Tag: Wine

Restaurant review: Remedy Wine Bar

December 2, 2013February 7, 2017

Remedy Wine Bar // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

And we’re back! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. Mine was filled with family and (of course) a huge amount of delicious food. Just what Thanksgiving is supposed to be. Now it’s time to get back to blogging!

A few weeks ago I was invited to a blogger event at Remedy Wine Bar, a lovely little spot in NW Portland. First of all, let me just say, is there anything that can be bad about good wine, good food, and good company? No, no there is not. But this spot definitely has something about it. Located on the north Park Blocks, the wine bar is chic and modern, but still cozy, with big windows overlooking the park. The building used to be an old pharmacy (that’s where the name comes from), and it definitely feels like a piece of old Portland, updated to meld with the ever hip Pearl. I can perfectly picture coming here for a glass of wine during First Thursday.

It was a Tuesday night, which is flight night at Remedy – each week they feature 2 different flights of 3 wines each on a different theme. The week I went, it was might Malbecs. Among the bloggers, there were definitely those that knew their wines. I was not one of them. As far as wine goes, I get my motto from a professor of mine and her husband: “If you don’t like it, don’t drink it.” I can never remember which wines are supposed to taste like what, and I can’t tell a fancy bottle from a cheap one. So when I like a wine, I drink it; When I really like a wine, I’ll maybe write down the name or snap a picture of the label.

The folks at Remedy were right there to help us learn about the wines as well as to talk with us about what we were tasting. Josh, who brought us our wine, even got out a big old book to show us maps of the regions our wine was from. Manager Dan Beekley and owner Michael Madigan were incredibly friendly, talking to us about their vision for the wine bar, what they love, what they do. They seem to have an incredible knowledge of wine, and it shows on their menu. Everything we tasted was delicious, and I can’t wait to go back to try more. It was just an all around incredible evening.

In addition to some fantastic wine (my favorite that we tried was the Bodegas Azul Reserva 2009, which you can find on their regular wine by the glass menu), we also got to sample some delicious bites by chef Ingrid Chen. The obvious group favorites were the cheesy bits – like a cheez-it but for grown ups, dusted in blue cheese powder from Rogue Creamery – and the tarte flambe with delicata squash, bacon lardons, and caramelized onions. We also enjoyed the white bean dip (one of the creamiest versions I’ve ever had), the warm olives, some marcona almonds, and a cheese plate and charcuterie plate.

If you’re in the neighborhood, looking for a soothing, beautiful spot to enjoy a glass of wine with some delicious snacks, this is most definitely the place to do it.

Weekend Finds 11:10:13

November 10, 2013February 5, 2017

Weekend finds this week are all over the place. But you know what? So am I. I finished up my birthday celebrations this week, had a wonderful time at a blogger event (post coming soon), and have been trying to get used to just living at home for a while without jetting off some place every week. So maybe I’m not all over the place, but right where I’m supposed to be.

1. Oyster Shell Salt Cellars

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Gold leaf painted oyster shell salt cellars. Photo credit: Design Sponge

I know the DIY for these gold painter oyster shells says “WEDDING” on it, but please. These would be so gorgeous on any table, whether it be for Thanksgiving or just your everyday dinner. Now I just have to find oyster shells…

2. Tips from Isa Chandra Moskowitz

These are some great tips from vegan chef Isa Moskowitz. My favorite? Master 5 recipes – memorize, know them backwards and forwards, and then you can start to riff and improvise.

3. Cardamaro

A wine based amaro, huh? The name tricked me into thinking it had something to do with cardamom. And it doesn’t. But that’s ok. I like wine and I like amaro, so I think I’d like to give this liqueur a shot.

4. Ox Restaurant, PDX

Jonah took me to Ox for my birthday this week. While the wait was an hour (!), we enjoyed oysters and cocktails next door at Whey Bar while we waited. And when we did finally sit down, the staff (Elaina and Adam in particular) were so welcoming and fun, the food was impeccable (I recommend getting the carrots and the Uruguayan grass-fed ribeye), and the atmosphere was so warm. What a lovely way to celebrate.

5. Eggs poached in white wine from 101 cookbooks

I’m relatively new to the egg poaching game. I’ve done it successfully a few times, but I still don’t think to do it that often. Still, I wonder why I never thought to poach eggs in liquid other than water. This recipe for eggs poached in white wine looks lovely, and her suggestion to use it to top a winter root vegetable gratin sounds heavenly.

