Palm Springs | Eat + Drink

Truss + Twine | Uptown Design District | 800 North Palm Canyon Drive

We arrived to Palm Springs from Joshua Tree on a sleepy Monday evening. I quickly realized 3-4 places on my hit list were either closed (Monday is the industry off day!) or done serving dinner by 8pm. We hit the jackpot with Truss + Twine located a few blocks away and serving food until late. A super dark, industrial, minimalist space, was quietly suffering from lack of a crowd, but the staff turned out to be incredibly welcoming! They got to work shaking up strong cocktails and were eager to serve us from the small plates menu of elevated desert cuisine. 

We drank: Brooklyn ($15) rye, dry vermouth, Amaro Cio-Ciara, maraschino, orange bitters, lemon zest. And drank: Game Changer ($12) gin, lime, cucumber, sugar, onion brine, sea salt, celery bitters. And drank some more: Velvet Touch ($15) Dickel rye, Amaro Nonino, Pedro Ximinez sherry, orange zest

~~~

And we ate! Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18) celery root puree, horseradish, pickled quail egg
Red Snapper Crudo ($10) golden beet, pink peppercorn, shiso pesto 
Smoked Trout Rillettes ($10) trout roe, cucumber gel
Drake Farm's Goat Cheese ($8) bougainvillea dust, Temecula valley honeycomb, cactus confit

Bootlegger Tiki | Uptown Design District | 1011 N Palm Canyon Drive

Does it get any better than a night cap at the Hawaiian themed tiki-cocktail den that happens to be your next door neighbor? From the Pod Thai ($10) with white rum, lime, coconut crème, cardamom lemongrass syrup and soda to the For Luck Sake ($12) with tequila, mezcal, lime, honey, yellow chartreuse, serrano pepper tincture, and basil - these expertly crafted cocktails prove even if you aren't staying right next door, this Palm Springs speakeasy is a must visit.

Ernest Coffee | Uptown Design District

Conveniently located next door to The Twist (our Airbnb) is Ernest Coffee - Palm Springs only independent roasters. This hip, light filled, booze serving coffee shop (it is actually the front for Bootlegger Tiki) was our first stop each morning for fresh brewed Stumptown Coffee alongside chocolate croissants and spinach quiches on the sunny patio. 

Lulu California Bistro | Downtown | 200 S Palm Canyon Drive

Lulu is affirmatively the it spot in town. The large colorful terrace sprawling along Palm Canyon Drive opens to a retro airy bar defined by two massive chandeliers covered in pastel green and purple lampshades. The dining room is awash in all white everything, bordered by tall scalloped booths and lined with Old Hollywood photos. Every seat in the house is packed with breezy lunch dates and mingling locals. Nothing we ate or drank was particularly must visit worthy - Cobb Salad, Asian Lettuce Wraps, a Desert Haze Martini and a Raspberry Mojito, but they do have a vast menu and offer prompt and polished service. Lulu proved a fun, energetic stop for lunch as we continued on our bike ride exploring the city!

Purple Palm | Colony Palms Hotel | 572 N Indian Canyon Drive

The Purple Palm is one restaurant not to miss in Palm Springs. The menu features imaginative California fare and the Hollywood hideaway atmosphere is so incredibly alluring. Fantastic food and excellent wines are enhanced by dining under a cabana overlooking the relaxed pool setting, backed by a gorgeous open interior with towering halo light fixtures and striking purple wallpaper, ceilings, and tiled floors. We had the best time here. A top trip moment for sure!

Aperol on Fire - Aperol, gin, lemon, singed orange
Pinot Noir ($16) | Colene Clemens, Willamette Valley, Oregon

West Coast Oysters ($18) | Kumaia - Baja, California | watermelon mignonette 

Gai Lan ($8) | maitake mushrooms, goat cheese, black garlic, Chile de arbol
Seared Scallops + Smoked Pork Belly ($30) | chanterelles, parsnip, arugula, lemon verbena

Marinated + Grilled Swordfish ($29) | red pomelo, toasted pine nuts, baby spinach, pearl couscous, fresh herbs, saffron yogurt citronette

Our night out followed with drinks at Trio and Bootlegger!

