Category: Food and drink

Las Vegas, I won!

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, On the road, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Thank you Las Vegas, I think I figured it out. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas – perfect, as there is nothing here I would want to take with me. Sitting in the noisy Southwest Airline concourse, eating a mediocre overpriced meal, something started to make sense – what makes me a bit different as a traveler and travel blogger.canstockphoto4511009-650x487

First of all, I don’t like Las Vegas, nothing about it has any attraction. The casinos are noisy, this place is decadent, being polite about it. Superficial would describe most everything, and so many people are here looking for some kind of fun, but it does not seem to work. If you ever get here, go down to the registration desk of the hotel in the morning, watch the people checking out, they are exhausted, and if you eavesdrop you will find many are hungover, not to mention that when they talk to each other it is about how much money they lost, or how drunk they got.

I am sure I am leaving myself open to all those who go there, “just for the shows and the food.” Yet when there are so many places to eat wonderful food, without having to traverse the profane, why would I want to. I would much rather drive through Sonoma to end up at the French Laundry, than face the crowd on the Strip to get to Keller’s Bouchon in Vegas. And most of the promotions for the shows appear to be produced by the same folks that gave Las Vegas the moniker of “Sin City,” do I really need to see all that?

When I meet people on my international travels they talk about wanting to come to the USA, and go to Vegas, I beg them to see the rest of the country, Vegas is not what we are, or at least I hope not.

When I travel I want to get away from the crowds, the Eiffel Tower was a disappointment to me because of the crowds. I love Paris, London, and Barcelona, but I go out of my way to find the quiet places and I shy away from the touristy. The best times are when we hire (rent) a car and then head for some remote village. Restaurants in a foreign language, with no English translation are the best. I want to blend in.

I want to go where the local people go. Yes, I do enjoy a high end restaurant, but because I like it not because it is THE place to go. Yet, there is something about a dive bar that never loses its attraction. There is this little place in Salem, Oregon called The Extra Point, a dive bar for sure. But always friendly bartenders, and they have Wimpy Burger night, and Taco Tuesday, old pool tables and darts.

Traveling with a checklist of places to see really does not move me. I honestly think I could go to Rome and never see the Coliseum and be just fine with that. A question I ponder is, “How long do you have to stand in front of some iconic location to say you have seen it?” The real question for me is how do you experience it? Many folks walk through Notre Dame in Paris, they saw it, me, I sat in a pew and prayed.

This is most likely why tours are not a big attraction. We have gone on only one in our life, in Bruges, it was a rainy day, we were bored. Thankfully it was a small tour, with an emphasis on history; enjoyable for sure. Yet when planning other trips we rarely consider tours, discovery and exploration are better.

Having identified all of this I need to be clear that I pass no judgement on those who like tours, tourist sights, and Vegas, it is just that they are not me.

I prefer a glass of wine and my sketch pad at a winery over a wine tasting. I prefer a good meal with Tricia at a small café (Marianna’s in Gourds, France) over a chain, or an all you can eat buffet. We spend as much time planning where to eat as we do what to see. Picnics with local confections are a priority. Local food is a doorway to the heart of a location, I want that.

A ramble through a Scottish countryside, or along a canal ending with dinner at a British pub is perfect. Quality over quantity, quaint over extravagant, quiet over a crowd, discovery over a fixed-itinerary – places that are sketch-worthy, voila, that’s it.

So I get it, I want to travel and write about places that move me to get out my sketch pad. I want to eat food at places that give me a glimpse into the spirit of a place. TheWinesketcher, off on another adventure, it can never be too soon. Thank you Vegas, I did win.

 

Smelt fries at Salt & Iron in Edmonds, WA

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drink, Happy Hour, RestaurantsLeave a comment

One late night, some forty years ago, after working the swing shift at the Brazier sawmill in Molalla, Oregon, a few of us guys drove to Troutdale to dip-net for smelt. For a few brief days the rivers near the Columbia are alive with these small, silver fish, the river sparkled as if filled with silver sequins; the best smelting is done at night. If memory serves me correctly the thrill of the chase, male testosterone, and probably a brew or two, resulted in quantities caught that would not have pleased the game warden, had they checked, thankfully they did not.


Salt & Iron, in Edmonds, Washington, is a favorite restaurant thanks to an ever changing menu reflecting the local and the creative. Saturday they had smelt fries on the menu, from Oregon – I am sure from Troutdale (it’s my story and I am sticking to it). There was no choice, I was having Smelt Fries & Chips, the British rendering of fries did not escape me at all. It was perfect.

Smelt taste like fish, they are “fishy”, delicate breading will not hold up, Salt & Iron did it right, prefect balance of fish and bread. The chips, well I defy you to find any that are better.

