EAT BEAT

Portland’s Own Major League Food and Wine Festival

Portland food-scene moguls Mike Thelin and Carrie Welch are setting out to put Portland on the national culinary festival map with international chefs and regional talent.

Posted by: Allison Jones on May 12, 2011 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

As reported by Eater PDX, Portland is finally set to host a large-scale food and drink festival comparable to the annual food events in Aspen, Las Vegas, South Beach, and New York. It’s no secret anymore: Portland’s food scene is on the map. With a handful of shiny new James Beard Awards, seemingly constant features in major food magazines and international newspapers, and so much home-grown talent, a large-scale celebration seems in order.

Local food masterminds Mike Thelin (event-planner extraordinaire and writer, formerly of Eater PDX and Portland Monthly) and Carrie Welch (the Food Network exec turned PR maven who played a hand in the New York City Wine and Food Festival) joined forces to plan the event that will feature the best of Portland and beyond. Bringing together Oregon’s restaurant, food cart, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, and bacon superstars side-by-side with national and international culinary talent, the festival is scheduled for fall 2012. Stay tuned for more information about Portland’s coming-out party… and start getting hungry, because this one’s going to be big.

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Tags: Portland Chefs, Food News, Food Event

Bike-Centric Food Cart Super Pod in the Works on SE 82nd Ave

This summer, Mississippi Marketplace food-cart visionary Roger Goldingay aims to bring bike culture into the street-food world.

Posted by: Karen Brooks on Feb 11, 2011 at 09:55AM 12 Comments

Photo: Gideon Bosker

Developer Roger Goldingay created a Pearl District of food carts at N Mississippi Ave & Skidmore St (pictured). Now, he’s heading for SE 82nd Avenue with plans for a big, bike-centric cart project.

The next phase in Portland’s food cart movement could wheel into an acre-sized lot on SE 82nd Avenue this summer. Food-pod pioneer Roger Goldingay is ready to roll on a bike-centric “super pod” smack in middle of the Springwater Corrider bike trail. With a vision for 35 carts featuring bike repairs, air-pumping, and gear—not to mention good food drawing from 82nd Avenue’s wealth of Asian, Latino and Russian communities—Goldingay hopes to take the cart village concept to the next level.

An affable, low-key developer, Goldingay emerged as Portland’s accidental food-cart visionary when his North Mississippi condo project tanked during the economic lightening storm. Saddled with an expensive, weedy lot (and former drug corner), Goldingay saw the building blocks for a new kind of destination: an intentional food-cart community and neighborhood gathering. Since it opened in late 2009, his Mississippi Marketplace has evolved into the Pearl District of food-cart pods: comfortable, curated and holding its own economically. His success helped pioneer a new street-food industry, a blossoming of lot-sized food-cart settlements that caused a national media frenzy and earned Portland a reputation as the country’s leading food-cart destination.

Goldingay’s design plan on SE 82nd received blessing from the city yesterday. Construction and land improvements are expected to begin in the next few weeks.

No market analysis was conducted for the project, which could cost upwards of 1.5 million, by Goldingay’s estimation. He’s going on his gut in a poor neighborhood with crime problems. But beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Goldingay looks around and sees nothing but potential here: access to a popular, scenic bike trail, and one of busiest streets in the city.

“Out here, there’s a lot of big box stores and used car lots,” says Goldingay. “On the outer east side, there’s nothing like central Portland’s food cart movement, certainly nothing like what we’re going to do. I see families riding through on bikes. Maybe a farmers market. We’re close to Happy Valley, East Portland, the north side of Oregon City, Clackamas, Gresham, and Milwaukie. I hope to serve this population, but I’d like to think I’m doing something to improve the area, too, to make it safe and family-friendly— but also a destination location that will draw urban dwellers to an area they know little about.”

It’s an expensive dream. The property, under a million dollars, was paid with a loan from the Clackamas County Bank. But it’s just the beginning. More loans are in the works. “I’m looking underneath my couch pillows,” says Goldingay with a laugh. “I’m even eyeing my wife’s IRA.”

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Tags: Food Carts, Food News

Announcing Clyde Common’s New Themed Dinner Series

The hip downtown eatery begins a monthly Sunday dinner series by indulging in the decade of greed.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Feb 10, 2011 at 02:00PM 1 Comments

This just in: Clyde Common’s executive chef Chris DiMinno is launching a new themed dinner series the last Sunday of every month, and he’s getting this party started right—the inaugural event will take place Feb 27 and the theme is, yes, indeed, 80‘s Night.

During the decade of neon, big hair, and blow, Le Bernardin, Le Cirque, Lutèce, and Montrachet were the country’s culinary hot spots. Chefs like Gilbert Le Coze and Alfred Portale were just beginning to emerge as the first “celebrity” chefs. United by French culinary traditions and inspired by modern ingredients, these men pioneered a new understanding of American cuisine.

In honor of that era of innovation, DiMinno is serving a fleshy four course feast: Chicken terrine with roasted mushrooms, garlic sausage, lentils; foie gras ravioli with duck consommé; crispy sweetbreads with pig trotter, pommes anna, and kale; and “Death by Chocolate” cake with kiwi sorbet, raspberry sauce, white chocolate, and a chocolate leaf garnish.

When it comes to booze pairings, this dinner will center on wines, while the March event will focus on cocktails.

Keep an eye out for Patrick Bateman.

WHERE: Clyde Common, 1014 SW Stark St

WHEN: Sunday, Feb 27, 6:30pm

PRICE: $65 for 4 courses with wine pairings; $50 for 4 courses without pairings; reservations available at 503.228.3333 and info@clydecommon.com

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Tags: Southwest Dining, Food News, Events, Downtown Dining

Procrastinator’s Special: Valentine’s Day

EAT BEAT’s guide for slackers who have failed to make their V Day dinner reservations.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Feb 07, 2011 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

A couple weeks ago we gave you 7+ places to dine with your sweetie on the annual night when love is given a monetary value. But chances are you’re like most procrastinating partners and, with one week to go, you have neglected to make plans. To help you get your romantic act together, we’ve called out 7 more options—one for each day you have left until someone you love gets really pissed because his/her Valentine’s Day dinner consists of frozen pizza and Pabst.

din din Seatings at 7:30pm

There’s never been a better reason to join Courtney Sproule for her monthly supper club. On V Day (as well as the 12th and 13th), servers will be clad in dresses and heels and suits and ties as they serve a super sexy five-course menu paired with wines. The setting is a lace, candle, and pearl-adorned Art Department, and a menu teaser includes orange flower water-scented gougères with gorgonzola dolce mornay, mussels and treviso with Sauternes sabayon and prosciutto, and Armagnac truffle and wildflower honey pot de crème. $75/person; make reservations at 971-544-1350 or courtney@dindinportland.com.

The Heathman Restaurant & Bar Seatings at 6:30pm

Feast your eyes on the film Chocolat as you indulge in a luscious five-course tasting menu that includes tourchon of foie gras, lobster ravioli, roast squab, and lamb loin, along with wine pairings. If you close your eyes, you might even be able to pretend that your dining partner is Johnny Depp or Juliette Binoche. $75/person; reservations required.

Olympic Provisions Singing Salamigram

What better way to get your beloved in the mood (or make up for a lame dinner reservation) than five logs of cured meat on sticks? Each salami bouquet is delivered by the lead singer of The Tumblers, who will be singing an original song as he hands over the goods. I’ll leave the hide-the-salami jokes to you. $75; order at 503.954.3663 or info@olympicprovisions.com.

Fenouil 4-9pm

Carnivores and carniphobes will both find something to love here. Fenouil is offering two five-course dinners with optional wine pairings. One includes flesh-based fare like ahi tuna tartare, seared dayboat scallop, roasted duck breast, and natural shoulder tenderloin, while the other is 100-percent veggie viand with an heirloom beet and bleu cheese salad, rutabaga-apple soup, housemade fromage blanc tortellini, and roasted abaone mushroom. $65/person; reservations recommended.

