Apple-Panettone Bread Pudding=Success

This last permutation of the disastrous panettone was, fortunately, a success. I added a little vanilla and cinnamon to the recipe, and voilá, delicious dessert, finally. I'm so glad that it didn't get wasted.

Failed Panettone Transformed into Apple Bread Pudding

So I rebaked the failed panettone, and most of it is cooked now. The flavor of it was right, but obviously, it didn't turn out right. But instead of throwing it away, I'm going to use the fully cooked parts in place of raisin bread in a raisin-apple bread pudding. I'm pretty sure that will turn out good--I mean, I've made it several times, and it's pretty difficult to screw up. Cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, spicy bread, and apples--it sounds delicious already. You can get the original recipe for Apple Raisin Bread Pudding on Epicurious.

Merry Christmas!

Panettone=FAIL

It was a disaster. It looked done, it looked like it was good, but once I took it out of the pan to cool, it collapsed, and I realized it was still all gooey inside. Damn. I'm going to try to rebake it to see if it can be salvaged, but I have a feeling it's going to be a wasted effort.
I'll try again sometime when I have proper equipment.

Panettone: Update

So I guess I know what I'm going to use my Williams-Sonoma gift card on: a Kitchen-Aid mixer, professional version. I left alone the mixer kneading the dough, and all of a sudden heard a crash. Ugh. What was that? I walked back into the kitchen, and saw the mixer sideways on the floor, along with my coffee maker, coffee splashed all over the floor and on all of my cupboards. I guess the mixer mixed itself off the counter. I think the coffee maker is okay, though. Hmm. I couldn't get the dough hook back into its slot, and the release thing was loose and wobbly. Not good. I briefly contemplated mixing it by hand, but then transferred it to the Cuisinart. That worked well enough, until the dough got looped into the mechanism. OK, by hand, I guess.
The panettone is now in the oven. I hope it will not end up like a brick.

Coming soon: Panettone!

I'm starting on it RIGHT NOW! Wish me luck. I'll post some photos of the process that don't involve ducks.

Pannetone

After all my finals are done, I think I'm going to try to make pannetone, which is a delicious, yeast-raised Italian cake studded with raisins and citron. With the exception of New York Times Bread, I've always found recipes involving yeast to be a little tricky, so we'll see how this goes....

Yes! Clyde Common Cocktail Recipes

I'm off task in Criminal Law class (I know, I know, Bad Laura!), and did a search for a recipe for a drink I had recently at Clyde Common, because often, their featured cocktails are resurrections of forgotten classics.
But, apparently, this one is an original, and one of the bartenders at Clyde has his own blog! With recipes! Yay!

Feel like a fancy-schmancy Clyde Common drink, but don't feel like leaving home on a dark, foggy night such as tonight?
Check out Jeffrey Morgenthaler.

I might make a Bourbon Renewal when I get home (photo at left from Jeffrey Morgenthaler's blog).

The Fall Photos

As promised, here are photos from yesterday's Hood River excursion. We started off at a cider tasting, then went to a Swiss-German Edelweiss Festival. It was ridiculously wholesome, and kind of like a combination picnic, harvest festival, and garage sale.

























































After that, we hit the road...
















...and ended up at the alpaca farm. Alpaca are soft and friendly, but very strange.

This was the Alpaca's giant guard dog, Charlie. He was extremely friendly too (and extremely soft), but I'm not so sure how good of guard dog he was.

After the Alpacas, we went to some other farm for a late lunch and apple butter festival. Dessert was "Fried Biscuits" and apple butter. Fried biscuits are just like little, super fresh donut holes. Wow! They were delicious! I've never had warm donut holes with apple butter before. I highly recommend it.

From there, we continued on to wine tasting at Pheasant Valley Vineyards, and a mosey around the Gorge White House. Finally, we wandered around Hood River a bit, and then headed home. It really was a perfect fall day.

Pumpkin Muffins

I found this delicious, not-too-sweet recipe for Pumpkin Muffins on Epicurious. If you want to turn them into dessert, put a little cream cheese frosting on top.