Chips, Fries, are a personal thing, please do not come to my table and gleefully offer me “steak fries”, they are little more that soggy wedges of potato, without copious amounts of some sauce they are completely inedible – they render any meal less enjoyable. Good fries must be crisp, placid potatoes should be mashed not served, the centers should be moist and soft – the world standard is Belgium. In general the thinner the cut the better as it allowes for quick cooking resulting in the required crispiness.

Salt & Iron has perfect fries, a glass of Pilsner and a plate of their fries would make for a delightful afternoon. Matched with the smelt fries it was comfort food at its best.

A restaurant that makes you look forward to the next visit has done it all as it should be, we will be back, and most likely not soon enough.

Brimmer & Heeltap, a new favorite

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Restaurants, WineLeave a comment

My short list of favorite restaurants is a moving target. Sunday we found a new contender, Brimmer & Heeltap, in Seattle. Yes that is the real name, not sure the history but do plan to find out as there is another visit already on the radar.
Small, intimate, rustic, and fresco dining, everything it takes for a perfect environment. Jen, the owner and founder got it right. Her bio says she knows the industry, but her real talent is that she is the perfect hostess, we felt like family, no more than that, we knew we were welcome and valued.
One of the tests of a stellar resturantuar is the ability to extend your passion through your staff, our server Lauren, matched Jen’s sense of hospitality. She is an artist, and took time to show us some of her work, which I find amazing, as well as she took an interest in my sketches. 

In the end of course it is about the food, and we were impressed.

Of course started with bubbles, and to go with them we had Tapioca Puff Chips, with chili-lime sauce. They could sell these by the bag and I would give up potato chips for a long time. Light, a bit picante, with the promised lime – my kind of snack.

Tricia ordered the scallops, not a big surprise. They came with a Poblano Aioli, but not just a glob of mayonnaise – the aioli was applied with air injected, making it light and airy, amazing.

My steak, well I don’t remember one that I have enjoyed more, it appeared to be a fillet mignon, cooked perfect, with sautéed oyster mushrooms and micro greens on the side. Thank you Lauren and Jen, we will be back, soon, Saturday I think.

The Kitchen

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drinkLeave a comment

“I can’t picture you guys in a different a kitchen” — our daughter’s first reaction upon hearing that we had sold the house she grew up in, where we had lived for almost 16 years. She has a knack of distilling the essentials.

It’s the kitchen that I will remember years from now. The meals we cooked for the two of us, the three of us, and for groups larger than twenty. There is a library where I took my morning tea and talked to God, a deck where we spent many summer evenings with cheese and wine, but the kitchen was always the heart of the house.

That kitchen was my base, my beacon. Three weeks in Australia doing seminars, it was visions of Tricia in that kitchen with wine and cheese that often got me through. Trip after trip, city after city, it was that kitchen that  always came to mind when I thought of home.

When we had visitors, be it family or friends, it was the kitchen where we congregated. That is where the best conversations happened, the best laughter, it just worked better than the living room.

Alexis gets it, our biggest challenge as we search for a townhouse for the next chapter of our life – it has to have a kitchen, not just a place to cook, a kitchen that she can visualize us in, that we can visualize us in.

Tomorrow morning at 10.00 am PDT we sign the papers that make the sale official. We know little about the buyers, they are investors is all we know, I think they live in California; we have no idea of their plans. I want to tell them that they are not just buying a house, they are buying a kitchen. They are buying the place where we made so many memories, where we laughed, we cried, even had a disagreement or two — we were a family, we loved life and each other in that kitchen.

When we moved in it was not much of a kitchen, lots of pink paint and a harvest gold stove that took forever to heat up. Thanks to our friend and contractor Jay we transformed it into something beautiful — French doors, granite counters, new stove, cherry cabinets. Then over the years we added the love and cooked the meals that made it ours.

We will find another place, smaller, less work, more time for travel and life. Less demands for yard and maintenance. We will set about to create new memories, I am confident that many of the new ones will have something to do with a kitchen; we will make it our kitchen just as we did this one. Funny thing about memories, you can’t take them away, and you must always make new ones.

So we will sign, finish packing, and say goodbye, shed a tear, and raise a toast. Then it’s time to move on, there is a kitchen out there that needs us, sitting there all alone and empty. Tricia and I know how to do it. We will cook for us, invite some folks over and cook for them, then before you know it we will have a kitchen, and we will fit right in, it will look just right.

The view today from 30,000 feet.

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Flying is the only way to fly, Food and drinkLeave a comment

IMG_0822It was raining when we left Seattle, this winter it seems as if it has done little else but rain, but up here above the clouds the sun shines, as it always does. The temptation is to wax philosophically using the clouds and the sun as metaphors encouraging perseverance and hope. But today I am just grateful for so many things that this amazing view is just one more blessing in my blessed life.

