As much as I love decorating for the holidays, it’s hard for me to feel good about buying more “stuff” that gets used only once a year, and sits in a basement the rest of the time. So making ornaments from recycled materials last night just felt… good! The Hotel Monaco Portland and SCRAP (School & Community Reuse Action Project) came together for a DIY eco-ornament night during the hotel’s nightly wine hour - though last night we also imbibed on local beer from MacTarnahans (Snow Cap Ale - Yummmm).

Katie and I cut, glued, pasted and laughed the evening away, and ended up with some very cool danglies for our trees. The favorite materials ended up being used CDs - they really shine on the trees and are a perfect surface to work on. Plus they have this kind of 80’s 90’s retro coolness to them. In fact, I’m thinking of doing an entire tree of them next year, all with pop culture clippings pasted on.

I highly recommend doing some of your own! Once you get started it’s addictive, but the best inspiration to get going is to look at what other people have done.

BTW - You can buy eco-ornaments made by SCRAP that have DIY kits inside them for $5 at the Monaco. All proceeds go to the non-profit SCRAP.

Twas the week before Thanksgiving

And all through downtown,

No construction was ringing

Not one hammer sound

Today was the first day of the downtown Portland construction moratorium, and we have the fat man in the red suit to thank for it! Yesterday, Santa granted Mayor-Elect Sam Adams’ holiday wish… to clear the streets of construction gear and open up more parking spaces for seasonal shoppers. No more traffic snarls downtown? Looks like Santa’s gift is going to bring smiles to more than just Sam’s face.

Sam got a construction moratorium, and all I got from Santa was a mini candy cane. Apparently I need to clean up my act for next year.

I love this time of year… Halloween and Fresh Hop Beers! It’s times like this that I count my blessings for living in the Northwest. While people everywhere will celebrate Halloween this week, there isn’t another region of the country where you can get the fresh hop experience, and even if you live here you’d better move fast - they only last a few weeks. In order to seize the moment, we did a LAD taste-test of two Oregon fresh hop brews: Deschutes Hop Trip and Rogue Independence. Both were delicious but very different in style. Here’s a recap of our tasting notes, and since we’re so close to Halloween we’ve given the beers their own costume equivalents.

Festive Fresh Hop Beer

Deschutes Hop Trip / Jack Skellington: Sophisticated, fresh, fruity and smells like a hop farm. This beer was layered with a bright nose and dry palate that evaporates off the tongue leaving you curious for more. Herbal without the intense bitterness, it would be the hit of Halloween Town.

Rogue Independence / A Pirate : Dominant, intense, bitter and might knock you over the head. Simple, but tried and true and always fun. This beer had more hop intensity, with rich malt and caramel flavors. The quintessential hop lover’s beer with a big pop. Get ready to walk the plank, matey…. arrggh.

2004 Piluso Pinot noir

The wine lovers at LAD have officially called it. ‘04 Oregon Pinot noirs are ripe and ready to be drunk. I write this after last night’s dinner went from seriously last minute, to seriously memorable. Here’s how it happened…

I’m drowning in tomatoes. In an effort to eat my mandatory daily ration I decided to cook up a quick tomato tapenade for fish last night. While it was bubbling away on the stove, I ransacked my house for a cheap red wine. Pepperwood Syrah… gone. Red Bicyclette… au revoir. By then I was fixated. Fresh tomato tapenade and no red wine is practically a sin, and one I’m not willing to pay the price for. I trudged down to the cellar, the whole while wondering if I could justify popping a bottle of one of my more prized wines on a Wednesday night, with no company. I’ve got a nice little trove of Oregon indie wines that I’ve collected over the last couple of years at the Portland Indie Wine Festival. Granted, they don’t last very long around my house, so I was quite surprised to discover a forgotten ‘04 Toluca Lane Pinot noir…

Here’s where it gets interesting. It was perfect. It had a little effervescence when I first uncorked it, but the nose was beautiful and it was perfectly balanced and full of flavor. It was Oregon elegance at its best, and 30 minutes later it surpassed my highest expectations. I could tell it was at its prime - 6 months or more and it might have been over the hill, but right now it was perfect!

I told my tale at the office today and learned that I’m not the only one who had this ‘04 experience. Last week Lisa popped a bottle of ‘04 Black Cap Pinot noir and knew she’d hit the jackpot. The nose had particularly interesting rose pedal character and the finesse was incredible. It was a stunning example of Jason Lett’s intuitive talent and must be similar to when a surfer catches the crest of a wave — it was a perfect arc of flavor.

Catching a wine in its prime is a sublime experience, and one you wish you could savor over and over again, but it’s that short window of perfection that makes the moment so coveted. After making this discovery, we understood what we had to do. As Oregon wine lovers, we feel it is our duty to ensure that people get the best experience possible. Take our word for it … drink your ‘04 Oregon Pinot noir, and DRINK IT NOW!

On July 24, Nancy’s Yogurt…

Nancy’s Yogurt on The Today Show - NBC July 24

Springfield Creamery, probiotics pioneers and makers of Nancy’s Yogurt, have been building a dedicated “health-minded” fan base on a platform of integrity, quality ingredients and craftsmanship for nearly 40 years. Apparently the Today Show’s nutritionist is one of those fans! Last Thursday, the “Eat Smart” segment covered food products that tout health benefits but are not what they seem - they’re foods that fool! Luckily, the Today Show team follows up the imposters with the actual healthful option… the probiotic-rich, cane sugar free Nancy’s Yogurt being one of those. Nancy’s is the real thing!

Last Friday, the Oregonian’s A&E featured an article on the opening of Lincoln Restaurant in The Hub, a highly anticipated restaurant located in NE Portland’s new indoor food artisan marketplace. Offering well-crafted Pacific Northwest cuisine and cocktails, Lincoln is the creation of Portland food veterans, and husband and wife team, Jenn Louis and David Welch. For an insider’s look and taste of the cuisine, see Lisa’s previous blog entry of the soft launch…

Oregonian A&E

Here at LAD, we do take pride in our gourmet tastes, but even the most discerning palate craves good old fashioned Americana sometimes - especially on the 4th of July. To celebrate our nation’s independence day, I threw a backyard barbecue bash that included traditional American fare like hamburgers and hot dogs, but the real excitement came when we pulled out the… prepare yourself for this - Jelloshot Flag!

Putting together this edible edifice of patriotism was much more difficult than one might imagine. Who would’ve thought that when I googled “Jelloshot Flag” my search would come up blank!? Well, I intend to cure that lack of online content and offer up a photo and some tips for success. Because another thing that we take pride in here at LAD is our ability to spot a trend a mile away. I might be ahead of the times on this one, but I’m going out on a limb to predict that by next year Jelloshot Flags will be all the rage! So, take advice from the new expert lest you be asked to prepare one yourself…

Jelloshot Flag: “Top Tips From A New Pro”
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Here’s a cute video by LAD client, Nancy’s Yogurt. The statue is of the legendary Ken Kesey, who is related to the Kesey family, the founders and owners of Nancy’s Yogurt and the Springfield Creamery. The statue is located in Eugene, Oregon where the company is based.