Metrovino 4pm-close

Executive chef Greg Denton and his chef de cuisine Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton just got hitched this past fall. Inspired by their own long-time love affair, they’re offering a few updated classics on Valentine’s Day, along with the regular dinner menu. Think Oysters Rockefeller, Dungeness Crab Louie, grilled chateaubriand for two, and milk chocolate mousse parfait with honey-pistachio panna cotta, dark chocolate-pistachio crumble, and bruléed banana. You can also get très romantic sparkling cocktails such as the Seelbach and the French 75. Reservations recommended.

Pizza

Okay, so I didn’t mean to knock pizza in my intro. In addition to its affordability, it’s probably one of the tastier and more intimate meals you can eat—who can play games or keep their walls up when they have sauce on their nose and strings of cheese hanging from their mouth? Three great options that are open on Monday include Apizza Scholls (the Tartufo Bianco should make anyone willing to take their clothes off), Ken’s Artisan Pizza, and Dove Vivi. See websites for hours.

St. Honoré Boulangerie

Maybe you have the kind of lover who really would rather stay in and eat frozen Italian pie, drink beer, and watch 90210. If so, you can still give the night an air of romance with an extra-special, French-inspired sweet something, such as a gâteau chocolat framboise (a heart-shaped flourless chocolate cake topped with vanilla buttercream and fresh raspberries) or an assortment of meringué aux fraises, bite-size rosettes of strawberry meringues made with tangy bits of freeze-dried strawberries. Or get both—after all, Gossip Girl is on too. See website for locations and hours.

Other romantic locales* for dining à deux: Aquariva, Beast, Bluehour, Castagna,Cinetopia/Vinotopia, Clyde Common, The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, Departure, DOC, East India Co. Grill & Bar, Fin, Grüner, Le Pigeon, Lincoln, Little Bird, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Nostrana, The Painted Lady, Paley’s Place, Pix Pâtisserie, Salty’s, Saucebox, St. Jack, Urban Farmer, and Yakuza.

*Sorry—no guarantees that there are still seats available.

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Tags: Food News, Holiday Events, local, valentine's day, romantic

7+ Valentine’s Day Dining Options

Our tips for a handful of cool places to eat on the night when love is given a monetary value.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 26, 2011 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

Pix Pâtisserie’s St. Honoré for St. Valentine’s

Pix Pâtisserie Mississippi location, 7am-midnight; Clinton location, 11am-midnight

Speed up getting to the good stuff by skipping dinner and going straight for dessert. Both Pix locations will be serving extra special treats, such as the St. Honoré for St.Valentine—puff pastry with raspberry pastry cream, chocolate-covered pop rocks, crème Chantilly, and rose macarons, topped with fresh raspberries and a red rose petal. You might even consider dessert for breakfast when you hear that this Valentine’s Day, a single box of chocolate at each location will also include a pair of diamond stud earrings!

Fin Seatings at 6 & 8pm

If your mission is a night than can never be repeated, this is just the ticket. When the last dinner plates are cleared on Valentine’s Day, Portland’s first small-scale artisan seafood restaurant will flip to its “closed” sign for good. Chef Trent Pierce is keeping the menu a secret right now, but is willing to admit planning an all-sea-creature five course feast (think uni, butterfish, oysters, scallops, multiple caviars, and more), with new preparations and a number of surprises. Says Pierce: “I want to make sure this is going to be a wonderful memory for all of those who attend.” $65 per person, with optional wine pairings; reservations required.

Yakuza Seatings at 5:30 & 8pm

Bring sexy back, Japanese-style, with this popular izakaya’s five-course prix fixe dinner inspired by the color red. Lovers can feed each other the likes of blood orange scallop ceviche, salmon tataki seared with citrus oil and finishing salt, braised pork cheek with cauliflower puree, chèvre, and ancho chili oil, and homemade ice cream—but shouldn’t, because watching other people feed each other is seriously off-putting. Not that you’ll notice, because you and your hot stuff will be downing Meyer Lemons (grilled meyer lemon, Aviation, shiso, salt, and honey) in preparation for a little puckering up. $50/ person, with wine and sake pairings for $25/person; reservations recommended.

