Pechluck's blog

Bloody Mary Bar Planning

I'm throwing a Brunchy Lunchy birthday party for my birthday at the end of the month this year! Part of the menu I plan include

For the brunchy, I'm thinking

• Bacon Bloody Mary bar
• a make your own quiche/mini-pie station
• a veggie hash brown casserole
• Emeril's breakfast casserole (has sausage and eggs)

For the lunchy, I'm thinking

• wine and beer
• stuffed pasta shells with homemade ricotta in marinara
• french "cheese"/tofutti dip and bread,
• chicken meatballs and veggie meatballs
• vegetable tray

Friendly to carnivores and herbivores!

In this post, I'm going to cover what I think are the key things for the Bloody Mary Bar:

The ingredients to have (proceeding forward from left to right or wherever the line starts):

1. Glasses with the option to rim them using a small saucer that has lime juice and kosher salt. I picked out compostable cups that are clear because I won't have enough glasses for my current count of RSVPd guests, which also have the advantage of leaving out a sharpie marker for guests to mark their cup.


2. Ice! Don't forget the ice!


3. A few shot glasses and at least two types of vodka: I like to use regular and also a flavored vodka like smokey Bakon Vodka or spicy New Deal Hot Monkey- for this occasion Bakon. Leave the vodka in the freezer at least overnight to make sure they are nice and cold and don't water down your drink with a lot of ice.


4. Base of regular tomato juice, and I also like V8, partially to increase my perception that this is healthy. I know some people also use Clamato, but since I have to possibly deal with the leftovers, I wasn't planning on offering it- bring your own, sorry!


5. The standard liquid additions of hot sauces: the hot sauces of my house include traditional Cholula, chipotle pepper Tabasco, and Sriracha. I also like to offer BBQ sauce for those who want to go smoky or sweet instead of spicy (or in addition to!). And of course, there will be Worcestershire sauce, and wedges of lemon for squeezin.


6. What really makes a DIY bloody mary bar fun are the accompaniments. Of course the standard celery stalks will be ready standing in a nice iced glass for stirring your drink. And, this being Portland, there's all sorts of pickled garnishes to choose from- little gherkins, pickled green beans, pickled beets, pickled carrots, pickled onions, etc. for your toothpick. The sea salt and fresh ground pepper grinders, and bbq shaker seasoning, appears at this end of the bar as well.


7. Bacon! This is the star of the bloody mary bar. Soak some skewers in water, and then put a slice of thick cut bacon on each one and then into the oven at 350 degrees until done. For the bacon, you can additionally treat it by coating it with brown sugar and pepper to caramelize it.

I wanted to put you in the mood, so here are some archived photos of some bloody marys of my past... varying from Sarabeth's in New York (last bloody mary I photographed), Sepia (most bacon) and Fireside (my first bloody mary bar) in Chicago to Simpatica (best mix I've had in Portland) and Tasty N Sons (best pickles and kick) in Portland.

 

Slabtown Ribs & BBQ - Get the Ribs

Slabtown Ribs & BBQ gave me a chance to enjoy some low and slow American bbq. They are only open on the weekdays because they focus on the weekends on catering and competitions: indeed, a whole wall about half the length of the restaurants if full of their ribbons from those competitions, some of which are showcased in the window, and they have been fighting the meaty saucy fight since 2005.

Thanks to a Groupon, I had an excuse to try it out. I went with the BBQ Combo, which offers  a sampling of most of their food, including sliced brisket, two of their St. Louis Style Pork Spare Ribs, a mini pulled pork sandwich, and a small sample of Zenner’s German sausage, and the combo includes two sides of your choice. I picked mac and cheese and the collard greens, passing up on the Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Red Potato Salad, or Buttermilk Biscuits. You also have your choice of 3 sauces: Kansas City Classic, Texas Hot, or Carolina Style Mustard. The only thing not in the combo was their BBQ chicken.

Of the combo plate, my favorite was definitely the ribs, which even though they had only ladled a spoonful of the Kansas City Classic sauce, I was wiping off to put on the brisket instead because these smokey tender ribs didn't need any additional flavor. The brisket was ok- that's where the sauce was needed, as well as the pulled pork slider. I also found that the ends of the brisket were very dry- I didn't end up eating the ends of my last piece because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm not sure how the German sausage fits in, but it was a good sausage. The mac and cheese was mushy and needed some additional seasoning of pepper, while the collard greens at least had a nice slightly sour tang to counter my meat plate.