 

Peabody's Cafe | Downtown | 134 S Palm Canyon Drive

Peabody's is a casual café + bar with an outdoor patio. We brunched here on a whim after learning our first choice (Cheeky's - Uptown) was a 45 minute wait. While we might have missed out on bacon flights back at Cheeky's, this runny egg - crispy potato - cheesy refried beans - homemade salsa + hot sauce covered plate of Huevos Rancheros was everything I needed to affirm the choice. 

More on where we stayed and all the desert modern vibes up next!

Nautical Gin Celery Gimlet

Nautical Gin embodies a spirit I can identify with - that of exploration and to never stop discovering. They searched the world to uncover exotic ingredients for this gin, one of which is a rare coastal ingredient called Pacific Kombu that delivers a subtle hint of sea salt. This special ingredient also the inspiration behind the name.  

This gin presents with aromas that are bright and floral - there's hints of juniper, rose, pepper and lemongrass. On the palate those juniper berries from Croatia lend exotic flavors of pepper and spice, while coriander seed from India delivers notes of citrus peel and sage. The Pacific Kombu is a sea vegetable / edible kelp imparting that subtle hint of sea salt and minerality, leaving you with a clean, smooth, refreshing finish. Overall, Nautical is a powerful yet elegant gin.

Nautical Gin is the perfect starting point for the classic lime based Gimlet cocktail. I thought the clean, refreshing and not overpowering vegetal taste of celery would harmonize with the gin as they embody similar qualities. To make celery juice I pureed two sticks of celery in a food processor and strained through a fine sieve. 
The addition of Green Chartreuse imparts a nice touch of sweetness and complimentary herbaceous notes. Then, there's the Brennivin - an unsweetened Icelandic schnapps or an aquavit - made from fermented grain and flavored with caraway. We discovered Brennivin while traveling in Iceland and seeing as how Nautical embodies that worldly, exploratory spirit, Brennivin felt like a natural pairing! Finally, this dynamic gimlet deserves a dash of Fee Brothers Celery Bitters.  
Nautical Celery Gimlet

1 1/2 oz Nautical Gin
1/4  oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Brennivin 
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz celery juice
1 dash Fee Brothers Celery bitters 
garnish: sea salt + lime wheel  

Once you've made the celery juice, simply shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a frosted glass. I tried a couple variations of glassware and found it more enjoyable to sip this gimlet from a dainty, delicate piece. 
What transpires is a bright, herbaceous, citrusy cocktail that awakens the palate with a contemplative and distinct taste. The more you sip and become accustomed to all the flavors it leaves a soothing finish that lingers thoughtfully on the palate. 

This cocktail was created in partnership with Nautical Gin and is entered into a cocktail contest the brand is hosting.

To vote for my cocktail please like it on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!!!  

eats + drinks | Gracenote, Granary, Silvertone

Gracenote Coffee Roasters | Leather District

Lattes at Gracenote Coffee: This tiny espresso bar at 108 Lincoln Street is conveniently located right where the bus drops me off every morning. Even if you don't take a Mass Pike express bus into town this independent roaster is worth a visit. The finest beans sourced from for example: La Papaya Farm in Ecuador, Misty Valley, Ethiopia and Irati AB, Kenya are meticulously roasted. 

Strong and rich espresso with thick frothy milk, this is one of the best lattes I have ever had.  The barista art puts a smile on my face and makes them photo worthy, every time. (Yes, there are three different lattes pictured here. Give them a second glance and you can tell! So pretty!)

    Granary Tavern | Financial District

The New Guinness Nitro IPA alongside BBQ Pork Nachos ($12) and Fried Chicken + Waffles ($17) at Granary Tavern. The nachos are next level with house made potato chips, pickled onions, fresh cheese + avocado aioli. And with an ideal ratio of chicken to waffle to maple drizzle + honey butter, the latter dish is a home run.

Townsman | Edge of FiDi and Chinatown

A single cocktail at Townsman: the Green Girder ($12) with Beefeater Gin, fresh celery juice, smoke and salt. The cocktail was terrific and I love cocktails with a celery element! The fact that I haven't had a meal here yet and I work SO close is inexcusable. They are sweeping every publications best new restaurant category, pretty much every where you turn there's a positive buzz about Townsman. One of these days....