Saturday, Mr. Long and I will head out to the Hood River Fruit Loop. Heirloom Apples, pumpkins, alpacas, wine, cider, apple butter, and Autumnal coziness. Yay!
Expect photos.

Stumptown: Portland-Based Business in the NY Times [again]

I love, love, love it when Portland is featured in the New York Times! More often than not, the article depicts our food scene. Without further ado, here is the latest installment of Portland in the New York Times:

A Seductive Cup

By OLIVER STRAND

Published: September 16, 2009

The baristas at Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the Ace Hotel.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters

A blog by Dining section writers on restaurants and food.

20 West 29th Street (Broadway); no phone, stumptowncoffee.com.

The barista who took my order at Stumptown Coffee Roasters possessed the bone structure of a male model. He was tall and focused and had a tattoo of a schooner on his forearm.

He called me “sir.”

It was a level of ceremony — or even civility — you don’t usually encounter when jockeying for an espresso in New York.

And you don’t usually come across an espresso ($2.50) this exceptional anywhere in the world.

Stumptown, which opened in the Ace Hotel earlier this month, puts a polish on the fanaticism of what’s known as coffee’s “Third Wave.” It’s a movement of purists (no flavorings, please) and obsessives (bags of micro-lot beans are labeled with the latitude, longitude and elevation where grown).

Arguably, this is New York’s first farm-to-cup cafe. Stumptown was started in Portland, Ore., by Duane Sorenson, a legend in coffee circles. The company is known for an intensity that’s part punk, part religion.

But the coffee bar in the Ace Hotel is more about seduction.

It starts with the room. The airy storefront overlooking West 29th Street was designed by Roman and Williams, the firm behind the hotel’s interiors. It’s spare but lush: the floor is travertine, the walnut bar is trimmed in brass. The light fixture, a graceful line of running arcs, is hand-blown milk glass.

Then there’s the natty staff. Dressed in muted shades of gray and blue, they’re professional (the men wear ties), and achingly cool (they look like they skateboard to work).

Most of all there’s the coffee.

The plush and nutty house espresso, Hair Bender, was bright enough to balance the steamed milk in a cappuccino ($3.30) — which, incidentally, is just 10 cents more than what is served at the Starbucks around the corner.

A glass of cold-drip iced coffee (from $2.75) from Carmen Estate in Panama was crisp and clean, like blackberries steeped in water. Different varieties of hot coffee (from $2) are brewed in press pots throughout the day.

Even the mocha (from $3.70) was rich and memorable; it’s made with syrup created by Mast Brothers Chocolate.

Serious coffee has already conquered the West Coast. When delivered with this much style, it could win over New York, too.

The Garden's Results

The tomatoes are coming along nicely.

I planted the squash late, but it has some blossoms nonetheless.

I also have a ridiculous amount of basil, and various other herbs; being able to walk outside and snip a few herbs in the morning for an omelet is definitely tastier than the dried stuff.

New Favorite Lunch Spot: Caffe Umbria

I've been coming here since it opened for coffee with Italian atmosphere, but I only recently tried their lunch offerings. It's great. Pictured above was my lunch today: pizza prosciutto e fungi accompanied by a little dish of olives, and a San Pellegrino Aranciata to drink. Last time, I had some sort of pressed sandwich with arugula and prosciutto, also accompanied by olives. I think olives are their standard side flair.
Other lunch options include various salads and sandwiches, quiche, and a little combo plate of lasagna and salad. The cafe's main offering is Italian-style coffee, and nice pastries and gelato. If you're feeling especially continental, they serve wine, and a limited selection of prosecco- or asti spumante-based cocktails. (Yay, Campari!)
The place is owned by Italians, and it shows. They have a flat screen in the back to show soccer games, and the air is often filled with Italian chatter. It's almost like being on vacation. Ah, Italy!

Caffe Umbria is on the corner of NW 12th and Everett.

Hood to Coast 2009 Menu

Alright, it's settled.
Here's the menu I decided on for the Hood to Coast after party this year:

Fish Tacos
Spicy Black Beans with Chorizo and Chipotle Cream
Rice with Summer Squash, Red Peppers, and Pepitas
Chili-Cheese Custard Squares
Various Mexican and American Beers
Some sort of dessert (whatever looks appealing at Trader Joe's--I'm not baking on top of all that!)

