Ever since Sarah Pederson opened Saraveza in October 2008, it has been a spot for three things: hop heads, cheese heads (Pederson is a Wisconsin native; itâs a Packers bar) and pasties. Not the kind of pasties you find at strip clubs of yore but the Cornish inspiration for the bane of Jim Gaffiganâs existence, Hot Pockets. Eight years later, much is the same in the awesomest sense, but now Saraveza boasts a proper kitchen. Oh, the hearty pasties remain in order to aptly soak up a few frosted mugs of Breakside Wisco, the hoppier than thine cream ales, but now... now there are fried cheese curds.

Iâve only been to Wisconsin once in my life, but you betcha I feasted on cheese curds both fresh and fried. And the ones Saraveza chef Dustin Gettmann fries up in the pubâs new deep fryer are the gut-bomb. Tender. Melty. Golden. Salty. And while the spicy ketchup theyâre served with offends my West Coast sensibilities, they would go great with a spicy beer, such as the kind thatâll be tapped at the upcoming return of Fire and Brimstone (Sat Nov 12), a fiesta of smoked and/or chili cervezas.
Gettmann worked at Saraveza back when it opened. Then he went on something of a walkabout, or rather a ride-about, having pedaled his way through lands and kitchens coast to coast and overseas. But the Pacific Northwest beckoned, and when he returned, he manned the kitchen at pFriem Family Brewers in Hood Riverâone of the finest brewpub menus in Oregon anywhere. When memories of veggie bowls haunt you, you know itâs good.
And now there are veggies at Saraveza. I mean, perhaps not super healthy onesâthe butter lettuce saladâs topped with bacon bits, the radicchio saladâs calorically dressed, and the cauliflower makes like the curds in that itâs fried, tooâbut when aficionados tell themselves beer is salad âbecause hops,â itâs all well and good.

When asked to describe the approach to his menu, Gettmann said, âHumble food.â Heâs not vying for a James Beard Award with his fried chicken, yummy though it may be. Small plates like the lamb ânâ pork meatballs go with whatever the IPA on tap is (especially when itâs Russian River Blind Pig). In short, when we demand that restaurants have a good beer menu to go with the food, itâs nice to see a beer spot not just have a truck parked outside but usher in a meal-worthy kitchen. And yeah, thereâs an array of sandos from smoked brisket to fried oyster poâboys now, but itâs still nice to be comforted by the calzone of the Midwestâa pasty.
Saraveza
1004 N Killingsworth
Open 11am-midnight daily