Food Pic Friday ~ Nectarine And Blueberry Galette May 17, 2013

Food pic Friday: Random photos of food or drinks I make or put together at home because for some reason I can’t eat out all the time

I love frozen puff pastry!  The desserts are always beautiful and it looks like you’ve spent longer than you really did to put it all together.

Defrost the pastry according to directions (45 min on your counter) and get everything else in place while you wait: put parchment on your baking sheet, get your floured surface ready, get some butter ready for brushing over the pastry, get your tools out such as a rolling-pin, pizza cutter, pastry brush and prep your toppings.   This won’t take 45 min but I like to have things in place so I don’t have to open cabinets or drawers once I’m ready to assemble everything.

Heat oven to 400 degrees and start slicing up 2 nectarines and grab a handful of  blueberries and throw them in a bowl and stir in some turbinado sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon.  I don’t measure, just enough to coat.

I roll out the defrosted dough on a floured surface (rolling away from me twice before rotating it 1/4 turn so the one section isn’t over worked).  I repeat the 1/4 rotation and roll until my desired thickness is reached. I cut the edges and place them on the borders creating a “frame.”  Prick the bottom with a fork (don’t puncture the whole way through) and brush some melted butter on top and sprinkle some turbinado sugar.  I forego the egg wash because the butter does brown it nicely and gives it more flavor.  I layer the nectarines and once it’s assembled, I throw it back in the fridge to firm up for about 15 min.  Puff pastry doesn’t puff well when it gets too warm.  You can add sprinkles of butter over the nectarines but I usually skip that.

Bake it for about 20-25 min and once it’s out of the oven, brush it with some apricot jam that’s been mixed with a splash of water and microwaved for 15-20 seconds.  This will create a nice sheen on the top.

 

 

Oh My French Fry Part Four ~ Cassidy’s Pecorino Cheese And Rosemary Salt May 8, 2013

Pecorino Cheese and Rosemary Salt

The fourth installment with my search for great fries in Portland takes me to Cassidy’s Restaurant.  (Previous french fry posts featured The Observatory, Swift and Hawthorne Hop House).  I’ve only been here a handful of times but each time has been a good experience.  It’s conveniently located next to the Crystal Ballroom so eating there before a concert is convenient plus you can see how long the line is getting if you sit by the windows.  The place also accommodates large groups fairly quickly even on a busy Friday night when every other place in town can’t seat a party of 8.

Their delicious hand-cut fries are topped with grated smoked pecorino cheese and sprinkled with rosemary salt ($7).  Oh my gosh they are so good.   Even if you are not hungry you will eat a few of these if you like french fries.  I turned down sharing these fries with a friend until I smelled them and then proceeded to eat half of them anyways.

Website: http://cassidysrestaurant.com/

Address: 1331 SW Washington St. Portland Oregon

 

Oh My Poulet ~ Cocotte April 26, 2013

Hen. Honey. Dish. Chick. Harlot.

Those are just some of the translations of the word Cocotte. Brilliant right? I took the bf out for dinner there recently to celebrate his birthday and it was a wonderful experience.

Our server came by to take our drink order shortly after being seated in an intimate corner but nothing really stood out for me.  My favorite beverage, vodka, was not listed on any of their signature drinks so I needed some coaxing into trying something else. The server recommended the “Mère” ($9) made with Hendricks Gin, Dubonnet Rouge and Lemon (London Late 19th Century).  He had a nice bearded face that I could trust so my normal vodka drink was swapped out for gin and I actually liked it.

Mere

The bf ordered the “Biter” ($9) made with Beefeater Gin, Cheartruse Vert, Lemon Juice and Home Made Absinthe Bitters (London Early 20th Century).  That drink was like jet fuel.  Wow! Needless to say he got a buzz from the Biter.

Part of the reason I picked this place was the French inspired menu because the bf has never eaten escargot in his life so I had to change that and we both love foie gras so indulgence had to be repeated when given the opportunity.

I’ve had escargot a couple of times but it was never served like this! Their escargot ($9) was topped on house made brioche and garlic & leek pistou. The color took me by surprise as it is a bright green but it was fresh and very flavorful.

Escargot

We also ordered the sonoma county foie gras ($13) which is pan roasted with balsamic, house brioche, berry dressed fennel salad and almond butter.  There were so many flavors and textures going on that every bite was different yet the same, that being delicious.

