Eating Portland: Beaker and Flask

Hard to believe it's been so long since I've written up a restaurant visit. Of course it's also hard to believe the C-boy is four months old. Even harder to believe that last night was the first time we went out without him. Talk about needing to get our freaking lives in order! So last night, to celebrate the onset of babysitting and our anniversary, w and I made a beeline to the much-missed Beaker and Flask here in PDX. If you're a parent you'll get this, and if you're not you'll think "dude, that is SO pathetic", but walking in to B&F without having to worry about a possible baby meltdown was so nice. Sitting at the bar, where we used to love to sit pre-baby..."sniff-sniff"...was also pretty damn nice. Greeted most warmly by owner Kevin Ludwig, we couldn't wait to get our night started. A glass of prosecco was quickly ordered for w, and I told our bartender Michael Shea to make me anything he wanted to as long as it contained a healthy dose of gin. When you have the caliber of mix-masters behind the bar that Ludwig does, I'm always happy to put myself in their spirit soaked hands. I always know at B&F, where cocktails are taken with the proper seriousness, that I would be drinking well, and when I saw the beautifully delicious looking Bronx cocktail (upper left) set down gently in front of me I was not disappointed. The Bronx is a classic from the very old school. I've made them at home and love them. So with that important task taken care of, we checked out the menu and as always were impressed with the number of dishes that sounded so good.

Decisions had to made, so we settled on starters of the Grilled Pork Tongue (left) with asparagus and green garlic cream; Fried Baby Eel with smoked paprika aioli; and the Cabbage Roll with mushrooms, caramelized onions, lentil salad, and mustard. The restaurant wasn't too full so the dishes came out quickly, which was a good thing as the gin was already grabbing my head. All three were standout. The pork tongue was fabulous. I'm not a big tongue guy, having been frightened by the disturbingly hulking cow tongues I used to see wrapped in cellophane in too many meat markets. The B&F versions alleviated any squeamishness and was super tender with a nice meaty texture, and the perfectly crunchy-tender asparagus and sensuously silky garlic cream were a perfect match. The fried baby eel was basically a fried calamari-like plate with the more fishy eel in place of squid. Very good, but it's assertive taste may not be for everyone. w was not as into it as I was. Then there is the cabbage roll (below left). "Cabbage roll". For something that sounds so humble, this was an incredible creation. Looking like a greenish pudding set atop lentils, the cabbage as stuffed with mushrooms and onions and provided an earthy, richly flavored mouthful with every bite. The lentils had the just right bite, and the whole dish was held together by a light application of mustard mixed around the edges. A great beginning, and if you find yourself at B&F anytime soon, the cabbage and pork tongue are must have apps!

Kevin popped the cork on a bottle of 2005 Brick House Gamay Noir from my basement I brought along to have with dinner, and while we delighted in each rich sip we pondered main dishes to come. w has a hard time passing up razor clams, so her choice was made by the Fried Razor Clams with potatoes, octopus, candied orange peel, and aioli. I was torn between pork and fish, but since I've been on a bit of a meat binge at home lately I decided that the Pan Seared Halibut with carrot purée, English peas, radish, bay shrimp, and sweet herb crème fraîche. Sound good? FYI, the word to describe my plate of fish was "freakish". Each bite provided an "Oh my god" moment. Uber-seasonal, the sweet carrot puree and English peas were amazing, then to add in shrimp and the herb crème fraîche sent this off to a wonderland of sensory overload. I don't eat too many truly inspired plates of food. This was one of them! I am always impressed with chef Ben Bettinger's witchcraft in the B&F kitchen. This only confirmed that this guys skill set is right at the top of the PDX heap. And of course w's razor clams, which came stacked in most generous portion, were also excellent. Lightly battered and fried to a toothsome bite ("toothsome"...how very 1960's of me), a smear of aioli on top (ask for an extra side of aioli...you'll want it) with seasoned spuds and bits of baby octopus to make sure you aren't cheated in the flavor department, which isn't ever a problem at B&F. BTW-no pics of mains. Dark light and all we had was our iPhones.

