Table Talk Portland

Opa! Join us for a Pre-Table-For-Twelve Lamb 'n Ouzo Feast and Skinny Dip with Apollo* (*Optional)

2011-07-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends Who Love Food,

This afternoon, Michelle and I were sitting around like little old Greek ladies, sipping Ouzo and roasting a lamb in our toaster oven and complaining about the neighbor’s brash new donkey and bragging about who had skinny-dipped the most in the Aegean Sea with that village boy up the lane who pretty much is the spitting image of Apollo (the Greek God of Sexy Hotness) and moaning about how much we miss our beloved supper club Table For Twelve.

And while we’re planning to revive Table For Twelve next month with a yet-to-be-announced supper, it occurred to us that we might not be the only ones who’d like to eat lamb and drink Ouzo and skinny dip with Apollo. Serendipitously, it just so happens that Olympic Provisions Southeast is hosting a fantastically delicious lamb dinner THIS SUNDAY, complete with lots of lamb that has not been roasted in a toaster oven, salami of the Gods, and complimentary Ouzo for all our guests. Because like any good Greek, we hate to get blotto alone. Opa! There will also be a kiddy pool provided for skinny dipping but you’re going to have to woo Apollo on your own. We’ll be too busy gossiping about your donkey.
Join us this Sunday, July 24th at 5pm at Olympic Provisions Southeast for some roaring good Greek times and chef Alex Yoder’s (whose often been told he is the spitting image of Apollo) brilliant Greek-inspired lamb-riffic menu.

Baby romaine lettuce, tarragon vinaigrette

Olive oil-poached Albacore tuna, cranberry beans, pickled vegetables

Salad of grilled lamb leg, fava beans, sugar snap peas, watercress, feta cheese

Braised lamb shoulder, corona beans, basil pesto

Chocolate salami, orange marmalade, salt and pepper shortbread cookies

And if that weren’t exciting enough, Michelle and I will welcome you with a shot of Ouzo and a hearty supply of Loukanika (Olympic Provisions’ signature Greek salami and the official food of the Gods) on the view-endowed rooftop of the Olympic Mills building. If that doesn’t make you scream Opa!, frankly we don’t know what will. (Insert Apollo joke here, I can’t or Michelle will censor it.)

Details, Details

When: Sunday, July 24, 5 pm

Where: Olympic Provisions Southeast, 107 SE Washington St.

What: Lamb, Loukanika, Ouzo, Memorable Memories

Cost: $65 (optional four-course wine pairing $20 additional)

Why: Because Sundays are for feasting and skinny-dipping with Apollo

RSVP: To michelle@olympicprovisions.com or call 503.351.9094

See you at the table,

Jen & Michelle

Jen likes the tacos in SF

2011-01-13T15:29:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T17:05:00.001-08:00

Our resolution is to be more fun!

Jen loves her chub!

2010-12-11T11:25:00.001-08:00

Sex and the City with Champers

2010-05-28T18:57:00.001-07:00

Brian and I have Crabs

2010-04-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

At the Astoria Crab Fest!

Table For Twelve Returns With A Big, Fat Fibula

2010-01-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Table For Twelve is back! Just so you know, I'll be managing the dinners through my website Under The Table With Jen, and henceforth all invites will be communicated through my newsletter, Table Scraps, so if you want to be in the know, sign up here!!

Dear Food Friends**,

Once upon a time sis Michelle and I had a supper club. It was called Table For Twelve and it was a rollicking good time. We ate, we drank, we met fun new people who also loved to eat and drink, sometimes we conducted ourselves with grace and dignity like our governess Nonna taught us, sometimes we flashed our wunderpants to the occupants of Le Pigeon and ran home barefoot. It was the best supper club in Portland.

Then, Hollywood came calling.

I remember it well. We were sitting at a tiny sidewalk table outside Kir, with a beautiful view of the Oregon Artificial Limb Company, sipping a rosé flight and playing rock paper scissors Indian burn for the last piece of charcuterie, when director Rob Marshall called Michelle, whom he’d seen modeling in ads for NE Alberta Street boutique Garnish, to offer her the part of sultry sexy mistress Carla in Nine. Her volatile first reaction was “Fellini-who?! How did you get this number? Only my masseuse, God, and Tiger Woods have this number!” But, as you can well imagine, she and her D&G knockoff sunglasses were on a plane to Rome before you could say Dolce Vita.

Meanwhile, I was left home, alone and bored, so I decided to write a website called Under the Table with Jen. All day long, I huddled in my damp drafty garret wearing naught but a Snuggie in an unpleasant shade of blue, nibbling a few Two Tarts peanut butter creams and drinking weak chamomile tea, talking only to my micropig Jeffrey Steingarten II, until lo and behold, the website was born. In celebration, I took a shower, bought myself a dozen Sahagún Luscious Caramels, and gave Jeffrey Steingarten II a new toy in thanks for all his support.

Jeffrey Steingarten II loves his new toy.

Then our story took a tragic twist. After filming her first scene in Nine, Michelle jet-setted to Paris to buy more Agent Provocateur bustiers, because the besotted extras kept stealing hers. But when disembarking the Concorde, she tripped over her Louis Vuitton carry-on and broke her left fibula, leaving her incapable of performing the intricate dance numbers required by her role. So, she was forced to concede her part to Pénelope Cruz and return to Portland, where she poured all her grief and frustration into a constructive new pasttime–co-owner and meat mistress of Olympic Provisions.

And here we are. To commemorate our exciting evolution, we are going to hold the inaugural Table For Twelve dinner at none other than Olympic Provisions, next Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30pm. Executive Chef Jason Barwikowski and team have agreed to make us a marvelous $25 family-style prix fixe meal, for which Jason’s lovely wife and brilliant OP wine director Carly Laws will pour an optional wine pairing. PLUS, supercute OP Meat-Curing Chef Elias Cairo has a very exciting surprise in store, which I will just blow right now–he has promised us a charcuterie plate like Portland has never tasted before, featuring a sampling of his brand-spanking-new cured meats. He will also show you his new tattoo. For a dollar. It’s an owl.

