December 09 / January 10 Portland’s Magazine of Food + Drink
Sparklers for less Eating in B.C. Gorgeous winter menu made for beer Vintage plates What to give a foodie
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DECEMBER 09 / JANUARY 10
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EDITOR’S NOTE When you work for a food magazine, you’re subject to a problem that I call “dyschronia� — meaning it’s 85 degrees and sunny outside but you’re testing Christmas cookie recipes. Or, it’s actually winter but you’re making a guy stand on his rooftop in a T-shirt, shivering at his Weber grill (sorry, Gilberto!). For this issue, however, producing our holiday stories was pretty easy — delightful, in fact, because so many of the topics are personal favorites.
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Ashley Gartland’s story on vintage tableware (Page 26) was a dream for me because, other than hot cocoa in the morning, my only true addiction is buying dishes at junk shops. For this story, I got to collaborate with super-chic prop stylist Shelly Coon and MIX’s inďŹ nitely creative designer, Reed Darmon, as we arranged artful jumbles of dishes — some pristine vintage items, others chipped and cracked but full of character — for photographer Beth Nakamura to shoot. I rummage through my closets to get props for many of the shoots in MIX, which is a good thing because it justiďŹ es my buying more junk. It’s also a very bad thing, because it justiďŹ es my buying more junk. Our story on pairing beer with a holiday menu (Page 33) not only
reminded me how outrageously good duck breast is (like a juicy, beefy steak, but with all that glorious fat to render for frying potatoes later on), but writer Lucy Burningham introduced me to some super beers I may serve at my own dinner. And, in the interest of dÊtente between the beer camp and the wine camp (can’t we all just get along?), I’ll probably start my holiday meal with one of the French sparkling wines that Katherine
Cole writes about in Selects (Page 51). I recommend serving it without gnats, which is why I’m icking that little bugger out of the glass on our studio set. I suppose the dyschronia thing can have an upside as well: I got to participate in lots of tasty pleasures as we developed and photographed the stories over the last few months, and now I can live it all again when the real holidays come around.
Martha Holmberg, editor marthaholmberg@news.oregonian.com PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE DAVIS
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DEC09/JAN10 26
SETTING A VINTAGE VIBE Keep Portland weird, and devastatingly chic, by setting your holiday table with an eclectic mix of antique dishes.
33 BEER TASTES GOOD
WITH FOOD Step away from the pinot and look to craft beer as the perfect partner to a fabulous holiday menu.
43 WHAT DO COOKS
WANT? We ask foodobsessed folks for advice on stuff to give and get.
21 PHOTOGRAPH BY FAITH CATHCART
IN EVERY ISSUE 13 WALKABOUT Savor the flavor of small-town Hillsboro.
21 RADAR Our food carts will nourish your soul in winter.
17 MIXMASTER Modern — and delicious — eggnog, believe it or not.
49 I.D. The Machado mojo. 51 SELECTS Who needs Champagne when crémant is so delicious?
55 PUB CRAWL The art and craft of Jubelale. 58 GOOD CHEESE We play matchmaker with wine, beer and spirits.
61 EAT HERE/ VANCOUVER, B.C. Don’t wait until the Olympics to get a taste of this primo food city. 66 SCENE What to eat where. 72 SHOP Contact info for people, places and things in this issue.
ON THE COVER: Chocolate Hazelnut Torte from Cafe Nell’s Andrew Garrett makes a killer holiday dessert (and it’s gluten-free). It’s the fudgy finale to our beer-pairing menu on Page 34. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN VALLS
MIXPDX.COM MIX is now 10 issues a year! It’s easy to subscribe online — go to MIXPDX.COM and click on “subscribe.” You can also find past articles, restaurant reviews and all our recipes at mixpdx.com, so get clicking and start eating.
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CONTRIBUTORS
2009 SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION
HANDCRAFTED Writer Lucy Burningham has eaten grubs in the Amazon and crept through Croatian truffle forests in pursuit of stories. But since moving to Portland,she’s developed a delicious thirst for craft beer (Page 33). When she’s not fantasizing about planting her own hops or bicycle touring in Belgium, she writes for publications including The New York Times, Imbibe and Sunset.
SPIRITS FROM THE PACIFIC NOR THWEST
It is of little surprise that S.j. Sebellin-Ross’ favorite gifts to give and receive are food books. After all, this culinary school-trained freelance journalist splits her time between writing and cooking, a double passion that makes cookbooks and other food-oriented books a natural gift to share. (“What do cooks want?,” Page 43)
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Freelance writer Ashley Gartland found herself quaffing from-scratch eggnog — and loving it — well before the holiday season as she researched Mixmaster (Page 17). She also got prepped for holiday parties by writing our story on vintage table spreads (Page 26). You can read more of her work at www.ashleygartland.com.
Mike Davis’ first assignment: Go to Clyde Common at 8:30 a.m. Make pictures of eggnog. Second assignment: Photograph crémant in our studio. Pretty cool assignments, no? (Page 17; Page 51). But he didn’t get to taste either … all that creamy nog and bubbly wine and not a drop to drink while on duty. That’s tough. Not quite as tough as the assignments photographers at National Geographic had when he was a picture editor there — such as the time the bamboo raft broke up in the bay of Alaska on its way from Vietnam to San Francisco. Now, those guys needed a drink.
“Who knew that chocolate would go so well with beer?” Discovering new foods is one of the best parts of the job, according to photographer John Valls, (“Beer tastes good with food,” Page 33). A long time Portlander, John cycles and skis to maximize his opportunities for quality caloric consumption.
OTHER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KAREN BROOKS, GRANT BUTLER, KATHERINE COLE, JOHN FOYSTON, TAMI PARR, NANCY ROMMELMANN OTHER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS DOUG BEGHTEL, SCOTT EKLUND, BETH NAKAMURA, MOTOYA NAKAMURA, RANDY L. RASMUSSEN
Over the past 20 years, Grant Butler has watched the transformation of Vancouver, B.C., from a quaint town to the sleek, international city that will host the next Winter Olympics. It’s a city he’d love to visit more — if there were a magical way to skip the Seattle traffic slog. In Eat Here (Page 61), Grant, The Oregonian’s critic-atlarge, explores some of Vancouver’s most-distinctive neighborhoods and their restaurants. Also, in this issue’s Walkabout (Page 13), Grant heads to Hillsboro.
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WALKABOUT [ Hillsboro ]
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or years, food fans have known it’s worth the drive to dine at Hillsboro gems Syun Izakaya and La Flor de Michoacan. At Syun, there’s pristine sushi and a long list of prized sake. At La Flor, you can watch corn tortillas as they’re made from scratch, then use them to soak up rich mole sauce or the intense broth from one of the best bowls of spicy menudo in the area. But the flip side of this international pizazz is the down-home, small-townAmerica thing Hillsboro has, too. In one block of East Main Street alone there are enough discoveries to keep you shopping and munching Mayberry-style for the better part of a day. And sometimes, small-town comfort is just what we want (especially if good sushi is just around the corner).
BY GRANT BUTLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
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WALKABOUT / HILLSBORO CONT.
Create your own vintage
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You’ve embraced the whole DIY aesthetic by making your clothes and raising chickens in your backyard. Why stop there? Main Street Homebrew Supply Co. has everything you need to brew up batches of beer, wine, mead and soda pop in your basement or garage. Starter kits include all of the equipment for getting going, and owner Kevin Stahr has contacts with growers to help you buy the best grapes and hops. Imagine how proud you’ll be the next time you have company over, and you can boast you made what guests are sipping from scratch.
Main Street Homebrew Supply Co. 229 E. Main St.; 503-648-4254 mainbrew.com
A spot of tea, whatever the time You don’t have to wait until late afternoon to enjoy tea time at the JkiXk]fi[ ?flj\ K\X GXicfli. This cozy shop offers a terrific $6.95 cream tea special where you get tea (which arrives in a hand-painted pot showing Winston Churchill flashing the “V for Victory” sign), plus a homemade scone served with lemon curd and Devonshire cream. Or you can go for the full-blown English tea experience with the $40 Tea for Two, featuring a tiered platter loaded up with cucumber sandwiches, cookies and the like. Sink into the cushy chairs, listen to the mandolin music on the sound system, and revel in your own properness. Stratford House Tea Parlour 203 E. Main St.; 503-648-7139 mysite.verizon.net/resta8qm
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Shake up your tabletop
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There’s no telling what sort of treasures you’ll find at Sellers’ Antique Co., one of the most intensely crammed antiques stores around. There’s so much stuff from floor to ceiling that it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Focus your sights on the display cabinets filled with antique salt and pepper shakers, which are a perfect and affordable way to get your breakfast nook some old-fashioned charm. Also worth scoping out: souvenir toothpick holders from 1950s tourist hot spots like Yellowstone National Park and Niagara Falls; vintage ruby wineglasses; and 1960s and ’70s lunch boxes commemorating TV shows like “Emergency” and “Bozo the Clown.”
Sellers’ Antique Co. 247 E. Main St.; 503-844-6048 northwestsellers.com
A theater’s tasty second act
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The original counter culture
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Remember that soda fountain George Bailey worked at in “It’s a Wonderful Life”? You can go back to that bygone era at Hillsboro Pharmacy and Fountain, which has been a fixture since 1873 and is one of the few remaining fountains serving a full menu. Perch yourself on one of the vinyl-covered stools and order a monster grilled patty melt, loaded with two hamburger patties, Swiss cheese, grilled onions and dressing — a steal at just $7. And don’t resist the milkshake temptation: The $4 mind-freezers are made from premium Umpqua ice cream, including the seasonal flavor pumpkin.
Hillsboro Pharmacy and Fountain 243 E. Main St.; 503-648-1811 hillsboropharmacy.net
Wrap up your Main Street tour with the strip’s newest gem, the gorgeously restored Venetian Theatre, which reopened last year after a $1.5 million renovation. In the auditorium you can catch second-run movies or live plays by community theater groups. But the real action is in the wine bar and bistro on the main level, where you can sink pita triangles into piping hot, rich artichoke and blue cheese dip, then munch gourmet burgers, salads and pizzas. The wine list casts a wide net, with by-the-glass options roaming the globe. A bit more of a Northwest focus would be nice, but here’s one sure bet: the pinot noir from nearby Cooper Mountain Vineyards is one of the best around, the perfect match for the Surf & Turf combo of New York strip steak and shrimp skewers.
The Venetian Theatre 253 E. Main St.; 503-693-3953 venetiantheatre.com
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THE COAST YOU REMEMBER.
MIXMASTER
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[ Yes, eggnog can be good, very good. ]
O
nce the cold settles in and raindrops slick the sidewalks, Portland bartenders will turn their sights to classic winter drinks — Spanish coffee flamed tableside, hot mulled wines and that mandatory holiday concoction, eggnog. But the eggnog local bartenders pour has little to do with the thick goop slugged down at holiday parties. They’re serving real eggnog, the kind that stems from a century-old style of cocktail. “Eggnog is basically a modification of a very old class of drinks called flips, which contain liquor, whole egg, sugar and nutmeg,” says Clyde Common’s head bartender, Jeffrey Morgenthaler. “So, eggnog is essentially a brandy or rum flip with cream.”
BY ASHLEY GARTLAND / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE DAVIS
MIXMASTER CONT.
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Morgenthaler grew up quaffing the other eggnog — that preservative-heavy supermarket stuff — with alarming enthusiasm back in the ’70s. “It was full of gelatin and high fructose corn syrup — whatever is in supermarket eggnog that makes it nasty,” he says. “And I loved it. I loved supermarket eggnog becausethat was the only thing I’d ever had.” But once he started bartending and making boozy eggnog from scratch, he realized the real thing trumped his childhood favorite in every way. Indulgent, but light and smooth, and far more appealing than something from a carton. And open to experimentation, apparently. Plenty of Portland bartenders are riffing on the creamy drink. “Eggnog is one of those interpretive cocktails,” says N icholas Doughty, Elephants Delicatessen general manager and Northwest Eggnog Competition founder. “There is one way to make a Manhattan, but with eggnog everyone has their own idea. There isn’t a set description of what has to go into it.” Morgenthaler likes to keep the spicing traditional (nutmeg) but plays around with different liquors. Other bartenders, including competitors in Doughty’s annual competition, go crazy with flavorings and spirits: Cardamom, allspice, orange peel, even almond milk end up in the eggnog. As for the booze, rather than the traditional brandy-spiced rum combo, local bartenders might spike their drinks with dark rum, hazelnut liqueur, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (a rum-based liqueur) or even tequila. “It’s fun to tweak it,” says Morgenthaler. “But I think the version I make is the most acceptable for everyone. Not everyone is down with tequila eggnog, even though I think it is awesome.” Eggnog methodology is pretty personal, too. Doughty cooks
the eggs into a sort of custard over the stove, then adds the spices and spirits before chilling the mixture in the fridge. Morgenthaler’s version skips the stove top and relies on the blender. Other bartenders prefer a by-hand approach and beat the egg yolks with sugar before folding in softly whipped cream, spirits and frothy egg whites. And then there’s temperature. “Warm eggnog doesn’t really make sense to me because if you look at the flip, a flip is shaken over ice and strained into a cocktail glass,” says Morgenthaler. “So if eggnog is a flip with cream added, it just doesn’t make sense to serve it hot. And I don’t really like hot cream and eggs that much.” Serving eggnog cold improves its flavor and texture, according to Doughty. It’s less heavy, he says, and the flavors don’t get muddled in the warm cream and egg. But warm eggnog has its fans, particularly at the Driftwood Room, where bartender Michael Robertson serves his Yule Nog hot to help rain-soaked imbibers warm up throughout the winter. Unlike those winter rains, eggnog pretty much disappears in January. “I’ll run it until the New Year,” says Morgenthaler. “The last batch I make is usually on New Year’s Day, and then it’s time to hit the treadmill after drinking eggnog for three straight months.”
