 Everybody’s Brewing Thursday Tid Bits
•Native Cafe will change their hours to be 7am - 3pm everyday but they will extend their hours in the summer. There are many fun opportunities to ring in the new year in the Gorge. •Skamania Lodge is having a New Year’s Eve buffet on the 31st in their Cascade dining room. Be sure to call for Reservations. •Double Mountain is having a New Year’s Eve Party at the Hood River Taproom! There will be music, dancing and of course a champagne toast. Also, Double Mountain is bringing back trivia every Wednesday beginning January 10th. •Everybody’s Brewing’s New Year’s Eve special is prime rib with horseradish, au jus, broccolini and mashed potatoes. And the party will continue for a New Year’s Day brunch on January 1st from 11:30 am- 3:00pm! •Events at KickStand Coffee & Kitchen continue with live music Wednesdays, as well as a New Year’s Day Champagne brunch! •Working Hands Fermentation is going back in time to the 80s for their New Year’s Eve party. The party starts at 7pm. •Watch the firework show from the outdoor heated seating area at Crush Cider! They will be open New Year’s Eve up until the end of the fireworks. • Cousins' Restaurant & Saloon in the Dalles will have rib eye steak on the menu for a New Year’s Eve special.
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Porrón Cellars makes wine accessible, educational, socialBy Laurel Brown Columbia Gorge News HOOD RIVER — The gray days of the Gorge are officially here, but many new social rooms have opened over the last year to keep locals entertained and engaged with the town. One such place is Porrón Cellars on Second Street in Hood River. Porrón is a wine bar and tasting room that opened Memorial Day 2023 by Owner Danielle Mounts. A porrón is also a type of communal vessel used for pouring wine into a glass or someone’s mouth. Sharing this social tradition from Spain and offering fun times by way of wine is what Mounts is all about. “I love my wine accessories … In a more civilized manner, [a porrón] can be a wine decanter,” she said. After fostering her passion for wine over the years, Mounts is excited for her new chapter at Porrón, down to the details like naming the space for her good memories and love of wine.  Porrón Cellars Originally from a small town in Illinois, Mounts considers Chicago home but has lived all over the world. For a period she resided in Europe for a career unrelated to wine; however, her love for it grew and she found herself exploring the regions through food and wine tastings.  Porrón Cellars Mounts began working in hospitality in 2001 in Chicago, quickly rising to management and growing her passion as beverage director at the W Hotel. “I finally made my leap to the Northwest in 2008, with every intention of finding my place in wine,” she said. She spent six years at La Bottega in Vancouver, Wash., enjoying the variety of her job, from managing to serving to hosting tastings. The chef there was an inspiration to her, which is when she remembers getting serious about wines. They would sample international wines at work and Mounts began keeping journals and educating herself on winemaking processes and regions. She knew she had to take it further, so she decided to spend time in wine distribution and trained as a sommelier through the Court of Masters, all the while searching for a vineyard to call home. “I always thought I would end up in the Willamette Valley, me being the Pinot Noir lover that I am, but I discovered the whole world of Columbia Valley wines,” Mounts said. “Washington State was so much more than just the beloved pinot noir. I actually foundmerlots I love!” Mounts found a position at Cascade Cliffs Vineyard and Winery managing their tasting room and eventually became direct sales manager. She spent eight years there, learning about winery operations and nuances of the grapes and vineyards of the Gorge. “The smell of fresh barrels and harvest, I think I will have dreams of [the Cascade Cliffs vineyard] for as long as I live, it is that breathtaking,” she said.  Porrón Cellars In addition to the beauty of the landscape, the Gorge offers a community-building aspect to Mounts’ understanding of wine. It is a common denominator that brings people together despite demographics or differences and is a huge influence in the international wine industry. “There’s something here for everybody,” Mounts said. When she first dreamed of opening her own place, Mounts envisioned something like her local watering hole in Chicago called The 3 Arts Club. “It had an underground atmosphere, music, local artist displays, and a stellar wine list. I remember wishing I could have a place like that someday,” she said. Fast forward to the day Mounts met local photographer Blaine Franger at Mylan Winery in Hood River and learned of his sharable gallery space. Of course, Porrón Cellars was born of this interaction and now The Blaine & Bethany Art Gallery splits space with Mounts’ business. Franger prints most of his images on metal, giving the cellar a shiny, backlit atmosphere. The landscapes and nature scenes are often stunning, yet familiar views of the Columbia River that invite guests to more deeply appreciate the land and cultivation of their wine. “It’s like having windows to the Gorge,” Mounts said of the photos. With ever-changing options, Porrón offers wine by the glass and occasional special events featuring guest pours from different regions or food spreads to pair. “Supporting small producers is very important to me, so I always feature them by the glass,” Mounts shared. She listed producers such as Willow Wine Cellars, ClyzmWines, Timothy Malone and Landmass.