Hood to Coast Menu, Take Two

My company has a team running in Hood to Coast this year, and I'm in charge of organizing and preparing the food for the after-party like I did two years ago. Now I've got a little experience, and it shouldn't be nearly as big an ordeal as it was it was last year.
I've got the main dish lined up: fish tacos (thanks for the great idea, Derek!). And, Derek offered to make ceviche as an appetizer.
Now I just need to figure out what else to accompany it. Things are shaping up (and looking a lot less labor-intensive than last time)!

A Mess of Garlic Scape Recipes

I discovered garlic scapes (aka garlic blossoms, garlic flowers, etc.) this year, and really enjoy them, although recipes for them on the internet seem to be scarce, aside from the ubiquitous pesto recipe. So up until now, I've made up my own uses for them, including a pizza and an omelet. Here are my loosely-depicted recipes:

Garlic Scape, Mushroom, and Asparagus Pizza

1. On top of spread-out pizza dough, drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle with a variety of chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, sage, and rosemary).
2. Sprinkle shredded goat mozzarella, or regular mozzarella, or a combination of the two on top of herbs.
   
3. Scatter sliced mushrooms, sliced asparagus, and sliced garlic scapes on top of cheese. Sprinkle on a little red pepper flakes to taste.
   
4. Top with more shredded cheese and drizzle with black truffle oil.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, or until it starts to look toasty.

Garlic Scape, Arugula, and Ricotta Salata Omelet

1. In a frying pan, saute sliced garlic scapes in olive oil and a little salt until softened.
2. Pour over it eggs scrambled with a little milk and red pepper flakes. Leave it alone.
3. When the egg/scape combination starts to set, place slices of ricotta salata cheese on one side of the eggs. Place some torn arugula on top of that, and top with more ricotta salata slices.
4. Fold the empty side of the egg over the filled side, and reduce the heat.
5. After a bit, flip over to cook the other side.

And here are a bunch of recipes I found scattered throughout the internet today, but haven't actually tried yet. They look good though, and I'll probably be making one of them tonight for dinner.

Lemon Scented Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Veggies
(Serves 2 as a main course or four as a side dish)

1/3 box of spaghetti
5 or 6 garlic scapes sliced thinly
6 Sun dried tomato halves sliced thinly
¾ cup fresh corn
½ cup flat leaf parsley
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 cup chicken stock

Cook the spaghetti till al dente and set aside.

Sautee scapes and tomatoes till fragrant then add the corn, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice and simmer lightly.

Turn the heat up a bit; add the chicken stock and pasta and toss everything to coat and until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve garnished with additional parsley.

________________________________________________________________________

Chicken With Garlic Scapes & Capers

2 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved
2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 chopped garlic scapes
1 Tbsp. drained capers

Between sheets of plastic wrap slightly flatten chicken. In a large heavy skillet heat 1Tbsp. of butter and the oil over medium high heat. Saute until cooked through. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and add the remaining butter, the wine, lemon juice, scapes and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in capers and salt & pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serves 4.

________________________________________________________________________

Garlic Scape Carbonara
serves 4

This pasta is fantastic as a meal served with a big garden salad and some crusty bread. If desired, add a half-cup of fresh, lightly cooked peas to the mix for a little added nutrition (and sweetness).

1/2 lb campanella pasta, or shape of your choosing
4 slices bacon (about 3 1/4 ounces), chopped
1/4 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1/4 inch coins
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape).

While it’s cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).

Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.

When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don’t let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don’t add it all at once or it won’t mix through out the pasta as well (since it will clump).

Serve immediately.

________________________________________________________________________

White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip

Time: 15 minutes

A Good Appetite: A Garlic Festival Without a Single Clove (June 18, 2008)

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

________________________________________________________________________

BEET GREENS & GARLIC SCAPE DECONSTRUCTED PESTO
2 c beet greens, chopped into 2 inch pieces
3 or 4 garlic scapes, chopped
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c chopped toasted walnuts
your favorite pasta (I used angel hair)
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes (once tomatoes are in season I would use chopped Romas)
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat skillet over medium low heat.

