Back from Portland
We're back from Portland after a relaxing week in the city and at the beach.
It's really hard to decide where to have breakfast - at Stumptown Downtown for the best espresso (and good bagels or decent pastries) or the Pearl Bakery for the best bread and pastries (and decent espresso). We opted for the Pearl Bakery.
Gibassier and Cappuccino at Pearl Bakery
We then visited the Clear Creek Distillery and had a guided tour by the proprietor, Steve McCarthy, with whom I had gone to college. We tasted the most extraordinary pear liqueur and pear brandy and cassis liqueur and grappa and ... I can't remember what else, for some reason.
The pot stills are imported from Germany and are the same as have been used for hundreds of years to distill eau de vie, except for the modern electronics, of course.
Barrel aging room with Steve, my wife (on the left) and DIL (in the middle). Steve's the one with the beard.
We had lunch after this at the St. Honoré bakery-café. Yummy bread and a smoked duck breast salade. Bakery in action for entertainment.
Scoring boules at the St. Honoré Bakery
My grandson had just finished a week at "Rock and Roll University." We attended the final concert.
Theo's the vocalist.
Then, off to Neskowin for 4th of July fireworks (viewed from our terrace).
We did some wonderful day hikes.
Cascade Head
I got in a bit of baking. An unfamiliar oven is always a challenge. This Italian Bread was baked using Susan's Magic Bowl technique.
We had a wonderful time. It was hard to leave. It always is.
Mt. Hood from PDX
Now to try to catch up with the NYBaker recipe tests.
David
Comments
Porland, OR is one of my favorite places in US. Great Pacific Northwest location, nice city size, surrounded by natural beauty and great cluture. Now I want to go back again! That's a nice bread you baked!
I think I'd retire to Portland in a heartbeat, if my wife (imported from Southern California) didn't have reservations about the gray winters.
David
Do what alot of us retired PDX'ers do. Become snowbirds. Weather turns gray, load up the motor home and fly south. :-D
With kids in Portland and Las Vegas, don't believe we haven't thought about it!
Hmmm ... Is there an equivalent term to "snowbirds" for those who flee the Summer heat to cooler climes?
David
migrators! Birds migrate north for the summers don't they???
Lost birds j/K Lol
the winters here in the Portland area/Willamette Valley are a piece of cake. I love the summers and winters here! Do miss the fall a bit and my family HUGELY!
Glad you had a wonderful vacation!
I'm sure you have already started working on your NY Testers assignments!
Betty
Hi David,
St. Honore Bakery looks the real deal, and your loaf looks like splendid holiday fayre!
Seems to be a wood-fired oven comes with the small seaside villa Alison found for us to stay on Crete this year. South coast, end of the month. My sourdough culture will be packed.
Lots of activity on TFL for you to catch up on then?!
Best wishes
Andy
I envy you your Crete vacation. A Greek vacation is in our future one of these years. I've already reserved the Greek-speaking daughter-in-law as guide.
Have a great time. I'm looking forward to the results of your study of Cretan village breads!
I've been keeping up with TFL postings on my iPhone. It's just that writing messages is a bit of a challenge. Besides, I was on vacation. ;-)
Regards,
David
Thanks for my summer homework!
I'm sure we started this conversation a while ago.
I stayed on Skopelos back in 1992, and one of the local town bakers sold a very heavy rye loaf filled with yellow mustard and golden flax seeds. I strongly suspect it was made from a pre-mix, but it seems such a long time ago now.
We've stayed in Crete these last 3 years. Whilst I've seen wood-fired ovens and half reasonable traditional village bakeries, I haven't come across any bread other than white; usually reasonably crusty and lean. Plenty of research to do then; I guess Crete is not really the most hospitable place to grow good quality milling wheat??!
Best wishes
Andy
Portland is one of my favorite cities and you provided a wonderful slice of life in Portland! Good read!
I agree about retiring but my wife won't go along either....