Who needs Hollywood when you’ve got Portland?

Well, you know what to do. Or maybe you don’t! Here is how it works: we’ve got 12 seats at the table, so if you want to join us, email me right this instant at jen@underthetablewithjen.com and claim your spot. First come, first serve, and we do keep a little waiting list in case of cancellations. When we’ve filled the dinner, we’ll send a confirmation to the group. Need more details? See below for the Ten Commandments of Table For Twelve.

Yours truly,

Jen & Michelle

**Note: A lot of what you read following this genuinely cheerful greeting will be a big fat fib. Just so you know.

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF TABLE FOR TWELVE
1. Table For Twelve is put on by underthetablewithjen.com, a food review and discussion website, thus be aware that thy food-related table chatter and photograph may end up on the blog/website/YouTube channel.

2. Thou shalt be punctual for Table For Twelve, and if catastrophe should occur, thou shalt call the restaurant and ask them to inform us of your plight.

3. Thou shalt bring cash to cover your portion of the check (to avoid frazzling the server with 12 separate methods of payment).

4. Honor thy waitstaff with a friendly demeanor and positive attitude and please tip 18-20 percent, provided the service is worthy.

5. Thou shalt embrace the convivial vibe of Table For Twelve and be willing to share thy food with others. Thus, thou shalt not have communicable diseases.

6. Remember to have an open mind about unfamiliar cuisine and food preparations. In other words, try not to gag when Michelle orders sweetbreads.

7. If thou must cancel on us (BOO!) for some cataclysmic reason, thou shalt provide at least 24 hours notice or risk exclusion from future Table For Twelve events.

8. Thou shalt not be a fuss-budget, loud-mouth, potty-mouth, picky eater, gelato hater, non-drinker, or vegan. Just kidding. Sort of.

9. Thou shalt read underthetablewithjen.com religiously, and pass the good word to others.

10. And most importantly, thou shalt have a marvelous time eating, drinking and being merry with other fantastic food-lovers!

We hope to see you at the table!

And the Eat Goes On....

2009-11-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

Hello TableTalk readers,

It's been a while. Hope you're all healthy, happy, and eating & drinking well!

Just a quick announcement of sorts. You've undoubtedly noticed that the blog has been curiously silent this summer. This is because Michelle and I have been working on new and exciting projects, both of which are finally coming to fruition.

I'm exceedingly thrilled to announce the launch of my new food website, Under the Table with Jen. This beautiful website was designed and illustrated by Portland designer Mette Hornung Rankin and was written by me. You can use the site to find out all sorts of information about Portland's best restaurants, bakeries, food carts, bars, coffeehouses, farmers markets, events, etc. There are cool features like the Cravings and Occasions sections, where you can find a place to eat based on what you're craving (Wine & Cheese? Chocolate? Comfort Food?) or by the sort of occasion you're planning for (Special & Splurgey? Romantic Date? Pre-Theater?). Every Thursday I'm sending out a newsletter, Table Scraps, full of food news and links, so be sure to subscribe! You can also follow Under the Table on Twitter and Facebook. And yes, there's a BLOG!

Michelle has partnered with our favorite super cute chef Elias Cairo, Nate Tilden, Jason Barwikowski, Carly Laws, Elizabeth Bisegna-Gaston, Tyler Gaston and Marty Schwartz, to open Olympic Provisions restaurant, which will be located at 107 SE Washington Street, in the big yellow Olympic Mills building down on the Southeast waterfront. Jason, currently the chef at Clyde Common, will be at the helm in the kitchen, and Eli will be heading up OP's USDA-approved meat department, making all his phenomenal cured meats for both the restaurant and for retail. Olympic Provisions is going to open up in the next couple of weeks. Visit the website (still under construction), or stay up to date by becoming a fan on Facebook!

Thanks for following our edible exploits this past couple of years, and we hope you join us in our future endeavors by reading Under the Table and eating at Olympic Provisions!

xoxox,

Jen & Michelle

Jen You Look So Happy!!

2009-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today Jen, Beth, and I decided that we were grown woman and deserved a decent breakfast before going to work, so we created a Friday Morning Breakfast Club. This morning we went to The Original. It looks like a bar/cafe from the 50s, so we felt very sophisticated having our ladies breakfast before scooting off to do our charity work... oh wait, I mean go to work.

Jen was being difficult AGAIN and demanded that they cook her the Voodoo Burger, which isn't on the breakfast menu for obvious reasons. The Voodoo Burger is a cheeseburger sandwiched between a grilled Voodoo glazed doughnut. It wasn't the most sophisticated woman's breakfast, but what can we say- we are modern women.

Jen was obviously excited and triumphant that she convinced them to make it for her breakfast.

I have to admit that it was an amazing burger and the sweet doughnut around it made it a great guilty pleasure breakfast!

I would totally go there again and I was surprised to find out that it has had some awful reviews. We are going to go and try happy hour and dinner soon, so we'll let you know how that goes.

The Original*300 SW 6TH AVE PORTLAND OREGON 97204 P: 503.546.2666

Kir Wine Bar

2009-08-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Drinking the Kir Royale

It's been awhile...

2009-08-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

So, Jen is doin' it up at the Clyde!

My first tamale of the season at Farmers Market

2009-08-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

We haven't just been neglecting the blog this summer... This is my first time at the market all summer. I have been busy with summer and opening a restaurant with partners called Olympic Provisions.

We couldn't handle Beesaws garlic breakfast, so we headed to Cafe D'arte for cappuccino.