Nogging at home
Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Blender Eggnog SERVES 2
Morgenthaler uses a blender to streamline the process of making eggnog. He cautions against using high-powered commercial blenders such as a Vita-Mix because they heat whatever they are blending. If you’re using a Vita-Mix, cut down the initial blend time to 15 seconds or so. 2 large eggs 6 tablespoons granulated sugar ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, more for garnish 2 ounces brandy 2 ounces Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Navy Rum ¾ cup whole milk ½ cup heavy cream Beat eggs in blender for one minute on medium speed. Slowly add sugar and blend for another minute. With blender still running, add nutmeg, brandy, rum, milk and cream until combined. Chill thoroughly to allow flavors to combine. Serve in chilled wineglasses or champagne coupes. Grate more nutmeg on top right before serving. Note: This recipe uses raw eggs, so it carries a risk of salmonella. Be sure to use clean, cold, uncracked eggs. Unless you use pasteurized eggs, we would not recommend this recipe for the elderly, the very young, the chronically ill, pregnant women or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Practice patience. If you make the egg mix from scratch using a classic recipe, give yourself plenty of time to perfect it. “It took hours for us to make it. You have to temper the eggs, warm the cream really lightly and slowly fold in your eggs — then we add the alcohol,” says Nicholas Doughty. “And if you fold your eggs in violently , it will break on you.” Not a patient person? Try Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s blender version. Start with the good stuff. Whether you’re making eggnog with brandy or whiskey or St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, use good quality alcohol, says Doughty. Eggnog does not mask the off flavors of bottom-shelf spirits well.
Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue
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Play with the spirits. Brandy and rum might be traditional pairings in an eggnog cocktail, but Morgenthaler has made it with bourbon and even tequila with good results. “Any big, aged spirit is going to work really well,” he says. Make it in advance. If you’re planning to serve eggnog for a party, make the mixture in advance and store it in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld. Just be sure to shake it up before serving. £
November 24–December 27
Enjoy the high engergy and hopeful spirits of the season!
Over 420 Locations throughout the West GZdZe hhh =VdDTYhRS T`^ W`c eYV de`cV _VRcVde j`f
RADAR
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[ Winter food-cart wonderland ] ho owns the best food-cart scene in America? Everyone is fighting over bragging rights these days, as a growing curbside insurgency is challenging mainstream dining, with edgy, affordable eats. No place can topple New York’s global street reach, but Portland is the new leader of the maverick street-food movement. No one else puts it together like we have: the sheer volume of experimenters, the artisan approaches (hand-pulled espresso from hand-roasted beans at $1.75 — are you serious?!), and the punk-rock attitude. Most cart owners around the country go it alone — often
BY KAREN BROOKS What’s small and tasty and popping up around here like wild mushrooms in the fall? Food carts! Most (such as Perriera Creperie, above) are clustered in “pods” around town, concentrations of great — and cheap — meals. PHOTOGRAPH BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
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RADARCONT.
Spella Cafe
PHOTOGRAPHS (LEFT TO RIGHT) BY FAITH CATHCART, MOTOYA NAKAMURA, MOTOYA NAKAMURA
S.W . Wa shin gton
S.W . Ald er S t.
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followers see chakra colors. Euro Dish: A genuine taste of Polish food, served in zaftig portions that could carry you through a snowstorm. You wouldn’t be embarrassed to introduce the pierogi dumplings to your grandma fresh in from the village — order an assortment of fillings.
Fifth Avenue Finds Southwest Fifth and Oak The vibe at Portland’s first modern-day cart block is grittier than other downtown cart pods, with a predictable mix of ethnic alongside some artisan newcomers and SW. anarchist fryOak St. happy vendors. But the manicured transitmall location SW. means plenty of Sta rk S t. nice benches, though some carts have offstreet eating nooks. Tabor: The standout vendor in this food-cart hood, serving homey but nuanced Czech cooking, from complex Bohemian goulash to luscious little spaetzels tossed with kielbasa sausage, sour cream and slightly caramelized sauerkraut — all in Ave .
In Portland’s food-cart culture, this cluster in the heart of downtown is The Establishment, where a core of mostly old-school ethnic vendors — Bosnian to Peruvian to Polish — ring the perimeter of a parking lot. The scene now spills across the street and draws office rats, white-toqued culinary students and the culture crowd from the nearby Pearl District — all looking for an affordable lunch. Early risers and off-duty baristas come for serious hand-pulled espresso, and the food-obsessed are checking out the newer, maverick entrepreneurs making this a curbside hot spot. Sidewalk seats are limited, so plan to eat and run for cover. Nong’s Khao Man Gai: Chicken and rice from the stratosphere. That’s the only way to describe this blissful taste of Bangkok, layered with perfumed jasmine rice, succulent chicken and a ginger-thrashing sauce, all hand-bundled in butcher
paper. One taste and you’ll be lining up regularly like the rest of us. Addy’s Sandwich Bar: Hand-crafted sandwiches on fantastic baguettes, including hand-brined ham and raw milk cheese; homemade duck confit; and dark chocolate, melted inside toasted bread with a little olive oil and crunchy salt. Oh, yeah. Savor Soup House: Some of the city’s best soups bubble up here, in three daily options, perhaps Mexican posole with pulled pork or split pea pooled with smoked paprika sauce ($3.50-$5). But don’t miss the fine grilled cheese sands from a choose-your-own ingredients list, led by fontina, apple butter and caramelized onions. Spella Caffe: The best Italian-style espresso and cappuccinos around, hand-pulled to order from owner Andrea Spella’s hand-roasted beans. Ziba’s Pitas: Not what you’re thinking of. Think Bosnian-style, handstretched, butter-painted dough filled with mild ground beef, spinach, cheese and baked into flaky, slightly heavy pies, and all the better with some robust, red-peppered ajvar, the Bosnian “ketchup.” The Whole Bowl: The “health food store” of the block, known for harmonious layers of rice, beans, avocado, salsa and cheese, notched up with an addictive garlic sauce that seems to make Whole Bowl
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S.W . 10 th A ve.
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fighting for corners like drug lords right out of “The Wire.” But Portland has blossomed with a new kind of urban cart housing: dedicated blocks of communal dining where oldschool ethnic vendors and new-think entrepreneurs (all permitted and health-inspected) sit side-by-side in $500 rental spaces. You’ve seen them yourself: the “Slumdog Millionaire” jumble of Southwest 10th and Alder; the late-night frenzy at Southeast Hawthorne and 12th; the studentfriendly nexus at Southwest College and Fourth; and an experimental merging of food carts and real-estate development, at the new Mississippi Marketplace. These outdoor food courts operate all year long. While warm weather invites a street party atmosphere, winter has its own mood and groove and soul-warming comforts: soups bubbling with invention, slow-cooked stews hearty enough to unnerve a Jewish grandmother, and sandwiches giddy with sunny-yolked eggs. The following guide will help you cart-hop through the monsoon season — with top picks from each pod. Seats and shelter can be in short supply, so think in terms of takeout food — with prices to make your wallet smile.
Nong’s
Perriera Creperie
Nighthawk Noshing 12th and Hawthorne Portland’s late-night nosh pit, which blossomed last spring, cranks up at 8 p.m. when vendor windows open and this corner lot jumps like a punk-rock gypsy camp. Six funky wagons and personalized shacks circle
S.E. 12th Ave.
around centralized, tented picnic tables and tree-trunk stools. Come here to gather with citizens of the night — an instant community of post-clubbers, culinary bargain hunters and, recently, even a flock of Buddhist monks. Think outdoor bar food, most of it best appreciated a few sheets in, and holding vigil until 3 a.m. TuesdaySunday. Potato Champion: S.E. Hawthorne St. A defining Portland cart, from the Happy Lumberjack Noir decor to french fries born of craft and obsession: twice-fried, according to Belgian frite laws, and spilling out of a paper cone in all their slender, crispy, salty, piping-hot glory. Dipping sauces include terrific sweet-hot mustard; don’t ask, just order it. Wiffies Pies: An indie funhouse, serving fried hand pies that taste like heavyweight empanadas from the land of Stoner Cuisine. Changing fillings, about seven at a time, run from barbecued beef brisket to e. Av dd La E. S.
portions that make your gut smile. Brunch Box: Crazy-big burgers served with retro grocery-store winks like Spam, ham and pineapple. At $3.50, the straight-up burger with all the fixings heralds a new kind of Fast Food Nation. La Jarochita: One of Portland’s better Mexican food carts, especially for options off-thebeaten taco path, like sopes (chewy-crisp cornmeal shells that “cup” various fillings), huaraches (fried masa “sandals” layered with goods) and tamales steamed in banana leaves. Side Cart: Fried everything, including mac ’n’ cheese. You can even BYO ingredient, and this fun-lovin’ crew will sizzle it up. Mostly a onetime fun run, but you may continue to hear the siren call of the fried Snickers, a melting mass of chocolate and caramel with a warm peanut crunch.
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RADAR CONT.
Portland Soup Company
Ȉ
5:30-9:00pm
Join us for a deliciously festive evening of classic French fare and holiday music! Four-Course Holiday Dinner with glass of French Sparkling Wine Ȉ $45/person Regular à la carte Menu also available
Reservations Suggested
214 W. Main St, Carlton Ȉ www.CuveeDining.com Ȉ (503) 852-6555
Rick’s Wholesale Antiques
Off Campus Dining Fourth and College
European Antique furniture – over 6,000 square feet of inventory. Large selection of stained glass imported from England.
Last spring Portland’s foodcart adventure spread to the Portland State University environs, with nearly 20 vendors popping up almost overnight. Expect familiar ethnic menus
Open 7 days, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Public Welcome 780 3rd Street (at Hwy 99W) Lafayette next to the School House Antique Mall
503-864-2120
PHOTOGRAPHS (LEFT) BY BETH NAKAMURA, (RIGHT) BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Ave .
Saturday, 12 December
S.W . 4th
Joyeux Noël Celebration
Ave .
24 26
CUVÉE
with their thousand-variationson-a-theme approach, along with hearty sandwiches and a couple stand-out operations, all with student-friendly prices. Tables and garbage cans are sorely lacking. Dart across the street to scope out outdoor shelters on campus. Portland Soup ComS.W pany: A step . Ha ll St . up from what flies at most carts, with S.W fresh soups, . Co lleg salads and e St . sandwiches made with a seasonal bent and a chef’s eye for combinations and ingredients. Parker’s Waffles: The waffle could be crisper and more portable than the boxed-up, plastic knife ’n’ fork approach here. But the inventive toppings are irresistible, from pulled pork to s’mores blowtorched to order. Asaase: The mood at this Caribbean-African cart is all Jah Love, and the all vegan/vegetarian list includes beautifully fried plantains and sambusas swollen with potatoes S.W . 5th
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beans ’n’ franks to peanut-butter crème with chocolate chips. Dude! El Brasero: This traditional, spanking clean taqueria feels like a middle-class home in this rock ’n’ roll setting. Step away from the central action to inhale good tacos for a mere $1.50 — or check out the house finds: vegetarian options like cactus paddles, homemade chorizo and fragrant barbacoa (lamb). No need to check the hours — they’re open 24 hours now. Perriera Creperie: A musicthumping crepe wagon, with ambitious combos such as chocolate/prosciutto or avocado/sea salt, all folded into large-format, paper-wrapped packets. The crepe could use some work (less thick and chewy and more tender), but simpler options like ham-andgruyère taste just right on the other side of midnight.
and lentils. Be sure to ask for homemade, head-lashing hot sauce. Koi Fusion: Once a week, one of Portland’s hottest food carts usually parks a couple of blocks away on Southwest Sixth and College, dispensing its spicy mix of Korean barbecue tacos, pop music playlists and instant party vibe (find days and locations at koifusionpdx.com).
NoPo Row Mississippi Marketplace at North Mississippi and Skidmore Portland’s first purpose-built food-cart development opened in October, and it’s already a magnet for cart hoppers. This once-forlorn corner lot has been transformed by a developer into a paved over, landscaped cart community with stepped-up amenities: nine shiny carts, an ATM machine, garbage cans galore and an adjacent German beer bar, handsomely built, with a large outdoor deck. But the feel is still deep street and
‡ See more on Portland’s food carts at
OREGONLIVE.COM/DINING
Tasting Room Open Daily 11am-5pm 9409 NE Worden Hill Rd, Dundee OR 97115 Phone: 503-538-3318
Toll Free 800-539-9463
Email: info@Erath.com • www.erath.com
There is a place in Oregon wine country where EARTH and HEART intersect. It’s called ERATH, the original winery of the Dundee Hills of Oregon. www.erath.com
800-539-9463
N. Mississippi Ave.
Nuevo Mexico
community, as tent-covered tables fill with locals, even in the rain. Two of Portland’s best carts are stationed here, The Big Egg and Nuevo Mexico, and the Sugar Cube, once a downtown dessert cart destination, recently pulled into the lot. The Big Egg: Wake up and smell the fantastic fried egg sandwiches at this overnight sensation — buttery, toasty, fresh-tasting beauties curated with care and inspiration, and served blessedly hot. The Monte Cristo, on cardamom-popping French toast, with a slow drip of pepper-spiked maple syrup, is a game changer. Nuevo Mexico: Jesse Sandoval, former drummer for The Shins, has found a whole new groove — and a spot among Portland’s essential food carts with his handmade, pastry-like sopapillas N. Skidmore St. stuffed with the warmyour-ears stews of his New Mexican youth. Patty’s Wagon: If N. Mason St. Chinese stir-fries had a African accent, they would taste like the homey, satisfying Jamaican and Nigerian curries and stews served here, without irony, in Chinese takeout boxes. Ruby Dragon: Good vibe-age is on the vegan menu at this warmly wooded cart. The food won’t convert a carnivore, but meat-shunners will love the extensive list of curries, soups and grain-intensive pancakes. Ladles: Lovingly made soups to go — from sweet-earthy butternut squash to rugged Tuscan bean — handsomely packed in quart Mason jars, with punchy Peruvian aji sauce on the side. £
Holiday shopping made easy. 3XUFKDVH D JROI FDUG IRU DQG HQMR\ KDOI RII JUHHQ IHHV DW VHYHUDO RI WKH DUHD¶V PRVW SUHVWLJLRXV JROI FRXUVHV +DYH IXQ DQG EHQH¿ W RXU FRPPXQLW\ 3URFHHGV VXSSRUW 8QLWHG :D\¶V ZRUN ORFDOO\ +RQRU VRPHRQH RQ \RXU KROLGD\ OLVW ZLWK D JLIW WKDW SURYLGHV KHOS DQG KRSH WR FKLOGUHQ DQG IDPLOLHV United Way Golf Card LQ QHHG GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOL UNTEER .