6. Chicken stock from Smitten Kitchen

I’ll admit, I’m planning on making this easy chicken stock tonight. We’ve had a cold going around our house (Jonah has gotten it, so I know it’s only a matter of time) and I can’t imagine how nice it’ll be to have this waiting for me in the fridge/freezer when I inevitably get a sore throat and the sniffles.

Weekend Finds 11:3:13

November 3, 2013February 5, 2017

Phew! We just got back yesterday from a relaxing, sun-soaked week in Mexico. We were there celebrating my birthday and my sister’s birthday with my mom and her boyfriend. It was so much fun, and there were food adventures to be had! Post coming soon about that.

This Weekend Finds is starting to lean towards the holiday season. I don’t know if you know, but this year Thanksgiving falls on the second night of Channukah, for the first time ever, and the only time for the next 75,000 years. My family, being a little eccentric, is going full steam ahead for “Thanksgivukkah,” so the holiday has been on the brain lately. Here are some things we’re thinking of:

1. Rosemary Wreath Place Cards

I’m super into these mini wreaths, made of rosemary, so you know they’ll smell delicious. Head over to Spoon Fork Bacon for the (not that hard) tutorial!

2. Butternut Squash Latkes

My mom wanted to make traditional latkes and put cranberry sauce on top (which, I guess, is still a possibility), but I always like making new latke variations. This seems like the perfect year to try these butternut squash and sage latkes.

3. Squash Soup with a twist

Moving away from the holiday theme, this soup from Molly Wizenberg over at Orangette looks wonderful. I love squash soup, but I love even more that this one has some unusual ingredients for a squash soup: fish sauce and sriracha anyone? I can’t wait to try making it.

4. Drinking with your eyes

This is an entertaining article about the design of wine labels. Not that it helps terribly much – I still probably won’t know what to pick up when I go to the store – but it’s interesting to learn about what all goes into the design, and the tools label designers use.

5. Cocktails in a slowcooker

This idea to put your mulled wine or spiced cider in a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove is brilliant. Having a bunch of people (who’ve been drinking) gathered around the stove where there is fire has always made me nervous, and this seems like a great alternative, and a way to get people out of the kitchen and into other rooms.

Risotto with Fava Beans and Corn

July 29, 2013February 5, 2017

Wowee! What a whirlwind it has been lately. A few weeks ago, Jonah and I were in Chicago for the 4th of July holiday, and it seems like from there, things got crazy. The night we left for Chicago, we applied to rent a house, and the night we got back we found out we got it! We are now living in NE Portland, within walking distance to Porque No?, Tasty n’ Sons, and countless other places. Mississippi and Alberta neighborhoods are a stone’s throw away, and I’m discovering a part of the city of which I had only scratched the surface. It’s pretty sweet. Be on the lookout for reviews of some spots in our new hood.

It has been a while since I gave you guys a recipe. This is one I made a while back, but it is just as perfect for right now. This past weekend, we went out to Sauvie Island to go berry picking – we have blueberries coming out of our ears! As well as raspberries, peaches, and a few ears of corn. The corn reminded me that I STILL hadn’t posted this risotto recipe! I’ve discovered that risotto is such an easy meal to make and you can really throw in anything you have around. Saffron? Sure. Squash? Yup. Mushrooms? Why not. But this was a great spring & summer risotto with fava beans and fresh corn.

Risotto with Fava Beans and Corn

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of fava beans, shelled and shelled again (to learn more about shelling favas, go here)
2-3 ears of sweet corn, the kernels cut from the cob
~4 cups of chicken broth (can easily be replaced with vegetable broth to be made a vegetarian dish)
1/2 cup white wine (Alice Waters told me (in her book) that if you don’t have any white wine, you can also use a light beer – I didn’t have any wine or nice beer around, so I used PBR… it worked just fine)
2 Tbl olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low.

In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook them until the onions are soft but not browned, about three minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir to coat it in olive oil. Add the wine (or in my case, beer, because I’m classy like that) and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated, stirring constantly.

Now add the broth, one cup at a time (or one ladle full at a time). Stir the rice frequently after each addition, and only add more broth when the previous broth has been absorbed. When you have added half the broth (after about 15 minutes), add the fava beans and corn. Continue adding broth and letting the rice cook and absorb, until the rice is tender but still has some bite to it. You may not need all of the broth. When the texture seems good to you, add about 1/4 cup of broth, remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!