We are loving the soundtrack at Broder: Cindy Lauper rocks. Between the tunes and the food, we are two very happy girls.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

IMG01884.jpg

Danish pancakes with lemon curd, marionberry preserves, and maple syrup.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Brian had a rough night, but a Broder Bloody Mary will remedy that.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Broder Brunch

Watching our brunch being made by cute boys in tight tshirts
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Nuestra Çocina

Mmmmmmm… serano lime drop.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Countdown to Portland Farmer's Market 2009 Begins!

DAYS UNTIL PORTLAND FARMER'S MARKET OPENS FOR THE 2009 SEASON: 50

NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM PORTLAND FARMER'S MARKET

Portland Farmers Market @ PSU Saturdays will return March 21just in time for the Spring Equinox! Join us between 8:30 and 2:00 to welcome the farmers back to the city. In the meantime check out these exciting upcoming events and classes.

Cochon555
Executive Director Ann Forsthoefel will be a judge in Cochon555, a new pork centric event to be held March 1st at Ecotrust to benefit Raphael House. See event details at www.amusecochon.com

Urban Growth Bounty
The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is presenting Urban Growth Bounty. These classes, taught by Portland experts, will provide the tools to make 2009 a more sustainable, healthier year for you and your budget. See www.portlandonline.com for details.

One Week Left to Apply for the 2009 Season!
For those interested in participating on the other side of the vendors tables please visit the PFM website for details. There you will find the Vendor Handbook which outlines all rules, policies and selection criteria. Spaces filling fast in all five markets so check it out today!

Pizza Magherita topped with arugula

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Nostrana

Keeping warm by the beautiful brick oven that is cooking our pizza. We are enjoying the radicchio caesar salad.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Happy Chinese New Years

Celebrating Chinese New Year at Legin with sticky rice stuffed chicken. Gung hay fat choy!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sis where are you?

Did you run off with Chef Tom Colicchio?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dreams Really Do Come True

The tasso benedict at Genies.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Jen likes her peach bellinis in a pint glass.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Waiting for breakfast at Genie's

We dreamt about tasso eggs benedict last night.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Rob loves the Bunk-mosa!

Miller High Life and OJ, poured at the front counter and you keep the bottle. The perfect companion to Bunk's Oregon albacore tuna melt.

-J

Lard is Good

I saw this poster taped to the side of a refrigerator at the Prather Ranch Meat Company store in the San Francisco Ferry Building. Hooray for the Lard Information Council!

-J

Noble Ro(cke)t Lands Atop E. Burnside

Who are these people?! Quit blocking the view!!

Today was a morning of emotional ups and downs. First, I had to get up this morning and get ready for work (DOWN). Then I found a forgotten bar of Chocolove's Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate in my desk drawer (UP). Then Michelle called and said something nasty so I said something nasty back just as my boss, who already thinks I spend 86.5 percent of my workday on the phone with Michelle, walked by (DOWN). Then Rocket Executive Chef Leather Storrs called and said he could not host our next Planned Parenthood Sexy Tuesday's event at Rocket as we'd planned (DOWN).

But just as I was about to chalk today up as one big DOWN, Leather he told me something very exciting, something I'd probably already know if I read the Oregonian, which I don't, because their website is hard to navigate and despite being a journalism major, I don't like getting newsprint on my fingers. Leather said he couldn't promise Rocket for the next PPST event because Rocket is going to become...Noble Rot! Leather and wife Courtney Storrs, who co-owns Noble Rot with Kimberly Bernosky, are teaming up and bringing Noble Rot--with its beautiful wines and sophisticatedly comforting small plates and wholly satisfying desserts--to Rocket's dazzling, viewcentric space at 11th and E. Burnside (UP).

Leather said Noble Rot will close its doors at the old location on SE Ankeny on Jan. 31, and reopen in what once was Rocket on Friday, Feb. 5. I didn't ask if they'll be revamping Rocket's modern decor and cozying the space up a bit for more of a wine bar look and feel, but Leather did say that at least initially, the Noble Rot menu will remain the same, as they "don't want to frighten anyone." So no worries, onion tart fans.

So now I'm sitting at my desk imagining Michelle and I on the Noble Rocket deck this summer, enjoying the finest view on the east side whilst sipping Prosecco and nibbling a salad culled from the rooftop garden, and that daydream is definitely one big UP.

-J

San Francisco Ferry Building

Jen has arrived at her happy place.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Bacon wrapped tri trips at teardrop

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Oregon wines on Broadway

Yummy wine!

Lobster Mac at El Gaucho

Jen may be in San Francisco....but we get decadent lobster Mac and cocktails with fun friends Patrick and Heather!

This Week's Beast Menu!

We were sitting idly at work this morning, counting our ink gel pens and playing with our label maker, when suddenly we got a thrilling surprise: Naomi posted Beast's menu for the week on our Facebook wall, before she even posted it on the Beast website!

See, we've been dying to know what's on the menu this week, since Table For Twelve is heading to Beast tomorrow evening for our first supper club event of 2009, and we expressed our yearning on our Facebook status update yesterday. And lo and behold, Naomi saw it!

"Posted just for you..." she said, "Wine pairings TBA."

We can't help but feel a little special. Okay, very special. We want to share our joy with you, so here is the link to our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1371603171&ref=nf#wall

If you aren't our friend already and want to see the menu you better Friender us!

Or, I will just tell you now. Because I'm so excited.