LIVE UNITED
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Learn more at ZZZ XQLWHGZD\ SG[ RUJ or phone 503-226-9360
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette
25
Setting a vintage vibe Bring some personal style to your dinner table by embracing a touch of creative anarchy BY
ASHLEY GARTLAND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH STYLING BY SHELLY COON
26
NAKAMURA
SOMETIMES WE LOVE the idea of a West Elm-ified life: all serenity and tastefulness, where everything matches (look, Josh, even the napkin rings!). But a domestic landscape like that can also feel too cookie-cutter — particularly when it comes to dinnerware. Plain white china, massproduced bowls and department store glasses are fine for Wednesday dinners, but a buzz-worthy party calls for a new approach … well, an old one, actually. Going vintage with your tableware lets you be as creative and personal with the table setting as you are with your food, and it can be a fairly inexpensive way to bring drop-dead chic to the party. But what you don’t invest in dollars, you need to invest in time and focus. We talked with design-savvy Portland restaurant people, as well as stylist Shelly Coon, for advice on how to go vintage this season.
BECOMING A TRUE JUNKER
Develop your sources: Finding good vintage pieces takes time, but fortunately many Portland shops streamline the scouting by stocking well-edited collections and one of a kind finds. Restaurateur Bruce Carey (Saucebox, Bluehour, 23Hoyt) relies on Northwest thrift-circuit favorite William Temple House to help him expand his collection. “William Temple House tends to be good because stuff moves quickly. And because of its proximity to the West Hills, a lot of fine things come through there,” Carey says. Other reliable shops in Carey’s rotation include the Bernadette Breu Experience in Southeast and Stars Antique Malls in Westmoreland. By focusing your scouting to antique-shop-loving neighborhoods such as Sellwood 27
Don’t be a slave to the original idea This collection of Russel Wright dishes is a beautiful exemplar of midcentury design, all curves and organic forms. You want to pass the sugar just so you can hold the bowl. But if everything on the table is Russel Wright, the table isn’t about your style any more. Stylist Shelly Coon gives this earth-toned grouping a more personal feel by bringing in accents from beyond the Wright Studio in New York. The naif floral patterns on the plates and cups feel Finnish (and we love anything Scandinavian), and the highball glasses mix it up just a notch more, with modern motifs. The mash-up works because the color palette is unified, and the overall effect is more interesting than textbook Wright alone.
28 30
or Kalama, Wash., says stylist Coon, you don’t have to traipse all over town to hit a lot of stores. Finally, don’t underestimate online shopping. In addition to Goodwill and estate sales, Evan Dohrmann of Little Red Bike Cafe trolls Craigslist looking for sellers. The site connected him with a local woman who promptly sold him pieces from her commercial restaurant dishware collection.
Set shopping rules: Plan to visit shops frequently. “Go once a week if it’s convenient, because the selection changes daily,” Carey says. “And shop alone. Shopping with other people takes too long and is distracting. If I can just pull over and run into the store to go up and down the aisles, then things draw my eye automatically.”
Build over time: When you fall in love with a partial place
setting, snatch it up. Then fill in the holes by shopping online at eBay or www.replacements.com. “Replacements. com is a terrific resource I’ve used when I have a set of five bowls and need a sixth. Often, they’ll have it,” says Carey. KEEPING THE OLD STUFF NEW
Wash with care: Your investment in a vintage piece might be minimal, but even cheap, old
If you’re mixing patterns, really mix patterns Stylist Shelly Coon was calling this set The French Apartment, and indeed the look captures the fancy molding, wornaway gilt and otherwise faded glamour and chic of a flat in a maison particulier in the 16th. We don’t think anything matched in this group, and that was kind of the point: If a few fancy golden curlicues are good, then a ton of random ones are even better. She kept the reins on the rococo by limiting the color palette and keeping the delicacy level about the same — everything was fine and fancy and just a little bit faded. The jumble of flatware works the same way, with “intriguing” and “patina” as the guiding principles. MIX designer Reed Darmon thought the patina part went a bit too far, suggesting we get a tetanus shot before using some of that stuff, but he’s just a stick-in-the-mud.
pieces need attention if you want to keep them around. Some vintage items can withstand a trip through the dishwasher, particularly durable pieces such as commercial restaurant plateware, says Dohrmann. Glasses need care, however. “Vintage glassware is an easy and cheap way to add character to make your events unique and talked about,” says collector and mixologist Jamie Boudreau of Seattle’s Tini Bigs. But Boudreau only uses
dishwashers that don’t dry the glassware; the extreme heat of the drying cycle isn’t safe for fragile crystal pieces, he says, nor for patterned glassware. When in doubt with any piece, wash it by hand — it’s not that much work.
Store it smart: When it’s time to store your pieces postparty, a zippered china storage set is ideal (albeit a little June Cleaver), but they can be expensive. A quick online look showed
zipper covers for 12 four-piece place settings costing anywhere from $25 (Target) to closer to $150 (WilliamsSonoma). Carey improvises instead: He borrows a stack of white napkins from the restaurant and puts one between every plate or bowl before storing the stacks on shelves. Boudreau slips glasses in protective sleeves then stores them in wineglass moving boxes (the sleeves and boxes come as a set).
29
It’s OK to blend real and faux Everything old is new again, as the saying goes, and that’s definitely true for certain classic tableware designs. This gorgeous collection of Eva Zeisel pottery is from the late ’50s and was acquired over the last few years by MIX designer Reed Darmon. But don’t be jealous just because he was smart enough to start collecting early. Crate & Barrel is reissuing Zeisel’s “Century” design, and Royal Stafford has “Century” and “One-O-One,” so you can mix pieces from the new line with a precious couple of originals. (Bauer Pottery also has a new release of Russel Wright’s “American Modern” line.) We’re always finding cool tabletop pieces with no particular pedigree — nor age worthy of being called “vintage” — but they have enough character to blend in with the bona fide collectibles, and it’s all about the blend.
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AVOIDING THE YARD-SALE LOOK
tablecloth he bought to go with batik print napkins and funky pottery pieces.
Create a quiet backdrop:
Go for consistency:
In his restaurants, Carey sets a minimalist table using white tablecloths and napkins that allow attention-grabbing plates to stand out. He’ll break this rule, however, if the linens work with the china, rather than compete for attention, as with an old brown and white linen
Bring cohesiveness to a grouping by using pieces that are similar in size. “I try to ensure that all of the glassware is the same size so that even though they’re all different, there is some continuity,” says Boudreau. Another way to hold the look together is to stick with one era. “You run the risk of setting a junky-looking
table” says Carey, if elegant china competes with handwrought pottery in one spread. But you can mix matte-glazed plates from the ’70s with a handmade pottery vase from a separate collection with fabulous results, because they likely came from the same era so the feeling is the same.
Balance risks with practical design: Dohrmann prefers the mismatched look, so he mixes and matches his pieces but
:
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Discover and buy local fresh produce grown on over 60 130%6$& (6*%& local area farms at: Sometimes naming a mood is all it takes www.tricountyfarm.org This casual grouping came together when stylist Shelly Coon started thinking â&#x20AC;&#x153;old issue of Sunset magazine.â&#x20AC;? The idea was evocative but vague enough to allow room to mix and match like crazy. These pieces are from disparate eras and sources (the plastic cups, from Fred Meyer, were a lastminute addition from MIX editor Martha Holmbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen cupboard), but together they express that bold, sun-baked Western vibe, with a touch of Mexico, a touch of Bohemian craft and the promise of a mean margarita just moments away.
carries the same color family throughout the table spread. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you like it to be really cohesive, you have to look for sets,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I think if you stick to certain color schemes like all fall, spring or summer colors, you can pull it [the mismatched look] off.â&#x20AC;? Coon, too, provides a sense of unity with color. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll choose two different colors and then use patterned pieces or different styles of pieces within those colors,â&#x20AC;? she says, adding that she
typically restricts her palette to three colors or less.
Pair the dish with the dishes: The inspiration for a great menu can actually start with the dishes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A Rat Pack-era Champagne glass might inspire a dressy cocktail party with ďŹ nger food, while old farmhouse crockery asks for a hearty stew or chicken and dumplings. And balance the look of the recipes with the dishes theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be served in. Elaborate
cuisine needs simple, clean lines that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t detract from the food. If the food is really simple, it can hang back and let the plate speak. For example, a simple dessert like a chocolate pot de crème is more suited to a whimsical vintage dish than a spare and elegant design. ÂŁ For where to buy, see Shop, Page 72
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INTRODUCING ALEXANA, A WORLD-CLASS WILLAMETTE VALLEY WINERY AND CARLTON TASTING ROOM. Alexana Winery was formed through a fortuitous meeting between owner Dr. Madaiah Revana, known for his Napa Valley Revana Family Vineyard, and famed Oregon winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash. Dr. Revanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love of the great wines of Burgundy led him to Oregon to search for a perfect vineyard site. He found an 80-acre property in the lush Dundee Hills with 16 acres meticulously planted with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Come visit our new Tasting Room, opening in late November, and taste the results of this remarkable collaboration.
Diverse Soils, Complex Wines
Wednesday - Sunday ~ 11AM - 6PM 116 West Main Street ~ Carlton, OR 503.852.3013 ~ alexanawinery.com
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BEER TASTES GOOD WITH FOOD 33
We demonstrate the felicitous ability of good craft beer to pair with dinner in our brew-loving holiday menu
By LUCY B BURNINGHAM URNINGHAM Photography by JOHN VALLS Recipes by ANDREW GARRETT, Cafe Nell
THE TABLE IS SET FOR A CLASSIC CELEBRATION, a joyful defense against winter’s long, dark nights. Glassware gleams empty, ready for pours that will launch triumphant toasts. But instead of reaching for a bottle of brut or a worthy red from, say, Spain or Argentina, open the fridge, pause for effect, and pull out a … beer — a craft beer you’ve carefully chosen for the moment and, more important, the food. OK, OK, serving beer with food isn’t revolutionary, especially in this town, a place with 40 breweries and restaurants such as Higgins, which has practiced the art of serving fine beer with meals for more than a decade. But there’s still something slightly daring, even racy, about pairing an entire holiday meal with beer. Not everyone does it.
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“What’s wrong with wine?” a less adventurous guest might ask. Nothing, but how about what’s right with beer? Beer lacks wine’s acidity and can have roasty flavors resulting from malt, so I think beer is the superior beverage for pairings, the kind of drink that won’t leave you scratching your head about what to serve with an artichoke or frittata. Besides, beer looks as beautiful as it tastes and smells. It can be honey-hued with a firm, frothy head; redolent of hay and honeysuckle; sharp like English cheddar or sweet like fig jam. A good beer has just as much nuance as wine. As with wine, using good glassware will maximize the drinking experience. Traditionally, each beer style belongs with a specific glass shape. But for a holiday meal, use stemware or snifters; standard pint glasses look pedestrian and won’t enhance aromas and flavors like a wineglass. And never serve beer straight from a bottle, and not just for reasons of etiquette. Pouring beer into a glass creates the foamy head, which contains the aromas essential to smelling and, therefore, tasting the beer.
To create the head, tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle and pour the beer along the side. At about half full, turn the glass vertical, and pour the stream directly into the center until the head is about 1-inch thick at the top of the glass. (When pouring cider, don’t expect a head, but do pour to aerate, and serve it in a snifter.) Bottle-fermented, unfiltered beers (such as the Belgian one paired with duck in our menu) will have a fine layer of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. For these beers, pour slowly and stop when the cloudy yeast begins to enter the glass. Leave the sediment in the bottle — with a few exceptions. (When in doubt, ask your local bottle shop for advice.) For a multi-course meal, start with small pours. Not many guests will want full pints with each course (even if beer does have less alcohol than wine). Give each person 4 or 5 ounces of beer per course, and have some extra bottles ready for refills. Once the beer is in the glass, pause to look at its color, bubbles and head. Gently swirl the beer and smell. Then taste. A good beer will taste balanced: not too bitter and not too sweet. It should tantalize your palate throughout the entire sip: beginning, middle and end. And it should represent the characteristics of its style. For example, a brown ale should be dark, caramelized and fruity while an IPA should have a high amount of bitterness, herbal flavors and some malt. When it comes to pairings, strive for balance. The beer should counteract a dish’s defining characteristics, such as spice or richness, but also harmonize with aromatics and other flavors. Just as the beer elevates the food, the food should show off the best aspects of the beer. Separately, they’re good. Together, they’re transformative. For this holiday meal, we’ve paired four courses by Cafe Nell executive chef Andrew Garrett with four drinks: two Oregon beers, one local cider and one Belgian beer, based on advice from the staff at Belmont Station. We chose these beverages because they fit the criteria for a good pairing with Garrett’s food. We picked beers with personality, the kind of drinks that will start conversations and inspire even the most ardent oenophile to crack open a bottle of beer for more than just a barbecue.
