Tag: Stumptown

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.

Restaurant Review: The Sugar Cube

November 8, 2013February 5, 2017

Not too long ago, The Sugar Cube was a little pink and brown cart, sitting outside Lardo’s eastside location. It was good, but you couldn’t do too much in the space of that cart. It was smaller than most that you see around Portland, and I certainly can’t imagine trying to frost a cake in there.

Now, The Sugar Cube has taken over a small, bright space on NE Alberta. (Warning: my grainy, dark iPhone pictures don’t quite do it justice.) There aren’t a lot of seats, but it seems to be enough, and coming here on a weekday morning to meet a friend for coffee and pastries, when it’s relatively quiet, makes you feel like you’re in on a very delicious secret. I was more than excited when my friend Elaine suggested it for coffee and pastries.

The Sugar Cube // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

The best part of their new shop is that the kitchen is twice the size of the front room, meaning pastry master Kir Johnson now has the space to make sugar sing. And boy, does it hit some high notes. I was there for breakfast, so I didn’t get any chocolatey or dessert-y treats, but I did indulge in the spiced buttermilk cornbread.

More like a slice of spice cake, but with the perfect notes of cornbread, it was doused with a unique salty molasses butter, which balanced out the sweetness perfectly with some more spice and salt. Elaine had the savory strata with mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, and both goat and cheddar cheese. Delectable. And of course I brought Jonah home a couple of jammers – one was oat filled with strawberry rhubarb jam, and the other was poppyseed filled with a lemon curd.

Next time, I’m going for the sweets no matter what time of day it is. The ultimate brownies with olive oil and sea salt look too good to pass up.

Weekend Finds 9:29:13

September 29, 2013February 5, 2017

Well, it has been officially windy and rainy in Portland this week (downing trees and outing power and everything!), so the time has come to hunker down, put on those shawl collar sweaters, and bring some of these weekend finds to life.

1. How to Make a Good Crockpot Meal

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Crockpot tips from Bon Appetit

First and perhaps most importantly, let’s revisit slow cookers as it gets colder. I never know which recipes on the internet to trust, but one resource I always listen to is Bon Appetit. This is a great little reminder of the do’s and don’t’s of crockpotting.

2. Pumpkin Time!

Portland is certainly getting into the fall swing of things, as many bakeries are featuring pumpkin on their menus. This article from Portland Monthly tells you who’s falling for what fall treats. Pumpkin streusel muffins, pumpkin caramal ricotta tart, pumpkin cupcakes with molasses butter cream… how can I decide? It’s also inspiring me to revisit some of my favorite pumpkin recipes…

3. Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ok, admittedly, all of these breads from A Subtle Revelry look beautiful, but the cinnamon raisin loaf really stood out to me. I grew up eating cinnamon raisin bread, toasted, slathered with cream cheese. I remember how good it would make the kitchen smell in the morning before I went to catch the bus to school. Imagine how heavenly the house would smell if you made a whole loaf. From scratch.

4. Leif

This online shop has some beautiful tabletop items. I’m particularly into the dip dye place mats, the dipped mini bowls, and the agate platters, which would make for an AMAZING cheese spread, and you know it.

5. Buttermilk Bacon Grease Cornbread

I can’t even. This buttermilk bacon grease cornbread from Local Milk sounds so effing good, I have a feeling that once I make it I’ll hide it from everyone else and eat the whole dish, still warm, slathered in butter and honey. Ok, maybe not, but I’d like to do that. There’s another variation for Coconut cornbread in her post that also sounds scrumptious.

Restaurant Review: Blend Coffee

August 30, 2013February 5, 2017

Blend Coffee // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

A couple of weeks ago, my former co-worker Elaine called me up and asked me if I’d like to have coffee with her at Blend Coffee, a spot in my neighborhood I hadn’t been to since moving up to NE Portland. Blend is a new client of hers (she is one of the masterminds behind KEEL Creative), and had done a little revamping after a new owner came in with a new vision for the space.

I had been to Blend a couple years before, and the previous owners had kept the space pretty simple. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it (and actually wrote a Yelp review saying so) – the big windows lent lots of light, there were lots of tables, and it was just really peaceful there.

There has certainly been a redesign since I was last there. The space has a much more designed vibe, with concrete floors, soothing slate grey walls, and some really beautiful wood tables. The art is really neat and modern (not sure if it’ll be rotating or not), and it looks as though there is a fireplace coming soon to the front room. The flowers and prints of the chairs and pillows brought a really chic vibe, and kept the space from feeling cold.

Elaine and I were there for about an hour, talking in hushed voices, because it was definitely a hub for worker bees – lots of people on their laptops, plugging away. When I mentioned to Elaine that it seemed like a great place to work (I love places with big windows and lots of natural light – it counteracts the artificial light from my computer), she noted that the new owner had outlets put in all over the place, making it more friendly for low-running batteries. Huge bonus.

She also informed me that at some point (I’m hoping in the near future), the owner is thinking of using the back room, which is a little longer, for an event space. I cannot even tell you how great of an idea this is! The vibe of this place would certainly lend itself to a dinner club or office party. I can even see it with a long table down the middle for a small rehearsal dinner. The possibilities are endless, and I really hope the new owner opens it up to the public like that. Who knows, maybe a food blogger or two could use it for some events…

Let’s not forget the coffee! They served me a great latte (Stumptown, of course), with some very impressive foam. I am a lover of a delicious, thick foam – it’s the sign of someone who knows what they’re doing behind the espresso machine. It also looked like they had a nice little pastry and bagel selection.

Overall, the sense I get from the new Blend Coffee is hip, chic, and contemporary – a cool space to grab a great cup of coffee and snack while you sit back and enjoy the beautiful new space.