Gilt Club

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2010-04-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

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Cocktail Pairing Dinner Tax Day April 15, 2010

2010-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Who better than Oregon to start a distillery for Vodka and Gin made with organic goods? We’re pairing Chris’ food with the spirits of ORGANIC NATION SPIRITS on April 15th so you can soothe your stressed nerves after you drop your taxes at the post office. Organic Nation Spirits was founded in 2006 by Diane Paulson and David Eliason in Ashland Oregon.

5 courses, with options available with each course to include veggies, fish and more hearty fare at a moderate price tag. We’re doing this in a casual fashion. Melodie Buell from Organic Nation Spirits will be on hand to circulate, answer questions and charm, but formal presentations will be kept to a minimum.

Reservations are required.
Call 503.222.GILT (4458)

Valentine's Day in a Romantic, Swanky Setting

2010-02-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes... Valentine's Day is once again upon us. Our chef has come up with a delicious menu being served this weekend. It's a four course menu with many options. Click here to see the menu. Today I'll be telling you what I am picking for each course...

For the first course I'm choosing the Wild Mushroom Panna Cotta with winter vegetable puree and their greens, roasted garlic, and sautéed mushrooms to finish. A savory panna cotta sounds like the perfect beginning to a fine meal. A nice, light way to warm up the palette.

Next I'll be having the Blood Orange and Beets with arugula, goat cheese parcel, pistachios, and saba-pinot noir reduction. As per my previous post you know how much I love the orange and beet combo, so naturally I couldn't resist this salad.

For the entree I'm going to try something new: Butter poached Monkfish with wild mushroom raviolo, sugar snap peas, chervil, and lobster sauce. I've never had monkfish before, but I figure that this is a perfect chance to try it because it will be prepared in the capable hands of the chef and it is poached in butter. I'd probably like just about anything if it had been poached in butter, especially if it is topped off with a lobster sauce!

And for dessert the Chocolate Indulgence for Two:
with a warm chocolate cake, chocolate pot de crème, chocolate covered mint leaves and strawberry sorbet. Need I say more?

Have you made your reservation yet?

A Tasty New Salad Downtown

2010-01-22T14:30:00.001-08:00

We have some new menu items at Gilt, including the delicious salad pictured above. I popped in a couple of weeks ago and sampled this gorgeous salad. It consists of blood oranges and beets with baguette crisps, dill, arugula, chili oil, and crushed pistachios. It is a really wonderful blend of flavors. The beets tell you that it is still winter and the oranges really brighten it up. The addition of the dill brings it to a whole other level. I ordered this salad feeling like I hadn't eaten anything fresh and light all day and it remedied that feeling immediately!

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I'll be talking more about the new entrees and appetizers on the menu!

Happy Hour in Portland's Pearl

2010-01-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Since we are all still slightly recovering from the decadence of the holiday season, I thought I'd focus on our Happy Hour selections today. The smaller Happy Hour portions are guaranteed not to make you immediately blow your New Year's Resolutions.Stay an hour, enjoy some food and then be on your way... simple and easy!

Happy Hour nibbles:

House made potato chips with smoked sea salt
and crème frâiché

White bean purée with baguette

“Scrambled eggs and toast”
slow cooked eggs, with crème frâiché,
chives and brioche toast fingers

Warmed olives with herbs

Toasted marcona almonds with fleur de sel

House made Bacon
straight up
(its just that good)

Side of fries with garlicky aioli

House made pork rinds

Ceasar salad with foccacia croutons

Plain ol’ greens salad with shaved parmesan and
vegetables, simple vinaigrette, fleur de sel, herbs

Tuscan kale chips with preserved lemon
yoghurt sauce and chili flake

Stewed pork shoulder with telaggio & red onion
on foccacia

Pizza of the day- house made pizza dough with
fresh topping chose daily (15 min approx bake time)

Beef slider with red onion, lettuce, cheese served
with house cut French fries

Happy Hour beverages:

Stella Artois Lager

Wine - Glass of whatever we have lots of.
(We could make something up here, but its
better to just tell the truth.)
Changes often be sure to ask us.

