Happy Floridays!

We arrived back in the US on November 17th from Loreto, BCS Mexico.  Upon arrival to LAX, (we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto) we suspected that there were more people at the LA airport at that moment than lived in the town of Loreto and maybe than we had seen in the whole month and half we were there.  It was a little overwhelming.  Add to that, a red eye flight from LAX to Orlando, FL and we were a little jet lagged upon our return.

Our car had been delivered from Seattle while we were in Mexico.  We were commenting the other day that my '03 Honda Accord has traveled approximately 12,000 miles on the back of trucks and on a boat in it's lifetime, it is almost as well traveled as we are.

In an effort to mitigate my despondence over the sale of our little red scooter in Hawaii, Mike was kind enough to buy an even bigger, sleek black scooter for us to zoom around on.

This is our real scooter pic, a Yamaha Majesty, fitting name as he spoils me like a queen. :-) So he often reminds me.

We have been bumming around warm and sunny Florida since our arrival and will  be in Indian Rocks Beach, FL to visit with my brother and sister-in-law during Christmas.  Their little beach community is very active for the holiday.  We enjoyed an audience with Santa just the other night.

Santa reminded us that his Naughty/Nice database refresh only happens monthly and with all our moving around, he may have an old address for us.  We should not expect under the tree delivery this year.  We said it was no problem and we will just wait for Amazon to find us with the drones soon.

To all our friends and family across the miles, have a very Happy Holiday Season.  Love to you all.

Beauty and the beast

Baja California Sur is full of surprises.  The landscape is rugged, unforgiving and beautiful at the same time.  During our time here we have experienced

• Tropical Storm Raymond (12 inches of rain in 18 hours), 25% of it dripping into our casita
• a 6.7 magnitude earthquake that was centered in the middle of the Sea of Cortez, prompted a new app on my Ipad QuakeFeed
• jellyfish stings
• 3 day mosquito plague from Raymond's standing water
• a 6 inch scorpion in our path from the casita to our car, I checked all sheets and shoes after I saw this guy

And 

• the most incredible hue of blue sky I have ever seen
• an amazing pod of dolphins

• a plethora fish in crystal clear water while snorkeling from the white sand crescent beach of Cornado Island
• a sea lion colony
• great local seafood and mexican specialties
• gracious and friendly locals
• exceptional 80 degree sunny days and 70 degree breezy nights
• too many beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies to count

On balance, the challenges have not overshadowed the beauty and enjoyable experience of life in Baja Mexico. Es una hermosa tierra.

La Noche de la Conquista - Evento Gastronomico 2013

We were fortunate enough to be in Loreto for it's annual fund raising event, this year, benefiting it's local firefighters. The little town square, near the 112 year old mission is transformed for a night of food, wine, music and philanthropy.  It was promoted by all the restaurants in the weeks leading up to the event which resulted in a sold out affair.  We heard there were approximately 300 attendees.

We arrived to a beautiful setting of linen tablecloths and candlelit tables on cobblestone streets at around 6PM.  Eighteen local restaurants were represented and wine flowed freely. Several variations of chocolate clams (chocolate colored shells), the local specialty were presented.  Grilled fish, pork and beef were also plentiful, well prepared and delicious.  Luckily we left a little room for the yummy desserts and pastries also available.

The weather was perfect, the mosquitos were at bay.  The lovely evening was further enhanced by local live music, a raffle (we did not win :-() and a traditional clam bake demonstration, complete with a loin-clothed clam cocinero.


It was a fun night and an enjoyable kick-off for our friends from Seattle who had arrived earlier in the day for a week's stay with us.  The organizers seemed pleased with the amount of money raised by the evening toward a good cause.

La Vida Mexicana

When last we left our tireless travelers...we had just arrived at our Loreto Bay.  While the casita had the basic cooking utensils including a nicely appointed kitchen and outdoor grill, our next adventure was to find the town of Loreto and a grocery for some food and other necessary provisions.

Turns out there are two "major" grocery stores in Loreto.  Based on our other trips to Mexico, these were smaller, but both still very well stocked with mostly local fare.  It seemed like we were in the store a very long time reading signs in Spanish and calculating the peso to dollar equivalent on each item dropped into the cart. Our first trip included a whole fresh chicken, a pork slab of of some kind, salad veggies, avocados, limes, coffee, milk, cereal, yogurt and gallons of fresh water. Of course, sampling the local fare at some of the many restaurants in Loreto would supplement meals at home.  In Mexico, your chicken come with feet.  I did not have a tried and true preparation for chicken feet so I discarded them.

From guidebook research, we also knew of a weekly farmer's market held each Sunday in an open arroyo near town that was a common source for fresh food and flea market items.  We were looking forward to finding additional food items at this venue as well.  Unfortunately, due to the recent rains in Mexico, that market was displaced to another location.  We would scout for its new location on the next Sunday.

Since there is a large influx of American and Canadian expats each year to Loreto Bay, there are some specialty markets that have cropped up to serve American tastes such as a wine/gourmet food items.  The wine selection was limited but decent, prices a little high.

Our first meal at home was simple using just a few fresh ingredients and very tasty.

Roasted pork loin, salad and wine

  
There was only one restaurant open in the Loreto Bay Village upon our arrival as the "gringo" season had not yet begun so we also enjoyed dinner and drinks out at the Agave Restaurant on their opening night that was quite enjoyable.

    

Oooh, Mexico...where not even the sun is in a hurry

We are here for another 30 days.  This is Loreto Bay, Baja California Sur Mexico!  It is a desert climate located about halfway down the Baja peninsula.

The hidden gem of The Villages of Loreto Bay is tucked between the Giganta Mountains and the azsure Sea of Cortez approximately 7 miles North on Mexico Hwy 1.  We ended up here through a friend of Mike's who had offered us a favorable multi-month rental on a 2 bedroom casita he owns in the community.  Mike and I have spent several vacations in Mexico and enjoy the culture, the vibe, the food, sun and sand that is unique to Mexico.  This is our first trip to the Baja.

Upon our arrival in late September to the small, but very new airport we were confronted with the reality that English, when spoken loudly with extreme enunciation is not any more understood by the local taxi driver than speaking English at a normal volume.  The years of high school Spanish have served me well.  Key words and phrases are still stuck in my feeble brain even after my recent birthday, who knew?  We obtained a "collectivo" (group taxi) at the airport and made the journey to the Villages of Loreto Bay.  While trying to make Spanglish small talk with the taxi driver enroute, we began to acclimate ourselves with the two lane highway that would take us to town, including the various free-range horses and other animals grazing on the roadside. By free-range I mean, no fences anywhere.  Watch for animal signs dotted the road, large animals...bigger than your car, good safety type.  

The Loreto Bay complex was...in a word... "vacant" when we arrived.  Another couple of words would be "ghost town".  The taxi driver dropped us off at our unit with the help of a security guard and our Mexican adventure had begun.  The first few minutes were spent unpacking, assessing the contents of the cute little casita and then we embarked on a recognizance walk in search of an open restaurant.  Not an easy task at a resort area whose season does not really start until mid-October.  

After a fairly long walk through the complex in 85 degree heat and literally not seeing another living soul, we began to wonder about our lodging choice for the next 47 days.  Oh ye of little faith.  We saw an open door at the Loreto Bay real estate office.  A chance conversation with Orlando, yielded some basic info on our new community, a map of Loreto with street names and key points of interest such as the two major grocery stores, bank, wine and liquor store and well known restaurants clearly marked.  A local bar that shows NFL games was also part of Oralando's intel... pay dirt.
 
Orlando was getting texts from his co-workers to come join them for happy hour.  It was 3PM in the afternooon,  just one of the many reasons to like Mexico.  Friendly Orlando offered us a lift to the Loreto Bay Golf Resort and Spa on his golf cart as he was on his way over.  It was basically our only chance to get some grub so we jumped aboard.

Orlando delivered us as promised and left us to join his amigos.  We sat down to a late lunch of fish tacos and a burger with this view.  In the immortal words of Coach Levy, "Where would you rather be than right here, right now?"

Hasta Luego!  

Morning cup of joe

Let me just say that I have not always been a coffee drinker.  I would have a rare cappuccino with dessert on a special occasion at a restaurant or a heavily sweetened coffee-like concoction from Starbucks for a treat every once in awhile.  About 6 months before we moved to Hawaii, I bought a single-serve Keurig coffee maker on sale and I became quite enamored with its ease of use, the cute little pre-measured coffee pods and the relative consistent quality of my homemade brew.  I then introduced the coffee to a generous pour of Carnation Italian Sweet Cream creamer, ALWAYS in my favorite coffee mug and my morning routine now included coffee, just one cup.  

My favorite mug!

This comforting morning ritual gained momentum as a necessity for me in Hawaii where I was up and on conference calls at 5AM to coincide with the Pacific Time Zone of my Seattle colleagues.  My coffee life was further improved by a chance visit to Thunder Mountain Kona Coffee Roasters on the Big Island. Again, I am not a connoisseur, but I began buying their raw beans and grinding my own coffee for use in my own refillable K-cup filter.  Good for me, good for the environment, and you could buy the beans at Costco, win/win.

In May, I bid a sad farewell to my Keurig as it was wrapped and packed for its voyage across the ocean headed for a storage unit on the mainland.  Would it be safe?  Wouldn't it be lonesome sitting in the dark all wrapped in paper until its release....who knows when?  It wasn't the coffee maker that I was feeling anxious about, it was the comfort of the routine.  No daily budget for Starbucks could replace the quiet, relaxing relationship with my mug and its steamy dark brew. 

On the first few weeks back on the mainland I was lucky enough to share my morning cup of joe with my BFF at her breakfast bar where we would scan the morning news and chat.  But the day was approaching when I would no long have access to this morning luxury.  

Our first few days in Portland, OR sans Keurig were filled with experiments into deprivation or coffee surrogates. Each new place we stayed had a version of the tried and true "Mr. Coffee" pot for brewing a vat of coffee. The water to coffee ratio in pot brewing was not in my wheelhouse.   You might be thinking, as you are reading this, "Geez, you probably can't swing a cat in Portland without hitting a coffee shop."  While that is true, my preferred observance of my coffee ritual does not include drinking it in the company of loud strangers or walking down the street with it in a paper cup.

However, Portland did provide a resolution to my coffee conundrum.  At one of the street fairs we attended, we stopped into a coffee and tea brewing emporium that did not actually serve beverages but did display a multitude of brewing devices accompanied by a knowledgeable brewmeister who tipped us off to a very portable solution to my problem.  

This device is divine it its simplicity, portability, price point and quality of brew.  The GSI Collapsible Java Drip ($10 on Amazon), a box of #2 filters from Trader Joes and 2 Tbl spoons of whatever coffee I choose has given me the comfort of my uninterrupted coffee respite from Portland to Seattle to Loreto, Mexico.  

  

    

    I am now comforted by my morning cup of joe wherever I go.  Sorry for the rhyme. 

Seattle, a city of alternatives

Mike has challenged me to post less food related columns and delve into other areas...be careful what you ask for.

Saw this story in today's news headlines:
"Very important lesson for drug traffickers: Do not store your half-ton of weed in the backseat of your car.
A Brazilian drug smuggler did just that, police say, and the man was killed when he crashed into a tree while being chased by police ... because the 1,100 pounds of weed came barreling forward and crushed him against the steering wheel."

While in Seattle, we saw a couple of alternative ways to obtain your "legal" herb of choice that may not be as hazardous.  I am not condoning it, just sharing that the pioneer spirit of the Northwest is alive and well.

To your door delivery, let someone else take the risk.

Or get it delivered via a special VW Cani-bus.  

On the edge of 50

Seems Fortuitous Hiatus was true to its name for a while, but I am back with a host of backlogged posts, they may be a little out of order, but oh well.  I will strive to improve my productivity going forward.  :-)

Late summer is a birthday bonanza at the Czerwinski household, Mike's on August 21st and mine on September 14th. First of all, thanks to all of you who sent me warm birthday wishes.

As some of you are aware we have spent the month of September in Seattle house sitting for some friends who were on a several week European vacation. They did not mentioned seeing Clark Griswold on their travels...but you never know. It was a win/ win for us.  We got to enjoy their magnificent home with expansive views of the Cascade mountains, Mt. Ranier and Lake Washington.  The house also included a fully outfitted kitchen, multiple outdoor grills and the sweetest Welsh terrier named Sophie.

