MIX Magazine October 2011

Portland, P ortland,, O October ctober 2011 Eatt D Drink rink Get Out Get Together

Aperitif primer Beers that love cocktails Tiki mug artists Yakima is for (wine) lovers

OUR WINE & SPIRITS ISSUE

BIODYNAMIC: What’s driving g the new trend in Oregon g winemaking?/p42 DINNER PARTY: Cook Big Table Farm’s wine-drenched feast /p32 TRADE SECRETS: H How Cl Clear C Creekk Distillery Di ill gets a pear iin a b bottle l /p53

OCTOBER 2011

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editor’s note Portlanders are risk takers, whether we’re launching a food cart or climbing Mount Hood.

We’re not afraid to try something new, fail miserably — or not! — and try again. Experimentation is in our blood, the air we breathe — and, really, everything we drink.

Think about it. San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago — their populations are exponentially larger than ours, and yet they can barely keep pace with our innovations in wine, spirits and beer. Right now, Oregon’s wineries and distilleries are in high gear, turning this year’s harvest into potent elixirs we can enjoy for years to come.

And to celebrate their efforts, we bring you our annual wine issue — but this year we’ve expanded it to include spirits, too.

To kick it all off, it’s only fitting to include a cover story on Clear Creek Distillery, the artisans who put Oregon-made spirits on the map.

Want to be sure you You’ve undoubtget every issue of MIX? edly seen Clear Creek’s Subscribe!

Pear-in-the-Bottle Eau De Vie before, but 10 issues, $20 did you realize just Go to mixpdx.com how much work went or call 503-221-8240. into it? After making it

4

for more than two decades, the distillery has refined its techniques, but that doesn’t mean it’s gotten any easier.

Assistant visuals editor Stephanie Yao Long’s photo essay on Page 53 covers the monthslong process from start to finish.

The local wine industry these days is buzzing about “biodynamic.â€? The trouble is most of us don’t know what exactly that means. Passing mentions of cow horns and moon phases have only made things worse (I don’t think I’m the only one who’s been picturing hippie-esque vintners baying at the moon while burying horns under their grapevines ‌ or am I?). So we asked Katherine Cole, author of “Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowersâ€? (Oregon State University Press, $18.95), to explain what the heck biodynamic is all about. She clears up the confusion (Page 42), and offers firsthand accounts from six winemakers, so you can see it’s really just a new-old way of farming.

When it comes to wine and spirits, Portland is dripping with creativity, from Breakside Brewing’s cocktail-inspired beers (Page 61) to restaurants

such as Metrovino and Beaker & Flask, where the drinks get the same attention to detail as the food (Page 22). Things get even more interesting this month, when Portland Cocktail Week and the Distillers Festival come to town. We sat down with Dave Shenaut, mixologist and PDX Cocktail Week organizer to get his take on the event, and we’ve highlighted our five not-to-be-missed events (Page 72).

With a drinks scene as vibrant as ours, there’s always something to discover. To all those people making it happen, this one’s for you.

Danielle Centoni, editor dcentoni@oregonian.com PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR SCHEFSTROM

For celebrations of a lifetime and other beautifully deserving occasions, allow us to dazzle you with a jewelry collection of exquisite proportion.

We welcome you to come explore – it would be our pleasure to help you choose.

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october’11 32 Get toGether:

bIG table FarM When winemakers and chefs get chummy, dinner parties get interesting.

42 cow hornS, Moon

PhaSeS anD wIne Find out why more Oregon winemakers are embracing biodynamic farming.

53 IMPoSSIble bottleS

With its Pear-in-the-Bottle Eau De Vie, Clear Creek Distillery gives new meaning to the word handmade.

In every ISSue 13 StarterS Wines for fall dishes, deep-fried kimchi, bean-to-bar chocolate, handmade couscous, pillowy buns 21 Scene Reviews of Metrovino and Beaker & Flask, Latin breakfasts, five fab wine bars

29 ID Munktiki duo’s lovable mugs

61 Pubcrawl Brewers find inspiration in a cocktail glass

30 MIxMaSter How to choose the perfect aperitif

65 eat here Where to eat and drink in Yakima

57 GooD cheeSe Jupiter’s Moon gets a boozy bath

69 SelectS Tight times usher in the barbera era 72 FIve QueStIonS With drink guru Dave Shenaut

On THe cOveR: How’d they do that? clear creek Distillery’s Pearin-the-Bottle eau De vie offers a delicious riddle. To find out the answer, turn to Page 53. PHOTOGRAPH BY STePHAnIe YAO LOnG

THIS PAGe: A multitude of multicolored skull tiki mugs adorn the shelves in Munktiki’s world headquarters at a home in northeast Portland, Page 29. PHOTOGRAPH BY BenJAMIn BRInK

MIx is 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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clare carver and her husband, Brian Marcy, love to grow and produce what they love to eat and drink. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what inspired them to start Big Table Farm, a working farm and winery. In addition to helping run Big Table Farm, Clare, who wrote our Get Together story on Page 32, is a professional fine artist. She can often be found working around the farm behind her team of draft horses. Clare also keeps a blog chronicling her painting, the animals, cooking, wine and life on the farm at oregonfarm.blogspot.com.

A native of Nebraska, graphic artist David badders worked for newspapers in Ohio, Colorado, California and Washington before coming to The Oregonian. When not making art for The Oregonian he paints and spends many hours walking and riding his bike through the streets of Portland looking for inspiration. For his assignment on the wine country bike tour (Page 13), he got a chance to leave the city behind for a while, if only in his imagination, and coast through the Oregon countryside. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The wine country is visually very rhythmic, with the flowing fields textured with all those neat rows of green,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used that rhythm to make a pattern to tie the map together.â&#x20AC;?

Professional eater Jen stevenson lives in Northwest Portland with her imaginary mini-bulldog and a lot of leftovers. When sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not writing, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s browsing grocery stores and farmers markets, experimenting with recipes involving melted chocolate and lots of it, trying new sparkling wines, and thinking about lunch. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the stomach behind the local food website Under the Table With Jen and the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100 Best Places to Stuff Your Facesâ&#x20AC;?

(Wordcake Communications, $14.95), the very best excuse for indigestion and a muffin top youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ever have. For this issue she discovered five great wine bars (Page 28). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sipping my way through Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest wine bars was terribly dull work,â&#x20AC;? she jokes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but providentially, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an oenomartyr.â&#x20AC;?

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where to find the reCiPeS in thiS iSSUe: APPeTIzerS: • Pork Rillettes, p 35 • Five-Minute Artisan Bread, p 35 MAIn DISheS: • Fresh Gluten-free SorghumMillet Pasta, p 37 • Smoked Beef Short Ribs With Cherries, Currants and Charred Onion, p 36

Let’s Celebrate!

Your riverboat dining experience aboard the Portland Spirit and Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler vessels includes fresh Northwest cuisine prepared in our on board galleys, superb service, beautiful views of Portland's downtown skyline, stunning vistas in the Columbia Gorge, live entertainment and narration. A lunch cruise, brunch cruise, or dinner cruise on one of our vessels is perfect for entertaining out-of-town guests or for celebrating your special occasions.

SIDeS: • Vegetable Salad With Truffled Yogurt, p 37 DeSSerTS: • Sarah’s Gluten-Free Poundcake, p 38 • Elderflower Berry Compote, p 38

Online extras at mixPdx.Com: • Get a recipe for rich Chanterelle and Gruyère Bread Pudding to pair with your favorite chardonnay • Satisfy your curiosity with two slide shows: one on Clear Creek Distillery’s pear eau de vie production, and the other on the biodynamic winemakers featured in this issue • Find out where to buy our favorite barberas • Get all the DIY wine country bike tour details • Discover two more tasty aperitif wines and mix up an Americano Bianco

www.portlandspirit.com 10

Portland Spirit Cruises 800-224-3901 or 503-224-3900

• Put dinner on the table with our recipe for Tomatoes Stuffed With Sweet and Spicy Maftoul

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VOLUME 5 / ISSUE 8

mixpdx.com DANIELLE CENTONI / EDITOR

dcentoni@oregonian.com

LINDA SHANKWEILER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR

lshankweiler@oregonian.com REED DARMON / DESIGNER

rdarmon@oregonian.com

WALLY BENSON, COLIN pOWERS, AMY REIfENRATH / COPY EDITORS ADVERTISING STEvE uRBAN / MIX ADVERTISING MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 DENICE WILLIAMS / RETAIL ADVERTISING MANAGER dwilliams@oregonian.com, 503-221-8514 DEBI WALERY / GENERAL ADVERTISING MANAGER dwalery@oregonian.com, 503-221-8302 RYAN COuRTNEY / AUTO, REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING MANAGER rcourtney@oregonian.com, 503-221-8329 CHuCK SpITTAL / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR cspittal@oregonian.com, 503-294-4110

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TO ADVERTISE STEvE uRBAN / MIX ADVERTISING MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 TO SUBSCRIBE: GO TO MIXpDX.COM OR CALL 503-221-8240 OR wRITE OREgONIAN puBLISHINg COMpANY

Attn: Circulation Dept./MIX Magazine 1320 S.w. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 CIRCULATION hOTLINE 503-221-8240 A publication of Oregonian Publishing Co.

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starters

pAgE 14: Bean-to-bar chocolate, hand-rolled couscous pAgE 16: Pot-roast pairings, ballet tea pAgE 18: spankin’-good buns, smoked cookies

dIY bIcYcLE wINE TOuR fROm pORTLANd TO pINOT ANd bAck The words “wine country” have become synonymous with “special occasion” (not to mention “pricey”). But the Willamette Valley wine country is more accessible and affordable than most of us realize. Armed with public transport and a bicycle, I recently headed out to the vineyards for a daylong excursion with a friend. On our 18-mile ride we sipped wine, visited llamas and picnicked by a lake — all for under $20 a person. — AmAndA EckErsOn 7:30 a.m.: At the rose Quarter mAX station, about to board the Blue Line to Hillsboro. First spotting of a Trimet conductor checking tickets since I moved to Portland!

An hour later, we switch to the 57 bus at Hillsboro central, which will take us to Pacific and Elm street in Forest Grove.

Tip #1: Look down while switching to the bus at Hillsboro central.

Engraved in the stones are inspiring quotes about the diphtheria epidemic of 1890. Welcome aboard!

8:53 a.m.: Arrive in Forest Grove, the self-appointed birthplace of Oregon pinot noir. Breakfast comes in the form of a gigantic cinnamon bun at maggie’s Buns, the stumptownserving, pink-chandeliered shop on 21st Avenue.

Tip #2: don’t get up so early! Wineries don’t open until 11 a.m.

9:42 a.m.: We begin our ride south, on a paved sidewalk parallel to the Tualatin Valley Highway. It offers a great view across the fields and makes up for the whizzing cars along the first two miles of the trip. We follow the signs for the buffalo (!), which lead us to Old Highway 47, our best friend of a winding back road.

Tip #3: Visit mr. sanders’ house after turning onto Old Highway 47. can’t find him? Look for his front door in the tree trunk on your right before crossing the creek.

10 a.m.: Our first stop is L-Bar-T Bison ranch, a second-generation family farm/meat shop. Two walk-in freezers boast cuts fresh from the 75 head of grass-fed buffalo that range free on a 100-acre pasture in eastern Oregon. Poke around the store for other Oregonian specialties such as the rose city Pepperheads Ginger Garlic dipping jelly made in Tigard.

10:45 a.m.: Llamas! We stop to enjoy the vista of furry, funny-looking animals, and low, rolling hills with a patchwork of crops and nurseries dotted with big red barns.

Tip #4 don’t sit too long: The llamas will get agitated. maybe it was my leopard-print sweater. Or blue spandex.

11 a.m.: We break for wine at Patton Valley Vineyards, locking our bikes at the bottom of the hill and trekking up the quarter-mile gravel road to the tasting room. Blackberry bushes along the way make the climb worth it. so does the view. Blindfold yourself and test your nose with whiffs of cardamom, soy sauce or rose petals, or simply swirl and slurp for $10.

11:42 a.m.: Lake stop Grocery store sounds promising. We stop to stock up on a baguette, cheese, fruit and a fizzy drink for a lakeside picnic. But what we found was a convenience store.

If you want bait tackle or the best stuffed pretzels in town, you’re at the right spot. Brie? not so much.

Tip #5: continuing 1.2 miles past Patton Valley will bring you to Gaston market, a much better place to load up for a picnic. There are cheese platters, fresh pasta salads and deli sandwiches for $3.99.

12:15 p.m.: Lunchtime. We head left over the dam at Hagg Lake to Picnic Area c, where we’re surrounded by nature.

We spread out the sarong for a makeshift blanket. did I buy minimarshmallows (meant to be bait tackle) to add to our peanut butter sandwiches? Yes. should you? read above.

3 p.m.: We hit Plum Hill Vineyards, an early 1900s dairy-barn-turnedwinery. Local musicians play every weekend, and outdoor picnic tables offer a panorama of the vineyards. Try the Barrel select Pinot noir when you indulge in the free tasting (one of the last in Oregon!).

4 p.m.: Last stop — sakéOne. We take a tour and learn that sake is not for bombing. We also learn about vegan sake, unfiltered sake, sweet sake, crisp sake and sake that complements sundried tomato pesto (plum sake). Fill a growler with their infamous unfiltered draft sake before you go — it’s brewed like beer, but enjoyed like wine.

 ONLINE EXTRA: Get all the details, plus more, at mIXpdX.cOm

ILLUsTrATIOn BY dAVE BAddErs

13

starterscont. hot dates October OcT. 1

Hug your broccoli Thanks to meatless mondays and increased awareness about the connection between diet and health, veggies have had a banner year. On world Vegetarian day, which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness month, get into the spirit by trying out a new recipe using ingredients like kale, squash or cauliflower. worldvegetarianday.org OcT. 1

Something wild at the coast

Guilty Pleasure / fried kimchi If you ask me, kimchi is a condiment.

The spicy fermented cabbage, a korean staple, is something you use as an accent. It gives things like fried rice a delicious touch of spicy funk. I never considered it a dish on its own — until I had it fried. Biwa’s heaping pile of hot kimchi kara-age ($7) is one of those dishes that sounds questionable and turns out to be obsession-inducing. It’s what cravings are made of. The light, crispy batter encases nuggets of tangy, slightly spicy fermented cabbage chunks for a crispy, chewy, sour, hot, greasy-ina-good-way bite. Each piece goes down easier than popcorn and seems to give a pint of sapporo its purpose in life.

