5 in 5: Pix/Bar Vivant, Luce, Horse Brass, Casa Naranja, Clarklewis

Hey guys, remember when I lived in Boston for a while and was like "wah I miss dance so much." Then remember when I moved back to Portland and I got back into dance in like a pretty major way and now I don't have time for anything else? Including blogging?

But it's okay because I have a solution. It's a new blog thing called 5 in 5 (so good at naming!). The idea is that I'll post about 5 restaurants/bars/happy hours in one post and describe each of them in only 5 words (or less!). Maybe. We'll see what happens.

Wait guys, I also decided to tell you why I was at each of these places because you're really interested in my personal life (obvs.) K, bye! 

Pix Patisserie & Bar Vivant
Occasion: Super pumped that Pix was adding a tapas bar to its new location.
The Five: Give it a few months.

Luce
Occasion: Bon Appetit told me to.
The Five: Bon Appetit is for rich skinnies.

Horse Brass
Occasion: Doug has been drooling over their draft list for a while now.
The Five: 'Ello, governor!

Casa Naranja
Occasion: Erica and Anna came to visit!!
The Five: Not good for hangovers (swings!).

ClarkLewis
Occasion: Birthday!
The Five: Order the tagliatelle. Seriously. 

 

Kelly's Wedding Weekend! (and Portland Restaurant: Serratto)

Two weekends ago, we celebrated a very special event: Kelly and Adam's wedding!

Anyone who knows Kelly and Adam will not be surprised to hear that their wedding weekend was full of love, laughter, dancing, drinking, and general merriment making.

And while of course I had an amazing time at the wedding itself, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was our girls lunch and mani/pedi session following the rehearsal.

Kel chose Serratto as our lunch spot and I think it was a great choice! 

What: Serratto
Where: 2112 NW Kearney

Honeys Heart: Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Serratto serves Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on local ingredients. The day we were there, they were proudly displaying a huge platter of giant heirloom tomatoes- yum! 

Serratto also has a great ambiance- bright, airy and elegant. Perfect for a celebratory lunch with the girls!

Here's a sample of what we ordered: 

Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($11) on brioche with bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato. 

Caprese Salad with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil.

Pizza Margherita ($10) with fresh mozzarella, tomato, garlic and basil.

Cobb Salad ($12) with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, blue cheese, sliced egg and blue cheese vinaigrette. 

 Simple and delicious!

After our tasty lunch, we headed out to get mani/pedis at Oasis Nails & Day Spa. $30 mani/pedis + a complimentary glass of champagne = another great choice, Kel!

I'll also share a look at some of the special little details from the rehearsal dinner which took place later that night. 

 Mason jars, striped straws, giant balloons, custom water bottles. So cute! 

Congrats again, Kelly and Adam! Cheers!

Portland Restaurant: Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

Doug and I try to get together with Shaun and Krystle, our friends from college, every other month or so for dinner or happy hour. Krystle and I lived together for a year and captained our college dance team together- so I know a thing or two about her eating habits.

There are two rules for choosing restaurants for our get-togethers: 1) No sushi, Thai or anything too out-of-the-box. 2) A good deal is always appreciated.

A few weeks ago, Doug and I finally made it to Luc Lac and we were quite impressed with not only the quality of the food and drinks, but also the lovely combination of generous servings and excellent prices. Perfect choice for our double date with Shaun and Krystle!

What: Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen
Where: 835 SW 2nd Ave
Honeys Heart: Rice plate/vermicelli bowl

Our second visit did not disappoint!

 We started out with drinks. Yes, cocktails are on the pricier side- but they're made with unique ingredients, are super tasty, and with food at such reasonable prices, I don't feel bad about spending a few dollars more on booze.

Left: Krystle's Parasol Punch ($9) with rum, pho syrup, lime, and grapefruit syrup
Right: My Summer in Saigon ($10) with St. Germain, watermelon, lime, and kolsch
Not Pictured: Doug's Smoke & Mirrors ($11) with mezcal, Fernet Branca, cola and smoked salt

Love that my drink was so summery and fun- both in looks and taste. Krystle and Doug both enjoyed their drinks as well.

For food, Luc Lac serves salads, pho, and some other specialty plates, or you can choose your preferred meat served with rice, vermicelli noodles or as banh mi.

 Doug and Krystle tried the vermicelli bowl and rice plate (respectively) with Steak Rolls ($8.50), marinated round steak wrapped around grilled veggies. I had a rice bowl with Grilled Chicken skewers glazed with honey ($7.50).

Each rice plate and vermicelli bowl comes with salad, a dipping sauce, and two crispy rolls made with pork, taro, jimaca, carrots and noodles.

Shaun tried the Combination plate ($10) which comes with pork, chicken, shrimp, and pork sausage skewers and crispy rolls. So much meat! But don't think Shaun was complaining.

All the meats were so flavorful and the sheer amount of food you get is kind of amazing.

My honey-glazed chicken reminded me of skewers that our neighbors served during our annual street fair when I was growing up. I remember being kind of obsessed with them so I was happy to find something so reminiscent. I loved the shrimp skewers I had during our first visit too though so I'm not sure how I'll choose between the two on our next visit!

Portland Happy Hour: The Bent Brick

One perk of working within walking distance of our apartment: I'm home by 5:15pm at the latest. In theory, that should mean I get to make it to all kinds of end-at-6pm happy hours. But since everybody else doesn't have the same commute, it's pretty rare these days that I do get to partake in an early happy hour.
I know, so sad right? But don't feel bad for me for too long because two weeks ago Doug got off work early (yay!) and tasked me with figuring out what happy hour to go to (the pressure!).

Unfortunately I chose wrong.

What: The Bent Brick
Where: 1639 NW Marshall St 
When: HH 5-6:30pm Everyday
Honeys Heart: ???

I've heard good things about The Bent Brick- at least I thought I had. Now I can't quite remember where, so maybe I haven't? Regardless, their $3 happy hour snack menu and $5 cocktails seemed like a good choice.

My first mistake might have been veering off the happy hour drink menu as regularly priced cocktails are a little up there. I decided to go for one of the least expensive: Stay Cool Out There ($8), made with vodka, house elderflower liqueur, strawberry syrup, and "sparkles" (aka some bubbly).

This was good because it reminded me of a sparkling rosé somehow, but that also made me a little mad because if I wanted a sparkling rosé I would have ordered one.

Doug stuck to the hh menu and ordered a Moscow Mule ($5), which he described as "sub-par" and "the most pedestrian Moscow mule I've ever had." Yikes. Can't say I disagreed.

Another downfall: half of our snack of choice, Smoked Cod Poofs with Malt-Garlic Dip ($3), were stale. Like feel like you're going to break your teeth when you bite into them stale. Not good.

And the final strike: the place was completely empty. That's ok in some restaurants, but at The Bent Brick, Doug and I just felt awkward. It was as if we had arrived way too early to the party.

One more thing. They have a great little patio, but on the day we were there, a bright sunny day, there was only one picnic table sitting smack dab in the middle of the patio. There was definitely room for more seating. Awkward again.

I don't think we'll be back any time soon.

UPDATE 8/30: Following the posting of this review, we were contacted by the PR folks representing The Bent Brick asking if we would give them another shot. We agreed and were treated to a lovely meal. Kel loved the Green and Romano Bean Salad ($10) and my favorite dish was definitely the Pork Belly and Loin ($23) served with country ham gnocchi. However, my initial review was of Bent Brick's happy hour, not their dinner menu, and as the happy hour menu does not accurately reflect the restaurant's focus on fresh, local ingredients, I stand by my initial assertion that this is not a happy hour I will return to if the happy hour menu remains the same. If I ever feel like splurging on dinner in my neighborhood, Bent Brick will be on my radar. Cheers!