Silvertone | Downtown Crossing

Ultimate comfort food at Silvertone: Mac + Cheese ($10) topped with toasted buttered breadcrumbs + peas and Meatloaf + Mashed Potatoes ($12) with brown gravy + the vegetable of the day, bok choy.  

Where have you guys been eating + drinking lately? New hotspots? Old favorites?

Portland | Oregon

We were in Portland for the first two nights and first full day of our Oregon trip. For me, a perfect weekend in the City of Roses ended up going a little something like this...
  We arrived from Boston on a Friday evening at 8:30 pm. After settling into our hotel we walked fifteen minutes to Little Bird Bistro, where I had not made a reservation but knew they served food until midnight. The hostess was able to seat us within 10 minutes. Our meal was wonderful. Their take on classic French cuisine is comforting and innovative.

What we ate + drank: Marrow Bones ($19) roasted garlic, char broiled squash, lentil hummus, toast /  Merci Merci ($10) Pampelaire, Aviation Gin, Aperol, Dolin Blanc /  Manhattan Noveau ($10) bourbon, Bordeaux wine, Benedictine / Fried Chicken "Coq au Vin" ($25) pommes raclette, bacon glazed mushrooms, rosemary-balsamic juice / Green Beans ($10) roasted cherries, foie gras vinaigrette.

Our Saturday morning began at Blue Star Donuts. I am still reminiscing, practically drooling over the flavors we had: passion fruit cocoa nib, blueberry basil bourbon (Bulleit!), hazelnut dulche de leche; and the ones I wish we did: marionberry jam with peanut butter powder, hard apple cider fritter. We washed down breakfast with a Stumptown cold brew coffee.

We seemed to have timed this visit perfectly as we arrived to the pristine kept, light filled space and waited in line no more than 5 minutes; but by the time we left the place was a mob scene!! And my #donut selfie? A must after laughing at their blackboard.

We leisurely perused Powell's City of Books and strolled around Pioneer Courthouse Square and the city center; the gorgeous weather adding to my affections. 

We debated taking an Uber to lunch, but I am always interested in a city's public transportation system, turns out Portland's is great. Between the bus lines and the max light rail the TriMet was a breeze.  We caught the #4 bus at Salmon and 5th which took us over the Hawthorne Bridge to SE Division and 32nd for lunch at Pok Pok. 

I read all about Portlander's braving two-hour waits, the famed spicy papaya salad and Vietnamese fish sauce wings and about Chef Andy Ricker opening outposts in NYC and LA.  I watched him chauffeuring Anthony Bourdain around Thailand on Parts Unknown. ALL THE HYPE.

I can't tell you if Pok Pok was worth the wait, because we didn't have one. (Afterwards, we walked out to a huge crowd on the street. We looked at each other all - are we really that good?! Missing all the lines?!) What I can tell you is that I loved it here at this Thailand street style inspired bungalow shack. If you are in Portland, you should go. 

What we ate + drank: Papaya Pok Pok ($9) central Thai style spicy green papaya salad with tomatoes, long beans, thai chili, lime juice, tamarind fish sauce, garlic, palm sugar, dried shrimp, peanuts / Sticky Rice ($3) / Heat Ray ($10) tequila, som celery drinking vinegar, fresh lime, Thai chili / Muu Paa Kham Waan ($15.50) boar collar meat rubbed with garlic, coriander root and black pepper, glazed with soy and sugar, grilled over charcoal, served with a spicy chili lime garlic sauce and cooling mustard greens. 

After Pok Pok we crossed the street to Salt & Straw. Again, lots of hype about this spot, and again, we somehow avoided the long line as a crowd showed up directly after us. That's three times now at popular spots!! The ice cream itself is something to write home about; perfectly smooth and creamy with creative flavors using local ingredients. I wasn't that into my Pear & Blue Cheese, though! The Bartlett pear was tooth achingly sweet and I hardly got any crumbles of the pungent blue cheese, which certainly would have added some balance. 

I was infatuated with Bob's pick of Freckled Woodblock Chocolate. Woodblock is the first bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Portland, roasting cocoa beans in a 19th century-old fire roaster. Then they add harvested Jacobson Sea Salt from the Oregon coast and use an old-school ice cream making technique called “freckling” to suspend the chocolate in an untempered state. The sea salt really made this flavor stand out. 

