Northwest Palate November/December 2010 by Peter Szymczak

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Diane Morganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recipes for Giving

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Cool Cocktails in B.C.

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Cooking with Chef KEVIN GIBSON

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2010

$4.95 U.S.

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Urban contemporary dining. Delight your senses at H5O bistro & bar. In Portland, where downtown meets the river. Check out special offers at HotelFifty.com.

Perfectly Portland. 50 SW Morrison | Portland, OR | 877.237.6775

Elevated culinary experience. Excite your palate at Altitude. And savor The Spa. Less than an hour above Portland. Visit TheResort.com for seasonal packages.

Mt. Hood. Naturally. Just off Hwy 26 | Welches, OR | 877.439.6774

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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Volume 24, Number 5 | November/December 2010 | www.nwpalate.com

features

33 Special Holiday Getaways Picture yourself staying at art-inspired destinations like Sooke Harbour House, Victoria, B.C., Hotel Murano, Tacoma, WA, or Sparkling Hill Resort, Vernon, B.C., just to name a few of the places that offer palate-pleasing dining experiences, rejuvenating spa treatments, and scenic settings.

28 Gifts from Diane Morgan’s Kitchen

One of the Northwest’s most prolific cookbook authors shares the story of her rise through the culinary ranks, plus a few recipes from her newest release, Gifts Cooks Love.

Northwest 40 Top Wines of 2010

Recent Openings 8

“Chef in the Hat” Thierry Rautureau opens his first new restaurant in 23 years, plus we visit some of the most delectable new dining spots in Portland, Vancouver, and Victoria, B.C.

Datebook 17

Editor-in-chief Cole Danehower offers his top regional wine picks of 2010 among those bottles not previously reviewed in Northwest Palate.

Our calendar of Pacific Northwest events is teeming with wine tasting opportunities, grand culinary galas, festivals, fundraisers, instructional cooking classes, and much more.

departments In the Kitchen 25

Chef Kevin Gibson, of Evoe in Portland, Oregon, shows it’s not the size of the kitchen that matters, but what you cook in it. By Kathleen Bauer

Inside Northwest Wines 22

Oregon wine pioneers Dick and Nancy Ponzi honor their landmark 40th year of winemaking by popping the cork on a new state-of-the-art winery. By Joan Cirillo

Beyond the Bar 54

Vancouver, B.C.’s historic Gastown neighborhood is home to heritage bar and small plates lounge, The Diamond. Co-owner Mark Brand serves up his take on the classic Pink Gin cocktail. By Tim Pawsey

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

starters

Winner, James Beard Award

Herbfarm Chef Keith Luce spent his

early years on a farm. “God really is in the details,” he explains. “Extraordinary food is always close to the source.” That’s why we gather our own eggs each morning. Churn our own cultured butter. Farm heritage herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Raise bees. Craft farmstead cheeses. Bake artisan bread. And cure and age all of our own meats. For starters. Experience the soul of the Puget Sound region with a 4½-hour seasonal dinner in 9 unfolding courses. Thursday thru Sunday. Call today or visit our web site for reservations and more information.

The Herbfarm 14590 Northeast 145th Street Woodinville, Washington 98072

theherbfarm.com 425-485-5300

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

found myself in conversation recently with a fellow who was having a difficult time understanding why our magazine was focused on one obscure—to use his adjective—part of the country. To him America’s population centers, economic centers, and in his world view culinary centers were elsewhere— he specified New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and The South. The only thing interesting to him about the Northwest was Microsoft. Why, he asked, a whole magazine on Northwest food and drink? I guess you could say he isn’t our target demographic. But his comments got me to thinking about what we’re trying to accomplish with Northwest Palate as the publication puts the finishing touches on its 24th year of life. From the beginning, we’ve celebrated the food and drink resources of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Idaho. Sometimes called Cascadia, this broad region has long been known for the lavishness of its agriculture, the indie spirit of its people, and the sheer beauty of its natural resources. It has always been our mission to help you explore and appreciate the region’s best culinary resources. This issue is a great example of what we’ve been doing for the past quarter century. We take you to magnificent Northwest lodgings that wrap luxury, art, and scenery around culinary bounty (“Peace on Earth,” page 33). We make holiday gift-giving easy with recipes from a leading Northwest cookbook author (“Recipes for Giving,” page 28). We offer you the best regional wine experiences you may have missed (“Top Northwest Wines of 2010,” page 40). And, we take you to

PHOTO by CAMERONPHOTO.BIZ

Even our chickens help make your dining experience from scratch!

At the Center

some of the brightest new restaurants in the area (“Recent Openings,” page 8) and give you a calendar of end-of-year culinary-focused events to discover (“Datebook,” page 17). Like you, we find endlessly fascinating the Northwest’s 1,200 wineries, hundreds of breweries, dozens of distilleries, as well as our many nationally acclaimed chefs and hundreds of fine restaurants that creatively employ the freshest local, seasonal, and organic ingredients grown by innumerable dedicated farmers, ranchers, and fisherfolk. Sure, they cook great in other places too, and drink well also—but the Northwest is different. We’re closer to the sources of our food here, we care more about preserving and sustaining our agricultural riches, and we are constantly seeking new ways to express culinary creativity. And that’s what Northwest Palate is all about.

Cole Danehower, Editor-in-Chief

CORRECTION The address listed in the September/October 2010 issue for The EdGe restaurant was incorrect. The correct address is 6686 Sooke Road, Sooke, B.C.

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

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2258 Wine Country Road | Prosser, Washington 99350 p 509.786.7277 | www.desertwindwinery.com

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Contributors

Angela Allen, Kathleen Bauer, Joan Cirillo, MJ Cody, Jay Jones, Chris Nishiwaki, Jacqueline Pruner

Contributing Photographers

Adam Bacher, Kathleen Bauer, Cole Danehower, Lara Ferroni, Jay Friedman, Glasfurd and Walker, Andrea Johnson, Allison Jones, Laura Leyshon, Cameron Nagel, Jeffery Noble, Polara Studio, Jacqueline Pruner, Sara Remington, Shelora Sheldan, Geoffrey Smith, Peter Szymczak

Tasting Panelists

Cole Danehower

Publishers

Anita Boomer, Cole Danehower, Larry Halkinrude, Harry Hertscheg, Cameron Nagel, Peter Szymczak

Cameron Nagel Advertising

Editor-In-Chief Cole Danehower Editor Peter Szymczak

National & Regional

Art Director Vanessa Duff

Contributing Editors Tim Pawsey, Shelora Sheldan

Fatima Young: 360-631-5883 • fatima@nwpalate.com

Oregon

Reagan Nauheim: 503-805-6405 • reagan@nwpalate.com

British Columbia & Washington

Ashly Berg: 206-369-5736 • ashly@nwpalate.com

Northwest Palate magazine (ISSN 0892-8363) is published bimonthly by Pacifica Publishing, Inc., 1321 SW Maplecrest Dr., Portland, OR 97219 and is available by mail subscription at the rate of $21 for one year, $39 for two years. • The Canadian subscription rate is $35cdn per year. The European air-mail subscription rate is $57usd per year. Send payment to: Northwest Palate, P.O. Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296-0860. Phone: 503-224-6039 or 1-800-398-7842. • Website: www.nwpalate.com • Subscriber Services: info@nwpalate.com • Letters to the Editor: editorial@nwpalate.com. • For advertising information and rate cards, phone: 1-800-398-7842. • Retail sales program available. • Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to Northwest Palate Magazine, P.O. Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296-0860. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40035723. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO EXPRESS MESSENGER INTERNATIONAL P.O. BOX 25058 LONDON BRC, ONTARIO, CANADA N6C 6A8 • © 2010 Pacifica Publishing, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner, including photocopying, without written permission.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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contributors

Angela Allen

Kathleen Bauer

Joan Cirillo

MJ Cody

Jacqueline Pruner

Professional photographer, award-winning newspaper columnist, and published poet, Angela Allen has covered food and wine for more than twenty years. In 2009 she was the Eastern Oregon Writer in Residence, teaching throughout rural schools, libraries, community colleges, prisons, and churches. She also teaches creative writing and the arts in Portland schools. In this issue she waxes poetic about Sooke Harbour House: see “Art House Splendor” on page 34. Read more of her writings at www.angelaallenwrites.com.

Native Oregonian Kathleen Bauer writes about her home state and the food world at large as a frequent contributor to Northwest Palate, The Oregonian, and Mix, and online at her long-running blog, www.goodstuffnw.com. For this issue she stayed close to home to write about Portland chef Kevin Gibson (see “In the Kitchen” on page 25).

Portland, Oregon-based writer Joan Cirillo is an award-winning journalist and cookbook and travel author. She has written about food for the Associated Press, contributed to the Best Places Portland guidebook, Travel Portland, and Travel Oregon magazines. Her coverage of the 40th anniversary celebration of pioneering Oregon winery, Ponzi Vineyards, appears on page 22.

MJ Cody is co-editor of Wild in the City—A Guide to Portland Metropolitan Greenspaces; author of Our Portland; and editor of the sixth edition of Best Places to Stay—Pacific Northwest. Her regular column, “Sleeping Around the Northwest,” appears in the Sunday Oregonian travel section (and online at www.sleeparoundnw.com). In this issue, she reflects on Tacoma, Washington’s vibrant art scene in her piece, “Touch of Glass” on page 36.

Writer, global gypsy, urban homesteader, and self-proclaimed hedonist, Jacqueline Pruner is a Washington state-licensed attorney with a focus on wine, beer, and spirits law. She travels throughout the Pacific Northwest in search of examples of the holistic, balanced enjoyment of life, which she found in spades at the Sparkling Hill Resort (see “Crystal Castle” on page 38). Read more of her writings at www.heedthehedonist.com.

GO WINE TASTING IN OREGON! Join us this fall for an unforgettable wine tasting experience in the Willamette Valley. Known for its world class Pinot Noir, the Willamette Valley is home to more than 180 wineries and tasting rooms surrounded by stunning vistas. Explore quiet backcountry roads leading to a rustic barnyard tasting room or state of the art winery. Plan your tour by requesting our map and guide at www.willamettewines.com.

DON’T MISS WINE COUNTRY THANKSGIVING Nov 26-28, 2010

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

recent openings british columbia L’Abattoir ulla

Oregon June

washington Marjorie

photos by Glasfurd and Walker

Luc

br i t i sh c o l u mb i a L’Abattoir

217 Carrall St., Vancouver, B.C. 604-568-1701 www.labattoir.ca

Behind the well, playfully angled shelves boast a fascinating array of obscure spirits, apothecary vials, and curious crystal  8

ancouver’s eastside epicenter of consumption continues to crescendo, and no corner of the city offers more visible history and palpable character than Gastown and its fabled Blood Alley.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

Tales behind its ominous name are as varied as they are deep; the most popular story suggests that local butcher shops would toss blood into the alley at the end of the day. Today, it’s home to the newest member of Gastown’s growing gourmet family: L’Abattoir. The French translation makes “slaughterhouse” sound so elegant—a playful nod to those endearing alley anecdotes. The décor is cleverly tiled with grey and white in an optically enchanting open-weave rattan pattern. Stairs lead up to a stylish dining room, while a narrow hallway leads past the shining kitchen and back to the beautifully brick-walled and glass-topped atrium. Co-owner Paul Grunberg, who has launched and nurtured some of the city’s top restaurants (Chambar, Market

by Jean-Georges, and Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie), is genial and exacting in his running of the floor, while fellow owner and chef Lee Cooper crafts French-influenced West Coast dishes. Cooper is a former Canadian National Bocuse d’Or competitor, and alumnus of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. Cooper’s talent shines on plates that present textural contrasts between bold, yet simple ingredients, such as a perfectly soft-poached egg atop vibrant salsa and Swiss chard. Fresh pasta with elegant curls of zucchini ribbons, dollops of house-made ricotta, and earthy white bean purée, finished with salty breadcrumbs, balances assertive flavors deftly and deliciously. A sleek bar dwells below the bright and welcoming entrance. Wine guy Jake Skakun darts back and forth, providing personal service of his smartly