— dAnIELLE cEnTOnI PHOTOGrAPH BY rAndY L. rAsmUssEn

Oregon chefs square off at the pacific Nw wild mushroom cook-Off, an extravaganza at Lincoln city’s culinary center featuring tastes of delicacies made out of forest fungi. members of the Lincoln county mycological society will offer tips on foraging, and cooking demonstrations will teach new ways of loving mushrooms. oregoncoast.org/festivals-events

eat this / WoodBlock chocolate We love Portland’s artisan chocolatiers, and the way they turn chocolate confections into an art form. But new on the scene are two chocolatiers who are actually making the chocolate, from the bean, by hand, out of their southeast Portland home kitchen. charley and Jessica Wheelock are the husband and wife team behind Woodblock chocolate, one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate-makers in our neck of the woods. They source, roast and conch (or grind) their beans by hand and turn the resulting liquor into some of the most complex, smooth and soul-satisfying bars of chocolate we’ve ever had. Our current favorite: salt and nibs 70 percent cacao mantuano. Laced with just enough sea salt to bring out the fruity flavors of the bean, with roasty flecks of cacao nibs embedded inside, it’s dark, rich, foil-wrapped heaven. — dAnIELLE cEnTOnI

OcT. 2

Something wild in the wetlands Pull on your Hunter rain boots and step out for a farm dinner with chef dustin clark of Wildwood, cathy Whims of nostrana, Broc Willis of southpark, ken nor14 ris of upcoming seafood joint riffle, Liu Xin of Oregon Oyster Farms and baker kim Boyce, author of the award-winning “Good to the Grain” cookbook and proprietor of the upcoming bakery Bakeshop.

The four-course wetlands & wellies dinner, a fundraiser for The Wetlands conservancy, is set in the scenic Hedges creek marsh in Tualatin. Tickets are $125 per person and include wine pairings. wetlandsconservancy.org OcT. 12

Happy birthday, Chairman Kaga!

Japanese actor Takeshi kaga turns 61 today. The flamboyant star of the original “Iron chef” series, one of the first big hits on TV’s Food network, was known for sequined capes and taking bites out of bell peppers. You can still catch repeats at 8 p.m. weekdays on the cooking channel.

Allez cuisine! cookingchanneltv.com

more hot dates

Woodblock Chocolate bars are available at Cacao, Olympic Provisions, Salt and Straw, and The Meadow PHOTOGrAPH BY mIkE dAVIs

cook this maftoul Forget coffee. Our favorite new fairtrade kitchen staple is canaan Fair Trade’s maftoul, aka middle Eastern couscous. Unlike the tiny specks of semolina-based couscous from northern Africa that tend to get clumpy, or the big white beads of Israeli couscous that tend to get mushy, these irregular nuggets hold their shape when cooked, making them perfect for substantial salads or as a stuffing for vegetables.

Hand-rolled and sun-dried by members of Palestinian women’s cooperatives, these lovely, toothsome pasta grains have a nutty, whole-grain flavor and slightly chewy texture that have got us hooked. — IVY mAnnInG Available at Williams-Sonoma, Food Front Co-op and Alberta Co-op canaanusa.com

PHOTOGrAPHY BY mIkE dAVIs

 online eXtra: Get a

recipe for tomatoes stuffed With sweet and spicy maftoul at miXPdX.com

starterscont. hot dates cont.

OcT. 14-16

Even more mushroom madness Further down the Oregon coast is another celebration of mushrooms with the Yachats Village mushroom fest, a threeday event featuring wild forest mushroom cuisine, expert-led mushroom walks, talks and exhibits, culinary and fungi arts workshops, culinary mushroom markets, wine tasting and live entertainment. yachats.org

OcT. 14-16, 21-23

An apple a day …

October is prime apple time, and Portland nursery helps fruit lovers break away from the usual grocery store varieties with its annual Apple Tasting. The free event offers a chance to taste and buy heirloom varieties that are perfect for eating just as they are, plus apples that are better for pies and strudel. Plus, there’s cooking demonstrations, storytellers, even a full mariachi band. portlandnursery.com 16 16

Perfect pairings for fall favorites There’s a chill in the air. And the lighter, brighter foods of summer (salads, summer veggies, grilled chicken) are giving way to the heavier and more intense foods of fall (earthy vegetables, soups and stews, roasts and braises).

You might even be starting to crave Thanksgiving dinner.

The wines that go best with fall foods will be heavier and more intense, too. Lighter whites such as sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio step aside for chardonnay and reds. Here, then, are some of our favorite fall foods and the wines to enjoy with them. — JILL sILVErmAn HOUGH FOOD: mushrooms WiNE: Both chardonnay and pinot noir have enough heft to work with the meatiness of mushrooms and also have mushroomy nuances themselves. Think wild mushroom risotto or chanterelle and gruyère bread pudding (right). If your dish has actual meat as well — as in beef stroganoff — you could go for something heavier, such as merlot.

FOOD: roast chicken WiNE: You can’t get much more classic than roast chicken and chardonnay. For a change of pace, try viognier or even pinot noir.

FOOD: Game-day chili WiNE: A fruity red, such as zinfandel or syrah, plays well with chili’s intensity, and adding a splash of wine to your chili can help seal the deal.

Watch out for anything with too much alcohol — if your chili is spicy, a high alcohol wine can exacerbate the burn.

FOOD: Thanksgiving dinner WiNE: The flavors here are all over the map — the turkey is savory, the cranberry sauce is sweet, the stuffing is earthy, the green beans are vernal. relatively middle-of-the-road pinot noir is big enough to handle the gamut but light enough to work with poultry. Gewürztraminer is a good bet if there are a lot of sweeter dishes in the meal.

FOOD: Good old-fashioned pot roast WiNE: With big, beefy food, you need similarly big, beefy wine — like cabernet sauvignon, merlot or syrah. make the combo sing by adding a little soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, or dijon mustard to the braising liquid.

Jill Silverman Hough is the author of “100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes” (Wiley, $16.95)

PHOTOGrAPH, JOHn WILEY & sOns Inc.

 online Bonus: Get the recipe for Jill silverman hough’s chanterelle

and Gruyère Bread Pudding at miXPdX.com

OcT. 20-23

Spirited away during the summer, Oregon has a number of festivals celebrating our craft brews and pinot noir. now Oregon-made spirits get the love with portland cocktail week and the great American distillers festival 2011. The events include seminars, workshops, demos and tastings of some of the best sips from local distillers, as well as artisan spirit makers from around the country. check out our interview with bartender-organizer dave shenaut and get our picks for the best events on Page 72. distillersfestival.com portlandcocktailweek.com

more hot dates

drink this / oBtea Oregon Ballet Theatre’s $15, available at OBT’s artistic director chrisoffices, 818 S.E. Sixth Ave., topher stowell is a tea 503-227-0977, and in the fanatic, and Portland tea lobby during OBT maker steve smith is performances. a fan of the arts. so it’s natural that the two interests would dovetail with steven smith Teamaker’s “christopher’s OBTea,” a beautifully choreographed pairing of Indian and chinese teas specially selected by smith and stowell. Blended with hyssop, linden flowers and mint, the naturally sweet tea dances across your taste buds, with just enough caffeine to keep you on your toes. Each string-tied box contains 15 biodegradable sachets, and proceeds benefit Oregon Ballet Theatre company, Education & Outreach, and the school of OBT. — GrAnT BUTLEr

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eat this / smoky cookies and PilloWy Buns With a name like saint cupcake Galore, this Saint Cupcake Galore: Portland bakery is expected to make heavenly 1138 S.W. Morrison St. cupcakes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; lots of them â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and not much 503-473-8760; else. But while the cupcakes are, indeed, saintcupcake.com among the best in town, the talented bakers excel at much more than cakes thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll fit in the palm of your hand.

In fact, their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bonbonbunbunsâ&#x20AC;? ($1.50) are so good, they could conceivably steal the spotlight, making the adorable, pinkalicious shop better known for its pillow-y, light-as-air, cinnamon-and-sugarcoated brioche balls than its eponymous cupcakes. Like the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most divine (and greaseless) doughnut holes, the bonbonbunbuns (named by the ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4-year-old) are devilishly hard to resist. Also vying for best-seller status? The alder-smoked chocolate chip cookies ($3). Thin and crisp with giant chunks of chocolate, the cookies get a distinct barbecue/bacon flavor from alder-smoked flour created just for the bakery by michael maynard, proprietor of Beaver camp sausage co. in Lebanon. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dAnIELLE cEnTOnI PHOTOGrAPH BY dAnIA mAXWELL

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OcT. 26

Last call for weekday veggies The Wednesday shemanski Park edition of the portland farmers market wraps up another season of fresh vegetables, artisan foods and good lunch options for downtown workers and residents. But donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t despair: The saturday edition of the market at Portland state University continues through dec. 17. portlandfarmersmarket.org OcT. 31

Things that make you go â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boo!â&#x20AC;?

When you were a kid, Halloween costumes were simpler, with one-piece jumpsuits and plastic masks that were held on with a thin elastic string. These days, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all high-concept, with elaborate get-ups sold at all-Halloween mega-stores.

But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to spend a lot of money to look like the biggest fright of all, TV foodie Guy Fieri. All you need: some bleached hair, backward sunglasses, an out-of-fashion lounge shirt and a proclivity for bad quips involving the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;flavor townâ&#x20AC;? and, even worse, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so money!â&#x20AC;? ÂŁ

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ReviewS

Beaker & Flask and Metrovino big ten

Top Latin breakfasts HigH Five

Wine bars for every mood

scene Our picks for what to eat where

21

Find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaking at Beaker & Flask, p22 PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYlOR scHeFsTROm

G R E A T

Escapes

Beaker & Flask

The Overlook Motel The Overlook is a cozy, Scandinavian style cliff-house. This collection of charming individual apartments is nestled on a bluff with spectacular, panoramic views of the ocean and miles of sandy beach. Each unit is individually owned by families who have opened their homes for you to enjoy. With the beautiful beach down the stairs or roadway, the Overlook is your home to relax and enjoy.

541-996-3300 www.overlookmotel.net 22

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scene

dining revieWs Beaker & Flask For the better part of forever, no one was apt to confuse the neighborhood bar with a great place to eat dinner. Bars were the realm of foot-long pepperoni sticks in a canister, hoary jars of pickled eggs and sandwiches with bread by Wonder, meat by Oscar mayer and cheese by Kraft. Hyperbole perhaps. But looking back at the long run-up to the opening of Beaker & Flask in June 2009, no one was sure that this bar would deliver food good enough to keep pace with the clever cocktails created by owner and former Park Kitchen bar brain Kevin ludwig and his coterie of merry mix masters. sure, Ben Bettinger, longtime sous chef at Paley’s Place, would be running the kitchen, but this was quite a leap for him — from one of Portland’s premier kitchens to, well, a bar. Was he as good as the plates at Paley’s promised? Would the alcohol-focused vibe lead to dumbed-down dishes?

The passage of time has resolved all doubts in favor of Bettinger — and Beaker & Flask. This is as much an eater’s destination as a drinker’s, with a menu plentifully populated with options that are consistently inventive, inviting and easy to eat. For those partial to pig, Beaker & Flask is a fine place to sink your snout. The crispy pig ears ($4) leading off the “snacks” section of the menu ought to be chosen PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAYlOR scHeFsTROm

as the pepperoni stick of the 21st century. Thin strips of cartilaginous ear, deep-fried until a deep golden brown and as violently crunchy as a Pennsylvania Dutch pretzel, are a salty-porky pleasure — and go great with your favorite beverage. my only gripe with this dish: pigs, though not furry, are hairy, and on one visit, there was a disconcerting layer of peach fuzz on my munchies. Other snacks include smoked trout deviled eggs ($4), with just the right fishy hit, and spicy chicken wings ($6).

Another porcine favorite, this from the “small” dish section of the menu: generously portioned, buttertender pork cheeks ($12) served with braised peppers and onions and a few not-too-chewy segments of pickled octopus. There’s a lot of flavor here. likewise with the pan-seared smoked sweetbreads ($12), which double as a tie to Bettinger’s past at Paley’s, where the sweetbreads have a nearreligious following. if there’s a less compelling part of the menu, it would be the “large” plates section, but that’s only by comparison. even these offerings rarely disappoint. in lieu of the steak most places offer the hidebound carnivore, Bettinger offers a value cut: full-flavored beef shoulder ($24), recently with a blue cheese compound butter, roasted fingerling potatoes and spinach. Also keep your ears open for the off-menu nightly special, recited by one of Beaker’s highly polished servers.

Beyond these highlights, small and large dishes rotate often and are intensely driven by the seasons. looking down the menu, local purveyors are the same as you would find in any serious Portland dining establishment and, with rare exception, the preparations taste as good as they sound on paper. Not exactly the old-time barroom standard. even with great food, Beaker & Flask may not be for everyone. it’s located in an easy-to-overlook spot between southeast morrison and east Burnside streets, and even after a couple of years in business there is still no discernable signage. maybe ludwig can explain this silliness. And for all its culinary flourishes, the place still looks like a bar. The space is dominated by a long, curved counter fronting tiers of bottles of all shapes and sizes.

Big party-sized booths repose in a rotunda-like area at one end of the room and a few four-person booths line up adjacent to the kitchen. so the vibe isn’t exactly teetotaler- or family-friendly As if to concede that Beaker & Flask has evolved from a bar with food to a place where the edibles are of equal rank, ludwig recently opened a tiny space around the corner called Rum club, where there is an unambiguous focus on booze.

For serious diners, the choice is simple. — micHAel c. ZusmAN 727 S.E. Washington St., 503-235-8180; beakerandflask.com

scene

Metrovino As the Pearl District’s resident wine bar and restaurant, metrovino charts a powerful culinary path, placing it among Portland’s top dining stops. While most upper-tier establishments in town emphasize lighter seasonal fare, chef Greg Denton and his right hand in the kitchen and in life, Gabrielle Quiñónez, have been producing full-flavored, attention-grabbing plates without pause or apology since metrovino opened in mid-2009.

Argon-charged enomatic wine dispensers, with displays reminiscent of the bridge on the starship enterprise and the capacity to keep 50 fine wines fresh for an extended time, are one highlight of a visit to metrovino.

But for my money, it’s always been about the food. And that’s moved up a notch over the past year, with an expanded menu and the Denton-Quiñónez duo adding polish and confidence to their kitchen credentials. charcuterie is all the rage these days, and fine examples abound around town. But there’s nothing to compare with the vast, composed array presented at metrovino (cost varies between $30 and $35 for an average of 15 items). cured and smoked meats and fish, rillettes and pâtés combine with pickled vegetables and assorted other toothsome garnishes and condiments for a blow-you-away heavy appetizer before the main meal, or a light meal on its own with drinks.

At the top of the starter list’s richness scale: beef tripe served Roman-style ($11), referring to

the lush pool of tomato sauce and liberal measure of pecorino cheese that accompanies the fork-tender offal. it’s a soul-satisfying treat when the gray and chill pervade.

The celebration of exquisitely prepared, luxuriant comestibles continues with a diverse slate of entrees spanning the fish-poultry-meat-veg spectrum, each offering a full plate of high-octane elements. even the rib-eye steak ($32) gets an assertive garnish that includes blue cheese gnocchi, vegetables and mushrooms.

And the bar menu is notorious for its 4-inch-high, half-pound double cheeseburger ($14) that begs for a knife and fork. even the salads at metrovino tend to be elaborate affairs.

The blessing of metrovino is also its curse. As uniformly delicious as the dishes here may be — and i’m hard-pressed to come up with a bad one — the richness, breadth and power of most offerings can be a deterrent for lighter appetites. so the demerit, such as it is, is the kitchen team’s failure to better calibrate its range of offerings. if the rejoinder is that this is like asking an abstract painter to create a straightforward still life, the point is well taken. still, a broader appeal equates to a higher probability of being around for the long haul. For fans of metrovino and chef Denton’s strong hand, that must be the prime directive. — micHAel c.

