Sahagun Chocolate Shop * www.sahagunchocolates.com * 10 NW 16th Ave., Portland, OR 97209 * Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm * sublime chocolates, tempting hot chocolate and coffee drinks
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Sun Drops and Oregon Kisses From Sahagun Chocolate Shop
Thursday, May 7, 2009
MetroVino: 99 Bottles of Bubbly on the Wall...Maybe...I Wish
For the past year, I've walked past the desolate old DF location at NW 11th and NW Northrup every day on my way to work, a lump in my throat welling as I remember the days of delicious DF pork tacos and fresh raspberry mojitos in a cozy booth after a long day at work.
In accordance with the ways of spring, however, new life has blossomed in my old stomping grounds, as MetroVino Bistro Bar & Bottleshop pulls the brown paper off the windows and opens the doors this week. You can celebrate with them tonight at their "Our First Thursday" First Thursday celebration.
There are quite a few reasons I'm interested in checking out MetroVino. According to this article in Oregon Winepress, MetroVino owner Todd Steele is utilizing state of the art European technology that will allow him to pour multitudes of wines by the glass (the article says up to 80!), even super expensive rare bottles, and plenty of bubblies (my favorite, if you haven't noticed). Metrovino's executive chef is Gregory Denton, formerly of ill-fated fancypants restaurant Lucier. MetroVino also has a tasting area in the works, and will sell bottles to go.
I peeked inside this morning, and the interior is inviting, with a Pearl-posh feel.
The one page menu contains a smattering of basics--grilled salmon, red wine braised short ribs, slow-roasted pork shoulder, and also veers all over Europe--showing a German/Swiss bent with a raclette appetizer and alpine cabbage and bread soup; Scandinavian influences with salmon gravlax bruschetta and a smoked trout and cucumber salad with dill vinaigrette; and some more traditional European fare like roasted marrowbones and crispy sweetbreads. Then there's a side trip to SE Asia, with the scallops in green curry with pickled red onion and cilantro. Should be interesting.
Sorry, this picture is pretty fuzzy. I'll try to take a better one later.See you there tonight!
-Jen
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Nostrana Happy Hour
We try to stay on top of food happenings here at TableTalk Portland, so when I found out Nostrana had been offering a late night happy hour for over 3 month I was totally gobsmacked! I love it when a restaurant as high caliber (Cathy Whims is a 2009 James Beard finalist) allows diners on a budget access to wonderful food at affordable happy hour prices!
You can get their Pizza Margherita, which totally rivals the infamous Ken's Artisan pizza for a bargain price of $5. It's a perfect thin crust pizza topped with fresh mozzarella and basil cooked to a perfection in a wood fire oven.
Not only is the pizza on the Happy Hour Menu, but the Nostrana salad is on there too. This is a perfect radicchio salad tossed in a traditional caesar dressing, which is also for the bargain price of $5! We started with that and added a meat plate from Salumi and it was as you can guess priced at $5! Their wine is also $5!
After our meal we had a scoop of housemade rum raisin gelato, which was perfection. The total bill for two people to dine with wine, two appetizers, meat board, pizza, and dessert was $35! I love Portland!
-M
Nostrana*http://nostrana.com/*Dinner Sun-Th 5-10, Fri-Sat 5-11 Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2 * Happy Hour 9 to Close*1401 SE Morrison*503.234.2427
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Special Correspondent April Like-A the Gelato and the Pizza and the Cappuccino and the Italy
Our dear Special Correspondent April has made her way to beautiful Venice, Italy, where she is eating her way through the canals!
An Email From Italy
Inbox
X
May 5 (1 days ago)  |
|
Buon giorno! I am in Italy, and I've been living on gelato, cappuccino, and pizza slices that are the size of my head. So yes, I am having the time of my life! Today we are going to attempt to rent a car and drive from Venice to our next destination, Moteriggioni. Wish us luck.
Ciao!
Ciao!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Mr. T says
Oh wait, that's just brother Eli.
Anyways, TableTalkPortland is the best! You too could broadcast this to the world with a tabletalkportland tshirt. Send us an email if you want one.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
We have found Sunday bliss
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sunday Patio Quest
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Apizza Amore on Sundays!
Here is a quick, one-question quiz to determine how well you know TableTalkPortland.
