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.