Beer pairing menu first course Mussels Steamed in Sauvignon Blanc With Spanish Chorizo, Sun-Dried Tomato, Cream and Shaved Shallots Upright Brewing Four saison ale
main course Sautéed Duck Breasts With Spiced OrangeBourbon Glaze Risotto-style Farro With Parsnips and Dried Cherries Braised Tuscan Kale Trappistes Rochefort 8 Belgian dark ale
cheese course Rogue Creamery’s “Oregon Blue” Smokey Blue and Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Seastack Wandering Aengus Ciderworks Dry Cider
dessert course Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Oakshire Brewing Overcast Espresso Stout
Mussels Steamed in Sauvignon Blanc With Spanish Chorizo, Sun-Dried Tomato, Cream and Shaved Shallots MAKES 8 SERVINGS
The small amount of cream that goes into this sauce seems to pull all the flavors together, so you get a lot of vibrance in every bite. This dish needs to be cooked just before serving, or the mussels will be overdone, but if you prep everything ahead of time, the final cooking takes only minutes and just one pan. 1 tablespoon olive oil ¼ pound Spanish chorizo (smoked, not raw chorizo), sliced on bias to 1 ⁄8 inch thick 4 shallots, sliced 1⁄8 inch thick ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 sprigs thyme or 1 tablespoon lemon thyme, minced 2 pounds Penn Cove mussels, scrubbed and debearded 1 cup sauvignon blanc (or other semi-citrusy dry white wine) ½ cup whipping cream Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper In a large sauté pan (just large enough so the mussels will cover the bottom in two or three layers), heat olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add the chorizo and brown until the oil turns a burnt orange color. Remove chorizo and set aside. Add the shallots to pan and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and mussels; stir and cover. Once mussels begin to open slightly, about 2 minutes, add white wine, cover and cook a few more minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the mussels open fully.
first course
Remove mussels from pan (discard any that failed to open) and place in serving bowls, leaving the liquid in the pan. Add the chorizo and cream to the pan, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour the sauce over the mussels, dividing evenly between bowls.
first course beer pairing K?< B<P <C<D<EKJ1 Creamy sauce has an acidic backbone. Sweet, briny mussels and spicy chorizo are the main flavors. K?< 8GGIF8:?1 Look for a light- to mediumbodied beer that can cut through the richness of the cream with some distinct bitter or sourness, which will complement the acid in the sauce. At the same time, if the beer doesn’t have enough distinct flavors, such as fruit or spice, the chorizo and mussels will overpower it. K?< 9<<I1 Upright Brewing Four, a tart, lowalcohol farmhouse wheat ale, which could also be called a saison. The style is considered refreshing yet complex: crisp, carbonated, semi-dry and fruity with some spice. K?< G8@I@E>1 The beer’s gentle tartness, which comes off as citrus and allspice, matches the acid in the cream sauce. Still, there’s plenty of flavor — this beer won’t disappear next to chorizo. And its light, refreshing qualities will stimulate the palate gently, perfect for a first course. 4.5 percent ABV. Made in Portland.
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36
JXlk \[ ;lZb 9i\Xjkj N`k_ Jg`Z\[ FiXe^\$9fliYfe >cXq\ MAKES 8 SERVINGS
main course beer pairing K?< B<P <C<D<EKJ1 A rich, heavy dish, with gamey duck served with a slightly sweet, spicy and citrusy bourbon sauce. The faro and kale add even more complexity, with accents of dried fruits, bacon and vinegar. K?< 8GGIF8:?1 As the meal’s most complex and heaviest dish, you’ll want an equally complex beer. And now’s the time for a higher alcohol content, which will cut the duck fat and help the beer stand up to the variety of flavors: dried fruit, citrus, smoke, bourbon, sugar and spices. K?< 9<<I1 Trappistes Rochefort 8, a Belgian strong dark ale. This style should be big and complex, dark, pungent, with a bit of spice, mild malt and noticeable alcohol. This particular beer is considered a prime representation of the style. K?< G8@I@E>1 The complexities of the beer, from the restrained malty sweetness to hints of cinnamon and dark fruit, bring out the flavors in the dish. A dry finish makes the beer less cloying and rich than it would be otherwise. 9.2 percent ABV. Made in Belgium.
Look for duck breasts that are called maigrets de canard. They are larger (about 12 ounces each) with deep red flesh that has a distinctly beefy and succulent flavor and a thick layer of fat; you’ll render off the fat as you sauté; keep it to use for frying potatoes later. Sweet! Pastaworks on Hawthorne carries them, or you may need to special order. Sometimes they come frozen, so be sure to check so that you have time to let them thaw. For more sources, see SHOP, Page 70. The duck needs to rest for at least 5 minutes after it comes out of the pan before you slice it to let the juice redistribute, so you’ll have plenty of time to finish the sauce. 2 cups bourbon 1 medium cinnamon stick 10 black peppercorns 10 whole coriander seeds 5 cloves garlic Grated zest of 4 oranges 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 8 “maigret” duck breasts (about 6 pounds total) 1 teaspoon olive oil 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes Kosher salt Cayenne pepper, to taste
In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat the bourbon, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, coriander, garlic cloves and half of the orange zest; continue boiling until reduced to ¼ cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the orange juice and thyme and boil until the sauce is reduced to ½ cup, 5 to 7 minutes more. Set aside. Score the duck breast skin in a cross-hatch pattern ¼-inch wide, being careful not to cut into the duck flesh. Heat a medium-size heavy skillet and add olive oil. Once the oil swirls easily, add the duck breasts, skin side down; reduce the heat to low and allow fat on breasts to render down until the skin is crispy and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (Do this in two pans unless you have one very large one, and carefully pour off the accumulated fat during cooking. Save it in the fridge and use to cook potatoes or something else delicious.) Flip the breasts and cook another 3 minutes for medium-rare. The meat should feel firm but springy. Transfer the breasts to a plate, cover loosely with foil and keep warm. Drain the remaining fat, but don’t wipe out the skillet. To the same skillet, add the reduced bourbon mixture and any juices that have accumulated from the duck, and return to a boil. Boil until the sauce is slightly syrupy and intensely flavored, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until the butter is incorporated and the sauce is slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and a tiny pinch of cayenne. Slice each duck breast on the bias, starting at the breast tip. You should be able to get 6 to 7 slices per breast. Put a scoop of farro (see accompanying recipe) and a nice mound of the braised kale (see accompanying recipe) on each plate, and then arrange the duck slices on the plates; drizzle some sauce over the duck and top with a small pile of orange zest.
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main course cont.
Risotto-style Farro With Parsnips and Dried Cherries MAKES 8 SERVINGS
If you make this deliciously sweet and earthy dish too far ahead of time, the farro can get mushy, but you certainly can prepare all the ingredients ahead, including sautéing the parsnips. Once you’ve made and assembled it, keep it warm in a bowl or baking dish in a low oven until ready to serve. Don’t add the mint until the last minute. 2 cups farro 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided) 2 parsnips, peeled, chopped into ¼-inch pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 10 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth 5 sprigs fresh marjoram 5 sprigs fresh thyme 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 shallots, finely chopped ½ cup dry white wine 38
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint Soak and drain the farro according to package directions (different producers have different requirements).
Braised Tuscan Kale MAKES 8 SERVINGS
While farro is soaking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the parsnips; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté the parsnips until golden brown, turning often, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside; you can do this up to one day ahead.
You can use any type of kale for this dish, but Tuscan kale is especially nutty and sweet. It cooks a bit faster, so if you swap it for another variety, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time. You can make this an hour or so ahead of time and just reheat gently right before serving. Don’t add the crumbled bacon until you’re ready to serve.
In a large saucepan bring the chicken stock, marjoram, thyme and garlic to a simmer. Keep warm.
4 bunches Tuscan kale (also called cavalo nero, lacinato, dinosaur or black kale), stems removed, and leaves cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
In another large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil with the butter over medium heat and sauté the shallots until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the drained farro to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and add the wine, stirring continuously until the farro has absorbed most of the liquid. Add 1 cup warm stock and, stirring frequently, cook until liquid is absorbed. Repeat, 1 cup of stock at a time, using as much stock as necessary until the farro is tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Once the farro is tender, stir in the cooked parsnips, chopped cherries, mint and finish with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
¼ pound thick smoked bacon (such as Nueske’s brand), about 4 strips 3 shallots, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped ½ cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale and return to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain well, set aside. Lay the bacon strips in a cold skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, turning once, until the bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Lay on paper towels and drain. When cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon and set aside. Pour off all but ¼ cup of the bacon fat. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add shallots and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and the chicken stock and stir well. Cover and cook until kale is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the vinegar, season to taste with salt and black pepper and cook for another minute or two to mellow the vinegar. Keep warm, and top with the bacon crumbles right before serving.
cheese course beer pairing
Rogue Creamery’s “Oregon Blue” Smokey Blue and Seastack from Mt. Townsend Creamery K?< B<P <C<D<EKJ1 The
sharp assertiveness of the blue is balanced with a bit of sweetness and smoke. The Seastack is a soft, creamy, buttery cow’s milk cheese with a hint of earthy, mushroom notes. K?< 8GGIF8:?1 Choose
something dry that has enough flavor and bite to stand up to the strength of the blue and simultaneously bring out the subtle characters and buttery tang of the Seastack. Carbonation is desirable, as it will help act a palate cleanser. K?< :@;<I1 Continue to challenge your guests with a nonbeer and a nonwine. Many American ciders are great for pairing with food, especially the Wandering Aengus Ciderworks Dry Cider, a highly effervescent, tannic beverage with rich apple flavors. K?< G8@I@E>1 Dry but
not pucker-inducing, the cider and its tannins need the milk fats in the cheese to achieve balance. The drink is full-bodied, so it isn’t overpowered by the creamy cheeses. Rich apple flavors taste a bit spicy, which works well with the smoky and buttery qualities in each cheese. 8 percent ABV. Made in Salem.
how to pair beer with food Beer is made of four basic ingredients: water, malt, yeast and hops. Malt comes off as sweet, toasty and roasty, and can create a sense of heaviness and body (mouth feel). Yeast is, well, yeasty, and can be slightly fruity. Hops are like fresh herbs in cooking, with bitter, floral or citrusy flavors that act like acid does in wine. A beer’s style will help you figure out what it brings to the table. There are dozens of styles, but home in on what, say, a hefeweizen should be (pale, light-bodied, dry and refreshing, with hints of banana and clove), and you’ll be that much closer to choosing the right beer for the food. Identify the characteristics of a dish. Is it garlicky? Spicy hot? Rich, heavy and fatty? Sweet? Citrusy? The beer and food should match each other’s intensity. A heavy dish will overpower a light beer and vice versa. Foods have more intensity based on fat content (richness) and beers have more intensity the more alcohol they contain. In general, wheat beers, lambics and lagers are less intense than ales, stouts and strong ales.
Complement aromatics in the food with aromatics in the beer. Orange zest, rosemary or juniper berries might pair well with an IPA with similar characteristics from the hops, while a cherry compote served with meat or dessert might call for a cherry ale. Some beers are fermented with extra ingredients, such as coffee, whole fruit and spices, while some are aged in barrels, which can add smoky, woody or sour elements. Consider the flow of the meal. Start with less intense beers and foods and progress to deeper flavors and richness. For example, you wouldn’t want to pair an appetizer with an Imperial IPA, a heavy, high-alcohol beer that would make a lighter, more delicate beer difficult to taste later in the meal. When in doubt, ask your local bottle-shop owner or grocery store beer buyer for a recommendation. And don’t be afraid to try something new. Discovering what you like through experimentation is part of the fun.
39
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte MAKES 8 SERVINGS
While you can bake and serve this cake the same day, the texture is more lusciously fudgy if you bake it a day ahead and let it rest, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Give it about 15 minutes at room temperature before serving, and add the hazelnuts to the top just before serving so they keep their crunch.
Cake: 1½ cups whole hazelnuts (about 7½ ounces; divided)
dessert course beer pairing
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
K?< B<P <C<D<EKJ1
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dense, rich chocolate with a hint of nuttiness from the hazelnuts and plenty of sweetness. K?< 8GGIF8:?1
Create a twist on the standard dessert course by replacing hot coffee with an espresso stout. Beer should have a medium to light body, a deep brown-black color to match the cake, and some amount of dryness, which will allow the cake to be the heavier, sweeter piece of the pairing. K?< 9<<I1 Overcast
40
Espresso Stout from Oakshire Brewing, an oatmeal stout. The style is about the smoothness created by the oats. These beers should be medium- to full-bodied and slightly sweet.
K?< G8@I@E>1 This
oatmeal stout was made with cold-brewed espresso, which creates a smooth, drinkable beer. Rich coffee flavor with just a hint of underlying sweet chocolate. Lighter body than you might expect from this kind of stout, which comes, in part, from the low alcohol content. 5.8 percent ABV. Made in Eugene.
10 ounces fine-quality dark chocolate
Kosher salt ½ cup granulated sugar (divided) 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature for 30 minutes 1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze: 6 ounces fine-quality dark chocolate, chopped ½ cup whipping cream ¼ cup powdered sugar
To make cake: Put oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, and then butter the parchment paper. Toast hazelnuts in the oven in a shallow baking pan, shaking pan once or twice, until golden, about 12 minutes. Place nuts in a kitchen towel and rub off any loose skins while nuts are still warm; cool nuts completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. While nuts cool, melt butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Reserve ½ cup of nuts to use for decoration. Pulse the rest in a food processor with cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup sugar until finely ground. (Be careful not to grind so much that the mixture becomes pasty.) Whisk together yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in chocolate mixture, then add nut mixture and vanilla and whisk until combined (mixture will be slightly grainy). Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar a little at a time, beating continuously, just until whites hold firm peaks. Fold one-fourth of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, and then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared springform pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs adhering, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely in pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Run a knife around edge of torte to loosen, and then remove side of pan.
To make glaze: Place chocolate in top of a double boiler, heat over hot water until melted and whisk in cream. Let cool to room temperature. Once cool, spread over top of torte and allow to set before serving. Crush the reserved whole toasted hazelnuts by sealing them in a plastic bag and gently crushing with a small pan or rolling pin. Dust the torte with powdered sugar and crushed hazelnuts. £
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gift guide
Presents. The first thing our inner 6-year-old thinks of when it comes to
the holidays are presents. And why not? The best presents, after all, are a tangible declaration of love, and what could be nicer than that? “The best gift I ever got was a heater for the booth at the farmers market,” says Lisa Jacobs, cheesemaker, Jacobs Creamery. “Because I do winter markets and it’s below freezing and snowy, raining and hailing, the winter just goes through me. It was awesome.” For foodies, presents come in envelopes and boxes, on plates and in glasses and in some of the most surprising packages. How do we know? We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting Oregon foodies and asked them what treasured presents they have received, what wonderful presents they have given and what presents they dream about sharing.
