EAT BEAT

ON THE SCENE

IPNC Walks it Out

The International Pinot Noir Celebration brought the area’s top sips to Portland’s Central Eastside restaurants to kick off the sunny season.

Posted by: Allison Jones on May 02, 2011 at 01:00PM 1 Comments

The good people behind Oregon wine country’s annual International Pinot Noir Celebration sure made the most of yesterday’s glimpse of summer. The IPNC Pinot Walkabout brought out over a hundred Portland wine lovers for a Central Eastside food and drink relay race – fifteen of the area’s top Pinot pourers were paired with nibbles from Beaker & Flask, Noble Rot, and Simpatica Dining Hall. Tasters were encouraged to stroll between the neighborhood restaurants, and some of the area’s big names in wine and food were seen sipping their way through the afternoon. Check out our photos of the fun below!

If you missed the Walkabout, there are still tickets available for Passport to Pinot on Sunday, July 31. All 70 participating IPNC wineries will pour for Oregon’s largest outdoor wine tasting, and fifteen of the northwest’s top chefs will offer up summery pairings. This year’s Passport to Pinot chefs include Genoa’s David Anderson, Bar Avignon’s Jeremy Eckel, Ken’s Artisan Bakery’s Ken Forkish, June’s Greg Perrault, and many more. For ticket information, head over to the IPNC website.

Beaker & Flask’s bar hosted Adelsheim Vineyard, Amity Vineyards, Archery Summit, Bethel Heights Vineyard, and Erath wines. The event was a casual opportunity for wine lovers to get the inside scoop behind their favorite wines.

Beaker & Flask chef Benjamin Bettinger prepared plenty of treats for the afternoon’s revelers – saving time to try the wines for himself. Highlights included the smoked bone marrow and green garlic crostini and crispy pig ear snacks.

As the temperatures climbed and walkers worked up a sweat, Bethel Heights Vineyard’s 2009 Pinot Noir Rosé was a definite hit among the offerings at Beaker & Flask.

Simpatica hosted Rex Hill (that’s Mike Willison and Bill Hatcher of Rex Hill above), Sokol Blosser, Soléna Estate, Stoller Vineyards, and Yamhill Valley Vineyards wines.

Tasters received their own wine glass at every stop and were given 45 minutes to make their way around the room. After chatting and sipping through five wines at every stop, attendees were guided to the next location.

Noble Rot’s wine bar reputation and gorgeous views made it a natural stop on the tour. The rooftop restaurant hosted Elk Cove Vineyards, The Eyrie Vineyards, Lemelson Vineyards, Ponzi Vineyards, and R. Stuart & Co. wines.

Nobel Rot easily made the most of the sunny day, with expansive views of the Willamette River, downtown Portland, and the West Hills adding to the beauty of the afternoon.

PDX Pedicabs were on call to bring wine lovers from Point A to Point B. The Central Eastside tourism board should look into making these free all the time – or at least on gorgeous sunny Sundays!

All Images © Allison E. Jones

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Tags: Southeast Portland, Southeast Dining, Wine, Eastside Dining, wine country, Food Event

CHEAP EATS

Southeast’s Middle East Feast

Montavilla’s Ya Hala continues to turn out reliable, affordable dishes that keep us coming back.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Apr 27, 2011 at 11:03AM 2 Comments

Ya Hala was this close to making it onto my Five Places I Love list – and anyone who has stepped through its blue-tiled mosaic entryway knows why. The combination of chef Mirna Attar’s loving take on traditional Middle Eastern dishes and the cozy, trompe l’oeil mural and faux-finished fluorescent light covers do a number on my hungry heartstrings every time. Portland has her share of fantastic Middle Eastern restaurants, with Nicholas, Karam, Habibi and newcomer TarBoush boasting their own loyal followings, but for my money, the family-run Montavilla neighborhood veteran is a step above the rest.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but to truly feast on the cheap, stick to the mezza sections of the menu. You can literally fill your table with plates of food that will please everyone for what are considered happy-hour prices anywhere else in town.

My go-to order is a big plate of freshly made, super-lemony tabbouleh ($4.95), labneh (yogurt cheese drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh mint, $3.95), and aranabeet (additively delicious fried – not battered – cauliflower with tahini for dipping, $5.50) – all piled into plenty of fresh-baked pita. The meat or cheese sfeeha ($4.95 for 4) are another great addition; small bundles of either minced beef, tomato, onions and pine nuts or mozzarella cheese and nigella seeds, baked in soft pita dough. Like many of my favorite places in town, Ya Hala has plenty of choices for everyone: meat-lovers, vegetarians, vegans, gluten-freebies, and that odd friend who only eats rice.

While the mezza selections at Ya Hala are good enough to come back for again and again, if you dive deeper into the extensive menu you’ll discover some amazing gems. The stuffed artichoke hearts (in both their beefy and vegetarian incarnations, ($13.95) are crave-worthy, decked in a garlicky gravy that would be perfect on any of the city’s great biscuits, and the marinated ahi-tuna kebabs are surprisingly tender and flavorful ($13.95). The delicious okra, eggplant, or summer squash stews ($10.50 each) are some of the best vegan dishes in town, though you’re welcome to add braised lamb, chicken or beef for just $1.50 more. It’s that kind of consideration – taking a well-prepared dish and encouraging affordable customization to suit everyone’s tastes – that makes Ya Hala the kind of place that always satisfies.

8005 SE Stark St. 503-256-4484. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday (takeout-friendly, no reservations)

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Tags: Southeast Portland, Southeast Dining, Cheap Eats

Hometown Pride

Food & Wine Magazine Gives Props to Robert Litt

The co-owner of Southeast Portland’s tiny Urban Farm Store gets national attention for thinking big.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Nov 08, 2010 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Now here’s something to crow about: Robert Litt, the 39-year-old co-founder/owner of Southeast Portland’s Urban Farm Store, was just ranked #5 in Food & Wine magazine’s 40 Big Food Thinkers Under 40 list, appearing in the November issue. The lineup recognizes “up and comers—all 40 years and younger—who are changing the way Americans eat and drink.”

Robert and his wife, Hannah, provide aspiring chicken owners, postage-stamp-backyard gardeners, and amateur gourmands with baby chicks, organic vegetable starters, and supplies for food preservation, brewing, and cheese making. It’s because of their “quirky” store’s role as a “trailblazer in the urban-homesteading movement” that Robert was named to a roster that includes the likes of White House food-policy adviser Sam Kass, Icelandic yogurt-maker Siggi Hilmarsson, and owners of Vita Coco coconut water, Michael Kirban and Ira Liran.

So, we’ve heard word that the Litts plan to add bees and bee-keeping materials to the store next year, and are publishing a book, A Chicken In Every Yard: The Urban Farm Store’s Guide To Chicken Keeping (10 Speed Press), in March; but we asked Robert if there any other “big things” he’s thinking about right now for the future—here’s what he had to say:

“We’re building relationships with farmers in the area and have begun offering selections of their produce, eggs, and meats at the store. We’re adding online shopping and delivery this winter, and we plan on eventually having smaller stores in other neighborhoods, as well as possibly in other cities. We also plan to greatly expand our class offerings next year in order to further our educational mission. And, lastly, we’re looking at starting a national non-profit organization to help communities change restrictive urban livestock laws.”

Three cheers for literally having a hand in the food we eat, and three cheers for the Litts! Maybe they could give Portland’s other Trailblazers a few tips on how to be winners…

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Tags: Southeast Portland, Chickens, Food News, Hometown Pride