Pretty as a Picture

We"re in Portland for the second time this month, renting a small condo in the Pearl District. It's small but charming, and very conveniently located near good restaurants and brewpubs. Tonight we walked to the Deschutes Brewery pub -- a five minute stroll -- and had wonderful food and beer.

While we were waiting for our table, I started a pint of King Cone Fresh Hop Ale, described as follows: "Centennial hops fresh from 3D Hop Farm in Woodburn were added to the boil a little less than two hours after they were picked. The resulting ale has a wonderful pine aroma laced with a slight citrus backbone. Three types of Crystal malts balance this classic ale, allowing the hops to show their true colors." It was as good as it sounds.

For dinner, I chose mussels and clams steamed in Hefeweizen with house-made fennel sausage, locally grown fingerling potatoes and sea beans, served with hazelnut bread to mop up the broth. C had the soup of the day -- curried red lentil with lamb and Jubelale, Deschutes' festive winter ale -- and a pub dinner salad.

For dessert we each had a snifter of Black Butte XXII, available only at the pub, "...full of subtle flavor from cocoa nibs and dark chocolate from Theo's Chocolate in Seattle... fresh Seville orange zest and pasilla negra chile peppers for a flavor sensation." C couldn't finish hers; I was glad to help her out.

The windows behind the bar offering views of the brewing equipment had ornate frames around them. It took a while for me to realise they weren't framed photographs.