“It’s a joy that my friend’s wines have become my best sellers. There are so many small producers that are finding their voice through wine, and I am always excited to be able to offer them here at Porrón Cellars.” Select wines have become staples for returning patrons and bestsellers are often kept in stock or offered in curated club packages. The Diamond Club, for example, features all bubbles like champagnes and sparkling wines. She also offers holiday seasonals like ports and Madeira, which make for great winter sippers. Mounts said that while her goal is to travel through wine and experience different cultures, she simply loves to see people having a good time. “I want people to feel comfortable with wine, not intimated by it. It is after all fermented grape juice.” Each week at Porrón features a different wine experience with a new theme and region. This education effort is highly rewarding for Mounts and contributes to the gallery-speakeasy feel of the space. “The blackboard changes every week, different region, different map, different wines, different history, and different story. It’s wonderful to see so many wine lovers expanding their knowledge and palates,” she said. She plans to continue her work of wine accessibility for locals too with her latest project creating a wine storage speakeasy on the opposite wall of Porrón. Once a coal room used to heat the entire building, Mounts plans to turn the space into underground wine lockers that people can rent for their personal collections. Storage would be offered at cellar temperatures and include a self-serve bar and lounge area. For those interested in trying wines or exchanging notes with Danielle Mounts, Porrón is open Thursday through Monday from 1- 8 or 9 p.m. Mounts is also starting wine education nights with blind tastings for industry workers the first Monday of every month beginning in January.  Analemma Wines Thursday Tidbits • Solstice Wood Fire Cafe and Bar is celebrating the Solstice tradition with fire dancing performances from the Rouge Flow Collective today! There will be two shows one will be at 4:30PM and the other is at 6:30PM. Wear something warm and sip a drink after your meal while you watch the show on the balcony. • Celilo restaurant & bar is adding a new salmon dish with Pacific Coho from Fishpeople Seafood Market at Hood River. • Volcanic Bottle Shoppe, located at 1410 12th St. Hood River Heights, is throwing a last minute market on December 22nd. Get there by 2pm to see lots of locally made art to give as gifts to others or yourself. • The Pines 1852 is having an ugly sweater holiday party. There will be live music and also happy hour prices for everyone who dresses up in their best, or worst, holiday attire. • Head to Mosier this Saturday to try a wine pairing at Analemma Wines. Chef Mark DeResta from Riverside is making Gifford Pinchot mushroom bruschetta. Cheers!  Celilo Restaurant and Bar Remember to tag Hood River Eats in your social media posts about any new specials or events happening in the Gorge to be reposted.
Get Cozy at Ferment Brewing: heated yurts, barrel aged beers, brunch, and seasonal menu revamp12/17/2023  Ferment Brewing By Ferment Brewing
HOOD RIVER — As the temperature drops and nights grow longer, Hood River’s acclaimed Ferment Brewing is pulling out all the stops for a world-class, chilly weather brewery experience. On Nov. 12, the brewery announced the release of three-barrel aged beers, a revamped food menu to include seasonal dishes and weekend brunch. By the end of the week the restaurant will have heated yurts installed on the brewery patio overlooking the Columbia River. Ferment’s heated patio yurts provide cozy and private spaces that are perfect for gathering with friends to enjoy beer and the latest seasonal menu items including miso-maple brusselsprouts, homemade soups, sweet and spicy popcorn chicken, warm artichoke dip, pumpkin spice sundaes and warm stout brownies. Brunch is also now available at Ferment on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The menu includes a variety of brunch cocktails, homemade biscuits and bacon gravy; fried chicken and pancakes; a Ferment breakfast plate with housemade jam; yogurt with Oregon berries, granola, honey, and fermented blueberry sauce; smoked salmon toast on local sourdough; rotisserie pork sandwich with Ferment kimchi, bacon, egg, and kewpie mayo; and cinnamon sugar donut bites with amaretto icing. Ferment Brewing’s three-barrel aged beers are true winter warmers; clocking in between 11% - 13% ABV and displaying rich complexities that beg for contemplative sipping. The limited beers include Imperial Stout, and Barleywine Ale — which are available on tap and in 500ml bottles at the brewery and throughout Ferment’s distribution — along with Farm to Market Blend No. 27, a Zupan’s Market collaboration available in 500ml bottles in Oregon. -Imperial Stout — Our 2023 Imperial Stout was aged in a mix of whiskey and red wine barrels and carries notes of coffee, dried fruits, juicy berries, leather, and oak. 13% ABV -Farm to Market Blend No. 27 — A collaboration with Zupan’s Markets, this bold, rich, and roasty Imperial Stout was matured in Bourbon barrels that last housed a Red Wine blend, resulting in layers of dark cherry, salted caramel, and a note of dark chocolate that cuts to the finish. 13% ABV -Barleywine Ale — This third-annual rendition was brewed with a blend of seven different malts from Europe and aged in a variety of oak barrels. Expect deep layers of toasted bread, dried fruit and toffee. This beer just won a Silver Medal in SIP’s Best of the NW competition. 11% ABV  Brigham Fish Market