2009-07-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

Seriously 19 Cloves of Garlic

2009-07-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to stop at Beesaws for breakfast with my niece. I ordered the salmon scramble and the potatoes had 19 cloves of garlic. Are they worried I am going to get attacked by vampires?

Oregon Summer Food Adventures

2009-07-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, Jen and I have been gallivanting all over Oregon this summer and have lagged on posting... as I am sure you can tell! I have been having my own culinary adventures, so in the interest of efficiency I am going to tell you all about it in one loooong posting.

The summer started out with camping at Trillium Lake by Mount Hood.

Yes, I camp, but I do typical Michelle style- bringing my posturepedic queen side mattress pad, amazing food, row boats, and tent warmers. The BF catches fish and I love to cook them over the camp fire with just simple slices of lemon and salt and pepper.

Camping is the type of vacation that I always need a vacation when I get back, so the BF and I decided that we needed to explore Oregon's wine country more.

We booked an amazing B&B called Tuscan Estates in McMinnville and they had the best full breakfast prepared by chef, author (The Food Encyclopedia and The Cooks Essential Kitchen Dictionary) and sommelier Jaques Rolland. We really lucked out that Jaques was a sommelier from France, because he gave us his opinion on where to go for the best wines of Willamette Valley. The following were some of his suggestions:

Walnut City WineWorks

Winter's Hill

Cana's Feast

Beaux Frères

Partricia Green Cellars

Laurel Ridge

Chehalem

Owen Roe

Domaine Drouhin

Domaine Serene

Argyle (for bubbles)

We knew we couldn't hit them all, but we made an all out effort!

We started with Winter's Hill, because Jaques said they had one of the best rosé at the best price and to top it off he said that the winemaker Emily was a young genius from France. This is a darling family run winery and Emily is the daughter-in-law who met the owners son while working at a winery and now they live happily making wine. We ended up purchasing a case of the rosé for $8 per bottle (I love rosé in the summer) and a bottle of the Early Muscat. I am not typically a fan of Muscat, but this one is very dry and it smells like a bouquet of flowers.

We moved on to Walnut City WineWorks, which is housed in an old Walnut Factory and they partner with other wineries (Z'IVO Wines, Robinson Reserve, Bernard Machado and their own Walnut City Wineworks) to make world class Pinot Noir. We bought a bottle of the 2005 Piont Noir Reserve.

After all the tasting we were feeling famished and the onset of slight intoxication, so we decided to head of to Cana's Feast to get some lunch. The meal consisted of cold spring pea soup, chicken liver pate, and a bottle of their rosé and a beautiful view of the vineyard.

After lunch we headed to Beaux Freres, which is a winery owned by Robert Parker and two brothers. This was by far our most expensive winery that we visited (bottles ranged from $50-$90) and Jacques told us that this is one of his splurge wines. They did produce amazing Pinot and the BF and I did splurge on a special occasion bottle.

We decided we could hit one more winery and chose Laurel Ridge, which they do everything from bubbles to Tempranillo to Port at incredibly reasonable prices. The lady who runs it is a hoot and we ended up spending hours tasting and talking. We loved the Port, Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, and Dry Gewurztraminer.

Well after the long day of tasting it was off to a nap and then a late dinner at Bistro Maison in McMinnville. This place is adorable and has an amazing patio.

It was a relaxing dinner, where we dined on house made mozzarella with tomato salad.

Then followed it up with braised duck with an orange cognac sauce and the most amazing pomme frites served with saffron aioli.

We ended up having to take our desserts (creme carmel and lemon cake) to go, so we could catch the July 4th fireworks.

The next morning we awoke with slight hangovers and decided that we just wanted to sit somewhere quiet and relax and we found the PERFECT place...Red Ridge Farms . It happens to an herb and plant nursery, but they also do their own olive oil and serve lunch. The grounds are absolutely amazing.

We ended up ordering a meat and cheese plate and sat for hours under a canopy of vines drinking a bottle of rosé.

It has been a great summer so far... much better than last summer when Jen broke my foot!!! (Just kidding sis!) This coming weekend Jen and I are headed back to wine country for Plate and Pitchfork at Domain Serene.

Put Your Vote Where Your Mouth Is--Portland Farmer's Market is the Best!!

2009-06-08T09:31:00.001-07:00

We received this email this morning from Amber at the Portland Farmer's Market.

We are hoping to win America's Favorite Farmers Market this year. Voting is easy and quick, just voted myself!

If you think we are the best, please vote!

Amber

http://action.farmland.org/site/PageNavigator/Americas-Favorite-Farmers-Markets/best_local_farmers_market_vote

I was voter Number 37, and it only took me approximately 45 seconds to complete the voting process...take a break from your morning perusal of tmz.com and VOTE!!

-Jen

Whiffie's Fried Pies

2009-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

The line at Whiffie's Fried Pies is something to behold. The entire city of Portland appears to have turned out for a fried pie tonight. Pulled pork, salmon with chipotle mayo, vegan bbq tofu, blueberry, lemon, strawberry and more. Come join the crowd, SE Hawthorne & 12th.
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Ping Now Serving Lunch

2009-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Beginning TODAY, lunch is now served at Ping, Monday through Friday, 11am to 2pm. I had the kuaytiaw pet pha lo, aka, duck leg stewed thai style with fresh wide rice noodles, big fat tender shiitake mushrooms, stewed pickled mustard greens, and sour yellow chile dip ($10). Delicious. Yet another excellent lunch time dining option in Old Town\Chinatown, just in case you need a break from the tuna melt at Davis Street Tavern.