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photo by Laura Leyshon

chosen selection of bottles. Behind the well, playfully angled shelves boast a fascinating array of obscure spirits, apothecary vials, and curious crystal; the eclectic collection is the proud handiwork of head barman Shaun Layton, among the most highly regarded bartenders in Vancouver and the winner of Vancouver Magazine’s Bartender of the Year in 2010. The cocktail menu covers a great range of styles and flavors, from classic to creative. “A Spot of Tea” mixes London Gin, Pimm’s No.1, Earl Grey syrup, orange marmalade, and lemon juice into a sophisticated sip of understated complexity, served in the sexiest of teacups. His “Banana Daiquiri” surprises the senses with Jamaican Rum, Banane de Bresil liqueur, fresh lime juice, and the captivating nuance of smoky Islay single malt whisky. The “Slaughterhouse” features Cognac, orange oils, aromatic bitters, and a misting of Green Chartreuse—a potent homage to the venerable Sazerac. A new force in the Gastown gourmet landscape has been born. —jay jones

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

Photo by Shelora Sheldan

the buttery sous vide lamb sirloin, with baby chanterelles offering a nod to autumn 

ulla

509 Fisgard St., Victoria, B.C. 250-590-8795 www.ulla.ca

hef Brad Holmes and partner Sahara Tamarin have injected new energy into Victoria’s dining scene. Their 50-seat Chinatown restaurant, ulla (pronounced

oo-la), serves up modern West Coast fare in a stylish room with fir tables, arched heritage windows, exposed brick, and vibrant contemporary art. The couple’s combined experience draws from some Warm of Vancouver’s more noted Octopus establishments—Cibo, West, Salad Parkside, and Lumière—and

they wisely spent a year working in Victoria restaurants before opening, to establish contacts and to get a feel for the scene. The menu balances casual and fine dining options and easily works as a place you could celebrate a special occasion dinner or a casual visit at the bar for a bourbon sour and plate of the already noteworthy Momofuku-style chicken wings. The wings are brined, smoked, and deep-fried before a soysake-mirin sauce renders them sticky, salty, and sweet. Other standouts include the warm salad of exquisitely tender octopus over new potatoes, celery, chives, and watercress, and the beef tartare, handchopped and mixed with roasted peppers and cilantro, presented with crème fraiche and house potato chips for dipping and scooping. Holmes has a balanced cooking style with a penchant for lighter flavors, a welcome departure from the heavy confits, pork rillettes and bellies that have become standard fare on so many menus. Mains like the perfectly pan-seared lingcod, served with quinoa chock-full of spot prawns and a medley of lightly al dente vegetables, is bright with herbs and citrus. Heartier appetites will delight in the minted spinach and salsa verde that provide herbaceous notes to the buttery sous vide lamb sirloin, with baby chanterelles offering a nod to autumn, while a bright green pea purée adds a splash of color. With cooking this accomplished, plus a wine list that’s small but well stocked with interesting picks and good values by the glass and bottle, ulla is poised for success. —Shelora Sheldan

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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 Chef

oregon June 2215 E. Burnside St., Portland, OR 503-477-4655 www.junepdx.com

ne of Portland’s most compelling new restaurants is located on upper East Burnside Street along the burgeoning restaurant row, also home to Luce, Ate Oh Ate, Heart Coffee Roasters, Screen Door, and now June. Partners Matthew Peterson, who oversees the front of the house, and chef Greg Perrault, formerly of the well-regarded DOC, worked together in New York City at the now-defunct Tasting Room, renowned for obsessively sourced seasonal ingredients, and have now brought that same sensibility back to Portland. Perrault gets his ingredients from a handful of local farms and searches the markets for each day’s freshest goods. As such, there is no point in recommending a favorite menu item, because dishes are certain to be different on subsequent visits. This is both exhilarating and frustrating. How I long to repeat the plate of baby heirloom carrots and freekeh (an Arabic grain) with panna cotta crème that so turned my head, but instead I’ll just have to hope he makes it once more when carrots are again in their prime. Ditto the exquisite harmony of julienned Comice pears, wild rice, and raw shavings of matsutake mushrooms tossed in a lemony vinaigrette. With such flavorful vegetarian dishes, you won’t miss the meat—that is, until you see a server walk by with a plate of Chinook salmon perched atop diced beets in crème fraîche sauce, or luscious leg of lamb lounging on a bed of eggplant and chanterelles. Perrault prepares 

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Photo by Allison Jones

Perrault prepares each ingredient to its fullest expression, yet also plays so well with other components of the dish that the totality of the tastes seems greater than the combination of its elements

Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

Photo by Peter szymczak

The exquisite harmony of julienned Comice pears, wild rice, and raw shavings of matsutake mushrooms tossed in a lemony vinaigrette 

each ingredient to its fullest expression, yet also plays so well with other components of the dish that the totality of the tastes seems greater than the combination of its elements. The ambiance at June mirrors the food: relaxed and

Memaloose Columbia Gorge,

Lyle, Washington

organic. Reclaimed wood and handcrafted timber—from floors and tabletops to a handsomely polished plank of walnut atop the bar and thick beams that frame the skylit room—provide a warm, purely Portlandian ambiance. Amazingly, Peterson

and Perrault constructed nearly everything themselves. Kelley Swenson (former Ten 01 bartender and one of Portland’s leading mixologists), keeps the bar flowing with his creatively named cocktails, such as his “P.S. I Read Your Diary,” a deft blend of absinthe, Moscato d’Asti, bitters, and gin. The wine list is more than a hundred bottles deep and leans heavily toward the Old World, with a few Northwest standouts, including Evesham Wood’s 2008 Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir. If June has flaws, they might be seen in the light of being too earnest or precious. But in these eyes, June is a gem. —Peter Szymczak / cole danehower

wines for food winesoftheGorge.com

Hood River’s ﬁrst Organic Vineyard!

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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Marjorie 1412 E. Union St., Seattle, WA 206-441-9842 www.marjorierestaurant.com

eattle restaurateur Donna Moodie has a deft touch for setting the mood with the interior design of her restaurants— from the romantic Lush Life in Belltown (her first restaurant), to the warm and eclectic original Marjorie (which replaced Lush Life), and now to the funkychic, yet cozy reincarnation of Marjorie. The new Marjorie serves as the anchor in the newly built Chloe Apartments in Seattle’s hip Capitol Hill neighborhood. At 40 seats, including those at the intimate bar, it’s about half the size of the original. On clear days the shaded and heated courtyard is inviting; inside, the exposed duct design under tall ceilings is a nod to the

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building’s modern industrial architecture. Kylen McCarthy (formerly of The Harvest Vine) heads the kitchen. His menu lifts moods with elegantly presented plates featuring clean flavors and luxurious ingredients such as rib-eye steaks, lobster, and foie gras. Marjorie classics such as plantain chips remain, while the rest of the menu rotates seasonally. Shareable plates range from rabbit liver with porcini mushrooms, to Spanish mackerel with piquillo peppers and golden raisins, housecured charcuterie, and a wellchosen cheese menu. From made-in-house pasta (satiny sheets of tagliatelle during one recent visit) to home-grown microgreens, house-pickled onions, and freshly baked crostini, flatbread, and bread pudding, the kitchen shows

Photos by jeffery noble

wash i ngt o n

what it’s made of. Even the accompanying butter is churned in-house. Ben Sherwood, the bar manager at the original Marjorie, carries on as chief mixologist at the new locale. He also presides over a foodfriendly (and clever) wine list, including the 2006 Marjorie (natch) Vineyard Pinot Noir made by Oregon’s Cristom Vineyards. Marjorie is making its mark as a new Capitol Hill dining destination. —Chris Nishiwaki

 Kylen

McCarthy (second from right) heads the kitchen. His menu lifts moods with elegantly presented plates featuring clean flavors and luxurious ingredients

Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

Luc 2800 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA 206-328-6645 www.thechefinthehat.com/luc

from the

VAN DUZER CORRIDOR Open Daily 11– 5 “Compellingly fresh & aromatic”

– STEPHEN TANZER’S IWC “OUTSTANDING!” – NORTHWEST PALATE 11975 SMITHFIELD RD DALLAS, OR 800.884.1927 WWW.VANDUZER.COM

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

 Chef

Thierry Rautureau

Photo by Lara Ferroni

OREGON PINOT NOIR

hapeaued chef Thierry Rautureau celebrated the 23rd anniversary of his iconic Seattle restaurant, Rover’s, this past September by opening a decidedly more casual restaurant next door. “Luc is your everyday dinner,” Rautureau explains. “Rover’s is your twice-a-year dinner.” Take a seat at the bar, or cozy up in one of the booths that line the dining room. An open kitchen creates dinner theater for the adjacent counter seating. Moroccan sconces echo the stylistic touches on the menu. The menu is heavily influenced by the comfort food Rautureau grew up eating on his parents’ farm in the Muscadet region of France. Highlights are the sandwich, fish, or pasta of the day, and daily specialties “to be shared,” such as roasted whole salt crust chicken, whole Dungeness crab, or braised beef tongue. Brick-oven baked pizzas are toasty and tasty, while beef burgers, boeuf bourguignon, and side dishes such as fries with Luc’s aioli, soufflé potato crisps, and white bean stew are all very satisfying. Also pleasing is the $10 ten-ounce carafe of red, white, or rosé wine, made by Wilridge Winery, located less than a mile away from the restaurant. “In most places, locals drink their wine from their region,” says Rautureau of his native France. “I want to give our guests a good local wine that is affordable.” To assure the same level of execution and presentation as is found at Rover’s, Rautureau

Photo by Geoffrey Smith

assembled a team of restaurant veterans with local and national experience. Chef de cuisine Seamus MacKenzie worked for Jerry Traunfeld at Poppy in Seattle and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Maui. Dining room manager Jill Kinney worked at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York and Michael Mina in San Francisco, while Tony Bock, formerly of Tom Douglas Restaurants, is the bar manager. From its comfortable vibe to approachably priced menu and familyfriendly staff, Luc is someplace worthy of laying your hat down.

The menu is heavily influenced by the comfort food Rautureau grew up eating on his parents’ farm in the Muscadet region of France.

—Chris Nishiwaki

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Portland has a national reputation for creative culinary flair. Experience some of the best fine dining the Rose City has to offer at these two signature Portland restaurants.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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26-28

Stock up the cellar while drinking in the gorgeous views of the Pacific Northwest’s picturesque wine country. Vintners across the land—more than 50 wineries in Washington’s Yakima Valley, and another 150 wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley—will open their doors and debut their new releases as well as pour older vintages this Thanksgiving weekend. Attractions besides wine tasting vary by winery, but expect a bounty of barrel tastings, seasonal cuisine and food pairings, and live entertainment. For more information visit www.willamette wines.com and www.wineyakima valley.org.

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Thanksgiving in Wine Country

PHOTO by andrea johnson

NOVEMBER

datebook

washington NOVEMBER 1–30 Dine Around Seattle, various restaurants, Seattle, WA. Whether you live in the Seattle area

or are just visiting, here’s your chance to enjoy $30 three-course prix fixe menus, offered Sunday through Thursday (excluding Thanksgiving), at top Seattle fine dining restaurants such as Earth & Ocean, Monsoon, Ray’s Boathouse, and more than 30 others. Many of the restaurants also offer lunch for $15. (Prices do not include beverage, tax, and gratuity.) Check out the complete lineup of all-star restaurants at www.dinearoundseattle.org.

NOVEMBER 5 & 6 Tri-Cities Wine Festival, Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, WA. Events at

this judged wine festival include Friday’s Gala Wine Dinner; on Saturday, seminars cover topics such as “Developments in the Washington Wine Industry,” “Discover Red Mountain, Washington’s Smallest American Viticulture Area (AVA),” and “Around the World with Sparkling Wines and Champagne.”

Find out the winners at Saturday evening’s Gala Wine Tasting, and taste among more than 400 of the judged Northwest wines, along with appetizers from a variety of area restaurants and caterers. Ticket prices vary by event. For more information visit www.tricitieswinefestival.com.

