EAT BEAT

5 questions for: writer, baker, and pizza pie maker, KEN FORKISH

The local pastry and pizza master (and now book author-to-be!) weighs on what to eat, where to go, and why eaters love living in Portland.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on May 04, 2011 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

Photo: Alan Weiner

Ken Forkish and an oven.

Photo Credit: Alan Weiner

Week after week, Portland peeps are willing to wait an hour for a pie at Ken’s Artisan Pizza. Day after day, their Ken’s Artisan Bakery baguettes are half eaten before they make it home. It’s hard to believe that it all began over a decade ago when proprietor Ken Forkish decided to abandon his career in high tech, sell his Jaguar, and build a bakery—his very first food job. In one year his bakery saw visits from Alice Waters, Jacques Pépin, and André Soltner. And now, as of last week, the bread head (he learned his baguette methods at the San Francisco Baking Institute, he says, and the secret is using the best flour and never taking shortcuts) has a book deal with Ten Speed Press—it will be a cookbook with stories, as well as lots of great photos by Alan Weiner, and should be out in time for the holiday season, 2012.

Can’t wait? We got Ken to fork over his thoughts on his fabulous food and our culinary scenery.

1) How has the bakery scene changed since you got here?

When I opened my bakery in 2001, the two artisan bakeries in town were Pearl and Grand Central. Rosie’s small bakery on SE Division wasn’t well supported and closed, and Black Bear had just closed. Now we have Tim Healea’s excellent Little T American Baker in SE, Sweetpea vegan bakery, Greg Mistell’s Fleur de Lis bakery in NE, Julie Richardson and Matt Kappler’s Baker & Spice in SW, Two Tarts in NW, Nuvrei in the Pearl, and others. Pix was only at the Farmers Market when I opened, but now we also have excellent chocolateries with Verdun, Sahagún, Cacao, and Alma Chocolate. Where else in this country would you find this variety of quality bakeries, pâtisseries, and chocolateries in a town our size? It’s vast change since I opened 10 years ago, when the Atkins and South Beach diets were vilifying all-things starch. Now we embrace all the good stuff! I’m still working out my own plans for what’s next, but I’m thinking of opening a new restaurant in a year or two.

2) Portland seems to be having a gourmet comfort food renaissance—pizza, fried chicken, burgers, etc. What’s your two cents about what’s going on with the local culinary scene?

I’m a very big fan. I travel a few times each year and always look forward to returning home to restaurants where having quality food doesn’t require an increase in the formality of the dining room. When I opened my bakery, the kitchen talent was all in fine dining; now the talent is also in more relaxed places serving high quality food that embraces our seasonal produce, in an atmosphere appealing to a broader range of people. Look at the busiest restaurants in town: Toro Bravo, Tasty n Sons, Pok Pok, and Laurelhurst Market food and definitely not white tablecloth. What we have here is an embrace of the casual, a Portland-specific idea of what a restaurant needs to look and act like, a growing population supporting our homegrown restaurants as a principal form of entertainment, and an economy that allows younger chefs to open and run their own restaurants. I think the infusion of youth in the ownership ranks was a necessary force in our town’s dining out evolution.

3) What’s your perfect pizza experience?

Tricky question! My perfect pie changes with my mood or the season. I prefer simple toppings of the highest quality: perfect cherry tomatoes in the summer, or, right now, our Finnochiona pizza made with Olympic Provisions salami—you can taste the quality of the meat and the cure, and we counterpoint the fennel seed in the salami with shaved fennel on the pie. As for a drink-and-pizza pairing, more often than not I’ll go to a Sangiovese such as a good Chianti or a Rosso di Montalcino from Siro Pacenti, but I’m also happy with a nice Pinot from Cameron, Chehalem, Grochau Cellars, Evesham Wood, or J. Christopher, or a Barbera from Piedmont. Nothing wrong with a cold Pilsner, either, or a good rosé. Afterward, give me ice cream or my pizzeria’s lambrusco-rhubarb sorbetto and a cookie, please. If I’m feeling groovy, maybe a shot of grappa at the end.

4) How did you learn to make your ridiculously addictive canelés?

I didn’t learn canelés from anyone, but 15 years ago I had a French girlfriend and she introduced me to canelés at Poujauran’s boulangerie in Paris. They tasted of honey, almonds, and cake, with a perfectly crispy outside, and I was immediately intrigued. I searched them out at other Paris shops and became acquainted with the variety of styles, from lightly baked and custardy in the middle (not my thing) to a little more cakey in the middle and crisp on the outside. For a small fortune, I purchased a bunch of the copper molds at E. Dehillerin in Paris and went to work with a couple different recipes until I found the texture and flavor I like. Key is lining the inside of the molds with melted beeswax before pouring in the batter. Keep your eyes open for the next issue of The Art of Eating, in which Molly Wizenberg wrote a feature on canelés. She interviewed me along with Pierre Herme (!). Okay, he’s the king of pastry and I’m this little guy in PDX, but I got a kick out of being a source for the same article.

5) Where are you loving eating right now?

I have many favorite restaurants, from long-termers like Paley’s Place, Higgins, and Park Kitchen, to the usual suspects like Pok Pok, Toro Bravo, Grüner, Le Pigeon, and Little Bird. Lincoln, Ned Ludd, Nostrana, and Biwa are also high on my go-to list. Of the newer openings, I’m particularly fond of June, and Kin on NW 14th wins my “best restaurant that’s least appreciated” nod—I’m currently craving Kevin’s pork buns. Then there are two restaurants that get no press but have loyal followings and I love them: Ciao Vito and Bastas both have excellent Italian food and wine lists. When I eat out, the wine list is something I enjoy in addition to the scene, the food, and the décor. Just saying.

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Tags: Books, Interview, five questions, Pizza, Bakery

5 Questions for: Graped Crusader, STAR BLACK

Clyde Common and Olympic Provisions’ wine director talks natural wines, modern pairings, and the upcoming wine revolution.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Apr 11, 2011 at 01:40PM 4 Comments

Star Black is on a mission. As the wine director at some of Portland’s hottest restaurants, she’s hoping to translate the city’s obsessions with artisan foods, small distilleries, micro-brews and locally-roasted coffee into a love of well-crafted wine – and she wants you to join her. The stylish redhead is behind the well-curated wine list at Clyde Common, and she’s played an essential role in the redefinition and expansion of Nate Tilden’s Olympic Provisions empire. With the opening of the new Olympic Provisions Northwest in April, Black will head the wine selection of both charcuterie outposts and Clyde Common.

Black’s passion for vino is clearly on display as she carefully unpacks tall stacks of bottles in front of the “wine wall” at Olympic Provisions’ industrial Southeast headquarters. Seeing her hold up each bottle to the light like a new baby, it’s easy to imagine her leading the next generation of wine lovers in what’s quickly becoming Sip City, USA.

Here, Black gives us a taste of her wine philosophy and what’s next in her plans to take over the world, one glass at a time.

1) First things first – How did you get started with wine?

I came into wine through food. I went to culinary school and was a cook for many years in restaurants in New York, and I would sit in on wine meetings with the front of the house staff and pester the sommelier, asking tons of questions. I was just so amazed one grape could become so many different things, I just realized I loved wine and needed to know more. I was also getting burnt out on cooking, so I quit my job in a Brooklyn restaurant and took a long walk home instead of riding the subway. I walked past a wine shop, stopped to talk to the proprietor, and bought a bottle of wine. I came back a few days later with a resume.

2) Given your experience with both food and wine, how do you think the two are related?

There’s been a revolution in wine over the past 5-10 years of “natural” winemaking, biodynamic wines, old-school indigenous varietals, un-messed-with fermentations and natural yeasts with minimal manipulation, which is a total parallel to what’s happening in the food world right now. That’s really what’s going to draw in the next generation of wine lovers. I see people getting up early to go to the Portland Farmers’ Market on a Saturday morning, these cool, young people toting canvas bags full of beautiful produce, meats, and cheeses. Wine is just an extension of that. It’s an agricultural product that should attract people who care about what they put in their mouth.

3) Are there differences between how you approach the wine selections at Clyde Common and Olympic Provisions?

At the core, both restaurants have the same underlying philosophy of offering interesting producers, wines from Europe and Oregon, and natural winemaking. However, Clyde is a more traditional restaurant – in that there is a structured menu, with entrees, appetizers, and dessert – that calls for more traditional pairings, whereas Olympic Provisions is first and foremost a charcuterie facility. Right now I’m expanding Olympic Provisions’ wine list, and offering all of our wines at 25% off the menu’s list price, which I really hope will get people tasting as much wine as possible. There’s a whole world of pairing wine with these fantastic cured meats, which is so much fun.

4) Speaking of which, OP chef Alex Yoder recently described the perfect Olympic Provisions meal and, as far as wine goes, said, “I don’t worry too much about pairing. My advice is to drink what you like.” What’s your take on wine pairings?

I think wine pairing is still completely relevant. Beautiful food deserves beautiful wine, and the two are great dance partners. Wine can definitely enhance the flavor of food, but the old rules of ‘white with fish, red with meat’ are so out the window and everyone knows it. I’ve actually been really excited about Sherry pairings, and we’re doing a Sherry flight [at Olympic Provisions] that is really taking off. Wine pairing shouldn’t be intimidating. At home, I drink a lot of rosé and white wine. I don’t drink much red because my palate gets fatigued from all the stronger wines at work, and I usually just want something clean and refreshing.

5) Portland is head over heels for coffee, beer, and spirits – how do you tap into that when you’re creating a wine list or helping someone select a bottle?

Wine has a reputation for being intimidating and exclusively for the wealthy, and that’s too bad, because it’s none of those things. It’s a rotted grape. It’s so humble, but so incredible. My ultimate goal is to normalize wine and make it a really cool interesting thing, like those varieties of coffee beans or different kinds of hops. I’m always inviting guests at the restaurants to taste a few of the different wines I have open, try to get them to hone in on something that is just really interesting to them. Wine is awesome, and so personal. You just need to find your own style.

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Tags: Southwest Dining, Southeast Dining, Wine, Interview, five questions

5 questions for: hot, young talent ALEX YODER

Olympic Provisions’ executive chef chats about cookbooks, trends, and choice places to eat.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Mar 21, 2011 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Alex Yoder was literally born to cook in Portland. Raised in a Northeast neighborhood by a family of cooks, he found his calling while working at Ashland’s venerable Chateaulin during college, but then returned to his hometown where he worked his way up from line cook to Café Castagna sous chef under then-executive chef Kevin Gibson, followed by a similar path at Clyde Common. In December, he followed in the footsteps of his former CC boss, Jason Barwikowski, taking the helm at Olympic Provisions.

Plopping down in a place that’s already notable—and replacing a chef with a known and respected reputation—may seem a little daunting. But so far this top spot transition has been pretty seamless, an all the more impressive feat because it comes at a time when the Eastside eatery is opening a new outpost (Olympic Provisions Northwest, scheduled for early-to-mid-April), launching an online store, and expanding their fresh and cured flesh line to include the likes of bacon, kielbasas, coppa, pancetta, and more.

Here, Yoder gives us a little insight into his own culinary style and makes us hungry.

1) We’re gonna start with a two-parter: A. In what ways are you making your mark on the Olympic Provisions menu? And, B. Can you give us an example of a perfect OP meal from start to finish?

The food I’m cooking is all about focus and big flavors, with just one or two highly flavorful components to each dish. An example would be our whole-roasted sardines with a mixed olive tapenade.