The restaurant itself is barebones in terms of seating only 50 people at most, with cheap tables and chairs so that you could easily imagine this was a late night fast food hole in the wall that could be serving burgers or mexican just as easily. They have a few touches of warmth, but the focus seems to be making sure the meat is taken care of. They don't have a bar inside Slabtown, but they still offer beer and mixed drinks by fetching it next door, which allowed patrons to sip a cold brew or in my cases, an ok bloody mary.

I would definitely recommend the ribs. Two guests after me, they were actually sold out of their BBQ chicken, so I never got to try it but maybe is a hint that those might be tasty. or, maybe because it was getting close to their 8pm closing time (I got my food close to 7pm) so they were running out of their earlier prepped food, and maybe that's why my food was more along the middle line. I liked the bun the pulled pork was on, but on the combo plate they hadn't added any sauce to it- if I had known that, I might have ordered an extra side of a different sauce to try for the two extra quarters.

Overall, I found this a decent place, and the service was fast and friendly. I like smoke, so I really liked the ribs plain to best taste that smoke, and the amount of meat on those rib bones was a perfect thick amount. I mean look at that picture- that's a pretty decent size of rib! But if you are looking for more juicy meat you might be disappointed.

Unfortunately, Slabtown can't quite reach the standard of the best bbq I've had yet, which was at Jimmy's BBQ (Lexington, NC). Their, I had the chopped pork, including the "outside brown" our friend/guide Dan instructed us to order so we also had those darkened portions that have been closest to the smoke. The sauce is kept warm in a coffee pot and served on the side. I cannot explain to you much of this fatty smokey meat was moist and tender. I ate 98% of it without sauce.

Brave Horse Tavern & Serious Biscuit, Spur in Seattle

I happen to be a fan of of the Tom Douglas Restaurants empire- at this point I've experienced the output of four of his twelve restaurants. I've tried Serious Pie pizza for lunch (delivered to the office I was visiting), the doughnuts of Dahlia Bakery, happy hour at Palace Kitchen, and a breakfast at Serious Biscuit. For another visit to Seattle recently, I revisited one place while increasing my total by visiting a new Tom Douglas concept. As before, I was not disappointed- it is quite dependable.

Previous eatings: doughnuts at Dahlia Bakery. Also, at Serious Biscuit, the fried chicken with Buttermilk Biscuit and tabasco black pepper gravy (both soothing me with its creaminess and making my tongue tingle with every bite). I added a smothering of Beecher's cheddar to mine, and that boneless hunk o chicken was juicy and extremely crispy, holding up to the generous drenching of gravy.

This time, I went to Brave Horse Tavern for their all day Sunday happy hour, and also for Serious Biscuit in the morning for a second breakfast visit. At Brave Horse Tavern, I tried their hand made pretzel with 3 of their spreads: beer cheddar fondue, sour cream and crispy onion, and smoked peanut butter and bacon. While half the table liked it the traditional way with the mustard on the table, I was a fan of the smoked peanut butter and bacon. The other two were ok but didn't leave much of an impression beyond that. On the other hand, it was a much different atmosphere at Brave horse then I had seen at the others which had been a bit more of an urban modernity feel. Brave Horse Tavern had a much more casual open feel, including big open tables like you would expect in Lucky Lab here in Portland or a brauhaus in Germany. Not sure whether it was because it was all day Sunday happy hour or not, but the other patrons leaned more towards late 20s to mid 30s and had a flirty vibe of comraderie and outgoing energy.

For breakfast the next day, I went with the other choice that had tempted me my first visit: their biscuit with truffled frittata, tomato caper relish, arugula  and I ordered that same  tabasco black pepper gravy on the side... wow, it came in a big mug for me to dunk my forkfuls. I don't like their biscuits enough to have them plain without gravy- they still seem a little dry and hard on the outside instead of flakey (although the inside is moist), probably because they aren't oven fresh, making it an ok but not particularly special. But, put that biscuit with all that other wonderful stuff they offer together though and I ate every single bite and stayed full and satisfied for most of the rest of the day. Just like the last time, this is a knife and fork kind of meal. 