NOVEMBER 6 Oyster New Year Bash, Elliott’s Oyster House, Pier 56, Seattle, WA. Sample 30 varieties

of local oysters shucked to order, fresh seafood dishes, live music, shucking contests and demos, plus The People’s Choice—Most Beautiful Oyster Contest. More than 50 featured wines from wineries such as Cakebread Cellars, Januik, Caymus, and more will be on offer, plus beers from local breweries such as Maritime and Fish Brewing. Cost is $95, or $125 for VIP Reception. For more information visit www.elliottsoysterhouse.com.

NOVEMBER 5–7 Autumn Release Weekend, various wineries, Walla Walla, WA. More than 50 Walla Walla

wineries invite you to celebrate harvest

as they open their doors and cellars to taste new releases throughout the weekend. Enjoy winemaker dinners, live music, art displays, and other entertaining attractions. For more information visit www.wallawallawine.com.

NOVEMBER 12 Epicurean Delight, Spokane Convention Center, Spokane, WA. Revel in the

region’s finest food and drink offerings at this annual culinary gala benefiting The Inland Northwest Blood Center. Enjoy sips from local microbreweries and more than 20 of the Northwest’s top wineries, including Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest. Top area restaurants offer tastes as they vie for your votes to win the coveted “People’s Choice” culinary awards, given to the Outstanding Hors d’Oeuvres, First Course, Entrée, Dessert, and overall Best Restaurant. To purchase tickets and for more information visit www.epicureandelight.org.

NOVEMBER 12 & 13 Taste of Tulalip, Tulalip Resort Casino, Tulalip, WA. It’s a good bet you’ll

taste some great Washington wines during this weekend of exceptional food and drink. Friday evening kicks off with a Champagne reception, followed by a multi-course dinner paired with wines, plus VIP after-party. On Saturday, attend food and wine seminars, chef 

Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

FUTURE FILE JANUARY 15, 2011 WinterHop Brewfest, various locations, Ellensburg, WA. It’s

a block party as beer aficionados wander the historic downtown and sample beers from 20 Northwest breweries across 10 different downtown venues—from historic storefronts to the local newspaper office. For more information visit www.ellensburg-chamber.com.

JANUARY 22, 2011 Celebrate Washington Wine, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA. This year marks the tenth anniversary of this gala dinner and auction benefiting the Washington State University Viticulture and Enology Program. Bid on unique travel packages, exclusive dinners and wine tasting events, and exceptional bottles of wine. Tickets are $250. For more information visit www.wineauction. wsu.edu.

demonstrations, and tastings. For more information visit www.tulalipresort.com.

Alzheimer’s Association. Tickets are $300. For more information visit www.alzwa.org/cms/mamot/.

NOVEMBER 13 Gusto!, Comcast Arena, Everett, WA.

NOVEMBER 18 Cooks & Books dinner with David Tanis, The Corson Building, Seattle, WA. Chef at the groundbreaking

“Taste, taste, taste,” chefs say is the key to developing a good palate, and this event offers a great opportunity to sample from more than 100 Northwest wines, bites from 15 restaurants, and beers from local microbreweries. Purchase your favorite wines from the on-site wine cellar, and groove to live music. Cost is $50, with proceeds benefiting the Everett Community College Foundation. For more information visit www.everettcc.edu/gusto.

NOVEMBER 13 “Memories Are Made of This” Gala, Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, WA. Top Seattle chefs

Tom Douglas, Thierry “Chef in the Hat” Rautureau, Sabrina Tinsley, and Jason Wilson, among many others, gather to offer tastes and raise funds for the Western & Central Washington State Chapter of the

Chez Panisse for more than 25 years, David Tanis releases his new book, Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys, in Seattle at chef Matt Dillon’s restaurant. Cost is $165 and includes all wines, meal, taxes, gratuity, and a copy of the book. For more information visit www.kimricketts.com.

DECEMBER 2–5 Holiday Barrel Tasting, various locations, Walla Walla, WA. Toast the start of an early

weekend on Thursday night at the Winemaker’s Fête, taking place at the luxurious Marcus Whitman Hotel Ballroom. Partygoers will be paired with winemakers from L’Ecole No. 41, Northstar, Pepper Bridge, Sleight of Hand, Va Piano, Waterbrook, Woodward Canyon, and others,

who will pour their wines to accompany a four-course meal. Tickets cost $150. Then, starting Friday, more than 50 wineries in the Walla Walla Valley will open for barrel tastings. Tasting fees vary. For more information visit www.wallawallawine.com.

DECEMBER 4 & 5 St. Nicholas Day Open House, various wineries, Woodinville, WA. Deck

the halls with cases of wine! Passport holders gain exclusive entry and the opportunity to purchase select bottles at many Woodinville wineries during this two-day special event. A two-day pass costs $50, or $40 for Saturday or Sunday only. For more information visit www.woodinvillewinecountry.com.

DECEMBER 10 & 11 Winter Beer Festival, Hale’s Palladium, Seattle, WA. ‘Tis the season for

high-octane beers, and with their relatively high alcohol content, these suds are prime for aging. More than 30 Washington breweries will be rolling out their barrels of malty stouts and barrel-aged barleywines at this popular annual event. Taste new releases alongside those from a few years back at the Vintage Beer Tasting. For more information visit www.washingtonbeer.com.

british Columbia NOVEMBER 6, 13, 20, 27 Saturday Baking Series, BarbaraJo’s Books to Cooks, Vancouver, B.C. Classes range from the

deceptively simple—how to a bake a good loaf of bread, for instance—to making wholesome, yet delicious baked goods using a variety of whole grains, and a session on transforming butter, eggs, sugar, flour, and chocolate into delectable desserts. Cost is $95 CDN per class. For more information visit www.bookstocooks.com.

NOVEMBER 6 The Best B.C. Wines Uncorked, Port Moody City Hall Galleria, Port Moody, B.C. More than 35 wineries from the

province will pour the best of their current and past releases, and in so doing will demonstrate why this region is turning heads in the wine world. New to this year’s event is the Exclusive VIP Experience, which includes an informative tasting session exploring single malt scotches held prior to the wine tasting. For more information visit www.bcuncorked.ca.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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NOVEMBER 6 Fraser Valley Wine Festival,Willowbrook Shopping Centre, Langley, B.C.

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Langley Central, this fun fundraiser will showcase some of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest restaurants and wineries, such as Domaine de Chaberton, Township 7, and Vista Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Oro. Tickets are $50 CDN, with proceeds benefiting local charities. For more information visit www.fvwf.ca.

NOVEMBER 10 Slurp & Swirl, Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, Vancouver, B.C.

Celebrate renowned restaurateur Joe Fortesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 25th anniversary with freshly shucked oysters, gourmet canapĂŠs, and bubbly, while bidding on great silent and live auction items. Cost is $150 CDN, with proceeds benefiting the Vancouver Firefighters Charitable Society. For more information visit www.joefortes.ca.

NOVEMBER 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;14 Cornucopia, various locations, Whistler, B.C. Attend tastings, chef demonstrations, and winecentric seminars and workshops by day, winemaker dinners and swanky soirĂŠes by night, at one of the Northwestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most anticipated

food and wine events. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss the after-parties, where attendees rub elbows with the finest chefs and winemakers of the region. The pinnacle event, Crush Gala Grand Tasting, will be held on both Friday and Saturday nights, doubling the already copious pleasures. For more information visit www.whistlercornucopia.com.

NOVEMBER 19â&#x20AC;&#x201C;21 Clayoquot Oyster Festival, various locations, Tofino, B.C. Celebrate Oyster Month in Tofino during this three-day community festival honoring one of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important commoditiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about 50,000 gallons of Pacific oysters are harvested annually in Clayoquot Sound! Tour an oyster farm and watch oyster farmers at work, don a sea-worthy costume and attend Friday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mermaidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ball, or save your slurping for Saturday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oyster Gala. Keep on shucking! For more information visit www.oystergala.com.

DECEMBER 7 & 9 Christmas Dinner Cooking Classes, Mission Hill Family Estate, West Kelowna, B.C. Tired of the traditional turkey dinner with the predictable trimmings? Learn a fresh approach to the holiday feast at these two culinary workshops, which will explore creative and traditional dishes from rich culinary regions around the world. Cost is $79 CDN per class. For more information visit www. missionhillwinery.com and click on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Special Eventsâ&#x20AC;? or call 250-768-6483.

oregon NOVEMBER 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 Fall Winemaker Dinners, various restaurants, Portland, OR.

A prelude to the annual Classic Wines Auction (to be held March 5, 2011), restaurants and wineries come together to celebrate the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bounty in this series of special feasts. Held over three days at various venues across the city, diners mix and mingle with top

FUTURE FILE MARCH 28â&#x20AC;&#x201C;APRIL 3, 2011 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, various locations, Vancouver, B.C. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too early to start

thinking about getting your tickets to the 2011 edition of this wildly popular wine festival. This year will feature the wines of Spain and the global focus will be on fortified wine. Tickets go on sale November 30. For more information visit www.playhousewinefest.com.

chefs and winemakers. Tickets are $150, with proceeds benefiting local charities helping children and families in need in Oregon and Southwest Washington. For more information visit www.classicwinesauction.com.

NOVEMBER 6 Oyster Cloyster, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR. Enjoy an evening

of fine food, Oregon wines and microbrews, and live music set amidst the aquarium exhibits. Some of the Oregon Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest chefs will compete to create the besttasting dish featuring the star of the show, fresh oysters, as they help raise money for the Oregon Coast Community College Foundation and

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the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aquarium Science Program. Tickets are $65. For more information visit www.ouroregoncoast.com.

Oregon winemakers and healthcare professionals to provide access to medical services for seasonal vineyard workers and their families. For more information visit www.saludauction.org.

NOVEMBER 12 & 13 ÂĄSalud! The Oregon Pinot Noir Auction & Gala, Domaine Drouhin Oregon & The Governor Hotel, Dayton & Portland, OR. Rare is

NOVEMBER 13 Northwest Food & Wine Festival, Pure Space, Portland, OR. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grandâ&#x20AC;?

the event that seamlessly blends fine food and wine with the noblest of intentions, but this annual fundraiser hits the trifecta. Enjoy exclusive cuvĂŠes and enhance your cellar with a case or two of your favorite wines, plus get a taste of prerelease wines from 42 of Oregonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated wineries while bidding on their very best 2009 vintage Pinot Noirs at Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Board Auction. Saturday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gala dinner and auction features Northwest cuisine followed by rare wines, trips, and other wine-centric experiences up for bid. Attendance to both events costs $395, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit organization, ÂĄSalud!â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a unique collaboration between

only begins to describe the Grand Wine Tastingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offeringsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;more than 600 wines poured by some of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most renowned Northwest wineriesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from Artisanal Wine Cellars to Zefina Winery. In addition, enjoy locally made distilled spirits and microbrews, gourmet bites prepared by 50 restaurants, plus chef demonstrations and live entertainment. Ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t life grand? For more information visit www. nwfoodandwinefestival.com.

NOVEMBER 13, 19â&#x20AC;&#x201C;21 Olive Harvest Dinner/Olio Nuovo Festa, Oregon Olive Mill, Dayton, OR. While the French

are celebrating young Beaujolais Nouveau wine, now is also the time to rejoice in another youthful elixir prized for its fruity, grassy flavorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; fresh, cold-pressed olive oil. To celebrate the 2010 olive harvest, the Oregon Olive Mill, Oregonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest olive oil pressing facility, will host

three days of food and wine tastings, preceded by an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Olive Harvest Dinnerâ&#x20AC;? on November 13. The special menu, prepared by Simpaticaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chef Scott Ketterman, will feature the new olive oil in all the dishes, paired with wines from Durant Vineyards. For more information visit www.oregonolivemill.com.

NOVEMBER 13 & 14 Holiday Art, Wine & Music Festival, The Resort at The Mountain, Welches, OR. Enjoy art, music

by regional musicians, and wine from 15 Northwest wineries pouring more than 50 wines. Rates start at $139 and include two Wine Tasting Passports, two commemorative glasses, and overnight accommodations at The Resort, a premier golf, spa, and ski destination located on the western slope of majestic Mt. Hood. For more information visit www.theresort.com.