MUSHROOM VELOUTÉ
HAZELNUT SALSA VERDE

CHARCUTERIE PLATE:
FOIE-GRAS BON-BON, SAUTERNES GELEÉ
STEAK TARTARE & QUAIL EGG TOAST
PORK, PORK LIVER, SOUR CHERRY & PISTACHIO PATE
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE, MAPLE CANDIED BACON

SEARED CATTAIL CREEK LAMB LOIN-CHOP
FRENCH WHITE BEANS WITH TOMATO & ROSEMARY
OLIVE, PARSLEY AND CAPER SALSA
GARLICY WILTED CHARD

HEARTS OF ROMAINE, BUTTERY CROUTONS
ANCHOVY & SEVILLE ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

~SELECTION OF STEVE’S CHEESE~
CRACKED PEPPER & FLEUR DE SEL SHORTBREAD
LOCAL APPLE , POACHED FRUIT & CANDIED HAZELNUTS

CITRUS MERINGUE TART
CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT

Life just doesn't really get any better than Naomi giving you an exclusive peek at her splendid menu on your Facebook wall.

-J

Human Salt Lick

The BF and I were stumbling around Mississippi Avenue this weekend and came upon The Meadow... and no it wasn't actually a "meadow," but a salt store. We heart SALT, we think SALT as mom put it,"is the real staff of life," and completely agree with Pythagoras that "Salt is born of the purest parents: the sun and the sea."

The owner educated us about cooking on a Himalayan Salt Plate, which is like a giant human salt lick. If you have a gas stove you can just put it right on the burner and if you are not fortunate enough to have a gas stove then you have to use a wok ring to keep it off the element. The idea is that it puts the exact amount of salt on whatever your cooking in a thin even layer. It can even be used with anything from fruit, chocolate, meat, to veggies.

Tonight was our test... we decided we would place the salmon on it and have the Human Salt Lick be the only seasoning. It took about 25 minutes for it to get hot all the way through and once the salmon was on it took about 8 minutes. The result was a perfectly salted salmon!

Table For Twelve: The "Your Inner Food Beast Wants to Wine and Dine in 2009!" Edition!

Dear food-loving friends,

TableTalkPortland hopes you had a very merry and memorable holiday season. We did, even though Santa did not bring Jen the one and only thing she asked for (a mini bulldog named Admiral Toot), and Mom gave someone (Jen) a slight concussion with a cowbell shaped like an angel while we were caroling on Peacock Lane in our pajamas (after a little too much mulled wine), and Michelle had to postpone her famous yearly Christmas Party twice because Jack Frost was determined to save her neighborhood from the annual indignity of our hot-toddy-fueled midnight Christmas Party karaoke session (think "Total Eclipse of the Heart", the Old School version, on repeat).

And since thanks to good old Jack Frost we didn't have to waste any time dreaming of a White Christmas this year, we spent our homebound holidays dreaming of what 2009 would have to offer -- hopefully, a mini bulldog named Admiral Toot. Er, we meant to say world peace. And, a brand new year of Table For Twelve supper club events! We're kicking off Table For Twelve '09 in style, by taking TFT to Beast next week!

Join us at Beast, which Esquire magazine recently lauded as the nation's "Most Tolerable Example of the Communal-Table Trend," for Chef Naomi Pomeroy's peerless "Ghetto French" cookin' on Wednesday night! Next week's menu hasn't been posted yet, but consider a few highlights of last week's spread: white bean, kale & bread soup with shaved parmesan and French oil, pheasant breast stuffed with brioche, house pancetta, dandelion and golden raisins, citrus-marinated sea scallop with grapefruit, tangerine and avocado and mint salsa verde, olive oil cake with poached apricots, figs, prunes and vanilla bean whipped cream. Seriously, if you aren't clicking the Reply button right now and screaming for a spot at the table, you're as cold-blooded as Jack Frost.

We hope you will join us Wednesday for Table For Twelve: The "Your Inner Food Beast Wants to Wine and Dine in 2009!" Edition!

Details, Details
When: 6 pm seating, Wednesday, January 14
Where: Beast, 5425 NE 30th, Portland, OR 97211 (http://www.beastpdx.com/)
Why: Because we are setting the bar high for 2009, so why not kick off TFT '09 at one of Portland's very best restaurants. And because Naomi kicks rump! Just ask Esquire. Just ask Gourmet magazine. Just ask Portland Monthly. Just ask us.
Who Should Not Come: Vegetarians, Vegans, Meataphobics, anybody who likes to ask the kitchen to tweak their meal (Naomi don't do substitutions, savvy?), Mom's angel-shaped cowbell, Jack Frost, Michelle.
How Much This Will Cost You: $45/5-course tasting menu or $52/6-course tasting menu + wine (if you want wine) + gratuity. Also, we had to put our credit card down to secure this reservation so if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance or don't show, we'll be forced to drum you out of the TFT club for all of '09 and we'll disparage you bitterly on Facebook, Michelle's fave new pastime.

See you at the table!

Jen & Michelle
TableTalkPortland.comWhat is Table For Twelve all about? Click HERE to find out.

Server of the Month

Kurt, of Clarklewis, is unanimously voted our Server of the Month! Kurt treated our indecisive, unruly group like kings, even though we were just eating off the happy hour menu and were wearing sweats (well, Michelle was). And he immediately removed our corked bottle of Chianti without batting an eye, and when the kitchen ran out of happy hour chocolate hazelnut brownies, he negotiated a substitution of delectable chocolate gingerbread cake off the regular dessert menu instead. Also, he did not bat an eye when Michelle stuffed all the wine corks in her mouth right in front of him.
Hip hip hooray for Kurt, tabletalkportland's first Server of the Month of 2009!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

We love clarklewis' happy hour

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T