Belmont Station and APEX | Portland, Oregon

This is the final recap from our four-day Portland trip. So I guess that just means we'll have to visit again, so I can post more recaps...right?

One of our favorite spots on the trip was Belmont Station, a beer store and biercafe featuring 1,201 beers (and 17 uncommon drafts).

We spent most of our time sitting and sipping in the biercafe's seating area in the back (where it's much brighter and open to outside). The biercafe offers over 20 rotating draft beers, which always features a cider and dedicated gluten-free beer tap, as well as a naturally carbonated cask-conditioned beer. On the day we visited, Firestone Walker was in town, and we got to try a vertical of Parabolas (I believe the years were 2010-2013). Parabola is one of my current favorite beers (but watch out: it's strong!), so I loved being able to compare each year side-by-side.

Belmont Station sells a few snacks to munch on, but the real treat is The Italian Market food truck that's usually parked outside. Menus are available in Belmont Station to peruse, but all you have to do is walk outside to order. Z and I split a pretzel with Cheez Whiz for dipping (naturally). It was OK, but nothing like the pretzel at Deschutes Brewery. 

If you're looking for beers to-go, Belmont Station has an impressive bottle shop adjacent to their biercafe. 

Another spot worth checking out in Portland for good beer is APEX. 

Located right across the street from Portobello, APEX was a great place to stop for a beer before dinner. We enjoyed our brews outside on their monstrous patio, which was scattered with large picnic tables.

Oh, and if/when you find yourself in downtown Portland, definitely check out Bailey's Taproom. It's a really fun spot with great beer, and there may or may not be a secret upstairs bar with even better beer options. (But you have to ask the right people to find the entrance).

In case you missed any of my other recaps from Portland, here they are:

• Brunch and beers at Bad Habit Room and Saraveza
• Vegan dinner at Portobello
• Lunch at Deschutes Brewery
• Sour beers and an epic cheese plate at Cascade Brewing

Do you have any travel plans this summer? We're actually off to Iceland the week of July 14th, then going to a wedding in Mexico in August!

Cascade Brewing | Portland, Oregon

On one of our last days in Portland, Oregon, we stopped in at Cascade Brewing Barrel House for some beers and a snack. (Clearly, we made our rounds when it came to Portland breweries).

If you enjoy sour beer, Cascade Brewing is the place to go when you're in Portland.

They've termed their Barrel House the "House of Sour," where 18 rotating taps are available for your sipping pleasure - the majority of them being sour beers.

Cascade Brewing's beers are so good that they even have a 100% score on Beer Advocate right now - an extremely rare score to achieve. 

In addition to their solid brews, Cascade Brewing Barrel House also offers a simple yet impressive menu (with recommended beer pairings to boot). We weren't super hungry when we were there, but we did manage to eat every last crumb of the Artisanal Cheese Platter ($14).

Piled high with local and imported cheeses, this was one of the more outstanding cheese plates I've had in a long time. I loved the accompanying baguette slices and large, thin crackers, as well as the medley of pickled vegetables. The slices of fresh watermelon also added a necessary sweet bite to the mix. 

Cascade Brewing also has a second location in Portland called the Raccoon Lodge & Brew Pub. We didn't visit that location, but if it's anything like the Barrel House, you won't be disappointed.

Are you a fan of sour beers? 

Deschutes Brewery | Portland, Oregon

If you find yourself in Portland craving really good beer and pub food, then get yourself to Deschutes Brewery.

Deschutes is a large space with a big open bar area, as well as a separate dining room area. The large open kitchen lets you peek at what's being prepared "backstage," which is something I always appreciate. 

We stopped into Deschutes for lunch on our first full day in Portland and, since we were on vacation (and at a brewery), we started with a beer. The first beer we had was actually from their bottle list: a 22-ounce bottle of Planete Rouge ($22). (In addition to bottles, Deschutes also has 19 beers on tap featuring mainstays as well as a selection of seasonal and experimental beers developed and brewed right on-site).

To pair with their beer, Deschutes serves up an impressive offering of pub-style food. We wanted to have a lighter lunch, so we opted to split a few dishes. First up: a Brewery Pretzel ($7.75).