-Jen
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2009-05-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

When our plates arrived, it was almost worth the trauma of that long line. Flaky puff pastry topped with a salad of warm ribbons of asparagus, tender bright green pea shoots and sweet shreds of blue crab, two poached eggs, and a drizzle of tangy creme fraiche.
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Sweet Cream biscuit with homemade apple butter

2009-05-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

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Thank goodness

2009-05-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Apparently if you don't want to wait in line at Screen Door on a Sunday, you need to head over just after getting booted out of your favorite neighborhood bar at 2:30 am, and get in line for the 9am opening. Despite arriving at the late hour of 9:02am, I slipped in with the rest of the waiting herd and made the first seating. I called Michelle and told her to turn around and come back.
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2009-05-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

I left Jen in line. I am going to Broder!

Waiting at Screen Door

2009-05-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

We are numbers 492 and 493. We expect to eat by noon.
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Metrovino Begins Happy Hour Today (Last Night For Some of Us)

2009-05-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Last night Jen and I decided to try Metrovino's new happy hour menu and upon arrival we found out it didn't actually start until today. Jen and I both started crying when the hostess told us that we would have to order off the regular menu and Jen started going on and on to Todd the owner about how this was the worst day of her entire life, because she wore two different colored flip flops to work and everyone kept starting at her and now she wouldn't be able to try the happy hour menu. Todd, being the nice gentleman that he was and wanting to avoid more of Jen's sobs told us that he would let us order of the happy hour menu. We were intstantly happy and ordered a bottle of the Prieure de Montezargues Tavel Rose ($25) to celebrate. It is a grenache Rose with beautiful with hints of strawberry pie and a light mineral taste.

We almost ordered one of everything to compensate for Jen's bad day...

We started with the delicious 3 Oysters ($3) served cucumber mignonette, ponzu wasabi and horseradish cocktail.

Tataki of hawaiian yellowtail with radish, meyer lemon and white soy ($9), which is the epitome of a perfect summer dish with the tender slices of tuna and the tartness of the meyer lemon, and perfectly salted from the white soy.

The charcuterie of the day, which was housemade pork and duck rillette ($3) with a pickled beet.

The perfect chilled cream of asparagus soup with cauliflower mousse and oregon bay shrimp $5.

After all that Jen and I were still feeling like we needed something small so we orderd a bowl of the new england style seafood chowder with bacon lardons and garlic croutons $6... I am going to say that it was the BEST chowder I have ever had. It was so chunky with clams, halibut, oregon bay shrip, and pototoes and topped with a pile of lardo on top.

As Jen and I were enjoying the patio and our very full bellys, staring out at the sun soaked Pearl we thought our Rose had made us look at everything with rose colored glasses when we saw this Pearlie couple walking by in matching pink shirts.

Metrovino* Happy Hour 4-6 everyday except Tuesday (they are closed)* http://www.metrovinopdx.com/ *1139 NW 11th Avenu* 503.517.7778

2009-05-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Michelle is back from a week and a half in Key West Florida, and is happy to trade her vacation diet of boneless Cajun chicken wings and nachos for good old Portland cooking. So we came to Belly Timber on SE Hawthorne for happy hour. Ah, home sweet home.
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Enjoying the patio at brand new Nel Centro

2009-05-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Me and Bethie are downtown at Nel Centro, David Machado's (Lauro Kitchen, Vindalho, Pazzo, Southpark) newest culinary venture, located inside (and outside) the chic and swanky new Hotel Modera, at SW 5th & SW Clay. The large sunny patio is tucked into the center of the fashionably remodeled U-shaped building, and is accentuated by striking rectangular metal fire pits filled with rugged chunks of amber-colored granite, which blaze brilliantly when turned on at dusk. For now, we're able to balance our plates on the rim of the unlit pits, which is good since the slanted tables keep sending our dishes and silverware flying into the sand. Dusty silverware aside, we are finding this to be the perfect spot to enjoy a sun-drenching, an after-work drink and some snacks off the bar menu.

We shared the pizza of the day--merguez sausage and artichoke hearts, with fresh oregano scattered atop ($10). It's got a nice crust, soft but not at all sodden, with golden bubbles and a good chewiness to it.

The warm hazelnut encrusted chevre came accompanied by a dollop of tapenade and a clump of brightly colored piperade ($9). The soft mild goat cheese balanced the briny bite of the tapenade and the spicy savory piperade when all three were piled on the accompanying bread or a bit of leftover pizza crust. It was our favorite dish of the evening.

Fresh fava beans with shaved fennel and pecorino, tossed with quite a bit of lemon juice ($9). Very pretty and quite fresh, but a little tangy for us.

We had to take a peek at the dessert menu and although we wavered between the lemon semifreddo with hazelnut dacquoise and the Scharffen Berger chocolate souffle, it was a warm evening, so the semifreddo won out--the light as air, perfectly puckery frozen lemon filling sat on a bed of sweet, nutty, slightly chewy hazelnut meringue ($7). The chantilly cream that accompanied the semifreddo was laced with Pernod, an anise-flavored liqueur, which we found a scant overpowering.

Nel Centro has only been open for one short week, which was evident upon our arrival as we were ignored for a good 8 minutes after being seated by a stream of passing servers, despite being the only new people in the bar, but once we made it onto the staff's radar the service was friendly and efficient and everyone was exceedingly helpful and understanding when we practically knocked over our bar table scrambling to claim two abandoned chairs on the full patio (the restaurant plans to add two more rows of outdoor tables in the near future, according to our server). Another server told us that thus far, business is good, which is a nice thing to hear. We're excited to watch Nel Centro develop.

The restaurant has a very informative blog, you can read everything you need to know about Nel Centro and more here.

--Jen

Staccato Gelato

2009-05-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

It is Weird Flavor Wednesday at Staccato Gelato on NE 28th, and this neighborhood cat is here for his cup of Saffron Almond gelato and a spot in the sunny front window.
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Protest!

