Located in the historic Gearhart Hotel, The Sand Trap Pub is classically McMenamin's. Art Deco decor dominates the design of this newest hotel in the McMenamin's chain which opened in March of 2012.
Read moreWhisky Heaven: Medley Bros. Bourbon - 4yo vs. 12yo!
I love Bourbon, in case you are new and have not figured that out yet I figured I better lay that out here right now. One of the things I love is seeing what effect aging has had on a decent bourbon. Is it best after four years or six? Does the recipe have enough sugar to hold up to the barrel and come out better after ten or twenty years than it was when it was meant to be bottled at four? What different flavors and smells are added or removed with time in supposedly "identical" barrels?
Read moreReview: Cheri's Cafe, Cannon Beach
Cool little Cafe in Cannon Beach, featuring breakfast and lunch with a full service bakery. From fresh baked goods to pizza and burgers, the menu is diverse.
Read moreReview: Famous Dave's BBQ Shack, Cedar Hills
The BBQ Shack is casual BBQ done right
My buddy Mark called and asked if I had time to have lunch with him today since he was up in my part of town, and I love to get together with old friends, so we had a late lunch. Famous Dave's opened this little BBQ shack on Cedar Hills BLVD. In Beaverton, so we decided to see if it was as good as their restaurant in Tualatin.
Read moreReview: Guiseppe's Italian Restaurant
Guiseppe's is an old world Italian restaurant in Gresham. Featuring a great menu, with classic dishes at decent prices, Guiseppe's is a great restaurant that deserves a visit if you are looking for classic Italian on Portland's east side.
Read moreReview: Salted Chocolate Covered Caramels from The Candy Basket
In 1934 The Candy Basket Inc. opened its doors, hand making delicious chocolate confections to delight its local communities. Several generations and three factories later they have grown into a full line confectioner offering a wide variety of chocolates, toffees, brittles, fudges, corns, and jells. It is their goal to bring their customers memories of grandma’s “Heavenly Divinity”, mom’s amazing “Red Velvet Cake (truffle)”, and the summer time treat we all enjoyed as kids, dreamy “Creamsicle Fudge”, of course…It’s all just Pure & Simple.
Read moreKickstarted Review: Foodie Dice
In September of 2013 an idea popped up on Kickstarter that got my attention: Foodie Dice. The concept was to turn meal preparation into a game. You have nine dice which indicate protein, cooking method, grain/carb, herb, bonus ingredient + spring, summer, fall, or winter veggies. This gives you over 186,000 combinations to jog your creativity in the kitchen.
Read moreFat Boy Review: BottleKeeper Brewtis
In September a couple of cousins went to Fundable with the idea for a new way to protect their beer from the heat and elements. They called it BottleCamo, but after realizing that this might be seen as trying to encourage hiding beer from the authorities rebranded as BottleKeeper, and after months of production and customs delays finally have their pre-orders hitting the doors of folks who backed their project. Follow the link for pictures and details on why this is how all of my bottles will be carried from now on.
Read moreOn the Road Review: The Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grille, Cannon Beach, Oregon
The Lumberyard
We spent the Christmas Holiday at Cannon Beach, and on the last night of our trip stopped in at the Lumberyard Grill for dinner. Follow the link to see how we liked it.
Read moreTonight's Drink: Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel
The only single barrel bourbon bottled in bond, this is a bourbon with proud tradition. It also was named American Whisky of the year for 2012, no small feat it a ever expanding bourbon culture.
The nose has creamy caramel and tobacco notes, with hints of citrus and leather.
It starts hot on the palette, rapidly fading to honey and sweet corn with a smooth finish that leaves you with a faint taste of copper and green grass.
This is an amazingly complex whiskey that hits all of the right notes while remaining as pure and uncut as it's long history.
93/100
Reviewing the VQ
One of the long standing places to meet and eat in SW Portland has always been the "VQ" (veritable quandary) at 1st and Jefferson is classic old time Portland charm in the middle of the downtown area. While much has changed since it opened in 1971, it has lost none of its charm.
I had today's special, The Italian Meats sandwich, and it did not disappoint. Pepperoni, Salami, and an amazing Coppocollo served with fresh Parmesan and mozzarella on a focaccia roll. It is everything you hope an Italian sandwich will be. Served with a mountain of their famous hand-cut fries it was well worth the $14 price tag.
