Bar Notes: Eastside Distilling

For my birthday, my brother Kerry hooked me up with a tour of Eastside Distilling.  I had almost forgotten about it until Tracy found the gift certificate in our office the other day.  With our reservation set, Tracy and I set off to discover a local craft distiller who would only come to exceed our expectations.

Day drinking.  I'm normally not a huge fan of it, but what can you do?  We had a 1 p.m. reservation, so it looked like we were set to get our buzz on early.  Located on SE 7th Street in Portland, Oregon, Eastside Distilling is an unassuming storefront that one could easily slide by as it is in the middle of the block.

Eastside's Storefront

 Their industrial sign is a perfect match for the neighborhood that surrounds it.  Mostly commercial/industrial, the distillery cozies right on in to its environment.  Upon entering, we were greeted with the tiny retail storefront that displays Eastside's good as well as other locally made products that any home bar could use.  They carry locally made mixers, chocolates, pepper additives for Bloody Mary's, etc.  Amongst all the local goods, one can find the regular paraphernalia: t-shirts, flasks, glassware, etc.  Yet, it is what lies four steps below that makes this distillery special.

The distillery's tasting room is a modest cordoned off section of their retail space, but the experience one can have there transcends their modesty.  As part of a scheduled tasting, Tracy and I joined about eight other people in a sampling of spirits from vodka to flavored rum to specialty bourbons.

The Tasting Room

Our tasting bartender was a funny young woman from the south, so, of course, the Kentucky Derby was playing in the next room.  While she occasionally allowed her attention to drift to the screen, she brought the Derby into the tasting, hinting at the chance for fresh Mint Juleps after we sampled her wares.

We began with their potato vodka, a lovely example of this neutral spirit, but we were soon gallivanting our way through spiced rum, ginger rum, and coffee rums.  Each taste of these specialty liquors evoked a drink recipe in both my mind and Tracy's.

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The rums almost called to their mixers, their flavor counterparts, and we whispered ideas to ourselves as the group commented on their tasting notes.  The coffee rum called to me particularly, although you would have to be careful with this as the bartender noted that an ounce and a half of the rum was equal to the caffeine of a cup of coffee.

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Once we finished our trip through rum land, we moved on to the whiskeys.  Tracy is normally not a fan of whiskey in any form, but she was a good sport about it and tasted her way through some of the infused whiskeys.  Eastside offers the solid Burnside Bourbon, which, if I remember right, is made in small batches and aged for four years.  It isn't your old bourbon and Coke type of bourbon. This whiskey is sipping whiskey, and it holds up remarkably well on the palate.

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The bartender, a true saleswoman, pointed out that they have an Oregon Oaked Bourbon which was unavailable for tasting due to its limited quantities.  This bourbon is aged especially in Oregon oak which is said to be a touch more porous and so infuses the whiskey with greater notes of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and maple.  Just as the bartender intended, I was tempted by this specialty bourbon, but, alas, didn't walk away with one.  Next time!

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The last two bourbons we tried are infused with local fruit.  The Cherry Bomb is a fun way to mix up your old Manhattan recipe.  No need to keep a jar of cherries around with this unique whiskey.

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In addition to Eastside's Cherry Bomb whiskey, they produce a new Marionberry Whiskey that stood out to me immediately.  The fruit is readily apparent in the whiskey, but, for me, it didn't take away from the overall flavors that I crave from a good whiskey.

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With the tasting over, it was time for a cocktail.  Tracy wound up having a ginger rum drink, while I opted for the Marionberry Whiskey with Cock and Bull Ginger Beer.  I wasn't disappointed.  The ginger beer brought a sharpness and fizz to the Marionberry Whiskey that had me craving the second cocktail before I had even finished the first, the sign of a winning cocktail recipe in my house!

The whole experience was rounded out by our tour of the distillery, a one room operation guided by Brian Cooper (an apt name for someone working with barrels).  He gave us a peek behind the science of distilling and answered all of our groups questions about the process of making whiskey.  We were lucky that only four people decided to take the tour because it freed Brian up to really answer the questions without missing out on the chance to showcase their operations.