2009-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

The cat is protesting the Three Or More Legs, No Service policy by staging a lie-in.
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RPM @ Savoy Tonight Until 8 PM!!

2009-05-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

House Spirits Distillery's Recession Proof Mixology series comes to SE Clinton Street's Savoy Tavern tonight, and as a nod to "overworked" attendees, RPM will go until 8 pm instead of the normal 5-7pm.

What's RPM? As Matt Mount explains...

Every Wednesday during the happiest hours of the day, House Spirits Distillery collaborates with a different restaurant or bar and plants one of us behind the well with shaker in hand. House Spirits intends to keep this up until the end of the year, both here in Portland and the surrounding area and as far North as Seattle. We are honored to have the chance to share the same bar-mat with our talented and amazing bartenders from the community. So, to inject a little sunshine into the middle of your work week and to drive those stocks back up, come join us on Wednesdays for delicious $5 signature cocktails and great happy hour nibbles. Here's our next stop:

Please join us this Wednesday at:

RPM@ Savoy

May 20th from 5-8pm

2500 SE Clinton st.

(503) 808-9999

This evening's RPM cocktails:

M Collins

Medoyeff Vodka, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a touch of simple syrup and soda

The Old Fashioned Aquavit Cocktail

Krogstad Aquavit, a touch of simple syrup and few dashes of Regan’s No.6 Orange and Peychaud Bitters

Northwest Blackberry Bramble

Hand pressed blackberries and fresh thyme, Aviation Gin, freshly squeezed citrus and a touch of Brut champagne

The Casino Cocktail

Aviation Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Freshly Squeezed lemon juice and a dash of 50/50 Orange Bitters

The Last Word Cocktail

Aviation Gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraska Maraschino Liqueur and freshly squeezed lime juice

All RPM cocktails served tonight are $5

Hope to see you there.
Best,
Matt

Barista: A Land of Vacuum Pots, Better Beans, and Otherworldly Mocha Mustaches

2009-05-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

It was early this morning when I arrived at Barista, a tiny gem of a coffehouse in the lobby of the Gadsby Building on NW 13th Street in the Pearl District. The normally buzzing neighborhood was still pretty sleepy, and so was I, so coffee was in order.

I'd been meaning to visit Barista for ages. I'd pinned the NW Examiner's blurp about it to my desk's Wall 'o GottaGetThere, right above my tape dispenser and the picture of a lecherous leprechaun that my coworker Rob drew for my St. Patrick's Day cards this year.

Then I read the very recent Frugal Portland article in the NY Times, where fledgling Barista got a glowing mention--well, more than a mention, more like a whole paragraph--which gave me the push I needed to finally make it in.

(excerpted from the NYT article, click on the paragraph to read the whole thing)

Meanwhile, at the three-month-old Barista, the champion barista Billy Wilson is trying something new. Instead of sticking with one roaster’s beans, he puts Stumptown’s, Intelligentsia’s and Ecco Caffe’s (among others) all on the menu (at $2.50 a shot), along with descriptions of their vastly different flavor profiles. Ecco’s, for example, was “dark berry,” and it did indeed remind me that coffee starts its life as a berry on a bush.

Barista occupies the space formerly known as Acorn Cafe, and while I miss Acorn, I love Barista. It is beautiful, with an old red brick wall to the east, big bright windows, warm blonde wood throughout, and quite a variety of seating for such a small place--indoor bar stools along the brick wall, a long row of lobby tables, and a handful of outdoor bistro tables. A table for everyone, even my exhausted brother, who was in town visiting and was being exceedingly good-natured about being dragged out to eat three to five times a day, because I kept thinking of yet another amazing eatery he "just HAD to try" before he left.

Barista owner Billy Wilson, formerly of Albina Press, is the man behind the Barista bar, turning out deep, rich, melodic espressos (selection varies, and is posted on the chalkboard), French Presses, lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, americanos and mochas using his holy coffee trinity of Stumptown, Ecco Caffe and Intelligentsia coffees.

The black and tan coffee list on the counter reads more like a tasting menu than a typical coffee board. "Made with Intelligentsia's Black Cat blend...made with whole milk. It's better that way.," explains the description for Barista's latte.

It seemed to me that coffee is more than just...coffee at Barista, it's a way of life and a drink rife with philosophy and possibility, judging from the series of coffee-thought-provoking questions that appear on the Barista website, including:

What if we carried multiple roasters, and you could choose your espresso roast?
What if we created a conversation about coffee, instead of merely serving it?
What if we turned the job of being a Barista into the profession of being a Barista?

This was too much profundity for me this early in the morning, but after tasting my brother's Intelligentsia Cappuccino when it came up, I knew this much: Billy Wilson makes some damn good coffee.

Also on the menu is a selection of Vacuum Pot brewed coffees, the apparatus for which is pictured below. Each of the three coffees comes with a description that would do the back of any wine bottle proud, with detailed descriptions of each vacuum pot coffee's flavor profiles, like "exceptionally clean flavors of dark berry and sugar cane," and "sure to please those who like a little less fruit in their coffee and a little more brawn." If you, like me, didn't know beans about vac pot, also known as siphon-brewed, coffee, you can learn a little more in this very informative article on coffeegeek.com.

Taking a peek around the small shop to see what coffee accompaniments might be available, I saw that Billy graciously stocks my favorite Two Tarts cookie--the marvelous Peanut Butter Creams, along with the Chocolate Chip Fleur de Sel and Cappucino Creams.

Barista, obviously a paragon of good taste, also sells a full assortment of superlative Nuvrei pastries, so I was able to buy my beloved Nuvrei ham and cheese croissant, which has been rumored to be the secret to happiness.
By now, I was pretty awake. But nothing could have prepared me for Barista's Valrhona Mocha. According to the Barista menu, this gorgeous, creamy, slightly frothy concoction of coffee and 61% bittersweet Valrhona chocolate contains 20 grams of chocolate per each 8 ounces. I was hooked, although at $4.50 a cup, the Valrhona Mocha is a pricey habit indeed. Well worth the occasional Friday morning splurge though, methinks.

