Climbing the Alps - Gruner

There isn't much in Portland like Gruner, an "alpine" restaurant on SW 12th and Alder in downtown Portland. It takes inspiration from the mountain nations of Europe, like Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Romania.

Predictably, the menu is a little bit different than most of what we've had before. As you can probably guess from the locales the dishes originate from, it's a meat and potatoes kind of place, but being in Portland and with an emphasis on sourcing locally, it has that influence as well.

When Gruner first opened many people really seemed to like it, but we couldn't necessarily get excited about the place. Plus, it was only open for dinner, which made it unlikely we'd be heading back into downtown after work. A couple months back Gruner made the decision to be open for lunch as well, with a highlight (for us anyway) being their burger was on the lunch menu. For dinner you have to sit at the bar to get the burger, and we aren't necessarily sit-at-the-bar people because we don't drink much or often.

Since that burger was recently named #2 in Portland by Nick Zukin in Willamette Week, Wifey knew what she was ordering. So I just had to find something else on the lunch menu.

After perusing I decided on the Tarte Flambee, which contrary to the name did not come out on fire - disappointing. But what is it? It's an Alsatian pizza, with a creme fraiche white sauce, grilled onions, and a hefty helping of bacon. (Pictures were taken with our cell phones, so they may not be quite up to snuff - forgot the camera.)

I have to say, we didn't know what to expect, but it was excellent. I'd recommend this in a heartbeat.

The burger was a nice chunk of meat, very well seasoned. The bun was very solid, but still soft, and those pickled onions were fantastic. The fried smashed potatoes were also very good. That bacon was excellent.

We did have one beef (no pun intended). We ordered the burger "medium" after being told by default it would be medium-rare. We even asked the waitress for Gruner's definition of medium and though it met ours - slightly pink in the middle but mostly cooked.

That's not what we got. Instead, we got mostly pink with a thin layer of cooked outside. In fact, there was a red puddle under the burger when it was cut...that's rare in our book, nothing close to medium.

Could we have sent it back? Perhaps...that's just not something we do though, for whatever reason. Seems like they should be able to get it right the first time, being pros and all.

I will say we were the first customers of the day. We got there right when it opened for lunch at 11:30am, thinking it might be busy. By the time we left an hour later, there was one other customer. Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking it may not be that cost-effective for them to be open for lunch, unless what we saw was a complete aberration. Did that factor into an undercooked burger? Was the grill not warm enough? I have no idea, but as Wifey and I agreed the cooks should be able to deal with that and adjust accordingly.

Again, both dishes tasted wonderful and we would probably go back, but I think we'd be a little more clear on the burger if we ordered that again.

Oh, and if you have a dog who wants to join you, there is outdoor seating with umbrellas and the waitress did tell us well-behaved canines were allowed.

Making Borscht

Borscht is like a lot of classic local dishes - there are tons of different tweaks to it, depending on where the recipe you use comes from. It's a peasant staple found anywhere in Eastern Europe, but thought to originate in the Ukraine.

Apparently, those who make this on a regular basis have a lot of spare time on their hands. Either that, or I'm doing it wrong. I can fully appreciate the latter is more likely true.

This is actually the second time we made borscht (if you want the recipe, you can get it here on Epicurious). This time it took a ton longer...two days, to be exact. If you are a very hungry peasant, that might prove to be a problem. At least, I would think so.

The first day we made the stock, which was easy. Basically brown the meat and throw everything in the pot to simmer for hours. While that was going we roasted the beets, then took the time to peel the skin off (if anyone knows of a quick way to do this, I'm all ears - or, in this case, eyes).

This took many hours though, the simmering, then the cooling of the stock and the meat. The recipe then adds this little note about the short ribs, making it seem like an innocuous little tidbit:

"Chill stock until fat solidifies on top, at least 3 hours. Remove meat from bones; cut away excess fat. Shred meat finely."

Seems easy enough, right?

However, we started this at about 10pm, thinking it would take just a few minutes and then we could go to bed. Actually, Wifey started this while I peeled the second round of beets. Twenty minutes later I joined her, and we spent the next hour working on the ribs.

And what did that entail? Painstakingly pulling threads of flesh from bone and fat. Actually, it was kind of disgusting, but at the same time intriguing. I told Wifey I felt like we were doing surgery. It was messy work - our hands all coated in a thick sheen of fat - and at the end of it our three pounds of beef ribs had been reduce to about ten ounces of flesh to put in our borscht. Perhaps, again, there was a better way to do this, a more efficient way - or maybe it's just slow because it's not something we do every day. Either way, I'm not signing up to do it again anytime soon.

