JETSET JULES Traveler, eater and drinker on a quest for adventure, inspiration and a great new recipe

Every winter, the Shell station on my way to work puts up huge posters in their lot claiming if you buy 10 gallons of gas, you ski for free. It seemed too good to be true, but anytime someone dangles FREE SKIING in front of me, I’m going to look into it.

Turns out, the deal does sound a hell of a lot better than it actually is (though I knew better to think I’d get a $69 day pass at Meadows for $10 worth of gas). The sign should read “Buy 10 gallons of gas, get discounted skiing on select days.”

Here’s the run down:

1. Purchase 10 gallons or more of Shell fuel
2. Have Shell station attendant stamp the voucher AND gas receipt
3. Take voucher and receipt to ski area lift ticket window
4. Purchase one full-price adult lift ticket and receive a second for free
5. FREE lift ticket and purchased adult lift ticket must be used same day

Now, that’s probably still sounding like a pretty sweet deal, but here’s the catch. The resorts on Hood all have different blackout dates and eligible dates and times when you can actually take advantage of the deal.

Mount Hood Meadows– Shell discount only applicable Wednesdays and Thursdays for NIGHT skiing (3-9 pm).

Timberline– Shell discount applicable Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays except March 22-24.

Ski Bowl– Wednesdays 3-10 pm, Fridays 9 am-4pm.

>>Check out the Ski Free Deals website to see more of the blackout dates for other resorts around the country.

My skiing maniac little brother just moved to Telluride, Colorado this past fall. He’s living right in the historic mining town and his “commute” to work is a 3 block walk to the gondola. Rough life.

Because my brother is now a Telluride resident, the fam headed to the San Juans this Christmas to spend some time with my little bro and some time hitting the famed Telluride slopes. The trip was nothing short of fabulous.

Telluride was once a prosperous mining town, and today the town retains it’s historic look and feel. Most of the houses, though now priced in the millions, are charming, historic and sit at the base of the steep slopes. The place looks remarkably similar to a model train village.

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While anything I ever write about the music world will never live up to the quality music journalism by my friend Alison on her FANTASTIC Austin-based music blog, That Mercury Sound (I also suggest you follow her on Twitter @themidnighthour), I still felt complelled to write a little something about the upcoming Amos Lee show at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.

I have loved Amos Lee for several years, and his music helped me through lonely times when I was studying abroad in Paris back in 2005. There is just something so soooothing about his voice. And he’s just SO GOOD live.

I’m glad I snagged tickets for his upcoming show in Portland on January 21. Can’t wait.

>>If you haven’t heard any Amos, I encourage you to check out some of his jams on itunes or take a peek at his tour schedule.

It feels like it’s been non-stop raining here in Portland, and instead of feeling stuck in the house I decided I wanted to go bowling last Saturday. Apparently, I was definitely NOT the only Portlander seeking refuge from the rain in a bowling alley, as there were ridiculously long waits for lanes at both Hollywood Bowl and Grand Central.

But, while failing to bowl on Saturday night, I did notice that Grand Central has 1/2 priced bowling and shoe rentals on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am-noon. So, waking up to the rain again on Sunday, we decided to head down to Grand Central for bloody marys and bowling. I think I discovered one of my new favorite weekend morning combos.

The Deets

Grand Central Bowl
808 SE Morrison
Portland, OR

Saturday and Sunday 9 am-12 pm 50% off bowling and shoe rental. One hour of bowling at regular price $27. See other specials and bowling rates.

As you may have noticed in previous posts (Quest for the Best Bloody Mary in Portland and A New Favorite Brunch Spot), I love to brunch in Portland. However, brunch in the Rose City can be downright competitve. You can easily spend over an hour waiting for a seat at top brunch spots like Screen Door or Tin Shed (though the chicken and waffles and egg sardou at Screen Door are definitely worth the wait). So, when I got a call on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago that our brunch group had grown from 4 to possibly 12, I was scrambling for a spot that could accomodate us all without having to wait most of the day.

Luckily, Simpatica almost immediately came to mind, as I remembered they actually take reservations for groups of more than 8. Score. Plus, Simpatica is delicious (their bloody mary is now in the running for my favorite in Portland), and it was recently rated as one of Portland’s 38 essential restaurants by Eater.com.

The Deets

Simpatica Dining Hall is located 828 SE Ash. Portland, OR

Reservations for brunch for groups of 8 or more

Phone: (503)235-1600

I finally made it up to the mountain last week for my first day back on the slopes this winter. La Nina has blessed the Cascades with plenty of snow this year, which made me eager to get up to Hood and ride freshies.

