Discover Portland: Hall of Records

December 6, 2010

From native, life-long Portlanders to those transplants who have only been here six months, everyone living here knows what makes Portland a unique and special place. We are a community of people who love where we live and can talk to you forever about why it’s so great. Hall of Records, a vinyl shop/cafe/bar, recognizes the tendency of Portlanders to feel pride and loyalty for their favorite independent local shop or bar. On their blog, the Hall of Records owners write, “Justin and I really wanted to create something unique that Portland could be proud of. The kind of place where you take your out of town guests and in a sense show off something that is as unique as Portland.”

Hall of Records certainly offers a unique experience by bringing together elements that aren’t usually found within one establishment. As the name of the shop suggests, they sell vinyl records — always a good plan in our city of music buffs and collectors. Listening stations are available to preview any of their very reasonably priced collection of 1,200 records.

They also have a cafe offering coffee, hearty snacks and sandwiches. Skillfully chosen wine and beer lists round out the menu. Hall of Records offers music, coffee, beer, and plenty of food options for both the carnivore and the vegetarian.What more can a Portlander ask for?

In addition to the obvious awesomeness of Hall of Record’s mash-up business plan and merchandise, they’ve got even more going for them as a Portland-specific attraction. Every night at 8 pm DJs rock the Hall of Records — and  Open Table Fridays allow budding DJs (and anyone who want to give it a spin) to play for 30 minute sets. We all have a karaoke/open-mic-loving extroverted friend, and a chance like this  has great appeal for those among us who like to perform.

Hall of Records is a locally and independently owned business and the owners frequently interact with their customers on Facebook, on their blog and in the store. The most recent blog post tells of a last-minute wedding reception where owners Katie and Justin prepared the food and DJed for the impromptu party. Independent ownership allows for this kind of flexibility, and Portlanders love a shop that values community and interaction. This is a city of regulars, and Hall of Records is in great shape to accrue a horde of devoted patrons.

Hall of Records is located at 3342 SE Belmont (love Belmont!  Another point in its favor!). They were recently written up in Portland Monthly — but it’s time to stop reading about Hall of Records and go check it out yourself.

You Gotta Try This!: Savory Australian Pies @ Pacific Pie Co

December 2, 2010

Tis the season for pie, and I know I’m not the only one who enjoyed a slightly excessive amount of pecan and pumpkin pie last week. However, our North American holiday pies don’t usually cover the whole continuum of potential pie fillings: we tend to stay on the sweet side. To broaden your horizons, you gotta try Pacific Pie Co.

Pacific Pie Co specializes in Australian-style savory pies, pasties and sausage rolls. These pies are sandwich-sized, not full-pie-sized, so they’re perfect for an individual meal. The savory pies come in beef, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian varieties. Lamb is a traditional Aussie ingredient in savory pies. Pacific Pie Co gets their lamb from an organic, sustainable and humane farm in Canby, Oregon.

In fact, all ingredients in PPC pies are from local Oregon and Southern Washington sources. The meat used has been raised humanely and organically, without antibiotics or hormones, and grass-fed. As a vegetarian, even I don’t object to meat eating under these conditions: small scale, sustainable, organic farming is not detrimental to the environment or the animals like conventional farming is.

Pacific Pie Co also makes vegetarian pasties (pronounced pah-sties, not pay-sties!), which sound amazing to me. Spinach, feta and tomato in a flakey, warm crust? Yes, please! They also have a cheese and veggie pastie, and did I mention that most of these menu items are $5 or $6? I’ve paid a lot more than that for a much lower quality lunch.

They also serve sausage rolls, seasonal sweet pies, salad and soup. All these delicious items from a company with a mission statement of community, sustainability and ethical stewardship of animals makes for a strongly endorsed You Gotta Try This!

Pacific Pie Co is located at 609 SE Ankeny St, Suite C, and they can be found Saturdays at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market and Sundays at the Milwaukie Farmer’s Market. Click here for their website, and find their page with a Forkfly deal for a free coffee or tea here.