Moscow Mule- Vodka, ginger beer, lime,
fresh ginger zest & a spritz of soda -
in a traditional copper cup

Fresh Appletini - House infused apple vodka,
triple sec & fresh lemon & lime -
up with apple slice

Holiday Dinner in the Pearl

2009-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is what I had for dinner last night. Doesn't it look tasty? Roasted goose breast with porcini dumplings, goose fat roasted greens with wild mushroom cream sauce and lingonberry jam... Yum! Honestly I can't figure out which part was my favorite. I really love greens and greens roasted with goose fat are amazing. The porcini dumplings are heavenly dipped in the mushroom cream sauce. I'd never had goose before, but figured if I was ever going to try it now was the time. No one but Gilt was going to prepare the goose with such expert hands. It was rich, almost like steak; the steakiest poultry I've ever had. The flavor circle was completed when each bite was accompanied with a little bit of the lingonberry jam. If this sounds enticing to you I urge you to get to Gilt soon. This is part of a special Christmas Goose Dinner running now through the 30th of this month. All items are available a la cart or prix fixe for all four courses. :

First
Goose and duck terrine with pistachios, roasted chestnuts, buttered potatoes, greens beans and truffle jus
Second
Warm goose confit and giblet salad with walnuts, frisee, pears, oil cured olives and walnut dressing
Third
Roasted goose breast with porcini dumplings, goose fat roasted greens with wild mushroom cream sauce and lingonberry jam
Fourth
A choice from our lovely dessert menu

A nice wine pairing with the goose breast and dumplings would be a Côtes du Rhône, such as a glass of '06 Chapoutier “Belleruche”.

And since we're talking Christmas here, how about a wintery cocktail? Our seasonal right now is the Non-Coffee, Coffee drink - Chai liquer, Kahlua & brandy
with whip cream - hot in a snifter $7.5 w/coffee $8.5.

Perfect Appetizers and Chardonnay in Downtown Portland

2009-12-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

(are you enjoying my iphone photos yet?)

I was reading this week's Mercury review of Gilt Club and was reminded of my other favorite appetizer: Ricotta Fritters! According to Patrick Alan Coleman on the topic of our ricotta fritters, "The fine dining answer to fried mozzarella sticks are expertly prepared, and it's difficult to imagine how one gets ricotta to behave this way. The experience is like biting into a perfectly toasted marshmallow—thinly crisped on the outside and oozy within—the difference being the savor and slightly grainy texture of the ricotta. The little ricotta balls have just enough structural integrity to hold shape while being dragged through an accompanying chili sauce, which adds needed zing to the muted ricotta cheese." I really couldn't have said it any better myself. You must come in and try these! (see last week's post for a discussion of my first favorite appetizer: the humble-yet-perfect focaccia bread.)

Since it we are supposed to get a few snow flurries tonight I thought it appropriate to talk about a white wine, specifically the '05 Ramey Chardonnay. We have so many things on the menu that pair wonderfully with this deep, bold, flavorful white. The butter on the palate really goes nicely with oven roasted cod with saffron cream, slow cooked leeks, basil, shaved fennel, Yukon gold potatoes and mussels, for example. It is a good oak-y wine with some substance.

And finally, a discussion on scotch vs whiskey vs bourbon.
Whiskey: a common liquor produced all over the world, with each region doing so it its own way.
Scotch: the distinctive national whiskey of Scotland. Single Malt scotches are made entirely from malted barley and are the product of one single distillery. Blended scotch whiskeys are a mixture of several different malt whiskeys and grain alcohol, usually aged in older previously used barrels and take longer to mature, ie 10-30 years on average.
Bourbon: a distinctive product of the US distilled in Bourbon County, KY. It is made from a fermented mash of at least 51% corn. Must be aged in new oak 'charred' barrels for at least two years. The charred oak enables it to reach maturity faster than scotch, which uses old barrels. The bourbon is fuller bodies, owing much of it's taste to the corn and rye grains used in it's production.

Oregon Bar Guild Champagne Event

2009-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 7th, FREE S.I.N. night at Gilt Club!

On Monday Dec 7th at 5:30pm, the Oregon Bartenders Guild and will be hosting a complimentary Champagne Cocktail party for all members of the Service Industry. If you have an OLCC card you admittance is free, all other parties are $20. Please come and share in the Festivities at Gilt Club, 306 NW Broadway. Champagne supplied by Bollinger.