Add oil, greens, garlic scapes, salt & pepper. Stir everything around. Cover for 3-5 minutes until everything is wilted. Add in chopped walnuts. Drain pasta. Toss tomatoes and greens with the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when ready to serve. ENJOY!

_______________________________________________________________________

Fish with Olives and Garlic Scapes

I preheated the oven to 450. Took two sheets of parchment paper, and brushed them with some of the orange olive oil. I layered the fish, chopped Greek olives, chopped sundried tomatoes, and chopped garlic scapes. I drizzled a little olive oil over the top, salt and peppered it, contemplated going outside to snip some fresh herbs, decided I was too lazy, and closed up the pouches. Placed them on a cookie sheet and baked for 10 minutes. Served it over rice.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Garlic Scape Soup
(This soup enhances the delicate garlic-asparagus flavor of the scapes. You may use the flower as well.)
3 cups garlic spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic spears and the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until vegetables are soft. Add the thyme at the end. In food processor, pureé the vegetables and add chicken stock as needed to make a smooth paste. In saucepan, heat the vegetable mixture and add the remaining chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add the cream. Adjust the seasoning. Serves 4.

Toaster Oven + Turkey Bacon = Success

I got a toaster oven finally, which I'm very excited about; I researched it to make sure I got a good one. And, I have now made an amazing discovery.
You know how turkey bacon is never very bacon-like, and usually floppy? This morning, I discovered that if you cook it in a toaster oven, it will come out crunchy and delicious, almost as good as real bacon. Thrilling!

Pizza Discussion: Dove Vivi

I'm sure I've had a pizza discussion before, but I tried out a new place with my friend Ingrid tonight, and it was good: Dove Vivi.
What makes Dove Vivi different is that their pies have cornmeal crusts--similar to the pizza I had in Chicago. But unlike Chicago pizza, this one doesn't make you feel sick.
We ordered a pie that was half pesto variety, and half a daily special called Blue Room. The pesto side had mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, spinach pesto, basil and tomatoes. The Blue Room half was topped with mozzarella, gorganzola, marinated mushrooms, and tomatoes. Both were very good, and not very greasy, especially considering how many different kinds of cheese they had.
Before the pizza, we both started off with a kale salad: shredded kale dressed in olive oil, lemon, and black pepper, with lots of nice slivers of ricotta salata mixed in. Mmm.
Service was very friendly, but spacey. The girl taking our order didn't have a pad to write it down, and then, we never got our beverages. Dessert came out as a big, broken up mess because, as the waitress explained apologetically, "it was the first slice out of the cake." The presentation didn't affect the taste though: it's impossible for chocolate mousse cake and lady fingers to not taste good. When the bill came, the waitress didn't charge us for the dessert because it arrived so crumbled, but the beverages that we never actually received were on there. Hmmm. We told her what happened (it was a different server who took our initial order), so she corrected it, and all was well.
So all in all, it was good, and a nice change from the typical pizza. (Ken's is still my favorite though.)
Dove Vivi
2727 NE Glisan Street
Portland, OR
503-239-4444

Barbur World Foods

Believe it or not, I'm back on Syrian breakfast. That's right, even though I was so tired of it after my trip, I ate that this morning. But maybe it was OK because it was on my own terms, rather than being the only option.
What precipitated this?

Yesterday, as I was driving up Barbur on my way home, I noticed a big grocery store with an enticing name: "Barbur World Foods." Sounds like my kind of place. And, it was.

It's kind of like a mini version of the huge Quebecois Lebanese grocery store, Adonis. It's big, it has all the regular stuff one would find at a typical grocery store, but additionally has tons of imported stuff, predominantly from the Mediterranean. The deli has a decidedly Middle-Eastern flavor: instead of potato salad and Jello-mysteries, there are stuffed peppers, stuffed squash, grape leaves, hummus...you get the idea. The sweets tend towards baklava, Syrian rice pudding, and an assortment of Armenian pastries from Ararat Bakery in SE. Planning on putting on a Syrian dinner? Go there. Very nice produce, and the cheapest Haloumi cheese in town (seriously).
My breakfast this morning: Syrian bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, hummus, Kashkaval cheese, Haloumi cheese, and a peach (a VERY good, sweet white peach). And coffee, of course.


