NOPA

I headed across San Francisco to the corner of Divisadero and Hayes to a place called NOPA, a "gathering place north of the Panhandle, serving urban rustic food and specializing in organic wood-fired cuisine" according to their website. I learned that NOPA is an abbreviation for "North of the Panhandle" referring to a subsection of the Western Addition found on older maps.

Anyhow, how about a cocktail? Pisco Punch, Pisco Sour, Minero, The Last Word, Pirata, Dark and Stormy, Sazerac... Or how about their list of spirits including sixteen gins, seventeen rums and cachacas, twenty-two bourbon and ryes; I think I'm out of my league here, I recognize maybe 10% of the names, but who am I? Just take a look.

I went for the Minero first, Quebranta Pisco, St. Germain Elderflower, lemon juice, egg white, and sunshine bitters (made in house with cardamom and saffron). A twist on the classic Pisco Sour, I definitely approved. Alright, second course. I had just eaten (which was the case all afternoon) so I wasn't going to stay for dinner, but wanted to try a couple tapas off their bar menu.

Now when it comes to food, I've always been partial to Hawaiian plate lunch style fare - meat, rice, mac salad piled high and probably mixed up in the course of eating. Therefore, I'm often disappointed with small, artistic appetizers a la Iron Chef, if you've ever seen some of those concoctions. That being said, the lamb prosciutto and squash salad was delicious. It really was an Iron Chef concoction, or least what I imagine they should be like. The squash was light with a nice bite and the prosciutto was salty and flavorful creating a nice balance.

Oh, and I paired it with The Petaler (pictured) - Damrak Gin, Rosé Vermouth (house made), Dimmi and lime. A gentleman sitting next to me conveniently ordered the Sazerac, and it was made right - marked by that familiar amber/ruby color.

Go back to NOPA for dinner is now on my to do list.

The Slanted Door

Tales 'n' Ales has actually traveled out of the Pac NW to San Francisco. This is the first of a series of posts from my afternoon adventure in the Bay Area. Yes, I was in San Francisco for one afternoon and patronized six different establishments.

After taking the wrong exit off of 101, I weaved my way through the city to arrive at my first stop, a Vietnamese restaurant located at the Northeast corner of the Ferry Building called The Slanted Door. Odd choice for a first stop, right? Not really. This was no SE Portland Pho (beef noodle soup) joint - but I love those too!

Cracked open the cocktail menu to find a list riddled with a blend of pre-prohibition cocktails, twists on classics, and a couple names completely foreign to me. How about The Last Word - Tanqueray 10, Luxardo Maraschino, V.E.P. Green Chartreuse and lime juice served up or a Pendennis Club Cocktail - Millers gin, Orchard apricot brandy, lime, and Peychaud's bitters. I went for an Abinsthe-washed Gimlet (nothing unfamiliar, but tasty) and secondly a Agricole Rhum Punch - La Favorite ambre rhum, lime, cane syrup, with dashes of Angostura and clove and dusted with nutmeg, served on the rocks. This was pretty awesome, reminded me of a classic Mai Tai, the agricole wasn't at all harsh, and the bitters/clove/nutmeg added a unique aromatic kick.

I would've loved to eat more of the menu, but I had a long afternoon of eating ahead of me. But to give you an idea of what they are offering, their BAR MENU included oysters, Japenese yellowtail, carpaccio, clams, seared scallops, five-spiced duck confit and more. Oh, and did I mention a beer list that included Saison dupont, Duvel, Erdinger and a handful of Belgians I'd never even heard of. Anyway, I went for the grilled tiger prawns with vermicelli noodles. Very simple, but executed really well. The shrimp were sweet and not over done, the spring roll on the side was crispy and flavorful with the traditional dipping sauce of lemon, water, sugar, and the potent Vietnamese fish sauce.

I don't think you can really go wrong here. Beer, cocktails, appetizers, lunch, dinner?

Agate Alley

Agate Alley Bistro opened up here in Eugene about 4 weeks ago right next to 19th St McMenamins on the corner of 19th and Agate. I have been by about 4 times now, mostly for cocktails.

There is a restaurant side and a patio, but I have spent all of my time in the lounge. The atmosphere is cozy but trendy, and the somewhat eclectic menu ranges from mac 'n' cheese to porcini (this is a mushroom) ahi (tuna). Of course I had to order both. The cocktail menu has clearly been thought out and designed to keep up with the craft cocktail trend with concoctions such as the Marionberry Mint Margarita and of course Jeff Morgenthaler's Richmond Gimlet. I went with the Hemingway's Lament, a concoction of rum, maraschino (Luxardo liqueur), grapefruit, lime juice and lavender syrup. I think this is a nicely constructed cocktail, well balanced sweet and sour flavors. The maraschino is bold and the lavender is subtle.

The ahi puzzled me a little bit. Granted I have not traveled the world eating seared ahi, but I have always seen it served seared, sliced and plated - just like sashimi would be served. What I got though was two pancake sized pieces seared only on the outer ring - as if an ahi equivalent of a prime rib roast had been seared and carved. It tasted pretty good, but by the time I got to the center of the cut, I was eating chunks of raw tuna with no condiments.

Mac 'n' cheese was delicious. Walla Walla onions add a sweetness to the sharpness of the Tillamook cheddar cheese sauce. Great texture, I really liked this.