Foie Gras

Both our appetizers were fantastic and we still had our main orders to look forward to. The bf ordered the pan-roasted lamb leg ($24) with ragoût of flageolet bean with boudin blanc & foie gras, meyer lemon purée, spring shoots & boquerones .  He polished the entire plate off so that says something right?

Lamb Leg

I decided to order the poulet en cocotte ($25) because I had to see what all the fuss was about after reading reviews stating this dish can sell out before the night was over. Their chicken is a half bird preparation of pan roasted breast, confit leg, farro risotto with seasonal produce, chicken demi-glace and a slow poached egg.  This dish is bomb!  The confit melts in your mouth and everything was cooked perfectly. The breast was still moist and we even noticed the pearl onions were still crisp yet cooked throughout.  I even ate the radishes on top and I don’t care for radishes.  Seriously ridiculous delicious.  I couldn’t finish it off so the small portion I had left was boxed up after the server and my bf suggested that I could make breakfast with it the next day.  I wasn’t sure that was possible but I took it anyways because I had to try and eat it the following day.  FYI, I made the best tasting omelet of it for Sunday brunch.

My only regret is not saving enough room for dessert.  Lucky for us that they gave us madeleines to go so you can enjoy it later.  Nice touch Cocotte!

I love this place. It’s cozy and charming with fantastic staff to help you along the way in deciding what to try.  The prices are reasonable for French food (dare I say cheaper than I thought) and the portions were ample.  There is nothing more I hate than to going out to eat, dropping good money yet walking out still hungry.  Trust me, it shouldn’t happen here!

Poulet en Cocotte

Website: http://cocottepdx.com/

Food Pic Friday ~ Healthy! Murgh Makhani aka Butter Chicken April 19, 2013

Food pic Friday: Random photos of food or drinks I make or put together at home because for some reason I can’t eat out all the time

Butter Chicken

I love love love Indian food! Here is a healthier version of murgh makhani (butter chicken) that I found online and let me tell you it is fiery and delicious! Bal’s no butter chicken recipe is found here: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bal-arneson/bals-no-butter-chicken.html

I did make a couple changes to the recipe after reading a few reviews. I didn’t use grape seed oil and used canola instead. I also added an extra tbsp of tomato paste and adding more “sauce” (water or broth mixed with yogurt). I whisked the hot water and yogurt (I used Greek) mixture along with a few pinches of garam masala for flavor but I don’t think I needed to do that because the flavors are intense. I blended the two ingredients before adding to the pan to prevent any curdling.

I did not change any of the spice amounts and I don’t think I would in the future when I make it again. It is spicy and I can take a lot of heat in my food but I was sweating a bit (which I like) so if you think a green pepper is spicy you should probably stay away from this recipe!

Happiest of Happy Hours ~ Brix Tavern April 8, 2013

Amante Picante with spicy Vodka

Brix Chips

My first time at Brix was fantastic!  Here are the highlights and good things to know…I apologize for the mediocre photos, I was too busy eating and drinking to focus

1. Monday is all day happy hour which is usually the day we need it most (3 pm to close)
2. Early happy hour is 3 pm to 6:30 pm  everyday
3. Late happy hour is 9:30 pm to 12 am Sunday through Thursday (no happy hour cocktails Fri and Sat night)
4. Martinis (with infused liquors and muddled goodness) is $4! Yes $4!!! That alone should get you in their door.
5. Brix chips ($6.95 during happy hour) is ridiculous and everyone should eat it at least once if they are there (verde roasted pork shoulder / baked cheddar / grilled tomato salsa / cilantro cream / tortilla chips)
6. The beer braised chicken wings are also great but I would pass on their calamari
7. If you like the ingredients in their martinis but not the liquor it’s paired with just substitute your favorite one! I had them use house infused chili pepper vodka in the martini that originally called for tequila. I had about 3 of those babies called the “amante picante” using pepper vodka, mixed with fresh cucumber and lemon.  I also tried the “zesty mango” and I sampled their cinnamon infused whiskey which I liked and I normally can’t say that about whiskey.
8. The bartenders rock! It can get busy but they were awesome and are super helpful if you have questions about the menu and drinks. They even let us try a sample of a couple martinis to help us decide our next pick. They may even let you order a few extra in advance before happy hour ends
9. When we closed out our bill for happy hour, we ate 4-5  food items and about 9 or 10 drinks and it was about $77. Give or take. I can’t remember exactly but I know we had a good time!