9845 SW Barbur Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97219
Phone: (503) 244-0670
http://www.barburworldfoods.com/index.htm

Turkey and Syria: A Culinary Explanation

I admit it, I got REALLY tired of the food while I was in Turkey and Syria, especially breakfast. At first though, I was pretty excited. The photo above depicts the typical breakfast in Turkey and Syria. Cucumber, tomato, cheese, olive, bread, and maybe a little jam or honey. In Turkey, for whatever reason, it seemed to often come with a slice of bologna, I have no idea why, and in Syria, there was usually hummus and lebneh. But that's where the trouble began. Hummus and lebneh were served with EVERY meal. Seriously. I like a little variety throughout the day, and to eat the same thing three times in a row is just too much. By the end of the trip, I dreaded breakfast. Coffee also started out a problem. In both Turkey and Syria, if you ordered coffee at a restaurant, you got barfy Nescafe. Come on. With all the great, thick intense coffee they have over there, the preferred version seriously was Nescafe. I don't understand. But finally, we wised up. In Turkey, we either drank tea, which really is what the locals usually drank, or, we went to some Italian cafe that appeared to be Turkey's answer to Starbucks (only better), and got nice cappucinos and americanos there. I'm sorry to say, however, that I never got to drink "Turkish" coffee in Turkey. In Syria, though, we got that straightened out.
In Adana, we had our first, and best kabob meal. It was really, really, good, and beautiful to look at. Juicy sticks of spiced ground lamb accompanied by all kinds of fresh salads to wrap in with the meat.
But then, we ended up (through no fault of our own) eating kabob for three more days. When you go to a restaurant in Syria, they don't give you a menu, because apparently, they pretty much all serve the same thing: hummus, tabbouleh, kabob (called kifteh in Syria), fattoush, baba ghanoush, lebneh, olives. So that's what we ate. Over and over again. I'm still off kabob for the time being.

Oh, yeah, and in addition to all the stuff I mentioned as typical Syrian restaurant fare, they also always served french fries. I don't know why, but they were always there.
Now on to the Syrian favorites. I had quite possibly the best ice cream of my life there. Sorry, no photo, but you know what ice cream looks like. It was three different flavors: pineapple sherbet on top, then pistachio, and finally almond-cardamom on the bottom. Holy, crap, it was good. FORGET GELATO. This stuff was way better.
My favorite dinner in Syria was at a rustic tanoor (same as tandoor) restaurant. Hot, fresh bread straight from the tanoor, as well as little pies with different fillings: spinach, cheese, roasted peppers, or zait ou zattar.

They also served a really good fresh cheese.

Finally, dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. Stuffed grape leaves; saffron rice with eggplant, lamb and almonds; stewed peas, and fish. Unfortunately, our meal timing that day was bad: we didn't have lunch until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and then were supposed to eat this huge dinner at 7. I had the foresight to not eat much lunch, so I was ok, but my dad, cousin, and other uncle did not, so they were passing around the zantac in preparation.


OK. Now we're back in Adana, Turkey again, and my dad wasn't feeling so hot, so I just got a little pizza-like thing from the bakery. It was good, it had olives, corn, cheese, and peppers on it. But it also had weird little hot dog bits on it. I don't know why the Turks are so enamored with hot dog and bologna-like substances. But it was still pretty good.
Our first dinner on the "Flower Street" in Istanbul. Basically, Turkish tapas. Little plates of this and that: stewed tomatoes and eggplant, beans, some sort of mystery vegetable that was similar to artichoke. It was ok.

Turkish sweets, which are pretty much the same as Arabic sweets.
Anything with dates they advertised as Turkish "Viagra." I've never heard of dates having that property, but whatever.
OK. Now I'm back in Germany. Really nice hotel, complete with minibar. I drank a mini-bottle of Sekt, and thoroughly enjoyed its fizzy, fermented wonder. The next morning, breakfast was the great German breakfast buffet. Pretty much anything Western-breakfast related you could want was there, and it was a welcome change.