NOVEMBER 19 Beaujolais Nouveau Festival, The Heathman Restaurant & Bar, Portland, OR. Oui oui, get

happy! Celebrate the first cases of Beaujolais Nouveau to arrive in Portland from France. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau is one of the premier culinary events,â&#x20AC;? says Philippe Boulot, culinary director of The Heathman and native of Normandy, France. Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration has become one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest and the entire country. Enjoy tastes of this young red wine made by several French vintners, as well as pours from several Oregon wineries, plus a grand buffet including roast pig, seafood, charcuterie, cheese, and dessert. Tickets are $70â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$100. For more information visit www.afportland.org/beaujolais_ nouveau.html.

NOVEMBER 20 & 21 Champagne & Chambolle, Scott Paul Wines, Carlton, OR. Savvy wine tasters who visit this Willamette Valley winery the weekend before

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FUTURE FILE JANUARY 28–30 Oregon Truffle Festival, Valley River Inn, Eugene, OR. Chefs, foragers, and

truffle lovers unite to sniff out and celebrate these buried treasures. Saturday night’s Grand Truffle Dinner is the ultimate feast showcasing the odoriferous ingredient that’s worth its weight in gold. Other attractions are the truffle dog training seminar and demo, truffle growers’ forum, cooking demonstrations, and Sunday’s Oregon Truffle Marketplace. For more information visit www.oregontrufflefestival.com.

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Thanksgiving will be rewarded with bubbles and the best of Burgundy. Try a flight of four Champagnes, a Chambolle-Musigny, and the first taste of Scott Paul’s 2009 Audrey Pinot Noir. Cost is $20. For more information, visit www.scottpaul.com.

DECEMBER 1–5 Holiday Ale Festival, Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, OR. Winter ales

are big, bold beers created specifically to bring warmth and cheer to the holiday season. More than 50 of these potent potables—from Belgians and barleywines to porters and stouts—will be featured at this annual event held in Portland’s piazza supreme, Pioneer Courthouse Square. The cheers continue with Sunday’s “Beer and Brunch” event, offering tastes of reserve brews not available at the regular festival, plus a European-style buffet. For more information visit www.holidayale.com.

Visit Soléna and Grand Cru Estates during our Thanksgiving weekend holiday open house Friday, Saturday and Sunday! www.solenaestate.com/www.thegrandcruestates.com Winery, Estate & Tasting Room | 17100 NE Woodland Loop Rd, Yamhill, OR 97148 Carlton Tasting Room | 213 S Pine St, Carlton, OR 97111 Phone 503-662-3700 info@solenaestate.com/info@thegrandcruestates.com

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DECEMBER 6 & 7 Rogue Winterfest, Evergreen Federal Bank’s Bear Hotel, Grants Pass, OR. Local artists and community

members decorate 25 trees and put them up for auction at Tuesday night’s Gala Event and Live Auction featuring Northwest cuisine. Tickets are $75, with proceeds benefiting local charities in Josephine County. Monday’s Culinary Christmas Classic offers a preview of the artworks, accompanied by tastes from 12 local restaurants, paired with wine and beer from the Applegate Valley. Tickets are $40. For more information visit www.roguewinterfest.com.

For entry into Datebook please send event information to editorial@nwpalate.com

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VineAndRoses.com 516 South Division Street (509) 876-2113 Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

inside northwest wines

A Thriving Tradition Ponzi Vineyards Celebrates

40years of Winemaking

photo by Adam Bacher Photography

Legendary Oregon wine pioneers Dick and Nancy Ponzi came to the Willamette Valley in 1970 to grow and make Pinot Noir. To honor their 40th anniversary of winemaking, fellow Oregon wine founders, family and friends came together to celebrate at the Ponziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new state-of-the art winery tucked into the Chehalem Mountains.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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photo by Polara Studio

For four decades the Ponzi family has been at the center of Oregon’s wine industry, helping establish its quality and guide its growth. Dick and Nancy Ponzi planted some of the earliest Pinot Noir vines in the Willamette Valley, and as their success has grown, so has their family. Today daughter Luisa manages winemaking, Maria directs sales and marketing, and son Michel is CEO. To help mark their 40th anniversary of winemaking, much of the Valley’s winegrowing veterans came together to celebrate the opening of Collina del Sogno, the new family winery designed by Dick Ponzi.

photos by Adam Bacher Photography

For most of the nearly 250 celebrants, it was a first peek at the stunning, Dick Ponzi-designed, four-story winery. Named Collina del Sogno (“hillside of dreams” in Italian), the 30,000-squarefoot winery is designed to sustain the Ponzi’s approximately 50,000-case annual production. The building is 80 percent buried into the ground to facilitate gravity flow winemaking and to maximize temperature control, water retention, and recycling. “It was a gift to the family,” said the 76-year-old Ponzi, a mechanical engineer who moved from California with his wife Nancy to become one of the first of Oregon’s modern winemakers. Since 1993 the Ponzi’s three children—Luisa, Maria, and Michel—have been running the business, with Luisa as winemaker, Maria in charge of sales and marketing, and Michel as CEO. Luisa joined her father in the cellar after studying enology and viticulture in Beaune, France, and working for Domaine

Georges Roumier in Chambolle-Musigny, and the Vietti winery in the Piedmont of Italy. “This 2011 vintage will mark the year I will have been making the wines as long as my father did,” Luisa noted. The late summer celebration party, appropriately enough, had the feel of an Italian wedding. From the minute the Dave Cooley Band started playing swing and rock tunes, partygoers danced non-stop through the night. They formed conga lines, women joined other women on the dance floor, and the Ponzi grandchildren danced with each other, their parents, and their grandparents. During dinner, prepared by Jason Stoller Smith, long-time chef at The Dundee Bistro (and now executive chef at Timberline Lodge), four of Oregon’s wine pioneers stood to offer their thoughts about the Ponzi family. David Adelsheim congratulated them on their strong family ties and successful transition to the second generation. “The Ponzis not only started the wine industry, they started craft brewing in Oregon,” noted Susan Sokol Blosser, referring to BridgePort Brewing Company. Dick and Nancy established the brewery in 1984 and sold it 10 years later. She also praised their trailblazing efforts to attract wine lovers to Oregon with the 1999 opening of The Dundee Bistro and adjacent Ponzi Wine Bar, featuring more than 120 Oregon wines on Highway 99W in Dundee. Myron Redford, founder of Amity Vineyards, harked back to the camaraderie of the early days, remembering sharing equipment with the Ponzis. Dick Erath looked forward to “many more years together.” Just before the dinner, Dick and Luisa Ponzi conducted a retrospective tasting of

Pinot Noirs from 1978 to 2008.They noted how well the wines aged, their consistency, good balance, and typical Ponzi signature. “Essentially, our winemaking style is consistent…quite traditional, handsoff, gentle handling,” Luisa said. Ponzi Pinots are well balanced with powerful fruit (darker fruits like cassis, blackberry, and plum), bright acidity, complexity, and longevity, she noted. As for the future, Luisa doesn’t anticipate growing past current production levels. But she’s hoping one of the eight Ponzi grandchildren will catch the winemaking bug. Says the winemaker: “The beauty of a generational winery is that there is a shared history, intense respect for the wines, and a view towards the future.” Joan Cirillo is an award-winning journalist, cookbook author, and travel writer based in Portland, Oregon.

The Ponzi’s new winery in Sherwood is only open for winery events and private tastings. The Estate Winery Tasting Room, at 14665 SW Winery Lane in Beaverton, Oregon, is open daily (except holidays) from 10am to 5pm. For more information call 503-628-1227 or go to www.ponziwines.com.

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

All of ArborBrook’s wines are vineyard designated.Our fruit is carefully handled to ensure we produce the very best wines.The unique terroir created through the combination of location, climate, and soil structure truly makes this a special place with special wines.

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in the kitchen

keeping it

simple story and photos By Kathleen Bauer

One of the big fictions in this current food-obsessed age is

that you can’t prepare great food if you have anything less than a gourmet kitchen filled with gleaming stainless steel appliances, preferably restaurant-grade. The truth is that good cooks can make do without all the fancy high-end equipment. Just drop in to Evoe, a plain-looking café on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland, Oregon, as I did one early afternoon, and take a seat at Kevin Gibson’s prep table-cum-chef’s bar. With little more than a sharp knife, a mandoline, a household-grade electric stove, and the same non-stick plug-in griddle my mom made pancakes on for most of my childhood, he turns out some of the best food in the city. 

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

continued from 25

Not to be missed are Gibson’s deviled eggs, a mustard-infused version dipped in breadcrumbs and fried on the griddle till warm and vaporous. The best thing to do is to order another item as each one arrives: blistered Padrón peppers (from Oregon’s Viridian Farms), for instance, followed by thin slices of artisan-cured meats with an assortment of house-made pickles. Ordering this way allows you to sit at the butcher block counter and watch Gibson peel an artichoke to order, or shave a delicata squash into ribbons. It’s like having a personal chef prepare your lunch while you take a master-level cooking class. Gibson, who originally hails from the Midwest, has called Portland home since 1989, the early-early days of the Rose City’s culinary scene. The oldest of four children, Gibson grew up in a solidly middle-class family in Iowa City, Iowa. His father was in charge of facilities for the University of Iowa and has a square named for him on the campus. His mother pursued her master’s degree in social work when the kids started school, and he recalls that may have piqued his nascent interest in the culinary arts. “I think what started it was that while Mom was going to school, she would let each one of us kids cook a dinner each night of the week,” he said. “It was casseroles and gravy and tater tots.” He also remembers visiting his father’s parents on their farm, and the cellar where his grandmother put up row upon colorful row of preserved fruit and vegetables to pull out during the long Midwestern winters. During summer his family would head west to visit his mother’s parents in Portland, Oregon. He remembers going with his grandparents to buy produce from the farms and farm stands that used to be out near the airport. It may have been that exposure to the Pacific Northwest that drew him back after college. With experience managing a café and bakery in his hometown, he found work in the food service industry almost immediately upon his arrival in 26

“The whole idea was to show how simple it is. No smoke and mirrors.” Kevin Gibson

Not to be missed deviled eggs, satisfying squash soup, and locally grown Glacier lettuce and speck salad.

Portland. He eventually came to work at the now-legendary restaurant Zefiro. It was to be a watershed experience for Gibson for several reasons, not the least of which was that his first interview was with Monique Siu, the woman who would later become his wife and partner in opening Castagna. “I came in with all this managerial stuff from Iowa and she asked, ‘How are your knife skills?’ ” he said. Gibson attended culinary school while working at Zefiro. After graduating, he left for a six-month stint at a resort in Costa Rica, which turned out to be another instructional experience. “There was a staff of women who lived in a little village down the beach, and they would bring all this great super simple food that was so delicious,” he said. “Chicken soup with masa dumplings that had cilantro and onions inside of them, and gallo pinto—black beans with peppers and rice with a piece of

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

fish or steak on top.” He also recalls the fruits. “This produce guy would show up and have everything from watermelon to strawberries to berries and papaya. It would all be super-fresh.” When he returned to Portland, he resumed his post at Zefiro, but this stint was shortlived due to his blossoming relationship with Siu. “We jibe really well on food, on what we like to eat, aesthetics, how people should be treated,” he said. They married, and eventually Gibson and Siu opened their own restaurant, Castagna, in what was then a moribund stretch of industrial buildings along Hawthorne Boulevard. There, Gibson honed his approach to food, focusing on the freshest ingredients available locally and prepared simply to bring out their essence. In 2007 he left the kitchen at Castagna, working for several months at Cameron Winery. “It’s really hard work,” he said. “It was fun, but it’s not

glamorous. Pruning in the cold, you start listening to the birds and your mind starts to wander. You appreciate a warm place for lunch.” Three months into his sabbatical he got a call from Peter de Garmo, the godfather of Portland’s Slow Food movement and owner of Pastaworks, the city’s premier Italian food market. He lured Gibson back with his idea for opening a café that would showcase the store’s existing products and act as a testing ground for new items. “The whole idea was to show how simple it is. No smoke and mirrors,” Gibson said. The café, named Evoe, is a place where people hang out and talk, with wine and small plates that Gibson loves to make, along with reasonably priced entrées that sing with freshness and simplicity. Gibson is still getting accustomed to cooking in front of his customers. It’s been hard for this essentially shy chef to go from the shelter of a restaurant kitchen to being within arm’s reach of his customers, but he says it’s also been eye-opening. “Putting a plate down in front of people, that immediacy, I like that,” he said, smiling at the thought. “You know that old adage, ‘You eat with your eyes first’? I always kind of suspected that, but I’d never really experienced it.” Kathleen Bauer is a frequent contributor to Northwest Palate. Read more of her writings online at www.goodstuffnw.com. www.nwpalate.com

Whole Fish with Fennel Courtesy of chef Kevin Gibson, Evoe, Portland, OR. Serves 1–2

• 1–2 fresh, scaled, gutted, and cleaned whole fish (Gibson recommends using sea bream, which weigh about 1 pound each, or a couple Pacific sand dabs, which weigh about ½ pound apiece) • 2 Tablespoons salt

• fronds from 1 bulb of fennel • ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 lemon, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C)

On one side of the fish, lightly score 3 or 4 diagonal slashes—no need to cut down to the bone. Liberally salt the interior cavity of the fish with half the salt. In a small bowl, toss together the fennel fronds, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, and lemon slices, and then stuff the mixture into the belly of the fish. Salt the exterior of the fish with the remaining salt. Place a large stainless sauté pan over high heat. Add remaining olive oil and heat until almost smoking, and then carefully place fish slashed-side-down in the pan. Lower heat to medium and cook for approximately 3 minutes.