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scene

Big Ten

Brunches with a Latino beat While the rest of the city waits in long lines for their saturday-morning sugar rush, taquerias and latin-centric restaurants around town are quietly cooking up delicious, belly-filling brunches steeped in chiles, corn, tomatoes and spices â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually no wait. Although you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find sweets such as pancakes and French toast on these menus, savory dishes like chilaquiles and egg-topped tamales happily wake up any palate with bright, warm flavors, helping you combat autumnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chill from the inside. We chowed through the city to find our 10 favorite south-of-the-border breakfasts thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll warm you up and keep you going all day long.

Autentica As mexican brunches go, menudo is king. said to cure any hangover, menudo is beef tripe soup that brims with rich broth and piquant red chiles.

At Autentica, the rich menudo ($12) is topped with fresh onion, lime and cilantro, offering a play of cool and hot that could make a tripe-lover out of anyone. if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really your thing, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orejona ($8), a simple, tangy salad of romaine, avocado and peanuts tossed in cotija sauce.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a plethora of hearty favorites, such as huevos rancheros

24

and enchiladas with deep red mole.

Quesadillas are even a worthy choice, with house-made masa and black bean tortillas stuffed with chorizo and stretchy Oaxacan cheese. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ADRiAN J.s. HAle

5507 N.E. 30th Ave., 503-287-7555; autenticaportland.com

La bonita The open, arched doorways and terracotta walls bedecked with vintage family photos welcome you to this mini-hacienda of a family restaurant. in the morning, the fresh and open atmosphere is best enjoyed with

Autentica chilaquiles ($7.95) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; essentially breakfast nachos. Tortillas are scrambled with eggs and salsa verde or salsa roja, then garnished with pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. Just in case thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not filling enough, you get a side of rice and beans topped with cotija cheese. indulge in one of the fresh juices, such as the cantaloupe-based agua de melĂłn, for a sweet and refreshing finish. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; AmANDA ecKeRsON

2839 N.E. Alberta St., 503-281-3662; labonitarestaurant.com

La Sirenita This hole-in-the-wall taqueria, with its dimly lit menu board and a million choices, is a burrito loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because here the burritos are mission-style â&#x20AC;&#x201D; big, cheap and tasty. The breakfast burrito ($4.50) comes in a large flour tortilla stuffed with seasoned home fries, chorizo or beef, eggs and sour cream. Ask them to throw on some PHOTOGRAPH BY FAiTH cATHcART

scene extra toppings from the menu (how about some bacon with that chorizo?), then douse the whole thing in tomatillo salsa and sink your teeth in. Don’t forget to snag some pickled chiles and carrots from the salsa bar. — AmANDA ecKeRsON

2817 N.E. Alberta St., Portland, 503-335-8283

Michoacan if you want breakfast all-day, a place to show off your paintsplattered overalls or want to buy a (cheap!) latin American phone card, michoacan is the place. The heaping portion of huevos con chorizo ($5.95), one of the world’s most satisfying combos, is made with freshly ground chorizo and drizzled with salsa verde. it’s also served with a side of the best beans in town — savory and speckled with chiles and bell peppers — and an endless supply of steaming hot, handmade corn or flour tortillas.

Ask for the banana smoothie (gigantic and not on the menu) and enjoy one of the most authentic mexican breakfasts you can find inside city limits.

— AmANDA ecKeRsON

7008 N. Interstate Ave., 503-735-3741

Pambiche Cocina & Repostería The restaurants of Havana have nothing on Portland’s Pambiche, which offers authentic cuban food, a festive atmosphere and a killer brunch with dishes ranging from $7 to $13. upon ordering, diners are brought an assortment of complimentary mini pastries including passion fruit muffins and mango scones.

A must-not-miss is the cuban hash plate, Picadillo Cua-Cua ($10). Tender beef is generously seasoned with savory mediterranean herbs, sautéed in olive oil and sherry with tomatoes, olives and capers, then topped with two eggs. Fresh avocado, rice, fried plantains and a pineapple/ mango/papaya salsa are served alongside, adding more variety and complexity to the dish. For something a little lighter, try the Pisto Manchego ($11.50), a traditional cuban scramble of chorizo, ham, bacon, gulf shrimp, peas and russet potatoes. if all that tropical deliciousness isn’t

quite enough, try pairing the meal with a Piñosa ($6) — a mimosa of freshly made pineapple juice and sparkling wine.

— JeNNiFeR cOsseY

2811 N.E. Glisan St., 503-233-0511; pambiche.com

Podnah’s Pit barbecue Podnah’s brunch does doubleduty with equal parts southern fare and Tex-mex favorites. Flaky biscuits and grits dominate the first half of the menu, but the Tex-mex options are just as swoon-worthy. Migas ($8), an Austin breakfast classic, offers cage-free eggs scrambled with crispy fried corn tortillas, jalepeños, onions, cheddar cheese and avocado. Wrap it all up in flour tortillas with accompanying refried beans and salsa.

Podnah’s lip-smacking breakfast tacos ($7.25), another Austin fave, combine potatoes, eggs, peppers and onions with homemade chorizo, cheddar cheese and salsa. Wash it all down with cinnamony housemade horchata kissed with coffee rum from Portland’s own Deco Distilling ($7). — ADRiAN J.s. HAle 1625 N.E. Killingsworth, 503-281-3700; podnahspit.com

Por Qué no Visitors to Por Qué No invariably have tacos on the brain, but on weekends between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. you simply must put down the carne asada and order off the stellar brunch menu. it’s stocked with deeply flavored, rib-sticking dishes such as huevos rancheros and chilaquiles. But the most belly-filling option is the tamale and eggs ($8). Tender masa stuffed with a changing palette of ingredients gets topped with eggs (go sunny-side up), salsa fresca, a generous drizzle of crema and a shower of queso fresco. Tender, flavorful rice and beans on the side mean it’s impossible to go away hungry. if you’re a home fries fan, go with the papas con chorizo ($9.50), a plate heaped with crispy-spicy bits of housemade chorizo and potatoes, topped with eggs, pico de gallo and crema, with fresh tortillas and beans on the side.

— DANielle ceNTONi

3524 N. Mississippi Ave., 503-4674149; 4635 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

503-954-3138; porquenotacos.com

Look for these shelf tags in your local grocery store marking these products.

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Nivea Lip Care Perrier Red Bull Red Vine Licorice Reser’s Don Pancho Corn and Flour Tortillas Rocher Chocolate Seventh Generation Liquid Laundry Detergent Simply Potatoes Hashbrowns Snapple SoBe LifeWater Special K Cereal Stash Premium Tea SunChips Tillamook Sliced Cheese Tillamook Yogurt Tully’s Coffee World Kitchens Jerky Buy products from these 2011 Miracle Aisles retailers: Food4Less Fred Meyer Haggen Food and Pharmacy Market of Choice Mega Foods Price Impact Price Less QFC Ray’s Food Place Roth’s Fresh Markets SPONSORED BY: Safeway Select Sentry Shop Smart Shop’n Kart Thriftway Zupan’s

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25

scene / ToP Ten conT Santería Best known for its late-night fish tacos and bathroom conveniently located inside mary’s club strip joint, this tiny downtown taqueria opens at 11 a.m. and quickly sells out of milaneza con papas fritas ($10.50). seven ounces of thin-cut steak are lightly breaded, seasoned and fried, then served atop red bliss home fries and fresh tomatoes, with guacamole, rice and beans on the side. spice it up with santería’s three homemade salsas — verde, roja or habanero (aka hot, hot and hotter).

To drink? A bloody mary ($6.50), of course, featuring local Portland 88 vodka and the taqueria’s own fireroasted mix. — AmANDA ecKeRsON 703 S.W. Ankeny St., 503-956-7624; thesanteria.com

geT More oF The PorTLand scene, aT MixPdx.coM

26

trébol Restaurant and tequila bar With little to no wait, and a creative, rotating menu, Trébol is Portland’s shiny brunch secret. classics such as huevos rancheros are represented, but it’s the unexpected stuff that stands out. if breakfast and lunch had a wedding in mexico, the juevos partida ($11.50) would be the cake. it’s a multilayered variation on the Benedict, with poached eggs set on top of two masa cakes coated with black bean purée and finished with creamy, white queso. For extra kick, ask for some smoky chipotle salsa or bright tomatillo salsa to drizzle on top. Need a little more mexico in your morning? Try the tequila-enhanced bloody maria with housemade pickles ($8). — JeNNiFeR cOsseY 4835 N. Albina Ave., 503-517-9347; trebolpdx.com

verde Cocina Though most mexican joints put the emphasis on meat, it’s all about the veg at Verde cocina, a Portland

Verde cocina Farmers market fave. The buenas Dias breakfast plate ($8) is built on an astounding amount of seasonal vegetables — warmer months brought zucchini blossoms and summer squash, while winter offers midnight green chard and sweet carrots. After getting a caramelized kiss on the grill, they’re scrambled with two free-range eggs, cheese, salsa and hunks of juicy carlton Farms bacon, with two comalfresh tortillas alongside. even that old standby, huevos rancheros, ($8) gets a produce-heavy makeover here, with

a mountain of fresh-grilled vegetables heaped atop handmade corn tortillas slathered in a purée of white beans and garbanzos, then topped with two fried eggs, cheese and salsa.

Recently, Verde cocina caved in to the demands of its many fans and opened a brick-and-mortar spot in Hillsboro, so you can get your fix even after the markets close. — KAT VeTRANO 6446 S.W. Capitol Highway, 503-384-2327, and Portland Farmers Markets; verdecocinamarket.com PHOTOGRAPH BY DOuG BeGHTel

Spend the Night with us in

for Friday

Night Flights

October 7 Cuvée Restaurant, Tarte Flambee Night!

Enjoy this Alsatian Specialty from 5:30-9:00pm www.cuveedining.com

Stroll tasting rooms, galleries, and shops in historic downtown.

Visit our restaurants and stay at our B&Bs. We’re open late every Friday from 5-7pm now until December 16th with special offerings, discounts and events! Stay for live music at the Horse Radish every Friday and Saturday night!

October 14 Cliff Creek Cellars, Sausage Sizzle and Red Red Wine Party - Semi Annual sale on table wine http://cliffcreek.com October 21 Seven of Hearts/Luminous Hills Winery, Progressive wine & jam pairing with Republic of Jam. Sneak previews of 2010 Luminous Hills www.sevenofhearswine.com & www.republicofjam.com October 28 Valley Emporium, Grand Opening Party!

Art, antiques & Vintage Wine Den. 5-9 pm Carlton, more flavor to savor than any small town in Oregon!

www.CarltonBusinessAssociation.com

WELCOME TO

arlton C

Spectacular views, world famous wines, dining, galleries, B&Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, historic landmarks and more! Join us for the Oregon Wine Country Half-Marathon on Sunday, September 4th.

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Experience our wines at the WildAire Tasting Room Open Weekends 12-5pm or by appointment 128 West Main St, Carlton, OR 503-851-3689

Brasserie Montmarte October 16th, 5pm Tickets $75

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scene

high Five

Wine bars

Wine bars are like hats, religion and weddings â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one size does not fit all. Fortunately, Portland is awash with unique fortresses of fermentation for every sort of sipper, and we have identified five of the very best, especially if you happen to be a je ne sais quoi hunter, shameless eavesdropper or prone to drinking under the stairs. if you and your tasting party are unable to agree on a common denominator, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just have to visit them all. may Bacchus be with you. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; JeN sTeVeNsON

Kir: best place to find a glass of je ne sais quoi

28

6$785'$< 7KURXJK 2FWREHU WK

+$59(67 0$5.(7 129 WK

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if je ne sais quoi could be bottled, aged, uncorked and poured into a Riedel, it would be served at Kir. This joyful little wine bar has that indescribable, indefinable â&#x20AC;&#x153;somethingâ&#x20AC;? we all wish we were born with. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why local chefs, oenophiles and girls and boys about town arrive early to claim a breezy sidewalk table and a bottle of lambrusco, and stay late to gossip over lemon soufflĂŠs and sparkling rosĂŠ. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty to crush on here: owner/chef Amalie Robertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exquisite small plates and unrivaled wine list, the brooding cook at the end of the bar inhaling vinho branco after a long night behind the stove, or maybe just that elusive â&#x20AC;&#x153;i donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what.â&#x20AC;?

22 N.E. Seventh Ave., 503-232-3063; kirwinebar.com

M bar: best place to shamelessly eavesdrop, and perhaps make out with a total stranger Not everybody knows your name at m Bar, but give them five minutes and they will. For the relentlessly convivial and those who shamelessly eavesdrop, you have found a corksized Northwest nook with only six tables, three bar stools and a happy hour that renders most glass pours half price until 8 p.m. Owner Jeremy campbell endeavors to keep the dozen or so wines on his list both high quality and affordable, so the majority are european, with a handful of Oregon sakes and draft beers

Kir thrown in. sit back, settle in and soon the buzz of conversation becomes a roar, strangers are friends and newfound romantic unions are cemented over that last-call glass of nero dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Avola.

417 N.W. 21st Ave., 503-228-6614; mbarpdx.com

enSO: best place for a staunch urbanite urban hikes, urban foraging and urban art are well-known to Portlanders, but urban wineries are slightly more evasive, concealed in out-of-the-way warehouses or pouring by appointment only. But eNsO owner/winemakers chris Wishart and Ryan sharp have moved the concept front and center, plopping their new urban winery into the heart of the southeastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Buckman neighborhood, where they serve their own wines alongside their local and european counterparts in a comfortably cavernous tasting lounge. The limited menu is sourced entirely from southeast artisans, but if cheese and charcuterie arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your idea of an urban picnic, pop down the block to meat cheese Bread, or have takeout delivered to your table (not kidding). Or just be sure to visit on Fiesta Fridays, when Taco Pedaler parks its festive bike-powered cart just outside the roll-up door and eNsO breaks out big pitchers of house-made sangria.

1416 S.E. Stark St., 503-683-3676; ensowinery.com

the Hop & vine: best place for a wandering palate Depending on which door you take, The Hop & Vine affords two distinct adventures â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one of its portals leads to a fiercely curated bottle shop guarded by a whiskered sentry named Alligator, who will politely

sniff your shoe before suggesting a nice bottle of white burgundy. The other opens into a relaxed neighborhood gastropub with a bamboofringed patio cloaked in a meaty bouquet emanating from twin barrel barbecues. Wine director Alex Davis presides over an excellent one-page euro-centric wine list, or ferry a bottle-shop purchase next door (corkage is $5). come for the fruits of the vine, but if your wandering palate starts to twitch, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all too easy to stray to the hop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an everchanging beer board lets you drink in 5-, 10-, and 20-ounce increments. if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling particularly bold, order a mr. Kick Ass cocktail, a bracing blend of Wild Turkey, carpano Antica and bitters, served on the rocks.

1914 N. Killingsworth St., 503-954-3322; thehopandvine.com

Corkscrew wine bar: best place to hide under the stairs There are plenty of good reasons to hide under the stairs. maybe you are in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Portlandiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? adult hideand-go-seek league. maybe you are being chased by a killer. maybe you are Harry Potter. Or maybe you are at sellwoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charming corkscrew wine bar, and you want to snuggle with your honey and a bottle of Bordeaux on the invitingly romantic, vintage, red velvet sofa stashed under the staircase. if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more of an above-the-stairs sort, climb them to the airy loft, an excellent vantage point from which to lord your charcuterie plate, chocolate crème fraĂŽche cake and Yakima Valley syrah over the famished masses clustered just outside the door, waiting for their table at neighboring saburoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

1665 S.E. Bybee Blvd., 503-239-9463 PHOTOGRAPH BY BeTH NAKAmuRA

I.D.

