Bon Appetit at Clyde Common

Restaurant: Clyde Commmon
www.clydecommon.com/

Cuisine: Portland

Location:
1014 SW Stark Street
Portland, OR 97205
503.228.3333

Hours: Lunch Monday - Friday, dinner every night

Happy Hour: Mon- Fri 3-6, Mon - Sat 11-close
Clyde Common is a definite must on the list of restaurants if you want to experience something truly Portland, and amazingly delicious. The wide open dining area is open to the kitchen where you can watch as they create the amazing dishes you are about to enjoy. Clyde Common is a communal dining restaurant there big and small tables available to sit and enjoy your friends and maybe even meet someone new. The menu is constantly changing with the seasons and availability of local ingredients, always fresh always delicious.

Not only is the food extraordinary, their cocktails are also at the top of my list. The Bourbon Renewal calls out to me every time. The combination of flavors, and textures with food and drink guarantees a you will be presented with a culinary adventure.

We arrived all dressed up and decked out in our finest jewels, ready to enjoy the evening. Hadley, Angel and myself were seated at one of the communal dining tables by our friendly and informative server Shannan Shute. We started out evening off taking advantage of the Happy Hour. We each choose something different so we could all share and try more things. Hadley ordered the B.M.O.C.: bourbon, raw ginger syrup, Angostura, soda water. Angel order the Heavy Petting: Monopolowa vodka, grapefruit juice, Aperol, quinine syrup, lemon peel, “This is the perfect intro into summer!” I order my favorite Bourbon Renewal: Maker’s Mark, Lemon, cassis, bitters. It is the perfect blend of sweet and tart. We later ordered the Nasturtium: Dolin Blanc vermouth, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, Bonal Gentian-Quina, lemon peel. It was like Christmas and summer happening at the same time, awesome.

What we ate:
Starters: House pickled vegetables; French fries with harissa and Crème fraiche; Sorrel and arugula pesto grilled cheese with walnut and aged cheddar; fried lamb belly, with aioli; Herbed green beans with toasted almond vinaigrette.

Board of chicken liver pate, grilled bread , pickles, and a shot of manhattan.

Entrees: Roasted sturgeon with manila clams, summer vegetables and fingerling potatoes and the Roasted pork belly and rib served with polenta, roasted apricot, escarole and hazelnuts.

Dessert: Chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich, with honey marshmallow, and peanut brittle, cherry granite, pistachio meringue crumbles, and cream. Lemon Balm crème caramel, blueberry, oat-nut streusel, with cream. And the Summer berry cobbler, biscuit crust, with cherry beer ice cream.

I could describe them all, but I will just pick a few items.

The House pickled vegetables were perfectly crisp and tart, we loved the radishes.

The Fried Lamb belly was something new for us, it was perfectly tender and full of flavor, oh so good!

The Boards are a must, the combination of flavors and textures play magnificently on your tongue. The rich creamy pate, the crisp crunch of the pickles finished off with the smooth Manhattan, couldn’t be more perfect.

For one of our entrees we had the Roasted sturgeon, it was served in the most brilliant green sauce we had ever seen it was like summer in a soup. The fish was tender and flaky, and the sauce had a hint of mint that offset the clams wonderfully.

Now dessert is another matter all together. I can’t pick just one! The Summer berry cobble was out of this world. We literally squealed with delight. Shannan our waitress came to see what was going on, we were just really enjoying ourselves. The honey marshmallow is something I don’t think I could quite explain, so good, so good, so good.!

What we wore:

Hadley beautifully showed off Mashka, an innovative designer originally from Serbia, now making her jewelry in New York. Hadely is wearing a long oxidized silver and gold vermeil necklace along with gold vermeil and multi-gemstone earrings and pendant.

Angel brought YedOmi to life. YedOmi is a local Portland artist. Angel wore her gold vermeil and sterling silver caviar triangle earrings along with a bold Serpentine, Amethyst and Iolite necklace.