Discovered this mad scientist in the tasting room at Eastside

The whole experience was a wonderful one, one highlighted by the friendly staff, the top notch customer service, and quality products that didn't need a sales pitch.  The people at Eastside Distilling know what they are about and that is a philosophy of product-first while making the sometimes mysterious world of specialty liquor seem approachable and fun.

Tracy and I wound up walking away with a bottle of the Marionberry Whiskey and the Below Deck Ginger Rum, which added up to us receiving another free tasting for two.  The only next question is: Who's coming with us?

All in all, Eastside Distilling was a great experience for Tracy and I.  We had a blast talking cocktails with all of the staff.  I recommend those in the Portland area with even a slight interest in the science of cocktails make their way down. For reservations, connect with them here or click here for private party reservations.

Bar Notes: Mister Disgruntled

Last night I had a run-in with one of the types of people that servers and bartenders dread across the board: the perpetually disgruntled patron.  It was a solid night, nothing too busy, but not dead either.  The restaurant received a call that a party of 12 would be arriving in 10 minutes, so we set to work pushing tables together and getting prepared for their arrival.

There was another large party of 10 or so in the restaurant celebrating the end of their fantasy football season.  They were mostly drinking, but it took a good bit of attention to make sure they had what they needed when the new party arrived.

This isn't last night's group, but the size and scope of the party was similar.

After the hostess took the initial drink order, I brought the drinks out to the table and greeted the 12 newcomers.  When I dropped their drinks at the table, I informed them of the dinner special and asked if they were going to be a single tab or separate tabs.  They told me that they would have 9 individual tabs across the 12 people dining.  Great!  I love having this information in advance.  I can do so much with this information as long as I have the heads up.

I set about taking their order, making careful notes as to their drinks so I could split the tab at the time they ordered.  I got through 11 of the 12 people when I ran into Mr. Disgruntled himself.  He was the last to order, and when I got to him I was greeted with this, "I'm going to be very specific, so I think you should write this down."  I already had my pad and pen in hand, so I nodded politely and took his order.  He ordered a hamburger (easy enough) but was specific about condiments and garnish (easy enough).  As I repeated the order back to him, he nodded, made one small correction, and then said, "If you don't get it right, I'm not afraid to send it back."

Awesome!

I could tell by the man's attitude that he was going to be a lovely customer.

I proceeded to flawlessly ring in every order, split the check nine ways, assign the proper drinks to the proper tabs, and continue to provide them with drink refills while managing my other large party and the other tables in the restaurant.

About 15 minutes later, dinner was served.  All 12 people were served at once with food hitting the table while it was still steaming.  The hostess helped me run the food, but it was difficult as people had moved from their original seats to converse.  We were auctioning off the plates (calling out the order to get peoples' attention) and dropping them at the appropriate spots.  In the hustle and bustle of it all, my hostess dropped a burger with cheese and bacon in front of Mr. Disgruntled.  While I still had food in my hands, I turned to see him throw his hands in the air like it was a stick-up.

"I didn't order cheese and bacon," he said, looking around the table. "I didn't order cheese and bacon."  His voice raised with every repetition.  The hostess looked at me aghast for a moment, wondering what to do.  I told him, "I'll be right there, sir."  I dropped off the two remaining plates in my hand, swooped over to his side, and removed the offending burger.  I returned to the kitchen to check the ticket to make sure I had rang it properly.  I had.  The cooks, in the confusion of multiple tables with one large party, had simply placed the wrong burger patty onto the wrong plate.  I returned to the table with another armload of food to be greeted with Mr. Disgruntled again.

"People tell me I'm too specific, but, obviously, I'm not specific enough since no one can ever get my order right."  I'm practically standing next to him as he continues to rant to his table mates.  "They say I over-explain, but I can't tell you how many times this happens to me."

I admit.  I hit red.  I have a thing about common courtesy and the place of empathy in a society.  The way this gentleman was carrying himself was entirely disrespectful.  I'm sorry, but just because I'm a server, doesn't mean that you have the right to address the situation, and my part in it, like I wasn't there.  I was ANGRY!  The last thing I heard was, "I thought I explained it perfectly."