As for the perfect Olympic Provisions meal, it must start with a charcuterie plate. After that I would enjoy a toasted farro salad with mint and feta cheese, followed by squid sautéed with chorizo and corona beans—the squid is fresh and stays very tender… it’s really nice right now. As for what to drink with your meal, when I’m sampling a lot of different flavors, I don’t worry too much about pairing. My advice is to drink what you like. And for me, right now, that would be Barbera D’Alba.

2) Beginning in April, you’re going to start doing a special monthly menu that focuses on a particular region—can you give us a few highlights from the premiere performance?

The first region I’m going to feature in the series is Murcia in Southeastern Spain. This region is recognized throughout Europe for its pristine fruits, vegetables, and seafood. I am definitely going to make a cold shrimp and mussel salad with capers and Spanish olive oil. But the real highlight will be a dish called Arroz con Costra, which translates to “Rice with a Crust.” It’s a too-good-to-be-true sounding combination of rice, blood sausage, white sausage, and chicken, baked underneath a golden dome of fluffy whipped eggs.

3) We went ahead and labeled you a hot, young talent, thus we’d love to know what’s driving your culinary thinking right now?

The big thing exciting me right now is preserving. Oregon has amazing bounty for much of the year but it can get pretty lean in the winter. (By April I don’t even want to look at a sunchoke!) So, the challenge is to translate that bounty into great cooking and eating year-round. This goes beyond making pickles and jam. For examples, it means preserving peppers and tomatoes to use as ingredients all year as well. Preserving will be a major part of what the Olympic Provisions kitchen will be up to this spring and summer.

4) We hear you’re a fan of cookbooks—which ones are your current favorites?

I will always love the Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rogers because of her obsessive attention to detail. She trains her young cooks to taste stock every hour so as to track how its flavor evolves. Genius. I also adore Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison. Her vegetarian dishes honor tradition and never lack flavor, and she tells you how to cook a cardoon! Right now I am re-reading John Thorne’s Pot On The Fire—it’s not a cookbook, but it does include excellent recipes. Thorne is the most thoughtful food writer of all time as far as I’m concerned.

5) So, you grew up here in Portland—where did you love eating as a youngster, and where do you dine now when you actually have the time?

I grew up going to Nicholas, Pambiche, and Escape from New York Pizza, and when the grandparents visited, they would take me to the Ringside. I still go to all those places. These days, though, my favorite things to eat for lunch are duck soup at Good Taste Noodle House, and anything Kevin is cooking at Evoe. My favorite things for dinner are the whole steamed bass at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant, and mussels and fries at Laurelhurst Market. I grew up in Laurelhurst so perhaps I’m biased, but I think they’re cooking very well over there.

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Tags: Southeast Dining, Interview, five questions, Northwest Portland Dining, charcuterie

5 questions for: master pasta maker, ADAM BERGER

The proprietor of Northeast’s Tabla Bistro talks positivity, pasta, and tasty places other peeps are eating.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Feb 16, 2011 at 08:45AM 1 Comments

A month and a half after the tumultuous Ten 01 succumbed to a combo of the economy, size, and the somewhat fair weather Portland dining set, its former proprietor, Adam Berger, 41, has refocused all his energy on his original Portland eatery across the river, Tabla (200 NE 28th Ave). Unlike its bigger, splashier, doomed to a perpetual “rocky start” or “rollercoaster” reputation younger brother, Tabla has remained neighborhood-y and relatively consistent. Dishing up Mediterranean fare from regions like Spain, France, Northern Africa, and Italy, Tabla was one of the first restaurants in Portland to peddle tapas and employs old Italian techniques for handcrafting fresh pasta that is presented with modern twists.

Here, Berger chats with us about moving on, making pasta, and where he might eat if he didn’t have three little macaroni of his own at home.

1) What’s your post-Ten 01 takeaway about the current state of Portland’s restaurant scene?

People in Portland, like everywhere, love novelty and the excitement of going to the “new” place. Restaurants definitely have a life span. Some live short and fast, while others become multigenerational. Both contribute to the variety of Portland’s exceptional dining scene. I am very optimistic about what’s going on here.

2) What’s got you excited these days?

I’m excited about being at Tabla every day and being able to focus on one restaurant. I know chef Anthony [Cafiero] will be cooking some exciting new dishes when he gets back from Spain, where he has visited lots of tapas bars and some very high-end restaurants in Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastian. I’m also planning on doing a series of dinners based on Anthony’s trip, which should be phenomenal, and we are going to be reaching out to our favorite local winemakers for some fun events.

3) What should we be eating at Tabla today?

We make five or six different pastas fresh everyday and they are all outstanding. The Tabla Ravioli, for example, is still one of my favorite dishes. It’s one giant ravioli filled with ricotta, chard, and an egg yolk, simmered for two minutes so that the pasta is perfectly cooked and the yolk is runny, and then garnished with butter, cheese, and poppy seeds—awesome! Another favorite pasta dish recently has been a simple pork sugo. Anthony brought in his pressure cooker and all the cooks fell in love with it. We make a wonderfully simple sugo with pork shoulder, white wine, tomato, garlic, onion, and prosciutto, pressure cook it for 45 minutes, and then toss it with fresh pappardelle and some grated parmigiano reggiano. Amazing!

4) I hear you took some staff over to Tabla from Ten 01—in addition to crave-worthy pastry chef Jeff McCarthy, can we get some names?

I took Kara and Greg from the Ten 01 bar when two of my Tabla servers moved on. Lia Termini is doing a really great job as my bar manager at Tabla and I knew that Kara and Greg would both be a good fit—our cocktail program is really one of the best-kept secrets in Portland. But I wish I could have taken my whole Ten 01 staff over. They were all very good.

5) What are some other restaurants around town that you are loving right now?

