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I have heard so much about the Deschutes since becoming a major, and silly me, I thought it was a river!
I visited the Deschutes Brewery and Public House in the Pearl District, to see what it was all about. The brewery is located in a very nicely renovated warehouse, with great woodwork and skylights, which gives it an open, foresty feeling. My waitress, Marie, was great -- I don't think she stopped smiling once in the time I was there.
After I decided on a beer --Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (cool name, huh!)-- she suggested I get it on cask, for a smoother feel and taste. I don't know much about beer, but it was very hoppy, with a pretty sweet aftertaste. If you get beer, you might as well get dark ale!
The rest of my menu consisted:
Oven-roasted turkey sandwich made with Madrona Farms turkey, Carlton Farms applewood-smoked bacon, tomato, lettuce, gruyere cheese, buttermilk-avocado dressing on hoagie.
My green salad came with excellent honey mustard dressing.
Upcoming Deschutes Brewery happenings: There is a "Gateway" beer dinner, featuring Deschutes brews paired with Your Kitchen Garden Organic Produce, and Carlton Farms Pork Bellies, April 12th. Sounds like it'll be good!
Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (300ml): 3
Oven-roasted Turky Sandwich: 10.75
After a quick tour of the Ten Thousand Villages fair trade store on NW Everett, I arrived at Isabel - a cafe on 10th and Everett, recommended by a friend -- the awesome woman whose hospitality I'm invading.
It's a great little cafe! It's all windows -- I had a great view facing the Lovejoy Columns courtyard next door. The staff was very friendly - just don't ask them for food suggestions! There are so many good choices, they don't even know what to recommend!
I ordered -- on my first day back of NOT being single -- the Single Happiness dish. Toasty grilled chicken on top of rice, with grilled seasonal veggies, and a side of peanut sauce. The chicken was really tasty, and the spices they flavored the rice with were absolutely amazing. A huge punch of flavor. I used some of the peanut sauce, which had a mild flavor, but mostly just enjoyed it the way they'd cooked it. The veggies were green and yellow squash, broccoli, and sprouts (I adore sprouts!)
I also ordered a Passion Fruit Iced Tea with Lemonade, because it had the longest name, and sounded intriguing. Well, it tasted like iced tea to me, folks! But, so far, nothing that says "passion fruit" in this country actually tastes like real passion fruit.
The meal came with chopsticks. I am afraid I am not quite proficient in chopstick, yet. Ok, ok, worse than not-quite-proficient. It's very hard to get into the snooty food reviewer groove when it seems painfully obvious that your fine motor skills have just flown out the window. So, apologies to anyone who may have been witness.
Single Happiness lunch: 10
Passion Fruit Iced Tea with Lemonade: 2.5
I would highly recommend Isabel. They had some more intriguing dishes that I'll come back to try later (like Spicy Clam Chowder!) The Single Happiness was good, but don't get starry-eyed over the "Passion Fruit" tea -- it's just iced tea!
Another local favorite in the NE corner of Portland is a little Italian restaurant by the name of Lucca. I went there for my birthday. What a fabulous place to (currently) live around the corner from! In addition to serving great food, our waiter was very pleasant and informative. The restaurant boasts local, seasonal ingredients, around which their menu changes.
My menu consisted:
Inama Carmenere Piu, 06 (Venet0):
It was not too dry, not too sweet. It was recommended with our meal choice.
Apple Salad:
Made with green apple slices, local wintergreens, hazelnuts, pancetta, and the most flavorful parmesan and sherry vinaigrette. It was like nothing I've ever tasted. I would not have thought that apple and pork and hazelnut would work so well together -- especially in a salad!
Lentil Soup:
I tried some of Dad's lentil soup in exchange for a piece of duck. It was pretty tasty -- and the lentils were cooked through! What a concept!
Strozzapreti & Duck:
I have never had duck before. I suppose the part of my brain that tells me that everything I try will taste like chicken got the best of me. The duck actually tasted much like venison -- though it was cooked in white wine until it was fairly melting with tenderness. The duck topped off a rope pasta, laden with tomato and
myriad spices, and laced with pecorino.
Gianduia Tiramisu:
A Swiss dessert, Gianduia is a chocolate hazelnut cake with layers of mascarpone. They served me a hefty piece, topped off with Nutella-worthy shavings. Surprisingly, the best part of this dessert (no small feat!) was the stick of hazelnut biscotti they'd propped on the cake. I could eat that all day long!
My salad: 8
My entree: 13.5
My dessert: 6
The wine: 20
Obviously it was my birthday present. :)
I wanted pizza. Ever since I'd passed that first pizzeria early in the day. Plus, job hunting is hard work, right? So, by the time I convinced Dad that it was time to be hungry, our canvassing turned into pizzeria hunting. The first one available, preferably. This was Rovente Pizzeria on SW 4th.
I got a slice of their Chicken Delizia. It was pretty good, with feta, onions, and tomatoes, but the best part was that my $3 slice was gigantic! They also offered a Greek Al Forno pizza, BBQ Chicken, Formaggio, and everything in between. I would definitely recommend it!
Per slice: 2.5 - 3.5
Per pizza: 12 (approx.)
The Alameda Brewhouse is cherished by the locals of NE Portland, from its cheery interior to its monster-sized hop strobile, beautifully crafted of metal, which graces the facade of the pub.
At the Alameda Brewhouse, they have superb salmon. Three of my party of four got a dish of it. I fell for the salmon tortellini -- which was a buttery-delicious delight! The salmon was perfect -- it tasted like my great-grandfather had just walked across its back -- that is, fresh and untainted.
I tried a sip of their house cherry ale. I didn't end up getting it (I'm afraid I'm not one for beer). But the smell was incredible -- like cherries! And the flavor was pretty light, and sweet. Their strawberry lemonade was pretty good, though, and they have an extensive selection of mixed drinks, both chilled and hot.
I'll be back!
Onion Rings: 7.9
Salmon Tortellini: 15 (approx.)
Lemonade: 2.5
After I decided on a beer --Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (cool name, huh!)-- she suggested I get it on cask, for a smoother feel and taste. I don't know much about beer, but it was very hoppy, with a pretty sweet aftertaste. If you get beer, you might as well get dark ale!