Carefully flip fish to other side and place in oven for about 4 minutes. Remove fish from pan and drain on paper towels or a clean cloth towel. Transfer to warmed plate. Garnish with sautéed tomatoes, potatoes, warm olives, any kind of sharp, zesty mayo or salsa, or a lemon wedge.

G R AT I T U D E

his time of year, it is important to reflect on what we are thankful for. At Brooks, a recurring feeling of gratitude goes out to those winemakers in our community who stepped up on the day of the passing of our founding winemaker, Jimi Brooks (1966-2004) and offered to make Brooks wine, free of charge, just days before harvest in 2004. These winemakers include:

Jimi Brooks 1966-2004

t David Autrey and Amy Wesselman,Westrey t Luisa Ponzi, Ponzi Vineyards t Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem t Jay Somers, J. Christopher t Jim Prosser, J.K. Carriere t Josh Bergström, Bergström t Chris Williams, Maysara t Laurent Montalieu, Soléna Cellars t Tad Seestedt, Ransom Wine and Spirits t Patty Green, Patricia Green Cellars t Steve Doerner, Cristom t Sam Tannahill and Cheryl Francis, Francis-Tannahill, Rex Hill, A to Z

Without your foresight to step in so quickly, it is likely that Brooks would not have continued. It has now become a wonderfully huge part of the lives of three of us closest to Jimi, and a successful, growing member of the Oregon wine community. We thank you for the gift you gave us and are proud to carry on the legacy that Jimi built which you helped to continue.

Warm wishes to all this Holiday Season from the Brooks Team!

Janie Brooks Heuck (sister of Jimi), Chris Williams (winemaker), Pascal Brooks (son of Jimi, owner of Brooks, 14 years old)

Thanksgiving hours: 11-5 Friday, Saturday and Sunday • Live music Saturday • Contact Janie for an appointment: 831-238-4828 or janie@brookswine.com

WWW.BROOKSWINE.COM

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

from the recipes for giving by peter szymczak • recipes by Diane Morgan

photos by Sara Remington

Even if you don’t really cook, there are recipes in Diane Morgan’s new book, Gifts Cooks Love, you can make. Take her recipe for homemade vanilla extract, for instance. All you do is split three vanilla beans and put them in a bottle filled with rum and vodka, seal it, and voilà—you’ve just created something any cook would cherish. “It’s the personal connection of sharing a

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

homemade gift and wrapping it up in some special way that brings joy and delivers goodness and cheer,” writes Morgan in the introduction to this, her sixteenth cookbook. “It feels more special, because you’re not just picking out some random tie or whatever silly thing someone doesn’t need anyway.” From her home kitchen in Portland, Oregon, Morgan has made a career out of developing easy and approachable recipes, covering a wide range of food subjects. Since self-publishing her first book nearly 25 years ago, Morgan has written about everything from pizza to salmon, grilling, everyday cooking, and holiday entertaining. While her contribution to Pacific Northwest culinary culture is significant, Morgan insists she didn’t set out to become a prolific cookbook writer. A transplant from Pittsburgh, she moved to Portland as a freshman attending Reed College, where she earned a degree in mathematics. On her own for the first time, she realized how bad college food was: “I would cook just to have some homemade food,” she says. She grew up watching her two grandmothers cook and bake, as well as her mother, who cooked from scratch for the most part and served family dinners. Plus, her dad loved food. “We’d go to Cape Cod and he’d find these raw bars. We thought it was disgusting what he’d slurp down, freshly opened clams,” she recalls. “He knew about this place in the bottom of a hotel where www.nwpalate.com

Recipes range from sweet treats— candies, preserves, and baked goods— to savory meats, such as homecured salmon gravlax and bacon

they put newspapers down on the table and you got cooked crabs, and you just sat there with crackers and opened them up and ate.” But her real food epiphany happened one summer between semesters. Morgan treated her boyfriend at the time (now her husband of 30-plus years) to a birthday dinner in Port Townsend, Washington, at a “weekends only” restaurant called the Farmhouse, which was owned by John Conway, a fellow Pittsburgh native and close friend of famous gourmet James Beard. “He was doing all this ethnic food way before anyone was talking about Chinese and Japanese and Hungarian,” Morgan says. “Everybody else was still doing Beef Wellington, and he was serving spaetzle and sauerbraten.” Smitten by the experience, Morgan and her future husband sought summer jobs at the restaurant. “It was just a random thing that we ended up working at this restaurant and cooking in the kitchen with John,” Morgan says. “I did three summers there and realized by the time I graduated Reed that I had to figure out a way to get into food.” The food writing came later. Morgan went from working in restaurants to catering, to working for five years as an assistant to Alma Lach, the decorated cookbook author and television personality who also served as food editor of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1957 to 1965. After Morgan and her husband moved back to Portland in 1983, Morgan began teaching cooking classes at Kitchen Kaboodle. At the time, Morgan notes, Portland wasn’t the food mecca it is today. “There was L’Auberge, Genoa, and small ethnic places,” she recalls. She jokes that she moved back “with 30 pounds of butter and the www.nwpalate.com

same of chocolate, because I didn’t know if I could get the same kind of butter and chocolate that I could get in Chicago.” At the urging of her students, she and her fellow cooking instructors collaborated on a book project. “We self-published our first and second books, then got an agent and our first publisher,” Morgan says. In her current book, she provides easy, step-by-step instructions for putting a personal touch on handmade food gifts, which to her represent “a homemade hug.” Recipes range from sweet treats—candies, preserves, and baked goods—to savory meats, such as home-cured salmon gravlax and bacon. The book also gives a comprehensive list of things you’ll need for stocking a gift-giving kitchen and pantry, as well as tips and techniques for preserving and dehydrating. “Some of these projects are very seasonal. If you’re making nocino, you need to be making that in June—but how cool is that to think it through and be able to give it as a gift come Christmas time—or peach chutney, you’re going to want to make during peach season. So this isn’t just about Christmas but year-round gift giving, gifts for all occasions. You can make smoky tomato ketchup and give it as a summer gift to people who love to grill and make burgers.” At the end of the book, there’s a chapter called “Make-a-Gift Kits.” Expanding on all the food gifts included in the book, Morgan offers packaging ideas and imaginative ways to bundle and present gifts. Gifts Cooks Love itself makes a great gift, and it’s one that will keep on giving.

The finest Oregon wines at your doorstep every month. (We know them all!)

1-800-WINE CLB

OregonWineClub.net

FOODVANCOUVER.COM

your complete Vancouver dining guide

includes ipod guides, reviews and special diet information.

For more information about Diane Morgan, plus seasonal recipes and cooking demonstration videos, visit her website at www.dianemorgancooks.com.

Learn how to make Diane’s S’mores Kit  Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

S’MORES KIT

Package the Toasted Coconut Marshmallows in a small attractive tin or laminated gift box lined with decorative waxed paper, or stack them in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon. Paired with the Cinnamon-Coated Graham Crackers and a couple bars of semisweet or dark chocolate, and you’ve created a perfect gift to give those who enjoy camping, or for bestowing on the host or hostess at a backyard barbecue. As a clever and thoughtful addition, include grill skewers for roasting the marshmallows.

Cinnamon-Coated Graham Crackers

“You will never eat another of those boxed ones again after you taste these,” Morgan says. “They’re incredible, and such a fun baking project.”

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 14 minutes | Makes: 40 (2-inch square) graham crackers

Instructions

Ingredients • 1½ cups graham flour, plus more for dusting • ¾ cup all-purpose flour • ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt • ½ teaspoon baking soda • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature • ¹⁄³ cup packed light brown sugar • 1 large egg, beaten • ¼ cup honey • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Cinnamon-Sugar Topping • ¼ cup turbinado sugar • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

In a large bowl, sift together the graham flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, and egg on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl once with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in 2 batches, beating after each addition until the flour disappears. Do not overmix. The dough should hold together and feel manageable for rolling. Press the dough into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, make the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl, combine the turbinado sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Position one rack in the center of the oven and another rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners, or use nonstick baking sheets. Transfer the dough to a work surface liberally dusted with graham flour. Dust the top of the dough with graham flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into an ¹⁄8-inch-thick rectangle. Use a ruler to measure and a dinner knife to lightly mark 2-inch squares. Using a fluted pastry cutter or paring knife, cut out the squares and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing the crackers 1 inch apart. Place the pan of crackers in the refrigerator while you roll the remaining crackers. Gather up

the dough scraps, lightly dust with graham flour, reroll the dough, and cut out crackers until all the dough is used. Using the blunt side of a toothpick or wooden skewer, prick each cracker to form a 3-by-3 grid of evenly spaced holes (9 holes total). Using your fingers, sprinkle each cracker generously with the cinnamon-sugar topping. Bake the crackers until firm and nicely browned, about 14 minutes. Switch the pans between the racks at the midpoint of baking if the crackers appear to be baking unevenly. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Storing: Layer the graham crackers in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. Store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

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Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

Here again, something totally common and usually store-bought becomes unexpected and special when homemade and given as a gift—not to mention they taste 110% better than what you can buy in the store.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes total | Set Time: 3 hours Makes: 40 (1¼-inch-square) marshmallows Ingredients • 2½ cups sweetened shredded coconut • ¾ cup cold water • 1¼ cups granulated sugar • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup • 2 (¼-ounce) packets unflavored gelatin • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

something totally common and usually store-bought becomes unexpected and special when homemade and given as a gift www.nwpalate.com

Instructions Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the coconut in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toast the coconut, stirring every 3 minutes, until it is rich golden brown, about 12 minutes. (Stirring frequently will ensure even browning and also prevent the coconut from burning at the edges of the pan.) Remove from the oven and set aside. Meanwhile, cut a rectangle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 12-by-8-by-1inch jellyroll pan. Spread ¾ cup of the toasted coconut in an even layer on the parchment. Set the pan aside and reserve the rest of the coconut. Combine ¹⁄³ cup of the water, the sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook the syrup without stirring until the mixture reaches 265°F on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. While the syrup is cooking, prepare the gelatin. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining water, tilting the bowl a bit to wet all of the gelatin granules. Let it sit until spongy, about 5 minutes. Warm the gelatin in a microwave to liquefy it, about 20 seconds. Set aside. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer. When the sugar syrup is just below 265°F, begin beating the egg whites on medium-high speed until glossy with soft peaks. Turn the mixer off momentarily. Once the sugar syrup reaches 265°F, remove the pan from the heat, turn the mixer to medium speed, and pour the sugar syrup

in a slow, steady stream down along the sides of the bowl. Beat until all the syrup is incorporated, and then slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the egg whites. Beat for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl once with a rubber spatula, until incorporated, 30 seconds longer. Using a rubber spatula, lift globs of the marshmallow mixture and gently plop them on the coconut, without disturbing the coconut. Cover the coconut with these mounds, and then use a rubber spatula to gently spread them into an even layer. The marshmallow mixture should be even with the top of the jellyroll pan. Evenly and generously sprinkle ¾ cup of the reserved coconut over the top of the marshmallows. Set the pan aside in a cool, dry spot to set, about 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Use a ruler and long, thin-bladed sharp knife to measure and cut the marshmallows into 1¼-inch squares. Rinse and dry the knife as needed to keep it clean. Put the remaining toasted coconut in a medium bowl. Gently lift the marshmallow squares from the parchment and toss them in the coconut to coat all sides, gently pressing coconut onto any bare spots. Transfer them to a clean baking sheet. Repeat until all the marshmallows are coated.