That ended the first day of work. We had meat, we had beets, and we had stock. The second day went smoother, but it takes much longer than the recipe lets on. Also, we didn't need to any extra beef stock - we had plenty leftover from the first day's work we didn't need the extra we bought. I suppose now we have some for later...

One final note: the recipe says to season the final version with additional red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. We both recommend this. Our first meal I didn't add any extra and the borscht was extremely sweet from the beets; additional vinegar (we used cabernet red wine vinegar) gave it another layer of flavor.

Final Product

We opted for creme fraiche instead of sour cream for our dish, but that's a personal preference. It melts into the hot stock pretty quickly, making for a bright pink, creamy liquid.

Overall this was an excellent meal. We liked the previous version we made too, though, and it was much less work for roughly the same results. So would we make this again, knowing how much work it was? Umm...probably not. At least, not anytime soon.

Borscht, though, is excellent. This was one of those dishes I approached as not really sure if I would like it or not - especially the first time - and I was pleasantly surprised. It's not difficult to make, it just takes time and patience, so give it a try.

Finding Lost Lake

Call this our Summer of Lake Hikes. Up today: Lost Lake. About 20 miles outside of Hood River, up in the hills, Lost Lake is a "resort" that you have to pay for to use the day use area ($7). We actually drove all the way up here late in the day quite a few years ago when we had a NW Forest Pass, thinking that would get us in (FYI, it does not). We ended up just turning around because we didn't want to pay the fee so late in the day.

By the way, did you know there are 19 "Lost Lakes" in Oregon?! Holy... !

And then we just never made it back. I had been there once a long time ago - I remember renting a pedal boat with Mom and my sister and having fun - but Wifey had never been. So, we packed Misaki, lunch, and water in the car and headed out.

This is the sign outside of, well, the general store (as always, click the picture for a bigger version). This is where you can get snacks and rent the boats (they have row boats as well) and, as the sign says, there are no public restrooms. Lame, because they probably have the only flushing ones in the whole "resort."

This (above) is one end of the lake from the 3.2 mile trail that circumvents the lake. The day was overcast most of the day, with occasional breaks and occasional darkening, even sprinkles. This one ended up with nice color

This is the opposite end of the lake - I'm a sucker for reflections, even when they aren't clear.

The trail is generally flat, though riddled with roots, rocks, and the occasional muddy spot. Misaki didn't mind. We managed the whole lake in about two hours, with plenty of stops for pictures. The trail is well maintained for the most part with a lot of "boardwalk" type construction, which always makes my day.

Like I said, occasional sun breaks. Very occasional. This pic probably did the best justice to the colors of the water, which when you look into it up close is clear all the way to the bottom.

And this is quite obviously not a sunbreak. The mountain in the background is Mt. Hood. Supposedly on a clear day you can get some spectacular pictures, but not on this day. This is the best view we got of the mountain. Sure isn't Trillium!

MISAKI'S VIEW

Here is Lost Lake from the point of view of the little red ninja.

This is what Misaki saw from the boat ramp in the late morning.

From the bridge near the parking area, mid-afternoon.

Her best view of the day, from a small floating dock.

FLORA

I don't claim to be a naturalist, expert or otherwise, but some of the plants at Lost Lake jumped out at us - like this one. Check out those spines on the leaves!

Below is a leaf from the same plant, with my hand over it for perspective. This one, thankfully, did not have spines. I have no idea why some do and some didn't.

Some more pretty red berries, different plant.

If you, dear reader, have any idea what these are, please leave a comment. The internet wasn't very helpful.

FAUNA

We didn't see much when it came to animal life. People were fishing, but we didn't see any jump and none were visible near the edges of the lake. There were plenty of tiny chipmunks, but those guys don't hold still for pictures.

However, when we sat down to eat our lunch of course the birds came to visit. This first one is the ubiquitous - and extremely loud - Stellar's Jay. This spot in the tree was probably 10 feet from our picnic table. He was closer at one point, but then noticed Misaki.

This bird was interesting. He would announce his entrance like we should fall to our knees and grovel - sort of like what Sera (our Bengal cat) expects.

He also cracked us up. After disappearing once he came back literally 30 seconds later, only he looked like he just came from a dunk in the lake. I wasn't quick enough on the camera to get him really roughed up, but he still looks a little wet below.

Anyone have an idea what this bird is?

MISAKI LOVED THE LAKE

This is Misaki on the trail, at the edge of what looked like a landslide into the lake at some point. As we crossed this she continually reminded us with her running over these loose rocks she is much, much more nimble than us. She'd run a few steps, then turn around and gives a look that said, "Are you coming?!"

This is Misaki deep in concentration at the edge of the lake. About a minute after this was taken we pounced on a bumblebee that was buzzing around here head - quite the exhibition of quickness.

Misaki got water breaks just like we did, though she stubbornly refuses to drink. The look on her face says it all. "Are you done yet?! We need to GO!"

And finally, Misaki under the picnic table as we ate lunch. She doesn't get breakfast on days like this when we leave the house early, because with dogs it seems like breakfast ends up on the back seat or floor of the car. Since she sits on Wifey's lap during the drive, we prefer that not to happen. Here she is practicing her Shiba Mind Control on me, trying to get some of my sandwich (or even better, some potato chips).

Sorry to say, her skills need a little more work. Sorry puppy!

And yes, she did get a good-sized meal for dinner, despite what she will tell you.

The weather wasn't great, but the pictures sure turned out well and we got some good exercise. Not sure we'll be in a hurry to return, but we can check it off the list.

Misaki Gets a Chair

We have this policy in our house about no dogs on the furniture. This was our plan from when we had our Akita, because 90 pound dogs tend to take up a lot of space.

With the 25 pound Misaki we are finding it increasingly harder to maintain the policy. When we first brought her home she bounded right up on the couch and the bed, but being such a good dog she came down immediately upon request and learned very quickly that was not okay.

That doesn't mean Misaki has given up. Oh no - she's always giving us the stare to hop up on the couch with us, hoping that using her Shiba Mind Control she will get her way.

It might be working.

The other day Misaki was granted her own chair in the office. We tossed her blanket over it and told her she could lay up there. At first she wouldn't even get up there on her own despite the fact it was so clear she wanted to, so we had to pick her up and put her on there. I think she thought she was being tricked and would get yelled at or something.

But this cute face? How could we yell at her?

This is Misaki's thought process with the new chair.

Are you sure this is okay?

I do look pretty damn adorable here on my throne, don't I?

I'll just take a little nap then, thank you.

Zonked out.

Why did you think it was okay to wake me up with that incessant camera clicking?!

STILL MORE CUTE

Misaki can be a little possessive of her toys, to the point if any of the cats sniff them she'll run over and grab it out from under them, walk a few steps away, set it down, and do her trademark huffing sound at them (we think this is like us rolling our eyes).

This set of pics, we thought, were quite entertaining.

No, you can't have the ball, but thanks for asking.

I am so holding onto this, even though I'm a little sleepy.

In fact, I'll just sleep with it so you can't have it.

Misaki cracks us up.

Wet Hot Beef

Believe it or not, Wet Hot Beef is not the name of something obscene, though it could easily be construed that way. It's the name of a new food cart at Dreamer's Marketplace, just off of Martin Luther King Boulevard.

We came across it via Food Carts Portland and it sounded very yummy, so last week we were in the area and decided to hit it up for dinner.

Deciding to order a little bit of everything, we ordered two sandwiches - the Dressed and Indecent versions - a strawberry soda with housemade syrup, and an order of the housemade sweet onion potato chips. It wasn't busy - I think it was still early for dinner - and our food came out pretty quick.

Let's get the drawbacks out of the way first.

We didn't like the soda. I think, perhaps, the strawberry syrup - made with strawberries from the Farmer's Market - was pretty good, but the mixture wasn't right. Perhaps it was the mixing, maybe it needed something...or maybe it was the fact this nice syrup was mixed with Big K brand club soda. Maybe, I don't know. I do know there is a definite quality difference between something like Coke or Pepsi and a cheap brand (like Big K) cola. Maybe that's the drawback. Or maybe soda just isn't the right choice. Not sure.

The chips were also burnt. They may have been seasoned nicely, but we couldn't tell because all we could taste was burnt potatoes. Maybe it was a bad batch, I don't know, but I won't be ordering those again.

Now the good.

The sandwiches were excellent. The roast beef, as promised, was extremely moist and lean. The bechamel on the Indecent was creamy and good (Wifey would have preferred a tad more). The pickled beets and onions added on the sandwich could have used a tad more flavor - they were overpowered by the meat and the bechamel.

Then again, you aren't coming here for vegetables.

The bread for the sandwich was also pretty good. It tasted fresh and was soft, not overly hard and crunchy. Getting the sandwich in a paper cup was very handy, since there was quite a bit of beef drippage.

Would I recommend this? If you are in the area then sure, but I don't know that we'll go out of my way for it again. And if we do go back, it will probably be just for a sandwich.