Cole Danehower

I hope you'all will excuse a moment of self-promotion, but the current issue of our Portland-based magazine, Northwest Palate has a feature article profiling Portland-area distillers, plus a list of all the Oregon distillers we know about (the magazine is available at Zupans, Whole Foods, New Seasons, Rich's, Fred Meyer, Powell's, and many Borders and other bookshops throughout the Northwest and the rest of the country . . . or available from me if you want to PM me with your physical mailing address). Here is that list: In Portland Area: Clear Creek Distillery 503-248-9470 Highball Distillery 503-803-3989 House Spirits Distillery 503-235-3174 New Deal Vodka 503-490-7357 Ransom Spirits 503-883-2089 Rogue Spirits Portland 503-222-5910 Sub Rosa Spirits 503-476-2808 Rest of Oregon: Bendistillery in, you guessed it, Bend www.bendistillery.com Brandy Peak Distillery in Brookings www.brandypeak.com BuTay Vodka in Bend (I will make no comment on the name . . .) www.bu-tay.com Dolmen Distillery in McMinnville www.dolmen.arbre.us Hood River Distillers (the big boys in the state) www.hrdspirits.com Indio Spirits in Cottage Grove www.indiospirits.com Liquid Vodka in Bend www.liquidvodka.com McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale (just east of Portland) www.mcmenamins.com Rogue Spirits in Newport www.roguespirits.com And also, there are two distilleries in Washington State, and two operating distilleries in British Columbia, with two more coming on line in the next few months. The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed of craft distilling! -Cole

For an upcoming story in Northwest Palate magazine, I am looking for recommendations of bar/lounges in Seattle and vicinity who are known for their house-made bitters. The article will cover bitters in general, but we want to highlight a few select Northwest places (which will also include Vancouver/Victoria and Portland . . . and I already know about Portland places) that are going that extra step by making in-house bitters. I'm not necessarily looking for recipes, just some good places to visit and to interview on the role of bitters in local, contemporary cocktails, and why the establishment makes their own. I've also posted this on the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver, BC & Western Canada boards for local expertise, but it has been recommended there that I post it here as well. I'd appreciate any suggestions . . .

For an upcoming story in Northwest Palate magazine, I am looking for recommendations of bar/lounges in Seattle and vicinity who are known for their house-made bitters. The article will cover bitters in general, but we want to highlight a few select Northwest places (which will also include Vancouver/Victoria and Portland . . . and I already know about Portland places) that are going that extra step by making in-house bitters. I'm not necessarily looking for recipes, just some good places to visit and to interview on the role of bitters in local, contemporary cocktails, and why the establishment makes their own. I could post this in the Spirits board, but I really want to get local expertise! I'd appreciate any suggestions . . .

For an upcoming story in Northwest Palate magazine, I am looking for recommendations of bar/lounges in Vancouver and/or Victoria who are known for their house-made bitters. The article will cover bitters in general, but we want to highlight a few select Northwest places (which will also include Seattle and Portland) that are going that extra step by making in-house bitters. I'm not necessarily looking for recipes, just some good places to visit and to interview on the role of bitters in local, contemporary cocktails, and why the establishment makes their own. I could post this in the Spirits board, but I really want to get local expertise! I'd appreciate any suggestions . . . Thanks!

A few more interesting Riesling supply facts that I dug up for an article I recently wrote: Washington's Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is the world's largest single producer of Riesling (according to the company), with 2006 production of 868,000 cases for all their brands: Chateau Ste. Michelle (713,500 cases total), Columbia Crest, and Snoqualmie. Also, the company accounts for 30% of all domestic riesling. At their recent Riesling Rendezvous, where around 200 rieslings were poured by producers from all over the world, it was mentioned that Ste. Michelle's $8.99 Columbia Valley Riesling was the best selling in the US. Who knew? -Cole