Tanuki? Wonderful. Natto? Blechhh.

Last night, a visited Tanuki for the third time. It never fails to please. It's a tiny little sake and Japanese barfood place (no sushi) on NW 21st between Flanders and Glisan--my old neighborhood. I loved living there, but parking was always an ordeal, as it proved so last night. But anyway, that's not the point.
Tanuki is dark, candlelit, raucous, and has bizarre Japanese sitcoms (?) muted on the flat-panel above the kitchen. One featured a chimp dressed in safari gear, and another depicted a band of female zombies in ordinary circumstances.
On to the food.
We started off with Kiku-Masamune Taru-Sake, sake made the old-fashioned way, aged in cedar casks, which supposedly imparts a cedar flavor. Honestly, I could maybe smell a hint of cedar in it, but taste it? No. It was good, I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I couldn't really taste anything cedar-like about it. Our server even gave us a little cup of non-cedar sake to compare it with, but still, nothing.
Next came Niku dango: wild boar meatballs w/sweet soy curry bbq sauce. It was served over rice and completely delicious. Sweet, but not cloyingly so.
Then, Uni: fresh golden premium sea urchin roe w/true wasabi & shiro shoyu. Wow. Seriously. I've tried ordering uni before at various places, but it always seemed to have run out. Now I know why. It's soft, buttery, and with a subtle flavor of the sea.
Then came the Natto. Bad news. Slimey fermented soybeans atop rice, flourished with green onions and a raw quail egg. It was bitter. The texture was disgusting. We both hated it. Will managed to finish his serving, but I didn't think it was worth the effort. I hid mine under mussel and clam shells from our next dish. Talking to the staff about it, some of them don't like it, and apparently half the Japanese population doesn't like it. It's an "acquired taste." I have not acquired that taste.
OK, back to the good stuff. Udon noodle soup in a spicy chili-infused broth with mussels, clams, basa (I only know of basa fish, but this was not fish. It was delicious though, whatever it was.), tofu, and green onions. Good stuff, perfect for a rainy night.
Finally, off-the bone rib meat, shredded, with shredded cucumber over rice. Possibly my favorite dish of the night.

Go to Tanuki, you will enjoy it! Skip the Natto, though.

413 NW 21st Ave, PDX 97209

503-241-7667

www.tanukipdx.com

Open 4-close (10 or later)

Tuesday-Saturday

Closed Sun-Mon

Chef/Owner Janis Martin

email: Janis@tanukipdx.com

Beast: A Review

For Christmas this year, my friend Alex gave everyone dinner out at various fancy restaurants. Mine was Beast, and we tried it out last night. Dining at Beast is sort of like going to a dinner party where you don't know anyone except the person you came with. And I mean that in a good way. Everyone eats the same thing at the same time, either 6 p.m. or 8:45 p.m. It's a lot of fun, the food was, with one exception, excellent, and overall, I totally recommend it. We went for the wine pairing with each course, which I strongly suggest. Six courses sound overwhelming, but the portions, for the most part are small, and therefore doable. Without further ado, here is course-by-course commentary:
1. Both the soup and nettle pastry were delicate and delicious; the soup had strong but not overwhelming flavors of mushrooms and truffles. The sparkling wine was wonderful.
2. Charcuterie Plate. A big plate with little bites of delight. Naomi Pomeroy suggested ending with the Foie Gras Bon-Bon. She was right. Everything on the plate was wonderful, I especially liked the paté and the chicken liver mousse with maple bacon, but the Bon-Bon was amazing. A delicate, buttery cookie was topped with a dome of buttery foie gras, garnished with two little dabs of sauternes jelly. It was dessert, really, but made of meat. Wow.
3. The lamb was, unfortunately, the low point. The artichokes fried in duck fat that accompanied it were wonderful, the mint-hazelnut salsa verde that topped it was fresh and crunchy, but the lamb...was too salty. It wasn't just my piece, Alex's was too. Which was really too bad, because everything else was so great.
Intermission: elderflower sorbet palate-cleanser. It wasn't listed on the menu, but ended up being one of my favorite thing that I ate that night. It was sweet, refreshing, and tasted, as I described it (and which made Alex laugh), as a Swedish snowball.
4. The roasted beet salad was good, but not anything particularly remarkable.
5. The cheese plate was a nice assortment of local and international slivers and dabs of cheese, accompanied by delicate anise shortbread. Very nice.
6. Dessert: the lemon tartlet was a nice, sweet, and light end to an overall very enjoyable meal.

