Veggie Grill Cedar Hills Crossing 3435 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005

I was recently invited to attend a pre-opening lunch at the new vegan Veggie Grill restaurant in Beaverton (right by the Beaverton Powells). I brought jwa with me and we ate a lot of food and I took pictures (which is typically what happens when we eat out).

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we showed up for our 1PM reservation, but it was a very enjoyable experience. After stepping inside, we got marked off the list, handed a menu and encouraged to order whatever we wanted at the counter. Dude actually said, “order one of everything!” Well, okay then. We didn’t quite do that but we did alright.

The booths were reserved for parties of 3 or more for this event, so we ended up sitting right at the counter. Because of this, we got to . . . → Read More: The Veggie Grill]]>

Veggie Grill
Cedar Hills Crossing
3435 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005

I was recently invited to attend a pre-opening lunch at the new vegan Veggie Grill restaurant in Beaverton (right by the Beaverton Powells). I brought jwa with me and we ate a lot of food and I took pictures (which is typically what happens when we eat out).

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we showed up for our 1PM reservation, but it was a very enjoyable experience. After stepping inside, we got marked off the list, handed a menu and encouraged to order whatever we wanted at the counter. Dude actually said, “order one of everything!” Well, okay then. We didn’t quite do that but we did alright.

The booths were reserved for parties of 3 or more for this event, so we ended up sitting right at the counter. Because of this, we got to see a lot of the food as it was being prepared to be run out. The salads looked really fun — many had frizzly, fanciful looking…carrots? Something orange on top. Edible vegan whimsy! I approve.

Anyway, after much discussion, this is what we tried.

Uptown Nachos
Tortilla chips, chili, VG-cheese, corn salsa, avocado, soy cream, jalapeños.
I really liked these, but then it’s hard to find nachos that I don’t like. I hardly even missed the cheese. Probably my favorite thing that we ordered.

Buffalo Wings
Crispy chickin’, tossed in spicy buffalo sauce with celery sticks, ranch dressing.
This was jwa’s idea. I’m not a huge fan of real buffalo chicken wings so it was hard for me to compare these to anything, but they were not bad. Very vinegary; jwa thought they were a bit salty.

Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’
Fried chickin’, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, spicy vegan mayo.
I liked this a lot. Super crispy. I’d get it again.

Side Steamin’ Kale
Steamed until just tender, ginger-miso dressing, roasted sesame seeds.
I loved the kale salad. The dressing was a nice sesame-miso type deal. The kale was tender and tasty. I would definitely get this again (and probably even try to recreate it at home).

VG-Cheeseburger & Red Cabbage Slaw
The V-Burger topped with VG-Cheese El Dorado Style upon request with jalapeños, caramelized onions, ketchup.
What jwa got. He ate it all. I think he liked it.

Dessert: Carrot Cake, Chocolate Pudding and Chocolate Chip Cookies
For dessert, they brought us out a sampler plate of tasty things. Well, I wasn’t crazy about the chocolate pudding (a little chalky), but the carrot cake and cookies were delicious!

I asked jwa, since he works in Beaverton, if he would go there again and he said yes and even told some vegan co-workers (grrlvegangang) about it. If I worked/lived nearby I would probably go again for lunch too.

Seriously, I might even head out there again specifically to try the large kale salad with all the extra what-nots on top, because that sounds really good (extra what-nots: Marinated kale and red cabbage, corn salsa, agave-roasted walnuts, ginger-papaya vinaigrette). See? Really tasty sounding.

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 . . . → Read More: Grüner]]>

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 starters.

Beet-pickled deviled eggs. I don’t even like beets, but these were great. jwa was disappointed that I liked them because he had to share then.

Kabocha squash dumplings, sautéed chanterelles, butter, fried sage leaves, parmesan.

Cream of turnip soup, caraway, dill-goat cheese butter. The photo does not really do this soup justice.

Roast duck breast, caramelized quince, elderflower, spiced red cabbage, quark spätzle. This is the best duck I have had at a restaurant.

jwa’s entree: Roast squab breast & braised hindquarter, venison sausage, red wine sauce, celery root gratin with gruyère cheese, pickled cranberries.

Perusing the dessert and after-dinner drink menu.

The last of the wine means it’s time to leave and go walk around Powell’s for a bit.