Vintage Classic Holiday Cocktails

2009-12-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bartenders mood this month is the Gilt Club Holiday Drink of the day! We're picking out drinks from our 1951 Pauper Press Holiday drink guide of classic cocktails to roll through the month of December. Follow our twitter feed @giltclub for the drink of the day.

Special Spirits Christmas eve Dinner

2009-12-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

We couldn’t pass up the chance to play on the theme of the spirits of Christmas with a Special Christmas Eve only dinner. We’re offering three courses of items from the past, present and future paired with optional cocktails from the ever talented bartenders at Gilt. Menu $35 per person. Cocktail pairings $20.

Reservations for the menu required.

Choose a course from each Ghost.

Ghost of Menus Past
1
Prawn cocktail
With Dungeness crab,
Cocktail sauce, and iceberg lettuce
2
Steak Diane- tenderloin medallions, with wild mushroom cream sauce, Brussels sprouts, and whipped mashed potatoes
3
President Roosevelt’s birthday cake- chocolate coffee cake with espresso and chocolate frosting

Ghost of Menus Present
1
Ricotta gnudi with truffle butter, fried sage, and Cinderella pumpkin puree
2
Grilled focaccia with roasted wild mushrooms, topped with taleggio, pickled red onion, herbs and finished with a truffle-porcini jus
3
Huckleberry financier with crème fraiche ice cream and huckleberry compote

Ghost of Menus Future
1
White miso soup with instant sesame noodles, scallions, fried shitakes, and black trumpet mushrooms
2
Seared escolar with white soy glaze, shiso leaves, Satsuma mandarins, Meyer lemons, dikon radishes, pea shoots
3
Salted caramel ice cream, with chocolate and peanut butter dirt, almond tuile

A Goose dinner!

2009-12-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

Not one night only, but for the two weeks before Christmas, every night, you have the opportunity to come in and try four courses featuring the festive bird. Starting this Wednesday December 9 and running though the end of the month.

First
Goose and duck terrine with pistachios, roasted chestnuts, buttered potatoes, greens beans and truffle jus
Second
Warm goose confit and giblet salad with walnuts, frisee, pears, oil cured olives and walnut dressing
Third
Roasted goose breast with porcini dumplings, goose fat roasted greens with wild mushroom cream sauce and lingonberry jam
Fourth
A choice from our lovely dessert menu

50 for the menu or 27 for the entree

It's the simple things in life...

2009-12-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

(please excuse my poorly lit iphone photo)

I've had an abundance of delicious meals at Gilt Club, but one of my personal favorites is the warmed focaccia with arbequina olives and extra virgin olive oil. One friday night we stopped in for dinner. I was ravenous and ordered this as a starter, just a little something to get me through to when the main course arrived. I wasn't expecting much. I mean, how remarkable can bread be, right? Wrong. It is made in-house and is just amazing. It has herbs and onions baked into the top and is drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Simply perfect.

Maybe you're in the mood for a full meal, but you don't know what wine to sip with it. I'd like to recommend the ‘05 Vietti Barbera “ Scarrone” from the Piedmont region in Italy. The vines are 60 years old, so they're practiced at producing good quality grapes. This wine is made to go with food. It is round, versatile and asks you to have a feast.

I've written previously about the Brooklyn cocktail, and we've all enjoyed a Manhattan or two, but what about the other boroughs? There's the tasty Bronx, which is a mix of gin, vermouth and oj, but do you know what the Bronx becomes when some orange bitters are added? No, it's not another borough, but instead something you'll want to drink between January and April 15th. I guess it only makes sense that a drink called the Income Tax would have bitters in it... Drink it while doing your taxes and then have one more to celebrate dropping that envelope off at the post office.

2009-11-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Do you notice anything strange about this wine label? Yes, that is a flying saucer you see there in the upper left corner! This flying saucer is an homage to a 1954 ordinance in Chateauneuf-du-Pape prohibiting flying saucers in it's vineyard. If you want to know more about this wine, the ’04 Cigar Volant Rouge Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre, check out my earlier post here.

