Are You Ready To Go Green?

Catie Schuster has got the low down on a few places to find an Irish Feast this Sunday or at least a few holiday inspired drinks!

Portlanders love to get down and party when it comes to celebrating the holidays and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. What better way to celebrate the holiday than with food, friends, and plenty of green! All over Portland you will find restaurants and bars preparing for the coming weekend festivities. You can have your choice of going authentic with a traditional Irish dinner or really change it up by enjoying the increasingly popular green beers that make their appearance every March. Here are a few of our favorite places that have gone all the way to bring you a fantastic St. Patty’s Day.

Besaw’s- Portland’s favorite Sunday brunch is adding Green Eggs & Ham and Corned Beef Eggs Benedict to the menu and will be pouring Green Bubbles with Sweet Basil and Lemon Reduction and glasses of Lucky Green Beer!

The Bent Brick- This Sunday Chef Scott Dolich will serve his version of a traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner for $15 and $4 shots of McKenna whiskey will pour.

Kenny & Zukes- With a Jewish take on a St. Patrick’s Day classic, they will be serving Corned Beef And Cabbage Knishes at all 3 K&Z locations this Sunday. Corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes all wrapped into one!

Riffle NW- Riffle NW’s man behind the bar, Brandon Josie, has your alcohol intake covered on St. Patty’s Day with $7 drink specials including Irish Buck - Jameson, Limes, Ginger Beer; Tipperary - Jameson, Sweet vermouth, Green Chartreuse Rinse; and Green Beer - A can of Guinness and a shot of Green Chartreuse. Cheers!

Random Order- St. Patty’s Day-inspired specials on Sunday include delicious Irish Coffee with Water Avenue French Press for $6 and Limited Edition Shepard’s Pie for $6/slice. In honor of Pi Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter, Random Order is also offering a month long cocktail special - Bourbon & Baileys for only $5.

Saint Cupcake- No need for pinching - Saint Cupcake’s Cookies will be all dressed up in green with shamrocks, leprechauns, and shillelaghs galore for only $3 each. If you want any other sweet treats for your own celebration, call ahead and have Saint Cupcake custom decorate them for you!

Spring Forward!

Daylight Savings might not be an actual holiday, but everyone in the U.S. participates in it…  why not celebrate that at Besaw’s this Saturday?

At exactly 2am on Sunday March 10^th, our computers will set their clocks forward an hour and we’ll all be tricked into thinking we slept an hour more than we actually did, but what about the non-digital clocks? Sure, you could change them on Saturday night before you go to bed, or Sunday morning when you wake up, but the chronophiles out there know how satisfying changing the clock at just the right moment can be…

Besaw’s on NW 23^rd understands that, so they are staying open an extra hour on Saturday serving cheap booze and bites in addition to their regular dinner menu to help you make the most of your night and make it to 2am.

Spring Forward specials available 5pm-11pm on Saturday March 9^th at Besaw’s:

Booze: $3.00 Each

·       Spring Fling: lavender infused gin w/fresh grapefruit juice

·       Seasonal Bubbles: Champagne with a Huckleberry reduction

Bites: $5.00 Each

·       Spring greens salad

·       Spring pasta

·       Wild mushroom crepe with fresh herb cream

Whether you’re a wanna-be Time Lord, or you’re just looking for a deal on some great food and drinks a little later this Saturday night, Besaw’s has you covered!

The Polls Are Open!

LGP Intern, Catie Schuster, wants to let everyone know that voting for Citysearch’s annual Best of Portland Restaurants has officially begun.

From the classic dining options downtown to the quirky delicacies offered by food carts, the Portland food scene is full of diversity and excitement. Editors from around the city have nominated some of the most popular and buzzed about places in town, but now it’s time to pick your favorites. Restaurants work night and day to bring patrons exciting dishes, new cocktails, and rewarding dining experiences, so pay homage and give a shout out to the restaurants you enjoy most by visiting http://www.citysearch.com/best/portland/restaurants and voting today!

