PDX Cocktail Stop #1: Happy Hour at Clyde Common (Portland, OR)

So much to drink, so little time. Wandering Chopsticks and I decided to jam pack it all in one day. After a morning of wine tastings, we went to Clyde Common for some happy hour cocktails and food.

The bar at Clyde Common is headed by Jeff Morgenthaler, a famous and prolific bartender/cocktail writer, and comes recommended by many of my cocktail-loving friends. Alas, he was in California the day I was there. To absorb all the wines we had (before we start over with cocktails), we ordered some food from the happy hour menu (the happy hour is M-F 3-6pm, and they also have late night happy hours).

Being the cheap Asians that we are, we couldn't NOT order from the happy hour menu, both food and drinks. WC wanted the Fried chickpeas ($3)

I was initially skeptical, but these turned out to be addictive. The crispy batter was dusted with spices. Can't. Stop. Poppin'. At $3, these make a great bar snack.

I ordered the Flatbread, white bean puree, ricotta salata, raisins, pine nuts, greens ($6)

The flatbread itself was too soft and doughy for my taste, but I loved the toppings, especially the combination of the smooth bean puree with the crunch of the pine nuts and the sweet golden raisins.

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Munching Around Santa Monica with Six Taste Tours

What better way to explore one area's food than a walking tour with an expert, tasting 4-5 places all in one go? Six Taste Tours, started by two USC alums, aim to do just that with their tours in various regions in LA, including Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Arcadia, and more. Each area's tour is guided by an expert in that particular area/cuisine. I was invited to go on the Santa Monica tour recently with their guide, Therese.

Godmother sandwich, with on ocean view.

I don't want to spoil all the fun of the tour for you, so I will just go through some of the things we ate and leave you with some surprises if you ever take the tour!

They said they consider the Santa Monica tour to be their international tour, and you will see why. Our first stop was Rockenwagner Bakery.

Rockenwagner Bakery
12835 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 578-8171
www.rockenwagner.com

Our guide, Therese

Other than the baked goods, Therese told us that Rockenwagner has a great Austrian coffee. We tasted some and it was indeed pretty smooth.

Apparently Hans Rockenwagner and his pastry chef invented the pretzel croissant by dipping a croissant in caustic acid, so of course we had to try some! Because of the pretzel-like crust, the croissant doesn't leave as much of a buttery mess on your fingers. 

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True Food Kitchen (Santa Monica, CA)

Local Vegetable Crudites

True Food Kitchen which recently opened at Santa Monica Place has a mission of serving sustainable, healthy food without sacrificing flavor. They center their menu around Dr. Andrew Weil’s "Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Food Pyramid" (not that I knew about it before coming here).

Before they officially opened to the public, they held tastings and trial runs for friends and some media. I came for a lunch during these test runs. While waiting for my friend I ran into Pleasure Palate and her friend. We ended up joining her table and got to sample many more things.

Do try the Banana, espresso, pistachio, and date muffin ($3)

While I'm usually not a big muffin fan, this one is a must try! The muffin is really moist and loaded with pistachio and other goodies.

They have a pretty big list of cocktails (with fruits with alleged antioxidant properties, of course), wines, and beers, many of them organic. I didn't want to start drinking so early, though so I went with one of their non-alcoholic "elixirs": the "Red Moon" ($4): pink grapefruit, yuzu, agave, and soda.

I also like the Medicine Man ($6) made with olivello juice (more on olivello later), pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, black tea, soda water, and blueberries.

Today's Raw Fish ($12): Yellowtail

A bit heavy on the sauce, but the fish was fresh.

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