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By mlb, on December 11th, 2012%
I have wanted to attend a Portland Food Adventures meal for the longest time. Way back in January 2012, I heard about the brunch at Broder but it was like at 10AM on New Year’s Day and I just wasn’t sure that would be practical or feasible. Not when the bed is so warm and the morning so cold.
I’ve kind of been waiting since then for one to pop up that I really, really wanted to attend and this one was it. Grüner! I love Grüner! And so we went.
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The Menu:
Hors’ d’oeuvres — beet-pickled deviled eggs, liptauer (house made cheese) with celery, radishes and pretzel croutons, fried fingerling potatoes with smoked trout and whipped crème fraîche. Wine: Pinot Blanc (Reichsgral Von Kesselstatt, Mosel 2011).
Salad — Winter greens, shaved radishes, toasted pumpkin seeds, cider vinigrette, Syrian Pumpkin seed oil, dill. Wine: Chardonnay (Vignoble Guillaume, Franche-Comte 2010).
Charcuterie — foie gras torchon, venison terrine, speck, salami, pickled persimmons, and cherries. Wine: Merlot (Elena Walch, Alto Adige 2009).
Buckwheat Spatzle — Riesling braised chicken, chanterelle mushrooms, crème fraîche, crisp shallots, . . . → Read More: Portland Food Adventures: Grüner
By mlb, on December 20th, 2011%

Grüner
527 SW 12th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
As much as we are trying to go to new restaurants, I am trying to post about them. We went to Grüner last month (see, I am not even that far behind!!) but I’ve wanted to go since this Summer, when I was taking volunteer photos for the Montavilla Farmer’s Market and one week’s chef demo was Eric Purugganan, sous chef at Grüner.

Chopping cherries at the demo.
I got to talk to him a little bit before the demo and he was really nice (plus his demo dish was quite tasty — cherry chutney with fresh goat cheese on crostini). I came home that day and said to jwa, “hey, we should go to Grüner sometime!.” And…five months later we finally did. Hooray!

Cherries are messy!
It’s funny, I normally wouldn’t get too excited about German/Alpine type food, but oh my god, it was all so good! I can’t wait to go again. Here are the pictures and what we ate.

Obligatory menu image.

Pretzel-y bread with deviled eggs in the background. Very good . . . → Read More: Grüner
By mlb, on April 3rd, 2011%
H5O Bistro
50 Southwest Morrison
Portland, Oregon 97204
Normally, we hardly ever eat downtown. We’re just really lucky living where we do in the SE and being within easy walking distance to many different, tasty establishments. But, we are trying to broaden our horizons and ever since March’s Foodportunity event (asparagus, roasted garlic and parmesan FTW!!!), we have wanted to try H5O Bistro. And, as luck would have it there was an occasion to be downtown Saturday evening and what better than to go there for dinner first? Nothing better, that’s what. It was an excellent idea.
The evening started off with a very Portlandia moment with a drive bike-by from the tweed biking people, which we had a great view of from our table. Nice outfits and hats. Very tweedy. And jaunty. Okay, then we moved onto drinks.
A Cinnamon Blood Orange Margarita (cinnamon-infused tequila, blood orange, star anise, orange juice) for me. Very strong flavors but I really liked it. It seemed kind of Fall-ish, but then Fall is my favorite season so I was happy.
jwa had a gin martini, like he usually tends to do.
. . . → Read More: H5O Bistro Downtown
By mlb, on June 5th, 2009%

This was a side dish that worked really well with some grilled albacore tuna steaks. For the fish, I made a quick topping of kalamata olives, green olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice and feta cheese. So, it was a Mediterranean kind of a thing (one of my favorite kinds of things).
The zucchini grilled while the fish rested. I think the scores in the zucchini are to let the buttery goodness soak in. This recipe is easily halved or even quartered. I did the later with 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 tbsp lemon, 1/4 tsp each of the spices and a pinch of curry. Oh and yes — there was cheese!
Grilled Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon Butter Baste
recipe adapted from Bon Appétit magazine
8 medium zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds), trimmed, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp powder
grated Parmesan cheese (optional? no, not really…)
Preheat barbecue (medium heat). Alternately, heat up a grill pan over medium-high heat. Score cut side of zucchini halves diagonally about 1/4 inch deep at 1-inch intervals.

Melt butter with lemon juice, lemon-pepper seasoning, garlic . . . → Read More: Summer Side Dish: Grilled Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon Butter Baste
By mlb, on January 17th, 2007%

Tábor
Downtown at SW 5th and Stark
503-997-5467
Mmmmmmm…schnitzelwich
Before I even tried Tábor, I thought it was the lunch cart with the most personality. The colorful Eastern European cottage facade, the music from the outdoor speakers … cute! After reading the little write up in Portland Magazine I finally managed to stop by for lunch and now I am in love with the schnitzelwich.
Breaded pork loin or chicken breast in a Ciabatta roll with lettuce, paprika spread, sautéed onion and horseradish $5.00.

It is, first of all, huge. H-U-G-E. I eat half for lunch, wait an hour or so, then eat the rest because I loved the first half so much. Crispy chicken, caramelized onions and horseradish, you say? Fabulous. Sign me up.

I need to try a few of the other items on the menu — the potato pancakes and chicken paprika are especially calling to me — but it’s hard to not order the sandwich. They have all sorts of authentic Czech food including goulash, soups, dumplings and sausages. They also cater and (their web site says) will offer cooking classes. Fun! I try to go there once every couple of weeks, . . . → Read More: The Schnitzelwich Put a Spell on Me
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