New Year, Back to Work, Back to Portland; Aviary, Beaker & Flask, Sizzle Pie, Country Cat

2012 has arrived, my long Holiday vacation is over and I must work again.  After a couple days in Chicago to kick off the years plans, I’m back in Portland to stuff food products into my face. 

The visit begins with an invitation to have a home cooked meal  made for me by the WillisSchwab’s.  Check this out… if you don’t have enough space in your tiny kitchen for all kinds of cooking toys, then make more kitchen!  Dinners ready and its time for some cous cous, snapper, and a tapenade-ey sort of salsa topping made of green olives, shallots, garlic, tomato, capers, almonds, parsley, and preserved lemon.  Cheesy crostini tops it all off, Thanks doods!

Now I’m off to Beaker and Flask.  After becoming friends with Chef Ben Bettinger, I was aware that the staff were just returning from their company retreat.  If you have ever worked in a restaurant that has a company retreat, you would know how it feels to come back to work.  The staff was on the top of their game…   We started off with the special sandwich, I mean side of veg, I mean… I dunno where the hell the damn dish fits into a menu, but its good.   Its their evening special of soft scrambled egg with grana padano broth, crostini, and just a bit ‘o truffles.  Next we had the Fried Chicken Livers with Radicchio Salad, Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted Squash.  Mmmmmm, Thymus Gland!  On to the Rabbit Roulade with Blood Sausage and a crepe filled with chantrelles.   Thanks Beaker Gang, now go take a nap!

If for some reason you need some pizza really late at night, you can hit up Sizzle Pie, the new spot just appeared right on Burnside.  Be prepared for some freaking ROCK music while you wait for your pie.  “So you want some PIZZA???  You want your pizza with ROOOOOCCKK???”   

  After a fire shut the doors of Aviary, they have re-opened with an addition of a bar, and again sporting reclaimed wood and other decorative stuffs from the church that used to reside here.  The menu is basically no-holds barred small plates and run by 3 co-chefs who’s focus is to use local, seasonal, and exciting combinations.  We ordered greater than or equal to 85% of their menu.  (I must apologize for not using some pictures, and the quality of some that are used because the photographer sucked at taking pictures=me)  Our meal started with Kushi Oysters with a spicy horseradish ice.  Next our table was covered with a ridiculously delicious Fried Chicken Skin Salad with Watermelon, Oxtail Croquettes, and a bowl of spiced Duck Leg in Broth with a slow poached egg.  I would like to bathe in this bowl.  Continue to stuff face with extremely tender Octopus Salad with Chickpea Fries.  Oh my Gatos, this Pig Ear dish with coconut rice was SOOOOOO good!!  Hidden under the salad, I was surprised by the Chinese sausage, Lap Cheong, which I grew up eating in my family’s fried rice in Hawaii.  Then a beautifully braised Short-rib, with Farro, pickles, and pomegranate melts into my belly.  Lastly, the Four Cup Chicken, which is apparently, chicken cooked in equal parts/one cup of each: soy, sesame oil, some sort of Asian wine, and something else that tastes good.  We didn’t leave any food on any plates.

We have wanted to return to Country Cat to get our serious pig eating on and we finally are on our way.    Let’s kick this meal off with a pile of crispy pig ears, piled atop a wedge of fried scrapple.  These delicious little nuggets of piggy-listeners were so crunchy on the outside, and gelatinously tender on the inside, all on top of fried pig face-meat.  We ate them.  The Whole Hog is a plate of a massive Pork Chop, a slice of pancetta style rolled pork belly, pulled pork shoulder, head cheese, and I think I’m missing a piece of pork, but you get the picture.  Country Cat Fried Chicken, fried in Pork Tallow is goldenly delicious.  We also had a large side of Grits topped with a pool of butter, and a side of greens.  We ate it all.  Chef Adam Sappington hooked us up with a trio of desserts and cookies!  Thanks Adam!

Fun Stuff Portland!  Im going home!



One Week of PDXcess, One Bazillion Calories

I spent a week with the team members of PDXcess in Portland, and what has been declared as “our all time career high score”.  It may not be possible to reach the levels of excessive indulgence that was obtained.  I would again like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Schmawtelle for signing the permission slips for Schmank to come out and play all week.

