Bar exam: Alice's Key Cocktail

Just when you think you've seen it all, some new vision comes dancing across the landscape. I think of that often at VINO, when after 20+ years in the wine biz I am introduced to yet another grape I haven't heard of, some totally new flavor sensation. In the cocktail world the same can be said for the seemingly endless discovery...or in this case rediscovery...of some long lost ingredient. That's what I thought of sitting at the bar at PDX's cocktail haven Clyde Common, where the unusual, creative, and delicious is always on the cocktail menu.

This latest happened some time ago, where a since forgotten cocktail containing Bonal Gentiane-Quina was offered. It had gin, some citrus I think, something else, and Bonal. First I had never seen the eye-catching bottle. My only experience with Bonal had been through the classic deco ad poster (left). So I have the drink and find Bonal is instantly something I have to add to my overflowing home bar. How wonderful! What is Bonal Gentiane-Quina? The importer's website describes it thusly: "Since 1865, this delicious aperitif wine has stood apart for its exceptional complexity, delightful flavors and stimulating palate. Serious to its role as aperitif, it was known as "ouvre l'appétit" - the key to the appetite. Found popular with sportsmen, Bonal became an early sponsor of the Tour de France. It is made by an infusion of gentian, cinchona (quinine) and renown herbs of the Grand Chartreuse mountains in a Mistelle base. Traditionally enjoyed neat or with a twist; also may enhance classic drinks in place of sweet red vermouth."

So I find the local distributor of this latest alcoholic intrigue, and not only do I order it pour moi, but I also find I can proudly stock it on the shelves at VINO. Sharing the love, as it were. And shoukd you need it, now you know where to get it. The hard part is finding recipes to use Bonal in. I came across this delicious drink called Alice's Key on a local drinks blog Portland Craft Cocktails. This is a refreshing, slightly bitter, slightly sweet spice infused libation. The herbal bitter Bonal plays perfectly with the fruity, sweet-ish Aperol, with gin playing the role of muscular playground monitor, giving a foundation and keeping those other ingredients in line. A very intriguing drink that makes me wonder, as always, what's coming around the booze corner next??
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Alice's Key
from Portland Craft Cocktails

ingredients:
1 part gin
1 part Aperol
1 part Bonal

method:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake vogorously and strain into cocktail glass.

PDX Quick Bites: Taste Unique; Celilo; Olympic Provisions; all you can eat Tastebud Pizza & more news!

When I was in New York City a few years ago I stumbled across this tiny Italian joint in Soho called Pepe Rosso To Go. I wandered in about lunch time and saw they had about six tables absolutely crammed together. Pastas were listed on the blackboard above the counter, directly behind which was the kitchen. It was cheap, I think around seven or eight bucks for a good sized plate of very well prepared noodles in various configurations. I remember thinking "This is the kind of spot that you'll never find in Portland." And I haven't....until last Monday. I'd been hearing some buzz about and had spotted this place called Taste Unique right next to another of my favorite places to hang out, Bar Avignon, on SE 22nd and Division. Rumored to be the home of ridiculously good and cheap pastas, mostly to take home, but also with a small eat-in opportunity. I'd read this piece in our local fishwrap a few days ago, and it was a reminder that I needed to get in and see what's coming out of the kitchen.

