Buzzed with the Happy Hour Honeys: Budapest

After taking a year off from podcasting, we're back! Also, we went to Europe!

Take a listen (NSFW as usual) to hear about the Budapest leg of our trip, then scroll down for more info about our trip + our visual guide to the podcast.

Europe Trip: Budapest Itinerary & Highlights

Day 1:

• Arrive from Frankfurt
• Dinner & Drinks on Király Street

Day 2:

• Budapest Overview Tour with Budapest Locals 
• Dinner at Mazel Tov

Day 3:

• Szechenyi Baths
• Dinner at Zeller Bistro 
• Drinks and Stag Parties at Szimpla Kert

Day 4:

• Gellert Baths
• Dinner at Karavan Food Cart Pod

Buzzed Visual Guide: 

Kel was right! Almost 2 million people live in Budapest, but Hungary's population is almost 10 million (slightly more than Kel's guesstimate of 4 mil).

Picks:

Kel was a big fan of Szechenyi Baths (above) and Gellert Baths (below).

Katie liked the ruin bars, including the original ruin bar Szimpla Kert (above) and the more trendy Mazel Tov (below).

Our cute (but noisy) apartment in Budapest.

Some sights from our tour with Budapest Locals (aka "walking around Budapest with a stranger").

Goulash from Karavan food cart pod.

Savory strudel with on our tour with Bridget.

Dinner at Zeller Bistro

Spritzes at Mazel Tov.

Pans:

The best part of the boat tour: our back-of-the-boat photo shoot.

Avoid the cave museum, officially called Hospital in the Rock (photos were not allowed).

Langos, a Hungarian specialty.

Sauced Stories:

Long drink = well drinks
Short drink = martini

Fun drinking app = Piccolo

Our only photo after arriving at Szimpla Kert.

Portland Brunch: Canard

What: Canard

Where: Next to Le Pigeon (734 E Burnside)

When: 9am-2pm, Saturday & Sunday

Honeys Heart: No wait!? + Slightly Bugey Spritz

Amanda and I both had a snack before heading to Canard for brunch last Sunday in anticipation of at least a 30-minute wait. So you can imagine our surprise when there was zero wait when we showed up around 10am. In fact, there were so many open tables that we had our choice of a four-top, seats at the kitchen bar, seats at the bar bar, or seats at the window overlooking Burnside. Basically, any seat in the house was up for grabs. Very weird.

Turns out that Canard hadn't actually announced that they were open for brunch yet, so our experience probably won't be the norm going forward. Bummer!

Canard’s brunch menu is made up of small plates, so Amanda and I decided to share the Cinnamon Swirl Toast ($4) and each pick a savory plate. She went with the goat cheese and herb Omelette ($7) with a side of Breakfast Potatoes ($5) and I choose the Daily Quiche ($8).

I also tried the Slightly Bugey Spritz ($8), made with sparkling rose, soda, and bitter lemon.

                                                           

Everything we tried, including my spritz, was decidedly simple, but very well-prepared. While not anything particularly revelatory (we're talking cinnamon toast here, people), all the dishes were tasty, satisfying, and well-priced for the smaller portions. 

I think we did miss out on some of Canard’s perhaps more exciting signature dishes. Since we sat at the kitchen bar, we saw a whole lot of Duck Stacks ($15), pancakes with duck gravy and a duck egg, come out. Canard’s Steam Burgers ($6 each) also seem to be a thing.

Overall, I think Canard is a great option for a light brunch with no wait - at least for the time being! I’m also interested to check it out around happy hour (4-5pm & 10-midnight) when those Steam Burgers are only $3 and aperitifs are $5. 

Portland Bachelorette Recs for Olds

It’s that time of the year, folks: bachelorette party season!

Kel and I have been on the bach party circuit for almost 10 years (omg, barf, we are old), so we’re pretty much experts.

In this post, we’re going to do something we almost NEVER do: respond to a request from one of our readers. Yeah, it’s like a pretty big deal (and not just because we didn’t know we still had any readers. Okay, that’s exactly why).

Christina writes:

“There's a few of us ladies coming down to Portland for a weekend in May. We are in our mid 30s and up, professionals coming for a bachelorette. Any chance you could give me some ideas on where to go and what do, etc? We’re staying at [a nice downtown hotel].”

Christina, we have so many ideas for you. But first, here’s a list of our previous bachelorette party coverage:

• Listen to us try not to insult our friends and their matrimonial choices on our wedding/bachelorette episode of Buzzed.  
• Read about the best bachelorette party games here. 
• Check out our posts about my bachelorette in Austin and Leslie’s in Vegas. 