Short ribs braising down to yummy goodness.

Back to my birthday. As you know from my previous posts, we have been eating out at restaurants a lot. The aforementioned kitchen was full of Le Cruset cookware of various shapes and sizes and just about any kitchen tool or gadget you could buy from Sur La Table. This bountiful kitchen bonanza prompted a homemade birthday dinner.

Now before some of you get out the lanterns, pitchforks and rakes to come after my husband for not taking me out to dinner, let me say that part of my birthday enjoyment was spending time planning the menu, shopping, using the best kitchen ware I have ever had access to, spending time together prepping in the kitchen and then enjoying a delicious meal.  A very special bottle of wine and yummy desserts from 65th Street Bakery rounded out the dinner.

My birthday dinner menu:

Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs

Puréed parsnips

Steamed broccoli

Lemon bar (Janice)

Bottle of 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia Cabernet

Birthday Dinner

In the end I got my cooking fix, the meal was at least restaurant quality (maybe better) and there were some kick-ass leftovers for the next day. Knowing that in our upcoming trip to Mexico minimal food preparations would be required, ie: dunking some raw fish in lime juice with a little jalapeno and cilantro, this hearty meal was perfect.  Happy Birthday to me. 

Seattle Sunset Supper, August 16, 2013

Aside from the Space Needle, I suspect the second-most iconic landmark of Seattle is the Pike Place Market.  It was the first farmer's market established in Seattle back in 1907, a long time before the farm to table movement that is fashionable today.  It is open 362 days a year and boasts a most colorful mix of fruits and vegetables, meat and fish and tourist kitsch which draws hoards of tourists and locals alike who can shake the hand of the farmer, butcher, fishmonger, beekeeper or baker selling their goods.

Each year the Pike Place Market Foundation hosts a fund-raising event called the Sunset Supper to support the various services provided to the farmers and their families who work in the market. On one summer evening in August each year the market closes early, the streets are closed, tents are raised and 1,200 guests attend an eating, drinking and dancing extravaganza.  Tickets for the charitable event run from $60 to $100 per person.

The event is largely supported by volunteers.  When we lived in Seattle, Mike and I volunteered for 3 or 4 years and had a great experience.  Part of the benefit of volunteering, a 3-4 hour shift, was you were able to attend the event for free or more recently due to the economy, at a discounted rate.  When we arrived in Seattle this month I emailed the volunteer coordinator and let her know that there were two seasoned volunteers available for her use.  She politely declined and said she would keep our names if cancellations occurred.  Wonder of wonders, a couple of days before the event some volunteers flaked out and there were two slots for Sponsor Tent Set-Up vacant.  We checked out calendar and low and behold we were available to fill in.:-)

We picked up and donned our "volunteer" t-shirts at the appointed time.  The expected and historic chaos of managing over 100 volunteers was evident at the beginning of our shift soon became organized and effective.  We set up tables, chairs, distributed linens, glasses and gift bags and iced copious amounts of beer and wine.  Mike had a near incident with a fellow volunteer in a "lead" t-shirt during the linen distribution process who thought she was speaking to her 13 year old son.  I was proud of his restraint.

The first part of the shift is always fun as tourists pass by and inquire about the event and what is happening. It is still a proud moment to be part of the event and explain the purpose and value to the community even though we don't live here anymore.

The holy grail of volunteering at this event is that you get an early shift which allows you to attend the event in the first half hour which is reserved for the "Sponsor Only" ticket holders.  This early entry gets the lucky few the ability to visit the best tents before it gets very crowded.  The vendors are extremely generous and creative with their donated gourmet tapas sized comestibles and wine and liquor pourings.  Salmon and other Northwest favorites have a strong presence.  My personal favorite this year was a rosemary lavender ice cream although everything tasted amazing.

As with all the other years we attended, the night was magical.  The weather was perfect.  The food, wine, distilled spirits and of course Starbucks flowed freely for 4 hours. We were stuffed, slightly inebriated and enjoying the cover band by the stars looking out over Puget Sound by 10 pm.  A nice walk home, no cab needed, made it a perfect ending to the night.  If you live here and haven't done it, volunteer or buy a ticket.  It is fun and good for the community.

