BrewCycle!

With my brother and his squeeze in town, we wanted to do something special. We want them to like P-town, and we wanted to have a good time! Really, none of us get out enough. We found BrewCycle on Facebook and thought it was the ultimate Portland way to experience the breweries. Bikes, brews and quirkiness are what we are known for.

The BrewCycle is a bicycle built for 15. Twelve people sit around a picnic table-like contraption and ten pedal, with room on the bench for three or so more. We had Randy sit inside on the cooler, you know, to keep it safe.

Once we had our seats, I worried it would be like spin class, but since so many of us were peddaling, it was easy. We went a few blocks to our first stop, Lucky Lab. They had a great cider and everyone got into the atmosphere. Or maybe we got a buzz on from the vodka soaked gummi bears (slimy!) or jello shots.

Getting on and off the BrewCycle was the hardest part for me. Once we were aboard we steered over to Caps & Corks. They have an amazing selection of hard-to-find beers including blueberry cider and cherry lambic. Yes, they have guy beer too.

The weather was gorgeous, so we soaked up the sunshine a bit before gliding over to Bridgeport. They use a cowbell to warn motorists that this rolling picnic table is on its way, and by this point Jeff had appointed himself the chief cowbell shaker. I should have taken a video. Bridgeport had Strawberry Tart, so I was happy. They don't always have it, and while I like Summer Squeeze, there is just something about Strawberry Tart. Yum.

After the BrewCycle brougth us back to the beginning, we went back to Lucky Lab for a snack. And more cider. It was good!

Date Day :: DIY Pub Crawl

This month's date brought to you by...BEER! It's HubbaBubba's favorite thing, and since it is his birthday month he got to choose our outing. Which meant it needed to be scheduled around college football game times. Nice.

We've always wanted to do a pub crawl of brewery tour...but timing never jives for us. And the cost. Some of them want a hundred bucks just to walk you around...you still have to pay for beer! After much Googling, we found a map that navigates local breweries using the Portland Street Car. We're serious about our beer in these parts!!

Our first stop...was for me. Cupcake Jones = YUM! If you have to pick just one, get the red velvet. But with the minis, why stop at one?

After a short hop on the streetcar, it was off to Rogue Public House. We love Rogue. We even named our dog Rogue. Though, if you ask, we'll tell you we got it from the river. Our next dog will probably be names Dechutes. Again, friends will think it's the brewery, I'll tell the PTA moms it's the river. That's how we roll.


The selection is amazing at Rogue. Toasted hazelnut, double chocolate, Irish cream, honey orange....those aren't desserts, they're beer! We were event tempted to try the Bleu Balls on the menu for a laugh. HubbaBubba wants me to make them at home.

He prefers the stronger, hoppy beers. Brutal, Triple Jump, Dead Guy, and a chipotle flavored beer were his suggestions. Soon, they'll be offering a Voodoo Doughnut inspired bacon Maple...not sure about that one. Good thing they have tasting trays!

Next stop -- Bridgeport. They did a Summer Squeeze beer that I really like. It has a lemony yuzu thing going on. The man is all about the Hops Czar.


We like Bridgeport because you can bring the kids if you want. They're not the kind of place that caters to families, but they don't eschew them either. Ours love the fat pretzels, and the kids menu has real pizza (not frozen) and natural hot dogs. Their salads and sandwiches are great too.

 We took the streetcar back towards Burnside to find Tugboat Brewery, but it was closed. As was Bailey's Taproom. After that disappointment, we opted for a sure thing -- Henry's.

In the building of the famed Henry Weinhard's Brewery now sits Henry's Tavern. A modern industrial vibe pulls together the bar, restaurant and upstairs billiard room. The Happy Hour menu is fun (gorgonzola waffle fries anyone?), the dinner choices are surprisngly varied, and there are over a hundred beers on tap! Sea Dog's Blueberry Ale smells like a muffin and the Apricot Cream is delicious. To me. Hubba was on the opposite side of the menu with Amnesia's Desolation and Ninkasi Tricerahops.

He's already planning our next DIY beer tour...

DIY Portland Chocolate Tour

I'm a big fan of spending my afternoon noshing and laughing with Portland Walking Tours (hence why I've taken the same tour twice) and really wanted to spend some time with Chocolate Decadence...but we couldn't get the timing to work out right. So, we decided to make our own tour.