When I returned to the kitchen, his burger was already in the window.  It was cooked exactly as he had specified, garnished correctly, and still steaming off the grill.  I grabbed the plate, turned, dropped it in front of him, and said, "Here's your perfectly explained burger, sir.  Enjoy your meal."

The comment caught the man unawares, as well as the speed with which the order was corrected.  The woman sitting across from him met my eyes and gave me that pinched "sorry-about-him" kind of look, and I was off to serve my other tables.

It wasn't my finest customer service moment, but it got the point across to that guy. As I walked away, I heard on of his friends exclaim, "See!  Kyle fixed it!"  I had introduced myself to the table earlier.  The guy devoured his perfectly explained burger and fries without further complaint.  In fact, I returned later to refill his fries and drink and the man was singing a new tune.

By the time the group left that night, the man shook my hand, thanked me for accommodating his group (he was the one who called ahead), tipped me almost 30%, and made sure to say he would come back again in the future.

Sometimes we go into a situation thinking things are going to be one way when they are actually going to be another.  This goes for that man and for me.  He came into the situation thinking he was going to be disappointed by his experience, and it almost made it come true.  I quickly followed suit and thought this guy was going to be an asshole and never redeem himself.  Both of us were wrong.  There were a couple of bumps along the way, but we inevitably found our way to having a mutually positive experience.

In both our cases, we needed to get past ourselves and simply focus on the other person.  He didn't understand the work involved in serving a party of his size with separate tickets and other restaurant concerns, and I didn't think about the fact that he might have had some really negative restaurant experiences that jaded him.  In the end, we both proved our first impressions wrong.  I guess we just need to keep our minds open to the experience and let it all shake loose as it will.

Sometimes even our negative experiences wind up doing something positive for us.

Bar Notes: Orenco Taphouse

Last night I got the opportunity to head over to the Orenco Taphouse on 1198 NE Orenco Station Parkway in Hillsboro, Oregon.  I was meeting a friend and colleague from Pacific University there and it was close for both of us as I was teaching that day.  As per my usual, I arrived early.  I'm habitually punctual, can't help it.  As I'd never been there before, it took me a minute to identify the place in the dense neighborhood of Orenco Station.  Once I did, I was in for a treat.

Image courtesy of Yelp

The Taphouse is a minimalist space on the corner, and upon entering you get a nice open feel to the place.  The style is industrial, with a lot of concrete, steel, and high ceilings, but with most of the tables occupied on a Tuesday night at six, it felt warm and inviting.  It was nice to step out of the rain and into this friendly space.
The service at Orenco Taphouse is minimalist too, in the good sense.  Customers are greeted with a giant television above the bar that displays the 20 rotating beers currently on tap, their relevant details (hop source, ABV, etc), and the price.  It even displays the style of glass you will get with the ounces displayed alongside the price.  It is full disclosure at the Orenco Taphouse.  There is even a clever graphical display that tells you how full the kegs are.  See the image below for what I'm talking about.

Photo courtesy of Home Brew Talk discussion board user Fuzze Wuzze
This board is actually from Bailey's Taproom, but Orenco Taphouse uses the same technology.

When you finish reading through the choices on the board, you step up to the bar and place your order for a taste or a glass.  The servers behind the bar were knowledgeable and friendly.  I was impressed by their ability to discuss any of the beers on tap.  The Taphouse isn't a table service type of joint.  This is very much a belly up to the bar kind of establishment.

Also, they don't serve their own food, but work in conjunction with other local businesses to have food brought in.  They have some light bar snacks for $1/$2, but you are otherwise phoning in your order.  I think this is great.  Orenco isn't trying to be everything to everybody.  They bring the beer and their knowledge to the party; let others take care of the food (which could be my new party philosophy!).

I had a glass of Cascade's Bipolar Imperial IPA and a Pils by Commons Brewing.  Both beers were excellent examples of their style.  I could have stayed and had more, but I had to beat feet before I had to phone for a ride home.  Always drink responsibly, folks!

Overall, I had a great experience at Orenco Taphouse.  It was exactly what one should expect from a taphouse: good beer and good conversation in a casual, drop-in neighborhood environment.  I will return when I'm meeting people on that side of town.

Thanks, Brent Johnson, for the invite and for bringing the A-game conversation.