Zoo Tunes

Seattle has a lovely zoo.  It is situated quite near the city, an urban wooded oasis.  Each summer, there is an evening concert series (Zoo Tunes) planned in a large green meadow that is located within the zoo grounds.  The zoo closes a little early and families stream in with picnics, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy good music under the stars.

We had attended several of these concerts over the years we lived in Seattle, so wisely Mike had pre-purchased tickets for Trombone Shorty for August 7th. We had seen Trombone Shorty once before at the Portland Blues Festival and knew they were a jammin' band.  He describes himself as a "Vocalist, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, philanthropist. Hard-edged funk, hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and improvisation in a jazz tradition."   I can't speak for his  philanthropy but his funk is on par w/ James Brown.

On this night, we were treated to a bonus because JJ Grey & Mofro was the warm up band for Trombone Shorty.  JJ Grey's band is from Jacksonville, FL.  It was a perfect, breezy Seattle summer night that that took us right down through the French Quarter on a party float.  Add them both to your playlist and you will not be disappointed.

When you turn 50, you get two posts

The day of Mike on August 21st began with a homemade pancake breakfast with two toppings and bacon.  Topping 1 was a pureed blackberry syrup I made from some of the remaining seasonal berries available from the farmer's market.  Topping 2 was a caramelized bourbon syrup recipe that we had on our list to try.  Who would not enjoy, butter, brown sugar and bourbon melted down to a rich amber glaze.  It was not 5 o'clock anywhere, but we ate it atop our hotcakes.  I did not have a candle to light for his birthday wish, but the breakfast was enjoyed fully without it.

Bob's Red Mill pancake mix made fluffy, substantial pancakes.

For those of you worried about our caloric intake and my obsession with food blogs, after such a large breakfast we skipped lunch in preparation for a special birthday dinner.

We did however walk downtown at lunch time to listen to some live music.  Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys played a rockin; set of roots and country swing.  Not the type of music we would normally go listen to but these guys had the audience dancing and every foot tapping.

Outdoor concert in the courtyard on a sunny Seattle afternoon.

Staples and Fancy is a simple italian-inspired restaurant, one of several establishments owned by local chef Ethan Stowell.  One of the unique options at this restaurant is a chef's choice "Fancy" menu which provides a multi-course feast of seasonal dishes just for your table on that night. It was a reasonably priced option so we agreed to put ourselves in the hands of the chef.  The restaurant, located in Ballard is in a funky old building with an exposed brick interior and an open kitchen where you can see the food being prepared.  

After the server opened our "special" bottle of Amarone we brought with us, the family-style meal began with several tasty appetizers.

Arriving right on time after the final ceasar salad leaf had been delightfully consumed came a bowl of homemade pasta with a salty pork red sauce...they had me at salty pork. It was delicious.

The main course was a beautifully prepared and presented plate of seared sea scallops.  They were large, perfectly crusted on both sides and sweet as lobster or crab. I know they are known for their pork and beef entrees which were not part of the chef's tasting menu on this night, but neither of us felt like we were missing out because the scallops were just that damn good.  Of course there was a birthday dessert for the birthday boy.  A fig tart topped with gelato with candle arrived to top off the meal.

Thanks to all of you who called (some who sang), e-mailed and sent birthday cards and wishes.

Happy 50th Birthday, my love

In preparation for Michael's 50th birthday today, I asked him to finish the following word groupings.  They came from an old Amex advertising campaign where famous people did the same.  As I said in the note to him, I wish I had done it 20 years ago so we could compare. I was not thar sharp though.  I am posting his responses with his permission.

If any readers would like to comment back with their list, feel free.  A little reflection is good for the soul whether it is your birthday or not.

Childhood dream - to be an architect

Fondest memory - Bills beating KC Chiefs in the 1993 AFC Championship game.  (I was living in KC at the time and flew back to Buffalo to see the game.)  The following game however, not so memorable.

Favorite Soundtrack - The Big Chill

Retreat - any beach

Wildest dream - trip around the world, mostly to places without a lot of other tourists.

Proudest moment - Not one moment but overall, my long term friendships and marriage

Biggest challenge - being patient.

