Best Places to Eat & Drink in Portland: A Rookie's Guide

I'm flying back form Portland, Oregon (thanks for the great wifi and the direct flight, Alaska Air) after spending nine days of the past two weeks eating and drinking my way through the town. Ok, fine, there were three days of work in there too, but a gal's gotta eat, even when banging out Powerpoint presentations, doing social media trainings and speaking to conferences.

A fun sign of things to come at Lardo.

Y'all know I love me a Google food map. CLICK THE MAP for the round up of the restaurants and wineries I loved PLUS the top spots on my to do list for my next visit:

View Portland Food & Wine Map in a larger map

So, what did I miss? Tell me in the comments or tweet me @tammy so that I can add em in.

PS. Are you on Foursquare? Add my PDX Faves list and my recommendations will come straight to your phone.

PSS. I've been cheating on you over at Tumblr where I've been uploading photos of amazing food, things I find interesting and a whole lot of GIFs that make me laugh. Check it out at tammygordon.tumblr.com

Must See TED Talks: Amanda Palmer on the Art of Asking

Last year, I was working at TEDActive and absorbing all of these TEDTalks one after the other. I felt like I had been run over by an inspirational, innovative bulldozer by the end of the week.

This year, I'm absorbing them one by one, on the web, based on the recommendations of friends - some who are in the audience at Long Beach. This talk by Amanda Palmer has been getting a ton of buzz and after watching it I get it.

I've spent a lot of time working in fundraising for candidates and non-profits. There is power in the ask. But people have to care about you, and what you are asking for. In this talk, Amanda takes you on her evolution. It's about trust. And risk. And it's got moments that will choke you up. And moments that make you want to take out your credit card. And moments you know you just have to see her live one day. Check it out:

For more of my favorite TEDTalks, click here or follow TED on Facebook and Twitter.

Paleo: What Happened After I Went Off Whole 30?

All of January, I had been so good (well, except for that Inauguration gluttony, but that was a special occasion.) By the end of the month, making paleo-friendly choices wasn't even that hard. I had a lot of recipes and was having fun tweaking them. I was inspired to blog again. And, I just felt plain better.

Yes, I lost weight. My scale battery was dead and I didn't want to be obsessed, so I don't know how much. Enough that clothes were loose. Enough that skinny jeans weren't skinny.

But, more importantly, I felt better. Stronger. Leaner. Smarter. I didn't have those 3pm doldrums at work that drive me to a third coffee of the day.

When I went off in February, I didn't go too crazy. Some things just didn't look good to me anymore. My favorite thing that I added back was Greek yogurt (my breakfast staple.) The first time I ate pasta, it straight up gave me a hangover (well, a headache and nausea.) I've had it since then and been ok. But I don't feel as good.

So, here's the deal. I'm not gonna turn into the paleo police. But I'm back on it - with the addition of wine/cocktails and dairy.  My Dad is now doing it also, so we're keeping each other honest.

To celebrate making it through January, our whole-Whole30 crew went out to dinner at Dino in Cleveland Park. We had an amazing paleo-friendly meal - olives, pickled vegetables, crispy duck, Brussels sprouts with pork belly, grilled chicken, short ribs, sweet potatoes and kale. It was gluttonous and fabulous. And, for the most part, what I learned was that everyone was feeling like I was. Our habits had changed. We all recognized that we felt better, and even without Grant egging us on, most of us were already back on the program.

The #MyBootcamp Whole 30 Team at Dino - January 2013

This doesn't mean that I'm not going to eat one of Nikki's cupcakes tonight at the Oscars party. But it means that my dish is gonna be this Salad Shirazi, inspired by Argo. Looking for something to ease the party temptation, taste amazing and also be on theme, I discovered this fantastic Persian food blog, Turmeric & Saffron.

My Salad Shirazi - Argo Inspired for tonight's Oscar party

So, happy eating. I'll just be trying to be 80-90% meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, nuts and fats. My 10% will be saved for things that truly rock my world. And I'll share the best of them here. Thanks for your support.

Whole 30: Eating Out in DC While Staying Paleo

The most annoying part of this whole January paleo challenge is the crazy haters. I mean, here you are trying to be good about choosing meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts and - BAM! - you get some loon on your Instagram accusing you of eating potatoes instead of root vegetables. Crazy pants. But, as I near the end of the month, once I got past day seven or eight (when I would have killed for a cake pop), this really hasn't been that difficult.

Most restaurants have had plenty of great options and I'll share a few below.

Wednesday Dinner: Writing a food blog means you get invites to lots of great tastings. Being on a paleo-diet for the month of January means that most of them = cheating. But, this visit to Union Market for the most part was easy-peasy.  Just stick to the insanely tasty meat counter at Red Apron Butchery and the local oysters at Rappahannock Oyster Bar and you'll be totally fine. (Confession: Gina of Buffalo & Bergen did teach me to make an egg cream. And I drank every last bit. It rocked. But, it was small. And, I kept on the challenge afterwards.)

Oysters at Union Market

Friday Lunch: After I left Atlas Vet (with Ike street-legal on shots), I popped in Shawafel on H Street to pick up lunch. Dr. Matthew, who apparently is thisclose to having a sandwich named after him, has always told me I have to try this H Street Lebanese joint. I got the Kafka Platter with ground lamb, tabbouleh salad and I subbed the baba ganoush for hummus. It was fantastic. Middle Eastern food is always a good choice because of the likelihood you'll find great grilled meat and seafood with fresh vegetables.

Kafka Platter at Shawafel on H Street

Sunday Brunch: Medium Rare is on my neighborhood brunch rotation, but normally my go-to is their decadent French Toast. During the month of January, that's been a no-go. But, it doesn't mean when Alejandra, Nikki, Scott & I met for brunch I had to starve. I got the steak eggs benedict and subbed the salad for the fries. Yes, missing out on the fries was sad. But I was full, and it tasted great.

Benedict, sub salad for fries at Medium Rare

Sunday Dinner: Finally, I hadn't seen Caroline in too long, so we met up for dinner at Ripple where I had this seared mackerel with kale puree, grilled octopus and sunchokes.

Seared Mackerel at Ripple

The bottom line here... I wasn't grilling chefs about whether they were using ghee vs butter or adding hidden cream or sugar here. But, I've been making better whole food choices. Eating more protein, vegetables and fruit and less bread, pasta, sugar and alcohol.

And, as I near the end of January, I find myself considering trying to keep eating this way. I can always splurge on sweets or cheese grits or pasta... but I feel great, I haven't gotten sick (despite everyone around me getting the flu and colds) and I need to size down my skinny jeans.

I don't want to turn into one of those crazy paleo police people, but maybe this has changed my eating habits and tastes. What do you think? Have you tried it before?

Paleo Easy Button: My Power Supply Meal Delivery

After my awesomely gluttonous Inauguration weekend, I knew I had to get back on track with my January paleo program. After all, I'd put in all of this work, made it past the crazy carb cravings and had seen changes I liked in my body - both internally and externally.

I'd been researching paleo meals that I could buy pre-made so that my success wasn't totally reliant on my making my own meals. Let's face it - I'm a busy gal and I'm just not going to be staying in every meal and cooking. So when, My Power Supply reached out to try their service, I was excited. I'd be hovering over the "buy" button for their meals before, but there wasn't a super convenient pick up location near my house. Robert - the paleo/crossfitter cat behind My Power Supply - offered to drop off once at my office so that I could try it. And, THANK GOSH THAT HE DID! That first day back in the office, I was dying. And his Southwestern Taco Salad with Salsa and Guacamole saved me.

My Power Supply Taco Salad

The next day, if I had gone to the office cafeteria, I might have caved. But, the Sun-Dried Chicken Salad from My Power Supply kept me in line.

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Salad by My Power Supply

That night, I scarfed down the Korean Short Ribs with Almond Butter Satay before I could even snap a photo.

The next was a Chocolate Chili with Cauliflower Mash which I thought had a lot of promise, but I wanted more spice so I added a splash of my Woodberry Kitchen Snake Oil fish pepper hot sauce (you can buy it now in DC at Salt & Sundry) to punch it up.

Chocolate Chili with Spinach and Cauliflower Mash by My Power Supply

The final two dishes were a pounded flat Italian chicken and vegetables and Mediterranean chicken roulade, which truth be told aren't my favorites any day of the week and weren't my favorites in My Power Supply pack either.

The bottom line: Yes, it's pricey, but it's no pricier than eating out at restaurants and it definitely was more strictly paleo. Yes, the location for pickup might not be convenient (they deliver to Crossfit gyms), but in DC, there are quite a few locations. Much like doing the whole paleo thing as a whole, if you make the effort, you'll see the benefits. And, yes, it takes more effort. And sometimes - if you need an easy button like I did - more money. But, My Power Supply kept me on track and I plan to pick items that I'm pretty sure I'll like and continue ordering from them for a couple meals a week.

Here's the weekly menu if you want to check them out.

NOTE: In keeping with my Ethics of Food Blogging post back in 2010, I want to disclose that I did not pay for this week of food. It was a one time trial and any My Power Supply purchases moving forward will be on my own dime.

Inauguration Weekend: From Chef's Ball to Scrapple Burgers

When I fall off the wagon, I do it right. I pressed pause on the whole paleo challenge to enjoy the Inauguration weekend without boundaries.

Saturday, I went to Belga Cafe and had an amazing dinner with friends. It wasn't even too crazy off the paleo challenge because I had foie gras, steak and lobster. But, I definitely will cop to a lot of wine, a few frites and two bites of macaroni and cheese. I mean, it was Chef Bart Vandaele's joint, how could I not? We liked Chef Bart so much that we took him with us to the Inaugural Chef's Ball where Chef Art Smith was hosting some of his buds like Eric Bruner-Yang, Mike Isabella and Rock Harper. It was awesome. We danced a lot.