With a hotel right in the heart of Portland's chocolate district, we barely had to walk! We started a bit east of downtown with chain-store chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. When we were teens, Jeff & I loved treking down to Ashland for their truffles and carmel apples. Our tastes have grown up, because we didn't really like the truffles we tried. The chocolate was grainy and the fillings were kind of oily. They looked fantastic.

Once we got downtown, we went to Leonadis chocolates, a favorite of my friend Kris. Living in Europe ruined her for American chocolate, so when she needs a fix, this is where she goes. Now I know why.

This isn't a place to go when you're on a budget, but if you just want a truffle or two to calm your chocolate jones, go here. Like woah. The flavor combinations are amazing, and the chocolate is so fresh it tastes, well, better. Belgians know chocolate. 

We found Portland's own Moonstruck Chocolates next. I love Moonstruck so much, I wrote it into Compromising Positions (the chocolate they gift one another, and what he finally shares with her). They're very thoughtful in their chocolate, creating blends and flavor pairings that just make everything better. Plus, their caramels are divine.

Next, we tried Swiss chocolatier Teuscher. The store is very kitschy and smells...like Willy Wonka's chocolate river. They had some unique flavor combinations. Everything we tried as delicious and very creamy. 

My favorite stop of the trip had to be at Cacao for drinking chocolate. Walking Tours start at the Heathman, where the chocolate mecca is tucked into a corner, and begin with a shot of chocolate goodness. Jeff tried the cinnamon milk chocolate and it was just as delightful as my dark chocolate drink. You haven't experienced chocolate until you've sipped at Cacao.

Chocolate Decadence does more than just the chocolate shops -- there are rumors of cupcakes, cookies, gelato, and tips on how to pair chocolate with wine. But we did manage to find the best chocolate croissant outside of France at Pazzoria.

As much as I loved our DIY tour (and the cheap date price) I still want to do Chocolate Decadence. I love chocolate!

Ridin' The Riverboat

I'm not sure what I expected from a dinner cruise aboard the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler. I think of river boats and my mind either goes to the swanky casino boats on the Travel Channel, or Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

This was definitely a middle ground - a much used space with two dining levels and an observation top deck. Most of the passengers were outside of our demographic, but there was one family celebrating a 50th anniversary that had a few people I might find at a PTA meeting.

The dinner cruise was a great way to see the gorge and learn a little about the area. The Seattle harbor cruise we did during Spring Broke was much more informative, as was the drive through the gorge during our snowshoe adventure.

Dinner was okay, you can't really expect much from a galley kitchen. I did think the cheesecake shouldn't be frozen, but what can you do?

 

I had fun taking pictures and watching the sternwheel spin. Things didn't really line up for the sunset shot I'd hoped for, but that didn't stop me from taking pictures until the memory card filled up!

Walking Tour

My girlfriends and I always get together to celebrate our birthdays kid-free. This year, we're trying to be more adventurous than the Cheesecake Factory. So we went on an Epicurian Excusion from Portland Walking Tours.

I never would have found myself doing a salt tasting if not for the tour. The Spice & Tea Exchange let us try different salts on cucumber slices. I even had my mom buy some smoked salt so my BBQ contest loving brother could experiment with it. 

 At this point...we wanted food! Thank goodness Chez Joly was so generous with their samples. Crostini, crepe, and French onion soup. We spied a $25 price fixe dinner on their menu (salad, entree, dessert & wine) so may be returning.

We spent a lot of time at the next stop, The Park Kitchen...but didn't eat much. The garbanzo bean fries & squash ketchup were tasty, and the idea of making your restaurant as sustainable as possible is great...it just went on a little long. It would have been more interesting if the explanations were illustrated by the samples they served...which is probably easier for them to do in the summer.

Next, we went to the EcoTrust building for Hot Lips Pizza to sample the seasonal variety - a squash sauce with broccoli & hazelnuts. I really like the juice sodas they make.

Finally, we got dessert :) Cool Moon ice cream served chocolate sorbet & trail blazer swirl and let us taste whatever else we wanted. Then, it was a quick hop on the street car back to the hotel we started at.

I had a great time, but I wouldn't take the tour again until the summer. Maybe things would have changed more by then. Is it worth the money? We got it on a special, which helps. If you know your way around Portland, you could get much more food for less money. But then, if you know your way around Portland, you might not be interested in the tour!