I, Brooke wore Rachelle also a local Portland artist, Rachelle works with oxidized sterling silver and a wide variety of gemstones.

Bon Appetit at Bamboo Sushi

Restaurant: Bamboo Sushi
http://www.bamboosushipdx.com/
Cuisine: Japanese

Location:
310 S.E. 28th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 232-5255

Hours: Dinner 7 nights a week 5 – 10 pm
Happy Hour: M-F 5- 6:30 pm

Bamboo Sushi is a chic and modern restaurant in SE Portland. It sets itself apart from other Japanese spots by being the first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant in the world! Dedicated to provide the freshest fish, meats, and produce with a consciousness towards marine stewardship, sustainability, and the wellbeing of the overall environment, Bamboo sushi is a great option for all you sophisticated eco-friendly foodies.

My sister, Alex, and I arrived for dinner on a Tuesday night at around 7:30. The restaurant was active and full without being overly crowded. After some friendly banter with the host, we were immediately seated at a quaint two top against an open glass window wall, which created an inviting indoor-outdoor atmosphere. We were given ice water with a fresh cucumber slice and a complimentary serving of edamame, which we gratefully nibbled while debating what to order from the vast and elaborate menu. The edamame was an appropriate compliment to the turquoise “peapod” ring, designed by Johanna Becker-Black and worn by Alex.

We had heard rumors that Bamboo is known for some pretty outrageous cocktails and a great wine list, but since neither of us drinks alcohol, we opted for green tea as our beverage, which had a sweet toasted rice flavor, and definitely set the tone for the Japanese experience.

We were somewhat overwhelmed by so many enticing choices on the menu. The waitress could sense our indecisiveness, so she kindly offered some suggestions to help us narrow things down. To start, we ordered two Kaiso Seaweed Salads and the Assorted Pickled Vegetable Plate. The seaweed was bright and crunchy and the pickled veggies, which included diakon, eggplant, onions and mango, were artistically presented, beautifully colored, and offered a dynamically zesty palette of flavor.

The waitress told us that the one dish we absolutely HAD to order was the Alaskan Black Cod. Alex and I had not been planning to get this, but our server delivered a hard sell, informing us that GQ magazine voted it to be one of 5 best dishes in the WHOLE country. It was indeed delicious. It came in a dramatically large white bowl, covered in a savory garlic sauce. The portion was perfect to share as a taste-tester. There were two equally sized spears of fish, which allowed us to avoid a familiar sibling squabble over the biggest piece.

After the first round of courses, we had some time to digest and enjoy our tea, until a huge multicolored platter of sushi rolls arrived, almost too lovely to eat! We ordered two different signature rolls: the Highway 35, which involved a crazy combination of crab, avocado, asparagus, cucumber, sake poached pears, eel sauce, tobiko, and tempura crunchies. This mixture of flavors was delightfully complex, and ended up being our overall favorite choice. The other signature roll we chose was the Salmon Nation, definitely a fish lover’s dream. It included house smoked wild ivory salmon, fresh raw salmon and a salmon skin salsa. We felt like we got a healthy serving of omega oils with this one!

As a default ‘safe’ order, we opted for a traditional veggie roll, which was crunchy, fresh and simple. In hindsight, we both agreed it would have been a more exciting choice to get another signature roll instead, but for only $5, it was a tasty bargain.

We also tried a traditional “Press Box”, which is a customary form of sushi that has been layered rather than rolled. The Hoki Poke box came with six pieces of a delectable red crab, ahi tuna, avocado, and green onion combo. The tuna was extremely tender and the avocado was perfectly ripe, making the whole thing feel like it just melted in the mouth. This was definitely another favorite.

Once we cleaned all our plates, we still had high hopes of trying one of Bamboo’s creative dessert options, like the Chocolate Eggrolls, or the Plum Wine Cheesecake, or the Coconut Panna Cota, but after so many delicious entrée dishes, there was just no way we could put anything more into our full and happy bellies!