Besides working nights, I have three small children at home, so we don’t go out all that often. I eat vicariously through my staff. They’ve enjoyed St. Jack and Little Bird and always go to Meat Cheese Bread and Biwa.

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Tags: Northeast Dining, Interview, five questions, tapas, Mediterranean Cuisine

5 questions for: crackerjack chocolatier, AUBREY LINDLEY

The co-owner of downtown’s Cacao Drink Chocolate shops chats about trends and sweet treats.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 28, 2011 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

With two downtown locations (414 SW 13th Ave and 712 SW Salmon St, tucked in a corner of the Heathman), Cacao Drink Chocolate is a sea foam green and milky brown fantasyland for choco-files. Just plain pretty to look at, these stores offer an extensive range of artistically-arranged premium solid chocolate bars from around the world, select handmade delectables, and their own wildly-popular drinking and hot chocolates. Co-owners Jesse Manis and Aubrey Lindley set the thermostat at 67 degrees to preserve the goods, and yet the shops always manage to feel warm and welcoming.

As a choco-fiend myself, the way that Lindley answers the following cacao questions is enough to heat my blood.

1) What are some chocolate trends you foresee for 2011?

We are continuing to see a lot of interest in bean-to-bar manufacturers, including people experimenting at home with raw or roasted cacao beans and using home devices such as an oven, a Champion juicer, and a rock tumbler. It’s similar to roasting your own coffee beans, but with a ton more work. Also, two years ago no chocolate maker was willing to add anything to their chocolate. But now they realize that adding something like salt, caramel, spice, bacon, or peanut butter can actually enhance their chocolate’s flavors and broaden their potential audience. Yet another continuing trend is nutraceutical-marketed chocolate—categories like raw or products with alternative sweeteners or added nutritional supplements.

2) If someone was only in town for a day, what three things must they order from you?

Our store is founded on the principle that we have something for most people, but very little is for everyone. It would depend on where the customer is from and what they’re interested in. If someone wanted to learn about chocolate, for example, then I would suggest a mini tasting kit from Pralus, New Taste of Chocolate by Maricel Presilla, and a Claudio Corallo Soft bar. Or if they simply wanted some delicious things, then maybe Béquet Celtic Sea Salt Caramel, Pralus Barre Infernalle, and Cacao Spicy Drinking Chocolate.

3) You opened for business in 2006—what’s next for Cacao?

Enhancing the offerings in the café, along with finally producing packaged drinking chocolate mixes—these will be available before the end of this year. We will also continue to do more public events, hosting chocolate makers and chocolatiers for tastings and presentations.

4) What other Portland chocolatiers, candy stores, or even restaurants help inspire you and keep you creative?

We work with many talented, local chocolatiers who inspire us in their own way, such as Elizabeth Montes at Sahagun, David Briggs at Xocolatl de David, Sebastian Cisneros at Cocanú, and John Depaula at Depaula Confections. We’re also inspired by Evoe, Cheese Bar, Olympic Provisions, Kir, Por Qué No, Biwa, Nong’s Khao Man Gai, little t american baker, and the list goes on and on and on.

5) In your expert opinion, what is the most perfect chocolate experience on earth?

For me, chocolate is like life—I can’t imagine one best experience. I want continued access to an ever-evolving selection of the best so that I can have that amazing “wow” moment again and again. For example, last weekend Art Pollard from Amano handed me a piece of chocolate that he is working on that was a brilliant explosion of tart, concentrated red fruit with a little bit of walnut or leather or tobacco underneath. I had been drinking gin and tonics earlier so my palate was not what it might have been…

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Tags: Interview, five questions, Downtown Dining, Chocolate

5 questions for: wine country wizard ERIC BECHARD

Thistle’s dashing defender of local pigs dishes about the upcoming Community Plate and other places to eat good in his neighborhood.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 14, 2011 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Eric Bechard, commander-in-chef of wine country’s classy Thistle, will be opening a new establishment in McMinnville this February. Sporting a more casual, everybody-knows-your-name vibe, Community Plate will cater to the area’s indigenous populace—cellar rats, tasting room kids, wine makers, Linfield College students, restaurant industry folk, and neighborhood peeps. Well, and any out-of-towners who want to drive over and appreciate the cornucopia of native food and drink that spilleth over in Oregon’s wine country.

According to the 32-year-old restaurateur, his new venture’s cuisine will be an extension of the philosophies that guide Thistle, namely a fierce passion for cooking with meat, fish, cheese, and produce that is only a hop, skip, or short drive from its origins.

The Morning Menu (8-11:30am) will feature Stumptown coffee and treats like baked eggs and house-made scones, croissants, and breakfast breads. For Lunch (11:30am-4pm), expect seasonal salads, soups, and sandwiches, as well as a Ploughmans plate and small bites such as deviled eggs and spiced filberts. At Dinner (5-10pm) you can select a protein like roast chicken, meatloaf, or rockfish to pair with sides like mashed potatoes, collard greens, and spring peas. And it’s all served in airy, refurbished 120-year-old historic building in Old Town (3rd Street) with antique industrial décor, communal tables, and an open kitchen, natch.

We caught up with the busy Bechard and asked for an insider’s POV on Community Plate and the region he holds so dear.

1) With one successful wine country restaurant already under your belt, why this style of restaurant in this location right now?

Because it doesn’t exist. Made up of many communities, wine country is not just a tourist destination. The locals want something that can offer the quality of a “wine country restaurant” without the price tag—a casual neighborhood eatery that appeals to everyone who calls the Willamette Valley home.

2) You refer to the menu as “Old School Cookery”—what exactly does that mean?

Classic Americana, pork chops and applesauce, the dishes and foods our grandmothers made for us as children. The twists will be in the techniques and ingredients, making these dishes new and exciting while at the same time familiar.