Storing: Store the marshmallows on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil until ready to package. The marshmallows will keep at room temperature for 1 week.

Recipes from Gifts Cooks Love by Diane Morgan, Sur la Table (Andrews McMeel; Fall 2010; $25/hardcover)

Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

SPECIAL HOLIDAY ADVERTISING SECTION

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peace on earth This holiday season find rest and relaxation at these getaway destinations that please the palate â&#x20AC;Ś and palette.

erhaps itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the cooler weather that encourages cocooning and contemplation, or natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autumnal colors that seem to heighten our aesthetic appreciation. Whatever the cause, November and December are prime times to seek a peaceful getaway from the daily routine and celebrate the season. From the art that decorates their halls, to scenic outdoor surroundings, and the culinary artistry displayed at their destination restaurants, these Northwest hotels and inns are truly inspired.

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art house splendor B y Ange l a A l l en

Art is a way of life at Sooke Harbour House. old inn, is a dogged and dedicated food and wine expert One eats, sleeps, drinks, and dreams art at this jewelwho knew the meaning of “locavore” and “Slow Food” like inn perched on the southwestern tip of Vancouver before the terms were coined. When the Philipses lived Island, west of Victoria. Guests should prepare to be in rural France four decades ago, they ate from their embraced by regional art—or at least kissed on the garden. The tradition is carried on in Sooke Harbour Sooke cheek by its presence. Art produced by the community House’s 55-seat dining room. Whichever ingredients Harbour is everywhere. local farmers, gardeners, foragers, and fishermen House A towering totem pole, for instance, stands on the bring to the inn in the morning, those foods will be Juan de Fuca Straight side of the property. Carved served up in some delightful form at night. Victoria, from a 400-year-old-tree, it was erected in 2007 and The dinner menu changes daily. What doesn’t B.C. honors the Sooke First Nation artistic tradition. change is the originality of the dishes. They are In the Emily Carr Room, a pine bed features a extravagantly fresh in ingredients and concept, and headboard with a curvaceous evergreen branch, reminispresented to seduce the senses. Dinner is served in courses cent of the bold Canadian painter’s style. Masks designed by the and matched painstakingly with wine from Sinclair’s cellar of region’s First Nations families hang throughout the 28-room inn. more than 2,000 bottles. Choose from the four-course dinner ($74 Innkeeper Frederique Philip attends to the décor’s beauty, local CDN, without wine) or seven-course “gastro” dinner ($120 CDN, originality, and details, which extend past each room’s threshold. Each plus $80 CDN for wine pairings). room glows with a wood-burning fireplace, a basket of freshly baked Fall flavors range from ham and bronzed heirloom turkey—from cookies, antique books, and a view Thoreau would approve of. up the road, of course—with rosemary-apple stuffing and wild cranBook a spa treatment in your room, and watch eagles fly by your berry-plum chutney—to wild mushrooms (one of Sinclair’s passions), window. Walk through the hotel’s organic gardens. Marvel at the delicata squash, pumpkin pie, and sorbet in exquisite flavors such as leathery kelp along the ocean’s edge at the hotel’s doorstep. evergreen or huckleberry. And then there’s the artistry of the food. From the art that decorates the place, to the culinary art on the Sinclair Philip, Frederique’s husband and co-owner of the 31-year- plate, Sooke Harbour House is an art lover’s paradise. Sooke Harbour House is 45 miles west of Victoria at 1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, B.C. For more information call 800-889-9688 or visit www.sookeharbourhouse.com. 34

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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PHOTOS ON PAGE 33 TOP: Haystack Rock on the Oregon Coast, as seen from one of the luxe guestrooms at The Stepahnie Inn. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE INN CENTER: Celebrating the New Year at O’Doul’s restaurant at the Listel Hotel. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LISTEL HOTEL BOTTOM: Grilled Qualicum Beach Scallop with edible flowers from the garden at Sooke Harbour House. PHOTO BY JAY FRIEDMAN BELOW: The art-full lobby at Hotel Murano. PHOTO COURTESY OF HOTEL MURANO

BEAUTY + THE BEACH

The artistry at Sooke Harbour House is also on display at the dining room, where multi-course meals feature artistically composed plates.

Stephanie Inn Cannon Beach, OR An Oregon coast classic, the Stephanie Inn has been a favored holiday destination since its debut in 1993. Elegantly furnished rooms feature fireplaces, jetted tubs, and ocean views that include Haystack Rock and the Cannon Beach coastline. Beachcombing for glass

Each of the rooms at Sooke Harbour House has its own personality and unique theme. Decorative touches include original artwork, antiques and books enhancing the theme, and amenities including ocean views, a balcony or terrace, private bath with luxurious deep soaker tub and/or misting shower, and a comfortable sitting area in front of a woodburning fireplace. PHOTOS BY JAY FRIEDMAN

floats is a popular activity, as are storm watching and galleryhopping in nearby Cannon Beach and other coastal towns. Stay for the Stormy Weather Arts Festival (November 5–7)— three days of weekend art exhibits, classes, and tours— and enjoy dinner for two included on the night of your choice. The kitchen at the Stephanie Inn has a long history of culinary excellence. Executive Chef Aaron Bedard features wild local seafood and locally grown seasonal ingredients that showcase pure, natural flavors reflecting the character of Oregon’s coast. To pair, try the inn’s excellent, custom-made signature Pinot Noir,

The Art Gallery at Sooke Harbour House displays more than 150 local artists and craftspeople from Sooke, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Victoria, and the Lower Mainland. Beginning November 25, artworks ranging from jewelry to paintings to food items will be on display at the “Christmas In November” show and sale. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE www.nwpalate.com

made by Hawks View Cellars. For more information visit www.stephanie-inn.com. PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEPHANIE INN

Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

touch of glass B y mj cod y

Tacoma-native and internationally renowned glass Guestrooms feature original art, plus views of the artist Dale Chihuly spurred a cultural renaissance in city and Commencement Bay, with Mount Rainier his hometown. Many of the seaport city’s historic looming in the background. The stylish lobby bar is buildings have been renovated, art in public places the perfect place to unwind after a day of museumHotel now flourishes, and theater thrives. Chihuly’s Bridge crawling. Murano of Glass connects the Thea Foss Waterway with a trio Just a few blocks from the hotel, you’ll find resTacoma, of museums that are well worth an aesthete’s sojourn. taurants, boutiques, and shops along Pacific Avenue, WA There’s the Washington State History Museum, the adjacent to the University of Washington’s Tacoma Tacoma Art Museum, and the iconic Museum of campus. Dining is a treat for the eyes and palate at Glass, featuring art glass of all shapes and sizes, a café, the glam Thai/Asian fusion Indochine, swanky steakand working Hot Shop Amphitheater with glasshouse El Gaucho, or the award-winning, classy Pacific making demonstrations and classes. (For last-minute holiday gifts, Grill (great happy hours and extensive wine list with individual the museum shops have unique and inspired selections.) bottle purchases available to enjoy off-site). Conveniently located midway between the museums and Historic Old Town is decorated for holiday sightseeing, while antique row in the Theater District, the 25-story Hotel Murano Ruston Way beckons for kayaking, pier fishing, biking, hiking, or is a visually stunning showcase for some of the world’s finest glass strolling the shoreline. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, Port art. The lobby will leave you agog with its waterfall of glass, glass Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will feature Zoo Lights annual holiday Viking ships, and other glass art installations. Each floor highlights lights festival. an international glass artist. Wherever you look, Tacoma shines brightly. Hotel Murano is 20 miles south of Seattle at 1320 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, WA. For more information call 877-986-8083 or visit www.hotelmuranotacoma.com.

Other art-focused hotels owned and operated by Provenance Hotels, in addition to Hotel Murano, worth checking out. Hotel Lucia www.hotellucia.com Portland, OR Features the Pulitzer Prizewinning photography of David Hume Kennerly. Hotel Deluxe www.hoteldeluxeportland.com Portland, OR Black-and-white images from the Golden Age of Hollywood grace the walls, while the restaurant, Gracie’s, has one of the city’s most elegant dining rooms, and The Driftwood Lounge serves classic cocktails in Rat Pack style. Hotel MAX www.hotelmaxseattle.com Seattle, WA More than 350 flashy works by contemporary artists and photographers enliven guestrooms, hallways, and lobbies. 36 36

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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STATE OF THE ART Hotel 1000 Seattle, WA High-tech meets stylish luxury in the heart of downtown Seattle at Hotel 1000. The vibrant dining room at Hotel 1000’s Boka Kitchen features creative dishes showcasing locally sourced ingredients and more than 70 wines available by the glass, also available for sipping by the firepit in the chic

Glass art is everywhere you look in Tacoma. From the chandelier that overhangs the lobby, to the bedside lamps in guestrooms, and art exhibits located on every floor of Hotel Murano. At left, a panel from the Bridge of Glass, showcasing the art of Tacoma native, Dale Chihuly; and the striking architecture of the Musueum of Glass (for more information visit www.museumofglass.org). PHOTOS BY MJ CODY

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOTEL 1000

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOTEL MURANO

Studio 1000 lounge.

When the weather outside is frightful, visit the hotel’s indoor Golf Club, where you can play Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, or one of fifty worldclass virtual courses. Modern art aficionados shouldn’t miss the “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris” exhibition currently on display at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) through January 17, 2011. This is the first major survey of Picasso’s groundbreaking art and career to be seen in the Northwest. For more information visit www.picassoinseattle.org. Hotel 1000’s “12 Days of Comfort, Joy & Cheer” package includes holiday-inspired meals, cocktails, and themed spa treatments—plus, 12% of all sales during the promotion will be donated to the Art with Heart charity organization. For more information visit www.hotel1000seattle.com. —MJ Cody

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

Crystal Castle B y J a c q u e l i ne P r u ner

Perched atop Mount Royce and overlooking crystals. Executive Chef Ross Derrick enjoys the simple Okanagan Lake and the Monashee Mountains in purity and inspiration of shopping locally and regionally Vernon, The Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness in order to showcase the best of the Okanagan Valley’s Sparkling Hotel is an impressive, art-inspired destination agricultural resources. Menus vary with the market and Hill located in the northern part of B.C.’s Okanagan seasons, and complement an international wine list that Valley. This region is known for its wine, golf, ski also offers plenty of local choices. Resort slopes, lake recreation, and is increasingly a destinaEnjoy the indoor pool, outdoor infinity pool, or hot Vernon, tion for discerning culinarians. pool, plus a host of spa services featured at the 40,000B.C. Situated on 76 hectares (187 acres) and borsquare-foot KurSpa, complete with more than a hundred dering the Predator Ridge Golf Resort, Sparkling treatments and several different sauna and steam rooms Hill opened just last May. Founded by Austrians offering a variety of temperatures, textures, climates, Hans-Peter Mayer and Gernot Langes-Swarovski (of the Swarovski stimulants, and herbal infusions. crystal family), this elevated retreat and hotel cost over $122 million The most unique treatment is the cold sauna, called “Whole to build—$10 million for crystal elements alone. Body Cryotherapy”—the first, and thus far only of its kind in North There are approximately three million individual Swarovski crys- America. Guests first pass through two pre-chambers—one at a tals sprinkled throughout the property—from a four-story-tall crystal temperature of –15 degrees Celsius, and the second at –60 degrees built on-site, to tiny crystals embedded within the dresser handles in Celsius—before entering the coldest chamber at –110 degrees the 152 guest rooms, including three deluxe penthouse suites. Celsius (–166 degrees Fahrenheit)! The purpose of this treatment Enjoy the seasonal and mainly organic European-West Coast is to cool the body and pull the blood to the core, a process that is fusion cuisine of the PeakFine Restaurant. The setting offers dramatic said to aid in inflammation reduction, circulation improvement, toxin views of Okanagan Lake and the surrounding mountains within a removal, and endorphin release. cozy and contemporary room that is—what else?—studded with Prepare to be bedazzled, literally and figuratively! Sparkling Hill is located about 45 minutes north of Kelowna, B.C. at 888 Sparkling Place Vernon, B.C. For more information call 250-275-1556 or visit www.sparklinghill.com.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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Approximately three million individual Swarovski crystals adorn Sparkling Hill Resort to twinkling effect. Spa treatments, including North America’s only “Whole Body Cryotherapy” cold sauna, promise to make your body shimmer. PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE PRUNER

