PORTLAND PLATED

Five Questions

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 7 Comments

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, Interviews, Best Burgers

Five Questions

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 4 Comments

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, Interviews, Hawaiian Food

Burger Tidings

Camden Hauls Buns

Renowned restaurateur readies Little Big Burger

Posted by: John Chandler on Aug 04, 2010 at 01:00PM 5 Comments

I was out for a noontime ramble seeking a lunch locale when I saw the sign for Little Big Burger at 122 NW 10th Ave. “Finally,” I said to no one in particular, “an affordable eatery in the Pearl.” I stopped doing my happy dance when I discovered that this snug little joint with the jolly red counter wasn’t open yet. But owner Micah Camden was nice enough to allow me a peak at the construction process.

Camden, a shrewd restaurateur who’s done well for himself with DOC, Fats, and Yakuza, is downsizing the latter’s mammoth Yakuza Burger to slider size and a modest $3 price tag—fortunately it will still be accompanied by the golden pile of shoelace potatoes that serve as a brilliant crunchy counterpoint.

“There’s no place around here to get something cheap and fast. It’s just gonna be burgers, fries, salads, and sodas,” he told me. “And beer.” Also, according to the sign in the front window, creamy floats will be on the menu. Could this be the prototype for the 21st century malt shop? Could be. Camden hopes to put up the open sign in about three weeks. We’ll be waiting.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings, Cheap Eats, Best Burgers

Taboadaland

Luce Events Ramp Up

Navarre Chef John Taboada’s events space Luce to host a number of summer events.

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Jul 14, 2010 at 09:00AM 4 Comments

It’s been about a year since Navarre chef and 2009 Oregonian Restaurant-of-the-Year recipient John Tobaoda announced he would debut his new event space, Luce, which is located on the southwest corner of 22nd Avenue and East Burnside. And though Taboada and his wife/business partner Giavonna Parolari have hosted their fair share of events, including weddings, dinners, and even a supper co-produced with Nostrana chef Cathy Whims wherein former New York Times restaurant critic and Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl was the guest-of-honor, Luce as mostly been a work in progress—until now.

Toboada this week announced three upcoming public events, starting this Monday July 19th with a dinner with beloved local winemaker Alfredo Appoloni. For a calendar of all future events at Luce as they appear, visit the website.

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Tags: Portland Chefs, Restaurant Openings

Rucker

Gabe Rucker to Open Downtown Restaurant

Le Pigeon Chef to debut “Little Bird” in late 2010

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Jun 04, 2010 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

Though known for weeks in foodie circles, The Oregonian made it official yesterday: Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon will debut his second restaurant later this year, partnering with Andy Fortgang, his current front-of-the-house manager. Called Little Bird, Rucker’s new digs will be a bistro-style restaurant on SW 6th Avenue between Ankeny and Oak, and it will be open from lunch through late night seven days per week.

While this is obviously big news for Rucker and the local foodie community that so avidly follows him, it’s also a vote of confidence for Downtown Portland, which is home to few small chef-owned restaurants compared with the east side of the Willamette. Dare I say that had it not been for the recently improved transit mall, a city project that transformed Portland’s formerly bus-only 6th Avenue into a more pedestrian friendly promenade with improved retail visibility thanks to a new line of light rail as well as a lane of auto traffic, this restaurant probably wouldn’t have happened.

Portland’s downtown is considered an urban planning success story. That said, the majority of downtown restaurants cater to hotel travelers and the daytime lunch crowd. Having Rucker in Downtown Portland is huge.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

Bunk Bar

Bunk Bar Construction Underway

Restaurant and bar project by cool kid trifecta Nick Wood, Matt Brown, and Tommy Habetz will open this summer. Neighborhood takes shape.

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on May 26, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

It has been nearly six months since the project was first reported, but permits have been filed and Bunk Bar is officially under construction as of this week, says Jonathan Malsin of Beam Development, whom I ran into on Friday.

The night time outpost for Portland’s favorite sandwich shop is slated to open by mid-summer. In restaurant build-out time, I’m going to put my money on an August or September opening. One learns after several years of restaurant reporting that projects never open on time. Either way, Bunk’s entry into the Central Eastside Industrial District is a milestone for a neighborhood that has been trying to find an identity for years. An industrial sanctuary, the Central Eastside has more recently become a magnet for creative services firms looking for office space. Portland is a city comprised of many small firms, and Beam is one of the city’s only large developers that understands this and builds accordingly. And while the rest of the office leasing market has essentially been in the toilet since late 2008, the Central Eastside (along with Old Town) continues to blossom.

So what’s this have to do with food?