3) If someone was going to eat breakfast, lunch AND dinner at Community Plate in one day, what eats are too awesome to be missed?

Start with an espresso and a bowl of steel-cut oats with buckwheat honey and dried figs. Midday, get the thick-cut bacon and soft-boiled egg sandwich with a cup of green tomato soup. To end the day, have the burger (1/3 pound ground chuck, horseradish mayo, caramelized onions, white cheddar, and arugula) and house-cut fries or roast chicken with baked mac and cheese and vinegary greens. Either way, finish with a slice of huckleberry pie and loose cream.

4) Who do you look to for culinary inspiration?

I am inspired by farmers, winemakers, and chefs who are passionate about their craft. Farm: Kullas (Oakhill Organics), Mike (Gaining Ground Farm), Mckibbons (McK Ranch), and Judy (Slow Food Yamhill County). Wine Industry: Tad (Ransom Wines & Spirits), The Myers (Vinetenders), and Remy (Remy Wines). Chefs: Matt Lightner (Castagna) and Ben Meyer (Grain & Gristle). Individuals who are striving to make their culinary scene and community more interesting and diverse get me excited to be part of this field.

5) What are some other wine country restaurants you’re loving right now?

The Blue Goat in Amity (amazing vegetarian empanadas), El Paraiso Taco Truck (the beef tongue and goat torta is happiness on a bun), and Kame—the udon noodle soup with a poached egg is Japanese comfort food.

Community Plate hours: Tues & Wed, 8am-4pm, Thurs-Mon, 8am-10pm.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings, Interview, 5 questions, wine country

New Year’s Resolutions 101

Trim down tips you’ll actually enjoy from Jenn Louis, chef/owner of NoPo’s Lincoln

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 03, 2011 at 10:15AM 0 Comments

Jenn Louis, chef/owner of North Portland’s consistently delicious, fresh, and elegantly innovative Lincoln, was a skinny kid. “I was a competitive runner and worked out,” she says. “Then I got married, started a business, and got a little lazy.”

In addition to skipping her workouts, eating too many rich foods in the line of duty helped Louis pack on some extra padding. But about five years ago, she realized she didn’t have the energy and strength she needed for the very physical job of cooking in a crazy-busy kitchen. The solution wasn’t a fad diet like starving herself or subsisting only on animal parts. Instead, she started up a vigorous exercise routine and changed how she ate, controlling the portions and choosing leaner but more filling and nutrient-packed foods. After about a year, she’d lost 35 pounds.

Even here in Portland, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have shedding a little waistline or butt baggage—or at least toning up and improving their health—on their New Year’s resolution list. To help kick-start your self-improvement, Louis has five tips for low-cal ways to work with winter ingredients.

1) GREENS: Eat lots of greens, such as kale, cabbage, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc. They’re in season and are both naturally quite low in calories and loaded with great vitamins. Braised greens are wonderful with all sorts of proteins for a side dish, as well as whole grains or beans like corona, flageolet, and borlotti for a vegetarian entrée.

2) OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN STOCK/SOUP: Make homemade chicken stock (I call it “liquid gold”) and use it for brothy soups. You can load them with vegetables, greens, beans, and lean protein. They are satisfying and will keep you warm in this cold weather.

3) FRUIT: Snack on winter fruits like tangerines, pears, apples, oranges, and dates. Fruit is a great low-calorie, low-fat, high fiber, and vitamin-packed solution when you need something between meals.

4) FARRO: Whole grains (not milled flours) are great for your body. They are lean, high in protein, and filling.

5) SQUASH: Rather than pasta or refined rice, get your starch from roasted squash. It provides great nutrition and is delicious. There are so many varieties! Start with one type and see how many others you can try by the end of winter.

RECIPE: Kale Bagna Cauda
Serves 4 as a side dish

1 pound kale, thick stems removed
6 T olive oil
1.5 t chile flakes
3 small cloves garlic, sliced very thin
8 anchovies, packed in olive oil
2 t lemon juice

Blanch kale in salted boiling water until wilted and the chalky flavor disappears. Remove kale from heat and shock in ice water until the greens are very cold. Remove kale from ice water and squeeze out all excess water. Slice into thick ribbons and set aside.

In a medium pan, warm olive oil, chile flakes, garlic, and anchovies over medium heat. Use the back of a fork to break up anchovies as mixture warms. Anchovies will dissolve and flavors will meld. Add kale and warm through. Squeeze lemon over kale, season with kosher salt and pepper, and serve.

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Tags: Recipes, Interview, North Portland Dining, Slim Down

5 questions for: new fangled-foodie MATT LIGHTNER

Castagna’s culinary lightning bolt briefly talks trends and tantalizing tidbits.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 31, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Call him our gastronomic Harry Potter…David Blaine…Pablo Picasso. Whether they deem him a wizard, magician, or artist in the kitchen, the local and national culinary critics can’t seem to stop praising Matt Lightner, 30, executive chef at Castagna since October 2009.

A few of his accolades in 14 short months? Named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s 2010 Best New Chefs in America. Nominated for a 2010 Rising Star chef award by the James Beard Foundation. Chosen as one of 10 to Watch in 2010 by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. Catagna received the Oregonian’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year award, making it one of only two restaurants in Portland to have been honored with the title twice. And, of course, it was one of Portland Monthly’s Top Restaurants of the Year in the 2010 Restaurant Guide.

A graduate of the Western Culinary Institute a.k.a. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland and trained in the field by the likes of Andoni Aduriz at Mugaritz (a Michelin two-star restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain) and Philippe Boulot at the Heathman Restaurant & Bar here in Portland, Lightner has made his own mark by using both traditional (e.g. grilling, brining, smoking) and modern (e.g. sous vide, painting, powdering) cooking techniques to play with local, often wild ingredients in entirely new ways. The result is innovative dishes that surprise and educate diners by elevating true flavors and invoking a visual connection to the fertile Northwest.