Monday at lunch I was on my way home with the days shopping and found myself driving right by. A quick stop and I was walking in to owner Stefania Toscano's shoebox sized dining room and kitchen. Looking up to the left I saw their menu board with what was fresh and good that day. Lots of pasta sauces, lasagna, and focaccia with some very tempting sweet stuff to take out, with a few choices for eating in. I grabbed one of the five stools at their (kindly put) cozy eating bar and ordered a plate of spinach cannelloni from Stefania's husband Lawrence McCormick, who was not-so-quietly working the register. Eight bucks. After all the good vibe out there about this place, could this be the PDX answer to Pepe Rosso (without the grit, cockroaches, and deranged looking kitchen staff)? As I sat at the counter pondering these possibly earth-changing possibilities a plate of thin slices of focaccia (above right) appeared before me via the friendly hands of Lawrence. Oh man, this was focaccia that doughy dreams are made of. Perfectly chewy, salty, with a light sheen of fruity olive oil. Instant addictive possibilities. As I chewed my way through these, trying desperately and with limited success to save some, a small Taste Unique-style amuse bouche also came sliding in front of me. Stefania apparently had a few extra of her orecchiete with ricotta and pancetta (pic left). House-made pasta ears, with a light dusting of fresh ricotta and piggy bits. The perfect nosh before my cannelloni. Then this appeared....
A gorgeous, eye-catching plateful of traditional Italian comfort food. Perfectly textured pasta tubes filled with a spinach mixture that tasted so fresh, topped with a piquant tomato sauce, and surrounded by a lush, creamy, and rich pool of bechamel. Wow! Talk about exceeding expectations. This wasn't an undersized portion. In true nonna fashion Stefania seems to have made it her mission that no one walks away hungry. And I didn't. But as I waddled up to the counter, I wasn't so full that I couldn't take a dish of her homemade tiramisu to share with w for a surprise after dinner treat. This too...of course....was amazing. Light, moist (but not too), sensual....mmmmm! The portion size of the tiramisu is ostensibly for four, but once we started in it seemed all too easy to finish between the two of us. I mean really, how are you supposed to stop?

So it is with some hesitation I write and highly recommend Taste Unique, because I'll live in fear that with about ten seats in the whole place I may be sabotaging my future appetite reduction plans. But again, this is all about love and information, right? Just make room when you see me walking in!

**Also noted on my way out the door that they have an OLCC app in process, so hopefully we will be able to sip some vino rosso and bianco soon with Stefania and Lawrence's fabulous offerings. BTW-the pic behind Stefania (from the Oregonian) is of her mother, her mother's siter, and their aunt making pasta. You can tell the roots run deep here!
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Last Sunday w and I took a quick day trip to Hood River to get out of town with the ultimate goal to drive up the Hood River Valley to get some apples orchard direct. When we got to Hood River we wandered around this über-outdoorsy feeling town (if you're not driving a Subaru with a rack on top with some sort of outdoor gear strapped to it you feel like kind of a pussy) and stopped into Celilo for lunch on the recommendation of a friend who has family in the area. There w had a very good eggplant and mozzarella sando, and I had their burger which I have to say is...and if you know me you know I don't say this lightly...near Castagna Café quality. Maybe even as good. A fresh, not-too-lean hand formed patty from local beef with some white cheddar and a cross of applewood smoked bacon. Perfectly medium-rare on a soft bun, this had it all. Great fries on the side by the way. A burger that by itself is almost worth the trip. They also have a nice beer and wine list happening (for very affordable prices).

After that bit of satisfaction we drove up the truly beautiful Hood River Valley where we got some amazing apples (at $.59/lb!!) at Kiyokowa Orchards where there was no one in the sales room, but there were huge bins of various apples and pears, a scale, and a little slot in the wall where you pay on the honor system. Ah, small town America lives on! A quick stop at Double Mountain Brewery for a quick pop to steel my nerves for the drive home finished off an incredibly satisfying Sunday outing.
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A story today on the incomprehensibly bad Oregonian website about the soon-to-open Olympic Provisions, the pork-centric love child of Clyde Common owner Nate Tilden, Clyde chef Jason Barwikowski, and former Castagna chef Elias Cairo. Nate and Jason will be in charge of the restaurant and wine side, and Elias will be living his force meat dreams running the salumeria side, where all manner of meat curing will be happening. The restaurant will have an informal menu with nothing topping $15. I for one can't wait to get my hands on some of Cairo's cured pork products, and Tilden always provides a comfortable place to get your food and drink on. Look for it to open sometime next week!
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Just heard about the best pizza deal in town: at Mark Doxtader's fabulous Tastebud Pizza at 3220 SE Milwaukie Avenue, every Sunday from 5-10pm for $15 a person it is all you can eat pizza fresh out of his wood burning oven. He's pushing the tables together for a communal food fest, and his super fresh farm-to-table locavore's dream pizzas and a couple of salads will be available to those in the know who are fortunate enough to grab a seat. Don't bother calling me for dinner for the next couple of Sunday nights, 'kay?
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More national PDX food cart love, this time via msnbc where some tattooed hipster chick reporter does a story comparing the Portland and New York food cart scenes. New York?? Get the fuck outta here. They got nothing on the PDX scene when it comes to kick ass food carts. Just sayin'!!

Unexpected pleasure!

