Hash Chapstick®. Say what? Is this a Napoleon Dynamite hashcapade? No, it’s the caffeine-fueled musings of my posse during a recent hash extravaganza at Blue Pig Cafe. You see, we were continuing our brainstorming session for new ways to re-purpose potato hash. Unfortunately, we crossed over into a surreal culinary experiment gone wrong. Fortunately, it was just a thought experiment – no harm, no foul! But I digress.
Blue Pig Cafe opened its new location on SE Hawthorne and SE 20th late last year. Blessed with a cornucopia of hash excess in almost all dimensions – number of hashes offered (6), portion size (can you say food coma?) and flavor (garlic lovers unite!), I simply had to make a pilgrimage – a hash hajj! (Allah, save me from myself.)
Soooooo, we arrived early to discover an open and inviting great room endowed with enough glass to capture and magnify UV rays from even the grayest Portland morning. Our rock star waitress, Dana, made us feel like culinary celebrities! She diligently filled our coffee, deftly shifted a matrix of tables as the posse arrived, and attended to our every need. Awesome service!
And now to the hash itself. I’m pretty sure this is the highest percentage of hash orders for a hashcapade ever. Clockwise from upper left, we chowed down on: Spanish Chorizo Hash, Veggie Hash, Pork Belly Hash and Corned Beef Hash. Had I been more organized, I would have made sure we ordered all 6 plus the special Pastrami Hash. But, my lack of organizational skills gives me an excuse to return – yusss!
I ordered the Spanish Chorizo Hash with piquant chorizo, shredded potatoes, peppers, caramelized onion, green olive tepanade, pimetón, two poached eggs, and – get ready – shredded Manchego cheese! Co-owner Mike Garofalo’s mega-hash creation had a nice, spicy kick, which was nicely balanced by the manchego cheese + egg yolk. I can’t wait to try his Smoked Salmon Hash.
Thanks to my hashcapade posse: Cory, Mary, Jen, Mark, Lisa, Dave, Lars, Maria, Lindsey and Don and to Blue Pig Cafe for a fabulous time!
Happy Hashcapades,
Clark
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