Alarm clock - try to avoid them, find them to be a barbaric and unnatural way to wake up

Perfect day - Family and Friends sitting around a villa in Tuscany eating great food and drinking great wine

First job - dishwasher at Bonanza Steakhouse

Indulgence - 2001 SLK Mercedez (yes, my last indulgence was 12  years ago)

Last purchase - root canal (proving my point above)

Favorite movie - To Kill a Mockingbird, (a close 2nd is: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)

Inspiration - You don't want to get me going about the over use of that word (I will sound like a grumpy old man)

My life...is a little over half done, so far I think it's going good.

Back to the Emerald City

We left Portland on a gray, rainy day.  It was the only one we experienced the whole time we were there.  The rain did not stop us from trying one more of Portland’s well known breakfast diners, Byways Café.  My biscuits and gravy and Mike’s omelet were more than worth the walk there and back in the misty rain.

3 or so hours later we arrived at our old stomping grounds in Seattle.  It feels both comfortable and strange to be back.  The city looks pretty much the same, but with more traffic and silhouettes of cranes reaching into the sky.   The city seems vibrant and booming which is great to see.  We are looking forward to revisiting some of our old restaurant favorites (Top Pot Donuts, Red Mill Burgers and Salumi) as well as finding some new ones while here. 

We unpacked and settled into our new digs for August in Belltown.  Our little one bedroom loft condo is well-located only 2 blocks from the Space Needle.  It has a very cool rooftop deck with deck chairs, an umbrella and 2 gas grills.  We missed grilling, so we will take advantage while here.  Belltown is a little gritty by Seattle standards, not a tourist destination, but more of a “pass-through” while traversing between the landmarks of Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.  

View from rooftop deck.

On our second night, we walked to a free music concert at the Mosaic Park at the foot of the Space Needle.  Despite the drizzle earlier in the day, there was a generous audience turnout and 3 great bands. 

4T Trail

Trail, tram, trolley and train are the 4 T's in the trail.  I would imagine if you asked a local they would have no idea about this trail.  It was something I found online while searching for outdoorsy things to do.  I thought it was a cool way to see the city, maybe some areas we had not seen yet, get in a reasonable hike and get a free tram ride back down the hill with a great view of the Willamette River and the city.  It was all that and actually a little more.  We happened to do the loop on the same day there was a farmer’s market at the OHSU campus so we snagged a phenomenal tasting nectarine as a snack just after the hike.

The 4-Trail can be started at any point along the loop.  The four-mile hiking trail and the combined rides take between three and four hours to complete.  The trail is very well marked and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Trail marker with 4-T symbol 

View from tram car on the ride down, 1/4 of the 4-T trail

4-T Trail map

You remember Virginia is for lovers?  This is Portland's tourism and travel slogan.  Just kidding.

That evening we met up with a former colleague of mine and her husband who live in Portland.  She smartly suggested the Portland City Grill happy hour.  40 floors up in a bank building, we were treated one last incredible view of the city, the river and the still snow-capped mountains.  It was a great ending to a very lovely Portland summer day. 

Guns and Roses

The other day we were at Oven and Shaker, yet another cool bar/restaurant in Portland for happy hour.  Mike was conflicted over ordering a cocktail called the Rum Daisy (Flor de Cana 4yr, Dry Light Rum, Grand Marnier, freshly pressed lemon juice, club soda, orange oil).  While it had all the components of a delectable early afternoon libation for a warm sunny day, the name was a bit of an embarrassment for him to utter aloud for other nearby diners to hear.  Mike shared his dilemma with the server who promptly said she would just call it the Rum Manly to assuage his concerns.  We all got a laugh and Mike had the very enjoyable Rum Manly without self-loathing and humiliation.  The delicious wood-fired salami-topped pizza made it a bonus all around.

Later that same week, after meeting up with some local friends for dinner and drinks, we got on the subject of gun ownership and safety, etc.  Our friend invited Mike to go with him to a shooting range and try his skills shooting multiple rifles and pistols.  Mike took him up on this unique offer and spent a few hours learning and shooting at the range.  It was interesting, educational and gave him a view of gun ownership from the perspective of a respected friend not from a right or left wing nut on the television.  Good life experience. 