Salish Lodge & Spa Snoqualmie, WA

The view doesn’t get much more stunning than the point where Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge & Spa converge. The site, also home to two hydroelectric power plants, is a cinematographer’s dream—the dramatic landscape and historic inn were featured in the 1990s cult television series, Twin Peaks, by artist/filmmaker David Lynch. Guestrooms and suites were recently renovated and outfitted in cozy Northwest décor. Resting on the mantel over the wood-burning fireplace in each room are historic photographs, curated by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, depicting the people and places of the Snoqualmie Valley. This is hearty breakfast country. The four-course Country Breakfast, including their famous steel-cut oats, sweetened with fireweed honey that servers drip from on high, is a bellyfiller and lodge tradition. Besides offering a magnificent view to watch the sun set, the dining room has an excellent culinary program lead by chef Tyler Hefford-Anderson, paired with a Washington state-focused wine list. Make reservations throughout December for one of the Purely Northwest Holiday Rooms. Combine skiing or snowshoeing with a stay, or beat a path straight to the spa for a pampering hot stone massage. For the holidays, the Lodge will host a special reading of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Karolyn Grimes, better known for her role as Zuzu Bailey in the popular holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life. Complimentary cookies and cider will be served, and families are invited to partake in Santa photos. For more information visit www.salishlodge.com.

AND ALL THAT JAZZ

PHOTO BY DIANA P. SZYMCZAK / PHOTO COURTESY OF SALISH LODGE

CINEMATIC PANORAMA

THE LISTEL HOTEL Vancouver, B.C.

The Listel has earned a reputation for being the city’s most “art-full” hotel, and with good reason. All the hotel’s public spaces include statuary, hanging fixtures, and unique wall compositions, while rooms are designed with themed art décor. Rooms on the Gallery Floors are designed with original and limited-edition art, so that each room has a unique look. Rooms on the Museum Floors showcase the works of Northwest Coast artists, selected in partnership with the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology. These rooms also feature distinctive furniture made of hemlock and cedar crafted by native artists. Artist Series Suites feature a different artist and design movement from Art Deco and Italian Modern, to French Provincial and Neo Classical styles. Also worth appreciating is the hotel’s complimentary French press coffee service to start the morning, plus it’s centrally located along Vancouver’s famed Robson Street, within walking distance to Stanley Park, English Bay, the West End, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The hotel’s adjacent restaurant, O’Doul’s, is widely respected for the culinary artistry of long-time Vancouver chef Chris Whittaker, whose Pacific Northwest cuisine is centered on local and seasonal ingredients that match with the restaurant’s extensive British Columbia wine list. Complementing the cooking is a nightly jazz accompaniment that showcases local musical talent. This Christmas day and New Year’s O’Doul’s will be the only restaurant in town to feature live music, with the Mike Allen Quartet playing New Year’s Eve and Day. For more information visit www.thelistelhotel.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LISTEL HOTEL

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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C o l e D a n e h o w e r’s

Northwest Wines

PHOTO by CAMERONPHOTO.BIZ

With around 1200 wineries in the Pacific Northwest, finding the top wines from our region is a daunting challenge for anyone. So we’ll make it a little easier for you. Relying on my trusty tasting notebooks and the lingering memory of the best wines I’ve had at wineries, restaurants, trade events, tasting rooms, and not including those we’ve already written about in the pages of Northwest Palate, here are some of my essential Northwest wine picks of 2010. p

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

C o l e D a n e h o w e râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Northwest Wines Chardonnay Dusted Valley 2009 Chardonnay, Old Vines Yakima Valley

Wonderful depth of fruit and complexity in a full-bodied, delightful wine. ($30)

Chehalem 2008 Chardonnay, INOX Willamette Valley

A perennial favorite, this no-ML, tank-fermented wine is, pretty much as always, brilliantly fruity. ($17)

Ponzi Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay, Reserve Willamette Valley

Unctuous and bursting with flavors, complex and a great example of balanced barrel influence. ($30)

Buty 2008 Chardonnay Conner Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley

photos by cole danehower

Admirable balance allows the tasty fresh fruitiness to shine. ($35)

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

Pinot Gris

Roots Wine & Vineyard 2009 Pinot Gris, Estate Yamhill-Carlton District

Great balance and varietal character make this a particularly fine Gris. ($18)

Apolloni Vineyards 2008 Pinot Grigio Willamette Valley

Fresh pear flavors in a light and eminently quaffable style make this a memorable Gris. ($18)

The Eyrie Vineyards 2007 Estate Pinot Gris Willamette Valley A contemplative Gris that delivers depth, fruit, and a powerful finish. ($14)

Westrey 2009 Pinot Gris Willamette Valley

Admirably bright and refreshing, yet also concentrated and layered. ($16)

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Riesling

Tantalus 2008 Riesling, Old Vines Okanagan Valley

Searing acidity delivers penetrating pure varietal and fruit flavors. ($30 CDN)

Chateau Ste. Michelle/ Dr. Loosen 2008 Riesling, Eroica Washington

Fresh acidity gives a drier feel than in other vintages, showing the fruit magnificently. ($20)

Pacific Rim 2007 Riesling, Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Cuvée Columbia Valley

Simply a wowser of a Riesling— one of the best from the Northwest I’ve ever tasted! ($32)

Anam Cara Cellars 2008 Riesling, Nicholas Estate Chehalem Mountains

A standout for me in an Oregon Riesling Alliance tasting of dozens of Rieslings in all styles. ($22)

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Northwest Palate | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

Pinot Noir

C o l e D a n e h o w e r’s

Argyle 2006 Pinot Noir, Nuthouse Reserve Series Willamette Valley

The best example of a 2006 Pinot Noir I have yet tasted. ($54)

Domaine Drouhin 2006 Pinot Noir, Laurène Willamette Valley

Incredibly layered and elegant; my “other best” 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot. ($65)

Northwest Wines

Shea Wine Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir, Estate Willamette Valley

Flat out, the best 2007 Oregon Pinot I’ve yet tasted. ($38)

Adelsehim Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

Full of the vintage’s exuberant fruit, yet restrained and elegant. ($32)

Merlot

Long Shadows 2007 Merlot, Pedestal Columbia Valley

Classic Bordeaux-style blend made by Michel Rolland from Washington fruit. ($55)

Northstar 2006 Merlot Walla Walla Valley

Supple and succulent, though still young, this is prototypical Washington Merlot. ($50)

Owen Roe 2008 Merlot, DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley Dense and brooding, a Merlot to save and savor. ($44)

photos by cole danehower

Fielding Hills 2007 Merlot Riverbend Vineyard Wahluke Slope

Lusciously big blackberry/blueberry fruit with spice and earth make this lip-smacking Merlot. ($38)

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Syrah

Gramercy Cellars 2008 Syrah Walla Walla Valley It may seem like jumping on the bandwagon, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve admired Gramercyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wines well before Food & Wine found them. ($45)

Betz Family Winery 2007 Syrah, La Serenne Yakima Valley

I just love the fruit intensity and sense of spice and smoke. ($60)

Efeste 2007 Syrah, Jolie Bouche Yakima Valley

Huge red fruit core, deep earthy accents, and beautifully balanced structure. ($28)

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Charles Smith Wines 2007 Syrah, Royal City Columbia Valley

About as near to New World Syrah perfection as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tasted. ($100)

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Small isBi g Almost all of the Northwest’s 1,200 or so wineries are small outfits—even our biggest are small by world standards. But don’t confuse tiny with puny: these are impassioned producers of powerful wines, whose diminutive output escapes the wider market they deserve.

Matello

Maison Bleue Winery Washington

Jon Martinez is making a big splash with his tiny Prosser-area winery. The Maison Bleue 2009 Marsanne, Petite Joie, Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley ($32) is a magnificently lush yet well-balanced example of this uncommon (in the Northwest) Rhône variety. The Maison Bleue 2008 Syrah, Liberté, Yakima Valley ($39), also from the famed vines of Dick Boushey’s vineyard, is a wonderfully floral, fruitily complex, and elegant wine that shows how great Washington Syrah can be.

Teutonic Wine Company

Oregon

Marcus Goodfellow began his winemaking career in 2003 with a total production of 186 cases. Still the embodiment of the indie ethos, Goodfellow’s rarely found wines seem to add elegance and power with each vintage. The Matello 2009 Pinot Gris, Whistling Ridge Vineyard, Ribbon Ridge ($14) is simply one of the finest Northwest Pinot Gris I’ve ever tasted: racy, taut, full of glowing fruit and minerals—wow! The Matello 2008 Pinot Noir, Souris, Willamette Valley is a beautiful example of this well-regarded vintage, full of dark berry and black cherry fruit with plenty of layered complexity.

Oregon

Under the Schöne Schlucht label, winemakers/owners Barnaby and Olga Tuttle are crafting scintillating Rieslings in an audaciously Alsatian and German style. Their Schöne Schlucht 2009 Riesling, Crow Valley Vineyard, Willamette Valley ($16) is full of mineral-laden, peachy goodness with a high-energy, low-alcohol verve, and points to an impressive future for this exciting new producer.

Et Fille

Oregon

Howard Mozeico and daughter Jessica (et Fille) make magnificent wines at their Sherwood, Oregon winery. Their Et Fille 2008 Pinot Noir, Kalita Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton District ($38) is a standout wine. It’s big on blackberry and raspberry fruit, yet remarkably lithe, while still being complex and ageworthy. Their Et Fille 2008 Pinot Noir, Nicholas Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains ($34) displays more earth accents to the black cherry fruit, yet sustains a rich and supple texture, as well as a long and powerful finish, making it perfect for medium-term cellaring.

You already know how great the food, wine, and culinary travel culture of the Pacific Northwest is. Why not share it with your friends? A subscription to Northwest Palate makes the perfect holiday gift.

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Every issue brings you the ultimate Northwest ingredients, chefs, recipes, and restaurants, plus hand-picked wines, winery visits, and wine country travel destinations. It’s easy to get the best of the Northwest epicurean lifestyle delivered to your, or your friends’ mailbox every other month. You can visit www.nwpalate.com to subscribe online (and get a discount) or fill out and return this form.

$21 brings you 6 issues annually ($35CDN). Visit www.nwpalate.com or complete this form and return to Northwest Palate, P.O. Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296

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Northwest NorthwestPalate Palate | | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER September/October 2010

Red Blend

C o l e D a n e h o w e r’s

Northwest Wines

Andrew Will 2007 Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain

Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, plus Merlot are seamless and fruity, but with plenty of depth. ($50)

L’Ecole No 41 2007 Perigee, Seven Hills Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Simply a beautiful wine. ($45)

Spring Valley Vineyard 2006 Red Wine, Uriah Walla Walla Valley

Complex, suave, sweet, and savory. ($50)

Cabernet Sauvignon

Pepper Bridge 2006 Red Wine Seven Hills Vineyard Walla Walla Valley

Powerful, yet balanced, concentrated, yet elegant, a superb expression of both place and winemaking art. ($55)

Fielding Hills 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Riverbend Vineyard Wahluke Slope

Chocolate covered red fruits, graham and earth, sophisticated and smooth; a richly rewarding wine. ($39)

Côte Bonneville 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley

Incredibly deep and luscious, this is classic Cabernet. ($120)

Quilceda Creek 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Washington

Yes, I did have it; yes, it was incredible; yes, I know it’s unobtainable. (Collector’s item)

Abeja 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Columbia Valley Big, ripe, floral, spicy, refined… everything a Reserve designation should require. ($75)

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

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BEST Pinot Gris 2010 American Wine Awards Food & Wine Magazine 877-ELKCOVE www.elkcove.com

Join us for our Thanksgiving Weekend Celebration November 26 - 28, noon - 5pm, for tapas, live music, and great wine. $10 Entry, $5 tapas plate

Wines true to the soil Wines true to the vintage®

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Friday, Nov 26 – Sunday, Nov 28 10 am – 3 pm We will be pouring our ﬁrst release 2008 Pinot Noir, reserve 2007 Pinot Noirs, and limited production Pinot Meunier, Syrah, and Viognier

open daily for wine tasting 11am - 5pm 1754 Best Rd NW, Salem, OR 97304 503-588-1763 www.cubanisimovineyards.com Check us out on facebook and twitter

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Kindest Regards, Dena & Ernie 13531 Bursell Road, Dallas, Oregon Please visit our website for driving directions and to learn more:

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Open Year Round - Sat & Sun 12-4 Just west of the historic Wheatland Ferry 22350 Magness Rd. NW - Salem, OR 97304

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Northwest NorthwestPalate Palate | | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER September/October 2010

Bigisbeaut iful It’s easy to overlook the big brand wineries in the enthusiasm for boutiques, but especially in times of recession, many of the Northwest’s largest producers have released wines that have really impressed me.