Being very full and getting sleepy...our perpetual post-10pm state these days...we blamed out by not ordering dessert, and on the way home I was already kicking myself for not ordering the Panna Cotta with beignets and huckleberry sauce. But whose life isn't lived with some regret? In any event, this was another evening well spent. We were reminiscing with Kevin about how two years ago while he jumping through his endless series of hoops trying to get B&F open, that he actually bartended at our wedding (and don't think that wasn't off the hook!) and we were shaking our heads at how much all of our lives had changed. Us with a sweet new baby, and Kevin having a one-year old of his own in Beaker and Flask. Both things trying and rewarding at the same time. now he's running a successful restaurant, getting national press (the latest two mentions in the new issue of Food & Wine), exceeding everyone's expectations (except I'm sure his own) and having what I consider one of the top 4 or 5 dining experiences in town!

PDX Quick Bites: Yakuza Lounge

I have to warn you, this is a spoiler alert: I really, really liked Yakuza over on NE 30th & Killingsworth here in PDX. Part of owner Micah Camden's mini-empire on K-worth, this is the place that started the izakaya, or Japanese eating/drinking bar, trend here in Portland. I had always hesitated to go until my friend DOR talked me into it the other night. Luckily I agreed, and proceeded to have one of the most enjoyable eating experiences I've had in recent weeks. A very well designed place, with a bar to the left, tables ringing the walls, and long, wooden community tables with benches in the middle of the room. Nicely lit with a warm glow, and on nice evening a very cool outside area in the back that is completely open to the main room. I would call it romantic, but I don't want DOR...or you...to get the wrong idea regarding my preferences.

So what was it about the food? You can start with the incredibly creative, fresh, and quite affordable takes on Japanese food. Call it Japanese with a new world twist. I'm not a big fusion fan, but here at Yakuza chef/owner Micah Camden (pictured at top in photo from Yakuza's website) makes it work. A traditional izakayas isn't going to have a burger on the menu, but here they do, and it was stellar. More on that beefyness later. The reason I like going out with DOR is that he is up for everything. Sharing that important sensibility with me, we dove in, starting our feast with Kyuri; an order of tempura sweet corn; and shredded, filo wrapped sea scallops (pic below). The only one that didn't work too well was the sweet corn tempura ($6), which was over-battered, drowning out the fresh corn kernels. The Kyuri ($7) was a Japanese cucumber and avocado salad tossed with togarashi (7 chili) dressing and sesame seeds. Fresh, bright, flavors that popped. Then the dropped the scallops ($9) on the table. First off, visually this was stunning. I assumed it would be pieces of scallop wrapped in sheets of filo. What came out were the airy puffs you see in the picture, sitting on top of a "creamy spicy sauce". The flavor, as is not often the case, was every bit as delicious as the presentation. One of those things that is enough to get me back on its own.

In quick order, the rest of our order quickly got dropped off by our server, who was very nice and who seemed somewhat bemused by our lack of appetite restraint. Hamachi ($14, pic at left), thinly sliced, lightly dressed with jalapeno lime oil and house ponzu, with an herb-daikon salad was exceptional. The hamachi light hints of the fresh sea and salt, and was not at all overpowered by the dressing. Following this was two orders of house futomaki (rolls). The first was Unagi ($8) which is something that w has gotten me hooked on. There really isn't anything wildly original or mind bending about unagi, it just tastes so good. Then up was the "Really Spicy" ($12, pic at right), which was not REALLY spicy, but was quite good and again, like so many bites at Yakuza, quite attractive to gaze upon: yellowfin tuna, cilantro, Thai chilies, creamy spicy sauce, sriracha, and avocado. Yeah, it too tasted as good as it reads.

