Outdoor Dining in PDX

Today was probably the most beautiful day Portland has seen in 2012. We made it to 80 degrees with blue skies! Since the sunshine is out and is hopefully here to stay, I thought I would start the quest for outdoor dining in the Portland area. 

I found a Web site that is a great place to start - Portlandfoodanddrink.com. There is a post about outdoor dining in all the different neighborhoods of Portland. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Two of my favorite restaurants with outdoor dining spaces are Produce Row Cafe in SE and Cha Taqueria in NW. 

Tell me, where is your favorite place to eat outside in Portland? 

Trader Vic's returns to Portland

Welcome back Trader Vic's!

{via}

This was my first time visiting a Trader Vic's and I was too young to know the original Portland restaurant when it was in downtown. The new location is in the heart of Pearl District and has great curb appeal. When you walk in, you feel like you are in paradise on a tropical island. The decor is Polynesian with authentic masks, plants from the tropics, tribal carvings and bright colors.

We decided to visit Trader Vic's for their cocktails because they have an extensive list of exotic drinks, all with creative presentations. Each drink has a signature glass or bowl. Between the six of us, we tried the 1944 Mai Thai, Trader Vic's Passion Cocktail, Trader Vic's Stinker and some other delicious Pina Colada goodness. Let me tell you...the 1944 Mai Thai was strong! One was enough for me. All the drinks were made with different rums and/or gins making them equally delicious.

While we sipped our cocktails, we decided to try a couple starters. We went with two orders of the  "Cosmo Tidbits, The Original." This is a sampler of all their popular appetizers - BBQ spareribs, Crab Rangoon (their specialty), Crispy Prawns and sliced Char Sui Pork. I think the spare ribs were my favorite but then again, I usually always like spare ribs.

Overall, good atmosphere and our service was tiptop. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions...we looked to her for our drink recommendations. I think this will be a fun place to visit in the summer!

Trader Vic's Portland

1203 NW Glisan St.

Portland, OR 97209

503.467.2277

open daily for dinner

happy hour (weekdays) 3:00pm - 6:30pm & 10pm - close

Spring Beer & Wine Fest - April 6th & 7th

Just because it doesn't feel like spring in Portland, doesn't mean we still can't participate in spring events! Stay warm inside at the Convention Center for this year's Spring Beer & Wine Fest. Last year I attended this event and had a pretty good time. It felt a bit weird to be inside for a beer festival, but it certainly didn't change how everything tasted!

This year, I am not too crazy about the wineries (maybe I am spoiled because I work in wine country) but I am excited about the breweries. There seems to be a pretty good selection and a variety of brewers I haven't heard of.

Check out the pricing details for more information. Free admission for the first 1000 people each day!

April 6th & 7th 2012

12:00pm to 11:00pm 

Oregon Convention Center

777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd

Portland, Oregon 

See you there! 

Brown baggin' it at Brix Tavern

This weekend was my third visit to Brix Tavern in Portland's Pearl District and yes, I do recommend it! It is a great spot for happy hour and perfect for a casual date.  The atmosphere is fun and upbeat, with live music. It is usually a one man show, but sometimes small bands play too. There are dart boards, a pool table and a foosball table in the back half of the restaurant There are a few televisions, but nothing obnoxious and it is not the focal point of the restaurant.

brown bag brew

One thing that makes this spot unique is their bartender's brown bag beer choice. You can order a beer for three bucks and the bartender will bring over a beer in a brown bag and surprise, you get what you get! It is a pretty fun conversation piece at the table. The guys love it. 

Their dinner menu is extensive with a lot of selections. So far, I have played it safe with the margarita pizza and cheeseburger from the happy hour menu, but there are several other tasty selections. Next time, I will go for the Brix Chips or the Caramelized Butternut Squash & Pancetta pizza. Take a look at their menu online to find your favorite.

But, I need to be upfront and tell you the REAL reason I love Brix Taverm. Take a look at the menu and the house cocktails and you will find one ingredient I am very partial to. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know right away that it is sweet basil. The lemon basil martini is made to perfection and I can't wait to eat my way through the rest of the basil-inspired menu.

Brix Tavern

1338 NW Hoyt Street

Portland, Oregon

503.943.5995

open seven days a week

hours

Brown Butter Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Chicken. That was my inspiration for tonight's meal. I had two chicken breasts that I needed to use but I was lazy and tired and definitely not into trying a new recipe. But, I was determined. Eventually, I discovered a new food blog called How Sweet It Is and this recipe was on her home page - brown butter parmesan chicken linguine. YUM.

I have never made brown butter before, so that was what first intrigued me (yes, I know...who hasn't made brown butter?). I jumped up off the couch and instantly started pulling out ingredients. The only thing I lacked was the mushrooms and dry wine, but I improvised and it turned out pretty darn good. 

Making brown butter was a success! I just loved how Jessica from How Sweet It Is wrote this post because she made me so excited about something as simple as brown butter. Reading her post made me want to find as many dishes as I can with brown butter! :) 

Here was the photo that inspired me to make this dish: 

brown butter via How Sweet It Is

A quick look at the ingredients:

1.5-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (preferably noodles)

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for topping

fresh chopped parsley for topping

Check out her blog for other delicious recipes! 

Black Beans & Rice with Apple Salsa

I found another delicious recipe that I had to try, and guess what? It was actually a healthy one! This recipe is from Our Best Bites blog and is sort of a latin dish, Black Beans & Rice with Apple Salsa. I was drawn to this recipe because I wanted to try the apple salsa and it was so easy. I will definitely be making this again.

This dish calls for chicken and you can prepare it anyway you would like. Grilling chicken on the barbecue would be tasty and I want to try this next time, but I was in a rush, so I went for the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  

If you read Sara's original post, she recommended adding less broth and I couldn't agree more. I ended up probably adding about 10 ounces instead of the full 13.5 ounce can - you can decide though.

See below for the ingredients and check out the recipe from Our Best Bites:

Black Beans and Rice with Chicken and Apple Salsa
Adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2012 

Feel free to play around with the quantities in this recipe, like I did.  You can add more onion to the salsa, or increase seasonings in the beans.  Taste as you go and make it your own!

1 cup chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion, divided
2 limes
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 13.5 ounce can chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 rotisserie chicken, or 4 grilled chicken breasts
4-6 lime wedges

Bottle vs. Box - David Hill Winery

Generally, when I hear "boxed wine", I think of college parties, Franzia and my grandparents.  But, David Hill Winery is changing the way Willamette Valley wines are contained. This weekend my family and I tried their Farmhouse Red, both from the box and from the bottle. To my surprise, no one could really tell the difference. Some people argued the color was slightly different but no one could identify which was which.

bottle vs. box

Though I am not going to rush to replace all my wine bottles with boxes, this is still pretty neat. The box wine is tasty, sustainable, easy to travel with and holds four bottles of wine. In fact, it is cheaper too. 

If you decant this wine...I bet you can trick your family and friends. They might never know the difference. Give it a try!

David Hill Winery

46350 NW David Hill Rd

Forest Grove, OR 97116

503.992.8545