Overall, it was a fantastic experience with a great atmosphere, friendly and knowledgeable wait staff, and truly spectacular food. It was my first, bust certainly not last visit to Bamboo Sushi!

Jewelry worn: On Johanna: sterling silver and 22k gold Tibetan turquoise ring (local designer, Johanna Becker-Black), sterling silver branch and nest necklace with blue opal, seed pearls and rubies (Johanna Becker-Black), and carved green coral rose earrings (by Hawaiian designer, Veronica)

On Alex: sterling silver turquoise ‘peapod’ ring, oxidized silver bird silhouette earrings with moss agate, and sterling silver branch and bird necklace with lemon quartz and green amethyst (all by designer, Johanna Becker-Black)

Bon Appetit at Pambiche

Restaurant: Pambiche
http://www.pambiche.com/
Cuisine: Cuban
Vibrant, colorful, cozy, friendly, warm, family oriented,

Location:
2811 NE Glisan
Open 7 days a week for breakfast-lunch-dinner.
No reservations.

Happy Hour: 2-6 pm during the week, and 10 - midnight Saturday and Sunday.

Price range: $- $$

We arrived at Pambiche for dinner at 5:45 pm Sunday and were quickly seated. The staff was very friendly and approachable and the restaurant was brimming with people and colors. Images of cars from the 50’s, cigars, drums, wood parrots and colorful dishes added beautiful accents to an already inviting atmosphere.

I was excited to skim the cocktail menu for exotic drinks or specials. I decided on the traditional sangria and Lauren opted for the Pacific Beach cooler. I have had my share of sangria, but nothing compared to this. This sangria was light, refreshing, and full of fresh fruit and only hinting of alcohol. I would definite recommend it.

For appetizers, we ordered ensalada de frutas and jamon croquetas. Both were simple and delicious. The fruit salad was filled with mangoes, papaya, banana and pineapple- very fresh and not mushy. The croquetas were a delicious blend of cheese, smoked ham and Creole spices- fried and very tasty.

The main course required help from our enthusiastic waiter. He recommended some of their most popular plates and we narrowed it down to two. Lauren and I decided to be adventurous and order the Pescado con Coco and the Fricase de Pollo. The pescado (red snapper fish) was drenched in a spicy coconut sauce with fried plantains and rice on the side. Very tasty and a very large quantity of food. The pollo was tangy and tender with tostones (fried plantains) on the side. The entrees were hearty and flavorful.

For dessert we splurged after eyeing our neighbors beautiful sweet treats and opted for the Torta Domino and the Tres Leches cake. The torta domino was a white chocolate mocha cake with hints of Kahlua liqueur and a dark chocolate ganache over the top. Rich and delicious. The Tres Leches was light and sweet without being overwhelming.

Overall- “Delicious, festive and fun”- Just like Cuba!

Jewelry:
I wore earrings, necklace and a bracelet made by Firefly from Guatemala. Firefly makes colorful, cheerful and dazzling pieces that make people happy and feel exotic. Lauren wore designer Chan Luu from Los Angeles. Gold diamond hoop earrings and a brown leather and gold vermeil wrap bracelet brightened up the already festive atmosphere at Pambiche.

Bon Appetit at Blossoming Lotus

Blossoming Lotus
1713 NE Fifteenth Avenue, Portland, OR 97212
503.228.0048

Price: $$

Cuisine:
Organic – Vegan - Sustainable

Atmosphere:
The scale of Blossoming Lotus is just perfect. It’s a small, elegant and beautifully designed restaurant with earth toned walls and high ceilings. Sophisticated and warm, one immediately feels comfortable and at home.

Appetizer:
To begin with, we shared the Live Sampler Platter, which consisted of an amazing assortment of incredibly delicious starters: Tahini-cilantro pate, live falafel, live pasta and Eden salad, accompanied by savory flax crackers and crudités. Impressive.