Between these two visits to Tom Douglas restaurants was a fabulous dinner at Spur Gastropub. At first, when our table of 7 received our initial small plates of the Castlefranco Radicchio Salad with candied pecan, blue cheese, and sorrel and the Winter Beet Salad they have with buttermilk, caraway, and arugula, we were unimpressed, though at least the beet salad had a little surprise with the beet powder to add a bit of grit texture.The Slow Cooked Pork Cheeks with white bean, leek and guanciale or the Veal Sweetbreads with braised greens, squash and apple also were not memorable.

However, we were delighted with other dishes. The Sockeye Salmon Crostini ($4 each) with mascarpone, caper, and pickled shallot was a wonderful combination though only worth $1 per bite, if you nibbled. Yeah, these tasted wonderful but if you have to order 2-3 dishes per person and these dishes are already the price of a normal entree at a restaurant, your bill adds up- probably $50 a person along not counting drinks or dessert. Don't come in super hungry and wanting to get full quickly- you want to come to mostly converse and nibble your dinner as you go.

Each of these, and every single dish actually, was plated beautifully... too bad the extremely dark lighting of the restaurant made it difficult to appreciate (and capture). Some pin lighting just in the middle of the table to spotlight the food but still leave everyone in romatic candelight would have been a better compromise instead of having everyone peer at their food. Just by luck, later in the evening I happened to accidentally set my camera to "action" setting which ended up with the more intake of what light there was towards the end of these pictures- but those are definitely brighter then it was actually looking down at our table. 

Our favorite dishes, and I could have eaten it just all by myself (it was a dish that disappeared in minutes as we passed it around the table family style) included the Black Truffle Gnocchi  with baby turnip, parmesan, and greens that melted too quickly in decadance on your tongue, as did the perfectly cooked Wagyu Sirloin with rutabaga, pear and mustard. The Merguez Sausage with chick pea, harissa and tender herbs offered a bit of spark with its spicyness. The Pork Belly Sliders topped with celery root, apple and smoke (hey, that's what the menu lists) on soft buttery brioche also went down quite easily- we somehow found the room even as we were already getting filled up because it was so tasty. The Tagliatelle with duck egg, oyster mushroom and pine nut was an ok dish that is evidently popular and a regualr on the menu, but since it followed after the Black Truffle Gnocchi it couldn't quite measure up to that previous dish.

The three desserts were ordered were all good in different ways. The Parsnip, Banana, Coconut, sponge cake, crumble, ice cream was a tropical light respite from the dinner but I thought needed something else to balance it like a small touch of earthiness, maybe mint? I appreciated the play of textures here though. Meanwhile the Chocolate, Pistachio, Pear, sorbet, pudding cake, praline dessert offered the rich chocolate luxury. Finally, the Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Fromage Blanc, custard, sorbet, streusel dessert plate cleansed and refreshed.

I would definitely try Spur again- the ones that were a hit were amazing, while others were meh- so I might do a little research next time to see what people highlight in reviews next time I visit. And, I'll come when it doesn't get dark so quickly so I can appreciate my food. I would also go with a group: the small plates concept they have going here is playful and modern, which tastewise sometimes paid off handsomely, and sometimes not in anything but posing as cool looking. So you want to up your chances of getting something great by ordering a lot of dishes- and also see my earlier comment about the price and pace.

I'm not sure why it's called a gastropub since their trendy cocktail list offered some interesting concoctions but there wasn't as much to choose from beer-wise, and the setup definitely is more of a cocktail and place then beer. Thankfully, this also meant the service was much smoother and polished then I might expect at a gastropub- thanks Jared! Overall, I would like to support their continue experimentation and pushing of the boundaries.

Tokyo Weekend: Sushi Dai

Sushi Dai- located right in the Tsukiji Fish Market area, the long line of people queuing for one of the mere dozen seats is a testament to their quality and is an easy way to identify it among the rest of the restaurants along these rows literally just across the parking lot from the Fish Market. Also, none of these places had English signs, so all I had to go off of was a picture of the front printed from my sister's photo album and the line of people to mark X is the spot. I wish I had printed out more photos so I could have shown the sushi chef their photos in retrospect. One of the things I definitely learned during my international trip is that I don't know how I can go back to living without the internet- I always felt uninformed and craved immediate access to information.

All the stool seats are right at the counter, with 3 sushi chefs working their magic directly from their expert nimble and quick hands to the raised counter you sit at (no plates!) with a quick verbal description in Japanese, Chinese, or English. It really is teeny tiny they have no other space- you have to put your belongings up on high shelves behind you like a school student because there is no place else- there is just enough room behind the stools for the lady to bring you soup. Once in a while a lady would come out to organize the line- some of us queue along a side street so as not to block the walkway, and then in front of the restaurant itself, in rows of 4 so that you get sorted into seatings as guests leave.