Hmmm!
Jay
just say..."but it's closer to the grandkids, honey" and "the humidity is so good for bread baking"...lol
And your bread looks wonderful...doesn't look like you had much trouble with the strange oven.
Welcome home :-)
Toni
David,
While not really pastrys you need to try voodoo donuts next time you are here. They are so good I have to triple up on my insulin when I have one :-D. My need for insulin is what got me into baking my own breads a couple months ago. I see alot less spikes with home made over store bought. Tonight I made my very first pizza crust. Came out a bit doughy in center but I think a cooking stone will solve that. Made a dijon chicken with a garlic white sauce and mushrooms, red onion, basil leaves and romas. Came out real close to the one I discovered at serendipity on The Strip last month.
My husband is dying to try a Maple Bacon Bar.. I can't quite handle the thought, LOL!
He loves bacon..me, not so much ..
Betty
They are my fav!!!! 2nd choice is captain crunch ones. But they cause such big spikes and I think I gain 10 pounds everytime I eat one or 4 :D
your trip has made me miss home, I should really go for a visit soon. I grew up in Willamina Oregon (Timber-town USA) Looks like you had a great Visit.
Karen
Hi, Karen.
I took a wrong turn the first time I traveled from Portland to Neskowin via Salem and ended up in Willamina. What a nice little town! We got on the right road again with advice from the hardware store. (Turn right at the timber yard with the big orange crane.) That store made me think I'd been transported a hundred years back in time.
(Sorry if I exacerbated your homesickness!)
David
You were in my second favorite town. I lived there for many years before moving to San Diego. I didn't start baking untill a couple of months ago but used to visit Pearl Bakery on a regular basis. Their Olive bread was always a favorite.
gene
That's funny, David...we took a wrong turn around Salem one year and ended up in Sandy where we found Wasson Brothers Winery & a great farmer's market. Wasson makes the best fruit wines that're awesome for making reduction sauces for basting or pouring over fresh made ice cream, or...or... ;-) We also found a really good German deli/bakery when we had to take detours due to flooding from Sandy into Portland. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find that deli since. Maybe that will ring a bell with someone here? You don't think the wine tasting had anything to do with not remembering the detour do you? heehee
Toni
Maybe this place?
Looks like a great trip.
I've still never done the Clear Creek tour. Their pear brandy is wonderful.
Floydm,
Oh My Gosh! The one on NE Sandy Blvd is IT! Thank you so much...we'll definitely be going back that way now on our next trip north of Seattle to see the kids!
My hubby asked me if that was the same trip we ran across the Boyds Coffee Roastery so I checked it out...sure enough it's also on NE Sandy Blvd.
We've stumbled upon so many interesting places zig-zagging across Oregon & have been abe to remember how to get to them all but that one trip was full of twists & turns because there was so much major damage from flooding that year. Also before we had Streets & Trips GPS navigation & the wench that keeps telling us we're off route!
Next time we'll mark the map before going into the winery tasting or brew pub tours...hehehe
Toni
Floydm,
Oh My Gosh! The one on NE Sandy Blvd is IT! Thank you so much...we'll definitely be going back that way now on our next trip north of Seattle to see the kids!
My hubby asked me if that was the same trip we ran across the Boyds Coffee Roastery so I checked it out...sure enough it's also on NE Sandy Blvd.
We've stumbled upon so many interesting places zig-zagging across Oregon & have been abe to remember how to get to them all but that one trip was full of twists & turns because there was so much major damage from flooding that year. Also before we had Streets & Trips GPS navigation & the wench that keeps telling us we're off route!
Next time we'll mark the map before going into the winery tasting or brew pub tours...hehehe
Toni
I love Boyds for my Java. Right next to Boeing and about 2 miles from my house. Have yet to try the German Bakery, going to have to soon I guess. Oh well time to go get me some Voodoo Donuts. :-D
:-D