This last weekend I was in my happy place, doing things with Tricia. Friday and Saturday were consumed with carpentry and basement restoration/remodeling. Yet, as is our style, we ended each day with food, wine and conversation. Friday night we watched “Youth”, a Michael Cain movie about not confusing age with growing old — my sore back presented a convincing contrary point of view. Saturday we re-re-watched a few episodes of the BBC’s “As Time Goes By”.

Sunday we saw friends at church, went to a couple of open houses, then grilled an eye-of-round, crisp potatoes, and a salad with blue cheese and walnuts; a perfect ending to a far too short weekend.

Just now I am at 30,000 feet, sipping red wine while eating cheese and fruit. I have friends who don’t understand how I can actually like to fly, but I do. Right now I don’t have to be doing anything except sit, sip, and write — life is good.

There is so much more I am thankful for. That God has provided the funds to remodel and repair, Tricia is an amazing budgeter, but it seems the money has stretched.

I am thankful we get a road trip to Oregon this week, I am looking forward to spending Easter with Alexis, Joe, Aaron, Kris, Macey, Dad, and Jean — at Alexis’s house.

This world, this country, is crazy. I do fight the sucking sound of being drawn into despair as presidential politics has elevated a name calling, xenophobic, sexist, candidate. But I refuse to let that happen.

The sun is shining, I am happy, God is in control. Thank you for another day, friends, family, food, and wine. I am blessed.

Getting through the chaos-food, wine, friends, and Tricia

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Happy Hour, On the road, Restaurants, thewinesketcher, Trips and travelLeave a comment

Taking a break this morning to reflect on the things that get me through the challenges. I have been on over 20 flights in the last 11 weeks, thankfully none this last week. On the week-ends we pretend to be contractors, doing the repair work left us by our anniversary week-end flood in December – Wainscoting, painting, repairing sheetrock, installing a cabinet, ceramic tile, etc.

IMG_1947Two weeks ago I was in the Holiday Inn next to Disney, in Anaheim. It is a short walk to Downtown Disney, and Catal Restaurant. Upstairs at Catal is a quiet oasis in the chaos. A glass of wine, bacon wrapped dates, calamari, and of course pen, ink, and paint, made for a nice break from the travel.
IMG_1948The next week I had Asian Meatballs and broccoli, in Sirachi sauce at Niki and Joe’s in Newberg. We finished the evening with a we dram of Laphroaig, and my first game of Catan. I slept well on the hide-a-bed, visited by Nuli, their way too cute kitten.

Last weekend Tim came up, a good excuse to put the construction on hold, and instead too much food, some good discussions, and a bit of guitars and singing.

Thursday night of this week Tricia and I went to Daniels for Happy Hour. Just what we needed before this weekend of the final push in the basement.

These breaks make it possible to go on, food and friends have always been part of what we humans need for rejuvenation in the midst of challenges. I am so grateful.

Five Days on the Road, Day 2

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, On the road, RestaurantsLeave a comment

Woke up in the Rodeway Inn just a bit after 5.00am, pretty normal. It is Super Tuesday in the 2016 presidential primary circus, so I spent a lot of time reading the news while sipping Earl Grey tea out of a cup I carry with me so as to avoid paper cups in hotel rooms; a bit of normalcy makes for easier travel.

Stopped off at Starbucks, a place I have a love-hate relationship with. The coffee is not what I really like, but there is the convenience factor that wins out on the road. Read a bit more news, watched the morning parade of coffee drinkers in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento is not much like its namesake to the East. Frankly it is a bit dodgy, not really a bad place but like my yard after a windstorm, lots of branches and leaves that need to be picked up, deck and driveway in need of sweeping – the yard looks unkempt until we rake and sweep. In West Sacramento no one seems to clean and polish, so it looks unkempt.

I am off to teach Project Management to an association of school boards. Same organization as last week, different group of people. I am still trying to get my mind around how they plan to implement it all, but I don’t get to be involved in that process. Good news is that they have lunch brought in, I love free food. I was told this morning that they were uncomfortable having me talk about management principle while non-managers were in room; the employees might criticize the manager for not doing it right. First time I have heard that one. Walked 6,143 steps wandering around while doing the seminar.

Changed into my jeans, and changed a flight for next week, then I walked .8 miles to O’Mally’s Irish Pub in the heart of Old Sacramento. The colcannon is calling my name, cabbage and mashed, how good is that.

I am so predictable, I ordered the banger dog – a British Banger, locally made with sauerkraut. Needing greens, I got the coleslaw instead of the fries, health food for sure.

