Mexican Flair at Verde Cocina - Pearl District

I have now been to Verde Cocina twice, once for dinner and again for brunch. We were equally impressed and both visits we ordered the fresh guacamole and handmade corn tortillas. These are honestly the best corn tortillas ever...no joke. Soft, fresh and served warm. You think chips are addicting at mexican restaurants? Wait until you try these tortillas and then come talk to me.

Every day, they feature a handful of speciality menu items and we haven't been disappointed with the selections. For dinner, we went for the taco trio (see chalkboard photo below) and some delicious molé enchiladas. Our brunch excursion lead us to the chorizo breakfast tacos with a cabbage slaw and the ever popular, huevos rancheros. In case you were wondering, they both come with the fresh corn tortillas. 

Not only do they offer fresh food menu items but their libations are made with fresh juices and purees. For their weekend brunch, they offer $5 drinks including a housemade Bloody Mary/Maria. The mimosa of the day was the peach mimosa with fresh peach juice and the special margarita was made with strawberry purée.  Can't wait to see what they are offering next time! 

huevos rancheros 

This is a great spot for brunch, lunch or dinner and hopefully we can check out their other location off Capitol Hwy too! Enjoy!

Verde Cocina

524 NW 14th between Glisan & Hoyt

503.894.9321 

open seven days a week | daily happy hour 3 - 5:30pm

Yup...still, the best weekend ever.

The festivities continued.

First off, we pitched a tent in REI this weekend...so that was fun.

Friday was a great day for food, friends and a rooftop. Two of my friends hosted a potluck barbecue on their apartment's rooftop and it was a lovely evening for it. Kelsey featured a yummy barbecue chicken with homemade sauce and I loved the flavors! Check out the recipe on her blog.

a candid gem of the ladies on the rooftop

Saturday, we made our way over to the Oregon Brewers Festival. Yes...Saturday...at 4pm. This is quite possibly the worst time to go to a beer festival if you are actually trying to TASTE beers. It is hot, loud and busy with long lines. If you want to taste beers (1 token = taster, 4 tokens = a full beer), then I suggest visiting the festival on Wednesday, Thursday or early on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are crazy...good crazy, but a lot of people. Needless to say, I wasn't doing much tasting. If I am going to stand in line for 15 minutes, this girl is getting a full beer. This is what I was able to try:

Mt. Shasta Brewery's Skip And Go Naked - Strawberry Ginger Hefeweizen.
Burnside Brewing Co.'s Marionberry Berliner Weisse
Coalition Brewing Co.'s Wheat the People - American Wheat

I give a thumb's up to the Ginger Hefe (I love ginger) and the American Wheat. Burnside disappointed me with the Marionberry...you could hardly taste the berries!

Sunday was filled with more IPNC fun at the Passport to Pinot event. It was a beautiful summer day filled with food sampling and wine drinking. We had a blast! So many Pinots, so little time.

We were able to sample bites from Salt & Straw, PBJs, Crown Paella, Red Hills Market, Portland Penny Diner and so many more! Too many wineries to name, but you can check out the IPNC Web site for a full list.

Coquine Supper Club bites

love the concept - tapas catering by Crown Paella

a fantastic PDX band 

Needless to say, it was a fantastic weekend of eating and drinking. Now it is time to gear up for the next festival, Feast Portland! I said it before and I will say it again...I am not missing it this year.