Beer / Cocktails:
The drink menu here is extensive and includes: fresh juices with booster shots, smoothies, specialty cocktails and a healthy assortment of organic wines and beers. I had a wonderful and inventive cocktail called a Ginger Fizz, and Shaun enjoyed a cold beer from a local microbrewery.
Main Course:
Our server highly recommended the Four Cheese Lasagna, so I took her recommendation. The very generous serving of lasagna arrived piping hot and heaped high on the plate. It consisted of: layers of fresh seasonal vegetable marinara, semolina noodles, herbed tofu ricotta, roasted garlic & squash mozzarella and sesame parmesan, topped with lemon-basil cashew cream. It was absolutely delicious and very satisfying, so much so, I had to take a portion home in a doggie bag…. Much too delicious to leave behind.

Shaun opted for the BBQ Tempeh Platter. This turned out to be even better than he had expected! The Tempeh was prepared with red onions sautéed in a rich smoky house-made BBQ sauce served with a mixed green salad, spicy black bean chili and an awesome house-made corn bread. Not one crumb was left on this plate.

Dessert:
After watching the table next to us devour a variety of deserts, we couldn’t resist ordering a couple for ourselves. We chose the Live Fudge and the Turtle Cheese Cake, and we were not disappointed. Both dishes were stunningly flavorful with luxurious textures. It was astounding there were no animal ingredients of any kind…we would have never guessed.

Jewelry Worn:
Necklace: Noctiluca, Circle of Life Necklace, Hammered sterling silver ring hangs from a cruelty-free, micro suede cord, sterling lobster clasp with extender for easy wearability.
Earrings: Noctiluca, hammered sterling rings with American Sleeping Beauty turquoise briolettes. Sterling shepherd hooks.
Ring: Xen, Stainless Steel ring. Classic, elegant and durable.

Bon Appetit at Beaker Flask

Bon Appetit! The first Thursday of every month we will be posting a review of a restaurant near you, while showcasing our amazing jewelry artists. We are self proclaimed foodies, exploring the wonderfuly creative world of food and drink here in Portland. We also love jewelry and all the talent of those that create it.

The inaugural Bon Appetit Silverado Portland post is of Beaker Flask, next month check in for our review of Blossoming Lotus' new location and see what amazing jewelry artist we will show case.

Enjoy!

Restaurant: Beaker Flask

http://www.beakerandflask.com/

Located: 727 SE Washington St. Portland, Or 97214, 503.235.8180

Price: $$

Late Happy Hour 10pm - Close

Kate “The perfect comfort food”

Chris “A lot of flavors”

Atmosphere: The interior of Beaker Flask is inviting. Booths run along a wall of floor to ceiling windows. The booths are comfortable and view of downtown is wonderful especially during sunset.

Mmm Mmm Food: The small plate we shared turned out to be the highlight of the meal for me. The Cabbage Roll is a sight to see. Braised cabbage stuffed with warm mushrooms and caramelized onions, creates a very rich earthy flavor and the lentil salad with a mustard sauce balances the dish. Keep in mind that the small plates are a good serving size. I would happily go back and have just the cabbage roll.

The only way to describe the Ricotta Gnudi is that it would be the perfect comfort food during a winter storm. It was a hearty dish with a tomato sauce that had just the right amount of spice to it.

The Pan Seared Whole Trout was the most beautiful dish and equally as tasty. This dish could of easy come right out of a Dutch painting. The trout was laid on a colorful bed of braised cabbage, bacon, blood oranges and pickled fennel. The combination of bacon and blood orange added a nice complexity to the dish.

Cocktails/Dessert: the Fielding Mellish: gin, banana, vermouth, lime and allspice; went very nice with the Warm Chocolate Brownie and Caramelized Banana.

Jewelry: I felt quite elegant wearing jewelry by local artist Emily Jane. With all the light coming in it really lit up my earrings. I sparkled for most of the evening. Rebecca Overman sterling silver bracelet was a nice understated masculine piece for my boyfriend to wear.