My personal favorite area on Mt. Hood is Meadows. Not only is it situated higher on the mountain (meaning it’s often snowing at Meadows when it’s raining at Ski Bowl), but it also has the most and, in my opinion, best terrain on Hood. As a Colorado girl whose been spoiled most of her life with great skiing, Meadows’ Heather Canyon remains one of my favorite areas to ski–especially on a big powder day.

Deals

If you are like me and didn’t buy a pass this year, you’re in luck if you still have a hold of your student I.D. Meadows offers a student discount card for $10. Purchase the card at Passholder Services and that becomes your I.D. for receiving discounts for $47 for an offpeak shift ticket, $59 on peak days and just $15 for Meadows After Dark 3 – 9 PM tickets.

Rentals

If you need to rent equipment (like the bf did), the Mountain Shop at 6th and NE Broadway has a good deal. For $25 you can get a boot+ board or boot+ski rental for 2 nights.

The Local Dish recently sent me to a great cooking class at Hipcooks on North Williams here in Portland. The Thai themed class I took not only taught me some new recipes and techniques (I can now make a badass peanut sauce and red curry from scratch), but I also had a really good time.

The cooking classes cost $55, which include all the food you make and then eat, as well as either beer or wine pairings with the meal.

For more info or to see my full review, check out my article: Cooking from the Hip at Portland’s Hipcooks.

The Deets:

Portland Hipcooks
3808 North Williams #120
Portland, OR 97227

Upcoming classes: Check out the class schedule

Website: portland.hipcooks.com

Even though the wait is almost always long, it’s hard not to be a fan of the absolutely delicious food from Pok Pok on SE Division. The place is legendary. So, when I heard that the owners of Pok Pok had opened up a new restaurant called Ping in Chinatown, I knew I had to try it out.

I went for Ping’s great happy hour (2 pm-5:30 pm M-F) awhile back with some friends (get the yummy baby octopus skewers), I had somehow missed ordering the Salapao Thai-style pork buns on that visit. This mistake will never happen again.

The bf and I went to Ping for dinner a few weeks ago and had a fabulous meal (washed down with two whiskey cocktails), but the star of the evening was definitely the Salapao steamed buns stuffed with sweet shredded pork and topped with crispy fried shallots. Good god, these things were good. I’m officially declaring them the best buns in Portland ( at least until the unlikely event that I find a better bun to dethrone them).

The Deets:

Ping
102 nw 4th avenue
portland, oregon. 97209

Happy Hour: M-F 2 pm-5:30 pm
All dishes are under $12

Check out Ping’s Website to see their menu or make reservations.

Like many Portlanders, I’m a big fan of brunch (I am on a quest to find the best bloody mary in Portland). There is something so wonderful about a lazy Sunday morning where you wake up, start drinking before noon and indulge in a fabulous meal.

While Portland has many well known brunch spots with delicious food (every person is obligated to try Screen Door’s Chicken and Waffles once before dying), you can also expect a helluva long wait at some of these hot spots.

And I don’t know about you, but when I’m hungry and hungover (or just hungry) on a Sunday morning, the last thing I want to do is wait an hour to be seated.

Enter Zell’s: An American Cafe, located on 13th and SE Morrison–a cozy, yet elegant neighborhoody place in Buckman that’s housed in an old soda shop with a great counter.

Not only were we able to grab a seat at the bar without waiting at all, but the baked salmon eggs benedict I had was DELICIOUS and under $10 (one of the best benedicts I’ve had in a long time).

And they served up a darn tasty bloody mary too (for $5). Oh, and did I mention they bring you flaky little rolls with raspberry jam to munch on while you wait? I think Zell’s is a new favorite.

The Deets

Zell’s An American Cafe
1300 SE Morrison St
Portland, OR 97214

Entrees: $10 and under
Bloody Mary: $5!
Wait: Not bad at the counter (which is fantastic). Sidewalk coffee if you do wait.

I recently wrote an article for The Local Dish on my picks for Portland’s Top 5 Happy Hours. Now, omitted from this list is a recent discovery, the historic Dan and Louis Oyster Bar on SW 3rd and Ankeny. Although I have yet to try this place out, I heard they have an oyster happy hour 4-6 M-F, which has a DOZEN oysters for $9.95. Sounds like this place may just be my new favorite…