Good, Clean Food

Russian River Brewing Pairing Dinner tickets still available

Leslie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:27:14 +0000

It’s becoming a tradition at Venti’s — our annual Russian River Brewing Co. Pairing Dinner is happening on Monday, April 29 at 6pm. You’ve probably heard lore about Pliny the Younger. Now is your chance to enjoy this fabled beer with some wonderful food, paired by our kitchen geniuses.

Tickets are LIMITED and available only at the Taphouse 2840 Commercial St S, Salem, OR 97302!

Call for more info. If you buy your tickets over the phone we can mail them out to ya!
Taphouse 503-391-5100

Russian River Beer Pairing Dinner
Monday, April 29 • 6p • 21+
five courses • five beers
$85 (includes gratuity)

1st course
Beer pairing – Damnation
Amuse Bouche: Deconstructed bruschetta Pomodoro in aspic w/ Parmesan crisp & balsamic syrup

2nd course
Beer pairing – Pliny the Elder
Fresh sea urchin w/ braised fennel soup

3rd course
Beer pairing – Supplication
Grilled octopus & sorrel salad w/ radish, curly chicory & a pomegranate vinaigrette

Intermezzo
Cucumber granite

4th course
Beer pairing – Pliny the Younger
Braised lamb shank w/ lentils & golden raisins

5th course
Beer pairing – Sanctification
Cherry clafoutis w/ crème fraiche

Russian River Brewing Company is located in Sonoma County, CA. Read more about this creative brewery at their web site.

Russian River Pairing Dinner is ON! Tickets available tonight at Taphouse!

Leslie — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:56:18 +0000

Tickets are LIMITED! Friday, March 15 at the Scott Law Electric Band live Craft Brewed Concert, we’ll be tapping a keg of Pliny the Elder at the ticket release party! 9pm 21+

Russian River
Beer Pairing Dinner
Monday, April 29 • 6p • 21+
five courses • five beers
$85 (includes gratuity)

1st course
Beer pairing – Damnation
Amuse Bouche: Deconstructed bruschetta Pomodoro in aspic w/ Parmesan crisp & balsamic syrup

2nd course
Beer pairing – Pliny the Elder
Fresh sea urchin w/ braised fennel soup

3rd course
Beer pairing – Supplication
Grilled octopus & sorrel salad w/ radish, curly chicory & a pomegranate vinaigrette

Intermezzo
Cucumber granite

4th course
Beer pairing – Pliny the Younger
Braised lamb shank w/ lentils & golden raisins

5th course
Beer pairing – Sanctification
Cherry clafoutis w/ crème fraiche

Russian River Brewing Company is located in Sonoma County, CA. Read more about this creative brewery at their web site.

Venti’s in the news

Leslie — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:43:19 +0000

If you haven’t already seen, Venti’s Taphouse has been featured in several regional and local publications!

The Statesman Journal ran a piece highlighting after hours and entertainment at the Taphouse (2840 Commercial St SE, Salem, OR 97302) and Basement Bar (325 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301). See the article here: Statesman Journal

The Salem Weekly‘s piece highlighted beer-pairing events, as well as the buzz about the growing beer culture in Salem.

Check out the Oregon Beer Growler for Venti’s recipes and beer pairings!

Dark Snow Project

Leslie — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:22:42 +0000

Dr. Jason E. Box, my brother, has started a crowdsource fundraising drive to finance an expedition to investigate/measure the impact of wildfire and industrial black carbon ‘soot’ on the darkening of snow and ice. The darkening increases absorbed sunlight, multiplying the impact of heat-driven melt processes.

A well made 8+ minute YouTube mini documentary on the subject is found at Sampling Greenland: The Dark Snow Project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vT6H7HPWkqU

Check out the project’s minidoc, website twitter and FaceBook channels.

Consider a project donation at darksnowproject.org.

Downtown Salem living?

Leslie — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:54:18 +0000

We were visited this morning by Annie from the City of Salem, who is working on

Thank you for your input and ideas this morning regarding the North Downtown Housing Investment Strategy. I’m including additional text below in the case that any of this is useful for the blog or Facebook posts you mentioned. Thank you for your help in getting the word out!

Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency (Agency) has identified the area north of Union Street as likely to develop into a new, mixed use neighborhood with housing available to a range of income levels. The Agency is pursuing the North Downtown Housing Investment Strategy as a first step in identifying demand for housing in this area. A survey has been developed to better understand demand for future housing in North Downtown and to help inform decisions about the downtown area.

Responding to the survey is expected to take approximately 5 minutes.

To complete the survey please visit:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CSDSXFY (English)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9BK7H2N (Spanish)

There will be other opportunities to provide input, including through focus group discussions. If you’d like to receive a copy of the survey results and/or participate in a focus group, please contact Annie Gorski at agorski@cityofsalem.net or 503-588-6178.

Thank you!

