Food+Drink

Von Ebert Brewing’s Pearl District pub is a perfect spot for sampling its award-guzzling brews such as Volatile Substance IPA.

Pour It On

The new year is brewing with excitement written by Beau Eastes Hello 2022, we couldn’t be more excited to see you. After a year in which we saw iconic institutions like Portland Brewing and Bailey’s Taphouse close, as well as the cancellation of most of the state’s annual beer festivals, we’re looking forward to the new year like a bearded man in flannel loves a super danky double IPA. Here’s what we’re giddy about as we roll into 2022: VON EBERT’S ENCORE Arguably no craft brewer in Oregon had a better 2021 than Portland-based Von Ebert Brewing. Less than four years old, Von Ebert was named the 2021 Medium Sized Brewery of the Year by the Oregon Beer Awards, claimed gold in the uber-competitive American IPA category at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival with their Volatile Substance IPA, all the while expanding their popular Heritage Beer Series. It’s a…

Aesthete teas sprung from a family tradition of leveraging its folk healing properties.

Aesthete Tea

written by Lauren Sharp The product of a mother daughter partnership, Aesthete is a brand defined by the appreciation of art, nature and beauty with the goal of bringing people together through carefully crafted herbal teas. Owner Briana Thornton and their mother, herbalist Maggie Cassidy, have formed a collaboration that keeps the traditions of folk healing alive in southwest Portland and beyond. The inspiration for Aesthete, a loose-leaf tea purveyor and teahouse, is deep in Thorton’s roots. Growing up, their mother Maggie was constantly mixing her own herbal teas as part of her own studies in herbalism and natural healing. Thorton gained a new appreciation for her mother’s teas while working at a faced-paced advertising agency. Their mother often sent care packages with custom blends offering a range of physical and mental health benefits. Thornton’s friends and colleagues quickly noticed her unusual, aromatic teas and urged them to go into…

Put your palate in Chef Joel Lui-Kwan’s command at Lovely Rita with the “off menu” prix-fixe dinner, the chef’s selection of starters, main dishes and dessert.

Lovely Rita

written by Lauren Sharp Teeming with ’60s glam—bronze fixtures, velvet chairs, walnut dining tables— this spot at The Hoxton hotel is the place for an evening cocktail and small plates or prix-fixe dining. Adjacent to Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, it was scheduled to open in early 2020, Lovely Rita opened October 15. Just like the lovely meter maid of the song invoked by its name, the space will be devoted to work (and lounging) during the day, transforming into a sultry dining destination for dinner. Of course, the hyper-local rotating beer, spirits and wine menu will be available throughout the day. Chef Joel Lui-Kwan took the creative lead on the Pacific Northwest concept, overseeing the food throughout the hotel, which besides Lovely Rita, includes the breakfast and lunch cafe Little Rita and the rooftop bar, Tope. Lui-Kwan’s menu embraces smoked fish, oysters, pan-roasted meats, seasonal vegetables and artisan charcuterie sourced…

Pink Rabbit restaurant

Pink Rabbit

written by Lauren Sharp Take a trip down the rabbit hole in Portland’s Pearl District at Pink Rabbit cocktail lounge. Pull a seat up at the neon-lit bar in the revamped space with its pop-art mural paying homage to its namesake bunny for hopped-up cocktails served until midnight most weekdays and 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. At the helm is industry veteran Collin Nicholas who cut his teeth on mixology in late-night leaders New York City and the Bay Area, and is a two-time finalist of Bombay Sapphire’s “Most Imaginative Bartender Award.” He grew up immersed in the strong cocktail of cultures of the East Bay and Berkeley, which he’s been bringing to bar programs across Portland as the bar director of Submarine Hospitality Group (Tusk, Takibi, Ava Gene’s). Pink Rabbit is his first solo leap. “I’m excited to incorporate all the influences from past projects into the cocktails I’ve…

Pelican’s Father of All Tsunamis Imperial Stout is a tidal wave of flavor, aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Oregon Winter: Made for Brews

Barrel-agedier, boozier and sniftier, for Nordic hut-ing, hot tubbing or Blazer-fanning written by Beau Eastes There’s a lot to love about Oregon winters. The holiday lights at Peacock Lane, skiing the bowl at Mt. Bachelor, irrational Blazer championship hopes. But the best part of the colder months here in the Beaver State is the unofficial fancy beer season. In November and December, the beers in Oregon get bigger, funkier and more barrel-agedier. It’s fantastic. Here’s what we’ll be drinking this winter at Beerlandia while we try to convince ourselves that Dame and C.J. can actually be the cornerstones of a competent defense. (Hint: it’ll have to be something stronger than Deschutes’ excellent-but-light Rip City Lager.) Ecliptic Brewing’s Filament Winter IPA with Tangerine: If Oregon craft beer legend and Ecliptic founder John Harris wants to play around with his traditional winter beer and add tangerine, it’s best to just say thank…

Boneyard’s Blood Orange Pale Ale delivered joy during lockdown.