 Fish People Seafood Market  Confluence Cafe Confluence opens in lyleBy Kathy Watson Leave Hood River, White Salmon or Bingen, head east on SR 14, and you enter a coffee desert that ends in, oh … Pendleton. With the opening of the new Confluence Cafe in Lyle, you can tame your caffeine beast in style long before you leave the Gorge. The cafe in the remodeled building that overlooks the mouth of the Klickitat River is made light, bright and chic by owners Mary Kleihege and John Streur, the folks who own Little 77 Ranch just up old Highway 8. The space boasts live edge wood tables, wood paneling and trim from local fir milled in the ranch’s own sawmill. Confluence occupies the east end of the building. The west end will be a new tasting room for Domaine Poullion. Yes, you’ll be able to hang out on the deck above the river with a cappucino in one hand and a Katydid in the other.  Confluence Cafe Confluence Cafe owners Ali Hammerstadt and Matt Bynum feature coffee from Portland roaster Coava, pastries from White Salmon Baking Co. and Edeske Patisserie in Hood River. On their first day, November 17, locals poured in. Ali pulls a mean espresso from the deep, mellow Coava beans. Now when you take a hike on the Klickitat River Trail, bird watch at the river mouth, or hoist a kite off the sandbar, there’s a good coffee and pastry waiting for you. Hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Kathy Watson  Confluence Cafe  Dani's Kitchen Shop Thursday Tidbits
 Fluffy & Festive Brunch Bites by Sarah Harper Mini Sweet Cream Kefir Pancakes with Maple Peanut Butter Sauce Celebrate the magic of the holiday season with these festive brunch bites. At this time of year, families gather for brunch in their festive PJs and fuzzy slippers. It's a time for shared warmth, joy, and nourishing foods. Enjoy this winter's festivities with Mini Sweet Cream Kefir Pancakes ornamented with crispy apples, succulent Maple Peanut Butter Sauce, and your favorite brunch beverages. The Sweet Cream Pancakes are slightly sweet, satisfyingly fluffy, and the perfect base to drizzle a sweet yet nutty Maple Peanut Butter Sauce. Pair the pancakes with vibrant sliced apples to add nutritional value. Moreover, apples are an excellent vessel for the Maple Peanut Butter Sauce. Adjust the sauce's sweetness with more or less maple syrup to suit your taste. Mini Sweet Cream Kefir Pancakes with Maple Peanut Butter SauceTime: approx. 30 minutes Servings: 4-6 servings Ingredients: Mini Sweet Cream Kefir Pancakes
Directions: Sweet Cream Kefir Pancakes Preheat Griddle: Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter, avocado oil, or cooking spray. I like to use a combination of a bit of butter and avocado oil. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Combine Wet Ingredients: In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, kefir, whipping cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix the Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Take care to not overmix; it's okay if there are a few lumps in the batter. Cook the Pancakes: Pour 2 tbsp of the batter for each pancake onto the griddle (I used a ¼ cup measuring cup and filled it ~½ way. Cook until bubbles form on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook the other side until the pancakes are golden brown. Maple Peanut Butter Sauce Combine Ingredients: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Warm and Serve: Gently heat the mixture, stirring continuously until the ingredients are combined. Drizzle the Maple Peanut Butter Sauce over the Mini Sweet Cream Pancakes. Serve them with sliced apples, fresh berries, whipped cream, nuts, or any of your other favorite toppings. Enjoy! Recipe Notes: To make normal-sized pancakes, use a full ¼ cup of batter when cooking. This recipe makes a delicious waffle batter, too. Pour ¾ cups batter into the entire lower grid of your waffle maker. For cooking waffles in a waffle iron, cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Sarah Harper is a Registered Dietitian, creator, and one of many eaters behind The Addy Bean. She is also an avid hiker, a registered yoga instructor, and a former nursing home dietitian. Based in Hood River, Oregon, Sarah lives with her husband Jacob, her dog Huey and her blog’s namesake – her cat Adeline.
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