Sated beyond all expectations, I finished my ham and cheese croissant, wiped away my Valrhona Mocha mustache, and we set off into the warm late-Spring morning, both caffeinated and somehow bettered as human beings. Thanks, Barista. You're the beans knees.

-Jen

Barista * baristapdx.com * 539 NW 13TH AVE. * Open 7am to 6pm daily * don't call, write info@baristapdx.com

Kir Blog Readers Get $5 Rosé Flights!

2009-05-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

As Portland wine bars go, Kir is one of my favorites. Tiny, intimate, gracious, great wines and simple tasty small plates, warm & wise proprietress Amalie--all of these things make Kir the perfect place to unwind after a tough week.

And to sweeten the deal, I found this on the Kir blog:

Hello Sunshine!

May 14, 2009

Sunny days are here and with those sunny days comes the new and expanded Rose wine list. We will carry ten Roses by glass for the entire summer. Right now we have Italian, Spanish, Oregon, and of course, French. Mention this blog post and get a flight of roses for only five dollars (this offer precludes previous offers.)
Thank you Kir patrons! Amalie and the KIR cru

A flight of rosés for a mere $5? You had better believe I am heading to Kir as soon as I've freed myself from work on this fine sunny Friday.

Don't believe me that this marvelous deal is true? Read it for yourself here: http://www.kirwinebar.com/2009!!

-Jen

Special Correspondent April Lives In a Tuscan Castle These Days

2009-05-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Special Correspondent April is wrapping up her incredible edible European vacation with a stay in magnificent Tuscany. I hope she brings me back something nice, like a Lamborghini or dreamy Prince Emanuele Filiberto.

Under the Tuscan Influence

April

to me

May 11 (1 days ago)

Greetings from Toscana! The last few days have definitely been the highlight of our trip. We are staying in an old castle and have had the entire place to ourselves. Everyday we go out for some sightseeing and then return to sip some wine on our terrace. It is fantastico! I've attached some of my favorite pics. The last couple of pictures are of the meal we had last night in Monterosso, one of the villages in Cinque Terra. The pesto pasta was out of this world! Oh, and I could not forget to attach the picture of the mounds and mounds of gelato - that one is a framer!

Ciao!

See you soon and fly home safe, Special Correspondent April and Prince Emanuele!

-Jen

Get Your Sexy On at the Bye & Bye Tonight!

2009-05-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

NE Alberta's Bye & Bye Bar...Sexy! Mondays...Sexy! Vegan Meatballs...Sexy!

The first Sexy Tuesdays of Spring is here, and on a Monday night no less! What a lovely way to start the week. In case you forgot, Sexy Tuesdays brings together like-minded people to socialize and learn more about Planned Parenthood, and raises funds for PP too.

Come to NE Alberta Street's beloved Bye & Bye bar tonight to mingle with nice people, drink enticing cocktails, eat vegan food that you sometimes can't even tell is vegan food (try the "meatball" sandwich) and play some trivia if you like (I don't like, but am more than happy to spend all my time drinking and eating unvegany vegan food). The good (and super sexy!) folks at the Bye & Bye have generously offered us a portion of the proceeds from tonight's sales, so all you have to do to help Planned Parenthood out in these turbulent times is EAT and DRINK. So easy!

Hope to see you tonight at Sexy Tuesdays...Sexy Mondays...whatever we're calling it, it's going to be a good time for a good cause! More info below.

-Jen

Join PPCW for Trivia Night!
Monday, May 11th
Bye & Bye
1011 NE Alberta St.
6 - 8:30 pm (trivia starts at 6:30)

Join PPCW on a Monday (sometimes Mondays can be sexy too) for Trivia Night!

Play on your own or gather a team of up to 5 and get ready to play Sexy Jeopardy!

Enjoy an entertaining night with trivia master, John Doyle. You might know him from trivia night at Vertigo Pub or 5th Quadrant. He was named Best Trivia Host in Willamette Week's Best of Portland.

$10 enters you in the contest and our raffle! Prizes will be given to the winner(s) of each round and grand prize will go to the individual or team that wins the final bonus round. That's three chances to win cool prizes plus the raffle drawing! Trivia will start at 6:30.

Bay Shrimp, Asparagus, and Spring Onion Salad at Tastebud

2009-05-10T18:44:00.001-07:00

We are dining this evening at Tastebud on SE Milwaukie, and while waiting for our sausage, spicy kale, tomato and mozzarella pizza to cook in the wood fired oven, we shared the bay shrimp, asparagus, and spring onion salad. Wow. Sweet, tender little bay shrimp, paper thin slivers of raw asparagus and Red Heart celery, spring onions, and a sprinkling of paprika, tossed with olive oil and sea salt. I've ceased caring if the pizza arrives, I could eat these all night.

-Jen
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Flying Cat Coffee Company on SE Division Street

2009-05-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a Caffe Vita mocha, a Kettleman's bagel, and an uncharacteristic bout of Sunday afternoon productivity on the patio of Flying Cat Coffee Company, 3041 SE Division Street.

Flying Cat has a cozy inside vibe, a relaxing brick patio out front, free Wi-Fi, and a large photograph of a naked fairy in the bathroom, aka the 'litter box' (cat theme carries heavily throughout the coffeehouse).

Open for about two months now, Flying Cat's official Grand Opening party will be held June 5, and will commemorate both the owner's birthday and the coffeehouse's acquisition of a beer and wine license, which will allow them to allow you to sip fine Northwest wines and microbrews on the premises whilst reading the house copy of James Herriot Cat Stories.