Everyone knows about the line and politely tries to turnover quickly so everyone can enjoy- there is a little chit chat as the chefs work but everyone is a foodie here and knows about the agonizing anticipation when in line, especially this day because it was winter and quite chilly. Every group had 1-2 people with their cameras out like I did so I wasn't embarrassed to pull mine out in front of the chefs either... and I'm so glad to have these photos to drool over and remember the experience.

After waiting in line for a couple hours (and that was after I got in line at 8:45am, a late start because I had to pack and check out, and I got lost... and then walked around for a while fascinated as I watched them wrap up business in the fish market), finally I made it in around 11am. Starting with the warm towel and hot green tea... looking at the beautiful cuts of fish in the case on my right, and the shrimp on the left, the radish is ready on the raised counter... the exact sushi chefs that I had seen pictured in baby J's pictures and in other internet sources.

And then the fantastic lunch commenced (you can get a set or omakase chef's choice, don't be stupid, get the omakase) with toro, so beautiful and fresh, followed by flounder, snapper, sea urchin, mackerel, red clam (still moving a little he placed it down before us), warm sweet egg block, horse mackerel, translucent baby shrimp, traditional maki sushi (with the seaweed wrap), marinated tuna, steamed sea eel, and then my choice of anything for the last piece- which I went with fatty tuna. Look how beautiful each piece is, and how thick the cut is... Every generous piece was so soft, cool but not so cold that any flavor was locked in the temperature or texture, and each slice of seafood was long (2 to3 to 4 inches!). The photos are ordered in the same order I received them during my lunch.

Several of the pieces came with the instruction to not use soy sauce because they had pre-marinated it or added their touches of flavor via lime juice or a sprinkle of salt already in crafting the seafood upon the slightly warm rice. I only used my soy sauce for the traditional maki rolls. Oishi! I was sad that these were so delicious that all they melted in my mouth so fast and then in seemingly no time it was already time to go.

Little did I know that my life would soon suck as I find out that my flight is cancelled back home. At least though, I got to have Sushi Dai before that all broke loose. I thought I knew what fresh sushi tasted like- but this was freaking unbelievable.

That's it for my world tour through Israel, Germany, China (Shenzhen) and Japan (Tokyo). Next stop- after a few days to try to readjust to the time, to Seattle for a quick overnight and workday.

Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Asukasa, Harajuku, Shibuya

The next morning I waded through the crowds cheering on the Tokyo Marathon to go to an area of the city called Asukasa. There, my goal was to see Kaminarimon Gate- bright red colored gate with its 100 kg (220 lb) lantern in the middle- as well as what was past its gate, Sensoji temple. The path to the temple from the gate is Nakamise Dori- a temple market pedestrian walkway lined on both sides with tiny stall after tiny stall, many owned by the same family for generations.

On my way to the main temple, I was drawn in by the bunnies and the cuteness of this one pink stall. They are selling some sort of treat on a stick...skewered sticky round balls rolled in some sort of powder that you had to eat all three at the same time because they were sorta glutinous. When I took my first bite I tried to just eat one ball and it stretched and popped some of the powder into the air onto my coat... and in the air and slight breeze towards other people. Oops. That's when I noticed how everyone else was eating by putting the whole thing in their mouth. For an additional 100 yen have some warm sweet sake too to wash down the powder.

More treats for sale on Nakamise dori, a pedestrian lane leading to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Lots of local snacks and little things to buy. I wanted to try ningyo-yaki (red bean-filled buns moulded into various shapes using iron pans over a fire) but they came in too many pieces for me to buy and then find out I didn't like it. I did like watching them make it though- there were two stalls that I found showcasing the man pouring in the dough, adding the bean, and then pouring more dough on top and then placing on the small flames- he was super fast!

I did get what you see below, a bean paste filled sesame bun thing I ate... I guess it is called manju?