Here are the categories and a few of our favorites:

New Restaurant: Smallwares, Riffle, Xico, Imperial

Brunch: The Country Cat

Burger: Le Pigeon, Brunch Box PDX

Coffee Shop: Backspace

Dessert Spot: Saint Cupcake

Family Friendly Restaurant: The Country Cat, Mississippi Pizza

Ice Cream: Salt & Straw, Saint Cupcake

Late-Night  Dining: Sizzle Pie

Lunch Spot: Bunk Sandwiches, Kenny & Zuke‘s Delicatessen

Outdoor Dining: Departure

Pizza: Apizza Scholls

Raw Oysters: Riffle, Bar Avignon

Romantic Restaurants: Paley’s Place, Genoa Restaurant, DOC

Sustainable: The Bent Brick, Urban Farmer

Vegetarian Food: Proper Eats

But it gets better…

Voting does not just benefit your favorite restaurants. Simply by voting, you are automatically entered into the Citysearch Sweepstakes to win a $250 Gift Certificate for any of the winning restaurants! 

A Little Sip of Summer

Whether it’s frozen or on-the-rocks, sweet or spicy, I know we could all use a taste of summer this February!

This Friday marks National Margarita Day and we are looking to celebrate in style. While the lime version remains the staple, margaritas have come a long way. Nowadays you can find every shade and flavor of margarita, but it does not matter if you stick with classic lime or really spice things up with a little jalapeño; just pay homage to the beloved summer spirit.

Here are just a few local joints that are willing to help you out.

Bunk Bar – Matt Brown, co-owner of Bunk Bar, believes in keeping it simple. His frozen margarita has only two steps. One: mix tequila, lime juice, triple sec, simple syrup, orange juice, and ice. Two: Blend. To really get the party started, head over to Trigger for their wild Side Pipe!

Urban Farmer- Inspired by early American cocktail culture, Urban Farmer has two unique concoctions:

Francisco’s Return- Avion Silver, Cointreau, Ginger Syrup, Orange, Lime, Cinnamon

Migrant Farmer- Corralejo Blanco, St. Germain, Honey, Grapefruit

Xico- Their margarita sales pay for healthcare coverage for their staff. With both a Classic and a Cadillac, they celebrate the Margarita every night of the week!

Bar Avignon- An unexpected addition to this list but they bring a killer cocktail. Their Yellow Jacket will have your jaw dropping with luna azul tequila, st. germaine, yellow chartreuse, reagan’s orange no. 6 bitters, lemon.

Didn’t Make Reservations? Don’t Panic Yet!

If you haven’t already acquired one of those coveted Valentine’s Day dinner reservations, it’s not too late! In an effort to bring you some piece of mind, we have called around to some amazing PDX restaurants to find those that still have a few openings for dinner tonight. While the times may be earlier or a little later for a your typical dinner, the dining experience is still worth it!

Imperial- Make it a double! Imperial has a Valentine’s Day special for parties of four where, in addition to their impeccable menu of Pacific Northwest fare, they will start your evening with a complimentary bottle of prosecco or sparkling apple cider for the table!

Bar Avignon- Bar Avignon will serve a prix fixe Valentine’s Day menu for $50 per person featuring House Cured Steelhead Gravlax & Lemon Goat Cheese with Citrus, Fennel, Capers, Spelt Toast; Glazed Painted Hills Shortrib with Chestnuts, Apple, Beets, Mustard Greens, Parsnip Puree and a dessert of Chocolate Mud Pie and Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles. Wine pairings for each course will also available to order. 

Paulée- Chef Sean and his team offer a playful menu from locally sourced seasonal products. Paulee is offering two different five course prix fixe menus for $75 each. For those that want to truly make a night of it, Inn at Red Hills is also offering a special rate of $100 for a room. With dinner for two and a night in romantic Oregon Wine Country, it will make for a great little getaway for just $250.