By S.J. SEBELLIN-ROSS
43
“I love using heat-resistant spatulas, they are really low-cost and versatile. Le Creuset makes nice ones that have a spoon shape.” — Chef Ken Rubin
gift guide
“The best gift I ever got was from my girlfriend,” says Mike McKinnon, owner, Potato Champion food cart.
“She bought me a home deep-fryer and it was the best because I was able to make fries at home.” And to go with those fries, you need, of course, some beer. “The best gift I ever got was my kegerator,” says Tonya Cornett, head brewmaster, Bend Brewing Co. “This is a refrigerator where you can serve beer right off the side of it so you can have beer on tap right at your house. And when people hear you have beer on tap, you have lots of friends.” But good gifts don’t always need instruction manuals. Cornett would also be happy with just the beer.
“I’d love to get a variety of Belgian beers. 44 46
They’re harder to get, and they have unique flavors that the pubs today are just starting to emulate — sour, acidic, flavors you can’t get anywhere else. One of my favorites is Duchesse de Bourgogne.” While presents based on thoughtfulness, not money, always have the biggest straight-to-the-heart impact, the most fun gifts are the fantasy gifts, the items you dream of giving or receiving if time and finances were no barrier. “My fantasy gift would be a trip to Cato Corner Farm in Connecticut,” says Steve Jones, owner, Steve’s Cheese. “They make a cheese called Hooligan, which is the most bacon-fatty, decadent, delicious, geeky, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese ever. And it is non-attainable here because he sells it all there.” Jones is not the only person who would opt for a trip.
“The one thing I would love to give would be to send someone I love to the Basque region on a culinary tour where they could take a class in Basque cooking and have a meal,” says Leslie Lukas-Recio, co-owner and operations manager of Viridian Farms. “That would be an incredible experience.” But for fun at home, Lukas-Recio pretends she’s Italian with a pasta maker from her husband, Manuel. “It’s an attachment for the KitchenAid. I make tagliatelle.” If you have a generous budget this year and are looking for something to wrap, chef Ken Rubin, director of culinary arts at The Art Institute of Portland, recommends copper. “The Mauviel copper braising pans are beautiful and heavy and heirloom-quality cookware pieces. They perform fabulously in the kitchen and make beautiful presentation pieces.”
gift guide
Lukas-Recio would want the big dollars spent on a more high-tech piece of kitchen equipment.
“I’d love a Miele CVA 4062. It’s an espresso machine and coffee maker. The wonderful thing is it’s beautiful stainless steel and it goes right into your kitchen cupboard.” However, if your recipient would prefer liquid refreshment, Lauren Souther, wine director at Clyde Common, recommends vintage Champagne. “I’d give a Cédric Bouchard Champagne,” says Souther. “His Champagnes are very limited production and they are light on the palate and have a definite roundness and floral character.” Still, not all presents have to be costly.
“A really good practical gift is the Opinel folding knife,”
says Jones. “They are really beautiful, they work well, they’re inexpensive, and they’re the perfect picnic knife because if you were to happen to leave one on a park bench, you won’t be upset.” Jones likes another gift that’s practical and cheap.
“Cheese papers from Formaticum. That’s a very practical gift. One of my ex-employees started this. One package is enough cheese paper for the average American for a year’s worth of use,” says Jones. Champagne-drinking Souther’s gift list has a budget side, too. “I also like a French white vermouth: Dolin Blanc. It’s soft and herbaceous. I have it on the rocks with a twist. It’s very well priced and super light and great as an aperitif. It adds a soft and floral dimension to cocktails. It is easy drinking.” Everyone has their own idea of fun and fantasy. Says Ben Dyer, butcher at Laurelhurst Market:
“My fantasy gift? An entire cow, dead and hanging. I’ve never actually done a whole cow. It is something I mean to do.”
45
gift guide
For Rubin, a modest price can still buy a gift that keeps on giving.
“I received a copy of Larousse Gastronomique for my bar mitzvah,” says Rubin. “That’s a book I’ve been looking at and using for over 20 years. I was really happy to get it and I still use it on a weekly basis.“ Even if you don’t butcher your holiday roast yourself, “everyone should have an instant-read meat thermometer,” says butcher Dyer. “This is the most important tool. They help make sure your meat comes out perfectly every time.” And they’re a lot cheaper than a whole cow. Predictably, the consensus is the best gifts are the ones that are made.
“The best gift I ever gave was, one year, I made my wife some shabu-shabu,”
For where to buy, see Shop, Page 72
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says Dyer. “This is like a Japanese hot pot where you cook all your meats and your vegetables at your table in this incredible stock. I spent the entire day preparing it and she loved it, just loved it.” Chef Rubin agrees: “Just the act of cooking for someone is a gift.” £
Warm up the holidays with Safeway
Makes about: 8 servings Prep and cook time: about 1½ hours
Winter Squash Soup 1. Rinse squash, slice in half and scoop out seeds. Discard seeds. Brush cut surfaces of squash and onions with oil. Place squash and onions, cut-side down, in a 10x15-inch baking pan. Slip garlic under squash. 2. Bake in a 375° oven until all vegetables are soft when pressed, 45-60 minutes. Reserve pan juices. Scoop flesh, discard skins. Peel garlic. Peel and chop onions. TIME-SAVING T IP S
This soup can be made entirely in advance. Simply store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then reheat before serving.
Ready-Made Solutions Signature Cafe® Vegetarian Pumpkin Soup
PO
3. In a 3- to 4-quart pan, combine squash, garlic, onions, parsley, chopped sage and thyme. Mash with a potato masher. Stir in reserved pan juices (and 4 cups water or broth). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for about 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Per serving: 131.5 cal., 46% (60 cal.) from fat; 8 g protein; 10 g fat (6.5 g sat.); 18 g carbo (0 g fiber); 92 mg sodium; 12 mg chol.
4. Distribute cheese equally among 8 bowls and ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with parsley (½ tsp. each) and pepper.
Squash Tips: Larger squash can be difficult to cut. To make halving them easier, poke holes in the skin, microwave on high for a few minutes, then let cool 5 minutes and cut in half.
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I.D. 49
He looks like a culinary guru in this picture, but longtime Portland restaurateur Dave Machado might describe himself as just a guy who knows how to work hard. We think he’s both.
d
[ Talking with Dave Machado ]
BY NANCY ROMMELMANN PHOTOGRAPH BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
eciding to open a restaurant in 2009 seems, in retrospect, like culinary suicide. But what are you going to do when you’ve committed to a space, a concept, a landlord? If you’re Dave Machado, who in May opened Nel Centro, inspired by the foods of Nice and Genoa, you charge on. “Failure is not an option,” says Machado, the 54-year-old chef-owner of intimate eastside bistros Lauro Kitchen and Vindalho, but whose latest venture, in the Hotel Modera in downtown Portland, seats 200 in the modern dining room, patio and bar. A veteran of hotel dining — Machado was at the helm of Pazzo in the Vintage Plaza Hotel in 1991, back, he says, “when most hotel restaurants had some old chef from the Navy” — he often breakfasts at the hotel’s antithesis, the warm and homey diner Toast, where owner Donald Kotler brings over a complimentary slice of a buttery, crunchy breakfast cake.
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I.D. CONT. MIX: You have three thriving restaurants in Portland — is that why people give you free food? DM: There is no thriving anymore; “going” is more like it. But no, Don used to be my bar manager at Vindalho. Then he was at Giorgio’s. When he decided to open this place, the dinner crew at Giorgio’s said, “Can we come make breakfast for you over there?” They knew it was going to be great. MIX: You signed on to open Nel Centro (pronounced nel chentro) in May 2008. Five months later, the bottom dropped out of the economy. What was that like? DM: Scary. It’s a terrible time to open a restaurant. But I think with these deals, you have to see the future of the area. The MAX was going in and PSU is growing; the streetscape around that part of downtown is new. I had a sense of what that would be when I committed, and it’s kind of panned out. MIX: Why do you think it’s panned out, while other restaurants are closing? DM: I learn who my customers are, what dishes they like, what prices they are willing to pay. We had a reviewer who said we didn’t serve [at Nel Centro] four items he considers the classic Riviera dishes. Well, I had all those on the menu when we opened, because we thought: People will love them! They didn’t order them. We took them off the menu. You have to be willing to change. MIX: Speaking of change: your restaurants are all very different, Portuguese at Lauro, Spice Route at Vindalho, now Ligurian coast at Nel Centro. DM: That’s about my psychological makeup as much as anything else. Every 24 to 30 months, I get restless, I want another design, another menu. I never want to reproduce the same restaurant, and I don’t think it can be done. They all have different vibes, different
clientele. When I opened Vindalho, I thought, ah, it will be an Asian-inspired Lauro-type place, and the people who love Lauro will also love Vindalho! They didn’t love it. They would actually come up to me and say, “I don’t like it.” MIX: And yet both remain open. DM: You learn with these eastside boxes, if you have 60 seats — not 40, not 90 — and you’re open for these hours, at these prices, you will make a living and offer a good experience. You make money when the market is going up, and you suffer when it goes down. At a certain point, you realize: You rose because the whole lake was rising. A lot of people in the restaurant business don’t want to believe that. MIX: They want to believe that it’s their genius and their cooking. DM: Owning a restaurant is a workingman’s job. That’s why a lot of people who rise quickly and get a lot of glitter wind up closing. They want to shine and they realize: This is a grind. Well, you have to be able to grind. I grind on the east side so I can shine downtown. MIX: I imagine asking whether one of your restaurants is your favorite is like asking which of your three kids you love the most. But which do you love the most? DM: I love the one that can pay all its bills. £ Nel Centro 1408 S.W. Sixth Ave. 503-484-1099 nelcentro.com Seven days for breakfast, lunch, dinner; Sunday brunch Toast 5222 S.E. 52nd Ave. 503-774-1020 toastpdx.com Brunch, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; dinner, 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday
SELECTS / CRÉMANT
a
[ It’s creamy, it’s luxurious — and the price is right ] ll we want for Christmas is a bottle of Champagne. Problem is, Champers is the king of sparkling wines and tends to be priced accordingly. And our wallets just aren’t stretching that wide this holiday season. We know there are plenty of other price-conscious pétillant options out there — crisp, clean proseccos from Italy, elegant German sekts and earthy cavas from Spain — all of which can be quite serviceable in the $10 to $20 range. But as we celebrate the season and ring in the new year, we want something a little more luxurious. We crave that silky texture, those elegant pinpoint bubbles and that delicately yeasty aroma that only Champagne can offer. Enter crémant. It’s French. It’s bubbly. It’s composed of high-quality handpicked grapes. It’s vinified in the same painstaking traditional way that Champagne is. And it’s, well, creme-y. But — pssst! — it’s not too expensive. That’s why we recently sat down with 26 brownbagged bottles of crémant to find a few that we would be proud to serve at a holiday dinner or give as a yuletide gift.
BY KATHERINE COLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE DAVIS
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SELECTS CONT. CONT.
GEOGRAPHY AND GRAPES
PANELISTS
There are just two major differences between crémant and Champagne: First, as the magazine ads inform us, only wines made in the eponymous geographical appellation rightly can be called “Champagne.” Crémants hail from other parts of France. And second, crémants can be made of grapes other than the Champagne standards: pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. To taste through crémants from all over France is to revisit the age-old question of wine appreciation: What’s more important, the grapes or the place? Our unscientific conclusion: both. We tasted crémants from Burgundy, Alsace, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Limoux, Savoie, Jura and the Rhone region, each wine composed of grapes endemic to its particular region. Yet despite this geographical diversity, our six winning wines hailed from Burgundy, Alsace and the Jura. Why? Well, to be fair, we must start with numbers. Our 26-bottle deck was loaded with more wines from Burgundy (nine total) and Alsace (eight) than any other region. So it’s no surprise that three of our winners should be Burgundian and two Alsatian. But I think it’s worth delving deeper here: Why do Burgundy and Alsace represent a majority of the crémants that I was able to find on store shelves? And what is it about these wines that appeals to us? First, let’s consider geography. Consult a map of France and you’ll see that Alsace, Burgundy and the Jura départements are all in the generally northeastern coolclimate quadrant of France. As is Champagne. Likewise, the grapes that go into the crémants of these regions — unlike those of, say, the Loire Valley or southern France — tend to be identical or similar to those that thrive in Champagne, most notably, pinot noir. All of which is to say this: If a bottle of Champagne is out of reach, a bottle of crémant from northeastern France makes an admirable stand-in.
NICOLAS QUILLÉ winemaker and general manager, Pacific Rim rieslingrules.com
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE The richer, the yeastier, the more fragrant the wine, the more
KERRY NEWBERRY wine, food and sustainability writer kerrynewberry.com ADAM RHYNARD co-owner, The Wine and Spirit Archive educational center wineandspiritarchive.com MARTHA HOLMBERG editor in chief, MIX magazine and The Oregonian’s FOODday section GRANT BUTLER critic at large, The Oregonian and MIX magazine KATHERINE COLE wine columnist, The Oregonian and MIX magazine
intrigued we were. As panelist Martha Holmberg pointed out, the best wines in our lineup would grab our attention even if we could only smell and taste the foam at the top of the glass. Our winners weren’t merely fluffy, frothy sparklers. They smelled like crab apples on the crisp air of autumn and of spices mulling over a warm winter stove. They brought to mind bread hot from the oven and ripe summer fruit dangling from lazy trees. In short, they were (wannabe) Champagnes for all seasons. And because they were priced no higher than $25, and in one case as low as $10, we could drink these wines almost any night of the week and still feel like we’d gotten an authentic Champagne experience. THE BOTTOM LINE As we were tasting and talking of food — as we always do — panelist Adam Rhynard mentioned that one of his favorite pairings of all time is Champagne and popcorn. It sounds like a ridiculous conceit, a delicious once-a-year lark or the kind of snack that a fabulously wealthy person might enjoy in his private screening room. But now that we’ve found these fine French crémants, we’re planning to extend sparkling-wine season far beyond the holidays. So if you wonder why we didn’t show up at that party the other night, our apologies. We’ve been at home, hunkered down with our Netflix, our Jiffy Pop and our crémant.
