Sasquatch Brewing Company - Portland, OR

It was my luck that I happen to pick a great summer day to visit the Sasquatch Brewing Company.  I was able to sit outside and enjoy the evening while sipping some really great Pacific Northwest craft beer.

Sasquatch Brewing was not a triple-D restaurant but, it reminded me of one.  Like so many triple-D joints, Sasquatch was a neighborhood restaurant.  There were lots of kids there during the dinner hour.  People were walking up in flip-flops and riding up on bicycles.  There were probably six bikes locked up as they leaned against the rail.  I was glad to be outside with the traffic because it was relatively quiet compared to the noisy kids inside.

I started with a pretzel with syrup and mustard.  The pretzel was very nice fresh baked bread.  The yeasty bread pairs very nicely with the beer.  The mustard had a really nice texture and smell thanks to the maple syrup.  I had never heard of such a combination but, it really worked.  I'm surprised that I found this in Oregon and not Maine but, whatever...

I tried their Hairy Knuckle Stout.  You can check out my Untappd.com review of that beer here.  I also tried their DB Cooper copper ale.  I'm not sure why I didn't review it on untappd but, I didn't.  Both beers were really very good.

I ordered the quinoa hash for my main course.  I'm not sure what I was expecting.  I've had quinoa before and it was very unimpressive even if it is really healthy.  This was actually really excellent.  It had a thin tomato sauce and some other bits of vegetables mixed in.  I figured that it was one of those foo-foo meals where you want to go out for a burger an hour later.   Surprisingly, I was not hungry at all after the quinoa, pretzel and a couple of beers.

Sasquatch was not a triple-D restaurant so, in the rating we take points off for not fitting the diner, drive-inn or dive criteria even though I do not mean to reflect anything negative about the place at all.   Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening and I highly recommend this restaurant.  My rating nonetheless was 8.9; still very respectable even for a restaurant fitting the criteria.



6440 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97239
Phone:(503) 402-1999
http://sasquatchbrewery.com

Aunt Carrie's - Narragansett, RI

Aunt Carries is a family oriented, Rhode Island,  sea side restaurant. It is a neighborhood place that has been around since 1920.  Not surprisingly, they specialize in sea food.

Point Judith is on the western side of Narragansett Bay where it opens out onto Rhode Island Sound and the Long Island Sound.  It's the town where you catch the ferry to Block Island.

They have adirondack chairs outside for waiting that look over the water where you can see the Point Judith Lighthouse.

Service was good.  It was fast, friendly and efficient.

I had the combo special which was a clam chowder and clam fritters.  When you order the chowder, they will ask "white, red or clear."  The white is traditional cream based New England clam chowder. The red is what I've always known as Manhattan clam chowder. The clear is what they add cream to to make the New England style or tomato to to make the Manhattan clam chowder. I had the clear because I had never heard of such a thing.

The clear chowder was really good.   I would describe it more as a fishy soup rather than a hearty chowder.  It is probably healthier but, I would still order the New England clam chowder if I go back again.

What distinguished Aunt Carries for me were the clam fritters. The fritters were just deep fried bread dough with some clam juice added. It doesn't sound good but it tasted really good. There were even a few bits of shell in there to remind you that you are really at the beach.

Across the street was Aunt Carrie's ice cream shop.  I didn't try it but, people seemed to be enjoying themselves there.

We enjoyed it overall.  It was worth the drive down from Boston.  I would rate Aunt Carrie's 8.6 on my ddd review scale.

1240 Ocean Rd
Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 783-7930
http://www.auntcarriesri.com