NW cuisine

casio 550
Originally uploaded by gregandchristine.

So there are some foods/ eating experiences that are not necessarily unique to Portland, or the NW, but we have been trying to hit the high points of the area as we find out about them. The picture is of sweet potato French fries from NW fast food chain Burgerville, They make a big deal about using local, fresh ingredients, and it is just a bit more expensive than the big chains… the food is pretty good though and their seasonal foods like blackberry shakes and sweet potato fries are a great break from the ordinary.

Another place we tried because they are supposed to be real kid (and hippie) friendly is Old Wives Tales. A Portland institution we first heard about on the food network some time ago. Their play area isn’t as good as our favorite place, but they do have a Hungarian Mushroom soup that that rivals the Stevenson Coffeeshop (and they sell it by the gallon).

A third area institution is the McMenamins chain of hotels and restaurants. They buy run down historic properties and turn them into hotels/ movie theaters / pubs/ breweries… all with a focus on drinking. We went to the Cornelius Roadhouse for their Thanksgiving buffet, and the food was pretty good, and there was plenty of it. Their beers are hit or miss, but I tried a porter that was pretty good.

SN Celebration Tasting

clebration sampler
Originally uploaded by gregandchristine.

We just got back from the annual Sierra Nevada Celebration ale vertical tasting. Apparently they have been doing this for several years, and every year they send an invitation to the Sierra Nevada brewery. I guess SN usually sends up some t-shirts and glassware, but this year they sent Ken Grossman- founder/ owner and brewer for Sierra Nevada. They had the last five years of SN Celebration ale on tap and I ordered a 6.5oz sampler set of all five. The straws are color coded to help keep the year straight. There was a real difference between 2001-2005 as the hop flavor drops off pretty dramatically. The 2003 tasted about perfectly balanced to me. The 2005 tasted thick and strong, and it tasted like a big bag of weed smells. This is a serious beer, and it was a fun event, but next time I think I should probably eat first. This is the kind of event that enforces my love of Portland-- casual, low key and totally awesome. As I was leaving I decided that I had to shake the hand of Sierra Nevada's head brewer. He was sitting at a table with what looked like some friends and family. I felt bad about interrupting him, so I apologized and said I didn't mean to bother him, I just wanted to thank him for doing what he does. He said thank you back and shook my hand.

Back in the brew

sweet
Originally uploaded by gregandchristine.

I finally brewed a batch of beer. After about a year I now have a batch of porter in the bucket. I decided to start simple and made an easy recipe that should be ready to drink in pretty short order after being bottled. The stove in our apartment is much more powerful than the one at Stevenson and it took no time at all to get up to a boil. The much lower ceilings and cold weather meant that I really steamed up the kitchen. There was water dripping off the hood for the stove, and the walls were pretty wet. It is much colder in our kitchen than it ever was in Santa Cruz, so I am actually fermeting in an optimal temprature range. I thought that the beer got too cold and that the yeast crapped out, but it turned out that the everclear I used in the airlock just evaporated to the point that the bubbler wasn't working. I should have a beer review in a couple weeks, and I already have plans for the next 2-3 beers.

nice day

casio 329
Originally uploaded by gregandchristine.

Here is a pic of the lake at the park we go to most often. The weather was nice and clear today after a couple of days of rain. The weather is starting to get cooler, but it is still pretty nice. The first time we came to Portland was almost exactly four years ago, and it seems like it was much colder then. We are going to see if we can make it this winter without using our heaters. We have older baseboard heaters in our apartment, and I am afraid they will get too hot for Colin to play around, and there is no way to cover of protect the one in the living room. I have heard various predictions about the winter saying that it is going to be a bad winter because it was a hot summer, and other people saying the oppisite. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...