Trendy Tuesday: Gluten Free Treats at New Cascadia

November 30, 2010

You may have noticed a trend of gluten free products in grocery stores and at bakeries. I find this new trend of gluten free products fascinating, because when my mom was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, no such market existed. At the time, doctors believe only a small portion of the population suffered from celiac disease or gluten intolerance. In recent years they have realized that many people have a mild to severe allergy to gluten, and a market for gluten free bread and treats has emerged.

My mom has done an admirable job for more than a decade of steering clear of bread, beer, cake and cupcakes, pasta and the innumerable other everyday foods that contain gluten. The next time she comes to Portland, I’m going to have to take her to New Cascadia Traditional Bakery, where nothing on the menu will be off-limits, thanks to this ingenious bakery’s entirely gluten free operation.

Owners Chris and Teresa of New Cascadia both suffer from gluten intolerance, and they established their bakery to meet the needs of others with Celiac disease and gluten allergy. To make their bakery and products completely gluten free, special care has to be taken to avoid any gluten contamination. Even if the in-store operation has no risk of contamination, it’s possible the ingredients they use could have been milled on machines that also milled wheat flour or barley.

The steps they take to avoid contamination include verifying and sourcing all ingredients, buying grains from Bob’s Red Mill produced on gluten free equipment, and maintain a well-informed staff who understand the needs of their customers and the protocols that will deter contaimination. At New Cascadia, they also incorporate more than the standard rice flour, tapioca and other non-gluten flours. They use nutritious, hearty alternatives  like quiona, teff, coconut flour and more.

Once these practical elements are considered, we can move on to the treats! New Cascadia offers bread like baguettes, their “Portland Sourdough,” seeded bread, pizza crust and the indulgent cheddar parmesan bread. Basic stuff, but extraordinary to a person who’s been denied such simple pleasures. Bagels and hamburger buns round out the list of basic bread products. I can recall many a burger eaten by my mom with a fork and knife, bun pushed aside. These buns will solve that problem!

Most of the breads are vegan (for those with dairy and egg allergies), and all are soy-free.They also have a line of vegan sweets. Cakes are made to order — place your order 48 hours ahead of time to have a beautiful gluten-free cake for your birthday or event. As for pastries, New Cascadia offers tarts, cupcakes, pies, cinnamon rolls, and cookies. Cookie flavors include certified gluten free oatmeal, chocolate chip hazlenut, snickerdoodle and vegan chocolate chip!

New Cascadia Traditional Bakery is located at 1700 SE 6th Ave at SE Market, one block down from Hawthorne. Whether you have a gluten allergy or not, these treats are worth trying!

Written by Forkfly intern Eleanor R. Brown

Forkfly Daily Deal: Boyds Coffee

November 17, 2010

$1 Off Any Drink at Any Boyds Coffee Location

Whether you prefer black coffee or a syrupy seasonal espresso treat, warm up with a Boyds beverage for $1 off with Forkfly.

Boyds has been around for more than 100 years and has played a role in the history of coffee in our country, including developing coffee-brewing technology and establishing the service of coffee in restaurants as we know it. Originally, Percival Dewe (P. D.) Boyd, moved to the Pacific Northwest from New Zealand in 1882 and sold tea and coffee from a horse-drawn cart. Four generations later, the company is still in the family and has maintained the integrity of the product and the operation.

The fact that Boyds has only three actual coffee shops makes it attractive in our current oversaturated, overwhelmed  corporate world.  They also sell their product online and in some grocery chains, which makes it accessible all over the country. Boyds love for coffee comes across on their website, which has tons of information about brewing and tasting different kinds of coffee. They’re also committed to sustainability: in fact, Boyds has a separate website devoted to the discussion of ethical and responsible coffee growing, harvesting and purchasing.