I'm a bit of a lemming when I'm exploring- there was a long line at one stall when I passed by, and then on the way back there still was a long line... so I got in line too for whatever treat this was. Famous meatball place apparently- and the fried meatball patty thing was very juicy and tasty. It was so juicy it dripped on my scarf a little bit as I was eating it nom nom nom nom nom

After visiting the temple, and then off to the Meiji shrine, I headed to Takeshita Dori, the teenage fashion street of Harajuku. After seeing several girls walking by me with crepes, and then a long line of crepe waiting peeps... yes, I got in line. I decided to go with the one in the first row third over- strawberry strawberry. I found out what it was called because someone else ordered it and the crepe guy called it out, fortunately... their plastic displays and posters had no discernible numbers to order with. I did do a double take on one type of offering though. Uh what, you put a whole cheesecake slice in there and then surround it with whipped cream!?

You would think after this that I would be sick of being in crowds, but I had another stop after a quick nap (and to rest my feet). When it got dark, I headed on the train to Shibuya Crossing, the nicknamed Times Square of Tokyo for both its busy traffic of commuters day and night and multiple bright screens flashing to advertise to them. After walking through the crosswalk in the herds a few times, I then spent 30 minutes wandering lost but admiring the many neon signage everywhere until I found my goal. I went to Coco Curry House for dinner where I got level 4 heat curry with chicken katsu and mushroom. Thanks for your tips baby J!

One more tip from baby J to explore... a Monday at Tsukiji Fish Market and delicious sashimi and sushi...

Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Shinjuku, Akihabara = Noodle Day

Breakfast hot dog? I'm not sure what is the fascination of hot dogs in buns (although the bread for their buns has a slightly sweet taste) as a breakfast pastry. I suppose it's just a different twist on breakfast sausage.

After a visit to TMG, I had a lunch of udon- I'm going for the one at the bottom row for 600 yen- because a sign in the plastic food window says their specialty is buckwheat noodle. One of the quirks of Japanese places is many have machines where you match what you saw in the picture or in the display of plastic foods to what you want to press to get a ticket for that dish which you just hand to your server or the counter. They never need to handle your money and you get to order as quickly as you decide (or go back to the machine for more). The tempura at this place wasn't as good as my business lunch, but eating the warm soba helped prepare me for the chilly weather of Tokyo that I would be walking through all day.

For dinner I was in the Akihabara area and saw two ramen places right next to each other. I had been anticipating ramen since the beginning of my trip. On the plane from Newark to Tel Aviv, they had individual players for each seat, and usually I like to watch foreign movies since I could get stuck on another plane and be forced to watch the US releases on a cabin screen, so might as well save those for later. One of the movies I watched was about a man trying to invent his own ramen recipe after inheriting his father's ramen cart, and the movie told their story simultaneously on their pursuit of delicious excellence. Then, in China, I had watched a whole NHK special on unique ramens. So I had to have it.

Inside both little tiny shops that only seated maybe a dozen people, it was packed elbow to elbow with all men on little stools on very little counterspace around the open ramen kitchen, so I walked around a bit more and then came back. I thought I saw a woman in there so stepped up in line. In retrospect maybe it was a guy with dyed reddish hair that was shoulder length. I could not quite slurp as loudly and well as my neighbor though and in retrospect I should tie my hair back, heh. I don't know how everyone around me was eating it so fast, it was so hot, but I was definitely conscious about the line waiting outside, and also that this was so delicious. It was the only time I had ramen during my visit, though I was tempted every single time I walked by a packed ramen bar. Oh well- yum tonkatsu ramen was still mine!

Next post: a Sunday full of snacks

Food Fotos during my work hours in Tokyo

Lunch on day 1, a highlight that brightened what was a hard work day that started with a 1am flight from Hong Kong to land in Narita at 6:20am (thanks / no thanks to a cancelled flight by Air China in Shenzhen earlier that day after holding us with no amenities and no information for more than 4 hours and I had to look up and suggest my own alternative flight to get here by morning). There at the Narita airport, there was a quick change into a suit and purchase of a foreigner's pass to catch the Narita Express to Shinagawa from 7:33-9:06 (I passed out there), a mad dash to drop off our suitcases while removing our work accessories and get back through the rush hour peoples to a train to the customer site by the time the 9:30 train door closes (we made it by like 7 seconds!). Of course it was also raining.

But this fresh lunch after that visit while relaxing in our booth by a window, our shoes put away in little wooden lockers in the front, and a convenient button on the table to call our waitress whenever we needed something, was a welcome breather. The tempura was surprisingly good- the batter was better then anything I've had in the US because of its lightness and it almost seemed baked instead of deep fried.