I recently had the very good fortune of being invited to a festive Pear Lunch hosted by Pear Bureau Northwest at Castagna Restaurant. This was completely awesome for a number of reasons, including I got to leave work early for a long lunch and Castagna is practically in my neighborhood, so jwa and I could just walk there. And although we go to Cafe Castagna pretty frequently, it’s been a while (a couple of years?) since we’ve been to the restaurant side. So that was very nice too.

I took some photos of the lunch and at the time, I was pleased to not be the only one photographing my food. Seriously, everyone had a camera and/or iphone out and was snapping pics before trying anything. I was quite amused.

I missed a photo of the pear juice flight but I have two images of . . . → Read More: December is National Pear Month: Pear Lunch at Castagna]]>

I recently had the very good fortune of being invited to a festive Pear Lunch hosted by Pear Bureau Northwest at Castagna Restaurant. This was completely awesome for a number of reasons, including I got to leave work early for a long lunch and Castagna is practically in my neighborhood, so jwa and I could just walk there. And although we go to Cafe Castagna pretty frequently, it’s been a while (a couple of years?) since we’ve been to the restaurant side. So that was very nice too.

I took some photos of the lunch and at the time, I was pleased to not be the only one photographing my food. Seriously, everyone had a camera and/or iphone out and was snapping pics before trying anything. I was quite amused.

I missed a photo of the pear juice flight but I have two images of the champagne cocktail (sparkling wine cocktail? Sometimes when someone hands me a glass, I forget to remember what it is…) we were greeted with at the door, so I think it all evens out.

First up: Comice Pear with Granola and Yogurt. Sounds so simple but in reality was art in a bowl. A heavy pottery bowl with dollops of an almost-savory tasting yogurt, pear ribbons, fresh herbs and then we were each given a crispy pear pouch filled with yogurt. So fun and unique!

See, here is the second shot of the champagne. It was also at this point, after perusing the menu and wine/beverage pairings that I texted work and mentioned that I would not be back that afternoon.

Now this, this is butter with a toasty, crumbly topping — this was the sensible choice. To the right, which I did not capture in all its glory is lardo (cured strips of fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices). Oh my. We were also served these warm, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, rye rolls. With the lardo. That sort of melted into the bread. Oh, geez. So good.

Second course: Composition of Pear with Bartlett pear puree, smoked Red Anjou pear, walnuts and herbs. This was another work of edible art. The smoked pear was amazing, as was everything on the black, stone-like plate (walnuts, lettuce leaves, flower petals). The salad was paired with a glass of 2009 Domaine du Fresche Anjou Blanc.

Third course: Pork glazed in hazelnut butter with compressed pear, whipped Bosc pear and turnips. This was so delicious and paired with Wandering Aengus “Anthem” Pear Cider.

How delicious was it? Two photos worth of delightful, rich, porky, pear goodness.

Dessert: Roasted Seckel pear, fresh meringue, pear sorbet and pineapple sage. The biggest surprise for me here was the pineapple sage. It was wonderful with everything on the plate that I tried a bite of it with. From the sorbet, to the cute little meringues, to the almonds. Again, just stunning plating.

Aside from being a great afternoon, this meal definitely inspired me to hurry up and use the ten or so pears we got in our Thanksgiving CSA bag. I was a little at a loss and just stuck them in the refrigerator when I got them, but now I think I have some serious pear inspiration.

And, in case you were wondering, this is how you tell if a pear is ripe.

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 . . . → Read More: H5O Bistro Downtown]]>

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.

Next there was an amuse bouche, a little round of brioche toast and this amazing pulled pork on top of it. Seriously could have eaten a plate of these…

We split the Smoked Salmon Fritters (hickory-smoked troll king salmon, fennel, honey, parsley sour cream), which were very good. I especially loved the parsley sour cream. I always forget how much I like the flavor of parsley. Note to self: stop forgetting that!

jwa’s salad: Three Beet Salad (sherry vinaigrette, herbed goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts), which was very artful in its white bowl. Almost made me wish I liked beets.

I had the Caesar Salad which was also good. Not my favorite in pdx, but certainly tasty. Not garlicky enough for me, but then I am a garlic fiend.

Okay, now this was a winner — Pacific Halibut with Avocado Gazpacho, parsley, jalapeno, citrus melange, poppy seeds and black salt. Thankfully, jwa let me have a few bites. I loved the gazpacho with the citrus and the halibut was flaky and moist.

I had the Duck Breast – confit of duck, house gnocchi, fennel pollen, tomato, english peas. Equally delicious! The only problem was that jwa kept stealing my gnocchi. So unfair.