Proof of God: Beer

Written by Beau Eastes The quote “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” is popularly attributed to Ben Franklin. While historians posit that he actually wrote this about wine, we have no doubt about the truth in this alleged misquote. The past year-and-a-half has been brutal for just about everyone we know. But beer, glorious beer, the cause and solution to all of life’s problems, has delivered some moments of happiness. Here are some beers that brought smiles to our faces during the past eighteen months: A LITER OR THREE OF BITBURGER PILS FROM STAMMTISCH A cold German beer on a hot day is always a good idea, but this summer, as Portland negotiated a record heat wave, the rounds of Bitburger were especially tasty. The Beerlandia staff was on an intense research mission that weekend and Stammtisch provided a much-needed home base—and a…

Oma’s satisfies, from apple tamarind-glazed pork ribs to lemongrass slushies or a soft shell crab sando (pictured above).

Oma’s Hideaway

Written by Jen Stevenson Oma’s Hideaway was born of a takeout-focused pop-up pivot designed to carry Hollywood District hotspot Gado Gado through the darkest days of the pandemic shutdown, but then proved too popular to scuttle when the restaurant reopened. This bright and cheery Division Street gem is just the place to spend a summer evening with a jackfruit daiquiri. Taking over the former Whiskey Soda Lounge space, Chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly and Mariah Pisha-Duffly’s second venture is an homage to Thomas’s beloved late oma or grandmother, Kiong Tien Vandenberg, with the hearty belly-warming and spirits-lifting Southeast Asian comfort food to match. The menu showcases Pisha-Duffly’s creativity via intensely flavorful dishes such as sweet-chili soy-soaked corn fritters, Chinese sausage- and shrimp-studded char kway teow noodle stir-fry and several satisfying variations of nasi lemak, Malaysia’s national dish—try the golden, crispy fried chicken with creamy yellow curry and fried curry leaves, signature coconut…

Forested roads between Bend and Sisters are ideal for bikepacking to Suttle Lake, the setting for an eponymous Three Creeks Suttle Haze IPA.

Beer-Powered Adventures

Written by Beau Eastes If you’re reading this column I’m probably preaching to the choir, but I’m continually fascinated by how great beers can inspire—dinner parties based on beer pairings, brewpub running clubs, hikes to forage for fresh ingredients. And of course my favorite, beer tripping. This concept born of years of research at institutions such as O’Brien’s in Portland, Max’s in Eugene, The Rainbow Cafe in Pendleton and Cascade West in Bend, beer tripping involves your favorite beer and making an adventure out of its name. Here’s a few of my favorite beer tripping adventures: HIKING BLACK BUTTE One of the first hikes I wanted to do when I moved to Central Oregon nearly fifteen years ago was Black Butte, and that was 100 percent proof of my affinity for Deschutes Brewery’s iconic porter. Not quite 4 miles out and back, the hike up Black Butte is a steady climb…

Grab a drink and stay awhile at Takibi, inspired by traditional Japanese izakaya, which translates as “stay-drink-place.”

Traditional Japanese Restaurant Takibi

Written by Lauren Sharp Outdoor enthusiasts and foodies can rejoice with the opening of Portland’s new Japanese restaurant, Takibi. It’s a collaboration between Submarine Hospitality, known for acclaimed Portland restaurants Tusk and Ava Gene’s, and Snow Peak, a Japanese outdoor apparel and lifestyle products retailer. “We like to consider ourselves the foodiest brand in the outdoor industry,” said Matt Liddle, Snow Peak’s chief operating officer. “Most of Snow Peak’s products are food related, as we’re well known for our top-of-the-line camp cookware, tableware, and grills. We see it as an extension of our mission to bring out outdoor values into the dining room, giving friends a gathering place to reconnect.” Founded in 1958 by Yukio Yamai in the Niigata Prefecture of Japan, Snow Peak has strived to create heirloom quality mountaineering and camping gear. In 1980, the founder’s son, Tohru Yamai, took the helm as CEO. He jumped at the opportunity…