The pretzel was served with a creamy white cheese and Black Butte Porter stone ground mustard. Although this was a delicious combination all on its own, we also found ourselves dunking our pretzels in the honey mustard-like sauce that was on every table.

The backside of Deschute's beer menu also displays some affordable snacks that are meant to pair well with beer. We were intrigued by the Deviled Eggs ($1.50 for one egg), which were sprinkled with smoked black salt and had beer in the yolk mixture.

Z and I are both big fans of deviled eggs, and we absolutely loved these. The menu was right, too: they paired very well with beer, especially a 22-ounce bottle of Big Red ($15), which is only available at the brewery.

One of the specials on the day we went was a Ruby Ale Salad ($11), which consisted of ruby greens, grilled corn, roasted red peppers, chile roasted cashews, and Raschera cheese, all coated with a fresh-squeezed ale and pink grapefruit vinaigrette. I didn't snap a photo, but the salad was OK - nothing too special, although I loved the addition of cashews and Raschera cheese.

Deschutes also does growler fills and sells kegs to-go, for anyone who's interested. And if you have the time to stay and have a beer - whether from one of their pub-only bottles or on draft - I highly recommend it.

Bad Habit Room and Saraveza | Portland, Oregon

When a weekend-only brunch spot is attached to a craft beer bar and bottle shop, you know you're in for a treat.

A slew of people recommended Saraveza Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern to Z and I before we left for Portland, and it's clear to see why. This place has an impressive rotating draft collection, as well as bottles to-go, and on the Sunday we were there, Firestone Walker was in attendance to pour some rare brews. Before we dipped into the beer, however, we decided to have brunch at Saraveza's next door brunch spot (and event space), called the Bad Habit Room.

The Bad Habit Room offers brunch every weekend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Chef Matthew Simons mans the kitchen. The small restaurant - which features several family-style and smaller tables amidst exposed brick walls - features Saraveza meats, Red E Coffee (so good), and Sugar Pimp baked goods. For those who like to imbibe at brunch, they also had some great-looking cocktails on their menu.

Our brunch began with piping hot mugs of Red E Coffee, which we ended up buying a bag of before heading home. (Red E's located right behind the Bad Habit Room).

Since we were on vacation, we decided to treat ourselves to one two of Bad Habit's made-from-scratch Pop Tarts. (I didn't mark down any prices - sorry!).

These Pop Tarts were incredible. Filled with blackberry (or blueberry?) and raspberry filling, these tasted just like regular Pop Tarts - but without all of the scary ingredients. Let's just say I'm so glad Z convinced me to order two, versus share one!

For our entrees, we both went with the Breakfast Burrito. 

Stuffed with pinto beans, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, avocado, and fresh pico de gallo, this made for one hearty breakfast. 

Our burritos came with a side of chipotle cream which was fabulous with the crispy, well-seasoned potatoes. The lemony arugula salad on the side was a welcome addition to the plate, and Bad Habit's hot sauce was a fabulous addition to our burritos.

After our delicious and indulgent brunch, we walked next door to Saraveza and had a glass (or two) of Firestone Walker's brews. We sat outside at one of Saraveza's few picnic tables and sipped under the sunshine. (That is, until it began to rain...something you get used to in Portland!).

What's your favorite brunch dish? Breakfast burritos are a favorite of mine, but I also love a good egg sandwich on a bagel. 

Portobello | Portland, Oregon

Hello! Z and I just returned from a fantastic trip to Portland, Oregon, complete with lots of craft beer and delicious food. We ended up renting bikes for the four days we were there (from Cycle Portland), and riding those ended up being a great way to get around the city. (They also helped to burn off all most of the calories we were consuming!).

I realized on our trip that Portland is one of the only cities (that I've been to, at least) where you can consume Cheez Whiz and beet tartare in the same day. The Beet Tartare ($9) we had at Portobello Vegan Trattoria...the Cheez Whiz I'll explain in a future post.