Lincoln 5:30pm-close

Yes, yes, Tasty n Sons may be the new favorite… son in the N. Williams HUB, but, for me, Lincoln is still where the heart is. On V Day they’re offering a simple-y perfect three-course sampling of their fresh, elemental cuisine. Everyone ends their meal with a bittersweet chocolate terrine with vanilla anglaise and kumquat conserva, so it’s only a matter of choosing from five appetizers and five entrées. Perhaps the rillions and dates with pumpkin conserva, grain mustard, and bruschetta, followed by the braised duck leg with green lentils, black trumpet mushrooms, and lacinato kale. And a cocktail or three, of course. $50/person; reservations recommended.

Beast Seatings at 6 & 8:45pm

Treat your sweet to all the meat they can eat! In the name of love, one of Portland’s most carnivorous canteens is opening their doors on a rare Monday to offer a sumptuous four-course dinner, carefully paired with five wines. We don’t know what’s on the menu yet, but we know it will be elegant, creative, delicious, and, somewhat appropriately, appreciative of the flesh. $100/person; reservations required.

DOC Seatings at 6 & 8:30pm

Do you like to be teased? Netarts Bay oysters with a rosewater mignonette, bison carpaccio with arugula and farm egg, dungeness crab and meyer lemon risotto, stuffed rabbit with winter lettuce and toasted faro, trumpet mushroom, kale & truffle lasagna topped with fried farm egg, and pear sfoglia with honey caramel ice cream. Hopefully you have teensy DOC’s number on speed dial because these are but a whisper of the dishes they’ll be serving as part of their six-course tasting menu, for only $65 per person! Seriously—it’s almost naughty. $65/person, with optional wine pairings for $40/person; reservations required.

Cinetopia/Vinotopia Restaurant open 11:30am-10:30pm

There’s nothing that says “date night” like dinner and a movie, and Cinetopia is by far the region’s best movie theatre, thanks to plush Ultra Leather extra-wide seats, extra leg room, top-of-the-line audio, and spectators who don’t talk on their cell phones. Typically the Monday night ticket prices might seem spendy, ($10.75 for standard movies; $14 for 3D), but on Valentine’s Day, it’s a steal. The theatre also has an upscale American grill called Vinotopia, which will be offering a four-course V-Day menu, as well as their Wine Spectator award-winning automated wine tasting system that allows patrons to sample over 100 different wines from around the world, an ounce at a time. You might need to get a little drunk if you plan to see Black Swan. Restaurant reservations recommended.

Other places where you’ll find a romantic repast: Aquariva, Bluehour, Castagna, Clyde Common, The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, Departure, East India Co. Grill & Bar, Fenouil, Grüner, The Heathman Restaurant & Bar, Le Pigeon, Little Bird, Metrovino, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Nostrana, The Painted Lady, Paley’s Place, Salty’s, Saucebox, St. Jack, and Urban Farmer.

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Tags: Food News, Holiday Events, local, valentine's day, romantic

Choose Your Own Cheap at Panera Cares

Everyone can afford to eat at this novel new café in the Hollywood district.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 24, 2011 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Hours: 7am-7pm, 7 days a week.

On January 16, the Panera Bread Foundation opened its third non-profit Panera Cares Café at 4143 NE Halsey St in Portland’s Hollywood district. What’s on the menu? All the sandwiches, salads, soups, beverages, and freshly-baked breads and pastries that you would find in a traditional Panera Bread bakery-café. The Cares Café also looks exactly like a traditional Panera.

The only difference? There are no set prices. Each menu item comes with a suggested donation to give folks an idea of what that selection typically costs in a standard Panera, but customers are encouraged to take what they need and pay what they can. There isn’t even a cash register; instead, donation boxes are scattered throughout the café. Diners may donate more than the suggested amount, less, or nothing at all.