A drinking dinner that same evening included edamame, crispy pan fried dumplings, chicken wrapped around asparagus, tangy shrimp salad, seared scallops, and okonomiyaki that has noodles, aka a certain regional style, Hiroshima-style, as well as Asahi beer.

Another business lunch... The next day we went to a place that specialized in katsu. What I ordered for lunch was the 1200 yen tonkatsu dish with the traditional pork cutlet. My other American peer got the sampler for 1190 that included fried cheese- I had been tempted but went with the traditional. It was the best tonkatsu I have ever had: again the batter was light and crisp that was not oily at all while the pork cutlet was very juicy and perfectly cooked.

A snack while we type up our customer notes that last "work" evening: Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Dumpling Balls), one with leek and one original flavor.

The last meal of the work week was full of grilled stuffs over charcoal; Kushiyaki-skewers based in a sweet soy based sauce (shitake mushrooms and chicken meatball tsukune); and Miyazaki style grilled chicken that comes out black to the table...

Next blog: the food from my days off of work.

Eating meats in Germany; Bread and cheese for breakfast in Israel and Germany

The beers are light and foamy fun in Germany- here I am having Krombacher my first evening in Frankfurt.  But, the fact they come in liters is ridiculous. I don't understand how people aren't constantly visiting the W.C.

The food in Germany was very heavy in meat and carbs- and the plates very large. My favorite dishes were:

At Goldenes Posthorn, in Nurnburg (a stop on the way to Munich from Frankfurt) we started with a bread basket which of course had pretzels. I just don't like pretzels very much though unless they are fresh and hot and doughy: usually the middle is the best part. However, another plus that I noticed during my days in Israel and Germany was the flavorful seedy bread: why don't we have more bread like this in the US?

How cool is this "appetizer plate" of pewter we each got the shape of a bell. You can also see we are enjoying Tucher beer yes, at lunch.The famous Nurenberg sausages, with a small side of horseradish, also came in a similar dish but it was heartshaped, aw. The sausages have been a delicacy since 1313 and are actually protected by EU law so they can only be produced here in this city. Per wikipedia, they are pork-based and typically seasoned with fresh marjoram which gives them their distinctive flavour.

They are traditionally grilled over a beechwood fire (which explains as soon as we walked through the door why the place smelled so wonderful- we saw the charcoal grill in the center later as we were leaving). They are served in sets of six, eight, 10 or 12 on a pewter plate (round but also frequently heart- or bell-shaped) with either sauerkraut or potato salad (though we didn't have this here as it as an appetizer), and accompanied by a dollop of horseradish or mustard. The mustard is in a little jar just out of the frame of the photo to the right. It was great with the Tucher beer (yes, beer at lunch- depending on the region in Germany, this might be expected by the customer to win their trust!)

The highlight though was the entree. Lunch entree was a braised beef cheek which was very falling apart tender in a rich wine sauce and the little bits of tart here or there from the pomegranate. Also on the plate are dumplings made out of bread (so it's a bit more like a doughy stuffing), and in the bowl next to it a sort of cheesy greens and rice. That sauce was so delicious.

My other favorite dish was the Roast pork from Bavarian production with crackling in natural gravy with Spaetzle egg noodles at Hofbrauhaus (enjoyed with a Dark Radler, which is their Dark Beer with lemonade- I was slightly beered out after a lot of mugs of Radeberger beer the previous two evenings during work dinners). I saw lots of crackling in the market but didn't get any until my last night in Germany, and the crackling was as wonderful as I had hoped for.

Did I mention how much I loved the seedy bread in Israel and Germany? Also, I cannot object to a breakfast buffet brimming with cheeses and meats. Below, you see the cheese offerings at the Dan Accadia in Israel (included in the room stay), and then the last two photos show the offerings at the Hotel Campo dei Fiori (included as part of room stay) with its location right next to the Viktualienmarkt in Munich.

I had no idea Israel was such a strong dairy producer... though I suppose there have been a lot of sheperds there for a long time, so they definitely have access to the raw goods. Best of all, it wasn't just pickled (feta) cheese- lots of fresh cheeses, and goat cheeses. Also in Israel I really liked that instead of the dryer baked goods you see at coffeeshops in the US, they offered bureka, a puff pastry stuffed with cheese or potato or spinach. I suppose it's sorta similar to a stuffed croissant, but the puff pastry is lighter and flakier. Though it probably uses just as much butter...

Next post follows me to Asia.