Portobello is an intimate, elegant-yet-casual restaurant that serves innovative vegan dishes (it actually reminded me a lot of True Bistro in Somerville). Z and I opted to sit at the small, cozy bar on this particular evening, and we just had to start our meal with the Beet Tartare. This vibrant dish consisted of diced, roasted beets with carrot aioli, fines herbes, and capers atop a cashew puree - all served with a ton of crusty bread to spread it on. 

The Beet Tartare was incredibly fresh and borderline rich thanks to the cashew cream. I loved the salty capers in each bite, too.

Portobello offers a variety of pizzas, burgers, pasta dishes, and salads, but I opted for the Beet Burger Royale ($14). I must have been on a beet kick that night.

The Beet Burger Royale is a homemade beet burger topped with cashew cheddar, caramelized onions, smoked portobello, carrot aioli, ketchup, lettuce, red onion, and tomato on a focaccia bun. The restaurant was out of cashew cream when we went, so I opted for the Vtopian Peppercorn Cashew Brie instead. This was a massive burger that was slightly hard to eat thanks to the beet patty's enormous size, but the flavors were still spot-on - and I [surprisingly] loved the vegan Brie cheese. (You honestly wouldn't be able to tell that it was vegan!). The accompanying fries were also well-seasoned and delightfully crispy. 

Although I didn't snap a photo, Z ended up ordering the Mushroom Cavatelli ($18) for his meal, which was comprised of housemade cavatelli, roasted leeks, mushrooms, fines herbes, and porcini truffle "butter." It was divine, and [almost] made me wish I had ordered a pasta dish.

All in all, we had a fabulous meal at Portobello, and I highly recommend checking them out if you find yourself in Portland. Although it's a vegan restaurant, there are a ton of creative and well-done dishes here that I think any omnivore would enjoy. (It also doesn't hurt that Portobello is right across the street from Apex, a fun craft beer bar with 50 beers on tap and tons of outdoor seating).

Have you ever been to an all-vegan restaurant before?

Bagels and Beer in Portland, Maine

After Z and I checked out of the Christmas Farm Inn, we took the gorgeous drive to Portland, Maine (our bartender at the inn the night before recommended this spontaneous trip). 

Portland is a really fun town with some great waterfront views - not to mention a handful of breweries. We had no set plans, since we didn't initially intend to go to Portland, so our mission for the day was to eat, drink and soak up the sunshine.

Our first stop was The Dogfish Bar and Grille. I started my extended vacation with a Shipyard Summer ($4.25) on their rooftop deck. 

For my lunch, I decided to go with the Veggie Burger ($9.99), which was a locally-made black bean burger served with mixed greens, tomato, sprouts and mango mayonnaise on a wheat bulkie roll. I had my choice of either potato chips or potato salad for my side; I went with the salad, which ended up being a good choice. 

This was by far one of the best veggie burgers I've had in a longtime. It was obviously homemade, and the toppings were fresh and plentiful. 

After we ate, we had another leisurely beer on Dogfish's rooftop deck before we decided to check out some of the local breweries. Our first stop: Gritty McDuff's. 

I ordered a Black Fly Stout, which was creamy, smooth and rich.

After checking out Gritty's, we decided to walk the few blocks over to Sebago Brewing Company. I ordered the Runabout Red Ale, which comes from three different types of caramel malt. 

After Sebago, we decided to check into an affordable hotel nearby (La Quinta). Once we got settled in our hotel room, we took a short cab ride back into downtown and had a few more beers at an amazing place called Novare Res. At this point in the day, I was in no shape mood to take photos, but this place is incredible. If you love good beer (and delish cheese plates), then this is a must-visit in Portland.

For dinner that evening, we had a really incredible vegetarian meal at the Green Elephant. Their menu is all vegetarian, but there are plenty of dishes that omnivores would like, too. Another must-visit destination in Portland!

The next morning, Z and I packed up and made our way home. Before leaving Portland, however, we stopped into Scratch Baking Co. for bagels and coffee/juice. 

Scratch Baking Co. is an adorable bakery/gourmet food store in South Portland. Basically, they have pastries, bagels, coffee, cheese, beer, bread and wine, all in one place. Need I say more?

Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!