We start it all off with some chicky livers from Jo Bar  Suddenly im craving a dose of Allegra.  What a great time, my first meeting with SamAwesome!  After meeting the rest of the Schmawtelle gang our first evening dinner will end up being where the PDXcess team all began… Little Bird Bistro   The Charcuterie plate has a small ramekin of foie gras brulee on it that is insanely yummers, so we order 7 of the little tubs of heaven  I cant remember what all the things were we ordered, but it included, pork fried poached eggs gnocchi trout gougeres, Mushrooms and a cauliflower crepe.  We were successful in devouring it all  BTW, do not take tubs of foie gras brulee away from us, you WILL be spoken to in a VERY stern voice.  No Shushing occurred in the filming of this documentary.  Dinner was followed by an amazing performance of Prince and Snoop dogg karaoke, and buying all the bottles of bubbly in the bar.  Bubbly WAS poured on heads in the filming of this documentary.  Inebriation prevented photography of the late night hotdogs slathered in mayonnaise and hot sauce.  I woke up wondering why my t-shirt smelled so mysterious.

To begin the day 2 adventure, we contemplate eating destination over a wonderful “Fritz Fengers Bola” of bourbon punch at Teardrop Lounge 

And Foie Torchon How can we resist?  The punch is ridiculously amazing.  When its gone, so is sobriety.  It has been decided that we go to one of the few restaurants that has food for our belly in the later hours of Monday Nights in Portland, Clyde Common 

Its not often that a veggie plate peaks my interest, but these September Vegetables are all over it  Happy time comes in the form of a bowl of West Side Squid Ink Fideos  Lamb on a stick   Pappardelle Ragu Pork Belly!

Wash down with some French Loveliness. "Hey, would you mind taking a picture of that bottle of wine?"

We opt for no dessert at CC, but walk down a block and proceed to devour 50 or so oysters!  Being Team PDXcess, the night ends by being welcomed into Teardrop for a private dancing, I mean, “Schmancing” session.   Chopsticks were used for new functions and fruits were eaten without permission

Day 3, am I still alive?  It seems so, so we begin the evening with that irresistible bowl of punch at Teardrop. Metrovino  has been on the list for a bit, and its about to get crossed off.  Squash Puree Soup Amuse Bouche arrives  First course is considered a salad!  I lOVE SALAD, especially when its composed of fried quail and watermelon!  Next comes a perfect Maillard-ed halibut with creamed corn, grilled bacon wrapped figs, and a pile of shaved truffle  Duck Confit is MANDATORY!  then comes a cheese dish, Cremeux de Bourgogne with candied and fresh cherries and truffle salted pistachios.  It can be summed up as “Pornographic”

Need Brunch?  Tasty n Son’s  has got some bacon wrapped dates Burmese Pork Stew  John’s Breakfast  Shakshuka

The Saga Continues…

After a disappointing show of a food fest at the Mobile Food Rodeo in Seattle, all of a sudden im at “Indulge” at the Jupiter Hotel in PDX.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  40 bucks got me desserts local wineries  local distilleries and food from food carts, and some of the top known restaurants in the area.  Raclette being melted and scraped onto toasts by Cheese Bar  Sausages and Charcuterie from Olympic Provisions   Peaches and Prosciutto by Laurelhurst Market    Adam Berger from Tabla Bistro hooks us up with some pressed tuna  Oooh look, green balls of cucumber juice!  Pork Loin and Dirty Rice from Screen Door    Over in Food Cart Land, we devoured some Fried Pies Meatball Sliders Tamales and Bahn Mi  

Daniel Mondok and Michael Garofola with Genoa   had a chiccharon with duck confit!  NOMNOM  Why yes please, I do believe I would like a shot

Team PDXcess does next what only seemed right.  Team Meeting over 3 course meal.  First course was Foie gras with duck fat fried croutons and strawberry schmauce.  Sorry folks, "the foie gras is gone, it disappeared."  Some dumbass set it on fire along with the rest of the building.  Seared Halibut with papardelle and buerre blanc garnished with face meat   Followed by Schmank’s 72 hour sous vide shortribswith duck fat fried potatoes and chantrelle cream schmauce. 

I hope one day we can beat our high score.  But for now, a period of sobriety and fasting is required.  See you Next Monday

PDXcess Meets again

After a long trip Cooking in Manteca…

Our group of excessive eaters and drinkers meets again in Portland.  The adventure starts with a meeting of pink tequila, manhattans, and a beautiful confit leg of duck on the Nel Centro Patio 

Before dinner, we stop off at a place we like to go occasionally… or maybe like every day.  Teardrop Lounge serves me up a 23 Skidoo.  The first of MANY, “see!”

Dinner must be eaten.  After a short walk through the darker streets of Portland, we arrive at Olympic Provisions.  

We filled out mouth holes with some Boquerones with Pickeled Eggs Green Bean Salad with Warm Goat Cheese, Hazelnuts, and Cherries Creamy polenta that had blistered tomatoes, a fried egg, and a crap-ton of grated parmesan… not to mention a parmesan broth!  This Chorizo sausage with clams was also dipped in our wonderful polenta.  The cooks hooked us up with a nice slice of Fourme d’ Ambert to end the meal. 