Once only home to establishments like the Produce Row Cafe and Le Bistro Montage, both magnets for late-night denizens, the neighborhood has more recently attracted more sophisticated businesses like the charcutuerie restaurant Olympic Provisions, the forthcoming Water Avenue Coffee Roasters, and Red Slate Wine. Meanwhile, the decision to bring back lunch to Clarklewis has been well received, and late night hangouts on the fringes of the neighborhood including Slow Bar, Beaker and Flask, and Ron Toms have become some of the most popular watering holes in town. The city has done its part by adding the Eastside loop of the Portland Streetcar and the Burnside Couplet, as local developers are beginning to take the neighborhood very seriously. Bunk Bar crowns neighborhood with another late night destination for food. Bunk is by far the most popular sandwich shop in Portland. Next door, Water Avenue Coffee will debut it’s gorgeous new digs by the end of next month. What’s more, the previously mentioned Produce Row Cafe is also undergoing major renovations and will reopen this summer.

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Tags: Southeast Dining, Restaurant Openings, Bar Openings

Frankie's

Frankies A Perfect Fit in PDX

Big Apple big shots Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo plan PDX location

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on May 21, 2010 at 12:45PM 0 Comments

As first dropped in Kim Severson’s Wednesday story on chefs who love to smoke dope, and then elaborated later that day by Portland Plated friend Erin DeJesus at Eater.com, New York City restaurateurs Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo have been in town a few times recently with the intention of opening a Portland restaurant. The Brooklyn-based duo own four temples of fine eating, drinking, and sipping in New York, including Cafe Pedlar, Frankie’s Spuntino 457, and Prime Meats.

Today, DeJesus reports that the Franks are eying the adjacent space next door to Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ original cafe and roasting facility on 44th and SE Division. This marriage of Portland and Brooklyn makes perfect sense for many reasons. First, Stumptown coffee is served at all four of the Frank’s New York ventures—including the Cafe Pedlar cafes, which are among the most popular coffee shops in New York City. Second, Stumptown owner Duane Sorenson is said to be very close to the Franks. Third, like Sorenson, both of the Franks have beards and look like a cross between bicycle messengers and biblical characters. Fourth, most Southeast Portland residents also look like a cross between bike messengers and biblical characters. Fifth, take a quick look at the Prime Meats menu and tell me that it doesn’t appear to be the product of a collaboration between Portland chefs Chris Israel and Elias Cairo. Sixth, there are no real destination restaurants above 39th on Division Street. Seventh, New York City is still in love with Portland and has been for three years or more. Stumptown and the Ace Hotel have opened shop in New York. Isn’t it time that New York gave back?

That’s it. With seven good reasons these guys will kill it in Portland, I rest my case—having run out of reasons. The next time you’re in Brooklyn, check out these great restaurants. While you’re there, tell the Franks to hurry up and open already.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

bistro

Bistro Concept Coming to West End

Former McCormick’s Chef Bill King plants his flag in the Indigo building.

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on May 03, 2010 at 04:00PM 3 Comments

The OLCC application has been hanging in the window for months so this wasn’t a big surprise, but details regarding a future bistro restaurant in West End’s windmill-anointed Indigo building emerged today as our pals from Watershed Communications sent out the following in a press release that landed in my inbox circa 4:36 pm.

“Opening summer of 2010, in the gorgeous platinum LEED-certified Indigo Building, Pinot American Brasserie is positioned to be the heart and hub of the West End, a downtown neighborhood that’s a nexus of business, entertainment, shopping and tourism.

At the helm is Executive Chef Bill King, long-time leader of culinary development for McCormick & Schmick’s. King had a distinguished tenure in this successful restaurant group, but in his soul, he’s a chef and restaurateur who started his Portland cooking career in 1981 with a café and charcuterie shop called Savoir Faire at Portland’s Yamhill Market Place, the city’s first urban public market. Chef Bill King was way ahead of the curve, making his own charcuterie, sold from his tiny shop at the market, and buying farm direct produce. Pinot’s menu is a reflection of traditional French brasserie fare but uses ingredients grown and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Variety and value are woven throughout; entrées will be mostly under $25, with the majority between $15 and $20, and will include Beef Short Ribs “Osso Buco Style,” Dijon Crusted Wild King Salmon and Pancetta-Apricot Glazed Pork Chop."

This is great news for the West End neighborhood, perhaps the only Westside enclave that has managed to thrive throughout the economic downturn. And while this news will be bittersweet to some as this spot was once rumored to be the future home of Piggins, a charcuterie restaurant by sausage master Greg Higgins, I’ll be happy to have steak frites just six blocks from my house. Now if only someone would open a good breakfast place.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

gruner

Gruner Preview Seats Remain!