On Sunday, I went to a friend's pig roast on Capitol Hill and just had pulled pork with sriracha. But, then I had a few beers and ended up at The Tune Inn... where Jameson's entered the picture. I needed a base and fast, so I ordered up the epic Scrapple Burger with a side of tater tots.

Enjoying every bite of The Tune Inn's Scrapple Burger 

I left shortly after that bite though, because I had a 5:30am call time to watch Morning Joe tape live from The Dubliner. I may or may not have been slightly hungover and after the previous night's Scrapple Burger, I opted for coffee and granola. By the time 9:00am rolled around, we were ready for Bloody Mary's and pancakes (with strawberries!)

Meeting Mika and Joe!
(L to R: Tammy Gordon, Jenna Golden, Mika Brezinski, Joe Scarborough, Alejandra Owens and Nikki Rappaport.)

It was a fantastic weekend, but I feel... well... like I drank too much booze and consumed too much food. So, I'm back on the program tomorrow. To ensure that I wouldn't flake, I've decided to try My Power Supply which delivers paleo-friendly meals.

Whole 30: Bacon-Wrapped Figs

On day fifteen of this paleo challenge, bacon-wrapped anything sound like a good snack. (It really hasn't been that difficult, but snacks are the toughest part to keep out of my gullet.)

Tonight I made these paleo-friendly bacon-wrapped figs because I was craving a snack I could pop while I waited for dinner to be ready. Just bake them on 350 degres until the bacon starts to become more opaque. Flip once and cook for another minute or two. Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Figs make a great Paleo snack!

Whole 30: Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas (aka Paleo Ice Cream)

I've had a serious craving for ice cream this weekend, but it is far from paleo friendly thanks to the sugar. I started thinking about how I might turn the cans of coconut milk I stocked up on into something that might fill the bill. Using Angry Asian's Coconut Granitas for inspiration, but 86'ing the simple syrup and adding fruit, my invention was pretty fulfilling!

Paleo-Friendly Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas

Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk (don't get the light version)
• 1 package frozen blueberries (you could use almost any fruit here - I might try mango or strawberries next!)
• 1 lime
• shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• sea salt
• fresh mint

Directions:

1. In a small baking dish, pour 1 can of coconut milk. 
2. Squeeze lime juice into the milk.
3. Add shredded coconut, to taste. 
4. Add blueberries, to taste.
5. Put in freezer. Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture into a icy-flaky mixture. I only did this twice before I ate mine, but make sure you scrape it every 30 minutes or so otherwise it gets to firm and becomes an ice block.
6. When ready, shave your granitas into a bowl. Sprinkle a little sea salt, coconut flakes and a spring of mint on top. Enjoy!

Illustrating the Steps for Paleo-Friendly Granitas

I'd make this again, once I'm done with the #Whole30 challenge. You could sweeten with agave nectar or honey if you're trying to stay away from sugar in the simple syrup.

Whole 30: Eggs & Chorizo Brunch, Two Ways

Yep. I'm still going. Breakfast is one of the hardest times for me because I don't really like to eat when I wake up early.

But on weekends, game on. I just finished an awesome workout with Grant and happily inhaled this:

Whole 30: Chorizo, Sweet Potato & Kale Chip Hash

Yesterday was the day the carb cravings kicked in. I almost teared up at the sight of a cake pop in Starbucks. So small and harmless. This morning, I awoke with a deep need for cheese grits. But, I powered through. Had a big ass salad for lunch. As dinner neared, I tried to convince friends to go out to eat with me so that I didn't have to face my kitchen. 

Luckily, what I threw together was fantastic - spicy, salty and sweet - which assuaged my evil carb-loving internal monologue. Here's what I did to create an uber paleo-friendly chorizo, sweet potato and kale chip hash:

Chorizo, Sweet Potato and Kale Chip Hash

Chorizo, Sweet Potato & Kale Chip Hash
Ingredients:

• Chorizo (I got mine from Eco-Friendly Farms at Dupont Circle Farmers Market), serving size about the size of your palm
• Sweet potato, serving size half a sweet potato diced per person
• 1/4 onion, diced
• Kale, two stems, diced with bottom of the stem discarded
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Drizzle olive oil in skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook a minute or two until they start to become translucent.
2. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook four to five minutes. (Try to not flip them during this to get a nice caramelization going.) Shift sweet potatoes to the edge of the skillet, making a center well.
3. Add kale in center well and cook four to five minutes. Swish all of the ingredients together and then make another center well. (You want the kale to get a light coating of olive oil so that it becomes slightly crunchy). Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the chorizo in the center of the pan. Crumble with wooden spoon. Cook four to five minutes (again, don't flip it, allow it to caramelize) and then swish all of the ingredients together.
5. Taste one of the sweet potatoes to make sure it's cooked well enough. If go, serve and eat - if not, let it cook a minute or two more until it's complete.

Got a paleo-friendly recipe that I should try? Leave me the link in the comments or tweet me @floridagirlindc.