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SCREAMING DEAL NV Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve ($10) This was one of two dirt-cheap crémants we tasted from that bastion of bargains, Trader Joe’s (the other one, from the same producer, was also nice). A little snooping tells me it is the product of the Bailly-Lapierre cooperative, a group of vignerons who clearly know a thing or two about producing sparkling wine. It had a hint of Champagne yeastiness, nice acidity and, as Newberry noted, baked spices and lemon peel on the mellow nose. We declared it a perfectly palatable party wine. As Rhynard put it, “It doesn’t have the stuffing to hold up to a lot of things, but it’s a very nice aperitif, refreshing and delicious for $10.”
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DARN GOOD DEAL NV Jaillance Crémant de Bourgogne Brut ($16) Of three $16 Jaillance offerings we tasted, we found this one the most appealing for the price. While it didn’t quite create gustatory ecstasy, Quillé declared it “charming” enough to be a nice base for a Champagne cocktail, while I thought I might like to curl up with a flute of it while opening a few gifts on Christmas Eve. And a bottle of fine French bubbles for less than $20 is something of a gift, isn’t it? (Another gift: The front label helpfully informs us that this wine is a blend of pinot noir, gamay, chardonnay and aligoté grapes.) PRETTY AND PINK NV Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé ($21) We wanted to include at least one rosé, and this elegant little number blew away the competition, reminding Newberry of that pretty pink Ralph Lauren gown that Gwyneth wore to the Oscars a decade ago. Floral and feminine with notes of white peaches, strawberries, watermelon and perfume, it was for Holmberg a flashback to the fragrance of Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo — in a good way, honestly. Butler suggested winter salads and smoked fish as food pairings, while Rhynard was wowed by the silky refinement of the mousse: “The bubbles are nice and creamy in the mouth for this price point,” he remarked. “It’s delicate but really well-integrated.” CHAMPAGNE CHARLATAN NV Paul Ginglinger Crémant d’Alsace Brut ($22) Yeasty, creamy and toasty, this Alsatian sparkler reminded most of us of Champagne, which led us to wonder if one could pour it in a flute and pass it off as the real thing costing twice the price. “It’s just drinking so beautifully,” rhapsodized Butler. “I liked this the best.” Holmberg, however, was a holdout, comparing its aroma to that of the glue that comes with model ships and definitively declaring, “I hate this one.” WINE GEEK’S DELIGHT NV Tissot Crémant du Jura Brut ($24) Surprise your favorite cork dork this holiday season with this erudite sparkler. Rhynard and Quillé loved it, the latter declaring he’d like to take it along for a night at the opera; Holmberg couldn’t get enough of the “delicious toffee nose.” I was perplexed by its faintly pinkish hue and artisanal character. When we unveiled it, we realized this was pure wine geekery in a bottle: a bubbly made from biodynamically grown grapes by a highly respected small producer in the relatively obscure Jura region on the Swiss border. Be still my beating brain waves. OUR PICK FOR PORK NV Huber-Verdereau Crémant de Bourgogne ($25) What do you do with a bubbly that smells like caramel-covered burnt marshmallows and maple-syrup-soaked French toast? You turn to food-matching guru Butler, who takes a sniff, then declares “Christmas ham,” at which point you start salivating as you imagine this sweet-yet-sharp bottle of bubbles coming up against a sweet-and-salty honey-baked ham. Mmmmmm. Butler called this bonbon from a fine family producer of white and red Burgundies “sassy,” adding, “This is one of those wines that makes you stop mumbling, sit up and take notice.” We certainly did. £
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PUBCRAWL
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We need something to brighten things up as the days grow long and dark, so we’re happy to greet this season’s Jubelale from Deschutes all wrapped in its holiday label. The art for the last 20 years of labels is going on tour.
f
[ I’d like a craft beer, with a side of art, please. ]
or two decades, Deschutes has been quietly building a lovely tradition, commissioning local artists to create paintings for each year’s label for Jubelale, their premier winter seasonal. This year, they’re taking those collected paintings on the road in a multistate art tour. Actually, they’re taking three sets of art prints on the road — the originals remain in pride of place in the Jubel Hall of Fame, a hallway in Deschutes Brewery’s Bend headquarters. “They’re all hanging in a hall,” said Jason Randles of the brewery, “which is where all the brewery tours end. People are surprised to see all the paintings in one place; it’s really quite a collection.”
Actually, the sheer concentration of vivid art seems to have snuck up on everybody, including the brewery people. “It’s a great story that we haven’t done a very good job of telling,” said Randles, “and we decided that the time had come to celebrate great painting.” “It’s a bit of a trip down memory lane for people,” said Deschutes President Gary Fish, “because they see a label and say, ‘Oh, I remember that one now — I’d forgotten all about that.’ ” Even if you miss the tour stops, you can probably get your hands on the Jubel retrospective poster
BY JOHN FOYSTON / PHOTOGRAPH BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
PUBCRAWL CONT. Deschutes printed with all the labels reproduced in order — you’ll likely see some old favorites of your own. Oregonians have been celebrating Jubelale — currently the brewery’s No. 3 seller — for two decades, ever since 1988, when then-brewmaster John Harris (now of Full Sail) and the crew at the just-opened Deschutes brewpub in Bend decided to start a holiday ale tradition in the manner of Sierra Nevada Celebration and Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome. “We started the business on much more of a European model,” said Fish, “so we wanted kind of an English-style winter warmer. We wanted it dark and strong, and John chose the malt bill to make it as red as possible in honor of the holidays. We wanted it to be dark and rich with a good hop character, but it had to be balanced — we weren’t building an IPA.” They built well because Jubel was a hit right out of the gate, and the Deschutes crew hand-bottled 750 ml bottles, filling them from the taps at the pub and capping them by hand. The first several years were put in big bottles until Deschutes moved production brewing from the pub to its big new brewery in 1993. The timing was such that Jubel was the first beer bottled in 12-ounce bottles and six-packs on the new bottling line, an interesting trial run, as Fish remembers.
Those first labels were similar and simple: wreaths enclosing the serpentine river of the original Deschutes logo. But for 1995, Fish and the brewery’s graphic designer commissioned the first painting, a snow-encrusted pine branch and cone, from artist George Lawrence. “It was like everything else back then, we didn’t really know what we were creating,” Fish said. “We didn’t think we were starting a tradition that would be really cool in 15 or 20 years — 15 or 20 minutes was more like our planning horizon back then.” But that first painting was the start of a tradition, of an unbroken line of snowbound cottages; snow-banked streams; a twirling ice-skater clutching a beer; a smiling face catching a snowflake on the tongue; starry nights outside a snowpiled window; a group of après-skiers a-loungin’; a winter scene of the pub; and several bold, abstract swirls of color and shape. “It’s really an honor to be chosen,” said Tracy Leagjeld, the Bend artist whose monotype of the sun bursting through snowy trees is basis of the 2009 label. She worked with the brewery’s advertising agency for about nine months to nail down the design. “The one thing they kept asking me
was for more snow, because there’s an urban legend in Bend that if the Jubelale label doesn’t have enough snow, it’ll be a lousy year for skiing, so I had to add a new layer of snow.” As for other Jubel legends: They don’t use spices, Fish said, never have and never will. They don’t change the recipe, either, though variations in hops and malt make for slight differences. “And our techniques have steadily improved over the years,” he said, “we’ve gotten more consistent, though this year I perceive the beer as being drier. In fact, there’s been talk on the brewery tasting panel about reverse-engineering the beer to get back a little of the sweetness and the house character that Jubel had when we were smaller and less sophisticated.” But the Jubel tradition seems set to continue: “It’s certainly the most expensive thing we do in terms of packaging,” he said, “but people expect it and the artists love it — I don’t think we could stop if we wanted to.” You can find a schedule of the shows at www. deschutesbrewery.com £
2nd Annual
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Winter Ale Fest Sponsoring the Glen Falconer Foundation Come have a beer to help raise money for Brewery Scholarships. December 12, 12pm - Close
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GOOD CHEESE
BY TAMI PARR / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE DAVIS
[ Things to drink when you’re eating cheese ]
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suppose I’m biased, but for me tasting cheese is one of life’s major pleasures. Related, and almost equally pleasurable, is enjoying a great cheese with a great drink. Pairing cheese with wine, beer or other libations opens up a whole world of intriguing flavor. You’ll read all sorts of rules about pairings, but here’s one to remember: Pairings are very subjective. Everyone perceives flavors differently, and some have more sensitive palates than others. Perhaps the easiest way to understand how pairings work is to recognize when they don’t work. There will be no mistaking the sensation: Strange, bitter, acidic flavors will pool in your mouth. A good pairing, by contrast, will make you happy, filling your mouth with flavors that are pleasant and appealing. The best pairings can be otherworldly, a moment when the flavors of the cheese and beverage are transformed by their combination, the outcome a new flavor revelation. Keep experimenting and you’ll see what I mean. Start your pairing expeditions with this rule of thumb: Work with flavors from the same general area of the spectrum. So, pair subtle with subtle, fruity with fruity, strong with strong. Think of it this way: There’s just not much point in matching a British Stilton (a full-flavored caramelly-sharp blue cheese) with a light, floral Pinot Grigio. The strong cheese will dominate your palate and wipe out all traces of the wine’s flavors. But combine a perfect soft-ripened goat’s milk cheese with a delicate Champagne or sparkling wine and you’ll understand why it’s worth the effort to figure out some pairings that work. By all means try new things, even counterintuitive or improbable flavor combinations. Flavors can marry in strange and wonderfully unexpected ways, so leap right in because the adventure is part of the fun. And when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask your friendly cheesemonger or sommelier for advice. Here are ideas from a few experts who have definite opinions on connecting cheese to drink.
Rivers Edge Chèvre Sunset Bay paired with Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc Laura Werlin, cheese expert and author of “Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials” Sunset Bay is a surface-ripened goat’s milk cheese with a line of smoked paprika running through the center, which adds a warm undertone to this luscious cheese. Werlin’s pairing highlights texture and character: “Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc has a creamy mouth feel, which matches well with the creaminess of Pat Morford’s cheese. The wine is medium-bodied, quite luxurious on the palate and has good acidity, which matches the lemony quality of the goat cheese.”
Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue paired with Deschutes Black Butte Porter Lucy Saunders, author of “The Best of American Beer & Food” While blue cheese may seem difficult to pair, blues play well with a variety of flavor combinations. Beer expert Lucy Saunders highlights the delicious possibilities of the marriage of blue cheese and beer: “Deschutes Black Butte Porter is robust and has a slight smokiness that melds with the tangy edge of Oregon Blue. One can also take a different approach with blue-veined cheeses, such as gorgonzola — pair with something hoppy such as Bridgeport Blue Heron Pale Ale or Dead Guy Ale from Rogue. These types of big hoppy ales make the gorgonzola taste creamy and soften the saltiness on the palate.”
Montagnolo paired with Hungarian Tokaji Brandon Weeks, fromager, Urban Farmer Brie lovers take note: Creamy soft-ripened cheese meets tangy blue in German-made cow’s milk Montagnolo. “One of my most memorable and delicious combinations is Montagnolo and Hungarian Tokaji — arguably the world’s finest dessert wine,” says Weeks. “I’ve got a major sweet tooth, and this pairing is at the height of decadence. The wine’s so thick you could almost drizzle it on the cheese like honey, and we’ve all known for millennia there’s nothing better than milk and honey. Well, maybe cheese and wine.”
Uplands Cheese Co. Pleasant Ridge Reserve paired with a dry riesling Cypress Grove Midnight Moon paired with House Spirits Krogstad Aquavit Tami Parr and Matt Mount, distiller, House Spirits While in the U.S. we focus mostly on pairing wine with cheese, in much of the rest of the world cheese is as likely to be served with spirits as it is wine or beer. I recently spent an afternoon with House Spirits’ Matt Mount pairing their deep inventory of spirits with a variety of cheese styles. We found that Krogstad Aquavit’s warm caraway undertones seem to crave the caramel-butterscotch sweetness of Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, an aged goat’s milk gouda. Note: When pairing cheese and spirits, pace yourself!
Steve Ehlers, owner, Larry’s Brown Deer Market in Milwaukee, and co-author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cheeses of the World” Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a gruyère-style cheese made in Wisconsin from the milk of a single herd of cows. Ehlers enjoys this cheese in combination with white wines on the bright, acidic end of the spectrum, which integrate without overpowering. “Pleasant Ridge Reserve has many of the characteristics of the French Beaufort (which is what cheesemaker Mike Gingrich modeled it after); its fruitiness and nutty flavors go well with dry riesling. In fact, a dry riesling is an overall good choice for gruyère types of cheeses; if I had to use just one or two wines to have with any fine cheese, it would be this or a medium sauvignon blanc.” £
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Photo courtesy: Greg Kozawa
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[ A world of food is ready up north – but don’t forget your passport ]
W
BY GRANT BUTLER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT EKLUND
hen it comes to sheer beauty, there may be no West Coast city that’s got more going on than Vancouver, B.C. Mountains seemingly rise up out of the still waters of the Strait of Georgia, punctuated by pencil-point skyscrapers and the hulking dome of BC Place stadium. And it’s not just beauty Vancouver’s got a lock on: It’s one of the West Coast’s tastiest cities, too, with an eclectic array of international cuisine that’s particularly strong on Asian cooking — credit an influx of expats who arrived here after British Commonwealth sister Hong Kong was handed over to China in the late ’90s. You’ll find plenty of Northwest flavor here, too, thanks to the locavore-thrust of the city’s restaurant scene, as well as free-flowing British Columbian wines — great stuff that rarely makes it to our side of the border because of complex trade regulations. The rest of the world is set to discover this bounty of taste in just a couple of months when the Winter Olympic Games are held here and in nearby Whistler. But you don’t have to elbow aside figure skaters, curlers and hockey players for a table. Vancouver’s so close, we have all year to discover the joys.