I’m not sure what else to say about this place.  I really liked it and I’ll definitely come back.  I’m especially curious to try   their weekend brunch menu which features bottomless mimosas for $9 and a variety of eggs benedicts which is my personal favorite.  Parking can always be a challenge in the Pearl but suck it up because it’s worth it in the end.

Zesty mango martini and the remains of the Brix chips

Dry chicken wings

Website: http://www.brixtavern.com/

Address: 1338 Nw Hoyt St.

Food Pic Friday ~ Hot Monkey Vodka March 29, 2013

Food pic Friday: Random photos of food or drinks I make or put together at home because for some reason I can’t eat out all the time

Oh, I loooove spicy vodka! I’ve done homemade infusions but sometimes I just can’t wait 5 days for it so this is when Hot Monkey enters the picture. Unfortunately, it’s a local distillery so it will be harder to find outside of Portland. There is 5 Southwestern-style chili peppers that make this seriously hot but also flavorful without being just a hot pepper flavor. It burns going down (but a good burn) with a mix so if you try it straight be prepared for a little pain and coughing. I did. Just take a tiny sip to minimize the surprise.

It is my favorite spicy vodka and the picture above is a mix of Hot Monkey and Ginger beer (not real beer) which has a kick as well so this drink packs a double punch. I also like Hot Monkey with Limeade (add muddled berries for something different).

Website: http://www.newdealdistillery.com/

McDonald’s Is Better Than Orenco Station Grill March 21, 2013

Gosh, I haven’t written a bad review like this one in a loooongg time.  In fact, the last restaurant I disliked this much closed down (Afrique) and is now a pub (Tavin’s). At some point, bad food coupled with bad service will catch up to you and if the owner’s don’t start reading customer reviews and realize there is an issue they deserve to lose money and eventually close their doors forever.

The night started out fine. We got seated right away and our server (Alysha) seemed nice enough and brought out water in a timely manner and said she would take our order shortly. We decided to try their scallop starter wrapped in bacon (4 medium scallops which calculated close to $2.75 a scallop). It arrived in a reasonable time and then things went downhill from there. Tables around us, some seated after us, were receiving their main courses before us. In fact, the couple beside us even paid and left before we even got our main courses but then again, they had a different server.  Let me add that we didn’t order anything too complicated or time-consuming to put together. I ordered a veggie burger (frozen patty) and my bf ordered the kobe beef burger and the fries that came with the meal were frozen too. It took over 45 min after we got our starter (and we placed the entire order at the same time) for our food to arrive. She knew our order was missing and told us she would check on the status but never came back to tell us how much longer. I’m sure she never put it in. She gave us no explanation at all. She kept walking back and forth to her other tables (still ignoring us) and each time she did, we got madder that she didn’t have the decency to tell us what the hell happened to our food. Our used starter plates and utensils sat at our table for over 30 minutes because she couldn’t bother taking the dirty dishes off our table which is just plain lazy.

When we finally got our meal, she offered no apology for it taking so long and still had no explanation either.  I guess we should have just been grateful to have received it at all. My burger was meh. I liked the bread but the frozen patty was a bit dry. They charged me an extra $1 for the cheese and $1 for sweet potato fry substitution which brought my meal to about $12. I should have gone to Little Big Burger and saved at least half of my money. The kobe beef was even more disappointing.  My bf stated it was dry inside and burned outside and that plate of food costs about $15-16. Their website doesn’t include the prices on their menu, a strategic measure I’m sure because there is a lot on their menu that is over priced for the quality they serve.

We wanted to get out of there so I had the restaurant.com coupon on my phone ready to scan along with a debit card so we didn’t have to wait another 10 minutes for her to come back to take our money.  What I hate most is she earned 18% whether she gave good service or not.

Don’t waste your time or money here. Read the reviews and you’ll notice 2 extremes.  You have a 50/50 chance of getting pissed off and wasting your money or being happy and claiming it’s the best meal you’ve ever had or the best place you’ve ever eaten (no seriously, people have written this sh$t). Now, when I read things like that, I can’t really take their opinion seriously because Portland is a foodie city and if Orenco Grill is the best experience you’ve had then I feel bad you haven’t done your stomach or wallet a favor. They deserve better and so does everyone walking through their door.

Here is a picture of the scallops.  I didn’t take a picture of our mains because we were hungry by then and a bit angry but trust me, it’s nothing to write home about.

Website: http://www.orencostationgrill.com/