It’s important to note, however, that Panera Cares is not a food bank. “Rather, this concept exists to make a difference by offering the Panera experience with dignity to all,” says Ron Shaich, co-founder of Panera Bread and president of the Panera Bread Foundation. “In some ways it’s a test for humanity—will people step up and help each other or will they take advantage? I am confident that the people of Portland will do the right thing.”

At the first two locations in St. Louis and Dearborn, Michigan, the organization has found that approximately 65-percent of the customers are leaving the suggested amount, 10 to 15-percent are paying more, and the rest leave less or nothing. Shaich notes that they selected Portland’s Hollywood district for their third Cares Café because it’s easily accessible via public transportation and attracts an eclectic mix of customers who exude a real community vibe.

“In order for a Cares Café to be successful, it needs to be in an economically diverse area, so as to attract the people who can help sustain the café, in addition to the people who need it,” says Shaich.

I have never felt so inspired to go spend $20 on a sandwich.

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Tags: Food News, Northeast Dining, Cheap Eats, Bakery, charity

Fa La La Let Someone Else Cook

A last-minute list of local restaurants that are open for belly-busting business on Christmas Eve.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 20, 2010 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

Park Kitchen bar manager Adam Robinson will be shaking an array of fun Christmas Eve cocktails, including a spiced and pleasingly bitter gin punch.

If your Christmas Eve dining plan was simply to raid Santa’s cookies and milk, here’s your heads-up that a number of local eateries will actually be offering very merry meals this Friday.

Holiday cookery case in point: For the first time, the Pearl District’s Park Kitchen has opted to open their doors on the 24th and present both a 4-course prix fix menu ($65) and a 4-course chef’s tasting menu ($55). According to chef/owner Scott Dolich, the main inspiration for both options is that they should be a festive affair that evokes pleasant memories.

“Instead of new and challenging cuisine, the ingredients that I like to use for Christmas tend to be humble,” Dolich says. “I save the oysters, caviar, and foie gras for New Year’s Eve.”

The prix fixe menu will include two options per course—perhaps a starter of chickpea fries and squash ketchup, followed by flank steak salad with blue cheese, parsley and sherried onions, then the pork with spaetzle, cranberries, and kumquats, and finally a crown of apple and medlar crisp with malted vanilla ice cream.

The tasting menu will be full of surprises, but we have insider info that it may star the likes of black trumpet mushrooms, persimmons, marinated fish, and pork belly. “We’re getting a huge half-hog from Square Peg says Dolich, “so I know that we’ll need to create something with the trimmings.”

Spaces are going quick so make your reservation now.

Too late? Here are some more holly jolly joints for you to choose from:

23Hoyt, Aquariva, Andina, Bluehour, Clarklewis, Country Cat (brunch only), East India Co. Grill and Bar, Fenouil, Gilt Club, The Heathman Restaurant and Bar, Irving Street Kitchen, Kenny & Zuke’s, Lincoln, Metrovino, Paley’s Place, Pazzo Ristorante, Salty’s, Saucebox, and Urban Farmer.

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Tags: Food News, Holiday Events, christmas, local

X Marks the ‘Mas Day Meals

In honor of the infamous fat guy’s reindeer, we’ve got eight open-on-Christmas-day eateries where you are welcome to celebrate Santa or simply the season.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 15, 2010 at 10:30AM 2 Comments

Ho-Ho-Ho Style

The Heathman Restaurant and Bar Seatings from 2-5:30pm

Choose from one of two festive fare options: a prix fixe menu served in the dining room, or the Grand Buffet, with seatings on the second floor mezzanine and in private dining rooms. The extensive buffet features gourmet Northwest Winter-inspired dishes like curried butternut squash soup, mushroom barigoule, and an impressive cooked and raw seafood display, as well as carving and dessert stations. The prix fixe menu includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. We’re thinking Santa would opt for the lobster bisque, goose bourguignon with bacon cornbread pudding, and pumpkin pie napoleon. Both buffet and prix fixe are $52/adult & $18/child under 12; reservations recommended.