Okay, so Christina, we are going to assume that Friday is going to be your more laid-back night. Like your jeans, going-out top, cute booties kind of night. Saturday night is going to be your BIG NIGHT where you get all fancied up. We're also keeping you (mostly) within walking distance of your nice downtown hotel. Also, we didn't include any of these spots in our recs, but some of Portland's gay and drag bars/clubs are not into bachelorette parties, and some might even deny you entry if you are overtly a bach party - just a heads up.

Cheers!

Portland 30+ Bachelorette Party Itinerary:

Friday 

• Explore The Pearl in the afternoon. Don’t miss Powell’s Books!

• Grab happy hour at 10 Barrel Brewing (rooftop patio!) or Shift Drinks

• Dinner at Clyde Common or Bamboo Sushi (make reservations!) 

• Socialize with the locals at Jackknife or grab a nightcap at Pepe Le Moko or Kask*

*Never order the punch at Kask. We don't think they serve it anymore because it was so bad, but if for some reason it's back, do not be tempted.

Saturday 

• Grab coffee & and doughnuts at Blue Star Donuts 

• Lyft to Washington Park to check out the Rose Garden/do some light hiking 

• Lunch at the adorable Maurice or the heartier Lardo

• Getting ready + game time back at the hotel 

• Dinner at Imperial or Departure* (make reservations!) 

• 90's dance party at Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom

*We don't love the food at Departure but the luxe vibe can be fun, especially if you start with a drink on the rooftop patio overlooking the city.

Sunday 

• Recovery brunch at Tasty & Alder (send your least hungover friend to put your name on the list at least an hour before you want to eat.) 

Other Options: 

If you’re feeling refined (and patient), you could also get to Multnomah Whiskey Library right when they open at 4pm on Friday or Saturday and put your name in. This has the potential to derail your plans as you are now at the mercy of the waitlist, but MWL can be worth it if you’re looking for a chill night spent sipping cocktails with the girls rather than schmoozing with strangers.

The eastside is also worth a visit when in Portland, so instead of heading to Washington Park on Saturday, you could instead Lyft to N Mississippi Ave. to wander a bit, go shopping at our favorite boutique Sloan, and have lunch at Por Que No (expect a line). Portland's eastside Urban Wineries would also be fun to check out and you could even end at SE Wine Collective for happy hour.

We are over/too old for the "club scene" here, but if that's what you're looking for, Century Bar and Holocene, both on the eastside, are much better options than anything in Old Town (avoid Barrel Room at all costs!).

Portland Brunch: Proud Mary Coffee USA

What: Proud Mary Coffee USA
Where: 2012 NE Alberta St
When: Kitchen closes at 3pm
Honeys Heart: Most everything but the prices

Not to brag, but we’ve kinda been killing the brunch game lately. We found this gem out in SE and managed to get into this popular spot with zero wait.

To continue our streak, we decided to check out the much-buzzed-about Proud Mary Coffee USA.

More restaurant than counter-service coffee shop, Proud Mary is a Melbourne-based micro-chain and Portland is its first stateside location.

After a short wait for our party of 2, we kicked things off with some coffee. These people know their way around latte art, let me tell you!

Really taking things to the next level with the cocoa powder addition on the cappuccino. I thought this was just a British proclivity, but I'm happy to see the Australians are on board too.

With too many tasty-sounding options on the food menu, we turned to our server for support. He pointed to the hash as a customer favorite but said his personal pick would be the cauliflower dish. Done!

I don't think I've even seen a prettier Potato Hash ($16). Served with smoked bacon, a poached egg, kale salad, and bagna cauda (a traditional Italian sauce made with garlic, anchovies, and cream), this hash was just as rich and delicious as it looks.

The Cauli-Town ($14.5) also did not disappoint. With the exception of its sesame granola, this was certainly not your traditional brunch dish (outside of brunch at Tasty n Sons, I guess) but the spiced cauliflower, chickpea dahl puree, tahini, and crispy chickpeas made for a very tasty combo of flavors and textures. Plus, it provided a nice, light contrast to the heavier hash.

Overall, we were very happy with our visit. Yes, the dishes are on the pricier side, but if you skip brunch cocktails like we did in favor of coffee (#toohungoverforhairofthedog), the bill seemed on par with what we would expect for a nicer brunch.