We had time for a brewery in Portland, too.

Burnside Brewing Company was near our dinner restaurant so we had a quick beer before grubbing.

The menu has a lot of options, but there was one that stood out to me: Sweet Heat - Wheat ale with apricot puree and imported Jamaican Scotch Bonnet peppers.

Wow, you can actually taste the heat in this beer. Like, my throat was actually tingling.

We are brewers who make great beer.  Starting in 2010 the goal of having an independent, creative brewery in the heart of Portland, came to fruition. After a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver and 500 plus beers later, Burnside Brewing is proud to be a fixture on the inner east side along with other quality distilleries, breweries and small business owners. Our tanks are working seven days a week, on a 15 barrel system, allowing us to provide a wide variety of beer choices throughout the year (SOURCE).

It was well-balanced, though, and very good. Plus the nice heat at the end. Now, that's a good beer.



Grade: A

Who knew a simple chicken and rice dish would gain a cult following?

Nong's Khao Man Gai is more than just that, though. This food cart started out with humble beginnings and has grown and expanded and introduced the folks of Portland to khao man gai.

Poonsukwattana had to teach Portland the ways of khao man gai. "It's about balance," she repeatedly says as she walks through how the dish is made. "Here and there I see people criticize my dish. They think that every part of it has to have flavor, like a burrito. But it doesn't work that way for me." Instead, Poonsukwattana layers flavors slowly, infusing each of the three main components of the dish — the chicken, rice, and soup — with essence of the others, whether in shared aromatics or, in the case of the rice and the soup, literally infusing it with the very chickens being served on the same plate. A wallop of flavor comes from the sauce. "I like the chicken and rice," Poonsukwattana smiles. "And one word comes to my mind: celebrating." (EATER)

 This dish seems so simple, but there's so much that goes into it. After learning about it, it makes sense why it has such a following.

While there are other things on the menu, this is what most people are going for:

Wow. There is so much flavor, the chicken is perfectly tender, and that sauce is spicy and sweet and absolutely delicious. The soup - flavorful and a perfect complement. That rice even has a chicken flavor. It's all very delicious together.

Grade: A

Stumptown Coffee is one of the best coffee shops in the country.

This place has helped to move coffee into an artisan realm:

The business practices and quality standards of Stumptown Coffee Roasters have led to them being recognized as having "revolutionized the coffee business" and helped "refine coffee drinkers' palates" in Portland. Founder Duane Sorenson and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have been credited as being part of the third wave of coffee movement (WIKIPEDIA).

Sorenson, and his employees, in pursuit of the best quality coffee spends considerable time visiting farms in person and is willing to pay high prices for coffee he deems worthy—occasionally three or four times the fair trade price. He once set the record for highest price ever paid for coffee beans. Sorenson is known for forming lasting relationships with coffee producers. 

Stumptown places a bit emphasis on tasting, roasting, sourcing and more.

While you are holding that cup of coffee, close your eyes. Open your mouth slightly. Breathe in deeply through your nose. 

You are smelling the most complex thing humans consume. When people talk about the flavors of coffee — notes of orange, or hints of clove — it’s because those organic molecules are contained in the coffee bean. If a coffee reminds you of apple pie, it's because coffee shares some of the same components as food, like lactic and malic acid. 

Inside that small bean are the same natural components that make flowers smell so lovely, the same ethers that let you know when a piece of fruit is ripe. Coffee has twice as much going on, molecularly speaking, as red wine. 

When tasting coffee, try waiting for it to cool down a little — you’ll be able to taste (and smell) the most when it’s the same temperature as your body. 

Flavor only matters in the context of you. What do you like? What does this scent remind you of? Are you looking for a full-bodied cowboy coffee, or a delicate, tea-like finish? Chocolate aromas, or hints of jasmine? 

Don’t worry if you can’t describe it precisely, or have a different perception than someone else. Even when you can’t put it into words, you’ll know what you like.You experience the full flavors of the coffee bean if and only if nothing has gone wrong during… roasting.

So, Stumptown is just way cool for a number of reasons and I was super excited to try it.

They had a Sasparilla Latte on special, so I tried that.

And, it was very good. If I had a more discerning palate, I could probably tell you about individual notes and flavors. But, I can tell you this: I really enjoyed it. It was smooth, roasty and provided a nice little jolt. Lovely.

Grade: A