I always thought that venison was another term for deer, but it turns out it is much more than that. It was originally applied to any animal from the families Cervidae (deer), Leporidae (hares), and Suidae (wild pigs), and certain species of the genus Capra (goats and antelopes), such as elk, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, moose, reindeer/caribou, pronghorn, brown hare, arctic hare, blue hare, wild boar, and ibex (here). Venison is popular for a variety of reasons; it's low in fat, high in minerals, and most importantly is a nice change of flavor from the standard meats that are always in abundance. So if you're looking to shake up your palette, come try our Elk tartar with green salad, duck fat
french fries and grilled bread.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about our new Prohibition Era cocktails, one of which is The Brooklyn. I described how the beauty of this cocktail is the prominence of rye whiskey, but I didn't explain how we made that happen. Bulleit Bourbon is the answer! Unlike many other whiskeys, Bulleit is known for their high rye content. Also, as a side note, have you ever wondered what the proper way to spell whiskey is? I have seen it two ways: whiskey and whisky, always assuming that whisky was misspelled. Well, it turns out it is not that simple. Read here to learn the ins and outs of whiskey versus whisky.

2009-11-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Are these chanterelles making you drool? If so you should stop in and nibble on our Wild Mushroom Bruschetta with greens and shaved Pecorino. We use a mixture of lobster, porcini, king oyster, shitake and, of course, chanterelles. One of the best things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the wonderful variety of mushrooms. Chanterelle, crimini, morel, chicken of the woods and mazutaki are just some of the mushrooms available locally during fall.

If you're in the mood for a nice red wine, I invite you to check out the '06 Abbona "Papa Celso". Dolcetto is the wine that the people of the Piedmont region of Italy drink daily. It's a nice dark red with lots of fruit. Read more about it here.

Maybe wine isn't your thing, maybe you're in the mood for something a little stronger? Here's a list of our Single Malt Scotches: The Glenlivet, Edradour, Macallan, and Lagavulin. Lagavulin Single Malt is a single malt Scotch whisky produced at Lagavulin on the island of Islay. It has a powerful, peat-smoke aroma. It is described as being robustly full-bodied, well balanced, and smooth, with a slight sweetness on the palate.

2009-11-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

I thought we'd start off today with a little wine, specifically Chimney Rock Elevage, a Merlot Blend from Napa. It has lucious black fruit with cocoa and
vanilla on the palate. It is supple and focused with a long silky Stags Leap District finish.

Now, onto a little food. Many people like to dip their bacon and/or sausage into a little maple syrup from time to time, but have you thought about combining those flavors outside of breakfast? We have with Maple braised pork shank with shell beans, braised greens and fall vegetables. Did you know that other than Quebec, Canada, the leading producer of maple syrup, the United States is the only other major producer and the leading consumer.

Finally, some Agaves. We offer a variety of tequilas: Sauza Gold, Sauza Hornitos, El Tesoro Platinum, Patron Silver, Gran Centenario and Del Meguey Chichicapa single villiage (Mescal). While they all have their own unique attributes, the Del Meguey is extra special. It is made by slow-roasting agave hearts in the ground and then mashing them and letting them naturally ferment. This gives the mezcal a slightly smokey flavor. Technically while all tequilas are mezcal, mezcals are not tequilas.

24 Hour Kobe Brisket

2009-11-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

The Recipe for our new menu item "24-hour Kobe brisket with paprika red sauce on cheese curd potato puree
$21"
24 Hour Kobe Brisket
185 degree oven
1 Whole Beef Brisket
1 QT Red Wine
1 C Brandy......

3 QT Canned Tomato
3 # Mire Poix (peeled and chopped)
4 QT Veal Stock
Salt and Pepper

1) Liberally salt and pepper the brisket and bring to room temperature. Heat a heavy bottomed pan large enough to hold the brisket (or cut brisket to fit your largest pan). Sear both sides of the brisket and tranfer to a hotel pan.
2) Deglaze the pan with the red wine and pour over the brisket. Add the remaining ingredients, being sure the meat is fully submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Bake at 185 degrees until fork tender (depending on size 16-36 hours).
3) Remove the brisket from the liquid and allow to cool. Skim the fat from the liquid and remove the bouquet. Strain the liquid into a pot and process the vegetables through a food mill back into the liquid. Simmer until it reaches a nice, saucy consistency. Season to taste.
4) Portion the cooled brisket into 6 oz blocks, re-heat in the sauce and serve

The Flying Dutchman

2009-10-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner. The story comes from the legend of the Flying Dutchman, about a ship captain condemned to sail until Judgment Day. It's also a new/old cocktail on our cocktail list, made with:
.....
2oz of our house infused Tangerine Gin
1/4 of an orange
1/4 of a lemon
3 drops of angostura bitters
and a aquavit wash for caraway, anise, fennel flavors.
Shaken and served up in a cocktail glass

And now a science lesson!