One of the most satisfying things about eating out is when a plate of food appears in front of you with a presentation you didn't expect, you've never had, it is delicious, and something easily replicated at home. Such was the case last week when w and I were out with her visiting sis having another remarkably satisfying meal at Clyde Common here in Portland. In the midst of an array of deliciousness, the pasta pictured above appeared. Very simply prepared with chopped fresh herbs, olive oil, a bit pf grated Parma, and best of all an almost perfectly poached egg (it could have been maybe a smidge less done). But is was so nice to have the yolk adding its creamy, slightly fatty texture and the eggy bits smushing up and mixing into the pasta. Really a nice touch, and something you could do with plenty of other pastas. Before this my pasta-egg combo of choice was of course Marcella's perfect carbonara. Now, my mind is racing....I'm having visions of fresh spring asparagus with sautéed chopped pancetta, maybe a light sprinkle of Parma, with a farm fresh poached egg sitting prettily on top!

Also enjoyed that meal were their incredibly addictive starter (left) of fried anchovies with aioli (I dare you to have just one order!), and a meltingly tender entrée of braised pork shoulder (below).

Not So Common Clyde

It's too bad all of you don't live here in Portland, because then you could all experience the intense feelings of satisfaction I've had recently during two stellar dinners at PDX's Clyde Common restaurant. I've been there for various reasons on two consecutive Wednesdays, and both times walked away most impressed with what owner Nate Tilden has accomplished. Food that is interesting, accessible, not precious in any way (save that unwanted slot for PDX's Rocket...the restaurant on many diners death watch). Plus the vibe from the moment you walk in is welcoming, friendly, and not at all stuffy.

The first thing you notice is the long wooden tables for communal seating scattered around the dining room. This is recent Portland trend, brought on by all the "family style" supper places that sprung up around town. Now either you love it or hate it. I kind of like it, because you can either engage the person next to you or not. It's not like your forced to chat anyone up. Plus at CC, as my friend and local restaurateur The Handsome One said after our dinner last Wednesday, having the long tables "is kind of like eating at home." Give Nate all the credit for that comfort zone feeling.

And in case it matters to you, the food has been rocking. Some recent highlights would include for starters some serrano ham croquettes on one visit, and spicy coppa croquettes the next time. You match anything with potatoes and deep fry them and I'm in. The CC versions are awesome. Grab a bowl of their fried chickpeas, too. Perfect with that first cocktail...or two. You might be as enchanted as I was with their poached oysters and crispy pork belly with orange marmalade and mint...yeah, it was as good as it sounds! Both the beet salad and the frisee salad with a warm pancetta vinaigrette were fresh, bright, crisp palate cleansers. And don't you dare miss their "smoke board" which has a small mound of the most wonderful smoked mussels you could ever imagine Wow! Those were fucking crazy. Especially with the little shot glass of smoked porter or a splash of aquavit. A nice Scandinavian twist for our NW palates.

And when you step up to the (main course) plate, they keep it firmly in the strike zone (aren't bad baseball metaphors fun?). What has rocked my food loving world? How about seared squid stuffed with fennel sausage with pimenton, chick peas, and squid ink. Maybe some perfectly toothsome tagliatelle with chanterelles and thyme, or crispy salty grilled whole dorade with winter tabbouleh and pomegranate molasses. Their charred new york strip with potato galette, taleggio, and arugula is a pretty good way to get your beef groove on.

My only quibble with Clyde is their wine list. It's well chosen with some interesting selections, but I would like to see a few more choices in the $25-$35 range. With all the great inexpensive French, Italian, and especially Spanish wines out there there's no reason to have your cheapest bottle of red at $33 and to only have one under-$30 white.

I have to admit to not exploring the dessert menu as well as I should, mainly owing to my overindulgence over the rest of the menu. The bar has it down pat, and you can also opt for a quieter table up on their mezzanine. All in all, whether you live here are are planning a visit, this should be a must stop. It's right up in my top two or three favorite spots to get my Portland grub on right now!

