House of Sour

Greetings Cheap Date Portlanders. Recently Lesley and I tried a new place (to us) that we'd been eyeing for sometime now, The Cascade Brewing Barrel House on SE Belmont (not to be confused with Cascade Lakes Brewing in central OR, I was at first). This industrial nouveau pub features a wide variety of Belgian and German style sour beers in addition to some conventional NW ales and tasty bar food. A sour beer you may be familiar with is a Belgian lambic. The tart flavor is achieved by using different kinds of yeast from normal ale and often includes the addition of fruit juice and additional aging.

To start off we decided to conduct our own sample tasting of several beers. The restaurant doesn't provide a board of tasters like many Portland breweries, but this way you get to choose which beers to try and how many or how few. The beers we tried are...

Cascade Kriek Ale - notes of cherry, nuts and chocolate.
Spring Gose - a German pilsner brewed with lemon peel, salt and lavender.
Razberry Wheat -  pink wheat beer with the tartness and aroma of fresh raspberries.
Karma - a good, hoppy northwest IPA.

(see picture below for Lesley's and my rankings of each beer. Neither of us cared much for the Razberry, but the other three were all enjoyable.)

For eats, they have a nice selection of sandwiches which come with a variety of sides. Lesley chose the BLT with black bean and corn salad. I ordered the "Cuban" which comes with ham, pulled pork and gruyere cheese, panini grilled.  My side was German potato salad, which if you've never tried, is worth a try. Instead of the classic American picnic potato salad which is ruled by mayonnaise, this one is heavy on vinegar and onion...how fitting for the House of Sour. Oh, and it's served warm which helps to bring out the flavors.

I washed it all down with a glass of Vlad the Imperial Aler, a 10.3% tripel-style blond ale which is aged in a bourbon barrel...yum!

If you are a beer connoisseur or just like to try something new, we'd both highly recommend checking out The Cascade Brewing Barrel House on SE 10th & Belmont.

Cheers!

-Evan

A Baker's Dozen

Two hearts.  Two Tarts.  Cheesy, I know... but if you know what's good for you and your love, it's a little Two Tarts goodness.  Loved Two Tarts at the Portland Farmers' Market at PSU, love them even more now that they have a cute little storefront off of NW 23rd!!  The cookies are decadent - think French macaroons that rival Ladurée and Pierre Hermé in Paris.  If you've ever gawked and then gorged on Parisian macaroons, you know what I'm talkin' about.  Our other favorite is the Lil' Mama, which is Two Tarts' reincarnation of the Oreo... it's much more delish...it almost feels wrong to mention them both in the same sentence.  Evan secretly wishes they made a Big Mama ;)  A hidden gem is the fleur-de-sel chocolate chip - the perfect combo of sweet and savory and it melts in your mouth.  We bought a baker's dozen...one of each they had in the store that day... the cookie coma prevents me from remembering all of the delicacies we tried, but below is a list of a few faves.  I could go on and on... but Two Tarts' website and BLOG describe their treats oh so perfectly, I'll let you explore it yourself.  And the gals that founded the tart empire are quite impressive.  As are the friendly and helpful staff!  Visit their quaint shop on NW 23rd and Kearney...and save room for the hot chocolate!

*cocoa nib star*

*lil' mama*

*cappuccino cream*

*macaroon*

*shortbread*

*lemon thumbprint*

*fleur-de-sel chocolate chip*

*lemon bar*

*marionberry linzer*

*hazelnut baci*

*peanut butter cream*

- Lesley

Double Decker Cheesy Goodness

Yay!  It's our inaugural food cart post!  We love us some food carts!  I have visited The Grilled Cheese Grill many o'times on NE Alberta.  It is there that you order your sandwich from an airstream trailer, then hop in a school bus to chow down.  The original bench seats are arranged as booths, complete with tables covered in school pictures.  It brings back memories.  Especially when trying to open the pinch-style bus windows... ah, middle school awkward embarrassment just comes rushing back.  You can also find decks of Trivial Pursuit lying around, you know, to make things a little more interesting.  And the GCG is open late... rumor has it there are some rockin' dance parties on the bus after hours.  Imagine my surprise when I check to see if they're open on Sundays and discover there is a new location in SE that features... drum roll, please... a double decker bus.  London style.  Pure genius. 

The Grilled Cheese Grill is definitely upper class when it comes to grilled cheese social rank.  Their sandwiches range from "The Preschooler," the basic with crusts cut off, to "The Liam" - Secret Aardvark Black Bean Garlic Marinated Tofu, Provolone, Artichoke Hearts, and Fresh Red Onion on Sourdough.  And let's not forget THE CHEESUS, a 1/3 lb. burger hugged closely by two grilled cheese sandwiches.  And toppings!  These folks know grilled cheese and then some.

- Lesley

Oh l'amour...

I would have to name Pix Patisserie as one of the most perfect first date spots in Portland.  Even for a cheap date.  Evan and I stopped in after a romantic dinner at *splurge alurt* Fenouil in the Pearl.  Yes, even cheap dates need a fancy night out once in awhile  :)  We love the Pix shop on N. Williams Ave - it's funky, eclectic, sexy and romantic.  Not only are the desserts gorgeous and tasty, I am enamored with their names - who wouldn't want to order a Shazam! or Big Cheryl's "Ghetto" Cake?  The Shazam! has an impressive presentation and deliciousness to boot.  By the way, if you're ever going to a dinner party and dessert is your task at hand, bring an assortment of Pix delicacies.  you'll be idolized. 

I hesitate to admit this...but it must be disclosed.  I am not a chocolate lover.  (Gasp!)  So I can't speak to the intricate flavorings of the Amelie (below).  However, Pix does have one of the best Tarte au Citron I have ever tasted.  They also boast an impressive assortment of post-dinner drinks.  I sipped on a Kir Royale, which became one of my faves after a long visit in France.  The perfect end to a perfect evening.  Thanks, Pix!

- Lesley