All this history and environmental awareness is wonderful, but how does the coffee actually taste? Let’s just say that unlike some well known coffee establishments you don’t need to add a thing to their coffee, it is perfect the way it is.  But if you were looking for something a little more indulgent Boyds has you covered.  They just announced a seasonal drink, the Dark Chocolate Cherry Cappuccino. This rich drink blends the sweetness of cherry with the sophisticated, heavy flavors of dark chocolate and espresso, balanced by foamy milk.

Boyds has coffee shops in the Pearl District at 404 NW 11th, in Southwest Portland at 1229 SE 10th in the Eliot Tower, and at their Roastery at 19730 NE Sandy. Find their deal with Forkfly here and go get yourself $1 off one of those Dark Chocolate Cherry Cappuccinos!

Written by Forkfly intern Eleanor R. Brown

Discover Vegetarian Fare in Portland, Starting with Daily Cafe

September 15, 2010

NW 13th Avenue, with its raised sidewalks, light concrete pavement and alleyway feel, is lined with clean, modern buildings housing restaurants, coffee shops, fitness centers, clothing stores and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Across the street from PNCA is the Daily Cafe, a perfect spot to stop for lunch during a day in the Pearl.

The Daily Cafe is an order-at-the-counter restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and brunch on Sundays. The colorful chairs and exposed concrete ceiling reflect an aesthetic sensibility appropriate for the cafe’s proximity to one of Portland’s excellent art schools and its placement on NW 13th Avenue. I love the big windows in the airy dining room but I love sitting outside even more, so after I got my food I headed for the sidewalk seating.

Smoked salmon is a favorite of mine and I was tempted by the salmon plate with a Kettleman bagel, cream cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, capers and red onion. But I’m also sandwich-obsessed, which can be a tough trait for a vegetarian in a world of lunch meat. So I went with the caprese panini, a crusty, melty pleasure with roasted plumb tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach and herb pesto on ciabatta bread.

My sandwich came with vegan potato salad, but green salad or soup are also available with most lunch items. The service was timely and friendly, and I got my iced latte promptly to sip on while my sandwich was grilled to perfection.

Take a look at the Daily Cafe website to see their hours and check on their ever-changing breakfast menu. And look for Daily Cafe deals on Forkfly the next time you’re headed to lunch on NW 13th Ave.

The Tijuana Speedball is a Drink with a Kick!

June 16, 2010

I am most definitely an adult beverage connoisseur.  I get a lot of joy out of trying a restaurant, brewery, winery or bar’s signature drink, and it is my goal on every adventure to hopefully discover a new fave.  Sometimes I find a gem, and sometimes I leave less than impressed, but regardless of the outcome it is always a fun journey.

Last week while hanging out with colleagues, an acquaintance of mine was raving about her favorite cocktail the Tijuana Speedball and told me I must try it.  With a name like that I imagined the drink to be something so spicy lava would erupt from the glass as soon as it touched my lips, but as we made our way to Bluehour, located at 250 NW Ave, where the drink was being made, I found out it is actually more like a dessert than a drink.  The Tijuana Speedball is a combination of tequila, Kahlua, Irish cream and coffee.  The Bluehour bartender topped off the drink with three coffee beans, and served it in a chilled martini glass.  I’m not sure if the name is fitting for this drink, but the drink is fitting for anyone who loves espresso ice cream because that is exactly what it tastes like.  It is smooth, not too sweet, and gives you a good kick of caffeine.  Everyone needs a great dessert drink every once in awhile, and I have definitely found mine!

Want to make your own Tijuana Speedball?  I found the recipe, so happy concocting!

The Tijuana Speedball
1 shot of espresso
1.5 oz repasado tequila
1.5 oz Kahlua
1.0 oz Bailey’s

Have a favorite beer, cocktail, or wine that you think I need to try in Portland or Vancouver?  Leave me a comment or message me on Twitter, and I will highlight that drink in my next blog.