Whoa! Lots going on in February at the Taphouse

Leslie — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:13:19 +0000

///// FEBRUARY /////
Free 21+
Craft Brewed Concerts
Friday, Feb 8th The Student Loan + Pliny the Elder

Free 21+
Craft Brewed Concerts
Saturday, Feb 9th Shook Twins – Dogfish Head Brewing party w/ rep Jim Ford

Wednesday, February 13
Beer Geek – bread
Trays available in the dining room and bar starting at 4p and the group “pow wow” where we taste and talk about the pairings together starts at 8p, and last for about an hour. Trays are available until close at 11:30p or until they sell out.

Saturday, Feb 16

Zwicklemania 5-9 All Star Oregon taster tray available all day

For more events, check out ventiscafe.com/events

Salem Restaurant Week

Leslie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:30:43 +0000

Join Venti’s and many other Salem area restaurants this week for the 2nd annual Salem Restaurant Week, Jan. 14-20, 2013.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce is working with a variety of businesses and organizations to make this happen.

Simply put, a restaurant week is a celebration of the culinary talents of area restaurants. During restaurant week, restaurants offer specially priced three-course menus. Chefs work hard year round to take care of their customers. During restaurant weeks, they go above and beyond. The concept originated in New York City in the early nineties and caught on in Salem in 2012.

We are offering a three course meal and flight at the Taphouse for $29. The flight is a chance to experience carefully prepared meal and craft beer.

Course 1: Chevre Salad Herbed goat cheese, caramelized apples & almonds, shredded carrots & cucumber over a bed of mixed greens & garnished w/ fresh apple — paired w/ Corsendonk Blonde (6.50% ABV)

Course 2: Sautéed halibut Halibut sautéed w/ fresh lemon & olive oil on a bed of baby greens — paired w/ Hefeweizen (approx 4.90% ABV)

Course 3: Chocolate torte w/ raspberry coulis — paired w/ Widmer Milk Stout 7.60% ABV

:::::::

Downtown we are offering a single meal option paired w/ Ninkasi Tricerahops for $11.

Veggie Thai Peanut Wrap Steamed seasonal veggies w/ cucumber, basil, red onion topped w/ peanut sauce & crushed peanuts. — paired w/ Tricerahops (8oz pour; 8.80% ABV)

December-January basement art // Robin Cunningham

Leslie — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:08:03 +0000

Framed collages by Salem-area artist Robin Cunninham are on display in the Basement through January 2013. These offbeat and colorful images are friendly and funny, some portraying animals, flowers and a cheeky messages. Email Robin for information about purchasing her work.

Artist’s Statement:

Magazines, advertisements, wrapping paper, old calendars, tissue boxes, wall paper scraps, brochures, journals, anything that you might throw out is fair game for my collages. As I cut out interesting objects, people, animals, etc., a story will begin to emerge. Humor plays a role, but forcing disparate patterns, shapes and colors together into something fun or interesting is a challenge I enjoy, a bit like working a puzzle. Of late I’ve had the pleasure of bringing pages of old magazines and photos back into public view for the first time in decades and this gives me a peculiar thrill.

Artist’s Bio:

My family was too poor to afford art supplies, but if I came by a blank piece of paper I could fold it into 16 rectangles which equals 32 little drawings counting both sides. When paper was unavailable, the twigs on our front porch could be formed into images, or I could look up into the tree branches and combine the lines into pictures in my mind. I was fortunate to become a scholarship student at the Des Moines Art Center, which lasted many years and gave me the beginnings of an art foundation. The University of Iowa, San Jose State University, and the University of Colorado furthered my art education, and now it continues merrily through the time I spend working and volunteering at the Salem Art Association.

Lagunitas Beer Pairing Dinner Monday, January 21

Leslie — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:21:08 +0000

Lagunitas Brewing Company Pairing Dinner

Come join us for a celebration of craft beer, featuring the Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, Calif. Expand your beer knowledge as you enjoy a perfectly paired four course craft beer dinner and an intermezzo. Tickets now available at either Venti’s location! Event is 21+, tickets $70 per person.

Menu below:
1st course
Honey lemon micro green salad w/ goat cheese, candied almonds & dried cranberries
Paired w/ Czech Pilsner • 38 IBU • 5.3% ABV

2nd course
Oat-crusted halibut w/ citrus gastrique  & caramel butter sauce
Paired w/ Lucky 13 • 77 IBU • 8.3% ABV

Intermezzo
Fig & vanilla bean ice cream
Paired w/ Brown Shugga • 52 IBU • 9.8% ABV

3rd Course
Braised pork w/ apricot chutney & celery root puree
Paired w/ Little Sumpin Wild • 73 IBU • 8.8% ABV

4th Course
Hazelnut baklava
Paired w/ ’07 Gnarley Wine • 69 IBU • 10.6% ABV.

Special thanks to Tyler Gresley for creating the beer-pairing menu.

Curious about spicy food pairings?

Leslie — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 23:41:05 +0000

Spicy foods like our curry can be paired with a hoppy beer like Pale Ale or India Pale Ale which intensify the spice sensation or with a Porter or Stout as a counterpoint to the spice. These roasty, full bodied, dark beers quell the spice and prepare your palate for the next bite. Pick your beer pairing next time you try our yellow or green curry.