2009-10-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking. It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view). Now, you might be wondering what kind of food comes out of this school of thought, but you might be surprised to know that all cooking involves some sort of chemical reaction. That's really what cooking is. For example, adding gelatin to a dish creates a thickening reaction, and voila, science! Another example is our Chitarra pasta with oven roasted wild mushrooms, charred corn, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil and crunchy bread crumbs topped with pecorino romano and a 2-hour egg. The 2-hour egg is what we're looking at here. It is cooked with a constant temperature and time, at 140 degrees for 2 hours. The result is a very creamy egg that creates an instant sauce for your pasta. I had the pleasure of eating this dish last weekend and it was fantastic!

To drink with your pasta I recommend the 08 Argiolas Rose from Italy. "The 2008 Argiolas SerraLori has a light semblance of effervescence. Made from Cannonau grapes, the Argiolas is a simple and straightforward Rose that is quite quaffable." quote via

Lastly, Benedictine, a liquor invented by a Venetian monk, using 27 plants and spices from the four corners of the globe. Produced by Benedictine monks until the late 1700's, the recipe was almost lost during the French Revolution, but was found in a manuscript in 1863 by Alexandre le Grand. He modernized the recipe and named it 'Benedictine.' It tastes of spice, honey, and citrus. It smells of arnica, vanilla, sandalwood, lemon, and incense. Fun Fact: the recipe is a secret and is therefore closely guarded. As a result the monks have created a "Hall of Counterfeits" to display others' failed attempts at cracking the recipe for their concoction.

Great American Distillers Fest Mixmaster Competition

2009-10-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Who starts a bartenders competition at 11 in the morning? The answer is no one. We felt a little guilty about being 20 minutes late until we found out that the key note speaker didn't show until almost an hour later. (DOH!) Things definitely got going though and everyone brought their game!
Joe Turner made a well balanced cocktail with Portland made Martin Ryan Vodka.
1 1/2 ounces Vodka (Martin Ryan is distilled from grapes)
1/2 ounce Krupnik Honey liquor......
teaspoon Amer
Wash the glass with the juice from pressed syrah grapes, stir and serve up in a cocktail glass.

Allison Made a "water for chocolate"

1 1/4 of House Spirits "Krogstad" Aquavit (Water of life)
1/2 Mezcal
fresh lemon
egg whites
and a house made gran marnier, chocolate bitters "coulis"
Shaken, strained and servered in a cocktail glass with a peychaud bitters garnish

Did someone say dessert?

2009-10-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

photo via

I'm going to keep this short and sweet today with a little post about dessert. What could be more dessert-y than Joe's Maplebar with Bacon drink "a' la voodoo". Maple syrup rim with bacon, bourbon with a splash of syrup and Godiva liquor. Think of a Manhattan with the Godiva playing the role of vermouth and the syrup as bitters. This cocktail was inspired by the delicious and decadent Voodoo Donuts Bacon Maple Bar, pictured above.

If that cocktail has just whet your appetite for the sweeter side of life, then how about dipping your spoon into pistachio gelato, with forgotten cookies, and a roasted fig? Our gelato is made in house using a pistachio paste produced specifically for gelato makers. The pistachios are hand selected in Sicily and produce a vibrant green color only found in that region of the world. The forgotten cookies are a crisp meringue cookie with nuts and chocolate. The name is explained by it's cooking method, where they are left in the oven (after being shut off) overnight.

A lovely dessert wine that pairs nicely with the gelato and cookies is the Andrew Rich Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Wine Spectator rating 92 points for 2003 vintage.

According to Northwest Wine:

Andrew says: "Seduction in a bottle. Give in. You know you want to. Just give in."

"I hadn't tasted this wine much since it was bottled last spring, so when I brought a sip of it to my nose the other day I was astounded. Pure old-fashioned roses, just like the books say. Litchis? Perhaps, but certainly pineapple, guava, apricot, honey...The flavors are just as complex, the balance chronometer precise, the finish nearly endless. The eleventh(!) vintage of this wine may well be the best yet.