One more thing capped off the week of the Rum Manly.  Mike was kind enough to invite me to see RUSH while in Portland.  I knew only 2 of the songs they sang but I almost always love live, rockin’ bands so it was actually enjoyable overall.  Women were in the minority of attendees which made it “The best restrooms visit at a rock concert for a woman” of all time.   We got home after midnight, didn't buy the t-shirt.  

We all scream for ice cream, some louder than others

If you eat ice cream in Portland, it must be at the Salt and Straw, period.  If you happen by, they are open and there is not a long line, do not contemplate the time of day.  Ignore the fact that you just had a 2000 calorie lunch or that it will spoil your dinner, just go in and order.  If there is a line, stand in it, same rules above apply.  

Like many things it Portland, it is eccentric, organic, artisinal, sustainable, unique ice cream with flavor combinations that will defy your ice cream paradigms.   Given that, go out of your comfort zone and try goat cheese/marionberry/habanero ice cream or chocolate/blueberry/rice krispie treat (our choices) or one of their other flavors.  We never made it back to try the honey/balsamic/strawberry with cracked pepper which I regret.  I am confident you will find one you like as evidenced by the 100+ people who stand in line each night for a pricey scoop of yummy goodness.

I wish I had a picture to post, but we ate the subject before it was photographed. 

A pig, a winery and the farmer's market

Sounds like the beginning of a joke, but let me tell you that porchetta, braised fennel and an arugula salad accompanied by a bottle of 2005 Cantina De Negrar Amarone was no joke.  Another find at the PSU farmer's market was a boutique porkery called Tails and Trotters.  This purveyor of hazelnut finished pork caught Mike's eye on our first pass by their tent.  After a semi-lengthy period of indecision on whether to purchase the hand-rolled, sausage stuffed porchetta roast for a fancy home-cooked meal, we went back to buy the pig portion and he was SOLD OUT!  By this point we had fixated on how delicious this meal would be.  Not to be denied, we drove their shop in NW. The meal was delicious and Mike had a pork-belly sandwich with leftovers the next day.  Not healthy, but so good.

Oven ready porchetta, just bake and bask in the glory of hazelnut fed, sausage-stuffed hog.

I am including a couple more farmer's market photos that Mike took because they almost look fake, they are so beautiful.  Enjoy.

Groupon  provided us with an opportunity to visit Ardiri. A boutique winery nestled in the Chehalem Mountains AVA of the Willamette Valley.  We tasted several of their varietals and enjoyed an picnic basket lunch we had packed on their beautiful grounds.

The vineyard.

Gorgeous tasting room and wine enjoyment area.

Cronuts, shmonuts

You may have all heard of Voodoo Donuts.  A yeast and sugar emporium that has developed mythical status.  100+ people are regularly standing in line for that coveted pink box filled with a voodoo doll donut (complete with a "pretzel" pin for sticking), maple bacon bar, Tex-Ass Challenge donut (equal to the size of 6 yeast donuts combined) or one of many other cheeky-named favorites. These are not vegan, gluten-free, nut-allergic or paleo friendly and in Portland that is testament to their yummy, guilt-ridden goodness.  You gotta go once for the donut and the spectacle.  We made the pilgrimage on a previous trip to the Rose City.

However, this post is not about the voodoo they do, but instead about a new haute donut entrant in Portland called Blue Star Donuts.  If you are hip, hungry for a designer fried dough circle with a hole and you are also well-funded...make the trip to Blue Star.  They purvey made-from-scratch-daily brioche donuts fried in rice oil with unique combinations of icing and/or ingredients.  We ventured into the bright, clean donut and coffee shop with our Amex card and hoping they would not notice our many degrees of separation from hip.

Understated, white box of yummy goodness.

Blueberry/bourbon/basil glazed, maple bacon and a hard cider apple fritter were our selections. The flavors vary based on their whim and available ingredients.  YUM!!! $8 is pricey for 3 donuts and a short-term sugar rush, but we both agreed it was worth the experience.  Even for a Top Pot lover like myself, the brioche donut was a delicious departure from the norm.  Their hours are listed as "8am - out".  Arrogance or confidence? Probably both.  There are other chef's that have it going on outside the Big Apple.

From top, Blueberry/bourbon/basil, hard cider apple fritter, maple bacon...stop drooling.