New Year’s Eve is essentially the food scene Super Bowl, but here the young chef takes a brief break to answer a few questions for us about what’s cooking—past, present, and future.

1) What one item on your menu right now would you say best represents your philosophy of cooking perfected on a plate?

A dish of lightly-cured scallops dressed with a milk made from parsley root, an ice made from the juice of unripe pears, and dandelion greens. It allows us to use very mainstream ingredients in a new fashion, taking a time of year that’s generally rich and heavy and, instead, making it refreshing.

2) What’s a food trend you predict for 2011?

Chefs’ using fresh juice, and herbs appearing as an ingredient, not just a garnish—essentially, lowering the calories while upping the flavor.

3) What’s a 2010 food trend you’d like to see disappeared?

Putting everything on the plate. I know there’s a lot of great product out there, but practicing a bit of restraint can actually highlight items even more.

4) What other menus do you like to scope out here in Portland?

Hard to say… There seems to be something interesting going on every week in our food scene, from Gabe opening up little bird, to FIN’s unique style, to the super local Ned Ludd and Grain & Gristle.

5) Here we are in the dead of winter—what are some of the techniques you plan to play with as we launch into the new year?

This time of year we are inspired by the hunting season so we look back in time at some pretty old traditions such as curing, drying, and making sausage—but doing these things in our style, and very, very carefully.

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Tags: Southeast Dining, Interview, five questions, local

5 questions for: JON HART, an eater.shopper extraordinaire

The frequent eat.shop portland contributor gets candid about the culinary scene in the City of Roses and the City of Lights, and why he’s the guy to gab about it.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 17, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

In the encyclopedia under “Wears a lot of hats”: Jon Hart. He writes for magazines like Casa da Abitare, a super cool Italian design rag. He co-owns a hip bag line called Chester Wallace, which is sold in a dozen or so stores around the U.S. and Japan. He’s in the midst of building a house which he helped design, and is now involved in the construction. He works at Evoe two days a week simply because he loves cooking. And he is a contributor to the très stylish eat.shop portland guide, as well as author of the paris version.

In honor of the hot-off-the press sixth edition of our city’s little green compendium of carefully-curated unique and “scrumdilicious” local businesses, we asked our Jon-of-all-trades to talk details about the edible half of his guide gig.

1) In your humble opinion, why are you uniquely qualified to dish about what’s worth eating in Portland?

It’s what I’ve always done. When I travel, I am always in pursuit of something delicious, and in that pursuit, I’ll eat anything. This often means I’m trying a lot of things that aren’t really great, but when I do find something amazing, I feel like I’ve won. I’ve now lived in Portland for about 18 years, and during that time I’ve worked in or been closely associated with the restaurant world. I’ve watched the city grow from a great farmer’s market and a few very good fine dining places, to what we have today. So, I’m a Portland booster.

2) Let’s say a person found out they were going to die in three days; what are the three local places where they MUST eat and what should they order?

I’d probably want to cook for them if they were on their death bed. But let’s assume they have some energy and aren’t dying of anything terrible—I’d take them to Grüner for the hamburger, and then go to Murata and have Mr. Murata keep feeding us miso grilled oysters, mackerel nigiri, and tiny, fried fresh water crabs until we were ready for dessert. We would end the night at Nostrana with the yogurt panna cotta and the butterscotch budino. And then we would go home and both want to die from over-indulgence.

3) In eat.shop portland you name eight carts that you love; what two carts would you add to make the list a perfect 10?

The first two that popped into my head are Tabor and FlavourSpot. By name alone, Tabor’s schnitzelwich would make anybody’s mouth smile and water. And Flavourspot almost seems to have invented a new food group with sandwiches made out of waffles.

4) You also write for eat.shop paris—in so doing have you noticed any culinary similarities between the two p-towns?

I’ve been traveling to Paris a lot over the past 15 years, and I’d say yes, and much more so recently. In the past, Paris restaurants have been focused on technique, which means sauces, richness, and stuff based on tradition. But in recent years, with places like Le Baratin, Racines, and Les Papilles, things have gotten much more casual and ingredient-focused and are often served in a wine bar atmosphere. This seems like Portland to me, in the sense that more interesting cooking is taking place in casual places. At Le Baratin I had the most delicious fried whole colinot fish with sauce gribiche (tartar sauce) for less than $20. It was light, simple, and delicious—a refreshing break from things baked under puff pastry and sitting in a pool of wine sauce or cream. It reminded me of something that might be served at Evoe or Navarre. In fact, we soon were serving pan-fried razor clams with sauce gribiche at Evoe.

5) What’s the last local place where you went out to eat, and what did you think of it?

It’s the dark rainy season so I want some comfort when I go out. I went to Dove Vivi this week and had the kale salad and a slice of Finocchiona pizza. That kale salad has inspired a lot of salads at my house. Raw kale chopped fine and tossed in lemon and olive oil and topped with a little riccota salata. It’s deceiving because it looks like a pile of tough, leathery greens that are going to be a drag to eat; but the lemon makes the leaves tender and delicious. I could eat it all winter long.

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Tags: Interview, book, author, five questions, French, local

5 questions for: PAUL GERALD, a morning meal maestro

The author and breakfast buff banters about the second edition of his book, Breakfast in Bridgetown, and gives insider tips on where and what to eat now.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Dec 06, 2010 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Meet the author at his Breakfast Book Launch Party, 5:30-8pm, Tuesday, December 14, at Cafe Nell. A short program at 6:30pm will feature comments from Gerald and contributors Nick Zukin (Kenny & Zuke’s; ExtraMSG.com) and Brett Burmeister (FoodCartsPortland.com). The “breakfast-for-dinner” menu will include tasty treats like house-made pork sausages, shrimp and grits, and silver dollar pumpkin pancakes. Signed breakfast books are $16 each, or two for $30. $2 from every sale will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank.