Well known and always highly rated, this is one of the Northwest's best dessert wines. Every vintage." - Jean

Read more about this sweet nectar here!

Wonderful World Of Bourbon

2009-10-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Just south of Louisville, in Clermont, Kentucky, we congregated outside the worlds largest bourbon distillery to start the first of our in depth tours on the creation of America's Native Spirit..... The Jim Beam Distillery is a far cry from the Old Tub Distillery th at Jacob Beam first started s elling his Kentucky straight bourbon from in 1795; the current location was established after prohibition by Col. James Beam renaming it at the same time. Not long after our arrival Linda whisked us into the belly of the beast through the giant bottling plant. We watched as hundreds of bottles per minute were cleaned, filled, capped, ..... labeled, boxed, wrapped and set up for distribution.

Leaving the most important part to do by hand, each new charred white oak barrel is inspected for possible leaks before filling and the bun g tapped down with a mallet before the 500lb barrel is rolled onto a truck and taken to one of the many rack houses where it will age no less then 4 years befo re bottling. There are 1.8 million barrels aging at any given time and the sheer volume of each house, 50 and 20 thousand barrel capacity, makes it impossible to rotate, instead the barrels fr om different floors are blended together to make a more complex flavor. After getting our bottles of Jim Beam black signed by the 7th generation Beam, Fred Noe, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for cocktails with Bill Samuels Jr, President of Makers Mark.

As we pulled up to the estate we were greeted warmly by Bill and Nancy Samuels on the front walk."First thing's first," as Nancyushered us in, filling our hands with drinks. We strolled out on to the back pati o sipping on Maker s and ginger and taking in the expansive view of the rolling hills and barges heading down the O hio River. After the sun dipped behind the trees Bill took us on a tour of the house telling us stories about the pre-civil war furniture handed down in his family for generations. Ea ch story started out with "you wont be interested but ...", or "this is a piece of junk but....." and " all the crazy stuff well you can tell what's Nancy's..." before another unbelievable but totally true story would start. We left for dinner with hugs and offers of return visits anytime we were in Kentucky.

After dinner we went for cocktails at 732 Social, 732social.com, arguably the best bar in Kentucky where we were treated to anything and everything our hearts desired. The bar manager, Jared, had a liquor selection that would impress and please any bartender including a limited release oak aged Citadelle Reserve Gin that found its way into all of our drinks. He made us Alaskas, Martinez, Last Words and my personal favorite a Ramos Gin Fizz . With the amount of work it takes to produce its a treat to have one made for you! As much as I would like to give you the recipe for a Ramos the egg whites are a trick it takes an experienced bartender more then a little time to master. So I think you would enjoy the equally delicious Alaska Cocktail simple and complex all in one glass.

Alaska
2 dashes orange bitters
1 1/2 oz gin ( We used the Citadelle Reserve but Martin Millers or the original Citadelle work well too)
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Mix in a shaker and use 2 or 3 large ice cubes to shake with, gets it cold and keeps the flavors strong, strain into a glass and garnish with a lemon peal.

Harkening Back to Prohibition...

2009-10-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!

Is it time for cocktails yet? How about something distinctly classic? We have three Prohibition Era cocktails our list that practically scream classic cocktail.
If you're a fan of gin, lavendar, and honey, then the Bee's Knees is the drink for you! We use Martin Miller's Gin, which is distilled in the Rolls Royce for pot stills, designed by John Dore & Company in 1903 and called "Grandma." Batch-distilled like malt whiskey, Grandma aromatizes the small batches of distillate with a proprietary mix of the finest botanicals and aromatics.

The Brooklyn originated around 1910 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and is a variation of it's more famous cousin, The Manhattan. The Brooklyn is a cocktail that lets the rye whiskey do all the ground work. Whereas in a Manhattan the sweet vermouth is fairly prominent, especially when using something like Antica Formula, here the dry vermouth takes a more subtle role behind the dominant rye flavours. The maraschino and amer roll in after the initial spice of the rye, and provide a lovely mixture of aromatics, orange and that unmistakable cherry funk.

