Portland Cocktail Week, day 1, night 2

An address doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get where you’re trying to go. I learned that the hard way last night when I gave the taxi drivers… And I say drivers because I had to try multiple taxis… I gave the taxi drivers the address to Sam’s house and they apparently couldn’t get me there. First guy rejected the drive altogether. By 2 am, the second taxi driver drove me somewhere and kicked me out of the cab because he said he had no idea where he was going. Then, a woman on the street offered me her floor as a bed. By the time the third cab came, I was a bit hysterical. It took him more than an hour with GPS to find the house tucked up in the hills of Portland. Holy shit. That was an insane way to end the night.

But, what happened earlier in the day? So much.

It started with a great lunch at Kenny and Zuke’s Sandwichworks with Sam and his brother Robby. Robby and I had the ratatouille sandwich and it was great. It was way better than the ratatouille I make at home. I bet it had just a touch more olive oil…

Sam had a great looking sandwich, too. Food is always fantastic when I’m around this guy.

Then, Robby and I went to Coava Coffee Roasters. Vajra, from Boxcar Coffee Roasters in Boulder, gave me a list of coffee shops to check out while in town and Coava was one of them. This place is pretty cool and I met Matt, owner and roaster, and drank a chemex of a peaberry coffee. That was just the jump start I needed before starting to drink… Quite heavily.  Coava makes the stainless steel filters for Chemex and Aeropress coffee “makers.” They have a unique coffee shop in a space shared with a wood-working company, so, needless to say, the wood work is nothing short of amazing.

I love watching coffee junkies at the brew bar, and Robby had his first mini coffee brewing lesson: Let it bloom to release the CO2.  Blooming is a really important step to making a good cup of coffee. Pour a little of your hot water over the grinds and let them sit for 30-45 seconds.  If you watch it, you’ll see how it kind of looks like something blooming.  Then start adding more water according to your brew method. Robby told me a couple days later he had been letting his French press bloom.

I also love watching people roast beans, and they roast on site at Coava.  Roasting on site means your beans are fresh. Super fresh.

By 3:00 it was time to get a cocktail.

First drinking stop: Clyde Common. I had their Red Hook barrel aged rye cocktail. I learned that punt e mes was a sweet vermouth, and I realized that everyone at the bar was in town for Portland Cocktail Week.

Second stop: Kask, where illustrious architect of libations Tommy Klus tends the bar. Kask is a really cool bar, so I suggest making it a destination.  If you’re in Portland, you HAVE to check it out and meet Tommy.  If you’re not in Portland, I suggest booking the next flight out there.

Then to the Teardrop with my new friend Allie from The Hooch Life and Spencer Warren, owner of The Firehouse Lounge and Embury in Pittsburgh, PA. Todd Richman was guest bartending, and we ordered a fair share of his libations.

 

 

Then back to Clyde Common for food and more cocktails.  All that drinking makes you hungry, and Clyde Common is the perfect place to eat. Everything is good. Even the popcorn.

Next stop was Wilf’s for the opening night party and lots of cocktails.

After the party, I wound up in a bus going to a strip club. Totally not my style. I left with a fellow Coloradan and think we went to Dig a Pony because I have one of their menus in my purse. Yes, it was that kind of night. I’m piecing it together based off evidence in my purse. Uh oh…(insert smile here)

But it was super fun til I couldn’t get home easily. That was insane and I’m mentally recovering from it. I might need a cocktail to help me feel better… And I woke up reeking of booze, so the only way to cover that up is with more booze, I think.

Stay tuned. The adventure continues today. I hear there’s a cocktail cart in town…

Bardog Tavern, Memphis, TN

We had just finished a great dinner at S.O.B. and were checking out some menus at various places on our walk back to the hotel.  I have apparently lost what used to be a good sense of direction because I turned down the street one way and Kevin had apparently turned the other when I heard a man ask something about food or drink.  I paid no attention and started walking when he asked, “Are you guys European?”  I guess we looked like we were lost and didn’t understand English.  Turns out it was Aldo Dean, founder and owner of Bardog Tavern.  He immediately offered to buy us some drinks and brought us to the most bustling, laid-back, neighborhood bar… or tavern: Bardog.
I didn’t have my camera, and my phone took really dark photos, so it looks like my hipstamatic app came to the rescue again.  Bardog was absolutely packed.  People were eating, drinking, and being merry.  We were lucky to score a couple seats at the bar when two people left, and we sat there for a few drinks, soaking in the local Memphis bar scene.  This was not Beale St.  Not.Even.Close.

Bardog is a bar with an attitude.  Not a snotty, stuck-up attitude- but a no bullshit attitude.  They proudly let you know there is no Redbull served there.  There’s no live music either.  This is a bar created by a man who had a clear vision of what a neighborhood bar should be, and I would say he had a great idea.

We didn’t get to try their food, but when that many people are eating, it has got to be good.  They have a full menu starting with breakfast at 8 am, as well as snacks, sandwiches, soups, salads, steaks, and desserts that they’ll serve most nights until 2 am.
We thought the bar was packed that night.  We returned the next night and it was wall-to-wall people, upstairs and downstairs.  This is definitely where the locals go.  This is where people gather until early into the morning hours when they don’t want to listen to the bands on Beale and don’t want to deal with a bar full of tourists.  It’s a place to check the pulse of the Memphis scene and I assure you, it is alive and thriving.  
I’d like to personally thank Aldo for bringing us to his bar.  We were just going to go back to our hotel when he convinced us to stay out a little later.  Bardog contributed so much to our overall experience of Memphis, and gave us good topics of conversation as we drove on to New Orleans.

Welcome to my kitchen

A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
© 2017 A Bolder Home LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Boulder, CO Personal Chef Services