Are you cuckoo for Coco Puffs? Or maybe gaga for gravy? Psycho for scrambles? A freak for French toast? Mad as a hatter for maple syrup and pancakes?

Lucky for you, Portland author, freelance writer, and self-publishing consultant Paul Gerald has just published a second serving of his popular book, Breakfast in Bridgetown. The new edition includes over 120 Portland-area morning meal reviews, a new chapter on ethnic breakfasts written by Kenny & Zuke’s co-owner Nick Zukin, and new sections on food carts and out-of-town hot spots. Gerald is not a proper restaurant critic, he proclaims. Instead, he aims to tell an engaging story about each breakfast joint, including the vibe and who eats there, as well as what the food is like, wait times, vegetarian options, and, of course, what kind of coffee they serve.

Here, Gerald is kind enough to dish about our fair city’s favorite meal and the morning dining destinations that are truly drool-worthy.

1) Why do you think Portland is so bonkers for breakfast?

Because we’re a town of slackers? Seriously, I think we’re a very social town, filled with people who moved here to make a fresh start, try their own thing, and dig the lifestyle. All of that means we’re a social lot with time on our hands, and the restaurant scene is nuts, as we all know. And, finally, restaurants make more money per person on breakfast than any other meal, so it’s in their best interest to serve it.

2) Let’s say a person just found out they were going to die in three days; what are the three places they MUST go for breakfast and what should they order? Oh, and one of them has to be a cart.

Your appetizer is the Monte Cristo Sandwich at The Big Egg cart on N Mississippi St: an egg any style, grilled black forest ham, and gorgonzola, drizzled with a pure maple glaze and stacked between two pieces of vanilla cardamom brioche French toast, and dusted with powdered sugar. (Note: The Big Egg is taking a break until early February, but they are worth the wait.) Your main course is the oyster hash at the Bijou Café downtown. And for dessert, go to Jam on Hawthorne and get the lemon-ricotta pancakes.

3) What are a few of Nick Zukin’s top ethnic breakfast joint picks?

Among Mexican food options, one of his favorites (and mine) is Autentica, because of their fresh, authentic cuisine, as well as the smug joy of watching the suckers in line for Cup & Saucer Café across the street. Otherwise, he says to go west, like to Taqueria Hermanos Ochoa’s in Hillsboro (get the huevos con chorizo) or to Chavita’s in Beaverton, where he recommends champurrado: a corn gruel filled with chocolate, and “better than it sounds.” Then there’s Asian, and he says the best dim sum in town can be found at Ocean City Seafood on SE 82nd. As to what to order there, you’ll have to read for yourself.

4) Are there any new breakfast places on your hot list that you didn’t include in your book?

There’s a new place called City State Diner on NE 28th, but I didn’t think much of it. I read a review that said it wasn’t flashy or cutting-edge, and I thought, “Hmm, that’s what I usually say when I don’t think a place is very good.” I just want John Gorham to open another one. He gave us Simpatica and Tasty n Sons, and we need more of such things.

5) What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

Today I was selling books at Skidmore Market, which means it was Honey Nut Cheerios with soy milk and stovetop espresso at home, followed by a morning bun and a cup of Stumptown from Ken’s Artisan Bakery on NW 21st. And since the market was slow, I wandered over to Flavour Spot on SW 3rd to get a waffle with sausage and maple spread. I have seven sweet teeth and, at this rate, won’t see the age of 50.

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Tags: Interview, book, author, five questions, Breakfast

Chef Q & A: Micah Camden

Little Big Burger is bringing fast, affordable sliders-on-steroids to foodies in The Pearl.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Sep 01, 2010 at 10:30AM 3 Comments

Micah Camden’s preliminary “little big burger” with Rogue blue cheese!

If you haven’t already heard word of the latest culinary venture from chef Micah Camden (Yakuza, Fats, DOC), you are likely sick or dead. Scheduled to open at 122 NW 10th Avenue sometime this week or next (i.e. whenever Camden finally receives a delayed but necessary piece of grill equipment), Little Big Burger (lbb) will serve up an ultra-simple menu: one burger, sodas, floats, beer, and — lest you fear this burger joint ain’t foodie enough — Yukon Gold fries spritzed with truffle oil and Maldon Sea Salt. And it will all be available 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily, in a futuristic graphic novel-esque space, featuring the mind-bending murals of local artist Damien Gilley.

Camden was kind enough to answer five lbb-related questions to quell our curiosity — and to keep us from rioting until he can open his doors.

1) Can you give us all the stats on your star player so that we can brag to our friends that we’re in the know?

The lbb is not to be confused with a slider, as you can usually finish sliders off in two to three bites; ours is a good five bites, so long as you’re not trying to show off for your friends. The meat is hand-formed Cascade Natural, the locally-made buns are brushed with brown butter before being toasted on the flat top, and you can order your lbb with one of four local cheeses, including Tillamook cheddar and Swiss as well as Rogue chèvre and Oregon Blue. It also comes with the standard fixins’: lettuce, pickle, and onion (all organic!), and tomatoes when in season. The aioli and catsup are both made in house, and we top off all burgers with my signature shoelace potato crisps.

(Super secret insider tip: a vegetarian option, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and crispy bacon aren’t on the menu, but you just might get it all if you ask.)

2) How do you personally like your burger prepared?

My perfect burger consists of a good rough-cut meat, seasoned well with only salt and pepper, cooked to a perfect medium, topped with quality stilton, and served on a nicely toasted bun, with a thick cut of a crisp sweet onion and a pickle on the side — nothing else. If left on the burger while it’s resting, the stilton will start to ooze into the burger, eliminating need for catsup.

