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!).

Portland Restaurant: Ox

What: Ox
Where: 2225 NE MLK
Honeys Heart: Asado Argentino for 2

Doug had this brilliant idea that maybe if we stopped going to so many happy hours all the time, we could actually save up for a nice non-happy hour meal once in a while. Which is how we ended up at Ox.

If you follow the Portland restaurant scene at all, you already know that Ox is this year's darling (see this recent Eater post for proof). And after dining there, I can see why.

Doug and I were lucky enough to score a seat around the grill, giving us a close look at Ox's specialty: Argentinian-style wood-fired meats.

Our seats confirmed that ordering the Asado Argentino for 2, essentially a meat sampler platter, was a good idea. 

Each platter comes with grilled short ribs, house chorizo, blood sausage, skirt steak, and sweetbreads, plus fried potatoes and a green salad.

I'm not a huge meat eater outside of my occasional burger cravings, so I was a little intimated by the sight of all that meat. Hopefully Doug was hungry? But a few bites in, I realized that when meat is this good, it's definitely something I can get behind.  

Doug and I both thought the chorizo was some of the best we've ever had. The skirt steak came in second place for me while Doug loved the short ribs.

With all the meat plus potatoes and salad, there was more than enough food for the two of us and we had a good amount of leftovers to take home.

But that also might have been because we ate too much of the delicious house bread with chimichurri...

Or because we also decided we needed to try an empanada.

We went with the beef, green olive, and raisin option. I loved it and would be plenty happy going back for one of these and drink. At $5 each, that's about as close as you're going to get to happy hour Ox and I'll take it!

We also were treated with complimentary cups of creamy mushroom soup. A gift from the kitchen (even if every diner gets one) always makes a meal so much more special.

And of course, we also had to try some cocktails.

For me, the Girl from Ipanema made with pisco, Combier Peche (peach liqueur), lime and honey. For Doug, Shipwreck with bourbon, rum, lime, mint and Angostura Bitters. Both were delicious and complimented the food well.

Hopefully we'll be back at Ox soon- there were some amazing-smelling pieces of lamb with burning rosemary coming off the grill that I'd love to try!

Portland Bar: Ambonnay Champagne Bar

Portland Bar: Ambonnay
Where: 107 SE Washington Street
When: Mon-Thurs 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-11pm, Sun 1-7pm

Ambonnay takes up a small corner in an industrial office building in Southeast that is also home to Olympic Provisions east side location. The small bar feels grander with tall ceilings, concrete walls, copper accents, mirrors and dim lighting. Unfortunately my horrible phone photos in the dark bar aren't doing it justice. I promise, I will stop doing this! 

I love me a glass of champagne, so when Dana suggested we try Portland's first champagne bar that serves nothing but bubbly I thought it would be a great opportunity to have some girl time while expanding my palette. Cooks Brut for $5.99 at Fred Meyer might get me by for some casual mimosas or a French 75, but in general I don't have a lot of experience with champagne or other sparkling wines - with exception of some tasty Prosecco I have had with Rachel.

We went back and forth between splitting a bottle, of which they offer over 50 options, or just going for a glass and finally opted to each try a different type so we could explore more of the menu. At $12-14 a pop we were only going to be having one glass each.

We enjoyed all three that we tried. Dana's rose was a bit sweet for us, but still tasty, and the other two were crisp and light. Though we only had drinks this visit they do offer a cheese plate ($12), truffle popcorn ($4) and olives ($4) and on their website you can find information about events at Ambonnay and their sister business Red Slate Wine Co.

This would be a great place to kick off a celebratory night, but not a bar I could afford to frequent. If I had some extra bubbly money in my budget I would really love to spend some time sampling and learning about many more of these sparkling wines!