As I sit here and begin writing about Rosa Rosa, all I can think about is their bread pudding french toast. Yes, that's right. BREAD PUDDING FRENCH TOAST. Not one or the other, but best of both worlds! Honestly, I don't even know how to describe it except that it was topped with cherry almond custard, fruit preserves, maple syrup and so so so delicious! Perhaps I should have tried to convince Chef Kenny to give me the recipe when we chatted about food as he kindly showed us around the restaurant. Oh well... guess I'll just have to go back to Portland soon. Besides the bread pudding french toast, we also had the eggs fra diavolo (two eggs baked in a spicy tomato sauce, onions, mozzarella, pizza bianca) and the eggs benedict (poached eggs, proscuitto cotto, hollandaise, english muffin, breakfast potatoes). Both were also very tasty! Rosa Rosa is such a fun (and cute) brunch spot located at the Dossier Hotel in downtown Portland. I love the space oh-so-much that I am embarrassed to tell you how many photos I took there. Enough said, you gotta check out Rosa Rosa yourself.

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Rosa Rosa, Portland

April 29, 2019

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Another restaurant we went to in Portland was Montesacro Pinseria in the Pearl District. Montesacro is the first “Pinseria” in the United States! What's a pinseria, you ask? Pinsa is a modern take on the ancient flatbread once prepared by peasants living outside the imperial walls of the Roman Empire, and Montesacro is the name of a neighborhood of Rome. These Pinsas are made with a blend of rice, soy and wheat flour imported directly from Rome... all GMO-free, low-fat, low-calorie, hence easy to digest. I guess that explains why we devoured everything! We had the Garbatella (caper mayonnaise, ventresca (tuna belly), buffalo mozzarella, calabrese hot chili, pickled red onion, parsley) and the Maranella (mozzarella, broccolini, spicy pork sausage, stracciatella di burrata). Both were incredibly flavorful and delicious! We also had a couple of red wines from Italy to pair with our pinsas and they were simply perfect. I also love all the rustic touches throughout the space, definitely gave the restaurant some characters and a feeling of warmth (especially when it's raining outside). All in all, Montesacro was welcoming and the staff seems very knowledgeable with their food (and wine). We highly recommend checking this spot out if you ever find yourself in Portland!

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Montesacro Pinseria, Portland

April 27, 2019

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To me, having a winery in the middle of the city is pretty much the most ideal situation. Unfortunately I don't live in Portland, but if I do, I'd be at Coopers Hall for a glass of wine every day. Not only is the location convenient, all the wines are on tap (aka environmental friendly). This quote from their website truly depicts how much they care about the wine... "Coopers Hall values authenticity, producing wines that we care for in such a manner as we care for ourselves. We view winemaking as an evolving process that changes with the seasons, moods and elements. Our goal is to make wine honestly: to have transparency in our process, experience, and methods. We want the character of our wine to be an expression of us; making each wine changes us as we too change it."

We started off with some sparkling wine to entice the palate and had quite a few appetizers that exceeded my expectation. Ok, let's talk madeleines. I've always viewed madeleines as a dessert or something you have to go with your afternoon tea but these fresh sheep cheese madeleines were out of this world. Served with spring flower-pepita brittle butter, they are a burst of sweet and savory goodness! Next up, we had grilled-to-perfection asparagus (topped with speck cream, bruno alpina parmesan and almond crumble) and some very delightful roasted beets (with sikil pak, cara cara oranges, sunflower vinaigrette, sunflower sprouts and puffed rice). For the main course, Mark had the mushroom orecchiette and I had NY strip. They were both equally amazing. Last but not least, for dessert, we had some VERY delicious brioche donuts with a rhubarb sauce.

Oh, I forgot to mention that even though this is a winery, they have some fabulous cocktails too! I tried the Bees in the Spring and it was so tasty and refreshing! Think aperol, clover honey, lemon, citric acid, cava and soda! Yum!

I think by now you know how much I love Coopers Hall and perhaps I've convinced you to go check it out if you are ever in Portland! The food is exceptional, the space is fantastic, this is hands down one of the best dining experience I've had in awhile. Thank you so much for having us, Coopers Hall!

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Coopers Hall, Portland

April 24, 2019

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Did someone say ham steak? Wait, what? Topped with a waffle??? SOLD! I love brunch but it's been quite some time since I've had something this scrumptious... Griddled ham steak, brioche waffle, gruyére, bacon fat and cane syrup vinaigrette, rhubarb, and pickled red onion! I am truly sorry you can't taste it right now but try really hard to use your imagination. However, if you are in Portland, then you are in luck! This dish is part of the weekend brunch menu over at La Moule, along with green chile duck benedict (which was also a-m-a-z-i-n-g), brioche french toast, moules classiques (mussels) and many more. Also, can we please talk about the beignet? Only two bucks a piece and it's not your typical small round beignet, this one is basically the size of a hot pocket, so fluffy and simply perfect. And then you sip coffee, cups after cups, while it's raining outside... and there you have it, the most delightful and toasty early afternoon spent at La Moule.