-Jen
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Sun Drops and Oregon Kisses From Sahagun Chocolate Shop

2009-05-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with the awfullest of awful feelings: there was no chocolate in the house! Lucky for me, however, I live but three blocks from Sahagun Chocolate Shop.

In honor of the glorious sunshine, I bought a Sun Drop--a dollop of sweet nutty sunflower butter enclosed in a bittersweet chocolate shell. These are a brand-new Sahagun creation, and have only been in the store since Thursday!

I could not leave without a Luscious Caramel, my favorite caramel in the city, a peerless composition of deep rich slightly burnt and buttery caramel touched with just the right amount of savory fleur de sel, surrounded by a crisp crust of bittersweet chocolate

And since every girl can use more kisses, I asked for an Oregon Kiss--an exquisite bite-sized marriage of Oregon hazelnuts and Valrhona milk chocolate swirled in a tiny chocolate cup.

It was a short walk from chocolate rags to chocolate riches this morning. Thanks to Sahagun's lusciousness, sun drops, and Oregon kisses, I am now the happiest girl in Portland.

-Jen

Sahagun Chocolate Shop * www.sahagunchocolates.com * 10 NW 16th Ave., Portland, OR 97209 * Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm * sublime chocolates, tempting hot chocolate and coffee drinks

MetroVino: 99 Bottles of Bubbly on the Wall...Maybe...I Wish

2009-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

For the past year, I've walked past the desolate old DF location at NW 11th and NW Northrup every day on my way to work, a lump in my throat welling as I remember the days of delicious DF pork tacos and fresh raspberry mojitos in a cozy booth after a long day at work.

In accordance with the ways of spring, however, new life has blossomed in my old stomping grounds, as MetroVino Bistro Bar & Bottleshop pulls the brown paper off the windows and opens the doors this week. You can celebrate with them tonight at their "Our First Thursday" First Thursday celebration.

There are quite a few reasons I'm interested in checking out MetroVino. According to this article in Oregon Winepress, MetroVino owner Todd Steele is utilizing state of the art European technology that will allow him to pour multitudes of wines by the glass (the article says up to 80!), even super expensive rare bottles, and plenty of bubblies (my favorite, if you haven't noticed). Metrovino's executive chef is Gregory Denton, formerly of ill-fated fancypants restaurant Lucier. MetroVino also has a tasting area in the works, and will sell bottles to go.

I peeked inside this morning, and the interior is inviting, with a Pearl-posh feel.

The one page menu contains a smattering of basics--grilled salmon, red wine braised short ribs, slow-roasted pork shoulder, and also veers all over Europe--showing a German/Swiss bent with a raclette appetizer and alpine cabbage and bread soup; Scandinavian influences with salmon gravlax bruschetta and a smoked trout and cucumber salad with dill vinaigrette; and some more traditional European fare like roasted marrowbones and crispy sweetbreads. Then there's a side trip to SE Asia, with the scallops in green curry with pickled red onion and cilantro. Should be interesting.

Sorry, this picture is pretty fuzzy. I'll try to take a better one later.

MetroVino is located across from the Pearl District's lovely Tanner Park at 1139 NW 11th Avenue (corner of NW 11th & Northrup). The telephone number is 503.517.7778, and the partially functional website is at metrovinopdx.com/contact.html. MetroVino has also partnered with OpenTable to offer online reservation-making capabilities.

See you there tonight!

-Jen

Nostrana Happy Hour

2009-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

We try to stay on top of food happenings here at TableTalk Portland, so when I found out Nostrana had been offering a late night happy hour for over 3 month I was totally gobsmacked! I love it when a restaurant as high caliber (Cathy Whims is a 2009 James Beard finalist) allows diners on a budget access to wonderful food at affordable happy hour prices!

You can get their Pizza Margherita, which totally rivals the infamous Ken's Artisan pizza for a bargain price of $5. It's a perfect thin crust pizza topped with fresh mozzarella and basil cooked to a perfection in a wood fire oven.

Not only is the pizza on the Happy Hour Menu, but the Nostrana salad is on there too. This is a perfect radicchio salad tossed in a traditional caesar dressing, which is also for the bargain price of $5! We started with that and added a meat plate from Salumi and it was as you can guess priced at $5! Their wine is also $5!

After our meal we had a scoop of housemade rum raisin gelato, which was perfection. The total bill for two people to dine with wine, two appetizers, meat board, pizza, and dessert was $35! I love Portland!

-M

Nostrana*http://nostrana.com/*Dinner Sun-Th 5-10, Fri-Sat 5-11 Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2 * Happy Hour 9 to Close*1401 SE Morrison*503.234.2427

Special Correspondent April Like-A the Gelato and the Pizza and the Cappuccino and the Italy

2009-05-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Our dear Special Correspondent April has made her way to beautiful Venice, Italy, where she is eating her way through the canals!

An Email From Italy

Inbox
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April

to me

May 5 (1 days ago)

Buon giorno! I am in Italy, and I've been living on gelato, cappuccino, and pizza slices that are the size of my head. So yes, I am having the time of my life! Today we are going to attempt to rent a car and drive from Venice to our next destination, Moteriggioni. Wish us luck.

Ciao!

Mr. T says

2009-05-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

TableTalkPortland is the best!

Oh wait, that's just brother Eli.

Anyways, TableTalkPortland is the best! You too could broadcast this to the world with a tabletalkportland tshirt. Send us an email if you want one.
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We have found Sunday bliss

2009-05-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

At Eat Oyster Bar on N. Williams. A bottle of cava for $18 and a dozen Wilapa Bay oysters for $13. The huge garage door on the side is rolled up to let the fickle spring breeze in.
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2009-05-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

Michelle is drinking a strawberry bellini, and eating a mission fig, spinach and garlic paste crepe.
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Sunday Patio Quest

2009-05-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

We are cruising NE Alberta looking for good Sunday happy hours that involve a patio. We stopped at Tour de Crepes, an excruciatingly darling creperie set in a colorful, kitschy old barn.
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Apizza Amore on Sundays!

