There are few things in this world that truly deserve being dubbed "quaint." However, there is a bar in northeast Portland that wholly merits such a label. A Michigan-style pub, Saraveza feels very cozy with its ever-frosted windows and woody atmosphere. The first thing I tell people about their pub, though, is that they have Hamms on tap and it's the only beer they serve in a frosted mug. I love it! Plus you are given your beer, which is spilling over with foam, by arguably the best bartender I've known.
Anyway, enough unsolicited promotion of my favorite bar. The point is that they make delicious pasties. Before trying their version of this commonly vilified dish, I had believed pasties to be a boring tradition of Midwestern cuisine. The only pasty I remember eating before was filled with tasteless ground beef and cold mashed potatoes. But the pasties at Saraveza are stuffed with a deliciously flavorful stew wrapped in a crisp pastry. Each pasty is served with an unusual variety of pickled vegetables and a selection of homemade sauces, my favorite being a habanero sweet mustard.