3) What other burger joints has Little Big Burger been compared to, and how are you different and/or better?

I don’t think that it’s being compared to anything else in the country yet, and for good reason. I feel that lbb is pretty unique in that it’s not corporate and yet it’s very “accessible” to people both financially and mentally the same way that an In-N-Out would be. As far as being better than the next person, let’s just say the years I’ve been doing food in Portland have taught me to curb my ego and let the food do the talking!

4) Would you ever go chain?

The jury is still out on that one… I would consider multiple locations only if all of the food components could be supplied locally, like they can here in P-Town.

5) Who is the one person who would truly rock your world if you saw them belly up to your counter?

That’s a no brainer! It would be Obama, hands down, and for multiple reasons: 1) It would be cool as hell; 2) I’m pretty sure that if word got out, I would have lines wrapped around the block for years; and 3) I’m sure that after having a lbb, he would change his stance on (Capitol Hill burger joint) Five Guys i.e. The fact that he thinks they have a great burger…..

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Tags: Portland Chefs, Food News, Restaurant Openings, Interview, Best Burgers

Chef Q & A: Benjamin Dyer

The big kahuna behind Simpatica and Laurelhurst Market is opening a Hawaiian Plate Lunch joint on East Burnside

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Aug 25, 2010 at 03:42PM 0 Comments

Chef/Fire Starter Benjamin Dyer gets the grill going outside of Simpatica for a “Hawaiian Dining Hall” dinner — good practice for his upcoming Hawaiian Plate Lunch restaurant, Ate-Oh-Ate, which will be open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Chef Benjamin Dyer has already made quite a name for himself in Portland and beyond, slinging all-things-meaty masterpieces at Simpatica and Laurelhurst Market, which recently topped Bon Appétit’s list of The 10 Best New Restaurants in America. But come Saturday, September 11th, Dyer and partners are adding a third east-side eatery into the mix: Ate-Oh-Ate, a Hawaiian-themed restaurant at 2452 East Burnside St., the former home of the Velveteria. Think kal-bi short ribs, loco moco (rice topped with a burger patty, egg, and gravy), saimin (noodle soup), mahi mahi sandwiches, and, of course, Spam.

“I love this kind of food and would eat it every day,” says Dyer, who grew up in Kona on the big island of Hawaii. “So, I selfishly decided that I would open a Hawaiian plate lunch place that makes it just the way I like it.”

Judging from every other culinary venture Dyer gets his hands on, everyone else is going to like it too. Here Dyer answers five questions to tide us over while we wait two more weeks.

1) Why are Hawaiians such fans of Spam, and why do you think P-Towners will be too?

Spam wove its way into Hawaiian cuisine during World War II, when it was a ready meat source for soldiers who didn’t always have access to refrigeration. You can have a bento box of rice and fried Spam, and the result will be stable for hours. Most of the Spam I’ve eaten has been in musubi, a sort of hand-sushi consisting of fried Spam, scrambled egg, and rice, all wrapped in a sheet of nori (seaweed). The Spam’s salty, smokiness plays off the sweetness of the rice and the round flavors of the egg — the result is definitely more than the sum of its parts. I think there are two types of people: those who love Spam, and those who’ve never tried Spam musubi.

2) What’s one perfect wine, beer, and cocktail to pair with Spam Musubi?

Wine: Most people I’ve seen eating musubi in public are at parties and family luaus. The wine of choice at these events usually comes out of a box or a 1.5L bottle. However, if I were to take the highbrow road, perhaps a nice Alsatian-style wine — pinot gris/blanc or a dry riesling — something dry but with decent fruit and a little more acid to balance the Spam’s smoky fattiness.

Beer: For reasons unclear, the #1 selling beer in Hawaii is Steinlager, a mild, sweet, slightly skunky lager from New Zealand. It’s ubiquitous on beach trips and off-road truck ramblings in the mountains, along with musubi and containers of poke (the Hawaiian version of sashimi).

Cocktail: A “P.R.O.G.” It’s POG (a blend of passion fruit, orange, and guava juice, invented in Hawaii) over a glass full of ice with a healthy amount of rum and a wedge of lime. The sweet, fruity boldness of the juice cuts the musubi’s saltiness and allows one to add way more rum than should be possible. We’re serving them at Ate-Oh-Ate.

3) What’s another unique ingredient in Hawaiian cooking?

Ti leaves are sturdy, blade-shaped leaves that impart a distinct, green flavor, and are a huge part of Hawaiian culinary and cultural heritage. Wrapped around bundles of pork, beef, seafood, and taro leaves and steamed for hours, one is blessed with laulau. Or wrapped around pork shoulders and baked for hours (or stuck in an imu, an underground oven), one ends up with kalua pig. Ti leaves are also woven into hula skirts, used to thatch roofs, and wrapped around bottles of whiskey and thrown into volcanoes as an offering to the goddess of the volcano, Pele.

4) If you could have any musician in the world you wanted play the opening of Ate-Oh-Ate, who would it be?

Since we’re dreaming here, I would have to resurrect Israel Kamakawiwo’ole a.k.a. Bradah Iz, best known for his cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” He represented everything that I love most about Hawaiian music — gigantic monsters of men with voices as sweet as angels.

5) Where would you take your Hawaiian friends/family to eat if they were visiting Portland?

The first place that comes to mind is Pok Pok. It’s like no other Thai restaurant I’ve been to, and chef/owner Andy Ricker’s food is always exciting and delicious. Then maybe dessert at Mojo Crepes, my #1 go-to spot this summer when I want a sweet treat. Their cone-shaped crepes filled with ice-cream and toppings, and garnished with a Pocky (a frosted Japanese sweet biscuit stick), are awesome, and I crave them all the time. I’m craving one right now.

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Tags: Portland Chefs, Restaurant Openings, Interview, Hawaiian Food