Then it was time for dessert. Or almost time. On our way over to Yakuza, we had stopped for a quick pop at Beaker & Flask, where owner Kevin Ludwig mentioned to us he had heard the Yakuza burger was not to be missed. So, there we were at our table after eating all this food and the burger was still hanging out there. Burger...dessert....burger...dessert...or, wait a minute...how about the burger FOR DESSERT?? Of course, problem solved. And thankfully this light bulb went off, because I think this may be a burger ($12) I would put on the same elevated pedestal that previously been the sole preserve of the Castagna Café burger. A tender, perfectly seasoned and medium-rare patty of beef from Highland Oak Farms, and tucked inside with Cypress grove chevre and crunchy shoelace potatoes. If the scallops didn't force me to come back, the burger did it! I am not easily taken in by supposed great burgers around town. I was by Yakuza's beefy perfection.

Oh, and we did have dessert, too, just because sometimes enough isn't enough. A sake-poached Asian pear ($7) with shiso whipped cream and crème anglais. Did we need it? No. Did we like it? Yes. For refreshment we had two different bottles of white with dinner, the best of which was the 2007 Capitello Sauv Blanc from New Zealand (actually a NZ sauv blanc made, oddly enough, by an Oregon winery). You got the spoiler at the beginning, which is the perfect way to end this post!

PDX Quick Bites: Beaker & Flask

When is a bar not a bar? That thought wandered across my mind as w and I were sitting in Beaker & Flask a couple of nights ago in the midst of what was turning into one of the most satisfying dinners we'd had in a long time. The reason for that musing was when B&F was getting started, the buzz around town was that bartending savant Kevin Ludwig was finally fulfilling his dream of opening his own place, and won't it be a cool place to grab a drink or three? That sort of chatter only increased as he pilfered (and I use that term with all due respect for the talent behind the bar) some of the best mixologists from across the city to work with him. "Oh, and he's going to have food? Yeah great, but only to soak up those killer drinks, I'm sure." I was right in there, fully expecting some creative intoxicants to come spilling across the bar, but not imagining the food would be that much of a wow factor. And the cocktails uphold their end. Pictured at left is my Dock Ellis, a heart warming blend of rye whiskey, limoncello, Dolin Blanc vermouth, Cynar, and bitters (not quite as mind bending as the inspiration for the drink's name, ex-big league pitcher Dock Ellis whose biggest claim to fame is supposedly having pitched a no hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates while peaking on LSD). Well, after last Tuesday's dinner my preconceived notions about the menu have been tossed aside like a poorly made negroni.
Turns out this guy Ben Bettinger who Kevin hired to run the kitchen is doing some creative magic of his own back in their open kitchen, at least equaling the stellar drinks that are being shaken and stirred behind the bar. Not only excellent food at outstanding prices, but generous portions on their app menu to boot. Case in point on the new menu are the Grilled Pork Cheeks (pictured above) with braised peppers, pickled octopus, and aioli which Kevin strongly suggested ordering when he and I were talking before w made her grand entrance. Not ones to ignore insider information we of course ordered it, and it did not disappoint. Perfectly grilled fork-tender pork cheeks, a much underutilized part of this remarkably delicious animal, the B&F version was piled with lightly sautéed peppers and succulent octopus, with a slash of aioli drizzled across the top. The whole was served atop a crispy piece of rustic toast, and it was fabulous. A dish worth developing a serious craving for, and a portion that would easily work as an entrée. All for a meager $9! Since we were sharing a main course, we also ordered the Fried Razor Clams ($10) with beets, frisée, and horseradish cream; and the Grilled Romaine ($7) with salsa verde and smoked feta. Again the razor clam was an eye popping portion, with a light breading, fried to a crispy golden brown, and blessedly tender as there are so many leather tough versions to be had out there. The grilled romaine salad was excellent, the piquant salsa verde dressing complimenting the slight char from the grill and the smoky feta. Really a great start (especially with a mug of hop-a-licious 60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Brewery. With all the genius cocktails to ponder, they've also got some great beers frothing out of the taps), and we giving each other that "Wow, this is some seriously good stuff" look.

Then along came our entrée, a very lovely to look at, delightful to eat Pan Seared Black Cod with mussels, chorizo, fennel, and green beans. A simple plate like this is surprisingly one of seemingly easiest things for a kitchen to screw up. Is the fish seasoned too much? Is it dry? Too much sauce? Apparently Chef Bettinger hadn't heard about those concerns, because his presentation was absolutely spot on! w declared the cod perfectly cooked, and we loved its salty, crispy skin. Still so very moist and fresh like it came swimming out onto my plate, with the surround of mussels, chorizo, and veggies providing an inspired textural contrast. In other words our mouths were loving this! I washed it down with a glass of J. Christopher "Croft Vineyard" Sauvignon Blanc which is not only the best sauv blanc made in America, but a ridiculously food friendly white.

This was followed not by dessert but an unctuous glass of Bas Armagnac cognac, yet another reason to respect the French and their liqurious ways. I really like the B&F space, brightly lit (at certain times of the early evening a bit too), very comfortable open space. The bar stools are some of the most butt worthy spots to park it in town, and the service is always friendly. With Kevin providing direction and his crew whipping out the goods behind the bar, and Bettinger obviously showing some serious chops in the kitchen, Beaker & Flask is a great, near-bargain priced night out. Put it on your "get there soon" list!

Highs, lows, and Noble Rot

There's a difference between a full "review" of a restaurant and a lot of what I report. Most of my commentary of my all too frequent eating adventures are more in the "slice of life" category. Kind of a review of one evening. I have to say in my experience I think one evening at a restaurant can tell you a lot about what future visits might hold for you. Last night we made our first visit to the new Noble Rocket...oops, I meant Noble Rot that inhabits the old Rocket space on East Burnside. My first impression, whether it was Rocket or Rot, is that I really love this space. The unique view view of the west hills, unfortunately marred by the giant billboard on top of the Hippo Hardware building across the street (and no blame to Rot for that. Last night's giant Egg McMuffin right in our face was quite comically surreal), and the light that pours into the space gives it a sleek, elegant feel. The spacious booths are comfy, and the bar is a great spot to sit and take in the view...although an inconsistent place to drink.

We were going with our friends J&K, and I called ahead to find out if they took reservations. As expected the answer was no unless we were a party of six, which I have no problem with. The girl who answered informed me I could come in and get on the list and the wait probably wouldn't be too long. I in turn asked if I could call and get my name on the list, which is a system that seems to work really well for Three Doors Down. I mean if someone calls with their name and no shows, how hard is it to go to the next name on the list (from the restaurants perspective, they want you there and drinking while you wait for your table). I was curtly told no, you have to sign up in person, and when I said no problem, I'd be there, I got a somewhat condescending "yippee" in response. Gee, thanks for your professionalism.

w and I got there early, put our names down and sat at the bar to wait. I ordered the Dark and Stormy off the cocktail list, a Tiki classic. w, who was laying off the hooch this night asked for a non-alcoholic...and I hate to use this term..."mocktail" (btw- she had an amazing one at Beaker and Flask...of course). My D&S, which is basically rum & ginger beer, was, and I can't believe I'm complaining about this, way to rummy, the balance was way off, the booze obliterating the ginger beer. w's strawberry daquiri-like drink was way too sweet, so much so she took about 2 sips and left it. A drink in dire need of citrus. Our friends arrived and we were promptly led to a booth along the windows. They had just navigated the B&T crowd that prowls the 1st Thursday art scene in the "Pearl" like black-clad, hip-urban wannabes and were in desperate need of refreshment. Sadly our server, who spent the entire evening seemingly uninterested in her job and should have had "whatever" printed on the front of her shirt, was in no hurry to gather our order. When she did show up after ten minutes they ordered margaritas, and I had a Hendrick's gimlet (one of my bar competency tests). This time all the drinks were excellent, the margs letting the smoky tequila seep through, and the gimlet just a notch below mine and the Café Castagna version. We snacked on two of their signature apps, an onion tart (right) and the onion rings. The tart was too mushy, the flavors mish-mashing together, which was too bad as the crust was perfect. The onion rings on the other hand, were the best I've had in town, lightly battered, beautifully golden, with some bite left in the onion itself.