Lastly, Blood and Sand, a cocktail named for the Rudolph Valentino film of the same name. It was the role he wished to be remembered for, but sadly the role, and the cocktail have largely been forgotten. It has an odd assortment of ingredients that will convince you to never judge a drink without tasting it first. Ours is made with scotch, fresh squeezed orange juice, cherry-flavored brandy and sweet vermouth. The key is to have equal amounts of all ingredients except the scotch which is doubled, lest it become overwhelming sweet.

Many of our favorite wines come from just around the corner, so to speak, in the Willamette Valley vineyards. Fun Fact: the Willamette Valley is located at the 45th Parallel, just like the Burgundy region in France. Pinot Noir has become the foremost grape of the Willamette Valley, and many of those grapes come from Burgundy.
Here are the Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs we carry:

'07 Elk Cove Willamette Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $42.00
'06 Andrew Rich Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $55.00
‘06 Torii Mor “Deux Verres” Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $69.00
'06 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $80.00

One of the best things to do with bacon is to wrap it around a date, especially if that date has been stuffed with Marcona almonds and Fourme d'Ambert Bleu cheese. We use Medjool dates from California, known as "The diamonds of dates." Dates have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 4000 BCE. Thousands of years of date lovers can't be wrong! The Fourme d'Ambert also comes to us with some history: legend says that it was already made at the time of the Druids and the Gauls. After the cheese is injected with penicillin roqueforti, it is aged for 28 days, during which time it is also injected with sweet white wine at one week intervals.

Stuffed Dates
One serving

2 medjool dates
½ oz fourme d’ ambert
2 thin slices of house cured bacon
2 marcona almonds
fleur de sel
fresh cracked pepper
extra virgin olive oil

pit the date carefully stuff each date with ¼ oz of fourme d’ ambert, place the almond in the middle of the stuffed date… then wrap with bacon. Grill on slowly until cheese is molten in the center… finish with fleur de sel, fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

2009-10-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

Kentucky is home to many things the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville slugger, The Seelbach Hotel and the cocktail by the same name, and most importantly for you and me bourbon county and all that it holds. . . The purpose of this trip is take eleven hand picked bartenders from Oregon and give them an in depth and personal relationship with the Jim Beam and Makers Mark distilleries!

After checking into The Brown hotel we headed down to the Brown Bar for our first sip of bourbon. Mine was a classic Manhattan with Sam Houston Kentucky straight bourbon then off to dinner at the Makers Mark Lounge. All of us tried different bourbons Old Pogue, Pappy Van Winkel 12, 20 and 23 and my personal favorite Bernhiem Original Wheat Whiskey currently the only one in production http://www.bourbon-central.com/other-whiskey-reviews/bernheim-wheat/ It has such a different flavor its hot but not harsh and a rich sweetness with a balanced oak finish.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped into the Seelbach hotel to experience both the drink and the birth place of the Seelbach cocktail. Originally created in 1917 the recipe was lost during the prohibition until a hotel manager rediscovered it in 1995.The Seelbach is mentioned in the Great Gatsby as F. Scott Fitzgerald apparently haunted the establishment before he gained notoriety as an author. Though the bar was remodeled after the prohibition you can still enjoy the history of such a grand hotel. The next few days will include in depth tours of both the Jim Beam and Makers mark distilleries dinners and drinks at some of Louisville finest restaurants and cocktails with the owner of Makers Mark Bill Samuels Jr. at his country estate.

The Seelbach
3/4oz bourbon
1/2 cointreau
7 dashes angostura bitters
7 dashes peychauds bitters
4 oz chilled brut champagne
served in a flute with an orange twist

2009-10-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It's friday so let's get straight to what everyone's thinking about right now: cocktails! Today's cocktail was a favorite cocktail in Hollywood in 1942, The Moscow Mule. It was created in Manhattan in 1941 and originally was a combination of Smirnoff Vodka, Cock 'n' Bull Ginger Beer, and a squeeze of lime. Ours is slightly different with house made ginger beer, freshly grated ginger, and we don't use Smirnoff Vodka. If this classic mixture doesn't appeal to you, then check out some of these variations:

Mules Kick: made with bourbon
Manuka Mule: made with honey vodka
George Special: substitute orange for the lime
Three-Legged Mule: made with Jameson's
Vanilla Mule: made with vanilla vodka and mint leaves
Garden Mule: muddled melon and cucumber are added

Now, let's talk about pork belly! Specifically our 18 hour Dr. Pepper pork belly with mint oil, groundwork farms watermelon and herb salad appetizer, $10. The pork comes from the hazelnut-fed pigs at Tails & Trotters. The belly is delivered partially butchered and we finish it up in-house. The 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper help brine the pork belly which then caramelizes during the braise. Combine that tasty pork with local watermelon, mint oil, and herbs and you've got a lovely start to a great meal.