Here's the menu for this week as posted on Beast's website:

week of march 11th

MENU FOR THE WEEK BELOW (suggested wine pairing in italics)

RICOTTA & NETTLE PASTRY
CREAM OF HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM SOUP
SHAVED OREGON BLACK TRUFFLE
DOMAINE LABBE BRUT DU SAVOIE-NV

CHARCUTERIE PLATE:
FOIE-GRAS BON-BON, SAUTERNES GELEÉ
STEAK TARTARE & QUAIL EGG TOAST
PORK, PORK LIVER, SOUR CHERRY & PISTACHIO PATE
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE, MAPLE CANDIED BACON
RIJCKAERT COTES DU JURA ‘EN PARADIS’-2006

CATTAIL CREEK LAMB LOIN CHOP
CRISPY BABY ARTICHOKES
DEMI-GLACE & MINT-HAZELNUT SALSA VERDE
ORATOIRE ST. MARTIN CAIRANNE ROUGE
RESERVE DES SEIGNEURS-2007

ROASTED RED & GOLD BEETS
FENNEL, WALNUT VINAIGRETTE
SHAVED SHEEPS MILK CHEESE
ORATOIRE ST.. MARTIN CAIRANNE BLANC HAUT COUSTIAS-2007

~SELECTION OF STEVE’S CHEESE~
ANISE & FLEUR DE SEL SHORTBREAD
POACHED WINTER FRUIT, MARCONA ALMONDS
CHATEAU BELLIVIERE BLANC VV ESPARSES-2005

LEMON-THYME TARTLETTE
VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM
CASSIS COULIS
STEINMETZ RIESLING AUSLESE BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER-1992

503.841.6968 · 5425 NE 30th Ave · Portland OR 97211
Dinner 5:30-9:30PM Wednesday - Saturday, Sunday brunch 11-2
www.beastpdx.com

A Few Brief Updates

I haven't updated this in a while, I just don't have much time to go out, or cook, for that matter. But here are a few items of note:

• Jace Gace has closed. The hipster waffle house on Belmont is gone, and in its place is a generic-looking "deli" with a ubiquitous Pepsi-sponsored sign. Honestly, Jace Gace wasn't that great, I make better waffles at home, but it was a cool space, and I hope that something more interesting than a so-called "deli" eventually makes its home there.
• I visited Sel Gris for a second time over the weekend. This time, we had Lobster Gnocchi as an appetizer, and roast saddle of rabbit as an entree, which was stuffed with sweetbreads and wrapped in bacon. The Lobster Gnocchi was excellent, but I enjoyed the duck I had the first time I went there more than the rabbit; the duck was much lighter than the rabbit. It might have just been that duck suited my mood better. The staff there continues to be incredibly helpful and friendly.
• Alu is for sale. Supposedly the owner of the Germanic wine bar wants to move to Spain, and that nothing was wrong with business. Hmmm. I loved that place, and I hope whoever buys it maintains the same atmosphere and quality level.
• Sip and Kranz was sold. The Nordic "Child-Friendly" coffee shop had been closed for a while due to flooding from faulty plumbing. Then word came that it had been sold. Supposedly, the new owners are taking out the children's room (Hooray! No more screaming babies!) and are replacing it with computer stations. S & P's proximity to Jamison Square, combined with its kid-friendliness, led it to be often used as a rest area rather than a coffee shop, with inconsiderate parents coming in to get napkins, use the restroom, and take refuge from the sun/rain/etc. for hours by filling up all the seats without buying anything, all the while their kids ran around screaming, knocking things over, and disrupting the few paying customers who were actually there. Not the best way for a coffee shop to make money. I really liked everything about Sip and Kranz except the annoying children and parents. They had good coffee, good drinks, and nice furnishings. Best case, all this will be retained, and improved upon with the lack of children.
  