Best part of the meal, the coleslaw, no really, it was great. I am pretty prejudice in thinking I make the best coleslaw but this was so good. The sausage was OK but nothing special and the Sierra Nevada, way over priced, last night $4, tonight $6.50. Not impressed.

Walked back to my hotel over the Tower Bridge, a pathetic attempt to build a bridge similar to its namesake in London, but that is about as far as the similarity goes. This one is painted a gaudy metallic gold, and in need of a new paint job at that. I always thought that the Steel Bridge in Portland was not a very pretty bridge, well it is wonderful compared to this. (London on the left, Sacramento on the right)

London
Sacramento

Back in the room, comfortable, and ready to wind the day down watching a bit of Netflix while keeping an eye on the primary elections.

Five Days on the Road, Day 1

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Happy Hour, On the road, Restaurants, Trips and travelLeave a comment

It’s turbulent at 30,000 feet today, Monday afternoon, on the way to Sacramento. Surrounded by Alaska Air navy blue, with complimentary MVP Gold  white wine in a plastic cup. Seat 6C, the bulkhead, is good, as much leg room as in first class, and you get your wine right away, quick deplaning.

After 22 years on the road, travel for work, any travel is different. My life has three venues, home with Tricia, Travel with Tricia, travel alone. Home and travel with Tricia are the best, travel alone is where I spend too much time.

It is a quick flight, already we are beginning to descend, the turbulence reminds me we are actually up in the air. I use the scuba divers technique to release the pressure on my ears, flight attendants are scurrying to pick up the “remaining service items.”

After 840 steps, one train, and one shuttle-bus I get to the National car rental. A silver Chevy, the exact same one I drove last week. Then 13 miles into town. Staying at the Rodeway Inn just a few blocks from the Sacramento Rivercats baseball stadium, too bad there is no game. No Hilton hotel tonight.

My room is small, but clean and it looks recently remodeled, I have stayed in worse. I stayed here because the management responded to every comment on the website, even though it is not a fancy place they seem to be making an effort to do it as well as they can.

2016-02-29 17.44.02Across the street is a bowling alley and Cap’s Bar & Grill. Its close, and the only thing I see within walking distance except a Subway and some Chinese place. One difference between Tricia Time and my Vagabond Life is that I would not be eating here with her. In my Vagabond world I hit dive bars and drive-ins far too much.

My view is the bowling lanes, only three are being used, one looks like a dad and his little girl, cute. There is a family with a few kids, and a couple that spends more time talking than bowling. I order a Patty Melt, and a Sierra Nevada on Happy Hour. At the bar there are regulars.

Thanks to Wi-fi I watch soccer on my iPad while I eat. The sandwich is fine, it is new to the menu they tell me, it could use more salt or a savory sauce, but its not bad. I pay, then walk back to the hotel. I started to watch a documentary on Winston Churchill, but it was demanding too much thinking, will finish it later. So watched a couple of episodes of MASH, then went to bed, read a bit and lights out by about 8.00PM.

Back to Woodland, Morgan’s on Main

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Restaurants, WineLeave a comment

Woodland, CA continues to surprise me. Two weeks ago it was Maria’s Cantina, Kellie, the owner invited me back to Woodland to have dinner at her other restaurant, Morgan’s on Main. Once again I was blown away.

Brick walls and rustic wood are always a hit. The place exudes class. The staff was amazing, I arrived early just so I could check the staff out before they knew I was there to meet the owner, and even the people who were not waiting on me were friendly, I felt welcome from the time I approached the door.

But, lets get to the food! What else is there to say? Devilled eggs with candied bacon AND a Bowl of Bacon. How much better could it get?

Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon
Bowl of Bacon

Again I let the waitress, Mel, order for me. Morgan’s is called a “Steakhouse” and they do have steak, but oh so much more. Mel brought me one of the specials, Pan seared Mahi- Mahi with Arugula Cream sauce, served with Quinoa, cherry tomatoes and zucchini. The fish was perfect, moist, with just the right crust. The Arugula sauce added color and complimented the fish just right.IMG_1939

She also brought a side of the wild-mushroom risotto. My standard for risotto is pretty high because it is my wife’s specialty, this one measured up just fine.

The biggest surprise was the liquor for dessert – I had never heard of a sweet potato liquor.  It had hints of Thanksgiving in the aroma, and was amazing.

IMG_1937I am sure I will be back to Woodland; the biggest decision will be Maria’s or Morgan’s. If you are travelling and have a lay over for an early flight, don’t stay in Sacrament, stay in Woodland, it is closer to the airport and you can enjoy a wonderful meal.

Thank you Kellie and your crew!