Merchant Monday: The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge

May 24, 2010

You want to talk tea? Then look up Jhanne Jasmine, co-owner of The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge. Her passion for all things tea – the leafs, the preparation, the history – combined with an open sense of business experimentation has led to one of the most unique businesses the Pearl District has to offer. Tea infused cocktails anyone? Jhanne and I sat outside her cafe recently to discuss the business she and her husband Grant opened up over a decade ago.

Tell me about the origins of The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge. We’ve been open for 11 years now and we used to live in Boston when we came up with the idea. Both Grant and I come from entrepreneurial backgrounds – our parents owned their own businesses. So I think we just had that entrepreneurial spirit within us. We always wanted to own our own business and we were always coming up with ideas. We spent about two years doing research upon coming up with the idea for Tea Zone – learning as much as we could about tea – and then we decided to act upon this one.

Why tea? It was something that we kind of happened upon – and thought it was a good idea, but never realized how much we would fall in love with it at the time. But there’s something about tea that just touches the spirit. The beverage has a 5000 year-old history. It’s very interesting and there’s so much more diversity in it than coffee. We have 120 loose-leaf teas and there’s all these nuances and differences in the flavors and tastes. It’s almost like talking about wine. You use a lot of the same terminology. It has these ending fruity notes and the palette touches this, and when it hits the back of the throat it hits that. Also, over the years all the health benefits and scientific research that’s been done on the benefits of tea have been very intriguing and have actually helped the business. A lot of people who come in have read an article and want to try different stuff.

Can you expand on the differences between tea and coffee? Coffee is a good jump-start for the morning, but tea really keeps you going a lot longer. It takes a little bit longer – you don’t get an immediate jump from it like you do from coffee, but it stays in your body longer. You don’t crash with tea. And it’s got a lot of vitamins and anti-oxidants and good things that are beneficial as well. And a lot of people are looking for those things right now. It never stopped being interesting. We feel like life long students. We are very fortunate to have gotten to know the leading tea authorities in the country.

How did come upon the idea to do this split café/lounge around tea? It’s kind of a work in progress. It wasn’t the original concept. But as with most businesses, your concept evolves after you open your doors. What we found was that people would come in and ask for food and there was definitely a need for it in this neighborhood. So we started to tackle the food and make that work for us. And we’ve always had some merchandise. We felt if we were going to sell loose-leaf tea that we would have to have a nice selection of the accoutrements for customers to actually do the steeping, brewing of teas. And then the lounge has been open for 3 ½ years now. And that was something where we asked “I wonder if tea would pair well with alcohol?” And so in order to determine if this was a feasible idea or not, we went out and bought a bunch of alcohol and brought in some cocktail books, had all of our staff invite a friend and then everyone was assigned to come up with two good tasting drinks. We were very scientific about it (laughs). We ended up coming up with a list of really good drinks, felt it was a feasible idea and started looking for space. In the end, we got to stay in the same location because some backspace had opened up. So now we have over 70 cocktails that are made with spirits that are infused with tea. A lot of them are based on traditional types. We’ll have a version of our margarita – and since almost all cocktails have some sort of tea element in them we came up with the motto “you get your good with your bad” (laughs).

What’s the Camellia Lounge all about? We have entertainment here Tuesday through Saturday – live bands. Most of the musicians really like playing here. It’s very intimate back in the lounge. Almost feels like they’re standing in a big living room. Very attentive, nice crowds and the lower ceilings help project a warm sound.

What marketing challenges do you face? One of the biggest challenges is still to this day education. It’s not like tea is a part of most Americans lives like it is in other countries. And this goes back to the Boston Tea Party. Americans we’re all tea drinkers up until that time and afterwards became coffee drinkers. Tea fell to the wayside. So a lot of people still have a misconception that tea doesn’t taste good. They think about tea bags – they grew up drinking Lipton. They don’t realize there are so many wonderful options of loose-leaf tea. There are certain things to learn. Your steeping times do matter, water temperatures can matter with green teas and some of the white teas. Tea is still to be discovered by a lot of people.