[ The men behind the mugs ]

By Kathleen Bauer / photography By Benjamin BrinK

it was the summer of tiki here in the rose City. the mayor declared august as tiki month, several bars featured tropical drinks in its honor, and trader Vic’s returned to the city after a 15-year-long absence. you would think we had just discovered a new trend, but portland has always had a soft spot for polynesian pop, from the venerable alibi and thatch tiki bars to tiki Kon — a three-day, mai tai-fueled homage to the exotic that comes around every july. the highlight of tiki Kon is the “Bus of rum” tour of home tiki bars. and each year the tour inevitably ends at the gracious home of paul and Debra nielsen, a midcentury gem that just happens to be the birthplace of some of the most sought-after tiki mugs on the planet. paul and his son miles are the duo behind munktiki, a ceramics company with a cult following among tiki-philes worldwide. Working side by side out of paul’s garage, their handmade, limited-edition mugs have been known to fetch hundreds of dollars. they even designed a custom mug for the new trader Vic’s. it all started more than 10 years ago. a native of monterey, Calif., paul had built a big commercial ceramics business there, making bathroom accessories for companies like Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as teapots for museum gift shops at the Smithsonian and the guggenheim. But being big wasn’t satisfying his craving for creative expression. “the bigger we got, the more expenses there were,” paul says. “it felt like we were on a big wheel and that we were just kind of going in circles.” he’d also become tired of the music he’d been listening to, mostly punk and new wave. “it was kind of getting tense, and cocktail music is relaxing and fun, and a great blend of jazz and exotica,” he says. “So i went to thrift shops and started buying the old albums by martin Denny or (juan garcia) esquivel.” he started making cocktails to pair with his newfound musical fascination. “i thought it would be fun to have a tiki mug to go with the drinks, so i made a volcano bowl tiki mug,” he says. on a whim, he took some samples to a new york gift show. “it totally bombed.” it was the late ’90s and, trying to unload the samples, he put them up on a new website he’d heard about called eBay. “it just took off,” he recalls. “i found out there were a lot of collectors out there. i was shocked. miles and i didn’t know anything about the resurgence in the tiki movement. We just stumbled into it, and it offered a lot more creativity and enjoyment.” he and miles, who had been helping his dad with the ceramics business as well as running his own business making pipes for head shops (aptly called Stoned Ware), decided to close down and form munktiki in 2000. then they decided to move their operation to portland because it had a more convivial tiki scene — but one problem nearly stopped them in their tracks.

“When we first started our production we moved in here and nothing was drying,” miles says. “it was taking days and we were like, ‘how’s this even going to work?’ We had huge deadlines on projects, and it was very stressful.” “i think we went three weeks without anything drying out and finally got our act together,” paul says, pointing at the heater and dehumidifier humming away in the corner.

When asked what advice he would give to someone wanting to dive into tiki culture, he simply leads the way into his basement showroom. opening the door was like stepping back 60 years, all shag carpeting, dark paneling and midcentury art hanging on the walls. “there’s a tacky side of tiki, which i would persuade anyone not to get into,” paul says, looking around at the stylish arrangement of vintage artwork and the floor-to-ceiling display of the mugs he and miles have created. “We’re trying to do it more artfully, more tastefully. We do some traditional stuff and try to do everything with respect.” £

29

y

mixmaster [ Whet bar: Your guide to light, bright aperitifs ]

30

ou wouldn’t commence an elaborate meal with a slab of cheesecake, and yet many diners still start the evening with the palate-thumping power of a potent martini. We love our cocktails, but we also love good food, and Americans are slowly discovering what Europeans have known for more than a century: The path to gustatory bliss often begins with a light, bright, gently bitter aperitif.

Classic European aperitifs are typically wines (though some are spirit-based) that have been fortified with higher-proof spirits and flavored with a mix of herbs, spices and other botanicals, many chosen for alleged medicinal properties as well as their reputation for stoking the appetite and aiding digestion.

Aperitifs are increasingly popping up in craft bars and restaurants such as Cocotte, which fortifies its drink menu with a varied selection of French and Italian aperitifs. For co-owner Levi Hackett, aperitifs contribute to a more relaxed, Old World style of dining. “People come here and eat and drink for three hours, and aperitifs are a way to introduce that casual, stay-all-night experience, where you drink the appropriate drinks that help you enjoy your meal,” he says.

The availability of aperitifs has blossomed in recent years, making the selection both exciting and confusing. What’s the difference between them? How are they best consumed?

Straight? Rocks? In a cocktail? To dispel the confusion, here’s a primer on some of the more interesting aperitifs available in Oregon stores.

By PAuL CLARkE PHOTOgRAPHy By mIkE dAvIS

Cocchi Vermouth di Torino: vermouth has long been the neglected child of the drinks world, ubiquitous in bars as a cocktail ingredient but rarely taken seriously on its own. That’s changing, thanks largely to flavorful bottlings such as Cocchi vermouth di Torino, made in the aperitif wine’s ancestral home of Turin. unavailable in the u.S. until earlier this year, this classic Italian rosso vermouth is russet in appearance.

What it tastes like: Lightly sweet with a gentle, spicetinged bitterness.

How to serve: With an ice cube or two and a slice of lemon. This vermouth also classes up cocktails such as manhattans and Negronis.

Dolin Blanc Vermouth: Turin is the home of Italianstyle sweet red vermouth, and marseillan, in the south of France, is the birthplace of the French dry-style vermouth typically deployed in martinis. But the more floral and herbaceous blanc vermouth has its origins in the town of Chambéry, in the French Alps, where it was created in 1821.

What it tastes like: unlike the more familiar dry vermouth, dolin Blanc has a mellow sweetness and an airy, flowery character.

How to serve: Lovely when chilled, it’s also a welcome ingredient in cocktails such as the Americano Bianco served at grüner.

online extra: Discover two more aperitifs anD get the recipe for grÜner’s americano Bianco cocktail at mixpDx.com

Cocchi Aperitivo Americano: Another relative newcomer to local bars, Cocchi (pronounced co-key) Aperitivo Americano has been a hit in northern Italy since its 1891 debut. The crisp aperitif wine is made using a base of moscato di asti.

While vermouths take their bitter notes from the use of wormwood, Italian chinati such as Cocchi Americano are rendered bitter by the use of cinchona bark, the source of quinine, which gives tonic water its bitter bite (in France, this style of aperitif is called a quinquina).

What it tastes like: Crisp, with bright notes of citrus and spice.

How to serve: Try it on its own or with a splash of soda. Or mix it in equal parts with another aperitif wine for your own house aperitif cocktail.

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Lillet: This familiar French quinquina first appeared in 1887, and it quickly developed an international audience. Lilletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blond version is more commonly found in shops and bars, and is made from semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes from Bordeaux, flavored with herbs and fruits and fortified with brandy. (A slightly more robust rouge version is also available, and next year will see the American debut of Lillet RosĂŠ, a crisp, floral aperitif thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellent in summer drinks.)

What it tastes like: gently sweet, with bright notes of citrus and stone fruit.

How to serve: Chilled with a slice of orange, or mixed in classic cocktails such as a Corpse Reviver No. 2.

Bonal GentianeQuina: made since 1865 by the same producer as dolin vermouths, Bonal is a gentiane-quina, a doublethreat aperitif flavored with both gentian and cinchona bark. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built on a base of mistelle â&#x20AC;&#x201D; partially fermented grape juice mixed with higherproof alcohol â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and flavored with additional spices and botanicals.

What it tastes like: Complex and nuanced, it manages to be simultaneously dry and juicy. unusual? yes, but also very, very tasty.

How to serve: Pour it over ice with a splash of club soda. It can also take the place of sweet red vermouth in many classic cocktails.

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31

get together [ Dinner at Big Table Farm: wine, friends and plenty of cooks in the kitchen ]

T

BY CLARE CARvER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAYLOR SCHEFSTROM

32

ake it from me: You really can’t go wrong when you invite a bunch of chefs over to collaborate on a meal.

But when we add beef and pork and eggs from our farm, tomatoes and fresh herbs from our garden, our own wines, and gorgeous produce from our friends down the road at Square Peg Farm, dinner parties here at Big Table Farm can border on epic.

Since my husband, winemaker Brian Marcy, and I moved to Gaston from Napa, we’ve been lucky enough to amass a fabulous group of friends who, not surprisingly, are mainly fellow winemakers and farmers. But we’ve also gotten to know quite a few chefs thanks to our friend John Giannini, an ex-Portland chef turned California winemaker. Our first summer here we had raised our first pigs so we invited a big group over for a weekend-long extravaganza of pig and partying. At that party, John introduced us to David Padberg of Park Kitchen and Jason French of Ned Ludd. Alongside old and new friends we butchered, made loads of sausage and had a great time. So when we recently decided to have a collaborative dinner here on the farm, Giannini, Padberg and French were the first people we called.

With “the boys” in the lineup, we couldn’t leave out Chris DiMinno of Clyde Common, who became a good friend after I traveled with him to New York to pour wines for his James Beard dinner last June. With four chefs coming, we figured we’d better rope in some winemakers and farmers to balance things out. Our good friend Matt Berson, who makes Love and Squalor wines, came along, as did Sarah Hahn, aka “Gluten-Free Cowgirl,” and Chris Roehm and Amy Benson of nearby Square Peg Farm.

Everyone brought their partners, so we had nice, big crowd.

That first pig party set a bit of a precedent: If you’re coming out to the farm, we’re gonna put you to work. I just think it’s more fun when folks can all participate in a meal, whether they’re professional chefs or not. The trick is making a few calls to find out what your guests want to make, so you can create a meal with balance. I also like to acquire the ingredients for the dishes, so guests aren’t paying out of pocket. Plus, it gives me the chance to say, “I’m picking up an extra special this or that” to help inspire them. For our particular meal, everyone pitched in and brought their best to the table, as usual.

The initial lubricant of the evening was an elderflower-infused gin and tonic contributed by Padberg. Then we nibbled on fresh bacon, pork rillettes, pâté and some gorgeous pickled treats from French. Berson brought his homemade mustard, and Roehm brought gorgeous salami he made from his pigs. Brian’s crispy, “no-knead” baguettes really showed off the meats. To go with it all, we opened a magnum of our ’09 Riesling which, while bone

33

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dry, had great body and enough acid to stand up beautifully to all the richness.

For the first course, Giannini tossed fresh pasta with pork, fresh herbs and a lovely chèvre from up the road at Quail Run Creamery. Sarah made a sorghum-millet pasta for our three gluten-free guests, and it was amazing in both texture and flavor. To go with it, French made a quick arrabiata sauce with canned tomatoes from last year’s harvest. Then DiMinno made a beautiful veggie platter with vegetables, fresh greens and truffled yogurt.

At this point I think we all should have gotten up for a stretch and perhaps a walk down to see the cows or something, but instead we just kept eating as the wine had really started flowing. We paired the first courses with our three ’09 pinots. Being vineyard designates, each is unique, and with so many different platters of food, it was easy to play with pairings.

For the main course, we wanted to employ our

The menu Charcuterie, including Pork Rillettes Five-Minute Artisan Bread vegetable Salad With Truffled Yogurt Fresh Gluten-free Sorghum-Millet Pasta 503 234 1614 825 NE Multnomah, Suite 280 Lloyd Center Tower building Across skybridge from Nordstrom

Smoked Beef Short Ribs With Cherries, Currants and Charred Onion Sarah’s Gluten-free Pound Cake With Elderflower Berry Compote

smoker. We had more than enough short ribs from one of our cows and, besides, it’s always more of a party when there’s lots of fire. Padberg stepped up to the plate with an assist by Giannini and Brian, who foraged for wild cherry limbs in our slash piles.

Padberg smoked the short ribs for three hours until they just fell off the bone, then cloaked them in a cherry-currant glaze.

To go with this round of food, Brian shared magnums of three vintages of our syrah. Since wine ages better in magnums, they’re a great way to try older vintages, and a celebratory way to have a vertical tasting with a large group.

As if we needed any more food, Sarah plated up one of the best pound cakes I’ve ever had. It was gluten-free, and I couldn’t care less. She paired it with hand-cranked ice cream made with our eggs, and an elderflower fruit compote garnished with currants from Square Peg Farm.

With everyone working together, it was an incredibly fun meal to make — and even better to eat.

Pork rillettes Makes about 4 cups

This rustic pâté is made from pork shoulder that has been very slowly cooked until exquisitely tender. Adding lard to the pot means the pork essentially poaches in its own fat, resulting in a creamy, spreadable, decadent topping for toasted artisan bread.

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 1 tablespoon whole white peppercorns 1 teaspoon whole cloves 1 teaspoon whole allspice 6 tablespoons salt 3 pounds bone-in pork shoulder 1 cup rendered lard

Five-Minute Artisan Bread Makes 2 sMall loaves

There’s perhaps no better way to greet dinner guests than with the smell of freshly baked bread.

It also makes a perfect accompaniment to a charcuterie board.

1½ tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1½ packets) 1½ tablespoons kosher salt 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees) 6½ cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough (we use Bob’s Red Mill) Cornmeal

In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into the lukewarm water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose.

Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than roomtemperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)

When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel.

Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and on your hands.

Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it’s not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.

Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day’s storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.

Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, ¼-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam.

Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

— From “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

In a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle, grind the black and white peppercorns, cloves and allspice together. Combine with the salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pork to coat. Place pork in a nonreactive container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork and lard in a large enameled cast iron pot. Cover the roast with a round of parchment paper. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, then the lid. Roast in the oven on the middle rack for 1 hour, then reduce heat to 200 degrees and gently cook the pork for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Allow pork to cool slightly until it can be easily handled. Remove the bones and any gristle and discard. Strain the liquid into another container. There should be a decent amount of natural juices and fat. Allow the fat to separate from the juices and reserve both.

Place the meat in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium-low speed, gently whip the pork shoulder, adding enough of the reserved juices to make it moist. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.

(The pork should taste slightly salty because rillettes are usually served cold or at room temperature and cold food often tastes underseasoned.)

Divide the mixture into four ramekins or crocks, packing it in. If the fat has solidified, reheat it and pour a ½-inch layer on top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate until firm. It will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it longer, whip more fat into the meat and slightly increase the salt for longer preservation.

— From Jason French, Ned Ludd, Portland

35

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Smoked Beef Short ribs With Cherries, Currants and Charred onion Makes about 6 servings

This is one of the most delicious reasons to dust off your smoker, but if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have one, the oven will do just fine.

To make the ribs: Generously season the meat with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the seasonings to penetrate. Preheat oven or smoker to 300 degrees.

Ribs:

Set a large sautĂŠ pan over high heat. Add the oil and, when hot, add the ribs. Allow to sear, turning, until all sides are caramelized and mahogany brown. Transfer ribs to a roasting pan.

