Tag: andina

Travel Eats: Portland’s Andina, Cabezon, Gravy & other best bites

Post author By Hillary Weller
Post date March 11, 2013
2 Comments on Travel Eats: Portland’s Andina, Cabezon, Gravy & other best bites

This is part of a series of posts about my vacation to Portland, Oregon, in late February 2013.

This post is a bit of a catch-all, to cover the rest of the great food that didn’t fit into any of the other posts. We knew we had to experience a few food carts, which are a big part of Portland’s dining culture, and got to try an Indian naan wrap, a savory gourmet waffle, British chips with curry sauce, and Nong’s khao man gai, the simple Thai dish that came up in our research again and again. And the latter lived up to expectations: humble poached chicken, rice, and sauce, prepared with enough love and meticulous care to turn into something extraordinary. Happy hour and fresh seafood were two other must-dos; those endeavors resulted in boldly delicious Peruvian food and the best cioppino I’ve ever had, respectively. An incredibly decadent bread pudding was a pleasant surprise with our beer flight one evening – it helped that my favorite desserts include caramel, chocolate, or coffee flavors, and this one nailed all three. We also took the suggestion of my beautiful and talented friend by indulging in a biscuit swimming in staggeringly umami-rich vegetarian gravy at Gravy, and also made a few meals out of their fantastic smoked salmon hash.

Mixta Nikkei causa with Yukon Gold potato, spicy tuna and crab salad, snd crispy breaded prawn, Andina — Mixta Nikkei causa with Yukon Gold potato, spicy tuna and crab salad, and crispy breaded prawn, Andina

Cioppino, Cabezon Restaurant & Fishmarket

Signature dish from Nong's Khao Man Gai food cart — Signature dish from Nong’s Khao Man Gai food cart

ABC waffle with arugula, bacon, camembert cheese, and fig jam, The Gaufre Gourmet food cart

Chips with curry sauce, The Frying Scotsman food cart

Caramel mocha bread pudding, Deschutes Brewery

The details: Andina, 1314 NW Gilsan St.; Cabezon Restaurant & Fishmarket, 5200 NE Sacramento St.; The Gaufre Gourmet, SW 9th and Alder; Nong’s Khao Man Gai, SW 10th and Alder; The Frying Scotsman, SW 9th and Alder; Taste of India, 950 SW Washington Ave.; Deschutes Brewery, 210 NW 11th Ave.; Gravy, 3957 N Mississippi Ave.

Tags andina, biscuits and gravy, bread pudding, causa, cioppino, curry chips, deschutes, gourmet waffle, gravy, khao man gai, nong's khao man gai, pdx, portland, portland food, portland food carts, smoked salmon hash, taste of india, the frying scotsman, the gaufre gourmet

Travel Eats

Travel Eats: Portland beer, wine, and cocktails

Post author By Hillary Weller
Post date March 3, 2013
3 Comments on Travel Eats: Portland beer, wine, and cocktails

This is part of a series of posts about my vacation to Portland, Oregon, in late February 2013.

Cascade's Oblique B/W Coffee Stout, brewed with Oblique Coffee Roasters' Landauer blend — Cascade’s Oblique B/W Coffee Stout, brewed with Oblique Coffee Roasters’ Landauer blend

Consider this my official round-up of PDX libations. Before going any further, I have to tell you about the beer above, which was one of the very best, most memorable beers I’ve ever had. It was a special collaboration between Cascade Brewing and Oblique Coffee Roasters that we tried on our last night in Portland, and I loved it so much that it took several minutes for our waitress to finally convince me that taking a growler on the plane wasn’t the best idea (I settled for a bottle of Blueberry, my second favorite). It has the blonde color of a lager, but the body of a stout and the most intense, in-your-face coffee flavor that I’ve ever tasted in a beer. Addictive. Still wish I could have smuggled some back to Chicago…

We did tasting flights at three breweries (Widmer Brothers, Deschutes, and Cascade), and I was impressed by the variety and character of all three. Widmer Brothers is known for their Hefeweizen, and I also was taken by their Oatmeal Stout; at Deschutes, I liked the Black Butte Porter and Chainbreaker White IPA best, and fortunately those two are available here in Chicago. Wine-wise, we visited the SE Wine Collective to sample from four local wine producers who share the space. Oregon is known for its Pinot Noir, which I don’t drink often, so it was fun to explore new territory and settle on the 2010 Division “Un” to take home. Portland offered fantastic fruit-based cocktails as well, including an ultra-fresh, basil-enhanced pineapple mojito at Andina, and my first experience with pungent drinking vinegar in the apple gin rickey at Pok Pok.

Widmer Brothers Brewing flight: Hefeweizen, X-468, Raspberry Russian, Drop Top, X-291, and Oatmeal Stout

Deschutes Brewery flight: Chainbreaker, Black Butte, DB Hefeweizen, Bomb Squad, Old Pilgrim, and Pondhopper

Cascade Brewing Barrel House flight: Apricot, Noyaux, Blueberry, Raspberry, Bourbonic Plague, and more (not all pictured)

Ready for a five-wine tasting at SE Wine Collective

"Ricardo" (tequila, orange liqueur, ginger puree, pear puree, lime, cider reduction), H5O Bistro inside our hotel — “Ricardo” (tequila, orange liqueur, ginger puree, pear puree, lime, cider reduction), H5O Bistro inside Hotel Fifty, where we stayed

Apple gin rickey (Som apple drinking vinegar, gin, lemon, and soda), Pok Pok

Vela d’Oro (Flor de Caña 4 yr. rum, orange juice reduction, Galliano cream) — Vela d’Oro (Coffee, Flor de Caña 4 yr. rum, orange juice reduction, Galliano cream), Grüner

Pineapple mojito (pineapple amber rum shaken with fresh crushed pineapple, lime juice, basil and cane sugar), Andina

The details: Widmer Brothers Brewery & Gasthaus Pub , 929 N Russell St.; Deschutes Brewery, 210 NW 11th Ave.; Cascade Brewing Barrel House;, 939 SE Belmont St.; SE Wine Collective, 2425 SE 35th Pl.; H50, 50 SW Morrison St.; Pok Pok, 3226 SE Division St.; Grüner, 527 SW 12th Ave.; Andina, 1314 NW Gilsan St.

Tags andina, beer flights, cascade brewing, coffee beer, craft beer, deschutes brewery, drinking vinegar, h5o, oblique b/w coffee stout, pdx, pineapple mojito, pok pok, portland, portland beer, SE wine collective, widmer brothers brewing

Travel Eats

Travel Eats: Portland by the numbers & photo recap

Post author By Hillary Weller
Post date February 27, 2013
3 Comments on Travel Eats: Portland by the numbers & photo recap

This is part of a series of posts about my vacation to Portland, Oregon, in late February 2013. Jump to all posts.

Beer flights and bread pudding at Deschutes Brewery — Beer sample flights and caramel mocha bread pudding at Deschutes Brewery

I’m back from Portland, and let’s just say it far surpassed my gastronomic expectations. I was impressed by the quality and originality of everything I ate and drank, and generally had a blast. We got to explore the majority of the city – mostly on foot, to burn off at least a few calories! – and also ventured to nearby scenic areas during the last two days.

And now, a quick numerical breakdown:

Full days spent in Portland: 4
Types of cuisine tried: 9
Local beers sampled: 29
Local wines sampled: 7
Donut varieties tasted: 4
Food carts visited: 4
Coffee beverages consumed: 8+
Sit-down meals enjoyed: 7
Sales tax paid: $0!!
Waterfalls seen: 3