Overall a cool place, especially for the location. If you're on campus and want a cocktail, Agate Alley is pretty much unrivaled. Open until 1am, it's a pretty strong late night snack option as well.

Tiger Beer

A quick beer review. Tiger Beer brewed by Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore is a typical Asian lager, but specifically found at Thai restaurants, in my experience.

The beer pours a pale golden and held a somewhat substantial foamy head. The glass was chilled, which real beer connoisseurs might frown upon because the condensation can dilute and affect the flavor of the beer. But you know, I'm sitting in a Thai restaurant on an 85 degree day with a $3 imported lager in an ice cold glass, so who gives a shit?

This beer is very light bodied with a crisp and tight carbonation. Virtually no sweetness, just a light citrus hoppiness and notes of something like the skin of a green apple. Refreshing and highly drinkable. I'd probably reach for a Euro lager like Stella first, but I'd definitely take this over most American macro lagers, and I'd have to really sit down to compare it to the Jap lagers.

All in all, it was refreshing with my Pad Kee Mao.

Dragon Milk

Well, what can I say. My apologies to my small cadre of loyal readers for not updating for so long. My tales of adventure in F & B have not stopped, I just wasn't finding the time to discuss them here. Never again! For now, here's a little spot for you to put on your map.

A couple weeks ago I had to attend the Circle of Excellence OSCPA dinner at the Lloyd Center Doubletree in Portland. Naturally, after sucking down a questionable scotch and soda, I wanted to get away for a post-event cocktail. In an attempt to find a convenient bridge to DT Portland, my driver accidentally found herself in North Portland - the intersection of N Russell St and N Mississippi Ave to be exact. You may know this area for the Widmer Bros Pub, but that's a tale for another time.

Being somewhat unfamiliar with the area and really thirsty, I suggested hitting up Mint 820, a trendy bar and restaurant created by Lucy Brennan, a mixologist probably most well-known in Portland for her contributions to the cocktail bible at Saucebox. If you find yourself at Mint 820, I would advise passing up classic cocktails or your old favorites and opting for something off of their drink menu or a Lucy Brennan cocktail you may have read about.

I ordered Dragon Milk, one of Brennan's cocktails that was featured about a year ago in Portland Monthly's Best Bars issue. This is a creamy cocktail with a light yogurt-like sourness with notes of coconut. I don't imagine this is the type of drink you'd mix for an after-work beverage, but if you were curious:

2oz Momokawa Pearl Sake
1oz lemon lime juice
1oz coconut syrup
1oz simple syrup
1/4oz half & half
Shake vigorously.
Serve up with tropical flower garnish.

Hopworks

Well I finally made it to the Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) in it's second week of operations. The HUB is Portland's first all-organic brew pub, located on Powell near 29th (close to Cleveland High School), where the old Sunset Fuel building used to be. The HUB supports the green culture, operating in a eco-friendly building and apparently being very cyclist accessible. Bike frames hang above the bar top.

I had a lot of expectations about this venue, primarily a spacious beer garden with a great view, but it appears they decided not to go through with it. But I wasn't completely disappointed by any means, the space is fairly large and packed with people. The beer is solid and innovative. The beer list written across a big chalk board includes a lager, IPA, doppelbock, stout, even a strong, fruity Belgian ale and more. I tasted about 75% of their brews and my favorite is the 7 Grain Survival Stout. I was first exposed to this beer at the Oregon Beer and Wine Festival a few weeks ago and it still impressed me. It's a little lighter bodied than I'd expect from an American stout, but big on coffee and unsweetened chocolate. Coffee beers like Kona Pipeline Porter and Willamette Espresso Stout are fairly sweet in contrast, so this was a nice change for me.

The HUB is said to be serving some tasty food using fresh local ingredients, but I did not have the opportunity to sample any of it yet. If anyone has, drop a comment with some recommendations.

The unique location and all the buzz is reason enough to check this place out for yourself. For now I would recommend beating the waiting list and snagging a seat at the bar, working your way through the beer list, and gambling on some appetizers.

Thai Noodles and Cream Ale

I've been eating a lot of Thai food lately. Cold weather and a big appetite keep triggering cravings for Thai curries, soups, and noodle dishes. I'm always conflicted about trying new things or going back to old favorites, but I'm slowly working my way through the menu.

My favorite Thai place in Eugene as of late is Ta Ra Rin on Willamette St between 12th and 13th. The service is always friendly and while I'm no Thai food expert, everything is always delicious. Today I tried a new dish and a new beer, and they paired very nicely. I wanted to try another noodle dish other than the popular Pad Thai and the waitress recommended the Pad Kee Mao, wide rice noodles with red and green bell peppers, sprouts, basil, and broccoli. If you're familiar with Chinese Chow Fun, think of this as a Thai version.

I noticed a new beer on the list that I didn't recognize: Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale. I decided to give it a shot. Apparently it's brewed and bottled by Pyramid (Portland), but a product of Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, California. In layman's terms, you can expect a cream ale to be like an American lager with possibly a fuller mouthfeel. This particular cream ale assaults the senses with notes of orange peel, honey, floral notes and almost a ginger like twang.

I don't know how the beer experts would rate this not-so-subtle brew, but I really enjoyed it with my noodles. The noodles had a light soy like sweetness which contrasted the tartness in the beer, but neither overpowered the other. I'll definitely be doing this one again.