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

Office Holiday Party 2008

Per usual, I planned the company holiday party. This year, I decided to hold it at Clyde Common, which is one of my favorite restaurants. The company is growing, and although five people didn't show up, we still had an excellent turnout. After last year's success with a themed gift exchange, I held a repeat, only this year the theme was "The Office." Quite á propos, don't you think?
Here are some photos: