EAT BEAT

Interview

5 Questions for: Graped Crusader, STAR BLACK

Clyde Common and Olympic Provisions’ wine director talks natural wines, modern pairings, and the upcoming wine revolution.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Apr 11, 2011 at 01:40PM 4 Comments

Star Black is on a mission. As the wine director at some of Portland’s hottest restaurants, she’s hoping to translate the city’s obsessions with artisan foods, small distilleries, micro-brews and locally-roasted coffee into a love of well-crafted wine – and she wants you to join her. The stylish redhead is behind the well-curated wine list at Clyde Common, and she’s played an essential role in the redefinition and expansion of Nate Tilden’s Olympic Provisions empire. With the opening of the new Olympic Provisions Northwest in April, Black will head the wine selection of both charcuterie outposts and Clyde Common.

Black’s passion for vino is clearly on display as she carefully unpacks tall stacks of bottles in front of the “wine wall” at Olympic Provisions’ industrial Southeast headquarters. Seeing her hold up each bottle to the light like a new baby, it’s easy to imagine her leading the next generation of wine lovers in what’s quickly becoming Sip City, USA.

Here, Black gives us a taste of her wine philosophy and what’s next in her plans to take over the world, one glass at a time.

1) First things first – How did you get started with wine?

I came into wine through food. I went to culinary school and was a cook for many years in restaurants in New York, and I would sit in on wine meetings with the front of the house staff and pester the sommelier, asking tons of questions. I was just so amazed one grape could become so many different things, I just realized I loved wine and needed to know more. I was also getting burnt out on cooking, so I quit my job in a Brooklyn restaurant and took a long walk home instead of riding the subway. I walked past a wine shop, stopped to talk to the proprietor, and bought a bottle of wine. I came back a few days later with a resume.

2) Given your experience with both food and wine, how do you think the two are related?

There’s been a revolution in wine over the past 5-10 years of “natural” winemaking, biodynamic wines, old-school indigenous varietals, un-messed-with fermentations and natural yeasts with minimal manipulation, which is a total parallel to what’s happening in the food world right now. That’s really what’s going to draw in the next generation of wine lovers. I see people getting up early to go to the Portland Farmers’ Market on a Saturday morning, these cool, young people toting canvas bags full of beautiful produce, meats, and cheeses. Wine is just an extension of that. It’s an agricultural product that should attract people who care about what they put in their mouth.

3) Are there differences between how you approach the wine selections at Clyde Common and Olympic Provisions?

At the core, both restaurants have the same underlying philosophy of offering interesting producers, wines from Europe and Oregon, and natural winemaking. However, Clyde is a more traditional restaurant – in that there is a structured menu, with entrees, appetizers, and dessert – that calls for more traditional pairings, whereas Olympic Provisions is first and foremost a charcuterie facility. Right now I’m expanding Olympic Provisions’ wine list, and offering all of our wines at 25% off the menu’s list price, which I really hope will get people tasting as much wine as possible. There’s a whole world of pairing wine with these fantastic cured meats, which is so much fun.

4) Speaking of which, OP chef Alex Yoder recently described the perfect Olympic Provisions meal and, as far as wine goes, said, “I don’t worry too much about pairing. My advice is to drink what you like.” What’s your take on wine pairings?

I think wine pairing is still completely relevant. Beautiful food deserves beautiful wine, and the two are great dance partners. Wine can definitely enhance the flavor of food, but the old rules of ‘white with fish, red with meat’ are so out the window and everyone knows it. I’ve actually been really excited about Sherry pairings, and we’re doing a Sherry flight [at Olympic Provisions] that is really taking off. Wine pairing shouldn’t be intimidating. At home, I drink a lot of rosé and white wine. I don’t drink much red because my palate gets fatigued from all the stronger wines at work, and I usually just want something clean and refreshing.

5) Portland is head over heels for coffee, beer, and spirits – how do you tap into that when you’re creating a wine list or helping someone select a bottle?

Wine has a reputation for being intimidating and exclusively for the wealthy, and that’s too bad, because it’s none of those things. It’s a rotted grape. It’s so humble, but so incredible. My ultimate goal is to normalize wine and make it a really cool interesting thing, like those varieties of coffee beans or different kinds of hops. I’m always inviting guests at the restaurants to taste a few of the different wines I have open, try to get them to hone in on something that is just really interesting to them. Wine is awesome, and so personal. You just need to find your own style.

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Tags: Southwest Dining, Southeast Dining, Wine, Interview, five questions

Cheap Eats

Hidden Gem: Downtown’s Mizu Sushi

This wee four-seat sushi (and udon) counter is fresh, fast, and worth seeking out.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Mar 23, 2011 at 08:55AM 2 Comments

Mizu Sushi (1338 SW 3rd Ave) is the kind of micro-eatery you might drive by every day for two and a half years (how long they’ve been open) as you make your way to Market St on your commute home, and fail to notice every time because you’re too busy fiddling with your earpiece.

In fact, I still might not know this teensy four-seater plus display case existed if it wasn’t for a glowing recommendation I recently received from Dayna McErlean, proprietress of Yakuza and DOC. McErlean labeled the udon “amazing,” and, indeed, Ruth (the woman who owns and runs the joint along with her mother) told me that this slurpy, steamy soup is one of their most popular menu items, especially during our dreary months (i.e. every month but August).

However, my first foray happened to take place on an unusually sunny day so I opted for the sushi instead, and found it to be solid. Solid as in not earth-shattering, but definitely return-worthy, with bonus points for an extensive menu, made-fresh-ness, and large portions for decent prices—think $2.85 for a simple 6-piece tuna or salmon maki roll, up to $8.25 for a prodigious 8-piece specialty roll and $8.95 for the 6-piece sashimi.

A highlight was the popular Tiger Roll ($7.65), a hearty combo of tuna, avocado, and cucumber, drizzled with a spicy sauce and generously speckled with masago. The tuna tasted fresh and wasn’t overpowered by the sauce, and the plentiful masago was soft and lacked the fishiness you sometimes find in lesser quality roe. It may not represent the best roll you’ll find in the Portland Metro area (for that I offer Maki Japanese Restaurant in Tigard), but it’s likely the best you’ll find downtown.

The seafood that topped the lovely Rainbow Roll ($8.25)—salmon, yellow tail, tuna, and ebi—had less flavor, but the dish was substantial and worth a second-try.

Vegetarian? This is a place where you can get something a smidge more interesting than avocado, cucumber, and carrots. The addition of cream cheese to this combo in the 8-piece Cream Cheese Vegetable roll ($5.95) makes for a rich, satisfying variation on a typical veggie sandwich, while the 8-piece Tofu Roll ($5.95) combines the earthy flavors of raw tofu and chilled cooked spinach with the snap of green onions.

Because I was feeling piggy, I also ordered the seaweed salad side ($2.95). It was generously dressed with a flavorful and well-balanced combo of sesame oil, vinegar, soy, and sugar, but there were a few limp, almost fishy dark green strands among the mostly bright green, springy mass, which made me think it had been sitting for a while. This may have had something to do with the fact that Mizu is a two woman show, which means you’ll have to hold your horses if there’s a line and occasionally items might be pre-made (hence some kvetching I saw on Yelp).

But I also might have just been bitter because they were out of veggie gyoza (potstickers).

Regardless, although the nature of Mizu’s size and location in a building straight of the movie Metropolis means it caters to the eat-at-your-desk crowd, I’d say it’s worth a mid-shopping or paying-a-parking-ticket lunch break for the rest of us as well. Check out the new Happy Hour menu, Mon-Fri, 4-7 pm.

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Tags: Southwest Dining, Cheap Eats, Downtown Dining, Sushi, Japanese Cuisine

Food News

Announcing Clyde Common’s New Themed Dinner Series

The hip downtown eatery begins a monthly Sunday dinner series by indulging in the decade of greed.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Feb 10, 2011 at 02:00PM 1 Comments

This just in: Clyde Common’s executive chef Chris DiMinno is launching a new themed dinner series the last Sunday of every month, and he’s getting this party started right—the inaugural event will take place Feb 27 and the theme is, yes, indeed, 80‘s Night.

During the decade of neon, big hair, and blow, Le Bernardin, Le Cirque, Lutèce, and Montrachet were the country’s culinary hot spots. Chefs like Gilbert Le Coze and Alfred Portale were just beginning to emerge as the first “celebrity” chefs. United by French culinary traditions and inspired by modern ingredients, these men pioneered a new understanding of American cuisine.

In honor of that era of innovation, DiMinno is serving a fleshy four course feast: Chicken terrine with roasted mushrooms, garlic sausage, lentils; foie gras ravioli with duck consommé; crispy sweetbreads with pig trotter, pommes anna, and kale; and “Death by Chocolate” cake with kiwi sorbet, raspberry sauce, white chocolate, and a chocolate leaf garnish.

When it comes to booze pairings, this dinner will center on wines, while the March event will focus on cocktails.

Keep an eye out for Patrick Bateman.

WHERE: Clyde Common, 1014 SW Stark St

WHEN: Sunday, Feb 27, 6:30pm

PRICE: $65 for 4 courses with wine pairings; $50 for 4 courses without pairings; reservations available at 503.228.3333 and info@clydecommon.com

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Tags: Southwest Dining, Food News, Events, Downtown Dining

Happy Hour

Happy Hour of the Week: Little Bird

The peeps behind Le Pigeon are now feeding eager beavers with their downtown bistro’s new Early Hour menu.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 21, 2011 at 10:00AM 2 Comments

Rambling around downtown and in need of a decadent weekday nosh sometime between 3 and 5pm, but don’t want a decadent tab? Little Bird is now able to meet that need with a new menu of “Early Hour” specials.

This late afternoon spread includes all the red-hot French bistro’s chalkboard items with around $2-$6 knocked off the price. Snack on a trio of cheeses (raw cow, sheep, and goat) for $10, or a charcuterie plate ($14) piled with three saucissons from Olympic Provisions and house-made pork rillette. The daily dozen oysters will run you $20, but the soupe du jour is only six bucks.

If you’re an LB newbie, your best bet is probably the much coveted, limited-edition at bad-boy big brother restaurant Le Pigeon but available all the time at Little Bird ‘Le Pigeon’ burger, accompanied by your choice of fries or lettuces for $9. A more adventurous choice, however, especially if you have a partner in dining, is the roasted marrow bones with onions and aged balsamic, also $9. “They’re really rich and great for sharing,” says Little Bird co-owner and general manager, Andrew Fortgang.

Fortgang also recommends using these early hours to sample bar guru Jonny Ericsen’s specialty cocktails, which are priced at $6 rather than the normal $9. “I suggest the Van Kleef and the Antoinette,” he says. “Both are representative of their namesakes, but you will have to try them to see what I mean.”

I accept that challenge, good sir.

Early Hours: Mon-Fri, 3-5pm

Address: 219 SW 6th Ave

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Tags: Happy Hour, Southwest Dining, Best Burgers, Downtown Dining, French

Cheap Eats

Kalé’s Bowls of Japanese-Style Comfort

Rice, curry, beef, and cheddar cheese combine for cheap thrills in the Southwest Hills.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 19, 2011 at 08:30AM 4 Comments

Update: Kal&#233 plans to relocate to a “more accessible” TBD location at the end of March, but they may “pause our operation for a short period of time” if they don’t find the optimum location by that time. But fear not rice-and-weird-but-delicious-sauce lovers; the owners assure fans that they will not be shutting down the operation for good.

