would be worth a visit to check out their diverse selection along with beautiful views of the valley.  But make sure to also taste the Pinot Meunier while you are there.  You won’t likely find this variety as a stand alone still wine at most places you visit here in Oregon.  It is unique and most certainly tasty.

Cheers

My Portland To Do List

It is inevitable, we are moving to Connecticut.  Although we still don’t have a date, it’s currently looking like close to August 15th.  That’s barely a month away!  When I found out that our time in Portland was nearing an end (at least for now), I started protesting, saying things like “we can't move yet, there are too many things I still want to do and see in Portland and we need more time!” 

The same thing happened when I moved away from San Francisco after living there six years. I just couldn’t leave without doing what you’re supposed to do when there… and I still, to this day, have not been to Alcatraz!   Millions of tourists have been there and after living there six whole years with dozens of friends visiting each year, I still never visited this famous San Francisco destination. Strangely I feel like I’ve missed out on something uniquely “San Francisco”.  I didn’t want the same level of remorse to happen when exiting Portland. 

So I started making a list.  A very short one it turns out.  I thought it would be eternal, but apparently I have done a lot of the things I have wanted to do and see since moving here, with the exception of this short list below.  So with possibly one month left in town I have devised a list of things I must do, see, or eat, before leaving Portland.  What am I missing???

My Portland To Do List: 

Explore the Hood River Fruit Loop:
I worked in Hood River for over two years and never drove along the locally famous fruit loop.  And now that I am obsessed with fresh fruit, plus the fact that it is the season for it, I think it’s the perfect opportunity to take advantage of these fruit farms and orchards, combined with gorgeous scenery you’ll see along the drive.  

Eat at Paleys Place: 
It is incredibly embarrassing to admit, being someone so in love with good food and wine, but I have never been to this highly regarded restaurant and I intend to change that immediately!!!

Eat at Apizza Sholls:
Another famous Portland spot I still have never been to.  I blame the intimidation I feel when just thinking about the long wait patrons must endure.  I also found comfort in eating at their competitor, Ken's Artisan Pizza which, is delicious by the way, so I never braved the dreaded wait.  But I’m willing to go now regardless.  I have heard way too many good things and I can’t leave without going to “allegedly” the best pizza spot in Portland.

Eat at Olympic Provisions:
I know this place isn’t very old, but has received some great reviews and more importantly comes highly recommended by some trusted friends who frequent there.  And I don’t care that the acclaimed chef sourced his pig for Couchon 555 from Iowa (see story here), I won’t hold that against him.

Go to the Portland Farmers Market as much as I can and buy up as many Oregon berries and fresh veggies that my stomach will take as long as I am here.  I’ve been frequenting the farmers market a lot these days.  Sadly I didn’t really appreciate fruit, especially berries, much before my “condition”, but now all I want to eat is berries and visit the farmers market and hand pick the freshest fruits and veggies available to me, and I intend to spend as much time there as possible.
 
Visit OMSI (The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry):
I am not a *huge* museum goer, but I hear nothing but great things about this one.  And I figured in the next few years I’m going to have to get used to visiting museums, especially ones geared towards little ones, so I better start testing the waters now.

Go to Boss Hawgs and have a Hawgarita:
I know, it sounds strange and bizarre, but there’s this dive near my house that we pass by all the time that has this huge sign on the corner that says “Boss Hawgs, home of the Hawgarita”, and we’ve joked for four years about going and getting this mysterious Hawgarita concoction.  And, well I just gotta do it before we go.  It just won’t feel right leaving Portland without going at least once. Strangely, however, their website has a page called “hawgarita” but makes no mention of this infamous menu item. The curiosity grows.  They do, however, have $2.00 PBR’s for happy hour so the hubby will be satisfied regardless.

So what am I missing???

I’ve only lived in Portland four ½ years and I spent the first few years working seven days a week (or close to it), never really having the time to enjoy anything specifically “Portland”.  But now I want to make sure I leave feeling satisfied that I lived it up while I was here. So please let me know if there are any Portland gems that I need to do, see, or eat before I leave or if you have any favorites you want to mention.  And before I actually move I plan to compile a list of some of my Portland favorites.

Updates

Sorry if it seems I have been M.I.A. lately.  I’ve been busy working on some exciting projects and planning some awesome upcoming wine events! 

As a quick update, I’m happy to share that I have two recent pieces I wrote that have been published:

The first is an article I wrote on wines of the Columbia Gorge, published in the Gorge Guide.  I am very passionate about this wine region that extends along the Columbia River on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the river, and was honored to write this article.

Second, I was asked to write recap of the Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational for Palate Press: The online wine magazine, published earlier this week. 

I am also working on adding an events page to the blog and also on my website so local folks can keep up with what is going on around town.  I will be holding weekly wine tasting events at Wine Down East, appropriately titled “Wine Tasting Wednesdays” from 5-7pm with rotating themes and guest winemakers pouring their wines.  We will be starting this coming Wednesday, May 12th, with wines from Sokol Blosser.  On May 19^th we will be featuring wines from Boedecker Cellars, and more in the works. 

Also, if you are in Hood River, I will be teaching a six-part wine series at The Pines tasting room.  The classes will be held on the second Monday of each month.  Our first class, “Wine 101:  The Art of Drinking Wine” is this coming Monday, May 10^th at 6:30pm.  This would be the perfect Mother’s Day gift for any of your wine loving mothers out there… <hint hint>  Click here for details on how to reserve your spot!

Until the events page is up, please check in on my Facebook Fan page for upcoming local events.

And cheers to all you Mothers out there, have a fabulous Mothers Day!!! I will be celebrating the special occasion with my own mom, grandma, and sister this weekend in Arizona! 

Cheers

Wine & Sushi Pairing Event at the new Wine Down East, April 15th

As many of you know I am leaving today to go to New Orleans for the Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational to immerse myself in all things bubbly for the next few days.   But if I wasn’t I would be going to the first of many events at the new Wine Down East on NE 22nd and Alberta in Portland!

Why? 
Well because Stuart Herold, former owner of Wine Down on 28th, is opening up this great new wine bar in one of my favorite Portland neighborhoods and yours truly will be helping him to create awesome regular wine events.  The first is co-hosted by Uncorked and will be featuring sushi and wine pairings.  YES, sushi!  You thought you could only pair beer and saké with sushi? Think again!

I spent the afternoon yesterday with one of our wine reps and we tested out the menu that will be featured this Thursday at the event and I am very excited about the pairings we came up with.  I don’t want to give too much away, but there will be some great wine pairings, including a Chilean Pinot Noir paired with Salmon Nigiri, an unoaked Chardonnay with a California Roll topped with Tuna and Avocado, and of course there will be a bubbles pairing, and more. 

The details:  

Thursday April 15th
6:00 - 8:30 pm

Wine Down East
2236 NE Alberta
Portland, OR

Price:  $20

This is a private event and limited to first 100 people.

The theme, as announced on the Uncorked website is:

“Rebel Without A Cask – daring food and wine pairings that will not only astound your palette, but challenge your ways of thinking about food and wine. It comes down to three trifect ingredients:  Fine wine, sinful sushi, and divine conversation, all for only $20. Meet the owners of Wine Down East, Stuart & Ken, taste the great sushi and wine pairings we came up with, and have a great time!”

Visit the Uncorked website to reserve your spot!

If you can’t make it (shame on you) keep your eyes out for the grand opening of Wine Down East within the next couple weeks. I am very excited about things to come. 

Wine Down East's website is not yet up but you can find information about the restaurant on their Facebook fan page.