Urban Farmer Brunch 6:30am-2pm; Dinner 4-9pm

So, you spent all your time racing around town to compete your holiday shopping, and now the one speck of food left in the house is a crumb that’s even too small for a mouse. Not to worry. Located on the 8th floor of the Nines hotel, this sophisticated steakhouse is offering both its popular weekend brunch (think eggs benedict with Tails & Trotters hazelnut-finished country ham, fried chicken and waffles, and a Bloody Mary bar) and dinner with holiday specials like pineapple and maple roasted Oregon pork loin, roasted winter squash soup with lobster crêpes, and Nantucket Bay scallops with foie gras mousse. All the Whos in Who-ville never had it this good. Reservations recommended.

Chart House 11am-8pm

Seafood and steak take center stage at this hillside haunt overlooking the Willamette. On Christmas they are serving a “limited menu” comprised of fan favorites, but this abbreviated list is still longer than most restaurants’ regular menus. Classics like jumbo lump crab cakes, New England-style clam chowder, six kinds of fresh fish prepared to your liking, lobster tail, and filet mignon (plus a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list) will be delightful, even if the weather outside is frightful. Reservations recommended.

Jory at the Allison Inn & Spa 12-7pm

Your own personal winter wonderland is only a 45-minute drive away in Oregon’s wine country. Nestled in picturesque Newberg, this luxurious inn’s restaurant is offering a three course prix fixe menu. Options like oxtail pierogis with sunchokes and black trumpet mushrooms, pan-seared duck breast with cashew butter and candied kumquats, and fresh ginger cake with mascarpone ice cream and spiced pears are sure to make you feel fa-la-la-la-la inside and out. Still in need of a Christmas present for your sweetie? Stay overnight and indulge in a massage or wrap. Prix fixe is $55/adult & $19/child age 10 and under; reservations recommended.

No-Ho-Ho Style

Ocean City Seafood Restaurant 9am-11pm

Pronounced Portland’s best of the best dim sum (China’s version of tapas) by Kenny & Zuke’s Nick Zukin in his ethnic breakfast chapter of Paul Gerald’s Breakfast in Bridgetown, on Christmas you will have the entire mouthwatering menu at the tip of your chopsticks. Choose from dozens of plates and steamer baskets stuffed with dumplings, buns, rolls, fried items, and sweet egg custard tarts that roll by on carts, or feast on treats like fried pumpkin chips, roasted pork belly, steamed oysters with black beans sauce, and a variety of popular chow meins.

China Town 10:30am-10pm

Make your merry way to Beaverton for another great dim sum option (Mmmm… steamed chicken feet, or, perhaps, steamed spareribs). It may be located in a less than glitzy strip mall, but the crab puffs, potstickers, sizzling scallops, pork porridge, and spicy kung pao chicken and beef will ensure that you leave with a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly.

Jin Wah 10am-10:45pm

This popular fusion Chinese and Vietnamese joint in Beaverton cooks up refreshing and relatively healthy dishes like steamed sea bass, salt & pepper squid, lamb clay pot, and pho, and you can toast St. Nick with a bubble tea. (Even if he isn’t a member of your faith, you have him to thank for the lack of lines today.) Get a move on if you want the dim sum—they stop serving it at 3pm.

Mee-Sen 11am-10:30pm

Not a fan of Chinese? Direct your sleigh the way of this stylish Thai eatery on Mississippi. But don’t expect a laundry list of the same old boring standards. Instead, relish a wide range of delectable, gussied-up authentic dishes like Thai-style fish cakes, deep-fried whole red tlapia available in two preparations, green mussel hot pot, and wild-caught jumbo prawns baked with sliced pork belly; however, we recommend their lovingly treated create-your-own Thai noodle soups—pair one of five bouncy noodle options with an A-H of meat and soup combos.