EAT HERE / VANCOUVER B.C. CONT.
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Bin 941 Tapas Parlour
Legendary Noodle A legendary park, with noodles to match Most visitors begin their time in Vancouver with a trip to stately Stanley Park, stopping to pose in front of Chinese artist Yue Minjun’s hugely popular “A-Mazing Laughter” installation of a dozen giggling, 15-feet-high bronze figures, then jogging, walking or driving through one of the world’s greatest outdoor civic spaces. To fuel up for a day in the park, drop into Legendary Noodle, a cubbyhole-like Asian spot that’s perched by the park entrance on bustling Denman Street. In-theknow locals head here for made-toorder noodles. From your table, you can watch as cook Tommy Liu pulls and twists noodle dough by hand — think of a cross between pulled taffy
and someone throwing pizza dough, and you get a sense of the visual pyrotechnics. Once he’s worked his magic, the noodles become the foundation for plump Chinese dumplings, or land in intense broths studded with thin strands of pork or lamb shanks. Even better, get them wok-fried with fiery chiles. Here’s the best part: almost everything is under $10, and portions are substantial. Don’t worry: The money you save here will be spent elsewhere.
Westside glories After getting your fill of noodles, head up Davie Street, which bisects two distinct neighborhoods: the West End and Yaletown. The West End is the heart of Vancouver’s gay community, with rainbow-colored banners hanging from streetlights
and all manner of coffeehouses, restaurants and nightclubs, guaranteeing interesting people watching. When you cross Granville Street, it’s like a seismic shift into a northern cousin of Portland’s Pearl District. Old warehouse buildings have been converted into upscale lofts, art galleries and restaurants, and the neighborhood is most often described (for good or bad, depending on your point of view) as “trendy.” It’s here during the Games that you’re most likely to encounter athletes from the nearby Olympic Village. There’s such anticipation that tattoo shops are promising to ink the logo for the Vancouver Games on any medalist for free. Straddling the two neighborhoods and drawing the divergent demographics together is Bin 941 Tapas Parlour. For a decade, chef/owner
Gord Martin has been putting a distinctly Canadian spin on Spanish small plates, incorporating Northwest ingredients and Indian fry bread into the palette of flavors. From a seat at the chef’s counter, which overlooks the exposed kitchen, you can watch as dishes like duck breast with fingerling potato hash or lamb sirloin with a grilled tomato salad are pulled together and drizzled with vinaigrettes and truffle oils. For its sheer audacity, try the cinnamon-chile-rubbed flank steak, which is grilled to medium rare, then sliced thin, topped with a maple syrup and chipotle glaze, then topped with a mound of black-pepper shoestring fries. If you work your fork just right, spearing a little bit of everything, it’s like you got the
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The Naam ďŹ&#x201A;avors of breakfast, lunch and dinner in every bite.
One street, two directions Not all of the good food action is sequestered to the downtown core, and on a one-mileplus stretch of West Fourth Avenue, you can ďŹ nd the extremes of Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food scene. On one end, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Naam, a 24-hour-a-day vegetarian place thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been dishing up deep-fried tofu and pita pizzas since the late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a part of local lore that standup and improv comics regularly work references to its granola aesthetic into their bits. But the food is no joke.
Dishes include a homemade veggie burger â&#x20AC;&#x201D; like a from-scratch Gardenburger, but studded with more hearty nuts and grains. But order the incredible Santa Fe enchilada, stuffed with fried chunks of tofu, black beans, yogurt, zucchini and onions, served with a gigantic salad and a side of sesame-coated fries. At $13.95, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough for two people to share â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the sort of value that explains why thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a line of people waiting to get in. Down the street at Fuel, you realize youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re headed for a meatier take the second you approach the storefront, where you can spy chefs in the front window carving pieces from
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Fuel
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GO WINE TASTING! The Guide to Willamette Valley Wineries includes 180 wineries and tasting rooms, a tour map, Where to Stay & Eat and Things to See & Do. Request a copy at willamettewines.com
DON’T MISS WINE COUNTRY THANKSGIVING
November 27-29, 2009
a slow-roasted whole pig or breaking down a whole lingcod for that day’s special dishes. The meat focus shows up in a gorgeous charcuterie plate with five different items, all made in-house, including fennel sausage, paper-thin shavings of cured pork shoulder and a terrine of foie gras studded with preserved apricots. Bits of pork shoulder show up again in the signature “Celebration” salad, with organic greens tossed with homemade ricotta and hazelnuts. Greater complexities of flavor come together with main dishes, like seared sea scallops on a bed of caramelized cauliflower purée alongside black truffle and crispy pork belly. If you’ve been saving up for dessert, this is the place to cash in the calories with a slice of dark chocolate terrine dessert that’s topped with a sprinkling of sea salt and chopped hazelnuts and served with a white chocolate-stuffed cigarette cookie and dab of coffee ice cream. If the contrast between The Naam and Fuel seems
polarizing, they’re brought together by the Fourth Avenue shops in between them. A half dozen bookstores and countless more coffee shops line the way, along with places to buy yoga gear, maternity clothes, home decor and fashions ranging from designers to thriftstore chic. This is a place where Vancouverites from all walks of life come together to shop, play — and eat. Legendary Noodle 1074 Denman St. 604-669-8551 Bin 941 Tapas Parlour 941 Davie St. 604-683-1246 bin941.com The Naam 2724 W. Fourth Ave. 604-738-7180 thenaam.com Fuel 1944 W. Fourth Ave. 604-288-7905 fuelrestaurant.ca
Vancouver, B.C., essentials Between bites, there’s plenty of sightseeing and shopping to keep your Vancouver adventure going full throttle. Here are a half dozen must-see spots. Stanley Park: Just north of downtown is a 1,000-acre peninsula that may well be the most beautiful park in North America. Bicycle, jogging and walking paths circle the waterfront perimeter, offering gorgeous vistas of downtown skyscrapers and English Bay. Don’t miss the ceremonial Native American totem poles — a perfect photo op — or the Vancouver Aquarium, with its own pod of beluga whales, which has seen two newborns in the past 18 months. vancouverparks.ca Granville Island: Underneath the Granville Street Bridge is a warren of artists’ studios, unusual boutiques and a large, covered public market where you can score fresh fruit and sample British Columbian cheese and wine. At night, catch wicked improv by the Vancouver TheatreSports
League or a contemporary drama by the Arts Club Theatre. granvilleisland.com Robson Street: This four-block shopping district, stretching from Jervis to Burrard streets, is loaded with fashionable boutiques featuring some of the world’s top designers. If you get lucky and visit when seasonal sales are on and the exchange rate favors the U.S. dollar, you can save big on shoes, coats and handbags. robsonstreet.ca Commercial Drive: Think what Portland’s Hawthorne District might be like with an infusion of international flair. Take the 10-minute drive out of the downtown core and head to this bustling east Vancouver street, with a staggering 22 blocks of independent record stores, one-of-a-kind coffee shops and restaurants serving everything from Belgian fries to Cuban delicacies. Utne Reader calls this North America’s “hippest neighborhood,” which is funny when you realize how hard the Drive is trying not to be hip. thedrive.ca VanDusen Botanical Garden: Whatever the season — yes, even winter! — there’s something blooming at this 55-acre garden, just a five-minute drive south of downtown. Stroll through sections featuring exotic and native plants, consult your inner muse in Chinese meditation gardens or get lost in the Elizabethan hedge maze. vandusengarden.org Museum of Anthropology: On the University of British Columbia campus, about 10 minutes west of downtown, is one of the best collections of Northwest Coast Native artifacts, including totems, bentwood boxes and ceremonial masks. The museum has undergone a $55 million expansion, with the grand reopening corresponding to this winter’s Cultural Olympiad. moa.ubc.ca £ — Grant Butler
A New Year’s Eve from farm to table Chef Matt Christianson offers a 4 course prix-fixe menu with options
$85 per person RESERVATIONS: 503-802-4630 525 SW Morrison, 8th Floor, Portland
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Our picks for what to eat where
Pre-Order Holiday Tamales 1 Dozen = $20 7 days a week 10-10
2839 NE Alberta • 503.281.3662
300 SW 6th Ave Portland, Oregon 97204
503.546.2666 www.originaldinerant.com
Salty’s
Order your “Original” holiday pie
Izakaya Sake Shochu Yakitori biwarestaurant.com
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izakaya holiday parties! open nightly until midnight
Great Wines, The Best Prices
Wine Xing
Compiled by Grant Butler CONTRIBUTORS Grant Butler Karen Brooks Danielle Centoni Teri Gelber Seth Lorinczi David Sarasohn Naomi Kaufman Price Amy Wang Michael C. Zusman
Decked-out halls
Restaurants where the holiday season reigns supreme
Over 800 Wines!
25977 SW Canyon Creek Rd. Wilsonville
(Near Costco) 503.582.8355 WineXing.com
LAUREL RIDGE winery
2007 Syrah
13301 ne kuehne road, carlton, oregon
503-8 52 -7 0 5 0 www.l aurelridgewinery.com
Bluehour 250 N.W. 13th Ave. 503-226-3394 bluehouronline.com Lots of restaurants decorate for the holidays, but none outdoes the Pearl District’s Bluehour. A few years ago, the dining room became a small forest of illuminated white birch trees, making it look as if New York’s Tavern on the Green had moved west and indoors. Another year, four 14-footwide “chandeliers” made out of twigs, berries and twinkling white lights hovered over diners, with banquettes in the bar adorned with flocked evergreen hangings covered with artificial cardinals. This year, owner Bruce Carey plans to tuck light-laden limbs into corners of the restaurant, giving
the dining rooms some holiday glow. While you soak up the glam look, sip the delicious house martini made from homemade plum liqueur, while considering chef de cuisine Drew Lockett’s recommended four-course menu, which includes a salad, entree, cheese course and dessert. It’s a bit of a splurge at $50 per person — but that’s what holidays are for, right? The Gilt Club 306 N.W. Broadway 503-222-4458 giltclub.com Thanksgiving has never been a big deal for Gilt Club owner Jamie Dunn — he’s not a fan of either turkey or football — so he and his friends instead spend the day turning his sleek restaurant into a winter wonderland. The dining room’s drumlike lights get some extra bling from illuminated balls, evergreen garlands cascade down the exterior awnings, and the bar’s massive TV is dressed up to look like a partially opened present. Holiday faves like “Frosty the Snowman” and “White Christmas” are in continual rotation. This year, the biggest surprise isn’t under the Christmas tree. It’s the impressive array of dishes from chef Chris Carriker, who joined the kitchen earlier this year. Bold flavors include things like pork belly that’s braised in Dr Pepper and wild boar poppers, plus some surprises on the dessert menu, like a warm caramel bread pudding with a cream sauce studded with popcorn — it’s not just for stringing on the tree. In a nod to the season,
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he’ll also offer a special Christmas goose dinner each week, which can be followed by a plate of homemade Christmas cookies that would please Santa. And the entire menu is served until 2 a.m., so if the food at that office Christmas party was a washout, you can get something tasty on your way home. Meriwether’s Restaurant 2601 N.W. Vaughn St. 503-228-1250 meriwethersnw.com If you’re looking for a holiday meal in a festive setting, Meriwether’s co-owner Renee Orlando says you should watch out for imposters: “Some places say they decorate for the holidays and they’re talking about a candle at the host station and a little bit of greenery. This place is decked out from floor to ceiling in every room.” Every room has a garden theme and a massively decorated tree, garlands are everywhere, and the roaring stone fireplaces in the bar and main dining room make perfect spots for sipping a glass of warm, spiced cider or a glass of rich eggnog. Chef Earl Hook, a veteran of numerous Seattle restaurants, including acclaimed spots Brasa and La Medusa, emphasizes farm-to-table Northwest cooking, with many ingredients culled from the restaurant’s own five-acre Skyline Farm. Much of the fare is hearty: duck breast with semolina pancakes; lamb osso buco; braised pork shoulder with corona beans.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Something for everyone on your list
SCENE Saltyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3839 N.E. Marine Drive 503-288-4444 saltys.com When you head up Marine Drive, you can spot Saltyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday grandeur from a long way off. The trees and shrubbery surrounding the waterfront seafood house glitter with ďŹ&#x201A;ickering lights, signaling that this is one of the prized locations for celebrating the season. Once inside, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll march past a small army of life-sized nutcracker statues, each a unique creation of Northwest artists. Then settle into one of the window tables looking out on the Columbia River, where the real magic unfolds. From Dec. 9-20, the annual ďŹ&#x201A;otilla of Christmas ships sails up and down the river, a tradition that dates to 1954. While watching the motor boats adorned with illuminated trees, dancing bears and ringing bells sail by, feast on fresh seafood selections from the daily market sheet, like cedar plank-roasted salmon with crab fondue or buttermilk-fried oysters. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re eager for land-based cuisine, opt for pork tenderloin with sweet potato gnocchi in a juniper berry port sauce.
