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Langbaan

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You should go to Langbaan. I will get much wordier about it momentarily, but that really is the long and short of it. We recently headed there for the first time after their move from SE Portland to NW, and were totally wowed. The food, the ambience, the service, and the wine pairings were all truly top-notch. You should go to Langbaan.

Getting In

As mentioned earlier, Langbaan just moved locations to a larger space in NW. They share the space with Phuket Cafe, who operates out of the interior and exterior during the week, but cedes the indoors to Langbaan on the weekends. They only do two seatings each day of the weekend, so plan ahead!

The Space

The decor of the new location is spot on. With exposed wooden beams and a gorgeous accent wallpaper, it somehow walks that fine line between hip and refined. The space is small enough to be cozy, but large enough not to feel crowded, and the open kitchen provides that warm feeling of really being cooked for.

The Food

The tasting menu has a simple and elegant concept: exploring different regions of Thailand’s cuisine with seasonal ingredients and the chef’s creativity. When we dined there recently, the focus was on the cuisine of Isaan in Northeastern Thailand, involving fun ferments, spicy chilis, and coconut cream. The food was all incredible, and at the end of the night when our server asked us, ‘What was the favorite of the night?” we proceeded to name basically every dish on the menu.

The Drinks

In addition to the tasting menu, we did have the wine pairings. They were wonderfully chosen, supporting and complementing the food perfectly. I often feel that tasting menus in the Northwest choose mostly reds regardless of the food, which can be frustrating. This one, by contrast, was almost entirely whites and a rose, which worked so well with the food.

The Service

One final note to mention was the phenomenal service. There were 3 folks working front of house that night, and all three were personable, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to make our evening great. Thanks team!

Have you been to Langbaan yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Check them out Here for their current menu and to make reservations.

Hammer & Stitch Brewing

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This week we ventured to Slab Town to check out one of Portland newest breweries. Hammer and Stitch opened October 10th with 5 standard beers. The brewery has since added 4 more creations to their collection. The goal of this brewery is to keep it simple, and just make good quality beer. The name Hammer and Stitch is an homage to makers of all sorts, but specifically the late mother and father of some of the partners behind the company. Their mother was an apparel designer and seamstress and their father was an architect and builder. This pairing is what makes up the logo for the brewery.

  • The Front
  • The Deck

The team behind the beer is one of the things that makes this brewery so special. Ben Dobler, who has been making beer in Portland for the past 27 years, brought his skills and expertise to Hammer and Stitch. He isn’t alone in the brew house however. Head Brewer Cam Murphy has been working with beer for several years. These two have worked at many breweries on their way to Hammer and Stitch, those include at places like Widmer, Mt. Tabor Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing and Von Ebert.

  • The Tap House
  • The Brew House

The beers here are all easy drinking and don’t weight you down like so many other beers can. We couldn’t try everything on tap, but we certainly tried. The IPA is hop-forward with piney aromas balanced by citrus notes. The Lager is crisp, clean, and just slightly hoppy in the finish. The Amber has a little bit of everything in it, caramel and chocolate malt flavors with woody floral aromas. The Porter is warm and toasty with chocolate malts but is still incredibly smooth and light in the finish. The Cozy is a Russian Imperial Stout that has bold coffee and chocolate aromas which hit your senses immediately, but it finishes with hoppy, woody, and floral notes. If you’re looking for a fruity finish the Berry Cozy is the same Russian Imperial Stout but they added raspberry puree to it.

Are you feeling thirst for a beer yet? you can get more information about the brewery and their beers Here. If you didn’t quite find what you were looking for you can check out some of our other Hot spot Here

Muse

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As everyone knows, we LOVE bubbly. All things sparkling, from Cava to Champagne, Pet Nat to Prosecco. We even run a monthly Champagne Meet-up group to explore and celebrate bubbles all over the city. This last meet-up we went to Muse Winebar and now it is our Hot Spot of the week!

There were many things to love at this hip new wine bar. The lighting and decor gave the feel of a dimly cozy wine cellar, with Edison bulbs and black and white photos dotting the walls. The size was just right as well, intimate but still large enough to accommodate our group of 13.

Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/musewinebar/

Another thing we adored about Muse Winebar was the level of service. Kai, one of the owners, was our server for the evening and he was exceptional. He had a high level of knowledge about everything in his collection and was really great about telling us about the different processes and derivations of the sparklings we were tasting. He was very warm and accommodating, and helped everyone to get exactly what they were looking for.

Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/musewinebar/

In addition, they had no less than 6 sparklings by the glass (be still, my heart!) AND they do wine flights of 3 or 5 half pours of your choice, so many in our group decided to sample almost every bubble on the list. We also tried several of the food accompaniments: a few cheeses, chocolates, and bread, which were all delicious complements to our flights of wine and lively conversations.

Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/musewinebar/

We are very much looking forward to returning to experience more of the welcoming atmosphere and delicious wine that Muse Winebar has to offer!

Have you tried Muse Winebar yet? What did you love? Let us know in the comments! Plus, check out our previous Hot Spots here!

Vault

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This week’s Hot Spot is one of our favorite Portland destinations for craft cocktails: Vault Cocktail Lounge. Located in the Pearl district, this spot mixes up meticulously perfected drinks, from the classics to an array of seasonal features.

No matter what you order here, from the Vieux Carre (rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, benedictine, and bitters) to the Endless Summer (mezcal, Campari, passionfruit, and lime) you are bound to be delighted. And if nothing on their extensive cocktail list strikes your fancy (HOW?!?!?) the bartenders here know their stuff and can make you something amazing based on the flavor profile you are going for.

And speaking of bartenders, just one of the many charms of this place is Dan Dufour, one of my all-time favorite bartenders in town. It’s a big claim, yes, but just spend about 5 minutes chatting with this fella and you’ll understand. And if you need even more of an incentive to check this place out, every third Wednesday they host an event called Suit n Sip, where all are invited to don their finest duds and mingle in style. In quintessentially casual Portland, this is an opportunity to flaunt that fabulous suit or cocktail dress that may have been gathering dust, and is not to be missed.

Have you been to Vault yet? Is there somewhere we should check out next? Let us know in the comments!