Carrie went with the classic VQ Burger, 1/2 pound of ground round topped with white cheddar, lettuce, pickled veggie blend and a sweet-basil aioli. This burger is always a safe bet.
If you are in Portland and want to see what dining was like before the hipsters took over the food scene, the VQ will show you the way.
Tonight's Drink: Rock Hill Farms
Very nice, high rye without too much spice on the front of the pallet. Here is my note and ratings:
Tonight's Drink: Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Light amber/honey color.
Nose has strong honey and caramel notes out of the bottle, opens up with vanilla and toffee with a couple of drops of water.
Taste starts out smooth, light caramel and toffee fading to citrus and bluegrass.
Overall a nice drinking bourbon that is easy to afford for a 6-year old bottle. 86/100
Kickstarted: Re-Jigger from Home Cocktail Revolution
The Re-Jigger hopes to simplify the adoption and creation of better home cocktails
Back in June I saw a KickStarter project from a new company in California hoping to make cocktails more approachable in homes across America called Re-Jigger. I sent a couple emails back and forth with their founder, and decided it was an idea I could get behind.
Read moreOn the Road Review: Mo's in Cannon Beach, OR
Mo's Chowder House is an Oregon Coast landmark
When I was growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, our family made at least one trip out to the beach every summer. We would take coolers of food to save money, but dinner before heading home was always at Mo's. I have had clam chowder all over the country, but nothing says seaside dining like Mo's.
Read moreOn the Road review: Morris' Fireside Grille
The lunch order of fish and chips at Morris' was HUGE. Six large halibut filets and a mountain of hand cut "Driftwood" fries was almost more than the Fat Boy could take down.
We are in Cannon Beach, Oregon this weekend for Carrie to participate in the recording sessions for this years Singing Christmas Tree. We got checked into our motel in the old downtown area, and first step was to find lunch.
Right around the corner from our Motel we found Morris' Fireside Grille, and decided to give it a try. I decided on fish and chips, because I love fresh fish. The fish was lightly battered and crunchy on the outside, while staying perfectly flaky and moist inside. Not an easy feat, but it made for a terrific lunch. Morris' adds dill to the batter, giving it a nice zip even without tartar sauce. The hand-cut "driftwood" fries were large and flavorful if a little soft.
Carrie and Andrew had the French Dip, and reported the meat tender and flavorful, with an Aus Jous so flavorful Andrew actually drank it from the cup after his sandwich was gone. Hailey went with a chicken sandwich so big she could only eat half. A large chicken breast with bacon and normal toppings of lettuce and tomato on a sturdy bread that stayed together made for a great meal for her.
In all I was very happy with the service and quality of food Morris' Fireside Grille delivered. As with most seaside communities the price was a little high with lunch for four coming in at $65.00 plus tip, but for portions this large and food this good I was happy to pay the tab.
Hailey had a HUGE chicken sandwich. It ended up being two meals for her.
Whiskey Tasting: Dad's Hat Vermouth finished Rye
Product Review: Crock-it Lock-it
My Slow Cooker secured in the Crock-it Lock-it I received yesterday
I stumbled across this KickStarter project the other day, and loved the idea. We have all had family events or potlucks that required us to bring our crock-pots, and if you are anything like me it was a challenge to get it there without a nasty spill.
The folks at Crock-it Lock-it sent me a review unit yesterday, and I was able to test it this morning.
Read moreProduct Review: Sistema Microwave Rice Steamer
We make a lot of rice here at Fat Boy Heaven, and this is supposed to cut cooking time in half.
This week I was sent this Microwave Rice Cooker from Sistema, and we decided to give it a try tonight. The cooker claims to save more than half of the cooking time for steamed rice, and anything that reduces prep time in my kitchen is a good thing.
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New Product Review: Cow WOW Cereal Milk
Fruity Trudy is just one of the great flavors of milk headed your way!
In this months Goodie box from Goodies Co. was the above box of milk. Yes, a milk box. Like the ever present juice boxes, this product is trying to appeal to your children as a drink to be chanted for and screamed over at soccer games and meals. Unlike those other drink choices, as long as your child does not have allergies that make it otherwise, this is an amazingly healthy choice for them, and you as well. If you are not on a non-dairy health food kick, read on.
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