Local heroes Neighborhood favorites from throughout the metro area
Autentica 5507 N.E. 30th Ave. 503-287-7555 autenticaportland.com In 2006, when Oswaldo Bibiano opened a cozy Mexican restaurant highlighting specialties from his
native Guerrero, it was more curiosity than crave fest. Not any longer. Bibianoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s developed conďŹ dence and creativity as a chef and restaurateur â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and it shows in a menu set to satisfy both culinary adventurers and those for whom tacos and tamales deďŹ ne a Mexican meal. In addition to a diverse dinner menu ranging from seafood cocktails to whole roasted ďŹ sh and a delightful brunch, comes an exciting new Mexican street-food lunch. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and efďŹ cient, helping make this a place you want to return to again and again. Bar Mingo 811 N.W. 21st Ave. 503-445-4646 barmingonw.com For 22 years, chef Jerry Huisinga helped the legendary Genoa rule Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant scene, but he ďŹ&#x201A;ew under the radar working behind the scenes as the pasta guy (a Genoa signature dish) and the enforcer who made others do it right. Now he runs his own show â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at a fraction of Genoaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s price of admission. As kitchen honcho at this spinoff of Caffe Mingo next door, Huisinga cooks homey Italian with an obsessiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart, making everything by hand, from sausages to ricotta. This is not lost on regulars who love the food, the prices and the casually stylish comfort found at handsome marble tables, a 22-footlong bar and couches in the front lounge. The stars of the blackboard menu are the hot and cold antipasto and three homemade pastas, PHOTOGRAPH BY RANDY RASMUSSEN
Scottish Public House â&#x20AC;˘ Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest selection of single malt whiskies â&#x20AC;˘ Traditional Scottish fare including unforgettable ďŹ sh & chips â&#x20AC;˘ Meet friends for a pint in one of our cozy rooms 201 S. 2nd St. @ Hwy 99E,
Oregon City, OR 97045
900 00 nw lovejoy lovejoy - pearl districtt | m-s m s 10-10 11010 0 1 sun 12-6 503-477-8604 |www.pearlspecialty.com
503-723-6789 www.highlandstillhouse.com
Rated â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clucktacularâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Grant Butler, A&E
Best In Portland!
Sandwiches & Salads, too. 12 Homemade Sauces Now two Locations: 1708 E. Burnside Ave. 503.230.WING (9464) 4225 N. Interstate Ave. 503.280.WING (9464)
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l e 10605 SE Main St. d e Ta m a Restaurant Milwaukie s
CATERING
Experience Portland’s Finest Thai Cuisine with Dang’s Newest Thai Specials.
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Belly Timber
Dang’s Thai Kitchen 503-697-0779 670 N. State St. Lake Oswego, OR 97034
We Did It Again! 68 70
Best 100 Wines of the Year 2009 Best 100 Wines of the Year 2006 Wine & Spirits Magazine
Top 100 Wines of the World 2006
Wine Spectator
Thanksgiving Weekend November 27, 28, 29 11am to 5pm
Admission: $10/person Admission includes logo glass along with scrumptious Tapas. On Saturday, owners Steve and Carol Girard will be preparing their delectable pizzas.
BENTON-LANE WINERY Open Weekdays 11am to 4:30pm Weekends April through November, 11am - 5pm 23924 Territorial Hwy, Monroe, OR www.benton-lane.com Phone 541.847.5792
FAMILY OWNED — SUSTAINABLE VINEYARD — ESTATE GROWN 2871813V01
perhaps pappardelle in braisedmeat sauce or a big-flavored lasagna. The Italian wine list is full of fairly priced selections. You’ll find better desserts elsewhere, but it’s hard to find service this friendly and gracious anywhere. Belly Timber 3257 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. 503-235-3277 bellytimberrestaurant.com This old Victorian on Hawthorne has finally found an occupant worthy of its intimate, woody surroundings with Belly Timber. In a town tough on new restaurants, it could have gone the other way for first-time kitchen boss David Siegel. But Siegel’s wily ways with meat and creative combinations are impressive when they work. Typical of his imagination: celery root cannelloni, duck and quince rillettes, housesmoked salmon with chickpea crepes. Siegel’s generous “house meats plate” ($11), including his strange and wondrous “pigstrami” (pork belly cured pastrami-style), is a carnivore’s playground — and a great value to boot. Another great value is the juicy, substantial BT Burger, with a pile of fries (and trademark bone marrow aioli), a mere $10. Add cheese (cheddar, blue or pimento) for a buck, bacon for three. Chennai Masala 2088 N.W. Stucki Ave., Hillsboro 503-531-9500 chennaimasalaonline.com If you can get over its strip-mall setting and the cold, hard tables and chairs within, Chennai Masala PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG BEGHTEL
will reward you with adventurous Indian cooking. Although you’ll find northern specialties such as rogan josh, the extensive menu focuses on the complex, often fiery flavors of southern India, from Hyderabad’s biryanis with spiced meat to Goa’s vindaloo. Cinnamon, cardamom, coconut milk and chiles are hallmarks of this region’s food, and the nuanced curries here reveal how careful preparation makes one dish taste entirely different from the next. Skip the forgettable samosas and start with ghee paper roast ($9.45), a huge paper-thin crepe, slightly tangy and curled like a giant piece of crisp parchment. Break off a piece and dip it into the accompanying chutneys or lentil dal. Lapellah 2520 Columbia House Blvd., Vancouver 360-828-7911 lapellah.com Vancouver’s own celebrity chef, Brad Root, has expanded to an additional location in an empty corner of a new shopping center, with a name — a local tribal term for roast — reflecting his absorption with local themes. You could also get that message from the stylized canoe hanging from the ceiling or from a skilled, imaginative, accessible menu heavy on Northwestern themes and big on meats, with flames leaping visibly in the open kitchen. Prices are moderate, with just one entree (a wood-fired rib steak with grilled onions) that tops $20. Seafood tends to be fried and impressive, led by a cornmealcrusted trout stuffed with Dungeness crab ($17.95), nightly gumbo (a deal at $10) or shrimp beignets.
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HIGH FIVE HANUKKAH TREATS The holiday season isn’t all about Christmas, of course. Hanukkah, the annual Festival of Lights, begins at sundown on Dec. 11, and for eight nights Jews will honor the miracle of the oil with candle lightings, music and special games. And food plays a big part in the festivities. Here is how some local restaurants and bakeries are helping to make the observance easy. BY GRANT BUTLER Baker & Spice: During Hanukkah, this Hillsdale bakery is a great lunch destination, with freshly made latkes, smoked salmon and all the trimmings taking a starring role. If you’re grabbing sweets to go, they’ve got rugalach, ricotta tarts and decorated Star of David cookies. 6330 S.W. Capitol Highway 503-244-7573 Bread & Ink Cafe: This venerable Hawthorne District kitchen offers two kinds of latkes during Hanukkah. For the traditionalist, there are the potato and onion latkes owner Bruce Fishback calls “hoppedup hash browns.” They get served with homemade apple sauce and a seasoned sour cream, as does a nontraditional sweet potato latke. 3610 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. 503-239-4756 Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen: This Jewish delicatessen makes throwing a Hanukkah party easy
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with its special holiday takeout menu. To get things started, there are miniature potato latkes with smoked salmon, sour cream and chives. Follow that with beef brisket with carrot/dried fruit tzimmes (minimum 3 pound order) and some Challah dinner rolls. For a sweet finish, order a platter of traditional treats, including rugalach, hammentashen and macaroons. 1038 S.W. Stark St. 503-222-3354 Mother’s Bistro & Bar: Owner Lisa Schroeder prides herself on being a protective Jewish mother, and that sensibility comes through in her comfortfocused cooking. During Hanukkah, the menu features traditional favorites like potato latkes with sour cream or homemade applesauce, and braised beef brisket. 212 S.W. Stark St. 503-464-1122
PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE DAVIS
Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino
Mika
J a p a n e s e · F o o d
Join us before or after a show at the Keller! Sushi Sashimi Tempura Udon
Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon
Specializing in Cab & Zin Fri-Mon 11am-5pm Visit our new Tasting Room in Carlton! 250 N. Kutch St Carlton, OR troonvineyard.com 503.852.3084
Happy Hour 3-6pm
503.222.0699
1425 SW 2nd Ave., Portland Located in the KOIN Tower
Three Square Grill: Hanukkah is always close to the heart of this homey kitchen — the giant Yukon gold-leek pancake with cultured crème fraîche and homemade smoked wild chinook lox have been on the regular menu since the restaurant opened in 1995. During the season, a smaller latke-sized version is available for takeout with heirloom apple and pear sauce. For dessert, there’s another fried treat with sufganiyah, a traditional doughnut filled with Oregon berry preserves and dusted with powdered sugar. 6320 S.W. Capitol Highway. 503-244-4467 £
Head for where the fun shines and experience Central Oregon's scenic high desert. Just two hours from Portland and situated on the 600,000 acre Warm Springs reservation, Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino will renew your spirit with our scenic vistas, 18-hole championship golf course, gaming, European-style spa, hot springs-fed pool and outdoor activities – all wrapped in the warmth of our traditional Native American culture. Call us to learn more about our great rates and packages.
800-554-4SUN (4786) Kahneeta.com Warm Springs, OR
freshest&best Fresh Meat and Seafood
Tastings every Friday and Saturday Huge selection of the best wines in the Northwest 10% off on the purchase of 6 bottles or more Special order discounts on full cases
Catering trays Huge specialty and gourmet cheese selection Fresh salads and entrees Special occasion custom cakes Fresh breads and pastries
Fresh Produce We buy local whenever possible First of the season freshness Wide variety of organic items
NW
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for any celebration at Bales Marketplace.
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We’ve gathered some names and numbers of places to find the good stuff in this issue. The products may also be available from other local stores and online sources.
17 MIXMASTER
43 WHAT COOKS WANT
Clyde Common 1014 S.W. Stark St. 503-228-3333 clydecommon.com
Kegerator: www.kegerators.com
26 VINTAGE VIBE Madison Park Antiques 7805 S.E. 13th Ave. Sellwood 503-233-3731 Rivertown Antique Market 155 Elm St. Kalama, WA 360-673-2263
33 BEER TASTES GOOD WITH FOOD Cafe Nell 1987 N.W. Kearney St. 503-295-6487 cafenell.com Belmont Station 4500 S.E. Belmont St. 503-232-8538 belmont-station.com
74 72
TABLEWARE FROM: Pottery Barn 310 Northwest 23rd Ave. 503-525-0280 potterybarn.com Crate & Barrel 7267 S.W. Bridgeport Road Tigard 503-598-9005 crateandbarrel.com
La Bottega Café deli wine shop
1905 main street vancouver wa 98660 info@labottegafoods.com
labottegafoods.com
360/571-5010 mon-thu 11-9 fri-sat 11-9:30
New Year’s Eve Tuscan Style
Vancouver Antique Mall 2000 Main St. Vancouver, WA 206-695-5574 Canoe 1136 S.W. Alder St. 503-889-8545 canoeonline.net
Cato Corner Farm: catocornerfarm.com Culinary tour to Basque region: spanishjourneys. com/food-and-winevacation-BilbaoSan-Sebastian.html Mauviel copper braising pan: Mauviel USA, 302-326-4803; locally at Sur la Table and Williams-Sonoma Cédric Bouchard champagne: polanerselections.com Opinel folding knife: opiknife.com
49 I.D. Lauro Kitchen 3377 S.E. Division St. 503-239-7000 laurokitchen.com Vindalho 2038 S.E. Clinton St. 503-467-4550 vindalho.com Nel Centro 1408 S.W. Sixth Ave. 503-484-1099 nelcentro.com
51 SELECTS /CREMANT SCREAMING DEAL NV Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve ($10) any Trader Joe’s DARN GOOD DEAL NV Jaillance Crémant de Bourgogne Brut ($16) Fred Meyer Burlingame, Northwest Best, Raleigh Hills, Sunset and Tualatin
Garrison’s Fine Wines 401 S.E. Morrison St. 503-233-8060 Hollywood Wine & Espresso 4075 N.E. Sandy Blvd. 503-459-4081 John’s Market Place 3535 S.W. Multnomah Blvd. 503-244-2617 La Bottega 1905 Main St. Vancouver 360-571-5010 Market of Choice West Linn QFC Vancouver Vinopolis 1025 S.W. Washington St. 503-223-6002 PINK NV Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé ($21) Great Wine Buys 1515 N.E. Broadway St. 503-287-2897 Burdigala 8317 S.E. 13th Ave. 503-309-6297 Woodstock Wine & Deli Co. 4030 S.E. Woodstock Blvd. 503-777-2208 Fred Meyer (multiple locations) New Seasons Market (multiple locations) Zupan’s (multiple locations) Everyday Wine 1520 N.E. Alberta St. 503-331-7119 FAUX CHAMPAGNE NV Paul Ginglinger Crémant d’Alsace Brut ($22) Fred Meyer Burlingame, Northwest Best, Raleigh Hills, Sunset and Tualatin Garrison’s Fine Wines (see above) Vinopolis (see above) WINE GEEK’S DELIGHT NV Tissot Crémant du Jura Brut ($24) Cork, a bottle shop 715 N.W. Lovejoy St. 503-501-5028
Garrison’s Fine Wines (see above) The Hop & Vine 1914 N. Killingsworth St. 503-954-3322 Mt. Tabor Fine Wines 4316 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. 503-235-4444 New Seasons Market Seven Corners OUR PICK FOR PORK NV Huber-Verdereau Crémant de Bourgogne ($25) Great Wine Buys (see above) Garrison Fine Wines (see above) Vinopolis (see above) Lamb’s at Stroheckers 2855 S.W. Patton Road 503-223-7391 Mt. Tabor Fine Wines 4316 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. 503-235-4444 Zupan’s West Burnside Pastaworks 3735 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. 503-232-1010 Bar Avignon 2138 S.E. Division St. 503-517-0808 Elephants 115 N.W. 22nd Ave. 503-299-6304 Wine Xing 5977 S.W. Canyon Creek Road Wilsonville 503-582-8355 Winestock 820 Main St. Oregon City 503-656-WINE Metrovino 1139 N.W. 11th Ave. 503-517-7778
Perfection has its price . stellaartois.com
© 2008 Import Brands Alliance, Stella Artois® Beer (Malt Liquor in TX), St. Louis, MO.
Always enjoy responsibly.
the same after all these years. Stella Artois is still painstakingly brewed in a time-honored tradition with the choicest ingredients. Which is why our customers have kept coming back for more, even after 600 years.
than most. Mind you, over the years our beer has witnessed the odd change or two. For instance, our customers no longer drink it to ward off the Plague, as they used to in medieval times. However, one thing has stayed
Of course it tastes better than other beers. We’ve had over 600 years to get the recipe right. Our esteemed brewery has been producing beer in Leuven since 1366. Which means we’ve been around a bit longer