Nukes and Noshes

w and I had an interesting doubleheader last night. The first half kind of made us lose our appetite, the second half cranked it back up....
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NUKES
We went over to Powell's Books early last evening for a reading by William Langewiesche from his new book The Atomic Bazaar. We had heard his NPR interview on the radio last week (read the interview online here), and I have the book on hold at the library so I was very interested to hear him in person. Formerly with The Atlantic Monthly, now with Vanity Fair, Langewiesche delivered a riveting account of coming growth of the nuclear club which he feels is sure to include small, third world countries, as well as the paths these nations- not to mention other non-state affiliated groups (aka terrorists)- can take to get their hands on the technology and material needed to accomplish their goals. He also feels its a fait accompli that Iran and many others will have nuclear capabilities in the coming years. He is of the opinion that the chances of a weapon falling into the hands of terrorists groups, despite the dire, panic-causing warnings issued by the government, while possible, are quite slim. This is mainly owing to the fact that any use of such a weapon by any terrorist group would within hours be traced back to the government which originally supplied such a weapon, and the repercussions would not be pleasant. All in all a very fascinating, enlightening discussion, and I can't wait to get my hands on the book.
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NOSHES
After feeding our brains with all that information, our stomachs were demanding equal time. Not to mention after Langewiesche's talk a drink sounded damn good. Since we were in the neighborhood, I wanted to visit Clyde Common, the new restaurant off the lobby of the Ace Hotel run by Castagna Café alumnus Nate Tilden and his partner Matt Piacentini. Nate is one of the nicest people going in the local food scene, this place has been in the works for a long time, lots of money has been spent, and I'm happy to report that based on our experience, it was time and money well spent.
First off the space is extremely welcoming, a big, open floor plan with a kitchen that juts out into the dining room, the bar off to the right, and big, solid, wood communal tables covering the rest of the floor. Both w and I thought the immediate hit, that first "vibe" you feel when you walk into a space , was very good. Their menus are printed out on old office paper, and it is thankfully a small, very well thought out selection of comestibles. We started with drinks, of course, and I was thrilled with a near perfect negroni. You'd be amazed at how many bars fuck up this most basic of cocktails.

The amazing asparagus with a soft boiled, caul fat wrapped egg...wow!


For starters we ordered a Serrano ham croquettes; a salad of confit lamb sweetbreads with bitter greens; and asparagus with a caul fat wrapped egg. The croquettes were creamy and crisp at the same time, the salad was savory, the richness of the lamb sweetbreads nicely set off by the bitter greens and light vinaigrette. The star was the asparagus and this crazy soft boiled egg that after boiling is wrapped in caul fat (a fine fat netting from the lining of a cows stomach, and no it is NOT disgusting, so no wrinkling of those noses!), then quickly sautéed to crisp it a bit, the whole thing set on top of the hot asparagus, which is doused with an olive oil/garlic concoction. So original and REALLY good...not to be missed when you go!
We ordered a bottle of rosé off their by the glass list, and they served it in small tumblers that we both thought was a charming presentation. For entrees w had the seared shrimp, with bacon, ramps, and oyster mushrooms off their starter menu. Nicely prepared, but could've used a few more mushrooms in the mix 9she counted three small pieces). I had the roast red band rock fish with preserved lemon, olive salsa, and lentils (not the chickpeas listed on the menu). This was a delicious combination of flavors, the fish moist and flaky, the lentils and other ingredients making each bite so satisfying, with all these flavor sensations zinging around my mouth. Nice one! And of course we saved room for the panna cotta, that being one of w's favorite sweet things. The CC version was good, properly creamy and sensual, with a few strawberry halves scattered on the plate.
One nice ambient feature is that as the sun sets and it starts to get dark, the street lights outside come on, and their light through the floor to ceiling windows almost feels like the outside environment is being drawn into the space, giving it this almost open connection to what's happening on the street. In this neighborhood, that can be a good or bad thing depending who or what is out on that street, but all in all a very cool effect. Nate also took us on a tour of the soon-to-be-opened mezzanine, which be loungey kind of space, with couches and a few two-tops scattered around.
I really liked what they have going on here. Exceptionally comfortable, friendly, attentive service, and with ex-Gotham Tavern alum Jason Barwikowski running the kitchen, the food looks to be rock solid. My only other minor quibble is that I would like to see a couple more red and white wines on the list in the $25-$30 range. The selection is nice, though, and this adjustment would only serve to make it even more user friendly.
Taking everything into account, this is absolutely a place I could see making regular visits to. Check it out & say hi to Nate for me!















The Clyde menu...click on the image to enlarge.