Brewvana + New School: Corvallis VIP Tour with Block 15

I've been able to enjoy the Brewvana van twice- once during my experience with Zwickelmania last year, and another time with sponsorship of Google Hotspot for writing reviews. This was my first time that I went directly for them for a specific tour... and heh, was a paying participant. When I saw on FB that Brewvana would be offering with New School beer blog a Corvallis VIP Tour with Block 15, I was excited. I thought the itinerary sounded really promising and full of new tastes for me, and of course I knew I had good experiences with Brewvana those two previous times. I was lucky I bought the tickets that evening while sitting at the bar of Bailey's Taproom and fortunate enough to think to catch up on my FB, because the tickets were all sold out the next day.

The tour on Saturday February 4 (sorry for the delay in my post- I did go international to 4 countries- soon to be covered in upcoming posts) coincided with the same day that Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis was releasing bottles of  two barrel aged beers. Batch 2 of Pappy's Dark Ale (a Dark Strong ale in bourban barrels), as well as the "lost barrels" of Super Nebula (Imperial Oatmeal Stout in bourbon barrels). I have liked many a Block 15 beer, and had both those beers last year at a Block 15 Pappy's Dark bottle release event at Hop & Vine 2011. More recently after hearing about their new restaurant/beer spot during a food tour, have been mentioning multiple times to others (fishing...) on how I would like to visit their beer cave. And, now here was the opportunity where I wouldn't have to worry about driving... Brewvana is going to chauffeur me there.

But wait! There's more! This trip not only included round trip transportation to Block 15, but also

• stops at Calapooia Brewing (known for its chili pepper beer) for beer samples and a behind the scenes tour with owner/brewer Mark Martin;
• and also a stop at Flat Tail Brewing with its more experimental beer selection and more samples with Head Brewer Dave Marliave;
• and a stop at Les Caves Bier and Kitchen (a recently opened European style bistro and beir bar with 16 rotating taps and over 100 bottled beers) for beer and dinner.
• And then, once finally at Block 15, besides accessing a taster tray of Pappy's Dark and Super Nebula 2010 and 2011 and Hypnosis 2011 (barrel-aged Barleywine) at Block 15, we also get to learn about their barrel-aging program and see behind the scenes!

Fun! Signed up!

Calapooia Brewing Visit,  a secret (even from residents down the street apparently) that is getting more successful and is bottling their incredible chili beer so its rise is underway. It was cool to hear how Calapooia was conceived and his philosophy for the brewery straight from head brewer and owner Mark Martin- and his cooler smelled wonderfully yeasty

Flat Tail Brewing, a brewery that loves to get creative and experiment, and our time with head brewer Dave Marliave also gave us insight into the art of concocting a beer and also insight on how it sounds fun and laid back environment but make no mistake, it is also a lot of hard work as a career choice.

Les Caves Bier and Kitchen. We started with a shared appetizer of Artisan Board with head cheese, Willamette cheddar cheese, pickled gherkins with stone ground mustard and fresh baked and torn bread. We then had a choice of 3 dishes (or another dish where we would pay the difference). We went with what was already offered: the Roasted Vegetable Strudel of oven roasted parsnips, squash, onions, peppers, fresh mozzarella & ricotta wrapped in a flaky crust with a pink peppercorn sour cream, served with a winter greens salad; and the Naturally house cured, smoked and steamed Painted Hills beef pastrami with stone ground mustard & crisp pickles on rye ciabatta 11 with gruyere cheese.

The Artisan Board was great, but I found the Strudel a bit too rich because of how buttery the crust was, while the pastrami was steamed too far into dryness. The ideas were good for the dishes- in theory they would match well with beer- but the execution was flawed in our dinners. The place was getting packed as we got there right when dinner was starting- maybe the kitchen got overwhelmed. I was much more conservative during dinner in not partaking in ordering from the huge beer menu because I wanted my palate ready for Block 15, but others couldn't resist the beer bottle list.

Finally, the highlight: the Block 15 visit! There has been no beer from this brewery I have not enjoyed, and I love their concept of aging beers. We tried last year's and this year's Pappy's Dark and Super Nebula and also another beer, Hypnosis, and aged (of course it's aged!) Barleywine. Nick Arzner showed us the maze of corridors that comprises their brewing and aging areas and his perspective of crafting beautifully complex beers.