You’ve got a unique thing going on here. It’s a very unique business – it’s like having four businesses in one. We’ve got the café, the teas themselves, making sure the staff is learning about them, the lounge and entertainment, the merchandise. It’s a very, very complex business. Nobody’s day is ever the same who works here as it can be like in certain coffee shops where they just push a button and do a redundant task over and over. There’s a lot to keep us on our toes.

Merchant Monday: Boyd Coffee Company

May 3, 2010

Whether serving fresh brewed coffee at its retail locations or delivering fine roasted beans to restaurants, hotels and convenience stores, Boyd Coffee Company is singularly focused on bringing great tasting coffee to its customers. Over the past 110 years (the company was founded in 1900) Boyds has built a highly respected brand through a commitment to quality, customer service and integrity.  One area of particular pride for the company is staying in-step with coffee consumers and artisans to fuel innovative products and communications. From next generation brewing equipment to mobile marketing, Boyds wants you to always be sipping the perfect cup. I recently sat down with Alissa Barron Stranzl, online marketing manager for Boyds:

Tell me about your role at Boyds. My role is to use interactive communications to help improve communications with our customers. That covers our website, email, social media and other digital channels such as Forkfly.

In terms of digital media, what do you see as the challenges or opportunities to market your brand? Well, there’s so much opportunity – especially in terms of measurement. So with Forkfly for example, when we have an offer, we can see how many people are redeeming it. We’re really just getting started with mobile marketing.

So you see value in geo-location marketing? Yes, especially for the coffee shop part of the business, which is only part of our business, but an important part. Our customers are really looking for value. They want to treat themselves to a good cup of coffee just like they did before the recession. But I think everyone is more conscious of value than they have been. So, when you can offer them that little bit of extra real-time incentive – like 15% off, it does help drive the business. And when people taste our coffee in the shops, and they like it, it can support other areas of our business.

How does digital marketing fit in with the future planning of Boyds? With being over a     100 years old, we always say that the way we’re going to continue for the next 100 years is to      continue to be relevant to every generation and part of how we’re doing that now is through social    media.

Can you expand on the generational topic? Yes, it’s not just something that is a    generational  thing. Its not just younger folks, we see a lot of senior citizens come in with their  iPhones and their  Forkfly offer. But I do think in general we are seeing a shift where people do  expect more from  online tools. The core of our business will always be a service business –  making deliveries, face-  to-face, making a connection like that, but we can use online tools to  support that. It helps with  the educational side of things. We certainly have more work to do, but  on our website, one of the  most frequently visited pages is “The steps to roasting the perfect coffee”.  It talks about everything  like water and freshness and filters. So it is a good resource.

What differentiates Boyds from the competition? The biggest differentiator is taste – we think that we have great taste of course. Innovation is something that we’re also big on. Over the years we’ve had recognized innovations in the industry – different ways of brewing coffee. Service is also big. People know they can trust us. We have stories of a restaurant running out of product on Christmas day, but our guy will leave his celebration to take care of it. Our business is to keep their customers happy.

So tell me about your experience working at Boyds. Hmmm. I guess something that’s been a personal change for me – is that while I’ve always been a coffee drinker, I was mainly drinking it just to get up in the morning. I didn’t really care what I was drinking unless it was really terrible, but now I’m incredibly spoiled because we’re always brewing it. And you know, we’re brewing it to the perfect standards, the right ratio with the right equipment. I don’t put cream and sugar in it anymore because it’s so good on its own. I do find though that if I do go somewhere and it’s not up to my quality standard, I’m a bit of a snob about it (laughs).

Well thanks for your time. Yes of course. Let me just add that we really do appreciate our Forkfly customers. A lot of them are repeat customers, so we’re really happy to be part of it.

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