Antonious Maximus visits Maximus Minimus

So...I was watching a food channel as I so often do and stumbled across a place that when I saw it I knew this was a bucket list place . A big metal food truck sculpted into a pig that serves food as hot ( maximus ) or with the lack of heat (minimus ) or anywhere in  between . This beautiful swinemobile calls several places in the greater Seattle area home and is brought to us by the wonderul people that bring us Beecher's Flagship cheese which you can visit on your next trip to Pike's Place Market .

I got to say I love the look  of this truck :)

One of the things I am seeing more and more with busy trucks is the additon of an attendant who can take your order while you are in line , swipe you card , and print you a reciept all before you get to the front of the line and recieve your food .

 

 

  

This is their organic , locally sourced pulled pork sandwich with Beecher's Flagship Cheese  served with a Mexican Coke .

It was a great sandwich from the belly of the beast .

Here the sad news -

I visited them on the day before the big pig went into hibernation for the winter .

The good news is like flowers it will be back in the spring , some time in April .

We will keep you posted .

For more info go to www.maximus-minimus.com

 

Here's a clip of the show -

 

 

 

The Great American Distiller's Festival 2011

A couple weekends ago I joined a couple friends for what has become a yearly tradition -

The Great Ameican Distiller's Festival

A gathering of distiller's great and small to present the latest and greatest product for the year . This year there was or so vendors , bartender"s contests , and so much more .

The most obvious trends this year were certified organic distilled spirits and small batch whisky . There was an overabundance of vodka both infused ( last years big trend ) and virgin . As usual there were a few welcome suprises so I'd like to take a second a share a few highlights of the show . Hope you enjoy .

Looking for something to brighten up your Bloody Mary ? Here it is ....

Skip Rock Vodka - washington's premium potato vodka

This is a Yukon Gold based potato flavor with all of the flavor of the potato including the earthy tones .
Whether brightening a drink or deglazing a pan for sauce this is truely unique .
Skip Rock Distillers is based in Snohomish , Wa and sources only local ingedients . Can be found in oregon soon at top liquor distibutors .
Skip Rock can be found on Facebook and http://www.skiprockdistillers.com/

Forget all your preconseptions of rocket fuel moonshine , this was the real deal and so tasty ....

Block and Tackle Moonshine satrted out with a butter flavor that transitioned into a true corn flavor and finished with a little kick . A nice balance of flavor and very pleasent to sip . This was a great presentation of the elements that make a solid whisky without the smokey chared oak flavor that come from the barrel , very clean .

Block and Tackle Sunshine is the next step up with more intense flavors and a punch at the end . This was my pick for the next bottle on my shelf . I felt this was the real deal and has a reasonable price point of about $30 .

This product is currently found in washington , available in vancouver and all over Washington .

5 oclock somewhere distillery is based in Cashmere , Washington and is complete with a tasting room .
http://www.5oclocksomewheredistillery.com/

What can i say , my next suprise was ...

Mezcal Don Amado
Unlike other Mezcals i have had I found layer upon layer of aromatic that was wonderfully complex . It congoured up images of shrimp tacos on a sunny day in Mexico . Well balance , tasty , and hard to put my finger exactly what flavors were present .

finally four roses

Now I was introduce to Four Roses bourbon this last year . This wasn't the typical bourbon but a bottle of Four Rose's Private selection for Pope House . Really love the warm comination of caramely flavors in this  Now in the Four Rose's lounge in the show they were showcasing one of this year's private selects that was sharper , deeper and richer . For me , I really liked it .

What ever your tastes and what ever you like , there is something for everyone at the Great American Distiller's Festival and I highly encourage you to discover what youj like when the show rolls around again .

Portland Greek Festival Oct 5,6,7 2012

This weekend the greek festival goes into full swing at 32nd and Glisan 

in Portland , Oregon  . Here are the highlights of my trip tonight .

You need to purchase Talents ( coins ) to pay for food at the front for a Dollar a piece .

Spanakopita ( spinach pie )

and

Tyropita ( cheese pie )

I am a big fan of Filo dough and just about anything :)

3 talents each

You buy at ticket and wonder until your lamb number is called .

While you are waiting the lamb is roasted on a spit to perfection

A great team of speialist dispact the beast into plates

 

And there you have it ,

Roast Lamb on a Spit - 8 talents  

Think your favorite pot roast only better

 

Greek Village Salad

5 talents

Loukoumades

Deep fired airy pillows covered in honey

Large - 4 talents  

One of my favoirte desserts of the night

2 talents

 

I am a custard junkie

love it

2 talents

Pasta Flora

Not too sweet and tangy apricot

2 Talents

 

and of course Baklava

2 talents

 

There is so much more food  available that we didn't even try ,vlaki

Souvlaki

So many desserts

and greek coffee

Frappe

They say it is strong .

 

They even host a sitdown dinner

( The only place you can get the domathas )

If you go , pick up a program and explore .
Be ready for big crowds with the good weather .
Besides the food , there is jewelry , cooking demos and so much more .