Nature and Music

We have found that Portland has an abundance of both.

On a recent venture to another one of Portland's cool districts for the Mississippi Street Fair, Mike noticed a flyer stapled to a corner telephone pole or cylindrical billboard as it had become.  Come enjoy the spiritual music of Bruce Springsteen.  As Mike is a dutiful follower of the prophet Springsteen, it was a must see.

MUSIC:  The setting...a grassy courtyard, shade growing as the evening approaches, a few folding chairs, a grassy center available for a more communal blanket experience.  Any age, socio-economic level, social and religious preference are welcomed.  All of this beneath the shadow of a historic stone Episcopal church whose congregation was established in 1856.  What could be more spiritual than that you ask?  Five or six extremely talented local musicians and groups performing Bruce Springsteen songs.  It is an annual event that selects various mainstream musicians who have a spiritual lesson to teach.  In between sets we were treated to the 10 Commandments of Bruce Springsteen, readings focused on trials, tribulation and redemption that are present in his songs.  It was actually quite moving at times.  The finale was wrapped up with a group sing of Thunder Road.  Truly a spiritual experience.

NATURE:  A random Groupon purchase put us onto a 3 hour float trip down the Santiam River. It has been in the 80's almost every day that we have been in Portland so it seemed like a nice day trip to float lazily down a 63 degree river in a raft and enjoy nature.  Our "float" trip included approximately 8 class 1 and 2 rapids in individual inflatable kayaks.  After a quick paddling lesson we began our adventure which was a little short on floating and long on paddling and avoiding rocks and boulders and not falling into the very cold river.  The trip was not short on natural beauty though.  While Mike scoffed at the rapids and whitewater, I was a little less sure of my abilities to navigate.  Backwards and stuck on rocks at times, I am proud to say I did not dump my kayak and made it to the end without a rescue by the guides.  By the way, the guides and the trip were a great little unplanned event and I would definitely recommend it.

Whitewater just "before" our put in spot. Yay.

The tranquil Santiam river lazily floating us to our next white-knuckle whitewater, very deceiving.  Not really that bad.

MUSIC:  Another concert at quaint outdoor venue hosted by an eco-conservatory group just a few blocks from our condo included a bluegrass group named Wayward Vessel and Crystal Bowersox -was headliner. You may remember Crystal as a non-winner of American Idol.  If Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin had a baby it would have the soulful sound of Crystal Bowersox.  Her second set was acoustic, just her playing guitar to very personal lyrics that put you right in her dreadlocks, shoes and her life for the 3 minutes of her song. Her last song was Me and Bobby Mcgee, she wailed and she rocked it.  Good show.

MUSIC:  Free jazz festival at Cathedral Park.  About 15 minutes northeast of Portland under one of their many bridges crossing the beautiful Willamette River we arrived at the small park that is delightfully situated under a very large large bridge whose supports are reminiscent of cathedral architecture, hence its name I suppose.  Although it was rather steamy, the music as good and we were once again amazed by the musical talent we have seen in this town.

NATURE:  I am not sure if our trip to Bob's Red Mill natural foods and breakfast mercantile belongs under "nature", but it's my blog so I am putting it there. :-)  I am sure you have seen their all natural whole and milled grains in your local supermarket.  We planned our trip to strategically arrive for breakfast at their cafe as Mike had a hankerin' for their flapjacks with 100% natural maple syrup.  Then we would go to the mill for the daily tour.  Breakfast was divine, filling with delicious buttermilk pancakes and whole grain biscuits as big as your fist.  Needless to say we hoped the tour included nap time, but alas it did not.  Bob and his 100% employee owned company are true disciples of natural, healthy rice, grains and legumes.  They have also embraced the gluten-free phenomenon and it seems the glutenless have embraced them as well, that line of business has increased 50% in last couple of years.  Bob and his wife seemed to be ahead of their time really, they have built a thriving business with a profit for good philosophy.  It works and it is also good for you.  I am too now a disciple of Bob's Red Mill.

Cafe and mercantile store.  Breakfast, lunch, all products (bagged and bulk) and Bob's Red Mill swag available here.

Bob's flapjacks and biscuits, a carbloader's dream.