We got a sneak peek at a still aging White Framboise made with white raspberries that is probably a one time thing- and is going to probably sell out in hours when it does release. We came in late in the day, after their release at the brewery, but he had set aside bottles for our group to purchase, thank goodness! Of all the breweries we visited this one was the most organized, demonstrating their attention to detail and care and control cascading to their work environment even though they work mostly in a basement.

The only negative of this trip was how the high alcohol content took a toll, so the bus ride home was full of half a bus of those who pehraps their volume sensitivity was not what it usually is, and the other half passed out trying to digest and give all our power to our livers (I went on this side),  all while scrunched into the very little legroom because the seats were made for children. The reality is that Brewvana is awesome and needs a real bus, not a school bus, similar to what size are used for wine tours: that amount of distance with that many people all day is just not comfortable. I don't see why wine tasters get to be comfotable but beer lovers don't. At least the treatment we get on the tour on and off the bus is definitely red carpet at least.

Brewvana only started a year ago and has been a huge success- and is now in its growing pains. Their concept for the various tours Brewvana offers is intriguing and is good for either those new to beer or experienced beer geeks, for those new or even those who have been in PDX for a while- the logistical arrangement, communication, sparkly fun energy and enthusiasm and passion Ashley and those involved bring- all of those combined make for a "doh! I can't believe that's her job!" and you can't help but absorb that vivacity she has during the tour and you can't help but have fun.

Thanks so much for Ashley of Brewvana and Ezra of the New School for putting this fantastic trip together, for the brewers and their staff for their hospitality and generosity with me and the other beer geeks, and also Jason the bus driver for his patience and amazing skills for both speedy and safe driving, and the other beer geeks for being beer geeks but not beer snobs and letting us into their circle for a little bit.

So I realize that as usual, there is no photographic proof on my own camera that I am even present. Fortunately, Ashley took a bunch of photos as well, which I have stolen a few that had me in them as proof of life and am sharing here. All these photos belong and were taken by Ashley Rose, the lovely beer effervescent princess of Brewvana from the Brewvana Flickr album which has more photographic proof of how much fun they are always having.

The Metrovino double cheeseburger

WWeek's #1 ranked burger in Portland in their Burgerquest article: Metrovino's cheeseburger, a double patty of Painted Hills 20% fat house-ground chuck plus ribeye trimmings, Wisconsin swiss style fontina between the patties, shredded iceberg on the bottom, and onions & fancy sauce mix on top of the second patty, served with a side salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

When it comes to the meat itself, it was juicy and full of flavor without being too fatty. The cheese and sauce swirl into the meat juiciness like they were always born to be together, with the lettuce offering a bit of a mess factor because it is shredded but offering crunch texture (although not much taste) to counter richness. I was willing to forgive the iceburg because of the tart side salad that came with the plate with its vinaigrette. I didn't mind that it wasn't a choice of fries here- with such a substantial double cheeseburger the fact it came with a salad seemed to make you feel less bad about what you are about to do to your arteries. Its acidic vinaigrette and bitterness in the greens was a nice break in between the juicy meat and cheese and bread to counter the richness.

Ah, the spongy bun that tried hard to hold together the double patties- wish the kitchen would stick a skewer to help hold it together as the meat wants to tenderly melt apart even though it hasn't quite gotten into your mouth yet. I always cut my burger in half so I can hold it, and sometimes I can cut it into quarters, but not this one. Oh, and my napkin was a mess at the end of this. To the bun's credit, as I continued to bite into the meat, the bun kept together as it absorbed all the sauce and squeezes of juice with every bite- I just had to realize I would not be able to put this burger down until I was done.

This was a tasty patty in the same way that somehow, McD quarter pounder with cheese meat just has something compelling in terms of flavor that I still miss even though I've given up on McD fast food. Whatever the kitchen does back there in crafting this burger, they are doing it right. It didn't have the spicy tang that I liked about Toro Bravo's take on the cheeseburger (thanks to their use of romesco), but minus the sauce, I think I would pick the Metrovino burger plain over it. That Toro Bravo sauce really is the key ingredient that is the only reason that that burger could top the meat of the Metrovino.

This offering at Metrovino is a double cheeseburger off of the regular bar menu, but is also offered as a single patty cheeseburger (aka 6 oz instead of 12 oz of delicious meat) during happy hour- but hurry to the bar area by 5 as it quickly fills up). Since for $5 more you get a double though, I'm not sure why you wouldn't just go ahead and go all the way and double up on the meat. You are already getting your drink on with a cheeseburger- go indulge and maybe share with a friend!