Up in the Southwest Hills, at the beginning of that strip of mysterious establishments that make up Goose Hollow, you’ll find a coffee shop called Kalé that, in addition to serving polish sausage bagels, quiche, empanadas, and muffins, does a bang-up job making a popular Japanese comfort food referred to as “the dish.” A fusion curry-stew-ish thing, the dish isn’t pretty, but, oh my, is it tasty, and it really sticks to your ribs.

If you want the quintessential Kalé experience, get the Kalé Rice with Beef ($6.95), a mound of white rice served alongside the rich, creamy sauce made from ground onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chutney, and spices like turmeric and cumin, all cooked together for two days with tender chunks of beef. According to the menu, this is “the definition of Kalé rice” and you should order it.

However, if you are of the flesh-free persuasion, there’s always the Kalé Rice Original ($6.45), which has the same sauce cooked for two days, sans meat (it tastes more strongly of the vegetables and has a touch more kick), or the Kalé Doria ($7.45)—a bowl of rice covered with the sauce, topped with a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, and baked until the dairy is brown and bubbling and the sauce is crisp around the edges. I know it doesn’t sound as delicious or addictive as, say, a burger or pizza, but it is—I kept burning my mouth because my dish was still boiling and I refused to stop eating.

The menu also offers various “sidekicks” for your meal, including Fukujin Zuke pickles made specifically for Kale dishes, a hard-boiled egg, or spinach. But I was told that the dish was “designed to be complete by itself,” so I left it alone and didn’t feel like I was missing anything important.

While you’re dining in the relaxing café space with its wood floors and earth-tone walls, read up on the truly fascinating history of the dish in one of the brochures you can get at the front counter—the Japanese actually got the dish from the English in the 1800s and it has intermittently been banned or obsessed over ever since. The dish is here in Portland courtesy of owner Makoto Yoshino, who emigrated from Japan and became a citizen in 2008. When he couldn’t find a restaurant that replicated the comfort foods of his homeland, he decided to fill the gap himself.

And I’d say he plugged it perfectly.

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm & 6-9:30pm

Address: 1628 SW Jefferson St.

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Tags: Coffee and Tea, Southwest Dining, Cheap Eats, Japanese Cuisine

Holiday Eats Cheat Sheet

The Heathman’s Holiday Tea

Feel festive all season long with the Heathman’s Northwest twist on an English tradition.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Nov 03, 2010 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

The Heathman’s annual Holiday Tea kicks off the day after Thanksgiving with three daily seatings at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm, from November 26 through January 9, 2011. The $32 per person menu includes decadent treats like smoked salmon profiteroles, chicken salad paninis, classic cucumber sandwiches, deviled eggs, scones, and pastry chef John Gayer’s Hawaiian-inspired sweets like the Haupia coconut cake and Lanai banana bread as well as Parisian opera cake and house-made marshmallows. Plus, of course, you get a pot of tea.

The hotel’s historic tea court, sporting a two-story Christmas tree and festive decorations, is the perfect place to take a break from holiday shopping, catch up with friends, or start a new family tradition—a Peter Rabbit Tea (featuring kid-friendly classics like Ants on a Log, snickerdoodles, and Gold Fish crackers) is available for little sippers.

Reservations are available starting Friday, November 12th at 6:30 a.m.

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Tags: Coffee and Tea, Southwest Dining, Food News, Holiday Events

New Menus

Tales of Tapas

Kenny & Zuke’s gets continental

Posted by: Stacy Austin on Mar 15, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

When you walk into Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen (1038 SW Stark St), you feel like it is the quintessential Jewish deli. They have sweet mouth-watering Jewish pastries, bagel and lox, challah French toast, and in-house hand-sliced pastrami.

This restaurant was featured in our 2009 Top Burgers package, B is for Bacon…and Breakfast guide to Portland’s best breakfast, and The Art of Eating Cheaply.

