Portland Restaurant: Genoa

What: GENOA
Where: 2832 SE Belmont St
Honeys Heart: Capellini con gamberi and the wine pairing

A few weeks ago Adam and I were lucky enough to be treated to a fantastic dinner at Genoa in southeast Portland. They have a set menu and you choose your main course. Don't worry, you can't go wrong! We also opted for the wine pairing which was a great decision.

I missed a picture of the beginning of the dinner. It felt too fancy, but I got over it after the crudo di bufalo that was a tartare of oregon bison, pickled green strawberry, cucumber, and black olive and began documenting. The second course was an amazing capellini con gamberi featuring oregon bay shrimp, old bay mascarpone and pan grattato. Rolling a little of the pasta through the dot of arugula-type pesto was SO good.

Next was the insalata di asparagi with new crop asparagus, cured iberico pork, black garlic and coddled egg. So fancy and tasty.

For our main course I went for the merluzzo of puget sound sablefish, charred artichoke, yogurt gnocchi and green garlic. I love fresh artichoke and the fish was perfect.

Adam opted for the manzo with seared beef striploin, spring onion, ashen potato, and crisp tongue. The sauces on the bottom of the plate were so good and, like the fish, the strip loin was cooked perfect.

We finished our meal with some cheeses. One was a cow's milk cheese with grapes and the other was a goat cheese with little dried fruits. YUM.

This is definitely a nice night out. Go treat yourself, enjoy, eat slowly, sip the wine pairing and let it drag out. Great night.

NEW Portland Happy Hour: Huckleberry Pub

What: Huckleberry Pub
Where: NW 23rd and Kearney
When: Happy Hour 2 - 6 PM

A couple weeks ago I found out I have a tumor in my lower abdomen....say what?! Yeah, that was basically my reaction. I spent the following weekend anxious, watching movies, taking pain killers and eating white rice. Once I met with a specialist last Monday and got the go ahead to eat normally until my surgery it was time to have a tasty happy and toast to the soon-to-be surgery to rid myself of Tabitha (yes, Jenna named the tumor...Tabitha the terrible tummy tumor)

There are a couple new places that have opened in our neighborhood and we decided to check one out. Huckleberry Pub has happy hour from 2-6 and offers some pretty reasonably priced fare. Adam and I both enjoyed on of the hh drink special, the ginger mojito. It was delicious and just $5.

I ordered the cod fish cakes ($7) and was pleased to see they were definitely loaded with fish, but unfortunately they lacked any real exciting flavor. Even the roasted red pepper cream sauce wasn't doing it for me. I did love the combination of the fish cake with the arugula on the side though!

Adam went for the house ground chuck burger ($5) with sharp cheddar and all the fixings. This was tasty and a great deal.

We also shared an order of beer battered onion rings ($5) which were pretty awesome and served with their house-made ginger ketchup. Yums. 

Even though I wasn't overly impressed with the fish cakes, the burger and drinks were great, the bar was comfortable and laid back, our waitress was super nice and there are definitely other menu items I would like to try. We'll be back for sure!

Katie and Doug are Engaged!

Katie and Doug are engaged! A couple months ago Doug and I grabbed a drink and he asked for my help with ring shopping. Of course I was all over that, but it was SO hard to keep the secret from Katie!  Apparently it was for Doug too, but it worked out for the best because they were able to pick out a ring Katie absolutely loves together.

The proposal happened a couple weekends ago on the Oregon coast in a deluxe yurt and we were so excited to toast to the happy couple Monday evening once they returned! We started with champagne and at some point moved to making French 75s (sort of.) Basically a lazy version of these is still really delish!

A little gin, a little champagne, a squeeze of lemon and a maraschino cherry. The perfect celebratory cocktail. Cheers to the happy couple!

Honeys Heart: Xico, tenderBAR, Ava Genes, Burning Love, & Hale Pele

We've been major slackers lately. Sorry, guys. So here's a few things we're really into right now cuz lists are fun and easy for us and you.

1. Xico

Kel and I went to happy hour/dinner here with her parents last week and it's kind of embarrassing how much we talked about it the day after... and every day since. Obsessed, basically. Everything was good but we especially liked the $5 happy hour Sonoran Hot Dog and the Sopaipillas, both savory and sweet.


2. tenderBAR

We're pretty mad we didn't think of this idea. Cocktail catering plus custom bottled cocktails- so smart! Kel sampled some of their cocktails at a recent event and loved both their Cold Blood, made with tequila, honey, and blood orange, and their Gin Gin Pina, made with gin, pineapple, and ginger bubbly.


3. Ava Genes 

Kel and Adam had a date night here last week and can't wait to go back to sample more of their delicious (but pricey) food and drinks. Recommended: Fresh Sheep's Cheese & Nettles bruschetta and Lamb Ragu & Chicories pasta.


4. Burning Love

Let's be real, the best part of The Bachelor/The Bachorette is making fun of it. And having a good excuse to drink wine on a Monday night. (If you don't agree, this is why we aren't friends.) If you love doing both those things, pretty sure you'll enjoy Burning Love too. New webisodes every Thursday and Friday.


5. Hale Pele

Nothing cures the winter blues like drinking a gigantic tiki drink in an aptly kitsched-out bar. Favorite drink so far: Missionary's Downfall (above), made with rum, mint, peach, and pineapple. But get the Jet Pilot if you're a fan of fire, cinnamon and sitting shotgun (no driving after one of these!).