The Bent Brick- With a brand new menu, the Bent Brick is back just in time for Valentines Day. Come in with a hot date for cocktails and small bites, or bring the whole family for a V-Day family dinner!

Smallwares- Wilamette Weekly’s Runner-up for Restaurant of the Year serves small plates of inauthentic Asian cuisine meant to be shared - perfect for a romantic V-Day meal - as well as eclectic wine, sake and cocktails.

Olympic Provisions- Marked by a string of patio lights on an otherwise industrial stretch of NW Thurman, OPNW offers a menu of lovely rustic Eurpoean-inspired fare in a warm, windowed setting, accentuated by our antique French rotisserie.

Walk-ins Only:

Le Pigeon- As they do every night, on Valentine’s Day Le Pigeon will hold the 10 seats at the Chef’s Counter for walk-ins, first-come, first-serve. The counter wraps around the open kitchen for truly the best seats in the house to see Chef Gabriel Rucker in action.

Little Bird - Meet for a romantic lunchtime rendezvous at Little Bird or come early to put your name down for their first-come, first-serve bar seats and tables in their otherwise booked restaurant tonight!

Country Cat- The cozy and soulful restaurant offers a seasonally-focused menu that represents the best of local offerings from surrounding markets - a perfect place for couples, singles, or the whole family to dine on Valentine’s Day. Today, the Country Cat will be serving their standard menu with some special additions from Chef Adam Sappington and desserts from Chef Jackie Sappington. Reservations are full but they have spots available for walk-ins.

If you are looking for a bite of something sweet, or a romantic cocktail, check out:

Random Order- Enjoy a date night or stag night at Random Order with pie & cocktails all weekend! From tonight through Sunday, February 17^th enjoy signature cocktails delicious cookies and a slice of your favorite Random Order pie! The following special will run for couples as well as singles: Sweetie Pie Date: 2 RO V-Day Cocktails, A slice of Pie to Share and 2 Linzer Heart Cookies  $20 Valentine’s Stag: 1 RO V-Day Cocktail, A slice of Pie to Enjoy and 1 Linzer Heart Cookie  $11.

Kenny & Zukes- February 12th-17th, desserts will be available at the Kenny & Zuke’s Deli Bar and downtown Deli, while cocktails will be served at the Deli Bar. Try a decadent heart shaped sandwich cookies or the red velvet cheese cake made to share, or grab two straws and enjoy a Governess Crush, Vieux Carré or the rich NY Flip cocktail with that special someone!

Also, if you want to abandon the cliché of Valentine’s Day dining in pairs, there are plenty of great locations in PDX to get a bite to eat alone.

We hope this helps anyone still scrambling for options! Remember, there are always cancellations, so it never hurts to join a waiting list or call back. Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s Kind Of A Big Dill!

As we jump into the month of February, we add two more team members here at LGP.

After a whirlwindweekend vacation to Portland two years ago, our new publicist, Brooke Adams just couldn’t get this place out of her head. With a love of delicious food and all things outdoors, she decided to move on from the Big Apple to begin working with Little Green Pickle. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont, with a degree in International Studies and fluency in Italian, Brooke spent three years as Executive Assistant to Sirio Maccioni at New York’s famous Le Cirque restaurant. She continued her career by joining the Eataly launch team, where she worked as Director of Public Relations for two and half years. As she settles into life in Portland, she is looking forward to hiking, kayaking, beach going, and furnishing her home with some great antique finds. While finding places to eat in Portland is never a difficult task, Brooke is up to the challenge of trying to visit all of the craft breweries Portland has to offer.

Our new intern, Catie Schuster, was born a Seattleite but is a Portlander foodie at heart. As she finishes up her final semester at the University of Portland, she spends all her spare time and change exploring Portland’s eateries and breweries. With that almost earned degree in Communications Studies, she is quickly getting to know just how fast this industry moves and looks forward to participating in up-coming food events!

Celebrating Super Bowl XLVII in PDX!

Frances Dyer shares where to touch down during the big game this Sunday.

Whether you’re watching kickoff from your couch or you want to get that stadium feeling of being surrounded by cheering and booing strangers, here are some of the best Super Bowl specials in Portland for this Sunday, February 3rd.

Bunk Bar is throwing a Super Bowl Party – BIG EASY STYLE! Watch the big game at Bunk Bar projected large enough to feel every tackle and touchdown. In honor of the Super Bowl’s host city, Bunk Bar will be serving New Orleans favorites, including Chef Nick wood’s famous gumbo and 3 kinds of Po’ Boys: Fried Red Fish, BBQ Shrimp, and Sloppy Roast Beef. This is a free, all-ages event open to fans of any team, so stop by for good food and a good time! Where: Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave

Bunk’s wild west cousin, Trigger, is showing the game and offering a $30 special including a bucket of beer, unlimited chips, salsa, and queso, a heap of lil’ smokies, and your choice of nachos or wings (and yes, I said a BUCKET of beer). This special will start at 2 pm and be available throughout the game. Where: 128 NE Russell St, Portland, OR 97212

If you’re looking to pick up some sandwiches on your beer run, the Bunk Truck will spend Sunday parked outside of specialty brew mecca, Uptown Market.  Where: 6620 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Portland, OR 97223

For those of you throwing your own Super Bowl party this year, be sure to pre order enough Tails & Trotters spice rubbed house smoked ribs and Tails & Trotters Porchetta to go around, because it goes fast and you won’t want to share that last bite! You can also pick up other delicious game day snacks at the T&T shop in The Ocean. Where: 2329 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232 Call to order: (503) 477-8682

It’s not a football game without balls! 24^th & Meatballs has you covered with their Bucket O’ Balls: 30 balls with your choice of sauce for $20! Where: 2329 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232 Call to order by Saturday: (503) 282-2557

If you’d rather be far far away from Super Bowl mania on Sunday, come to Ambonnay Bar from 1-7pm for a glass or two of sparkling. Where: 107 SE Washington St, Portland, OR 97214

Whichever team you are rooting for (or against) this weekend, have a tasty Super Bowl Sunday!

Drink (Or Don’t Drink) Yourself Clean!

Frances Dyer reports on the hottest post-holiday trends to start the new year right.

December is thought of (and thoroughly advertised) as a time to gorge ourselves on all of those fatty, saturated, buttery, and sugary things we would normal exclude from our diets or just emotionally punish ourselves for eating any other time of the year. It follows that January is the month to try to undo all of that holiday indulgence damage! With every new year comes a new resolve to do and be better, and with it of course is an influx of diets and health trends. I’d say that the winning January 2013 “get back into shape” plan is the juice cleanse.

With the popularity of juice cleanses on the rise across the country, there are plenty of options out there. From 3-day detoxes to long-term juice regiments, they vary in price, convenience, and, from some of the ingredient descriptions, taste. One of our office mates signed up for a particularly impressive (and expensive) week-long juice program that included daily home deliveries of bottled breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. She reported feeling surprisingly fuller and more energized than one might think on an all-liquid diet. A food-lover (as our office requires all tenants be), she did note that she missed chewing food, but the flavors of the juices were all quite good. The convenience of the home delivery really sealed the deal for her and she said she would happily do another juice cleanse… but not before enjoying several months of solid food.

Another very popular trend this month to get back on track after the holiday indulgences is pledging to a Dry January, i.e. no alcohol for the month. This might be a difficult task for some more than others. Now, I’m not saying LGP boozes it up and parties hard every night, but since we work with restaurants with such fine bar programs here in Portland, wine, beer, and cocktails are considered an important aspect of many of our meals. That said, our office mates who have committed to a Dry January have thus far been successful and are feeling great!