Pretty shot of the post-dinner coffee. I seriously loved these place mats. So photogenic. I want some for home.

Okay, dessert was a plate of Spanish churros. While growing up, we used to always get churros at White Sox games (the handful I went to). While I definitely enjoyed those, these were much better (duh), with cinnamon and sugar, spiced hot chocolate and homemade roasted marshmallows.

Just when we thought we were done, we were brought out a couple of salted caramels with our check. Well, okay, if you insist.

The verdict: we both really enjoyed our dinner and we both definitely want to head back there again soon.

Latte at Cafe Campagne

We recently went to Seattle for a long weekend and to see the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Museum. We were also going to try and hit the Battlestar Galactica exhibit at the SciFi Museum but we didn’t make it this trip. Perhaps that’s an excuse to go back before it ends in March?

Anyway, we did go to:

Cafe Campagne 1600 Post Alley at Pine Seattle, WA 98101

We ate breakfast here on a Sunday morning. Luckily, it was kind of early (10:00 am), so the wait was only about 30 minutes, which gave us some time to walk around the market a bit. The latte here was wonderful and so was my omelette and rosemary raisin brioche toast.

Hotel Max 620 Stewart Street Seattle, WA 98101

Right downtown and we got a great rate and 1/2 priced parking ($15/day). The hallways are all gray and the doors have blown-up . . . → Read More: Seattle!]]>

Latte at Cafe Campagne

We recently went to Seattle for a long weekend and to see the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Museum. We were also going to try and hit the Battlestar Galactica exhibit at the SciFi Museum but we didn’t make it this trip. Perhaps that’s an excuse to go back before it ends in March?

Anyway, we did go to:

Cafe Campagne
1600 Post Alley at Pine
Seattle, WA 98101

We ate breakfast here on a Sunday morning. Luckily, it was kind of early (10:00 am), so the wait was only about 30 minutes, which gave us some time to walk around the market a bit. The latte here was wonderful and so was my omelette and rosemary raisin brioche toast.

Hotel Max
620 Stewart Street
Seattle, WA 98101

Right downtown and we got a great rate and 1/2 priced parking ($15/day). The hallways are all gray and the doors have blown-up black and white photographs of musicians/album covers/stuff like that on them. The rooms were a little small, but honestly a little bigger than our bedroom at home (we have an old house) so it really didn’t bother me at all!

Pike Place Market
1501 Pike Pl.
Seattle, WA 98101

Fun to walk around…crowded on the weekends but nice on weekdays. I picked up some fish here to bring home. Some ling cod that I pan seared and made a quick sauce for with vermouth, garlic, capers, lemon and butter. Really, really good! And yeah, we saw them throw some fish too.

Dahlia Lounge
2001 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

Awesome dinner! I could have eaten a giant bowl of the Ahi tuna yuzu kosho, fennel pollen, nashi pear sea bar snack and I loved my cocktail. My meal was the Alaskan king salmon saffron risotto, newaukum valley leeks, chanterelles, aleppo, cucumber mignonette and I really enjoyed that too!

Seattle Art Museum
1300 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

We saw the Picasso exhibit here. Neat but really crowded. And you couldn’t take pictures inside the exhibit but still wonderful.

Honorable mention: The Night Kitchen. We hung out here for about an hour Sunday night after a so-so Mexican dinner in Belltown. Super comfy atmosphere and tasty grapefruit vodka drinks!

Okay, on with the photos!

Outside the market

Flying fish counter.

Hanging chiles with baskets of squash and potatoes.

French rolled omelette filled with chevre and herbs served with chicken and pork sausage and roasted potatoes.

Hotel Max at night.

4th floor hallway at Hotel Max.

Apparently, Darth Vader playing violin is a common thing. We saw a Darth playing violin in Victoria, BC and Hotel Max had a photo on one of the 3rd floor doors.

Awesome lemongrass and kaffir lime martini at Dahalia Lounge. Actually, huh, maybe it was Lemongrass & Thai Basil…? Anyway, it was delicious!

More Dahlia Lounge: Lemon-scallion dungeness crab cakes butternut chorizo hash, smoked pimenton aioli, new crop apple, watercress, toasted pepitas. jwa got this and he liked it a lot!

Dessert: Doughnuts, fried to order with vanilla mascarpone and huckleberry jam.

Seattle Art Museum: That’s a big mouse!

And a big jacket…

Huh, and a lot of toes.

Totem pole downtown.

Looking at downtown from the harbor area.

Space Needle!