Mission Hill Winemaker John Simes consistently produces plenty of well-priced wines from Mission Hill’s vineyards, but when he applies all the tools and judgment of his winemaking experience he produces profound expressions of style and place. I was completely smitten by the singlevineyard Mission Hill 2008 Chardonnay, Perpetua, Okanagan Valley ($35 CDN). This succulent Chard has substantial weight on the palate and a velvety texture, yet also delivers fresh yellow fruit and honey flavors that are perfectly balanced with gentle lees and oak overtones.

PHOTO by andrea johnson

British Columbia

Hogue Cellars

King Estate

Washington

Oregon

Best-known for large quantities of inexpensive wines, winemaker Co Dinn also makes smaller amounts of reserve wines. His Hogue Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Wahluke Slope ($25), is delicious and classically styled to showcase deep plum and cassis fruit, definite oak accents, and a spicy finish.

King Estate 2008 Pinot Gris, Domaine, Oregon ($25) has become my go-to Pinot Gris this year. Not the cheapest, but probably the most concentrated, flavorful example of Oregon-grown Gris I’ve recently tasted, with great wafts of pear, apple, melon, and grapefruit flavors with a round and palate-pleasing weight.

Columbia Crest Washington

Okay, I’ve had people scoff at my love for Washington’s largest winery’s wines, but for sheer taste-to-dollar bang-for-the-buck, I’ll bet on Columbia Crest every time. The Columbia Crest 2007 Merlot, H3, Horse Heaven Hills ($15) is without a doubt a magnificent merlot for a mere $15, with big blackberry and plum flavors accented by layers of earth, mocha, and balanced by soft tannins.

Erath Oregon

Now owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, this foundational Willamette Valley winery makes plenty of well-priced Pinot Noir. But winemaker Gary Horner has begun releasing a few superbly-crafted, small production single-vineyard Pinot Noirs that are knock-yoursocks-off good. I particularly found the Erath 2006 Pinot Noir, Battle Creek, Willamette Valley ($50) to be intensely flavorful, with rich notes of cherry cola, tangerine, and chocolate, and thankfully, more acidity than the norm for this fat vintage.

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Cliff Creek Cellars OPEN AT SAMS VALLEY VINEYARD Saturdays and Sundays 12–5pm 1019 McDonough Rd. Gold Hill OR 541-855-9819 CARLTON TASTING ROOM Open 7 Days a Week 12–5pm 258 N. Kutch St., Carlton, OR www.cliffcreek.com From our vineyard to your table…

Enjoy!!!

“Anam Cara consistently produces mineral-laden, succulent pinot noirs that display superb harmony and age-worthy structure.”

— Cole Danehower

ESSENTIAL WINES and WINERIES of the PACIFIC NORTHWEST

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Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir

Stop by and taste for yourself! Open Friday-Sunday 11am–5pm Monday-Thursday by appointment 11400 SE Westland Lane, Dayton, OR 503.868.7259

Give the gift of good taste! A subscription to Northwest Palate makes the perfect holiday gift. Every issue brings you the ultimate Northwest ingredients, chefs, recipes, and restaurants, plus hand-picked wines, winery visits, and wine country travel destinations. It’s easy to get the best of the Northwest epicurean lifestyle delivered to your, or your friends’ mailbox every other month.

Come taste our nationally acclaimed wines and enjoy the stunning views on our extensive arbor.

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Northwest Palate | September/October 2010

What’s Old is New

For too long the Northwest has relied on a pretty narrow set of vinifera varieties: predominantly Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in Oregon, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah in Washington, plus Chardonnay everywhere. But a crop of Old World wine grape varieties that are new to the Northwest is giving new energy to the region’s wine scene. Here are some invigorating recent choices.

Grenache Blanc McCrea Cellars 2008 Grenache Blanc, Boushey Vineyard, Yakima Valley ($24) is the third vintage of this underappreciated white Rhône varietal. Crisp, fresh white peach and dried nut flavors with good acidity, strong energy, and medium body make this a compelling wine. In Oregon, the first Grenache Blanc—most often used as a blending grape in France’s Languedoc and Roussillon regions—has been recently released by winemaker Joe Dobbes. His Dobbes Family Estate 2009 Grenache Blanc, Crater View Vineyard, Rogue Valley is a beautiful, lighter-bodied, citrus-accented wine with plenty of zippy acidity and a special stonesand-minerals character.

FPO

Roussanne

Grüner Veltliner

I like this rarely-found-inthe-Northwest white Rhône grape. The best I tasted this year was Seven of Hearts 2009 Roussanne, Chatte d’Avignon, Columbia Valley ($24). Aromas of white peach and green tea lead to a round palate of pear, peach, and overtones of melon rind and dried sage that make it a great wine for pairing with game hen or rabbit.

A few years ago this wine did not exist in America, but after Southern Oregon winemaker Stephen Reustle introduced the first commercial American version of this Austrian variety, it started taking off. The Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard 2009 Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley ($24) still sets the standard with profound peach, pineapple, green tea, and dried herb qualities that keep you coming back for more sips. For a more taut and crisper version of this variety, the Syncline 2009 Grüner Veltliner, Underwood Mountain Vineyard, Columbia Gorge ($35) is a brilliantly made wine with bright green melon, apple, and lime qualities and energetic force on the palate.

Vermentino What a pleasant surprise— Northwest Vermentino! Troon Vineyard is probably the only producer in the region, and the wine made from this Italian white grape (though extensively planted also in Languedoc and Roussillon) is a delight. The Troon Vineyard 2008 Vermentino, Applegate Valley ($23), is a stony, nervy blend of bright lime, tangerine, and dried herb flavors that is memorably delicious.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

Petit Sirah The Folin Cellars 2008 Petit Sirah, Rogue Valley ($34), has rich aromas of crushed blackberries that speak of autumn warmth, while on the tongue the flavors are dense yet tart, with brambly fruit and overtones of meat and earth— delicious! By the way, the grape has nothing to do with Syrah, does have French roots, but is primarily a California-grown variety.

Lagrein Winemaker Remy Drabkin works with a single acre of this rare (in North America) Italian variety, and her Remy Wines 2006 Lagrein, Oregon ($45) is a fantastic wine full of meaty black fruit with overtones of molasses, leather, earth, and dried autumn leaves—a real treat, and unique, as far as I know, in the Northwest.

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A Guide to the Wine Countries of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Idaho

by Cole Danehower photography by Andrea Johnson

Discover the riches of Northwest wine in the pages of this beautiful new guide to the wine countries of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Idaho. Written by Northwest Palate copublisher and James Beard Foundation Journalism Award winner Cole Danehower, this book takes you through the viticultural riches of the Pacific Northwest. Photography by Andrea Johnson conveys the full beauty of this amazing wine region.

ISBN: 978-0-881920966-9, $24.95 • Published by Timber Press • 503-227-2878 • timberpress.com

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (PS Form 3526) 1.Publication Title:Northwest Palate 2.Publication Number:0892-8363 3.FilingDate:10/25/10 4.Issue Frequency:Bimonthly 5.Number of Issues Published Annually:6 6.Annual subscription Price:$21 7./8.Complete Mailing Address of Publication and Publisher:PO Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296 9.Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher and Editor: Cole Danehower, Cameron Nagel, PO Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296 10.Owner:Pacifica Publishing, Inc. at PO Box 10860, Portland, OR 97296; Cole Danehower and Cameron Nagel at PO Box 10860, Portland,OR 97296 11.N/A12.NA. 13.Publication Title:Northwest Palate 14.Issue Date for Circulation Data:09/01/10 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/No.Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date a.Total Number of Copies:9737/8721 b.Paid Circulation (1)Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541:2634/2492 (2)Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541:566/541 (3)Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS:473/454 (4)Paid Distribution By Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS:1180/851 c.Total Paid Distribution:4853/4338 d.Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (1)Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on Form 3541:0/0 (2)Free or Nominal Rate In-County included on Form 3541:0/0 (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS:0/0 (4)Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail:2426/2202 e.Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:2426/2202 f.Total Distribution:7279/6540 g. Copies not Distributed:2458/2181 h.Total:9737/8721 i.Percent Paid:67%/66%

Northwest Palate | March/april 2008

er, VancouvPawsey by Tim

beyond the bar

ark Brand has bars in his blood. “I grew up in a family of bartenders,” says the congenial co-owner of The Diamond in Vancouver, B.C. “In fact, as an wee one in Scotland, my mum used to take me to the pub in my pram,” he says, chuckling. “You could say I’ve always enjoyed that social environment since birth, so I couldn’t wait to get started in the industry.” Behind double doors and up a flight

of stairs at No. 6 Powell St. in Vancouver’s bustling Gastown neighborhood, this homey, heritage bar has soaring, arched windows and high ceilings that set a sultry scene for lounging over small plates and custom-made cocktails. “The original idea was for a bartending school with some pub fare,” says Brand. “But that all went out the window when we got design-heavy and focused on the cocktail renaissance.”

The result, he says, is “a great little rivalry with neighboring Boneta, the Pourhouse, Cork & Fin, L’Abattoir, and others, that adds up to a really cool little bartending community.” So, what’s the next big thing in cocktails? “Right now we have extreme appreciation for the classics and their proper execution,” says Brand. “But we’re also seeing variations of the classics versus the contemporary—a tequila Manhattan, for instance, or a rum-based Old Fashioned…taking the recipes and substituting interesting spirits to broaden peoples’ horizons.” He also notes “all that molecular garbage is gone—but food pairing? That’s still going. In fact, it’s expected. If I’m ordering duck with orange and sultanas, I want my bartender to make me something spicy and interesting to go along.” As for what he likes to drink? “Blood and Sand: an old classic that I’ve drunk everywhere from Paris to New York. It’s a fantastic blend of equal parts vermouth, whisky, and orange juice, shaken and strained. It’s a true test of one’s shaking ability.” If you want to check out The Diamond, don’t bother trying to call ahead, since there is no phone (although you can reserve online). “We’ve always been a word-of-mouth kind of place. You just have to know where we are.”

photo courtesy the diamond

The nd D i amo B.C.

The 43 East Courtesy of Mark Brand, The Diamond, Vancouver, B.C. Makes 1 cocktail.

Brand’s variation on the classic Pink Gin cocktail combines two local distillations, both made in small batches on Vancouver Island by Victoria Spirits (www.victoriaspirits.com). The gin is abundantly aromatic on its own, but is taken several notches higher with the addition of the intoxicatingly herbaceous bitters and Italian aperitifs. • 1½ ounces Victoria Spirits Gin 

The Diamond is located at No. 6 Powell Street (corner of Carrall Street) in Vancouver, B.C.’s Gastown neighborhood. For more information visit www.di6mond.com.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 | Northwest Palate

• 2 dashes Victoria Spirits Twisted & Bitter orange bitters  • ½ ounce Campari

• ½ ounce Amaro Montenegro • Squeeze of half a lemon • Ice

Put all ingredients into shaker. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a cocktail glass.

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