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Tags: Food News, Holiday Events, christmas

Get a Life

Living foods and vegan goods at the all new Green Lady, just opened downtown.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 13, 2010 at 10:00AM 4 Comments

Pure Energy on a Plate: living greens and pomegranate seeds.

Move over Blossoming Lotus, there’s a hot new vegan venue in town. Now in a soft-opening phase at 1016 SW Washington St. ( M-F: 8:30am-5pm, Sat: 10am-5pm, Closed Sun), with a grand opening event to take place January 1, The Green Lady specializes in “living” (aka raw) foods and creative, ethnic-influenced vegan, organic fare, available both dine-in and take-out.

The background for this new gourmet health hub reads like a pitch for a Hollywood movie:

Mississippi lawyer, former hot wings restaurant proprietress, and four-year living foods veteran, Wanda Abioto, moved to Portland with her five daughters—Intisar (24), Hanifah (23), Kalimah (23), Amenta, (19), and Aisha (10)—on “an adventure.” Their collective goal? To incubate a restaurant that dishes up edible energy (currently hot as hell in L.A., by the way) and eventually expand their empire back to the south, where an interest in vegan, organic, and living foods has only just begun to sprout.

Fittingly, the menu will continue to evolve, but right now it includes a range of elixirs, smoothies, and drinks concocted with purely living ingredients like spirulina, citrus, leafy greens, cacao, and house-made nut milks e.g. almond, cashew, hazelnut, and Brazil nut, which also come in creams to top tea and cold-press coffee infusions. (Cold-press coffee has far less acid than hot brews, which results in far less gut rot.)

Soon they will offer a range of meals, both cooked (African pho, coconut lentil soup) and purely living, such as tomato basil soup and locally foraged marinated dehydrated mushrooms in a hot & spicy Memphis barbecue sauce. “I never thought I could give up hot wings,” says Mama Abioto, “but these pull apart just like chicken!”

Energy-enthusiasts can also look forward to living sweet treats (Amenta’s specialty) and themed supper club evenings, including a soul food night and the Midnight Scoffers, Intisar’s 12am feast which got its name from an obscure ‘80s flick.

Perhaps the Abioto clan can make sticking to our New Year’s resolutions a little less painful.

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Tags: Food News, Restaurant Openings, vegan, juice bar, living foods

A Sneakpeek at St. Jack’s Menu

Get a peek at what’s for dinner at the new SE Clinton St eatery from Aaron Barnett/ChefStable, open for regular dinner service December 27.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 08, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

This just in—a snapshot of the preliminary dinner menu for Southeast’s St. Jack:

Petit Plats, featuring simple, low-priced nibbles like Local Oysters with mignonette for $2 each, and Cervelle de Canut (warm marinated goat cheese with toasted baguette) for $6.

Hors D’oeuvres, consisting of soups, salads, and light-bites, such as the Salade Lyonnaise (frisee, bacon lardons, poached runner duck egg & bacon fat croutons) for $8, the Fisherman’s Stew with scallops, poached oysters, salmon roe & leeks ($12), and Sweetbreads, served with cauliflower puree and bacon, leek & caper vinaigrette ($12).

Plats Principaux, presenting the likes of Fried Rabbit with celeriac remoulade, honey & lemon, Coq a la Biere (half a chicken braised in farmhouse ale, with pearl onions, wild mushrooms & bacon) for $20, and—praise the lord!—Le Hamburger, which comes with gruyere, St. Jack sauce & pommes frites ($10), but you can gussy it up with bacon, caramelized onions, boudin noir, or a different cheese from their list.

There’s also a selection of Charcuterie De Maison (duh—this is Portland), and the delectable Desserts we mentioned last Friday.

As noted in that previous post, the pâtisserie portion of chef Aaron Barnett and ChefStable’s Kurt Huffman’s Lyonnaise-influenced bouchon (with pastries by Alissa Rozos) opens for business Monday, December 13, at 7am. You can also sign-up online now for a series soft-opening preview dinners on December 20, 21, and 22.