6 bone-in beef shortribs, cut 3 inches long Salt and freshly ground black pepper

is no place like hip

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 onion, peeled and chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped

36

1 (750-ml) bottle red wine 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 bunch thyme Cherry Glaze: 2 onions, sliced into Ÿ-inch-thick rounds Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar (divided) Meat juices from braising beef, at least 2 cups 1½ pounds cherries, pitted (divided) Balsamic or red wine vinegar, to taste 1 pint currants, picked from the stem and left whole

Add the vegetables to the sautĂŠ pan and sautĂŠ, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the meat. Add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan, then pour vegetables and liquid over the meat in the roasting pan. Add the rest of the wine, the garlic and thyme.

Place the roasting pan in the oven or smoker and roast for about 3 hours, or until fork tender. Begin checking the beef after 2 hours to see if it is ready or, if using a smoker if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting too smoky, depending on the wood you are using. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking on too much smoke, just cover the ribs with aluminum foil. Once the meat is fork tender, transfer the beef to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the vegetables from the juices. Reserve the juices for the glaze and feed the vegetable scraps to the chickens.

To make the glaze: While the ribs are roasting/smoking, prepare a wood or charcoal grill. Slice the onions and season with salt and a little brown sugar. Once the fire is hot, rub the grill with an oiled rag. Lay the onion slices over the hottest portion of the grill. Allow the onion to char a little, and get some dark grill marks, then flip over and repeat. (Ideally, the onions will be sliced thick enough that they can be charred on both sides, but not get fully soft and mushy in the center.)

Skim the fat from the meat juices and taste the juices. If they are very salty, cut the liquid with canned low-sodium beef broth. Pour into a blender and add about half the pitted cherries and purĂŠe. Strain the purĂŠe and add vinegar to taste.

(You want to balance the sweetness of the cherries.) Coarsely chop the remaining cherries.

In a sautĂŠ pan, gently simmer the cherry purĂŠe and chopped cherries for a few minutes to soften the cherries (but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let them get mushy). Coarsely chop the grilled onions and fold into the cherry glaze.

Q Z WK 503.225.5017

open daily 11- 6 sunday 12-5

To serve: Pour the glaze over the beef, sprinkle currants over the top and serve. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; From David Padberg, Park Kitchen, Portland

Fresh gluten-free Sorghum Millet Pasta Makes about 4 servings

It’s not hard to find gluten-free pasta, but gluten-free fresh pasta is a different story. You pretty much have to make it yourself. Luckily, it’s as easy as making regular pasta. Most grocery stores have a gluten-free section where you can find the flours and starches from Bob’s Red Mill. Sarah recommends using pasture-raised eggs for this. “You know, the ones with the bright, electric-yellow yolks,” she says. “They seem to have more protein for helping the pasta hold together.”

3 ounces gluten-free sorghum flour 3 ounces gluten-free millet flour 3 ounces gluten-free tapioca starch 1 teaspoon gluten-free guar gum 1 teaspoon salt

Vegetable Salad With truffled Yogurt

Pinch of fresh ground nutmeg 2 eggs

Makes 4 servings

4 egg yolks

“This salad is very versatile and was born out of one trip to the local farmers market,” says Clyde Common chef Chris DiMinno. “The vegetables can be interchanged easily with whatever is in season.” Just be sure to plan ahead and strain the yogurt the night before. Also, you’ll need to allow time to blanch the vegetables and roast the beets.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt 2 tablespoons flavorful honey 1 tablespoon truffle oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Line a metal strainer with cheesecloth and set the strainer in a bowl to catch the drips.

Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth, fold the ends of the cloth over the yogurt, and allow to strain overnight in refrigerator.

Place strained yogurt in a small ½ cup broccoli florets, blanched mixing bowl and whisk in the in salted water honey and truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10 baby carrots, peeled, Set aside. blanched in salted water 10 sugar snap peas, blanched in salted water 10 snow peas, blanched in salted water 2 chioggia (aka candy cane) beets, roasted and diced ½ cup cauliflower florets, sautéed until tender Juice of 1 lemon 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 2 radishes, very thinly sliced 2 turnips, very thinly sliced 2 to 4 small heads of lettuce, washed and dried Maldon salt, for garnish

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli florets, baby carrots, snap peas, snow peas, beets and cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

To serve: Spoon truffled yogurt on 4 plates. Stack the marinated vegetables on top of the yogurt.

Top with slices of radish and turnip and place a few leaves of lettuce alongside. Sprinkle with the Maldon salt and some more extra-virgin olive oil.

— From Chris DiMinno, Clyde Common, Portland

1 tablespoon water

Place the sorghum flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, guar gum, salt and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, oil and water. Pour through the feed tube of the food processor while pulsing. Pulse 9 to 10 times and check that the dough is coming together in large crumbs. If it crumbles too much, add more olive oil. If it is too wet, add more flour. You should be able to form a ball with the dough without it falling apart or squishing in your hands. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, gather into a ball, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Cut the ball of dough into 4 pieces. If you are using a pasta machine, flatten each piece to about ½-inch thickness. Lightly flour both sides of the dough with sorghum flour. Run the dough through the machine, increasing the setting each time, until the dough is paper-thin and long. Pass the pasta sheets through the fettuccine cutter on the pasta machine.

If you are making the dough by hand, flour the work surface with sorghum flour and, using one piece at a time, roll out the dough as thin as it will go (this will determine the thickness of your pasta, so try to make it very thin). Use a sharp knife to cut the pasta into the width and shape you want (about ¼ inch wide). Gently place the noodles on a plate while you roll out the rest of your dough.

To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in two batches, add the pasta and cook until it is soft but not mushy, about 2 to 3 minutes. It should still be a little firm in the middle. Drain pasta and coat with olive oil. Dress with a sauce of your choosing and serve immediately.

— From Sarah Hahn, glutenfreecowgirl.com

37

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Sarah’s gluten-free Pound Cake With elderflower Berry Compote *!,. ,*!,.

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Makes about 8 servings

This rich and decadent cake is delicious with all types of fruit.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup packed brown sugar

October is Harvest Participation Month!

38

Unannounced Harvest Fun All Month Long Look, Taste, & Guess Winegrape Tasting Activities in the Tasting Room

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½ cup raw cane sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature ¾ cup gluten-free sorghum flour ½ cup gluten-free almond meal ¼ cup gluten-free tapioca starch

In a medium bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, almond meal, tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, xanthum gum, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Measure out the milk and add the vanilla to the measuring cup.

With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in batches, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.

¼ cup gluten-free arrowroot starch 1 teaspoon gluten-free xanthum gum

To make the compote: In a large bowl, gently combine the blackberries and sugar. Stir in elderflower syrup to taste.

2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

To serve: Ladle the compote over the cake and sprinkle with currants on top.

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Note: You can buy elderflower syrup at Ikea and online at amazon.com

½ cup milk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract Elderflower Berry Compote:

KramerWine.com

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, cover with foil, and bake another 10 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before turning onto a plate. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

¼ cup gluten-free potato starch

½ teaspoon salt

Open daily 11-5 26830 NW Olson Rd Gaston, OR 503.662.4545

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch-by-3-inch loaf pan.

4 pints blackberries 2 tablespoons raw cane sugar Elderflower syrup (see note) 1 pint fresh red currants

— From Sarah Hahn, glutenfreecowgirl.com

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42

Do you believe in magic?

Drawing from ancient agricultural traditions, biodynamic farming is taking the wine world by storm. And in the United States, the eye of that storm is in Oregon’s wine country.

By Katherine Cole /Photography by Mike Davis

FOr thOUSAnDS OF yeArS, humans tilled the soil guided by the phases of the moon and the positions of the stars in the sky. Farms were small patches of land carved out of the wild, sustaining a variety of crops and animals. But with modern times came modern methods.

When a German chemist named Fritz haber discovered how to “fix” nitrogen, he won the 1918 nobel Prize and developed modern explosives and chemical fertilizers in one fell swoop. In fact, the same labs that allowed World War I to become one of the deadliest conflicts in world history began producing soil amendments after the war. But for all their promise, those fertilizers were wreaking havoc on farmers’ soil and livestock. In 1924, a group of farmers asked the Austrian intellectual rudolf Steiner for advice. In response, Steiner delivered a series of lectures that codified biodynamics. the cornerstone of his philosophy is that the ideal biodynamic farm is a polyculture — a diverse assortment of plants and animals surrounded by a belt of wilderness. the farm should function as a self-contained ecosystem, with no inputs from the outside, while the buffer zone of natural habitat provides plant diversity and predators. After all, a vast expanse planted with a single crop or populated by a single species of animal depletes the soil and invites pests and disease.

43

But diseases and pests are less likely to settle on a property where a variety of crops complement one another, where chickens feast on cutworms and where birds of prey scare off bothersome gophers.

As reasonable and rational as all that sounds, biodynamic agriculture has remained in the shadows for decades while organic farming has gained in prominence. that’s in large part because of the esoteric nature of the biodynamic philosophy — the use of cow’s

A cow’s horn filled with powdered quartz is one of the most emblematic and mysterious “preps” of biodynamic farming. Oregon’s biodynamic winegrowers say the increased care in the vineyard translates to healthier soil, purer fruit, and therefore a purer expression of the vineyard in their wines — something eco-conscious wine lovers and cork dorks can both appreciate.

This is the symbol of the Demeter Association, which was formed in 1928 to ensure Rudolf Steiner’s principles of biodynamic farming were uniformly applied and monitored. It is the only internationally recognized Biodynamic certifier, and it provided the first ecological label for organically produced foods.

horns and stag’s bladders and reliance on moon phases that set this agricultural practice apart from any others. Steiner was a deeply spiritual person who drew from ancient religions such as Zoroastrianism in building his belief system. And so his lectures on traditional farming practices are part practical guide, part sermon; they give “astraletheric forces” as much weight as cover crops and composting.

But even those who don’t dig the spiritual aspect of biodynamics can appreciate its sustainable message. Unlike organic agriculture, which simply aims to do no harm to the earth, the goal of biodynamic agriculture is to actively heal — to make the soil even healthier than it was when you began to farm it. And since soil health is of the utmost importance in vineyards, where the same vines must grow from the same patch of dirt for decades, more grape growers are embracing the practice — cow horns and all.

The nuts, bolts and preps editor’s Note: These are just a few of the many wine44 makers and vine tenders Katherine Cole writes about in her recent book, “Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers” (Oregon State University Press, $18.95). To learn more about biodynamic agriculture, check out the Demeter USA website at demeterusa.org or the site of the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association at biodynamics.com (incidentally, both organizations are based in Oregon).

that’s not to say biodynamic farming is easy. Like sustainable viticulture, biodynamic vine-tending emphasizes the use of cover crops and careful canopy management (trellising and pruning). Like organic agriculture, composting is key. But biodynamic compost is specifically built upon a base of cow manure. to this, practitioners must add preparations, or “preps.” the biodynamic preps are

referred to by number: 500, 501 and 508 are field sprays, while 502 through 507 are compost additives.

And they range from the familiar to the outlandish. Brews made from chamomile or nettle, then sprayed on your crop, are very much like the herbal teas you might sip when you have a stomachache or a cold. A little odd but not completely out of the ordinary. Stuffing a stag’s bladder with yarrow flowers, hanging this from the rafters of your barn for a few months, burying it, digging it up, and then adding it to your compost pile, however, might sound a bit like witchcraft. the most emblematic preps are 500 and 501, which are prepared using cow’s horns. how do you make 501? Bury a cow horn filled with powdered quartz for a few months, then dig it up, dump a tiny spoonful of its contents into a barrel of water and then stir this water, in opposite directions, alternately, for an hour, to create a homeopathic, “dynamized” treatment to spray on your plants. A tall order, no?

It’s easy to get hung up on the weirdness of the preps and dismiss biodynamics as the farming equivalent of a cult. But most of the practicing Oregon winegrowers I’ve spoken with have told me that this style of farming, because it is so natural, simply forces them to spend more time in the vineyard.

And they believe that this increased care translates to purer fruit and, perhaps, a purer expression of the vineyard in their wines.

Why now? Why Oregon? though biodynamic is totally hands-on in the vineyard, it calls for hands-off winemaking in the cellar, with few or no inputs, and activities such as bottling and racking timed to the phases of the moon, in the european tradition. thirsty for terroir — or a bottled sense of place — contemporary wine lovers seek out the most handcrafted juice possible. they’re geeky about knowing how the grapes were farmed, and they demand as little manipulation in the winery as possible. that means for cork dorks, biodynamic wine is the epitome of cool.

And Oregon is ground zero for biodynamic viticulture in the U.S. for several reasons: We have a long and strong tradition of sustainable farming, our wine industry is environmentally minded, and pinot noir is our primary grape. the very best estates in Burgundy farm according to the principles of biodynamie, and so it makes sense that some of Oregon’s best pinots come from biodynamically farmed properties, as well.

In the following pages, we shed some light on local vintners who are incorporating biodynamic viticulture into their winemaking regimes. not all of these winemakers have sought Biodynamic certification for their properties or their wineries, just as many small farms in this country operate according to organic principles but are not USDA Organic-certified. But each winegrower is committed to the practice in his own, personal way.

The Traditionalists Moe and tahmiene Momtazi at Maysara Moe and Flora Momtazi fled the Middle east on the backs of a couple of drug runners’ russian motorcycles in 1982. Fifteen years later, they had purchased an abandoned wheat farm south of McMinnville and planned to grow grapes organically. But in 2001, when Moe and a group of Willamette Valley winemakers got together to study biodynamics, he realized that this esoteric form of farming was very similar to the agricultural practices he had witnessed during his Persian childhood. Zoroastrianism is a part of the culture that has been handed down for generations in the Iranian countryside, where Moe’s grandfather practiced what he called “natural farming” on his estate before it was confiscated by the government. today, Momtazi Vineyard and Maysara winery are certified Biodynamic. For the Momtazis, whose three daughters help them run the winery (tahmiene is the winemaker), farming and making wine biodynamically are a way of returning to their family roots in Persia.

45

The Soil Tender Doug tunnell at Brick house Vineyards Because he lives surrounded by his vines, Doug tunnell has always farmed organically; because he grows grapes, his farm is certified Biodynamic. “I think the fact that we are growing on hillsides makes it even more important that we work with the soil,” he says. “It is just so fragile. It dries out so thoroughly. It needs nourishment. It needs microbial activity. It needs organic matter. We can’t keep mining fruit out of this place and not put anything back in. It can’t be a one-way street. nothing in nature is.” tunnell’s Old World-style, handcrafted pinot noir, gamay noir and chardonnay reflect the terroir of his 40-acre ribbon ridge estate. And thanks to his biodynamic farming and winemaking techniques, Brick house is one of only two Oregon members in the French natural winegrowers group return to terroir.

46

The Obsessive Michael etzel at Beaux Frères “Back when I farmed with chemicals, I would spray roundup and smell that very bad chemical smell on my skin,” recalls Michael etzel, managing partner and winemaker at Beaux Frères. “today, when I’m done spraying chamomile or something, there’s a completely different feeling.” etzel biodynamically farms his estate with the zealousness of a religious convert: he leases the property across the road just so that he can harvest its hay to build his massive compost mounds. he sprays water from a neighboring pond onto these steaming mountains of compost using a 1969 firetruck. And he does all this work for only 34 acres of vines.