Our entrées off the limited menu (and that's not a rap; I actually like a menu that doesn't need to be everything to everyone) were next, and they showed the same inconsistency as our drinks and apps. K had the rib eye (left), which was easily the best thing on the table. Tender, perfectly medium-rare and topped with a rich shallot butter. The fries were credible if unremarkable, but the arugula salad was too stemmy, as if the prep person was in a hurry to get through his admittedly mind-numbing task. J had the pasta special (below right), which had ham, carrots, and radishes in a light lemon-cream sauce. This dish just missed, the individual ingredients fresh and flavorful (or they could have been), but over-whelmed by the too lemony sauce. For her plate w ordered the ham and cheddar panino with a mango marmalade and that was actually quite good with a generous side salad for $9. Then we came to my plate of food, which of course I had high hopes for: "Grilled pork shoulder, rice & lentil croquettes; green bean, rhubarb & red mustard salad" (below pic). Sounded so good, and the salad part was. But I didn't order it for the salad, I was in it for some pig, and that fell so far short. It was sliced pork shoulder, tender but overcooked (as were the too-crusty croquettes), with an insipid pan sauce that shredded the page out of the book that said "food should never be boring". This was the Guy Lombardo of entrées. Another of my pet peeves when I eat out is that when a server sees my empty plate, please come and pick it up. Nothing is worse than having an empty, dirty plate sitting in front of me. Our server made eye contact with me when I had finished, looked down at our table, and walked right by. Again, at least show some interest and professionalism, if it's not too much trouble.
Which just drove home my whole impression of our evening, and what I came away with was a feeling of a place that is still struggling to find itself and some consistency. The food prices are in the high-moderate range (BTW- the wine list does offer numerous values and is one of the more well-priced, interesting lists I've seen lately), and as with every restaurant consistency, in both service (and I don't mean consistently bad service) and food is paramount. Especially when a place is working with a limited number of menu items, there is no excuse for anything to be less than excellent. I was surprised, because I had heard from several people that after a rocky start things were turning around. With so many good options out there in our local dining scene, places that always seem to nail it time after time, dish after dish, inconsistency isn't to rewarded.
*** *** *** *** ***
After this experience we all headed down the street to Beaker and Flask to rehash and regroup, and once again Kevin, Tim, and the VERY professional and nice servers were spot on. This is exactly the kind of place I'll be rewarding again and again!

Quick Bites PDX: Beaker and Flask

What you see at the left is almost reason enough to be celebrating the opening of Beaker and Flask, Kevin Ludwig's long awaited labor of love that has been in the works for almost two years. In any event, it is here, we were at the opening night Thursday, and the Coltrane! Coltrane! Coltrane! cocktail (a perfect blend of Gin, Amer Picon, Peach, Lemon Bitters) pictured was the perfect way to settle in what immediately has vaulted to the top of my favorite PDX bar list. The place was rocking, but Kevin has put together the New York Yankees of bartenders with Tim Davey (pouring with intense concentration my Coltrane! at right) and Lance Mayhew helping to swing the heavy lumber behind the bar.

This is a great space, open, with light on this summer evening streaming in through the wraparound windows along the west wall. The very attractive concrete topped bar, with extremely comfortable bar stools, is the spot to hang so you can watch these pros work. The opening night crowd was like a who's who of Portland's micro distilling scene, and everyone was having a great time. Kevin has a rep like no one else, and the vibe in the room was a celebration of all things well-made and alcoholic. w and I indulged in some great treats off of the limited opening night menu, and even with the slam, the kitchen kept up and was plating up some seriously delicious gastrobar food. If it is this good on opening night, then we have a ton to look forward to! Here's some pictorial highlights....

That is our starter of sand dabs on the left, and w's plate of scallops with aioli, fennel, and a slice of bacon on the right. I had an excellent pork belly with clams: the ultimate surf and turf?

Kevin working it at the bar with Lance giving him some form of
encouragement that is best left unsaid!
bar fly's