Sounds like a tongue twister, posh hashes. Hmmm, rather like trying to pronounce “possesses” after too many mimosas! Or, for students of history, the way Winston Churchill pronounced the letter “s” as “sh”, to compensate for his lisp. (Don’t even try to pronounce Posh Salmon Hashes.) Where is this going? I’m not sure, but I do know that our crew experienced a hashcapade to remember at Gracie’s!
Posh is supposedly an acronym for “Port Out Starboard Home,” the most desirable berths for the voyage to India and back from Britain. In reality, the origin is unclear, but it does evoke the greatness of the British Empire and one of its (and the world’s) finest statesmen, Sir Winston Churchill. Are you with me?
Walk with me as I check out the lobby of the Hotel Deluxe. An array of monitors transports guests to another time and place with classic movie stills – Hepburn and Bogart in African Queen or Gable and Lee in Gone With The Wind. White panels with gold trim throughout the lobby and into Gracie’s itself exude luxury and class. Suddenly, my mind connects these sensory dots into a vivid impressionist image – Posh. Classic. Gracie’s! Now, on to the yummy part…
My hashcapade entourage grew from a dozen to almost two dozen, thanks to the mysterious effects of Cinco de Mayo and the Super Moon the night before. Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s adorned the table in about 5 seconds once our stellar waiter, Jacob, circled our tables with elegant ease and a big smile.
When the food arrived, the table grew quiet for a second as we admired each other’s selections. Suddenly, cameras and cell phones flashed like strobe lights at a disco to capture the masterpieces adorning our table. We had scored the posh brunch to end all brunches!
And the hashes…what can I say. I struggled with my selection, opting for the Cold Smoked Salmon Hash with capers, red onions, hash browns and crème fraîche. Nearby, Lisa ordered the Vegetable Hash and Christian ordered the Corned Beef Hash – yessss – sample buddies!
My Salmon Hash was outstanding – silky yolk and crème fraîche balanced the salty salmon and capers perfectly. The shredded potatoes and onion anchored the heavenly hash in an understated, earthy way that made the whole greater than the sum of the parts! Gracie’s has earned a coveted spot in my top restaurants in Portland for hash – and a posh one at that!
Thanks to my hashcapade entourage: Cory, Mary, Nick, Lisa, Dawn, Lars, Cassi, Nick, Lidia, Ryan, Christian, Alina, Jen, Matt, Cassie, Mark, Tony, Dana, Catherine, Kate, Wendy and Darla; and special thanks to Jacob, Nicole and Kat for impeccable service!
Happy Hashcapades,
Clark
It was most definitely a great hashcapade event at Gracies. When I first saw pictures I thought it was way too formal for us, but what a fantastic place. They made us feel so welcome and Jacob rocked. Next hashcapades we’re getting hats right?
Thanks, Lidia! The challenge for me in this post was communicating the posh, yet casual atmosphere. Other places would be pretentious, but the entire staff was professional, unassuming and lovely!