Then, I find out they’re having a tapas family style dinner on March 28th. They’ll be cooking up Spanish inspired juicy garlic prawns and albondigas, a classic Mexican meatball soup. Chow down on tortilla de patatas, which is the ideal combo of egg and fried potatoes. My mouth literally hit the floor, and I immediately thought, “Um, hello, Barcelona just called, and they want to tell you that this menu is not kosher.”

And while I want to fight this non-kosher menu tooth and nail, I can’t. Kenny & Zuke’s food has never fed me wrong, and I know the tapas dinner will be delicious. With a plentiful supply of fresh sangria, how could it not be?

Tapas Dinner Sunday, March 28th, seating at 5:00 and 7:30.
Make reservations by calling 503-222-3354 or email catering@kennyandzukes.com
$36.50 per person including sangria
$29.50 without sangria
$19.50 children under 12

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Tags: Southwest Dining

International Eats

Culinary Colors

India food specials thru Saturday night

Posted by: Stacy Austin on Mar 05, 2010 at 09:00AM 2 Comments

Yep, every day is indeed a holiday. Holi is the the Hindu festival of colors, celebrating the beginning of spring and the end of the rainy season. To help get the party started the East India Company Grill & Bar (821 Southwest 11th Ave) has a hefty $20 spring-inspired menu available through tomorrow (Saturday) night.

The cuisine represents northern and western India with a few modern twists. The prix fixe menu includes tandoori grilled broccoli, scallions, and peppers, while chicken fans will dig the kodi pulusu, a pot-roasted fowl with coconut, homemade yogurt, and poppy seeds. All these entrees are served with saffron basmati rice and naan, the highly addictive airy oven-baked flatbread. Save room for dessert: gajjar ka halwa is a very rich and sweet staple that sports carrots, milk, saffron, and almonds.

Take in some new traditions and piquant flavor combinations. If only all holidays were this edibly adventurous.

For reservations, call 503-227-8815.

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Tags: Southwest Dining, On the Menu

hotel bars

Where to Go to Get Away

Five bars and restaurants for nights less-social

Posted by: Eat Beat Team on Nov 10, 2009 at 11:00AM 7 Comments

I love to see familiar faces, but I also have my hideouts. Here are five places I love when I want to get away.

Pazzo
627 SW Washington St.
For urban getaways in your own city, you can’t do any better than a hotel bar. And for a hotel bar, you’ll do no better than Pazzo at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. With an affordable bar menu that includes ten dollar pizzas topped with house-made mozzarella, a giant charcuterie platter for two dollars more, and classic Martinis, Negronis, and an Old Fashioned made right, Pazzo’s bar never disappoints. Standouts: Cheap and wonderful bar menu.

Serratto
2112 NW Kearney St.
With Neuske’s bacon, fried onions, bleu cheese, and local beef, Serratto’s burger has long been my favorite in the city. Better yet, it’s only six bucks with fries during the restaurant’s superb daily happy hour. As other restaurants and bars come and go on NW 21st, Serratto and its relative and predecessor Delphina’s, have anchored the corner of NW 21st Avenue and Kearney for nearly 30 years. It’s staff is friendly, it’s drinks are good, and I always find something new and interesting on the excellent wine list. Standouts: Happy hour, wines by the glass.

The Driftwood Room
729 SW 15th Ave.
It’s not possible to visit mid-century Hollywood, but this quiet bar is resoundingly the next best thing. There simply doesn’t exist a darker and more charming place for a late-night drink than the 1940’s-inspired Driftwood Room in the Hotel Deluxe, and I dare you to prove me wrong. Standouts: Classic cocktails.

Cassidy’s
1331 SW Washington St.
This restaurant and bar anchors the backside of the Crystal Ballroom block, but it’s bar menu is much more interesting than what you’d find at nearby Ringler’s. My inclusion of Cassidy’s is admittedly antithetical to my original mission of identifying hideaways: Cassidy’s is the ultimate Westside service industry hangout. That said, the booths are tall, the room is dark, and the drinks are stiff. Standouts: Great selection of wines by the glass, calamari.