We have a few wines that go nicely with the pork belly:

'08 Dona Paula Malbec, Arg $8.5
Bold and rich with chocolate and plums

For a bottle
‘01 Vignalta “Gemola” Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Collio IT $56
Red currants, herbs, flowers and cinnamon - Generous wood & full body

’04 Masi “Costa Sera” Amarone, Veneto IT $90
Black cherries, hints of raisins and coffee with richness and complexity

‘05 Vietti Barbera “ Scarrone” Piedmont, IT $75
Floral, earth, underbrush, licorice and black fruit flavors and aromas
Or
1/2 Bottle
‘04 Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Barbaresco/Nebbiolo, Piedmont IT $49
Cedar spice with figs and a smoky deep tannin in the finish

Once you've tried the pork belly you'll want it over and over again. If you're feeling really adventurous you can try to make it at home:

Dr. Pepper pork belly

Dry Cure

2 T ground black Pepper
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ T ground coriander
4 bay leaves crumbled
1 bunch of thyme
3 oz of kosher salt
1 tsp. curing salt

5 ½ # pork belly
24 oz Dr. Pepper
2 qt. Pork Stock, or chicken stock
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of parsley

Combine dry cure ingredients in a bowl mix well. Toss the pork belly in the dry cure coat evenly. Then place in a large zip lock bag or plastic container and let cure for 24 to 36 hours. Pull the pork belly pat dry with paper towel then place into vacuum sealer bag with 12 oz of dr. pepper, one cup of pork stock, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Cook for 18 hours at 161 degrees. Pull pork belly then cut from the bag saving the liquid. Skim the fat from the braising liquid then add the remaining dr. pepper, and pork stock reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Crisp pork belly in duck fat or butter then top with Dr. Pepper sauce and fleur de sel. Serve with watermelon, herb salad, and mint oil. Enjoy.

Our Mortadella recipe

2009-10-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

3½ pounds rabbit
2 pounds pork fat
68 grams salt
6 grams Insta Cure #1 curing salt
18 grams fresh garlic paste
30 grams granulated sugar
4 grams ground mace
.....

2 grams ground coriander
2 grams ground cinnamon
2 grams ground cayenne
624 grams crushed ice
75 grams blanched cottage bacon, pork fat or pancetta, diced into 3/8-inch cubes
61 grams shelled unsalted pistachios
4 grams coarsely cracked peppercorns
1 beef bung
METHOD

Chill the rabbit, fat, grinder parts, and food processor to 32ºF or less. Grind the shoulder through a small die into the chilled food processor bowl. Grind the fat into a separate chilled bowl and refrigerate.
Add the salt, curing salt, garlic paste, dextrose, mace, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and half of the ice to the meat. Blend the meat in the food processor to a smooth pink paste with a temperature of 42-45ºF. Push down the meat on the sides of bowl until fully incorporated and continue processing. Do not let the temperature of the mixture exceed 45ºF.
Once the meat is smooth add the remaining ice and the chilled ground fat to the food processor bowl. Blend the fat into the meat until a smooth paste is formed, pushing down the sides from time to time. Stop the machine when the paste reaches 58˚F-62˚F and transfer to a bowl. Add the meat mixture and fold in the pork jowl, pistachios, and peppercorns. Stuff the meat into a clean beef bung and pack it tightly so that there are no air pockets. Secure the end with a strong knot and create a loop.
Place the mortadella in a large pot and cover with cold water. Lay a plate over the mortadella to keep it submerged while cooking. Slowly heat the water to 160ºF and hold it there for the duration of the cooking. Cook for 4 hours or until the mortadella reaches an internal temperature of 155 ºF. Check the temperature every 45 minutes to monitor the cooking. When the mortadella reaches 155ºF, immediately plunge into an ice bath. Transfer to a refrigerator and serve after 2 days.