Joseph (byrdhouse) is quite correct about the limited availability of this delicacy . . . though I will note that there have been times, recently in fact, that the cheese was available over the counter at a few select outlets in Portland. The Market of Choice in my SW neighborhood had some just two weeks ago (I think I'll pop by tonight and see if there's any left! Umm, yeah, right . . .). I confess I haven't had it frequently enough to note the quality differences Joseph describes . . . call it vintage variation?? . . . but when I first tried it, and on subsequent occasions, I have been amazed at its comparability to Roqueforts I am familiar with. Joseph's comments have me intrigued to "monitor" it over coming years . . . if I can get some! -Cole

I'm eating at New Sammys next week and will try to report back how it was. The Rogue Creamery makes some of the finest Blue cheese in the world. No kidding! The regular Oregonzola, Crater Lake Blue, and smoked and flavored cheeses are very good, but the real winner is the Rogue River Gold, wrapped in Clear Creek Eaux de Vie-soaked grape leaves, and released about this time every year. People who have heard about the quality of this cheese sometimes are a little disappointed that the regular cheeses aren't quite as Roquefort-like and intense as they've been led to expect, which is why to experience the absolute best of what this fine producer makes, try to find the grape leaf-wrapped Rogue River! All the other cheeses they make are excellent, and I buy them regularly, but this particular annually-released cheese is, to my taste, truly the equal of ANY Roquefort that I have had. It is rare, expensive, and worth its weight in gold!! -Cole

There are so many great dining choices in Portland that it is almost unreasonable to name names without a better sense of what kind of experience you are looking for: name chefs with established reputations and Beard Awards, neighborhood hideaways offering a taste of the PDX culture as well as ingredients, new, cultish, and buzzworthy, or reliable classics, NW-ingredient focused or more international in focus, ethinc-oriented or more Western, traditional favorites or cutting edge, etc. I heartily suggest visiting the tip sheet at ExtraMSG for some great guidance. A few personal favorites, without going into food styles, include Andina, Fenouil, Alberta Street Oyster Bar, Vindalho, Lauro, ten01, Pok Pok, Sungari Pearl, Paley's . . . I'm missing many others . . . As for dining while going south . . . well, the immediate I5 route itself is pretty much fine-dining-free between Portland and Eugene, and then between Eugene and Ashland. In all cases you have to get off the long and boring I5 to find good stuff. In Eugene I heartily recommend Marche at the 5th Street Market. Also Cafe Zenon and Adam's Place. The Medford/Talent/Jacksonville/Ashland area offers many options, all off the highway and you need to get a local map to find, but good choices include Sammy's New Cowboy Bistro in Talent (if you can get in . . . I'm eating there next week, but have had reservations for a long time), Gogi's in Jacksonville, Amuse, Peerless, Chateaulin, Thai Pepper, Monet . . . all in Ashland. If you want to go south from Portland and do it slowly, head down 99W and visit some Willamette Valley wineries (Penner-Ash, Domaine Serene, Archery Summit, Lange, Bergstrom, Domaine Drouhin, Argyle, Carlton Winemakers Studio, Panther Creek, Cana's Feast, Scott Paul, Solena, Bethel Heights, Cristom, J.K. Carriere, Stoller, Erath, Sokol Blosser, Dobbes, Tyrus Evans, . . . I could go on and on). For dining, in Newberg there is The Painted Lady, in Dundee there is the Dundee Bistro, Red Hills Provincial Dining (I had dinner there last night with some winemakers and it was superb), and Tina's. In Carlton there is Cuvee. You can keep going down 99 to Eugene and then pick up I5 . . . unless you get stuck wine tasting (go for the Pinots, Dijon Chardonnay, and bone dry rieslings). As for the coast, besides being quite beautiful when you're not in the major towns, the dining concentration will be in the area of Newport north. There is precious little in the way of good dining on the coast south of Newport (the only exception would be Bandon Dunes in Bandon, very far south), though there is spectacular scenery. And as for dining north of Newport on the coast, I have no specific suggestions (besides Fulio's in Astoria) since it's been a long time since I've been through there . . . I'm sure others can chime in! -Cole