The Commodore
1601 SW Morrison
This is the perfect place to start a night or end one. Regardless of when you go, the Commodore is always the dive of dives. Don’t expect charm, but count on drinks stiff and cheap, pool tables, and perhaps the best jukeboxes in all of Portland, that is, if you love Tom Waits, Roy Orbison, and Lou Reed as much as I do. Standouts: Said jukebox.

What are your favorite hideaways?

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Tags: Southwest Dining

meatballs

Mama Mia turns five

Chef & Owner Lisa Schroeder will serve her Italian/American dishes, with love

Posted by: Kaitlyn Evans on Oct 29, 2009 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

Lisa Schroeder (chef/owner of Mother’s Bistro and Bar and Mama Mia Trattoria) has more than an oozing rectangle of lasagna on her plate. On top of running two Portland restaurants, she has just published her cookbook Mother’s Best – Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again, landing her upcoming appearances on the Today Show, QVC and Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” starting in mid-November.

Today, Lisa is celebrating the 5-year anniversary of Mama Mia Trattoria with nothing shy of a pants-popping American/Italian feast.

Just after noon, the white-clothed table is stacked with manicotti swimming in marinara and sealed with bubbling, homemade mozzarella, thin-crust margarita pizzas, and subs stuffed with meatballs the size of my fist. As soon as I pass around my crispy-crusted pie to share, a slice of Philly cheese steak is plopped onto my plate. “Try my butternut squash ravioli,” Schroeder beams, emerging from the kitchen with four plates of pasta balanced on her forearms. So we do – taking a deep inwards breath before slicing our forks into the balsamic-dripping pasta layers, revealing a beautifully golden squash puree.

Media folk and magazine writers, free-lance journalists and a concert guru, together playing one giant American/Italian family for the day. I found myself reminiscent of the four months I spent studying in Florence, Italy. I lived with Rita, a widowed Italian woman who didn’t speak a lick of English, who praised Barack Obama before I’d ever heard of him, and who made a pesto lasagna that literally dissolved on my tongue.

With university, the only hours I spent with Rita were across the kitchen table from her at dinnertime. Eight o’clock, every evening. I’d burst into the kitchen, rain-soaked jeans and muddy sneakers, and she’d set a bowl of steaming pumpkin risotto in front of me, swirling green-shaded olive oil in its center. She’d always say I could stand to eat a little more, filling up my bowl with seconds, sometimes thirds. Basta! (I’m full, stop!) became my most utilized Italian phrase.

Mama Mia has never been a critically acclaimed restaurant in Portland, though as I saw today – and as Lisa sees nearly every day – people more than enjoy the food. Yet, she explains, commentators complain that it’s American/Italian, not authentic.

A smirk slides across Lisa’s face, because she of all people knows that meatballs and cheese steaks are entirely American.

“Italian/American food is not appreciated – but this is good food.” Her voice rises, her arms doing the talking. “People come in and say, ‘Now this is Italian food,’ and it isn’t. But if this is the best Italian food for them…who cares?”

More than the origin of the dish, what matters with Italian (or Italian-influenced food, that is) is the love. And Lisa – like Rita, when she would wink at me from in the kitchen, ladling tortellini into a simple white bowl – is stuffed with it.

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Tags: Southwest Dining

inside look

Chef Gregory Gourdet of Saucebox

The Queens native settles in for talk of winter braises, marathons, and the simple elegance that is Portland

Posted by: Kaitlyn Evans on Oct 08, 2009 at 09:30AM 2 Comments

On the surface, Saucebox Executive Chef Gregory Gourdet’s all city. He wears these enormous clear-framed glasses – the kind that are “in” right now – but the way he wears them makes you wonder if he’s ever thought about it. He shaves his hair into a haphazard Mohawk. He gestures to his street bike locked up right outside.