• Rumor has it that Gourmet Magazine may eventually only be online. Yes, that's right, the original upscale cooking magazine may no longer have a print version. The publisher apparently has too many titles in this genre and feels the need to weed things out. Why they chose Gourmet over other titles, I really don't know. Gourmet had a nice mix of articles on travel, food, and food politics. It was specifically the food politics that I enjoyed; most other culinary magazines ignore that side of things. Maybe circulation was down. That's too bad. Maybe CondeNast will reconsider.
  

That's all for now. I should be trying Beast soon, and a review will definitely follow.

Gladstone Pizza and Coffee Shop

I love living in a big, old farmhouse in SE Portland, but I do miss the hustle and variety of NW. Specifically, I miss the option of getting a slice of NY style pizza from Escape From New York. But that problem might be solved, at least to a degree.
Last night, at my request, my delightful roommates and I had dinner at Gladstone Pizza and Coffee. I had been there once before, on moving day, but just for coffee. They have great coffee, by the way, Stumptown, and they know how to prepare it.
Last night was the test. By day it's a laid back coffee shop that, for whatever reason, reminds me of one I went to in Toronto. At night, the bagels and coffee halt (or at least the bagels do), and the pizza oven gets fired up. It's still chill, but with the added coziness of candles. It's a family-run place, which always makes things nicer. The pizza is excellent--NY style, thin, floppy crust, and like Escape From NY, their topping options are limited, but appropriate. It's mostly classics, such as pepperoni, onions, etc. with a few gourmet options thrown in, such as chevre and andouille sausage. But nothing weird like peanut sauce.
We stuck with the classics: half pepperoni, half green pepper and onion. I heartily approved, and I think my friends all enjoyed it too. They have a few beers on tap; Joe and I chose a Belgian-style ale that was caramelly-colored and almost thick. It went really well with the pizza, but was pretty strong for a beer: alcohol content was around 10%. At the end of our meal, the owner came over with four little slices of pizza for us to try. He was developing a new variety of pie and wanted to test it out on us. I love that. It was good too: a bright, fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Pizza Margarita, in other words.
We all left happy. I'm not sure if they have pizza by the slice at night, but if they do, then it's probably the perfect place. And, bonus bonus, it's only a couple blocks from our house. What a relief.
Go there for coffee or pizza. Either way, you'll enjoy it.

Gladstone Pizza & Coffee Shop

503.775.1537

3813 SE Gladstone Street

Sel Gris

Friday evening I met up with Ingrid for coffee at the Albina Press on Hawthorne, and as we lingered, we realized we were both hungry. Neither one of us had been out to a nice dinner in ages, and decided to try somewhere new: Sel Gris, about a mile down Hawthorne near Ladd's Addition.
It was the right choice.
We both started off with champagne cocktails composed of champagne (duh), lavender syrup, some sort of orange liqueur, and garnished with an orange twist. One of the most delightful cocktails I've had in quite a while.
Next up was "Salt and Pepper" Calamari: lightly fried and sauteed calamari, scallions, preserved lemon, leeks, Thai basil, chilies, and housemade nuoc cham. The preserved lemon added an unexpected bright tang to the calamari, and they gave us a huge amount for an appetizer--probably enough for four people. We couldn't finish it. A pity.
On to the entrees: Ingrid had the ginger beer braised pork shank, accompanied with thyme-infused pumpkin puree, savory pecan praline, and pumpkin seed oil. She gave me a bite, and it was excellent, but I think I enjoyed my choice even more.
I ordered szechuan peppercorn pressed peking duck breast and braised duck leg, accompanied by baby bok choy, and forbidden black rice in a lapsang souchong infusion. Wow. The duck breast tasted like steak. I've had duck before, but never like this. It was amazing.
That was all. Neither one of us could finish our entrees, so we brought them home. Obviously, we couldn't handle dessert. But our bill came with two little chocolate truffles topped with--you guessed it--fleur de sel. A nice little sweet touch at the end.
Highly recommended.
Sel Gris
1852 se hawthorne portland, or. 97214
(503) 517.7770