Thanks @BridgePort Ale House for a National Pretzel Day Success!

National Pretzel Day with BridgePort Ale House was a success! Huge thanks to Chef Jun and his staff for creating a delicious pretzel-inspired menu and to all of my friends (and new friends) for supporting my first pretzel event!

Sausage Sando, Pretzel Fudge Brownie, Chicken Schnitzel, Ale Nuts (Pretzel Edition), $3 pints, pipe cleaner pretzels, and a Twitter contest for the chance to win $20 to BridgePort Ale House? Need I say more?

I personally took delight in the Sausage Sando, porky patty with apple, bacon, sage + walnut, red cabbage slaw, smoked cheddar cheese sauce + crisp bacon, all stuffed into a BridgePort bakery pretzel bun. It was simply irresistible.

The pretzel fudge brownie created the perfect ending to a successful night - chocolate brownie with peanut butter pretzel crust in the most mouth-watering frosting.

Check out some of the highlights below:

Just Celebrating National Pretzel Day!

Happy National Pretzel Day!

Happy National Pretzel Day!

Have you ever wondered where the phrase 'tie the knot' comes from? Legend has it that during a couples' wedding, the bride and groom would break a pretzel (like a wishbone) and eat it to symbolize their unity. In celebration of National Pretzel Day I wanted to take the opportunity to not only give you random #PretzelFacts but also provide you with a little background on this savory little snack...

It is believed that pretzels were invented by monks around 610 AD out of left over dough. The "twist" was a result of them trying to resemble a traditional prayer pose. The interconnected sections later helped monks teach (and reward) children about the holy trinity.It wasn't until around 1850 that the first pretzel was made in America, by a Philadelphia baker who was given the recipe by a German "drifter" who later became his apprentice.

There you have it, even pretzels have a fascinating history.

If you're reading this blog post today, I hope you are taking a moment to grab a pretzel at a nearby restaurant/bar and enjoying every last bite. Twitpic a picture of your pretzel to @PDXPretzels too if you get the chance and let's make National #PretzelDay a day to remember!

Sneak Peek: Jun's National Pretzel Day Menu

Portlandians get excited, because Jun Robles has prepared quite a treat for Thursday's National Pretzel Day! Taking a bit of a twist from regular pub pretzels, he has found a way to incorporate this tasty little treat into four delicious meal options, including a must-try Pretzel Fudge Brownie.

Did I mention that if you order from this menu from 6-8 you will get $3 pints on BridgePort beer? Now who is interested?

Check it out below and get those taste buds ready for some fun!

Looking forward to seeing some friendly faces!

Save the Date! Thursday is National Pretzel Day!

For those of you Portlandians who are avidly reading my little blog feel free to join me and my friends at BridgePort Ale House in Portland (Hawthorne location) for a “Tweet-Up” and celebrate National Pretzel Day in style!

Jun Robles, head chef at BridgePort Ale House, will be creating a special happy hour menu with a “twist” - those who order from the menu between 6-8PM will be receiving happy hour pricing on beer!  For those who like to Tweet, there will be a Twitter competition for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the Ale House! Start following @BPAlehouse and @PDXPretzels now to get a head start on your competition...

If you haven't yet experienced Jun Robles' cuisine you are in for a real treat. He is quite the chef and puts passion and precision into each of item of his menu. He was recently featured on EaterPDX and Portland Monthly getting well-deserved credit for his tasty Asian-American inspired creations.

Details:

Date: April 26, 2012

Location: BridgePort Ale House; 3652 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR

Time: 6-8PM

OR 

Check out the event on Facebook and invite your friends here.

BridgePort Brew Pub

Today I must brag about BRIDGEPORT BREWPUB located in the NW district, on 1313 NW Marshall. The atmosphere here is pretty awesome, calm, lots of room and a great place to catch up with a friend or grab something to eat by yourself and watch a game. They start opening outdoor seating starting in May, so highly recommend checking it out then for sure. Now to the pretzels! Not one, but three pretzels (which is great for larger groups, but sadly I think even in splitting these with my friend, I had more than one and half of this plate o' pretzels.)

The porter cheddar spread is seen on the left, delicious!

The pretzels come with two dipping sauces, a kingpin honey mustard (which is a bit spicy) and the porter cheddar spread (highly recommend!) I washed my pretzel(s) down with one of their Summer Squeeze Bright Ales and I must say it was a pretty great combination. 

BridgePort BrewPub Pretzels are four twists, I would eat them any day.

Prost! Pretzels!

 For those looking for little German style pub, look no further than Prost! This quaint little Portland brew pub, located in the Mississippi district (4237 N Mississippi Ave), is a fun place to go with friends, and for pretzels! In fact, while I recognize most Portlanders probably don't obsess over these salty little carbs as much as I do, mostly every Portlander can attest that Prost! pretzels are a must have - even if you're too full from 'bier'.

The spicy mustard is really spicy (somewhat like wasabi), and instead of putting salt all over the pretzel they actually have it on the side so each bite can have as much (or as little) salt as your taste-buds desire. I definitely recommend going to Prost! if not for the pretzels, for the atmosphere.

4 Twists for Prost! 

The PERFECT pretzel found in...Pretzel M&M's

Crunchy. Salty. Sweet - need I say more? I think the pretzels within this little bag of M&M's might be the best tasting pretzels I have ever tried (and if you read my blog you know I have had my share of pretzels just within the last few months). Granted, these are not made it Portland, but I found them in Portland (at a Portland Target) surely that counts, right? I highly recommend grabbing a bag of these little guys next time you are out and about - you won't regret it!

Four Full Twists? 

April Fools! Although you can't go wrong with pretzel M&M's these are obviously not even close to being the best tasting pretzels...however, I think the "joke" is really on me though because the Target guy totally called me out for taking a picture of a bag of M&M's...he said "I sometimes also do nerdy things" wow - low point?