Is there a link between biodynamic farming and the fact that Beaux Frères produces some of the top pinot noirs in the state? “My intention is to make the best possible wine,” says etzel. “I believe that biodynamics can do that.”

47

The Burgundian Josh Bergström at Bergström Wines Josh Bergström arrived in Burgundy in 1998 and completed the two-year Viticulture, enology and Wine Business degree at Lycée Viti-Vinicole de Beaune in just one year, entirely in French. While 48 there, Bergström fell in love with his now-wife, Caroline, and became enthralled by biodynamic viticulture. “I had heard about biodynamics before I left, but it was much more prevalent over there. you had domaines like Leflaive and DrC (Domaine de la romanée-Conti) implementing it,” he says. “I was really intrigued: Why was it that

these biodynamic producers just happened to be the best names in the wine world?” Upon his return in 1999, Bergström began to practice what he had learned in Burgundy while planting his family estate. An early scare with a chemical herbicide that nearly killed his young vines persuaded him to farm organically right away.

Over time, he began applying biodynamic preps, as well. In 2004, Bergström became the second winegrower in Oregon to achieve Biodynamic certification.

The Native Jay Somers at J. Christopher Wines Is anyone else paying attention to a bunch of hippie winemakers spraying herbal teas on their plants in rural Oregon? In a word, yes.

Jay Somers is a born-and-bred Oregonian who traces his ancestry back to the Oregon trail. After starting up the J. Christopher and holloran labels in 1996 and 1999, Somers began to farm grapes and make wine biodynamically in 2005. At about the same time, his wines caught the attention of the German winery owner ernst Loosen of the world-renowned Dr. Loosen label. Swept up by the beauty of Somers’ pinot noir and sauvignon blanc, Loosen has now partnered with Somers to plant a new vineyard and build a new winery for the J. Christopher label. Somers runs the new operation according to biodynamic principles even though Loosen doesn’t follow biodynamics back in Germany. together, the two winemakers make a super-small-production pinot noir called “Appassionata,” which has received critical acclaim. Will his biodynamic practices elevate Somers’ already ethereal wines to cult status? the whole wine world is watching.

49

The Nature Lover Brian O’Donnell at Belle Pente

50

“We are absolutely committed to biodiversity and to generating as much as we need on the farm,” says Brian O’Donnell, proprietor at Belle Pente.

“We rotate the sheep into the vineyard during the winter; they are able to get in there, do early-season weeding, get ahead of the grass and save us one tractor pass. It saves money, it saves time and you are burning less fossil fuel.”

Just outside of Carlton, O’Donnell and wife Jill tend 70 acres of “beautiful slope,” as their winery’s name translates; it is one of the gems of wine country. Only 18 acres are vineyard; the rest is pasture and native oak savanna. “We’re using the rest of the property to support the vineyard and vice versa,” he says.

 ONLINE EXTRA: Get even more up close and personal with these winemakers through our slideshow at mIXpdX.cOm

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Tony Starlights

Jazzkats

Tuesday through Sunday something wonderful takes our stage. Fantastic Food and Legendary Entertainment including elegant vocalists, prohibition-era hot jazz, swing bands, Sinatra, Dino, Neil Diamond, Bacharach and even an 18-piece big band!

Delicious Coffee is just the beginning.

We also offer a gourmet menu (including an array of vegan cheese by Heidi Ho Organics), rotating artwork from cutting-edge local artists, live music shows, and even poetry readings.

We’re the definitive PDX coffee shop experience.

3728 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR Call 503.517.8584 for Reservations Reservations for weekend shows strongly encouraged TonyStarlight.com

Put a bird on it Portland!

Come visit our new gift shop & cottage style nursery, featuring showy perennials, trees & shrubs, local art, garden ornaments, bird feeders and even a kids’ corner.

4000 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 503.477.4074 9201 SE 91st Ave, Suite 210 Clackamas, OR 503.775.2424 RiverCityEye.com

Check out our unusual fall bulbs!

Sign up for fall art & garden classes.

1535 NE 41st Ave

1925 NE 42nd Ave Portland, OR 503.249.0686 jazzkatscoffee.com 6

From meticulous eye exams and contact lens fittings to the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease, River City Eyecare has heightened the Optical experience. If you are interested in highquality and imaginative eyewear, stop in and try on some unique frames sure to fit your budget!

Finch & Flora

across from Trader Joes

Portland, OR 503.477.8475 7

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Est. 1982

Hollywood Antiques Magnolia’s Corner Cafe & Wine Bar with Beer & Small Plates With rotating beers on tap and weekend wine and beer tasting, you are sure to discover something new to enjoy. Serving a limited menu with local ingredients when possible, Magnolia’s Corner is where you’ll fall in love with your next sip.

4075 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 503.459.4081 magnoliascorner.net

Dania Furniture Simple, modern and affordable.

Dania is proud to offer finely crafted furniture that is both, functional and affordable. Located in the Hollywood District sibnce 1988.

Don’t miss our Fall Event happening now through Oct 17, 2011.

We’ve expanded our showroom to 4 levels!

1905 NE 41st Avenue Portland, OR 503.284.0880 daniafurniture.com

Portland’s Premiere Antique Mall

Shandong Restaurant What’s the secret to Shandong’s success?

We pride ourselves on serving excellent upscale Chinese food at a reasonable price.

Check our website to get your mouth watering for our signature Cherry Pork dish and see what our customers are saying about us!

With Over 40 Dealers + Consignments in a 10,000 sq ft space -There is always more to explore!

Featuring the Best Antique Selection that Portland has to offer ... from Traditional to Mid-Century Modern Furniture, collectibles, Costume Jewelry and much more.

Daily Happy Hour from 4-6pm.

Coming Soon: Delicious Coffee featuring roasts from Grounds For Change (Fair Trade & Certified Organic)

3724 NE Broadway St Portland, OR 503.287.0331 shandongportland.com

1969 NE 42nd Avenue Portland, OR 503.288.1051 HollywoodAntiqueMall.com

Hollywood District Marketplace

To advertise in Marketplace contact Carl Grant at 503.221.8023 or cgrant@oregonian.com

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How does Clear Creek Distillery get those big, juicy pears through the tiny neck of its eau de vie bottles?

As photographer Stephanie Yao Long reveals, it takes months of dedication and hard work.

They’re called “impossible bottles” — those model ships, decks of cards and souvenir pennies encased in a glass bottle with an opening too narrow to ever allow such objects to pass through. Part magic trick, part dust-collecting curiosity, they’ve been inspiring puzzled brows and head-scratching for generations. Well, Oregon has its own born-and-bred impossible bottle, but the contents are much too delicious to be considered a novelty.

For 23 years, Clear Creek Distillery has been producing Pear-in-the-Bottle Eau De Vie, or pear brandy, through the individual care of just a handful of people. Founder Steve McCarthy borrowed the method from the Alsace region of France, where the technique is a traditional part of the region’s centuries-old pear brandy industry.

Photographer Stephanie Yao Long followed the Clear Creek crew for five months, documenting the painstaking process of producing the highly acclaimed spirit from bud to bottle. Seeing it all unfold gives new meaning to the phrase “handmade.”

Each spring, when the blossoms in the

McCurdy pear orchard near Hood River have begun to bud into fruit, a crew from Clear Creek Distillery begins its meticulous work. Armed with ladders, boxes of empty bottles and spools of twine, they climb the trees to slip bottles over thousands of tiny buds, still small enough to fit through the narrow neck of the bottle. “We use only Bartlett pears,” McCarthy says. “That’s what the Europeans call the Williams pear, and it makes a far better brandy than Bosc or D’Anjou pears. I found this out 30 years ago when I was in Europe. I realized my family had a whole orchard of Bartletts (in Parkdale) and sometimes we couldn’t give them away.” That’s when Clear Creek Distillery was born. “We started making the eau de vie in 1985.”

54

A chosen branch, loaded with multiple buds, is winnowed down until only

one tiny fruit remains, ensuring it will end up sweet and perfect enough to be bottled with Clear Creek’s pear brandy. Then the pear is slipped into the bottle — which is a lot harder than it sounds.

Using the twine, the crew rigs the bottles so they hang from supporting branches at angles to match the growth habit of the branch with the pear. “And the bottles have to be on the trees with the open end downward,” McCarthy says, “so they don’t fill with rainwater or irrigation water.”

To keep summer’s sun, magnified by the glass bottle, from burning the fruit, the crew uses rubber bands to wrap paper around the bottom of the more exposed bottles to provide shade. As the delicate fruits spend the summer maturing in their new glass homes, the crew will return several times to check on the fruit, repositioning and retying bottles, and discarding those with dead, bug-infested or misshapen pears. They even have to get rid of perfectly good pears because they are just too big, leaving too little room for the brandy.

“The highest yield we’ve had was 5,000 bottles,” McCarthy says, “but this year we’re looking at 2,500. It gives me a huge pain to throw any away. Most years we get a 75 percent success rate. Over the years we’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned how to do it right.”

In late summer, the pears are clipped from the branches, the bottles untied and then packed into boxes for the drive to Clear Creek’s Northwest Portland distillery. “Each bottle is scrubbed by hand using a test tube brush,” McCarthy says.

“We scrub the inside, the pear and the outside, and then rinse it in a three-step process — a sulfite rinse, a citric acid rinse, a secretingredient rinse. Then we add the brandy.”

55

“When we started out, all the fruit came from the family’s orchard,” McCarthy says, “but now we use a million pounds of fruit a year. As we’ve added more products, we’ve developed a network of people we like who can supply us.” To make the pear brandy, half a million pounds of pears from several local orchards, including the McCurdy orchard, are brought to the Portland distillery in late summer and early fall for crushing. It takes 30 pounds of pears to make one 750 ml bottle of eau de vie. After one month of fermentation, the mash is distilled in one of the four Germanmade copper pot stills. Each batch takes three hours and yields 5 gallons. “The brandy is distilled in a single pass,” McCarthy says, “because every time you distill something you remove the flavor.”

Since the pears growing in the bottles

ripen around the same time as the pears used in the eau de vie, and making the eau de vie takes months, the distillery usually fills the bottles with last year’s batch. “We’re worried right now about running out,” says McCarthy. “We might have two to three weeks this fall when we’re out of pear brandy before the next batch is ready.”

Bottling and labeling the brandy is still a hands-on process. “We can’t afford

the big-time automated conveyor system like you see in wineries,” McCarthy says. “We have a semiautomatic system.” Bottles are set under the siphons by hand, and each is labeled one at a time. “You put the bottle in a cradle, press a pedal, and a treadle turns the bottle and the label goes on. It’s the right scale and technology for us. We’ll probably never have a fully automated system.”

After puzzling over how

Clear Creek gets its pears in the bottles, the next big question is how to successfully get them out — because a pear soaked in brandy is a wonderful thing. “The only way to do it is break the bottle,” McCarthy says, “then rinse the pear really well because you don’t want to be munching on fragments of glass. We’ve tried all kinds of ways, like sticking a fish fillet knife in there, but nothing really works as well.”

— Danielle Centoni £

Oregon City neighborhood Willamette River

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99E

Main St

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16th st

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13th st

Main St

➤

McLoughlin Blvd 9th St

Welcome Downtown

7th St

6th St

(2nd Time Around is at top of hill on 7th) 4

O.C. Bridge

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w in e s h o p - w i n e b a r

Historic Oregon City is a great place to shop, dine and visit.

First Fridays Celebrate Commerce and Culture on the First Friday of the month throughout summer.

Downtown is alive with great restaurants, shops, artists, and music street side.

May - Oct

5 to 8 pm

8th Street Farmers Market Join us at the downtown market for live music, great food, and 20-25 local artisan food vendors every Wednesday.

June 1st - Oct 12th 3 to 7 pm Downtown’s events are free and open to the public. Parking is free and convenient on festival days.

Visit http://downtownoregoncity.org/ to learn more and sign up for email updates.

local art live music wine tastings small plates desserts Winestock is a combination wine shop + wine bar, celebrating 5 years in OC. Weekly wine tastings and 25+ wines by the glass pair beautifully with small plates including Jamon Iberico, stuffed peppers, artisan cheeses and chocolate cake. At Winestock, it's about the wine experience. A beautiful combination of wine at the bar or a selection of wines for drinking at home.

Open at 3pm, Monday thru Saturday 820 Main Street, Suite B, Oregon City, OR 503.636.WINE (9463) www.winestockoc.com

Oregon City Marketplace

Cypress Restaurant & Bar Experience something different in Oregon City! With an eclectic menu of Greek, Lebanese and Indian food, Cypress offers exotic cuisine and specialty martinis at exceptional prices. Great ambience & casual elegance! Our Oasis Room offers an intimate space for private parties, rehearsal dinners and corporate meetings. Catering available.

Mon-Thurs 11 am - 9 pm Fri. 11 am - 10 pm, Sat. 5 pm - 10 pm

Look for us at our new Oregon City location.

We are located inside the Oregon Antique Mall. Also offering upholstery classes!

820 Main Street, Suite D, Oregon City, OR 503.387.5914 cypressoregoncity.com

502 7th Street Oregon City, OR 503.742.0178

To advertise in Marketplace contact Maria Price at 503.294.4126 or mprice@oregonian.com

good cheese jupiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moon

57

a

[ Pour one out for the monks ] ny fan of wine, spirits and cheese owes at least a small debt of gratitude to the members of the monastic tradition. monks conducted many experiments, and the data they collected formed the foundation for much of our understanding about fermentation. although they might not have fully grasped the science behind it (tip of the hat to Louis Pasteur), they were the early masters through their wine, beer and cheese production.

By SaSha DavieS / PhotograPh By mike DaviS

good cheese cont.

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in fact, they pioneered the production of washed-rind cheeses. these cheeses are revered and feared for their robust flavors and the luscious textures they achieve at peak ripeness. Washing the outside of a cheese was an act of necessity more than creativity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it helped keep rinds from drying out and cracking. and the practice of using brine, wine, beer and spirits evolved because the water supply was not reliably clean.

But the monks also discovered that these liquids yielded interesting results. Bathing the cheese with them helped it retain moisture and fostered the growth of specific yeasts and bacteria, which developed cheeses with a stronger, more complex flavor and less acidity.

Jupiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moon is a prime example â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and another innovative creation from Patricia morford, the owner and cheesemaker at rivers edge Chèvre. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a stunning cheese inside and out, from its burnt-orange hue and delicate belt of wild nut grasses tied around the middle, to its sweet and earthy flavor.

although this cheese has been influenced by traditions from faraway places, it is absolutely rooted in its place of origin. the milk comes from goats that browse on pastures right outside the cheese room, and the wheels are bathed in brine mixed with rogue ale. in addition to washing the outside of the cheese, the curds are also â&#x20AC;&#x153;washedâ&#x20AC;? during cheesemaking, a process that contributes to the cheeseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sweet flavor and soft texture.

Some may recall that Jupiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moon used to be bathed in a mixture of brine and late-harvest white wine from madrone mountain vineyard. a couple of factors led to the decision to switch to rogue ales.

For starters, morford ran low on the original vintage of madrone mountainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late-harvest white and she wanted to use a wash that would remain consistent over years to come. the ale from rogue offered a stable flavor profile and dovetailed perfectly with an existing relationship between the farm and rogue ales â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the spent barley from the brewery is fed to the does.