If anyone is interested, Clear Creek is the subject of the New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov's most recent blog posting, here: NYTimes Clear Creek Blog Posting

Steve McCarthy does a tremendous job with all his products, in my opinion. His Framboise is a particular favorite, and I hoard what little is left in my bottle. Last year Steve toured our office around his facility (it is in walking distance . . . and waaay too tempting . . .) and the craft, precision, and care he puts into his products is evident. It is very true that the Framboise is not always available--depends on the crop--and while it is spendy, it is also lovely. I also like his Douglas Fir eau de vie very much (mentioned by russ parsons), though it may not be to everyone's taste. We ran an article last year about how the Fir buds are hand-picked into buckets of spirit right there in the forest on McCarthy's land . . . One other note. Here in Portland there is a concentration of craft distilleries (of which Clear Creek is the founding spirit, if you will), and there is a growing trend here toward spirit/food pairing and cocktail/food pairing in the same manner as wine/food pairing. I happen to find this organoleptically fascinating, but McCarthy doesn't agree. He feels his eaux de vie are for enjoying before or after a meal strictly by themselves, not as an integrated part of the meal. The Douglas Fir, for instance, makes a wonderful digestif . . . as does the framboise, come to think of it!

There are lots of interesting cocktail options in Portland, many of which have already been mentioned on this thread. You can also try, in no particular order Thatch Tiki bar on Broadway, ten01 on NW Couch (Kelly makes good classic cocktails, and has quite a repertoire of his own creations), Park Kitchen on NW 8th, Mint/820 on North Russell is controversial among cocktail enthusiasts/purists, but Lucy Brennan's creations should be experienced. You can also consider SakeOne in Forest Grove for a Saketini Saturday where they pour sake-based cocktails that can be quite good. There are many others that just don't jump immediately to mind right now as I head out of the office, that I know I will be embarrassed for not mentioning later . . . (oh yeah, Saucebox for sure . . .) You might also check out various local websites, especially www.portlandfoodanddrink.com for notices of spirits pairing dinners. The guys at House Spirits (Aviation Gin, Medoyeff Vodka, Krogstad Aquavit) do a lot of pairing dinners at restaurants around town, and it is a great way to sample cocktails and food designed to accompany each other. -Cole

Yes, I would be very interested in what your experience is like . . . good, bad, or average!!

I had a very fine lunch at King Estate last autumn as part of the Oregon Truffle Festival. Granted, it was a large affair and perhaps not typical of the average lunch, but the food was fine indeed. Large fireplace and leather sitting chairs just off the main dining area are wonderfully cozy in the winter. I've also been shown around "backstage" and watched as the chefs prepared meals, and it seemed the operation is as neatly run as any fine dining restaurant. When I was last there they were making jam from the estate fruits in huge copper cauldrons. They have extensive organic gardens that supply much of the dining room's seasonal needs, plus large storage sheds elsewhere on the property for their produce storage. I would have every expectation that the dining at King Estate would be excellent! (P.S. Because people tend to be quite sensitive about these things, I will also say that King Estate is not an advertiser in our magazine and I have no vested interest in saying nice things about them.) -Cole

Just FYI, since ten 01 was mentioned: they have a new chef, Jack Yoss as of about 3 weeks ago (formerly at Postrio in SF, Chinois in las Vegas, and Hotel W in Westwood). Reviews after their opening last autumn were less than enthusiastic, and they've brought Yoss in to create an entirely new menu: ten 01 2.0, as it were. A great improvement, in my estimation. Good cocktail bar, as well.

I am reminded of a comment Veronique Drouhin once made when describing her winemaking process at Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley. Every site, she said, had terroir, but not all terroirs are good . . . that is why you blend.