Michelle and Jen spend most of their Sundays doing the following:
a) eating chocolate in the hammock.
b) wishin' & prayin' for more chocolate to fall from the heavens onto the hammock.
c) complaining that Apizza Scholls doesn't serve Apizza Amore on Sundays.
d) all of the above.
The answer of course, is D.
But now we have reason to rejoice on Sundays, because beginning TODAY, May 3, Apizza Scholls is switching from Sicilian Sundays to Regular Sundays, and will be serving their traditional pizzas from 4 - 8 pm every blessed Sunday.
We had absolutely nothing against the Sicilian pizzas, they're wonderful and we'll miss them, but we sure do love us that Apizza Amore. Apizza's rich tomato sauce, fresh whole milk mozzarella, pecorino romano, just chopped garlic, fragrant green basil, extra virgin olive oil, and the grand, glorious, incomparable capicollo.
Admit it, you're wishin' and prayin' for some to fall from the heavens onto your desk/car seat/bike handles/belly/hammock right now.
-Jen
Free Wine and Cheese Tasting At Square Deal TODAY 1-5PM
Times are tight, you spent all your spare pesos on cervezas yesterday at the waterfront Cinco de Mayo festivities, yadda yadda. We understand. Bottom line, you're looking for something fun, foodtastic, and FREE to do today, provided you aren't too hungover from yesterday, like Michelle.
It just so happens that I received a notice from Square Deal Wines and Steve's Cheese informing me that it's our lucky day, because today, Square Deal and Steve are holding a little open house promoting Northwest wines (and cheeses, of course), as part of Square Deal's quest to feature an increasing number of NW labels. There will be new wines from Zerba Cellars, a new release from Brad McLeroy of Ayres Vineyard, and wines from our beloved Torii Mor Winery (hi Steve!! The waiter's tool you so graciously gave Michelle at Taste of the Nation works great, thanks!!).
TODAY, between 1-5 pm, head to Square Deal/Steve's Cheese for a casual Northwest wines and cheeses tasting, which is FREE and FUN and FOODTASTIC too. Esteemed River's Edge Chevre cheesemaker Pat Morford will be there, which everyone is quite excited about. Local cheese guru Tami Parr will be there too, signing her new book "Artisan Cheese of the Northwest."
I had the pleasure of speaking with Tami, the creator and writer of the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog, for a vendor profile I wrote for the Portland Farmer's Market newsletter about Ancient Heritage Dairy (buy a round of their Valentine sheep's milk cheese at the Farmer's Market the next time you go, it's amazing). Tami's wealth of cheese knowledge is immense and carefully documented in her beautiful new book, and if you love cheese (and only weirdos don't), you should meet her and buy her book. Why not do so today, whilst sipping lovely new Northwest wines and surreptitiously sneaking glances at that super hot blue-eyed guy who works at Square Deal? Yep, I thought you might like this idea. See you this afternoon!
-Jen
Square Deal Wines and Steve's Cheese * 2321 NW Thurman * www.squaredealwine.com * www.stevescheese.biz
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday Lunch Club at
Every Friday, me and a few colleagues take a trek to a new lunch spot for FRIDAY LUNCH CLUB: BAD NAME, GOOD LUNCH.
This week, I had a nasty case of Waffle Fever brought on by some very tasty waffle sampling at Taste of the Nation and some truly ogle-worthy waffle porn in the newest Williams Sonoma catalogue, so our destination was the FlavourSpot waffle cart, "home of the Dutch Taco, Portland's Original Waffle Sandwich." FlavourSpot has two locations, one on N. Lombard between N. Denver and Greeley, next to Videorama, and one on N. Mississippi at NE Fremont. We opted for the N. Lombard location because according to the online menu, they are the only location open weekdays for lunch, however, that is a big fat lie, one we didn't discover until JUST NOW when we read the hours on the Flavourspot homepage. Moving on.
Barreling down busy N. Lombard, we were almost on top of FlavourSpot before we spotted the unassuming olive green cart tucked into the far corner of the Videorama parking lot, one lone picnic table perched perpendicular to its tail end.
There was no one in line, which is good, since if we're late back from lunch our boss locks us in the windowless, airtight storage room (it used to be a vault) for the rest of the afternoon, where we're forced to survive on Diet Coke, staples, and outdated celebrity gossip magazines.