Pat morfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three ring Farm in Logsden is home to a herd of adorable goats and her small cheesemaking facility, where she crafts her fresh chèvres, bloomy-rind and washed-rind cheeses under the label riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge Chèvre. PhotograPhS By torSteN kJeLLStraND, aBove, aND mike DaviS, right

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White’s Country Meats TOP QUALITY, CUSTOM CUTTING YOU WILL NEVER FIND QUALITY & SERVICE LIKE THIS IN A GROCERY STORE Name: Jupiter’s moon

1207 SE KANE RD, GRESHAM | 503.666.0967

Milk: goat from Pat morford’s herd of alpine does Age and look: aged 1 to 2 months. rind is bumpy in texture and orange in color. the interior of the cheese transforms from firm to fudgy during ripening.

Ripening and storage: in general, cheesemongers will sell the cheese when it’s ripe, or nearly ripe, and it’s only a few days before it will become overripe. So the cheesemongerly advice to “buy what you can consume within a few days” is even more relevant when it comes to washed-rind cheeses. the rinds should appear damp and supple, not leathery and flaky. once cut and snuggly wrapped in your fridge, the rind does not continue to flourish and can emit aromas of ammonia. if the ammonia spell doesn’t dissipate, and it begins to affect the flavor, the cheese is overripe and should be tossed.

Caring for the land … creating extraordinary wines

BENTON-LANE WINERY

Flavor: the exterior of this cheese has aromas of apricots and musky cellar. inside there is a surprising richness to the paste even with the slightly firmer center. Prominent flavors of goat butter and earth. For those wondering whether to consume the rind, there is no right or wrong answer. it definitely adds flavor and a new dimension of texture, but if neither appeals to you, you can leave the rind behind without fear of offending.

Eat with: a shining star on any cheese board, it pairs beautifully with dates or roasted almonds and hazelnuts.

Drink with: try the obvious — a rogue ale — or swing big and taste with a sip of oloroso sherry.

Find it at: Cheese Bar, elephants Deli, Foster & Dobbs, New Seasons and Pastaworks Why we like this cheese: it is elegant and rustic in appearance (very “now” with that thin, belted look) and has enough flavor to entice the adventurous, but it’s not so pungent it will scare off the rest of us. £

Best 100 Wines of The Year 2011 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

TASTING ROOM HOURS March up to Christmas January & February Daily: 11am to 5pm

M-F: 11am to 5pm

23924 Territorial Hwy, Monroe, OR

(20 MILES NORTH OF EUGENE) WWW.BENTON-LANE.COM | 541-847-5792 FAMILY OWNED • ESTATE GROWN • SUSTAINABLY FARMED

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pubcrawl

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[Getting in the spirit: These days brewers are finding inspiration in a cocktail glass ]

By Joshua M. Bernstein

photograph By MiKe DaVis

in portland, the line dividing beer and spirits has grown blurrier than my eyesight after a double ipa. thanks to events such as Brewing up Cocktails (a local event devoted to beer cocktails) beer-spirit concoctions have gone from carbonated curiosities to menu standbys. But some breweries don’t see the need for an after-market liquor addition. armed with malts, hops, herbs, oak barrels and outside-the-keg ingenuity, rose City brewers are creating cocktail beers — not beer-based cocktails, mind you — and even sudsy liquor facsimiles untouched by the hard stuff. Let’s call it a spirit of innovation.

pubcrawl cont.

Natural Food Store

FRESH, LOCAL, ORGANIC • Produce & Meats • Fresh Seafood • Local Oregon Wines • Artisan Breads & Cheeses • Full Service Deli & Catering • Natural Health & Beauty Products 251 N. Third Street McMinnville, OR 503.472.5740

www.HarvestFresh.com

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A Heavenly Experience

Happy Valley 15723 SE Happy Valley Town Center Dr 503-427-2361

Wilsonville

25600 SW Argyle Ave #B 503-855-4006

Portland

928 N. Mississippi 503-384-2263

Bethany Village 15325 NW Central Dr. 503-746-4320

www.divineyogurt.com

earlier this year, Jacob grier, Metrovino’s mixologist and Brewing up Cocktails cofounder (along with hop & Vine owner yetta Vorobik and writer ezra Johnson-greenough), faced a conundrum: as a rep for Bols genever, he was uncertain how to best introduce portland to the category-defying Dutch spirit. Made from a malty distillate composed of rye, corn and wheat, genever is infused with botanicals such as juniper berries, anise seed and hops. grier turned to Bols’ u.s. brand director for advice on how genever is consumed in the netherlands. “they drink it as a beer and a shot,” he replied. “it’s called the kopstootje.” translated as “little headbutt,” the kopstootje consists of filling a small tulip-shaped glass with genever to the very top. Drinkers take the first slurp from the brimming glass hands-free, trying not to “headbutt” the glass. after the first nip, imbibers then sip the genever, alternating with a light lager — hardly portland’s preferred beer. grier knew that introducing kopstootje to the City of roses would require finding the right locally made craft brew to go with it. grier sought out alex ganum at upright Brewing because he focuses on herbladen farmhouse beers.

“We jumped on it right away,” ganum says. “it’s something that seemed right up our alley.” after seeing genever’s list of botanicals, including anise seed, ginger, angelica and licorice, “i noticed flavors that related to a bière de garde,” ganum says of the strong, rustic French beer that can be brewed with an ale or lager yeast. (a bière de garde is not necessarily dosed with botanicals.) Made with lager yeast, his rich, delicately spiced Kopstootje Biere was the spirit’s carbonated mirror image. “people liked the similarity of the Bols and the beer,” ganum says of the beer, which he hopes to re-create next year. giving beer a liquor profile is hardly terra incognita, especially when you consider that whiskey is distilled from mash — essentially, beer without hops. in fact, Widmer Brothers supplies the mash for Clear Creek Distillery’s McCarthy’s oregon single Malt Whiskey. in addition, rogue ales uses the grain blend for its Dead guy ale to create its Dead guy Whiskey. turning this concept on its head, some brewers are

bypassing distillation and skipping ahead to creating cocktailbased beers. Brooklyn Brewery’s Manhattan project evoked the “Mad Men” favorite, while its Concoction referenced a scotch-and-ginger drink called penicillin. seattle’s naked City Brewery used oak cubes soaked in Kahlúa to craft its White russian imperial Cream stout. here in town, Breakside Brewery’s head brewer, Ben edmunds, collaborated with Brewing up Cocktails in March to create a trio of cocktail beers: a sazerac, a Bramble and a Whiskey ginger based on Beaker & Flask’s fruity, potent six Lengths ahead cocktail. “you have to choose your cocktail wisely,” edmunds says. “you can’t just conjure up a mojito beer; it’s difficult to replicate those light flavors of rum or soda.” to start, edmunds brewed a lightly hoppy ale that topped out at 5 percent aBV. in portland, it’s the sort of beer that makes a small splash. though “the beer on its own might not taste all that great, it’s just one component,” edmunds explains. “you have to change the mentality

Known for creating micro-batches of genre-bending beers, brewer Ben edmunds of Breakside Brewery leads the pack when it comes to creating cocktail-inspired beers. armed with botanicals, used spirits barrels and plenty of ingenuity, he’s riffed on everything from a sazerac to a Bloody Mary. photography By BenJaMin BrinK

of how your finished beer should taste.” next, edmunds set out building each beer’s cocktail flavor. since a sazerac contains rye whiskey, absinthe, peychaud’s bitters and lemon peel, edmunds dumped the beer into a used ransom Whippersnapper Whiskey barrel, added citrus, star anise (to mimic absinthe) and … how much bitters? “our calculations came out that we needed something like 48 bottles of peychaud’s,” says edmunds, who scaled back his bitters addition. the gin-and-fruit Bramble proved easier to approximate. edmunds mixed the beer with blackberry purée and lemon peel and let it slumber in a ransom old tom gin barrel. it imparted a botanical flavor that was amped up with crushed juniper berries. the results were as divergent as they were delicious. if you tasted the Bramble and sazerac side by side “you’d never know they were the same beer,” edmunds says. this project merely whetted edmunds’ appetite for cocktail-beer experimentation. For his take on the gin-driven tom Collins, he pumped his rye Kölsch through a randall — a device for infusing flavors into beer

— stuffed with juniper berries and cucumbers. he mixes his sour german gose with a spicy chelada mix, resulting in a genre-leaping, borderhopping bloody beer. (you’ll find a different take from Michigan’s short’s Brewing, which makes the Bloody Beer.) and he’s working on a recipe for a bourbon barrel-aged imperial porter inspired by teardrop Cocktail Lounge’s hunter’s Moon cocktail, which contains rye, Cointreau-glazed marshmallows and bittersweet chocolate syrup. naturally, such experimentation risks alienating customers, especially when crossing the hallowed cocktail-craft beer divide.

“When some people ordered our sazerac, they thought they were getting a cocktail, and other people that wanted a beer were disappointed when they got the sazerac,” edmunds explains. “some purists want beer to be beer.” edmunds understands there’s a learning curve. given a little education, perhaps drinkers will soon raise a pint glass and get in the spirit. £

Argyle Winery Taste world class wines in the heart of Oregon’s Wine Country Sparkling Wine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling Tasting Room open Monday - Sunday 11am - 5pm 2001 EXTENDED TIRAGE BRUT IS RELEASED! Derived from one hundred percent Argyle-grown Dijon clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Aged on-the-yeast for ten years before being ‘disgorged on demand’ in small batches. The new world’s highest rated sparkling wine...four years in a row! Get yours now, before it is gone.

691 Hwy 99W, Dundee Oregon

tastingroom@argylewinery.com

ArgyleWinery.com 1-888-427-4953

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Bu rn sid e

Dine in Nob Hill W

NW 24th Ave

NW

d er R tov s e W

Nu

2 3

7

W Burnside

NW Quimby St

NW Pettygrove St

NW Overton St

NW Marshall St

1

NW 21st Ave

Wildwood Restaurant & Bar

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Lunch: Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30 Dinner: Nightly, 5:30-close Happy Hour: Mon- Fri, 4:30-6:30 Private Dining Rooms also available.

Guest Parking lot on Overton St. 1221 NW 21st Avenue Portland OR 503.248.9663 www.wildwoodrestaurant.com

Limo Peruvian Restaurant, located in the heart of the NW, offers a menu featuring Northwest Peruvian coastal cuisine with a touch of a sophisticated ambiance.

Serving Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week

Join us for Happy Hour!

Tue-Sat 4pm-6pm, Sun. 3pm-6pm

701 NW 23rd Avenue Portland OR 503.232.9440 www.papahaydn.com

5

Urban Fondue This renowned steakhouse has been at its original location at West Burnside for 3 generations.

Serving a unique dining experience featuring scratch recipe fondues made with local ingredients.

Open 7 nights a week 2114 NW Glisan Street (next to Bartini) Portland, OR Reservations: 503-242-1400 or www.urbanfondue.com

Nob Hill Marketplace

Serving cuisine from Italy, France and the greater Mediterranean region.

Featuring a full bar and Wine Spectator award-winning wine list.

Private dining rooms available.

Now Hosting Happy Hour 3pm-6pm Monday - Friday

6

4

Serratto

Fine Dining, Catering, Wine, and Wedding Cakes.

340 NW Westover Road Portland OR 503.477.8348 www.limorestaurant.com

Ringside Steakhouse

3

Papa Haydn

Limo Peruvian Restaurant

Cooking from the source in since 1994.

2165 W Burnside Street Portland, OR 503.223.1513 www.ringsidesteakhouse.com

NW Lovejoy St

4

1

Ringside has earned a national reputation serving the best steaks in town with impeccable service and an unmatched wine list, all in a timeless, old-school atmosphere.

NW Kearney St

NW Johnson St

NW Irving St

NW Hoyt St

NW Glisan St

NW Flanders St

NW 22nd Ave

6

NW Davis St

5

NW Everett St

NW 22nd Place

NW Northrup St

NW 23rd Ave

Parking lot on NW Johnson St. Lunch, Dinner & Happy Hour Seven days a week.

2112 NW Kearney Street Portland, OR 503.221.1195 www.serratto.com 7

Dorio Cafe & Taverna Authentic Greek food.

On the street car line.

Lunch, dinner, full bar and carry-out.

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eat here / Yakima [ Taste your way through the Washington valley’s food-and-wine renaissance ]

When you drive into Yakima, there’s a sign along interstate 82 that’s sure to prompt a laugh. it reads, “Welcome to Yakima: the Palm Springs of Washington.”

Given that Yakima lacks Palm Springs’ abundance of golf courses, rV parks and retired gay men, it’s hard to make that connection. But it’s the ambitious enthusiasm of the sign that sums up all the cool things that are happening in the central Washington city right now. Once known almost as much for its crime rates as for its agricultural wonders, Yakima is experiencing the first wave of a renaissance related to its food and wine scene.

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BY Grant Butler PhOtOGraPhY BY jamie franciS

Yakima Sports Center Restaurant and Lounge

eat here / Yakima cOnt.

Essencia Artisan Bakery

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That revival is linked to the steady growth of the Yakima Valley wine industry. In the Rattlesnake Hills above the nearby town of Zillah, several dozen wineries pour nuanced chardonnays, merlots and cabernet sauvignons, which come at significantly lower prices than bottles from prestigious Walla Walla. From the well-manicured lawns of Hyatt Vineyards, Silver Lake and Bonair wineries, you can usually see Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. And since the valley averages 300 days of sunshine each year, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re great spots for a picnic.

A good place to gather your picnic fare or to have breakfast is Essencia Artisan Bakery (4 N. Third St., Yakima; 509-575-

5570; essenciaartisanbakery. com). With its open kitchen, you can watch bakers as they pull trays of flaky croissants and cinnamon â&#x20AC;&#x153;beehivesâ&#x20AC;? out of the oven, along with the loaves of crusty baguette and ciabatta that anchor the bakeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to-go cold sandwiches, like the towering focaccia club.

And for dessert, there are dainty Belgian chocolate truffles.

On Sundays from early May to the end of October, Essenciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baked goods are featured prominently at the Yakima Farmers Market (yakimafarmersmarket.org), held just a few blocks south on Third, in front of the beautifully restored Capitol Theatre, a 1920 vaudeville house that was almost destroyed by a 1975 fire â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only

Carousel French Cuisine and Bistro

Second Street Grill

67

5 North the facade survived. At the market, farmers from throughout the valley sell cherries and other stone fruit from their orchards, along with heat-loving produce like okra and sweet corn. Strolling through the market is a feast for the nose, with aromas of buttery kettle corn, barbecued pork and fresh tamales filling the air.

After hitting the market, head a few blocks west to discover the Old North Front Street Historic District, a large city block that’s the latest evidence of downtown Yakima’s comeback. Situated next to the train station, the century-old buildings were once hotels and flophouses, as well as Yakima’s first city hall, police station and firehouse. Now the block boasts half a dozen restaurants, as well as the city’s best

coffee shop, North Town Coffeehouse (28 N. First St.; 509-895-7600; northtowncoffee.com).The space still has a Victorian feel, with pressedtin ceilings, exposed brick and a wood floor that’s been pitted by 100 years of foot traffic. The beverages, though, are completely up to date, with the baristas making espresso drinks using Stumptown beans. On weekend evenings, there’s live local music, and on Sundays there’s an open mic night when anything can happen — spoken-word poetry, acoustic guitar, even impromptu jams.