We walked with our ice cream in the warm sunshine about half way down SE Division Street, eventually deciding to hop back on the #4 bus a few stops. It was time to get our brewery crawl on! From small batch handcrafted beers that started as garage experiments at Baerlic, to the emerging style of barrel aged sours at Cascade, to European style brews with a focus on Northwest grown ingredients at Commons, these beers and their tasting rooms are so incredibly unique and thoughtful. Enjoy a photo montage of our afternoon, and look for a complete list at the bottom of this post.

I won't get into specifics of each and every beer we drank but I will mention our bar snacks at Hair of the Dog - which were excellent and much needed at this point in the day. We had Pork Toast ($5.25) with tender bits of pig, warmed on grilled bread and a Pickled Vegetable Sampler ($4.50). I had never had pickled broccoli or brussels sprouts and I loved them.

Around dusk we headed for the hotel which was a solid half hour walk. Our 9:15 pm dinner reservations allowed us time to meander back, relax and freshen up. We then hopped the TriMet to Irving Street Kitchen. The large rustic-urban space enveloping us in a warm glow, we settled on glasses of wine and main courses each. I am still thinking about this meal. Dreaming, lusting, swooning. It was fantastic.

What I ate: Beet & Ricotta Cavatelli ($19) / black truffle Stracchino, Ras El Hanout breadcrumb, roasted carrot

After dinner we wandered The Pearl District taking in the abundance of trendy bars and shops. We settled on watching football games at local haunt Life of Riley Tavern and closed out the evening at Deschutes Brewery. The next morning we cheered on marathon runners near the finish line. We had no idea there was a marathon going on until we arrived, so that was fun!

We also spent a half day and night in Portland on the back end, which worked out well for fitting in a couple of things we didn't have time for on the front. Since I mentioned a lot in this post, but omitted certain things too - below is a handy recap. A quintessential guide to Portland for beginners if you will: books, beers, donuts, roses. 

[My Portland top 5]

5) Northeast Alberta Arts District. Inevitably you will find yourself downtown and in The Pearl District. And hopefully in SE Portland. Northeast has a flare all its own. Funky graffiti artwork on walls and benches, hip coffee shops, art galleries and laid back bars. We got a cappuccino at Just Bob, walked around for a bit, then got cocktails at the trendy but low key hangout The Knock Back.  

4) Powell's City of Books / 1005 W Burnside St. You just don't see bookstores like this anymore. Powell's is inspiring. I could have spent all day perusing the shelves. 

3) The Rose Garden / 850 SW Rose Garden Way. Do your best to get here. We skipped it initially but I was so glad we went on our last day. Portland is the city of Roses, after all!

2) The Food. It can be extremely overwhelming with so many acclaimed restaurants from which to choose. I researched and debated a lot but in the end was really happy with our choices.

Lunch: Pok Pok / 3226 SE Division St

 Bunk Sandwiches / 211 SW 6^th Ave  

Dinner: Little Bird Bistro / 215 SW 6TH Ave 

Irving Street Kitchen / 701 NW 13th Ave / Pearl District

Departure / 525 SW Morrison Street / Meier & Frank Building 15th floor

Sweets: Salt & Straw / 3345 SE Division Street

Blue Star Donuts / 3459 SE Hawthorne Blvd

1) A brewery crawl in Southeast Portland. There is an abundance of unique

breweries within walking distance in this residential meets industrial neighborhood. Tasting barrel aged sour beers on the sun drenched Cascade patio was a favorite trip moment. All of the breweries are listed in order of our crawl. Note: Deschutes is not in SE Portland but in the Pearl District. We fittingly ended our night here!

Baerlic Brewing / Hosford-Abernathy neighborhood / 2235 SE 11th Ave.

Cascade Barrel House / handcrafted sour beers / 939 SE Belmont St.

The Commons Brewery / traditional European beers w local ingredients / 630 SE Belmont St. 

Hair of the Dog / small batch bottle conditioned beers / 61 SE Yamhill St. 

Deschutes Brewery / award winning, distinctly Northwest craft beer / 210 NW 11th Ave.

Thank you for sticking with me on this adventure. I know these last couple posts have been much longer than usual. The Columbia River Gorge is up next!