We scrutinized the well-weathered one page menu pinned to the side of the waffle window, trying to choose between a sweet waffle or a savory waffle, or trying to rationalize simply ordering both. There was a lot of waffling going on (so, so sorry), but finally everyone made some difficult decisions and we placed our order with the very serious waffle girl.
In no time, my (first) order was up, the Ham & Cheese--thick slices of smoky salty Black Forest ham wrapped around a slice of creamy melted Gouda cheese, all of which was cradled taco-style in a freshly-made, slightly crisped to golden perfection but still tender, 7-inches-in-diameter waffle. I think you can imagine my joy. I turned to Shellie to see if she wanted a bite of my ham and cheese waffle wonder, but she was clearly enjoying a private moment with her own Sausage & Maple waffle--plump pork sausage patties (vegetarian sausage available for $.50 more) and 100% pure organic maple spread.
Turns out I hadn't seen anything yet. "S'more!" shouted the very serious waffle girl, meaning that my Nutella with Mallow creme waffle was sitting in the window. My eyeballs went all Geico-googly when I saw the fluffy billow of stark white marshmallow creme nesting with a creamy slash of Nutella inside the prettiest golden-brown waffle you ever saw this side of Grandma's kitchen.
Not to be outdone, Shellie dashed to the waffle window to pick up her Fifth Avenue--peanut butter and Nutella, and Mette almost toppled the picnic table getting up to grab her Black Forest--Nutella and raspberry jam. Perhaps you're noticing that Flavourspot is a Nutella lover's wet dream?
We were starting to slow down. Waffles were laid on the table, deep breaths were taken, sharing was insisted upon, encouragement was given, tall icy cold glasses of milk were fantasized about.
In the end, we did pretty well. We surveyed our waffle carnage, gathered up our waffle remains and neatly packed them in their foil wrappings, and hurried back to the office, with round waffle-filled bellies and the smug certainty that even though we'd spent well over an an hour cramming waffle after glorious FlavourSpot waffle in our mouths and would now have to pay for our tardiness by spending the next three or so hours in the Vault trying to keep the mice at bay with a barricade of empty Diet Coke cans and rolled up March 2007 US Weekly's, we'd have snacks. Wonderful Nutella, Mallow creme, peanut butter, ham and cheese-smeared waffle snacks. Confinement just doesn't get any better than that.
-Jen
FlavourSpot * N. Lombard between N. Denver & Greeley (corner of Videorama parking lot): M-F 6:30-3pm, Sat/Sun 8am-3pm, 503.289.YUMM(9866) and corner of Mississippi & NE Fremont: M-Sa 9am-dark, Sun. 9am-3pm, 503.282.YUMM(9866) * www.flavourspot.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Special Correspondent April Does NOT Like Haggis!
Our very own globe-trotting Special Correspondent April has made her way to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she came up against her biggest culinary challenge ever: the infamous Scottish "delicacy" haggis.
I'll let Wiki define Haggis for you:
There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.
Haggis balls are chunks of haggis deep-fried, as only the Scots can deep fry something. Oddly enough, Special Correspondent April is not a haggis fan, fried or not!
More than a wee bit of Haggis
I'll let Wiki define Haggis for you:
There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.
Haggis balls are chunks of haggis deep-fried, as only the Scots can deep fry something. Oddly enough, Special Correspondent April is not a haggis fan, fried or not!
More than a wee bit of Haggis
Inbox
X
12:53 PM (2 hours ago) |
|
Sorry friends, no sign of Gordon Ramsay. However, while dining in Dublin I was told by my waiter that Bono had been at the same restaurant the night before and may have even sat in my same chair! If interested, my unwashed jeans can now be found on Ebay - the bidding began at 5 Euros.
The last few days I have had some excellent Indian food in Ireland, Thai in England, and most unforgettably, some traditional Scotland Haggis Balls. I was told it would be inconceivable to leave Scotland without a plate of Haggis Balls. Let's just say this is the last time I am going to type the word Haggis for it brings back oh so bad memories. If only I would have known what they were before humoring my waiter and ordering the large plate.
The last few days I have had some excellent Indian food in Ireland, Thai in England, and most unforgettably, some traditional Scotland Haggis Balls. I was told it would be inconceivable to leave Scotland without a plate of Haggis Balls. Let's just say this is the last time I am going to type the word Haggis for it brings back oh so bad memories. If only I would have known what they were before humoring my waiter and ordering the large plate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