Chris Israel’s new eatery opens officially Monday

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Dec 21, 2009 at 11:00AM 2 Comments

If you haven’t attended one of Gruner’s preview dinners, here’s your only chance. Chef Chris Israel says a few seats remain for the last preview dinner on Tuesday the 22nd, (That’s tomorrow folks), and they can be yours by calling the restaurant at 503-241-7163.

Israel’s about-to-be-unveiled-to-the-public Alpine-inspired 50-seat Gruner officially opens next Monday the 28th, but Israel has been hosting preview dinners for the last two weeks. The format: $100 gets you multiple courses of expertly prepared weather-appropriate fare like beef spareribs with goulash, duck confit, charcuterie, venison terrine, a salad of winter chicories, plus wine parings and an open bar. You will eat well. You will have leftovers. You will tell your friends.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

Genoa

New Genoa to Open December 1st

Expect a new take on classic Portland eatery.

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Nov 13, 2009 at 09:00AM 1 Comments

Just 373 days after closing its doors for what most speculated would be the last time, the legendary Belmont Street Eatery Genoa will begin dinner service on December 1st. The building that housed Portland’s most influential and legendary eatery since 1970 has been gutted to its studs, thanks to new owner Trish Eiting. Genoa will have a new look and feel having been completely redrawn and reworked by Works Partnership Architecture and Siteworks and a new direction with Chef David Anderson at the wheel. Longtime Genoa manager and owner Kerry DuBuse is part of the team, and the new Genoa will reportedly serve many of its old favorites. Bagna Caoda anyone?

As first reported by The Oregonian, Genoa will add a casual wine bar called Accanto.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

Olympic Provisions

Olympic Provisions Opens in 14 Days

Portland’s first meat-curing palace/charcuterie bar is going to be awesome.

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Nov 02, 2009 at 04:00PM 6 Comments

If you’re a Clyde Common regular customer or staffer, you likely haven’t seen owner Nate Tilden in months. That’s because Tilden has been busy growing a gnarly Grizzly Adams-caliber beard while working nights and weekends to assemble the pieces of what might be the most original Portland restaurant to open all year.

Thanks to the handywork of Tilden, chefs Jason Barwikowski and Elias Cairo, and the rest of the partners of Olympic Provisions, (2nd and SE Washington Street) Portland’s first and soon-to-be-unveiled charcuterie restaurant and wholesale meat-curing facility is looking rather sharp just a fortnight or so from opening day. With about 40 seats, a long concrete chef’s counter, a wall of shelving 15 feet high stocked with wine, shiny white subway tile aplomb, and the type of glass counter-top fridges often seen at tapas bars in Spain, Olympic Provisions is going to be unlike any restaurant in Portland.

Tilden says the restaurant will open around the 13th of the month, lunch only for starters, and will do few private events during the evenings through the holiday season. The restaurant will specialize in small wine-friendly plates, pates and salami, and will sell its house-cured products and wine to go.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings

Gruner

Chris Israel to Debut Restaurant

Israel to serve Central European fare

Posted by: Portland Plated Team on Aug 04, 2009 at 06:00PM 4 Comments

Jeff Kovel is a lucky man. Not only is he one of the city’s more talented designers (Skylab Architecture), he’s about to share an address with a Chris Israel eatery. Later this year, Israel and his business partner Kurt Huffman (a co-owner of Old Town’s Ping) will debut Gruner, a Central and Eastern European eatery that will anchor a sweet corner spot in an award-winning Skylab-designed building that also houses the firm’s headquarters on 12th Avenue and Alder Street.

I can’t complain either. I live only six blocks away, and I expect to become a regular fixture at Gruner, Israel’s first new Portland project since he debuted Saucebox with PDX restaurant mogul Bruce Carey back in 1995. Of course, Israel and Carey also co-owned the storied Zefiro, which is credited among the most seminal restaurants in the history of the city. Remember, Portland foodies refer to Portland dining in two stages: pre-Zefiro and post-Zefiro. Israel later left PDX to take a job in New York with Vanity Fair magazine. Carey closed Zefiro after a successful ten-year run to debut Bluehour, which serves my favorite gnocchi in Portland. With Israel back in Portland, Gruner’s opening will be a big event in the story of PDX dining.

I had the opportunity to sample a few of Gruner’s menu items back in May when Israel hosted a two-night dinner series at the Robert Reynolds Chef Studio. Along with wines picked by the masterful Dana Pickell of Triage wines (Dana worked with Chris at 23 Hoyt), the dinner included chicken paprikash, an excellent mushroom gratin with morels, and rhubarb cake for dessert. The majority of the wines were Austrian and German whites, along with anespecially memorable Tokaji, the Hungarian dessert wine. The food was incredible.

Note: I was involved in the real estate portion of this deal while employed with Urban Works Real Estate. I left the company in May.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings