Memorial Weekend, Rooftop Portland

A couple weeks back when Chris and Perrin visited us in McMinnville, the girls hatched a plan to pick up some sushi and meet at the coast this weekend. With this COVID pandemic, all our calendars are out of kilter, and none of us realized that it was Memorial Weekend.

In years past, Memorial Weekend was a huge event in the wine industry and would not have been anything to slip my mind. We had originally thought that we might find a safe spot to sit and watch the waves roll in off the Pacific, but certainly not on Memorial Weekend with its attendant traffic and thickets of visitors.

Once the powers that be realized that our coast foray was scheduled for Memorial Weekend, Plan A quickly morphed to Plan B: get some sushi and hang out on the rooftop of Chris and Perrin's apartment building in Southeast. Perrin also invited her friends Bridget and Michael.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I guess I was thinking back to the days of hanging out on the flatter parts of a rooftop in college and drinking a few beers. I certainly did not expect a deluxe rooftop party pad with furniture, a fire pit, a sound system, and a couple of grills! Somebody—not naming names here—is living large!

This Rooftop is Sweet

Ann and I Arrive with Flowers and Drinks

Flowers from our Garden

Just before we left McMinnville for the hour-long ride to Portland, I cut some flowers from our garden: twinberry honeysuckle, lovage, calendula, chives, allium, rosemary, and lavender. Note to self: twinberry does not hold up as a cut flower.

           

Greeted with a Glass of Bubbly

Perrin greeted us with a glass of sparkling wine. It's probably not at all coincidental that we also brought sparkling wine and lager beer, two of the best pairings with sushi. I love the bubbles in wine or beer with sushi: they scour the palate.

For most white fish, I want the lemony notes blanc de blancs sparkling; for red and dark fish, I want the subtle red fruit notes of blanc de noirs. When I don't know what we're having, I go for blanc de noirs. As for beer, lightly hopped and crisp is my rule. Being a huge IPA fan, this is pretty much the only time I reach for lager.

I've never been a fan of pairing sake and sushi. It strikes me as rice on rice and it just isn't done in Japan for that reason. I prefer great sake on its own so that I can appreciate the subtle floral notes without interference from food.

           

What to Drink with Sushi: Bubbles

           

What to Drink with Sushi: Lager

Photobombed by an Osprey!

Solving Problems One Beer at a Time

Two Peas in a Pod!

           

She's Got Stars in Her Eyes!

           

When we got there, Perrin and Chris had the rooftop decorated and tunes going on the sound system. Perrin thinks of everything from chop sticks to soy sauce bowls.

           

Perrin Thinks of Everything

They had arranged to get take-out sushi from both Afuri and Nimblefish, a beautiful selection sashimi, nigiri, and maki.

After being holed up at our house in the valley, what a great treat it was to head into the city. More importantly, this was the first sushi we've had since coming to Oregon in 2017. We're scared to try the local sushi joints. Chris and Perrin, thanks for your friendship and your hospitality: our treat next time!