It was a great time and I have to thank my little greek girl for hopping in the car and showing me the amazing food of her people , again :)

A few of my favorite things - items from food crawl

Today I took a buddy out to try a few of my favorite foods in Portland .

To show him everything would take several weekends but today shared of few of my favorites .

Porchetta Sandwich from Lardo ,

$9

The pork fat on this sanwich melts in you mouth like butter .

One of my favorite sandwiches .

www.lardopdx.com

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings from Pok Pok

$12.50

Totally unique , really like the marraige of flavors

I eat the mild ones .

www.pokpokpdx.com

 

Bulgogi Taco's from Bo Kwon's Koi Fusion

$2.50 each( 2 pictured )

www.koifusionpdx.com

I love the sweet and spicy of the pickled veggies with the meat :)

 

 

 

 The there was today new item discoveries

A Moscow Mule from Lardo

$8

Russian Standard , Lime Juice , Angostura Bitters , Ice , and Cock& Bull

Bitter . sweet, and refreshing

Crispy Pig's Ear Salad from Lardo

$8

fried egg , frisee , and bacon vinaigrette

really solid , bright flavor

 

A great lunch crawl with a friend :)

Hope to do another one soon with a few more friends .

Lardo ( update )

Lardo is now a restaurant , praise the lard !

They now rest at their permanant location at -

1212 S. E. Hawthorne in Portland , Oregon

For those of you who have been to the cart you will see familiar touches .

The same loving attention to awesome food has been transfered to their expanded menu .

The combination of flavors makes this one of the most satisfying places I eat .

Farm fresh and attention to detail spinkled with love for food .

Yes you can taste the difference .

Don't forget to praise the lard when you tip :)

This menu have expanded vastly . The porchetta is still there but not on the menu . As it takes time to prep you have to ask if they have it that day but the other offerings are just as good .

They now have a full bar to compliment your entree .

They also serve several beers as well .

Don't be afraid to ask for help from your bartender .

 

One of the things I really like about this location is ample setting both inside and out .

Whether inside , in the garden style area , or on the side walk you can still enjoy Portland .

The order counter is centrally located and next to the bar for easy access to everything .

This was a unique touch - wooden spoon numbers :)

This is a great spin on the BLT

Pork Belly , Lettuce , Tomato

Very flavorful - the lemon adds a very high bright note .

Served on bread from Fleur de Lis . 

Complimented by Lardo fries  with fresh herbs and parmesan .

The Bronx Bomber

This sandwich blew my mind !

Painted Hills Top Round , Provolone . Mama Lil's peppers , and carmelized onions

Explosive flavor :)

 

The owner Rick , one of the nicest guys , Really took his vision the the next level and delivered .

I can't say enough about his use of ingredents and flavor combinations .

 

If I had to choose a last meal is would be the Lardo Porchetta Sandwich .

I would die with a smile on my face and peace in my belly .

 

If you want to check these guys out head to

www.lardopdx.com

or head to 1212 S.E. Hawthorne in Portland , Oregon

 

A special thanks to Perry Perkins for sharing food with me today .

The look on his face as he ate was priceless .

I think he acheived bliss like me .

Check out what he thought at

www.perryatehere.com

 

Living in Portland we are surrounded by food ,

don't be afraid to step outside and take a bite .

You never know what you are going to find .

Bagels and Cream Cheese

In my life bagels and cream cheese has been something ordinary the fill the void between meals . This weekend that changed a little . As my love and I are sitting eating an amazingly fabulous meal this weekend ( so good all that existed was her as I gaized into her beautiful blue eyes and the meal that was encapsulating my senses so much that nothing else existed as I ate each perfect bite ) she suggested we get some bagels and cream cheese next saturday and sit down and plan an adventure or at tleast a direction to point a car . Whether it's heading to Multnomah falls or the coast , garage sailing ( hopping from garage sale to garage sale ) , car hiking , a meal - whatever we feel like .

For me this has created an exciting promise that starts with a simple meal  . It's like magic I felt when I was younger sitting over my bowl of cereal excited about heading into the world without a care in the world and no planned direction , just excited to get out there .

This morning without thinking I reached into the cupboard to grab my bagels for my morning coffee and her promise hit me and a warm,fuzzy feeling came over me .

Thank you my love for giving me a moment to look forward to where we can put all worries of work and life to rest for a day and sit with a simple meal and head out to conquer the world - even if for just a day . It;'s such a simple thing - just like bagels and cream cheese :)

The Egg Carton- 52nd and Foster foodpod

This humble cart had it's soft openning this weekend and the food was excellent . Owned by a sweet couple from the Midwest they are specializing in farm fresh egg dishes .

There were a few diferent offerong for Bennie

Mine was a Andui Sausage Benedict

I am a big fan of the butter , satiny Hollindaise sauce

French toast with Bourbon Maple Syrup

Simosa - mock mimosa nwith fresh squeezed OJ

Hope you can take some time and visit Sarah at The Egg Carton- 52nd and Foster  

Her food is always enjoyable and I always look forward to it :)