The next day, we contemplated the idea of a colonic. 

Time for drinks!  We begin at North 45 for some manhattans! 

And off to dindin at PokPok. 

 But before we can sit at PokPok, we must sit at Whiskey Soda Lounge.  2 Orders of wings please…

We get sat quickly at PokPok, 2 Orders of wings please…

Then munch the rest of our spread and feed the food babies.

Teardrop, “23 skidoo please… and make it snappy, see”.  My face hurts from laughing

Another day to eat Portland…  We embark on our next adventure with some nummers mussels with pancetta at North 45  Then Teardrop for more skidoo’s and charcuterie and foie. 

Unfortunately, the food gods were not on our side that evening and we ended up with a disappointing food experience.  Gallons of pineapple juice and evil island statues left tummys hurting for days.  Anyway, lets go back to the teardrop and see if they have any cool drinks.

I must leave before my internal organs stop working with me.  But before I do, patio dining seems mandatory. 

I miss Portland



Portland Grubbin; Firehouse and Biwa

I was in Portland for a quick little trip. 

Meet up with the Willischwab’s for a quick couple brews and a pretzel at, you know where...

Then a walk to their neighborhood eatery, Firehouse.  

For somewhere so close to their house, I wonder why we haven’t eaten there more often.  Some roasted cauliflower, and Fried Dough!  The menu description was “Stuffed Fried Dough”.  We didn’t even care or ask what the dough was stuffed with, we just ordered them.   If we didn’t eat so much food already, we would have ordered them again for dessert.  They are freaking awesome!  (and they are stuffed with a meaty tomato filling that packs a surprising punch of heat)  Roasted Mussels with one of my favorite things in the world… a cup of melted butter.  Then on to a perfectly balanced Halibut dish with a Pea Vine and Asparagus Salad, complete with fried croutons.  How about  a tasty dish of hanger steak, arugula, and crispy taters?  They utilize a wood fired oven so how could we turn down a margarita pizza?

Biwa has been on my list for some time now but it seems there was always another place that gets the pick.  Finally I get to go eat some Izakaya style.  We start off by wiping off our hands with some hot towels, and jump right in to some amazing Hamachi and seaweed.  Kara Age, frid chicken?  You know I cant turn it down.  Ramen with 2 porks and a soy cured egg for shizz.  For dessert, a beautiful skewer of pork belly. 

Food Makes Me Happy…..

“Oh Wait” theres more! Day 2 of Eating in Excess in Portland OR; Pope House Bourbon Lounge, Paley’s Place, North 45 Pub, and Silver Dollar Pizza Company

As work concludes on Tuesday evening, we are all in the mood for beverages of the Bourbon variety.  What better place is there that Pope House Bourbon Lounge. So our secret society of Professional Indulgers find ourselves soaking up the NW sun on the front porch of PHBL, with cold bourbon Beverages.  And Deviled Eggs of course.

After some liver lubrication, we decide to keep the week rolling in a fashion of incredible food (after an amazing meal at Little Bird the previous night).  We enter Paley’s Place and inform the host that we are “a more enthusiastic group”.  Which followed by us being seated in our own private room.  This is the ooey, gooey sight that greets us at the door, a sign of yumminess to come.  As soon as we are seated, ooohhh more cheeseburger shaped delicious bites!  Here comes the food!!!  Pork Belly with Sweetbreads  Bone Marrow with Escargot do you see that sauce?  We are definitely going to need more bread.  Rillettes please!  Upon eating these rabbit raviolis, I decided I will be inventing a mobile fanny pack type pouch that holds food hot so you can take a bite of warm nommnomms whenever you want… just to carry around Vitaly’s Rabbit Raviolis!  Pork Shoulder with White Beans of Giant Proportions.  Now again, we are savory people, not sweet, so for dessert, we get oooey gooey cheeses of different animal sources.  Chef provides us with a delicious palate cleanser of Strawberry Sorbet.  This stuff was so good, that after our audible declarations of deliciousness, the server arrived with another serving for each of us.  Merci!  They even gave us our privacy when we closed the curtain to our private room as I demonstrated to the group, the secret salt and pepper dance.  

After dinner we had a couple drinks at North 45 Pub, quite dark, no pics.  Seeking a more lively environment, we headed to Silver Dollar Pizza Co.  As soon as we walked in, the music came on, people stopped yawning, many drinks were poured, dance lessons resumed, punching bag records were broken, and flying ninja kicks ensued….

Wake up, head hurts, shoulder is bleeding, go work, nobody’s roommates died in the making of this movie….

More to come on Day3