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Tags: Southeast Dining, Food News, Restaurant Openings, French, Bakery

Southeast’s St. Jack To Open Soon

The new Aaron Barnett/ChefStable SE Clinton St eatery is opening in three phases, starting Monday, December 13.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 03, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! In just over a week, the highly-anticipated new venture from chef Aaron Barnett and ChefStable’s Kurt Huffman — the Lyonnaise-influenced bouchon and pâtisserie combo, St. Jack — will be welcoming its first customers at 2039 SE Clinton St.

This is a grand opening in three acts.

ACT ONE: Monday, December, 13, the pâtisserie portion will begin serving coffee, pastries, and lunch items seven days a week, 7am-4pm. As EaterPDX reported, former Bluehour pastry chef Alissa Rozos will now be running St. Jack’s pasty department (think éclairs, croissants, cannelle, and madeleines), as well as sweetening the deal by producing tasty treats like apple tart tatin with fromage blanc ice cream and chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier crème anglaise for the restaurant’s dessert menu.

“Alissa is super talented,” says Huffman. “We are really excited for her to have her own storefront.”

The lunch menu will consist of simple, classic French soups, charcuterie, and sandwiches served on the très français baguette from little t american baker.

ACT TWO: Go online at www.stjackpdx.com ASAP to reserve your spot for one of the restaurant’s soft-opening preview dinners on December 20, 21, and 22. A jaw-dropping deal, $60 gets you a prix fixe menu with wine and beer pairings and an open bar. You heard me right, and the ticket price includes gratuity.

ACT THREE: The restaurant opens for reals December 27, and will be dishing up delectable down-home French country dinners Monday through Saturday until 10pm. The transition from bakery to restaurant will begin at 4pm, with Happy Hour starting at 4:30pm. Online reservations will be available in a couple weeks.

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Tags: Southeast Dining, Food News, Restaurant Openings, French, Bakery

Olive Oil CSA

A taste of Italy in your kitchen, and your friends’ kitchens too!

Posted by: Michelle Morico on Dec 02, 2010 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

Italian olives

View Slideshow » Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

Italian olives

View Slideshow » Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

Various goods (and goodies) fill up Dixon’s space, while a banner advertises his blog, Real Good Food.

View Slideshow » Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

A bottle of Italian extra-virgin olive oil, and three California bottles sit atop a table at Dixon’s “warehouse.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

A sign outside Dixon’s space advertising only a couple of the items he sells. He also sells vinegar, olives, beans and grains.

View Slideshow » Photo: Courtesy of Jim Dixon

Various yummy bottles of olive oil wait to be tasted

Jim Dixon, author of the blog Real Good Food, is importing olive oil from Italy and wants us all to enjoy it! No, really. But, what’s in it for him?

To put it simply, Dixon loves Italian extra-virgin olive oil. So, he did his due diligence and found a way to keep his supply plentiful without having to trek to Italy multiple times a year. He created the Olive Oil CSA (community-supported agriculture) last February to import olive oil in bulk for his 70+ existing customers. This year, he is opening up the opportunity to buy shares to the whole community. The CSA allows customers to purchase $100 shares which are then redeemed for $120 worth of oil, or any other product Dixon sells, like salt, vinegar, olives, beans, etc. Once Dixon has the funds (between $7,000-$10,000 depending on the amount of oil purchased), he contacts his small producers in Italy. The olive oil is then shipped and expected to arrive around March.

When Dixon and his wife first traveled to Italy, they delighted in the opportunity to experience authentic Italian olive oil and they tasted the difference it made in the flavors of Italian food. Growing accustomed to such a luxury, they decided there was no reason for Dixon not to import Italian olive oil. (Smart thinking.)

To order or to get more information, email Jim Dixon at jdixon@realgoodfood.com. Dixon also sells olive oil at his “warehouse” in Activspace located at 833 SE Main St. on Mondays, but recommends emailing him before heading over.

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Tags: Food News, Good Ideas, olive oil, real good food, italy