In the historic district, two restaurants stand out for their wildly different vibes. Carousel French Cuisine and Bistro (25 N. Front St., No. 6; 509-248-6720) was a pioneer in the neighborhood’s redevelopment when it opened in 2003, and

Antojitos Mexicanos although the original French owner sold the business a few years ago, the new owners kept his recipes for beef Bourguignon, coq au vin and crab-stuffed salmon. As the name implies, there’s an equestrian theme to the quiet setting, with a dining room mural re-creating an image from the Paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux, as well as carousel horses. Things are more boisterous at 5 North (5 N. Front St.; 509-248-9801; geopics.net/5north), which bills itself as a “Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge.” Smartly dressed diners dig into lamb burgers and “sexy fries” topped with parmesan and truffle oil, and shareable snacks like a bowl of parsnip, yam and rutabaga chips that are fried to order. Desserts include an upscale interpretation of a s’more, built on a giant brownie

with a homemade graham cracker cookie and cinnamon ice cream.

Downtown Yakima closes up pretty early, making it hard to grab dinner after 9 p.m. But there’s substantial pub grub at two popular nightspots. Second Street Grill (28 N. Second St.; 509-469-1486; secondstreetgrill.com) is about as posh as sports bars come. The exposed brick walls of the 1915 building are covered with historic photos of Yakima’s minor league baseball teams. In the front, there’s a dining room where people dig into snacks like hot wings, onion rings and massive burgers, as well as more ambitious fare like misogrilled salmon. The real action is in the back, where an oval-shaped bar sits below a bank of flat-screen TVs showing every imaginable sport

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You’ll love Jo Ellen’s own line of beautiful sterling silver bangle bracelets, necklaces and charms.

Handcrafted by Jo Ellen herself with cabachon set stones, some of the pieces also feature hand stamped fun and meaningful messages. Come in now to find lots of treasures and gifts, many straight from the streets of Paris!

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Cravin’ Raven NOW a dedicated gluten free bakery.

Our baked goods are dairy free, soy free and corn free and are made with organic ingredients. We also have many vegan options including our peanut butter quinoa cookie with dark chocolate chunks. We sweeten our products with agave, coconut and date sugars. Our retail hours are listed on our website. Wholesale and catering available.

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CoCo Gets Dressed GRAYLING jewelry designer Katy Kippen lives in Portland and draws inspiration for her collection from the natural beauty of our Northwest surroundings.

Handcrafted with the finest materials available, the entire line is lightweight and comfortable to wear. Come see the line at CoCo’s along with fall fashions featuring assorted fabrics, textures and weights. “CoCo Gets Dressed has clothing that tickles your soul!”

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until 2 a.m. on weekends.

Surprisingly, there’s more of an emphasis on live music than sports at the nearby Yakima Sports Center Restaurant and Lounge (214 E. Yakima Ave.; 509-453-4647; yakimasportscenter.com), which draws its name from the building’s historic neon sign, featuring a spinning duck hunter hoisting his rifle toward the skies. The menu of late-night bites features four pages of salads, wraps, steaks, burgers and bar favorites like quesadillas and mini corn dogs — it’s anything but high-brow, but just the right fit for the bar’s free-flowing cocktails and live rock, reggae and roots music.

Yakima has a large Latino population, and the many taquerias and markets with names like “YakiMex” keep the city fueled with hearty burritos and colorful Mexican pastries.

One of the most-popular eating spots is Antojitos Mexicanos (3512 Summitview Ave.; 509-248-2626), an always-busy restaurant in an old, converted fast-food eatery in the middle of a West Yakima neighborhood. The menu is loaded with tortas, tostadas and enchiladas made with homemade corn tortillas, which are also fried for fresh chips. You can dip them in a rainbow of half a dozen salsas, from a kid-friendly green to a cinder-hot chili paste. On weekends, regulars turn up for hearty bowls of posole and menudo, soups that are supposed to bring good fortune and relieve hangovers — just the thing if you lingered too long at the Sports Center the night before. Prices for many items are $5 or less, like a veggie burrito stuffed with rice, beans, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and avocados that could easily feed two people.

And with prices like that, you’ll have money left over to spend on a few other things, like Yakima wines — though maybe not enough to get you to the real Palm Springs. £

selects /[ barbera A cheaper ‘B’ that

p

makes the grade]

ortland is an italophilic town, vinously speaking: We have a disproportionately insatiable thirst for Barolo and Barbaresco. however, times are tough for lovers of the big B’s (and that includes Bordeaux and Burgundy, too). the exchange rate has gone from favorable to terrible; inflation is up and the stock market is wobbly. times like these were made for the little B — barbera.

the coorDinateS Barbera is italy’s third-most prevalent red wine grape. it has a tendency to grow like kudzu in the vineyard, where, if it isn’t pruned back, it churns out massive quantities of uninteresting, overly acidic fruit. But careful farming results in a wine with the ruby color and tart juiciness of pomegranate. and in recent years, this wine’s flavor profile has gone from just plain fruity to spicy, nuanced and occasionally posh, thanks to the region’s adoption of small French oak barrels (barriques) in addition to the traditional large Slovenian oak casks. the best barbera comes from piedmont, in the northwestern corner of italy. the langhe hills here make a pocket of gustatory abundance, turning out white truffles, grana padano and countless other cheeses in addition to Barolo, Barbaresco and many wines. heck, the town of asti alone bottles barbera, dolcetto, freisa, grignolino, malvasia and moscato d’asti — an embarrassment of vinous riches. a traveler stopping for lunch between turin and genoa might be forgiven for ditching the car, continuing to eat right through the dinner hour, and staying the night. of course, genoa boasts its own peerless culinary tradition: ligurian seafood, heady pestos, chestnuts, mushrooms, olives — i could go on and on. So, plane tickets not within our meager editorial budget, it made sense for our tasting panel to meet at the historic Belmont Street restaurant named for this gorgeous region to taste through our lineup of barberas. the setting was, of course, exquisite, but then so was the palate of our host, natural-wine freak michael garofola.

By katherine cole photography By motoya nakamura

69

selects / barbara cont.

it’S BlooDy, But not BarBaric

70

For our tasting, we set our sights not on asti, or nearby monferrato — barbera’s purported birthplace — but alba. this town is in the heart of nebbiolo country, smack between Barolo and Barbaresco. Some 20 miles to the northeast, asti and monferrato are a little farther from the action. Sure, in alba, barbera might play second fiddle to nebbiolo, but for those of us who were drinking the big B’s until the economy put them out of our reach, barbera is an affordable alternative from our favorite family-owned estates. it’s also a lot more accessible. “you’ll pick up some of the tones you’d get out of a good Barolo, but barbera tends to be little lower in acid, a little rounder, with a lot of red and blue fruit,” garofola says as we sit down to taste through the wines. even though some cantinas cellar-age their barberas before releasing them, in most cases, this is drink-now wine, as opposed to hypertannic Barolo and Barbaresco. “you can’t just open a nebbiolo and sip it,” panelist Savanna ray pointed out. “it will strip the enamel off your teeth.”

But you can just pop open a barbera, which is why we tasted examples from the recent 2008, 2009 and (in one case) 2010 vintages. amazingly, all the wines showed well — this is a region where quality appears to be high, across the board. however, the 2009s we loved at first weren’t as strong when we re-tasted them later. “2008 was a phenomenal vintage in piedmont, and 2010 will also be great,” garofola says, adding that 2009 was a vintage “plagued by heat.” So drink those ’09s up before they expire. now for price: We found that $20 to $25 will buy you a really polished, smooth barbera seasoned with some fancy French oak. even though they didn’t make the final cut, we loved the

paneliStS: Ted Farthing, director of procurement for lot 18 lot18.com Michael Garofola, sommelier and manager at genoa genoarestaurant.com Nicolas Quillé, winemaker and general manager at pacific rim rieslingrules.com Savanna Ray, sommelier at Wildwood and instructor for the international Sommelier guild wildwoodrestaurant.com www.internationalsommelier.com Grant Butler, critic-at-large, the oregonian & miX Katherine Cole, wine columnist, the oregonian & miX

2008 Fontanabianca and the 2009 Pio Cesare in this price range. a little less than $20 gets you a solid sipper, such as the 2009 Podere Ruggeri Corsini, another crowd favorite that missed winning by just a hair. our sole complaint: these wines were so juicy and lipsmacking, they made us seriously hungry. our tasting notes were full of food references: tomato, prune, pomegranate, plum, cherry, cranberry, graham cracker, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel. “Blood” and “raw meat” came up a lot, too, which seemed appropriate given the time of year. What better to sip on halloween than a wine fit for a vampire? on a nicer note, “these wines are affordable, uncommonly versatile and soul-satisfying,” says ted Farthing, finishing off his last flight. “For a wine from piedmont, barbera is very food-friendly and affordable,” agrees Savanna ray. So while our economic-bubble Barolos continue to sit in our cellars, we’ll be buying and opening barberas. We give these little B’s a grade of a.

 ONlINe eXtra: Find out how to get your hands on these great wines at mIXpDX.cOm

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2008 Cantina del Pino Barbera dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alba ($24) ted Farthing declared this heady red to be his pick of the evening, praising its â&#x20AC;&#x153;heavier body, refined texture, concentrated flavors and complexity.â&#x20AC;? michael garofola got initial notes of fresh red currant, anise, toasty oak and vanilla; he later reported, â&#x20AC;&#x153;i retasted some of my favorites later in the evening and the cantina del pino was by far showing the best.â&#x20AC;? When we unwrapped the bottle and saw the elegant label of a top Barbaresco producer, we decided that this showy wine would make an ideal gift.

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2009 Marco Porello â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mommianoâ&#x20AC;?

Barbera dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alba ($17) With its â&#x20AC;&#x153;classic piemontese autumn flavors,â&#x20AC;? this appealing old-fashioned barbera had grant Butler remembering tagliatelle with wild boar. its savory-sweet combination of â&#x20AC;&#x153;pipe tobacco and juicy black cherriesâ&#x20AC;? put Savanna ray in a foodie state of mind as well. her pairing vision: â&#x20AC;&#x153;last-ofthe-season smoky pork ribs, with roasted chard or kale.â&#x20AC;? aged only in neutral casks (no new-oak barriques), this traditional red made us hungry. Very hungry.

best ON HallOWeeN

2008 Boroli â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quattro Fratelliâ&#x20AC;?

Barbera dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alba ($17) halloween game plan: invite a few neighbors over to enjoy a bottle of this warming barbera along with steaming bowls of butternut squash or pumpkin soup (credit goes to ray for the soup suggestion). Smoky, spicy and generous, it has an engaging brightness and seasonally appropriate notes of cranberry and nutmeg (although nicolas QuillĂŠ found it â&#x20AC;&#x153;a bit tannic and angularâ&#x20AC;?). my own notes described this wine as â&#x20AC;&#x153;happy.â&#x20AC;? Why break into the candy bowl when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a wine like this? ÂŁ

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Five quesTions [ With Cocktail Week guru Dave Shenaut ]

BY KATHLEEN BAuER

Top-Five Picks for Portland Cocktail Week Visit portlandcocktailweek.com for tickets and details.

1) Punch and Pinball, Ground Kontrol, 4-7 p.m., Oct. 21 Sip Mint Juleps, chow on carnival food, then challenge your friends to a pinball throw-down.

Oregon Ice Works will serve up cups of Mint Julep ice to keep things cool. Tickets are $40.

2) Seminar: Hangover Cures, Leftbank Annex, Oct. 22 After four days of cocktails, a hangover is inevitable. Beantown bartenders Kirsten Amann and Misty Kalkofen will arm you with tips and remedies to combat the effects of over-indulgence.

Tickets are $15. Check website for start time.

72 The questions on the registration form for the second annual Portland Cocktail Week, happening Oct. 20-23, give a hint that this is not the usual grip-and-grin schmooze fest: “Do you have any tattoos? Are you averse to returning home with one? What comic book superhero power would you use to impress Jacob Grier at the bar? Are you willing to learn to ‘Flair’ from Shenaut-B-Wan?” We asked Shenaut-B-Wan — er — Dave Shenaut, president of the Oregon Bartenders Guild, bartender at Zeus Cafe, and a founder of the event, to explain just what to expect at this year’s shindig.

1. Are Portland Cocktail Week’s seminars and events just for bartenders?

They’re for bartenders and put on by bartenders, but we’re also including anybody who’s interested in mixing drinks (Seminars on Oct. 22 are geared toward the consumer). Our whole point is not to be too geeky and to have fun with it. The Saturday night PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR SCHEFSTROM

party at the Jupiter Hotel is “Robots vs. Bartenders.” We’re literally going to have MIT robots making drinks on one side and bartenders making drinks on the other.

2. The Great American Distillers Festival is happening the same weekend. Who had the idea to spin off Cocktail Week as its own event?

It was basically myself and Lindsey Johnson from Lush Life who were the founders (last year was the first year), but we pulled in people like Adam (Robinson, from Bent Brick), Brandon Wise, Ricky Gomez and Tommy Klus. All those people were instrumental in making the thing happen. It’s definitely not a one-man show. It’s a whole team.

3. Is it geared only toward locals?

No. We’ve had over 300 bartender applicants from Miami and New York to the Midwest and everywhere in between. People from every major city have filled out an application and want to be a part of it.

4. What’s drawing them to Portland?

When you think about cocktail

culture in the country and strong communities who are supportive of each other, you think about Portland.

We’re passionate, we’re organized, we care and we listen to each other about what’s going on. It’s all about the love. You walk into any bar in this town and the bartenders know each other, and the chefs know the bartenders and the winemakers and the distillers.

The whole community’s all part of that. And I just want to share that with the rest of the world.

5. So what’s this bird thing we’ve been hearing about?

When I was at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic we had this whole “Portlandia” thing where we made drinks and put birds on the egg white foam. And when I was at Tales of the Cocktail I did my Left Coast Spirited Dinner and did “Put a bird on it” for my cocktails with these little bird stickers. It’s just my way of saying, “Take something very simple and put some love into it and make it amazing.” Turn it into art — that’s what “Put a bird on it” is.

3) Seminar: The Art of the Simple Cocktail, Leftbank Annex, Oct. 22 Geared toward professionals and home mixologists, this slightly geeky presentation by revered cocktail consultant Elayne Duke will show you that sometimes, when it comes to cocktails, less is more. Tickets are $15. Check website for start time.

4) Robots vs. Bartenders, the Jupiter Hotel, 8 p.m., Oct. 22 Robots from all over the world (including one that breathes fire) will compete with bartenders from all over the country to see who makes the better barkeep.

This is cocktail week’s HQ — ground zero for rubbing shoulders with the visiting bartenders — as the entire hotel is reserved for the event’s participants.

Tickets are $40.

5) The Great American Distillers Festival, Leftbank Annex, 1-7 p.m., Oct. 22-23 Taste spirits from craft distillers across the country. Downstairs at the mixology competition, bartenders compete for bragging rights and you get to sample their best efforts. Oneday pass is $10. Get tickets and info at distillersfestival.com.

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