His belly laugh alone proves that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Born and raised in Queens, the New York native went to college in Montana, where he studied French.

Gourdet just keeps peeling back the layers.

After college, he landed at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and later, interned with Jean-Georges Vongerichten. From there, he began climbing. Salad station. Pantry. Meat cook. Sous chef. Chef De Cuisine. And eventually, head chef at 66, a former Jean-Georges modern Chinese restaurant.

Two strings yanked him out of New York – the daily grind of city life, and an opportunity to help a friend open a Spanish restaurant in San Diego. But there posed a snag – Cali just wasn’t weird enough for Gourdet.

So he chased a job offer to Portland, and ended up as Chef De Cuisine at Urban Farmer in The Nines hotel. He was offered the head chef position at Departure, but turned it down for a more conducive fit at Saucebox.

Gourdet’s found a niche here, using the high-end training he received in Jean-Georges’ kitchens to blend Asian and modern American flavors in a slightly more relaxed fashion that is, fundamentally, Portland.

Currently, he’s just “putting on braises” for the winter. He’s perfected a braised pork shank flavored with coconut milk and chilies, and chose to round it out with tangy Swiss chard and a salad of pickled Asian pear, ginger and cilantro.

He’s also tacking traditional scallion pancakes to the menu, served straight up with a soy and vinegar sauce.

“Rich, but not too heavy,” Gourdet reasons, explaining that catering to the Portland vibe means keeping his dishes streamlined – genuine and simple.

Portland’s done more than make Gourdet a master at precision and hound for organic ingredients, the city’s reshaped his lifestyle. With cash in-hand, most chefs are notorious for their wild after-hours behavior. But Gourdet’s been around that block, and has since chosen a different way of traveling: running.

Around midnight, with the massive doors at Saucebox shut for the night, Gourdet laces up his sneaks and hits the pavement to train for the Seattle Marathon this November. Looks to me like this New Yorker’s found a pretty consistent stride here in Portland.

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Tags: Southwest Dining

summer

Summer Cocktail Season Commences

Two drinks to celebrate our better season

Posted by: Eat Beat Team on Jun 05, 2009 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

I embrace the summer cocktail season with vigor. Just as crucial to my personal summer well-being as bike rides, pool parties, and barbecues, my after-work negroni (gin, Campari, and red vermouth) on a Portland summer evening is a reminder of why I endure the winter. Portland in the summer is flawless, but like most things in life, it’s even better with a drink.

Thankfully, our better drinking establishments agree. After a few weeks of research due to an unseasonably warm three-week span of July weather in May, I’ve determined my two favorite summer cocktails thus far. As summer progresses, this list will grow.

First up: The Saucebox Royal Fire. With ice cubes spiked with the potent Chinese herb Schisandra and a mingling of punchy ginger-infused vodka, Harlequin, and orange juice, the Royal Fire is a delicious concoction that’s at once peppery, savory, salty, sour, and sweet. As my bartender tells me, schisandra is a prized herb that’s renowned in Chinese medicine for stimulating the central nervous system and augmenting the sex drive. Here in the West, the Royal Fire’s other principal ingredient (vodka) is known to have similar effects. So enjoy them together in the delicious Royal Fire, but switch to cola if uncontrollable gyrations commence.

For the sake of full disclosure, Clyde Common is my neighborhood bar. As my monthly debit card statement can attest, I spend many happy hours enjoying the ever-evolving cocktail selections from lead bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler and his clever compatriots. Clyde Common’s best-of-early-summer cocktail comes in what’s described by my server as “Eastern Bloc sangria.” With the Italian artichoke bitter Cynar mixed with Spanish white wine and a splash of soda, Morganthaler’s Broken Bike adds just the perfect kick to a summer white. Like my beloved negroni, it’s bitter up front but finishes easy. For folks like me who have trouble deciding between white wine or a bitter on a hot day, this is the absolute perfect solution. Finally, a sangria worth drinking.

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Tags: Southwest Dining