Alternately, for those who don’t feel the immediate need to reshape their bodies and minds in January, there’s a great argument for making extra effort to go out to eat at restaurants this month. First, in this traditionally slow month, a reservation at a popular restaurant might be easier to get. Second, there are so many delicious winter vegetables and citruses in season right now; it’s a great time to see how local chefs are using them on their seasonal menus. And finally, it’s good to support the local economy, especially in a slow time of the year – after all, those servers and cooks need to eat too!

Whatever your resolutions are for the year, cheers (with a green smoothie, of course) to a healthy start to 2013 from LGP!

Le Pigeon
Little Bird
Saucebox
Biwa
Ruby Jewel
Natural Selection
Fratelli
The Parish
Bar Avignon
Bowery Bagels
Random Order
Smallwares
Lincoln
Sunshine Tavern
Kenny & Zuke’s
SE Wine Collective
Salt & Straw
The Country Cat
Vita Cafe
Delta Cafe
Yakuza
DOC
Pacific Pie Company
The Original
Cafe Castagna
Metrovino
Imperial
Aviary
Olympic Provisions
Bunk
Tabla
24th & Meatballs
Oba!
Genoa
Irving Street Kitchen
Salty’s on the Columbia
Barrique Barrel bottle shop
Acadia
OX

You can have breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner, and dessert next Wednesday knowing that you are contributing to aid the victims who are still suffering from the wrath of Sandy – and supporting your local hard working restaurants in the process.

We would love to hear what your dining plans are next Wednesday! Join the Dine Out PDX event page (and invite your friends!) and jump into the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #DineOutPDX.

Thanks for your support!

LGP

Cheers to PDXCW!

LGP’s Adroit Assistant, Frances Dyer, knows where to get the best mixed drinks during Portland Cocktail Week

Billed as the first cocktail festival created by bartenders, for bartenders, hundreds of imbibe experts have descended upon the city, shakers in-hand, for Portland Cocktail Week. The schedule of events includes seminars, pairing dinners, and parties, all promoting the festival’s mission to further bar education, share ideas, and make lasting connections in the drinks community. To that end, it’s fitting that the overarching theme of the week is Class of 2012 with a daily Bartender Academy at Kennedy School.

Festivities kicked off on Sunday with a Class of 2012 Reunion dance party and the drinks won’t stop flowing until Thursday, with the final Red White and Booze, America-themed rager featuring a cocktail from every U.S. Bartenders Guild Chapter that best represents their city. Some Cocktail Week events are even open to the public if you’d like to brush up on your home bartender skills – check the Portland Cocktail Week schedule for details.

Naturally, many of Portland’s bars and restaurants are taking the opportunity to share their bar programs with exclusive cocktail week drinks, special deals and even full on events. Lucky for you, LGP has details on a few of these limited-time-only drinks at PDX hotspots:

Urban Farmer: The Honeybee – Bacardi, peach, fresh squeezed lemon and honey syrup

Smallwares: Plum infused brandy, Smith & Cross, cynar, kochu karu, lemon

Random Order: PDX=Passion – New Deal Distillery Rum, Passion fruit purees

Tabla: Go-Go Juice: Vodka, Saffron, Carrot, Ginger, Lime with a half salted rim

The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar: Maple Leaf - Pendleton Canadian Whiskey, maple syrup, & lemon juice served up.

Riffle NW: PDXCW Fighter’s Cider - Temperance Bourbon, Apple, Lemon, Mulling Spice, Soda, Candied Apple Peel

Imperial: Ada Coleman - Beefeater, Dolin Blanc, Rothman & Winter Apricot, dash of Regan’s orange bitters

The Bent Brick: “I know what you want this pdxc week” - House Spirits Aquavit and Breakside Brewing Cedarbaumbier

You can get a taste of Cocktail Week even if you aren’t a master mixologist by sipping some of these tasty concoctions and others around PDX, but be sure to get in quick as they are only available this week!