Yesterday, Dan, Sonya and I took advantage of one of those stellar Portland deals that's just unacceptable to pass up - $1 draft beers! The place of honor for this doozy of a deal was Lardo sandwich shop, which has three locations in Portland, and we went to the most convenient for us, which is on North Williams Street. Also, let me not forget to mention that they also brought back the Paadee/Langbaan Thai chicken sandwich, so that in itself was a big draw.
Atmosphere:
Set in the heart of North Portland, on North Williams street between Mason and Shaver streets, Lardo North is accessible and has that brand spankin' new feeling. The actual space is combined with Philippe's Bread/Frice Pastry, which is a gorgeous pastry shop that you can hit up after for dessert.
The space itself is long and narrow and seats about 50 people if I had to guesstimate. In addition to traditional tables, there's also lots of bar seating, which is a good option especially if you're eating solo. The no frills service suits well if you're in the mood for casual dining, as you order at the counter, grab one of the long wooden spoons you see above and wait for your sandwiches to be brought to you. You're supposed to bus your dishes after you're done too, which most folks adhere to, except for a few lazy customers who we encountered yesterday.
Food:
Even though their sandwich menu is plentiful and enticing, we knew what we came for and didn't mess around. All three of us ordered the special Chefwich inspired by Paadee/Langbaan and a side of herb fries and those beers I mentioned.
Paadee/Langbaan Thai Chicken Sandwich - There's nothing not to like about this Thai coconut fried curry chicken sandwich, topped with fresh veggies such as bright butter lettuce, pickled slaw, cilantro and basil. It's a sophisticated banh mi that's perfectly filling and a wonderful way to end the week. My favorite aspect was the chicken, which was thick cut, tender and juicy on the inside. While I couldn't get enough of it, the portion was just right, including the meat to fixins ratio.
Herb Fries - While simple, they were cooked perfectly to crunchy bite sized pieces and bejeweled with all sorts of fried herbs such as sage and rosemary among some others. I found myself reaching into the nearly empty container, scraping off those herby bits and devouring each bite.
Lardo Lager - In collaboration with Oakshire Brewing, Lardo launched its special lager just last week and in its honor was offering $1 pints. This deal is simply impossible to refuse so we took advantage. Dan loved the beer and said it was super light, as did Sonya who compared it to a tasty Stella.
Service and Cost:
Since this is an order at the counter kind of place, the service is very straightforward but even having said that, everything was on point. I mentioned that some sloppy customers left their dirty dishes on the table, but the gracious staff quickly helped us clean those up and all was well again.
Costs are expensive for the sandwiches at $11 a pop but super cheap for the beer at $1 and about average for the fries at $4. Overall, another dinner under $30 on a weekend eve isn't too shabby.
3 Mmmms
Lardo - 4090 North Williams, Portland OR 97227
503.841.5373
lardosandwiches.com
What a fun St. Paddy's Day it was today, as Dan, Jamil, Ball and I went over to SingleCut Beersmiths and tied more than one on. Having tasted their beers on a few occasions but never visiting the tap room, we all enjoyed the experience very much and unanimously agreed that we'll be back. Here are some highlights from the experience.
Atmosphere:
It's no secret that SingleCut is more than a ways away from everything, but that's why it made it a fun place to spend St. Paddy's Day, as it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded. I was happy to walk into a spacious, high-ceiling tap room with a pretty large bar and plenty of communal tables that were almost full. The best part for me was to see the diversity in the crowd - from really really young (as in babies) to older folks, everyone seemed to be enjoying the vibe.
Part of what made the atmosphere even more festive was the live bluegrass band that played the entire time. Not only were the Homesick Houndogs great, I liked the way SingleCut incorporated an elevated stage in the space that made it seem like you were watching a real concert. It worked really nicely, especially because it allowed them to maximize the actual tap room space for customers like us.
Food and Drink:
We came for the beer of course - purchasing a growler in the beginning and then refilling it several times throughout the night. But along with drinks, we couldn't refuse their yummy meat pies either, that I felt made our SingleCut experience complete.
Beer - We sampled three different beers that I haven't yet tried before, including the Eric More Cowbell Milkstout, the Billy 18-Watt IPA, and the Rudy Double Umlant Lagrrr! Out of those, the IPA was a complete winner, and my friends ended up taking some home in their keepsake growler. It had an almost floral smell (and taste), the perfect amount of hoppiness that went down real easy with the meat pies. The IPA was especially tasty with the King and I (Thai curry chicken) pie.
Meat pies - Dan, Jamil and I split two meat pies, including the just mentioned, King and I and the Over the Moon (steak and mushroom). The latter also came with a side of pickled veggies such as onions, peppers, cauliflower and the like, which we devoured. The meat pies were fantastic and I preferred the King and I, which was something totally different, as it included a medley of ethnic spices and curry that totally warmed our bones (it was quite chilly in the taproom). The steak and mushroom was great too but definitely more on the traditional side - I guess it was appropriate for the occasion though.
Cupcakes - While they don't have cupcakes on the menu, we were pleasantly surprised to find this little sweet gem, courtesy of Renee from Single Girl Cookies. For those of you not familiar with Single Girl, she does a great job of giving back to the community by baking for some of her favorite Astoria establishments.
The cupcake she made was inspired by the Eric More Cowbell Stout, with which it was actually made. It was absolutely delightful, the chocolatey interior perfectly moist and tinged with malty goodness from the stout. Sporting a minty green frosting, for St. Paddy's Day, it made for a great pairing with the rich chocolate - overall, an impressive treat and a much welcome surprise.
Service and Cost:
Although I'd love to praise the staff, we weren't overly impressed. I'm not sure if it was because it was a holiday and it was super busy, but more than on one occasion, they charged us more than they were supposed to for the beer (and we had to correct them). Once we got to the table, the service was pretty good, as the staff took our cleaned plates after we scarfed down those meat pies, but overall the service doesn't shine.
Costs are a bit expensive for the growlers at $10 per container and then another $7-$12 to fill it with beer. After you get through that first round, it's a bit more cost effective, and the quality of the beer and the food is so good that it's definitely worth it.
3 Mmmms
SingleCut Beersmiths - 19-33 37th Street, Astoria NY 11105
718.606.0788
N/Q Train to Ditmars Blvd
www.singlecutbeer.com
After so much anticipation and some pre-gaming too, I'm excited to report that the time has come for Astoria's much-awaited brewery to open. The official date that SingleCut Beersmiths will open its doors is on Saturday, December 8th - a perfect time-frame to ring in the holiday season!
They'll be debuting their new tap room with 5 original beers, some of which I've already had the pleasure of trying. They include:
19-33 Lagrrr - Paying homage to their very Astorian address, this is their flagship lager at its best
"BOB" Sunburst Finish Lagrrr - "Crisp and clean" with a malty aroma, it'll make you think of summer in wintertime
"Dean" Pacific NW Mahogany Ale - Malty, hoppy with tons of "tude" this ale isn't for softies
"Billy" 18-Watt India Pale Ale - A hoppy IPA turned upside its head
"Billy" Half-Stack India Pale Ale - And you thought that the 18-Watt was hoppy? This one will have you hoppin' your socks off!
Tap Room Hours:
Thursday/Friday - 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday - 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
SingleCut Beersmiths - 19-33 37th Street, Astoria NY 11105
718.606.0788
N/Q Train to Ditmars Blvd
www.singlecutbeer.com