2009-05-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick, one-question quiz to determine how well you know TableTalkPortland.

Michelle and Jen spend most of their Sundays doing the following:

a) eating chocolate in the hammock.
b) wishin' & prayin' for more chocolate to fall from the heavens onto the hammock.
c) complaining that Apizza Scholls doesn't serve Apizza Amore on Sundays.
d) all of the above.

The answer of course, is D.

But now we have reason to rejoice on Sundays, because beginning TODAY, May 3, Apizza Scholls is switching from Sicilian Sundays to Regular Sundays, and will be serving their traditional pizzas from 4 - 8 pm every blessed Sunday.

We had absolutely nothing against the Sicilian pizzas, they're wonderful and we'll miss them, but we sure do love us that Apizza Amore. Apizza's rich tomato sauce, fresh whole milk mozzarella, pecorino romano, just chopped garlic, fragrant green basil, extra virgin olive oil, and the grand, glorious, incomparable capicollo.

Admit it, you're wishin' and prayin' for some to fall from the heavens onto your desk/car seat/bike handles/belly/hammock right now.

-Jen

Free Wine and Cheese Tasting At Square Deal TODAY 1-5PM

2009-05-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Times are tight, you spent all your spare pesos on cervezas yesterday at the waterfront Cinco de Mayo festivities, yadda yadda. We understand. Bottom line, you're looking for something fun, foodtastic, and FREE to do today, provided you aren't too hungover from yesterday, like Michelle.

It just so happens that I received a notice from Square Deal Wines and Steve's Cheese informing me that it's our lucky day, because today, Square Deal and Steve are holding a little open house promoting Northwest wines (and cheeses, of course), as part of Square Deal's quest to feature an increasing number of NW labels. There will be new wines from Zerba Cellars, a new release from Brad McLeroy of Ayres Vineyard, and wines from our beloved Torii Mor Winery (hi Steve!! The waiter's tool you so graciously gave Michelle at Taste of the Nation works great, thanks!!).

TODAY, between 1-5 pm, head to Square Deal/Steve's Cheese for a casual Northwest wines and cheeses tasting, which is FREE and FUN and FOODTASTIC too. Esteemed River's Edge Chevre cheesemaker Pat Morford will be there, which everyone is quite excited about. Local cheese guru Tami Parr will be there too, signing her new book "Artisan Cheese of the Northwest."

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tami, the creator and writer of the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog, for a vendor profile I wrote for the Portland Farmer's Market newsletter about Ancient Heritage Dairy (buy a round of their Valentine sheep's milk cheese at the Farmer's Market the next time you go, it's amazing). Tami's wealth of cheese knowledge is immense and carefully documented in her beautiful new book, and if you love cheese (and only weirdos don't), you should meet her and buy her book. Why not do so today, whilst sipping lovely new Northwest wines and surreptitiously sneaking glances at that super hot blue-eyed guy who works at Square Deal? Yep, I thought you might like this idea. See you this afternoon!

-Jen

Square Deal Wines and Steve's Cheese * 2321 NW Thurman * www.squaredealwine.com * www.stevescheese.biz

Shhh... We snuck in tacos and champagne to enjoy two hours of Hugh Jackman in Wolverine.

2009-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

3:00 is doughnut time at Staccatto Gelato. Fresh homemade lemon doughnut for a measly $1!

2009-05-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Jen and I have had a hard week... so we decided pedicures, champagne, and strawberries at Spa La La was exactly what we needed.

2009-05-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Friday Lunch Club at

2009-05-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, me and a few colleagues take a trek to a new lunch spot for FRIDAY LUNCH CLUB: BAD NAME, GOOD LUNCH.

This week, I had a nasty case of Waffle Fever brought on by some very tasty waffle sampling at Taste of the Nation and some truly ogle-worthy waffle porn in the newest Williams Sonoma catalogue, so our destination was the FlavourSpot waffle cart, "home of the Dutch Taco, Portland's Original Waffle Sandwich." FlavourSpot has two locations, one on N. Lombard between N. Denver and Greeley, next to Videorama, and one on N. Mississippi at NE Fremont. We opted for the N. Lombard location because according to the online menu, they are the only location open weekdays for lunch, however, that is a big fat lie, one we didn't discover until JUST NOW when we read the hours on the Flavourspot homepage. Moving on.

Barreling down busy N. Lombard, we were almost on top of FlavourSpot before we spotted the unassuming olive green cart tucked into the far corner of the Videorama parking lot, one lone picnic table perched perpendicular to its tail end.

There was no one in line, which is good, since if we're late back from lunch our boss locks us in the windowless, airtight storage room (it used to be a vault) for the rest of the afternoon, where we're forced to survive on Diet Coke, staples, and outdated celebrity gossip magazines.

We scrutinized the well-weathered one page menu pinned to the side of the waffle window, trying to choose between a sweet waffle or a savory waffle, or trying to rationalize simply ordering both. There was a lot of waffling going on (so, so sorry), but finally everyone made some difficult decisions and we placed our order with the very serious waffle girl.

In no time, my (first) order was up, the Ham & Cheese--thick slices of smoky salty Black Forest ham wrapped around a slice of creamy melted Gouda cheese, all of which was cradled taco-style in a freshly-made, slightly crisped to golden perfection but still tender, 7-inches-in-diameter waffle. I think you can imagine my joy. I turned to Shellie to see if she wanted a bite of my ham and cheese waffle wonder, but she was clearly enjoying a private moment with her own Sausage & Maple waffle--plump pork sausage patties (vegetarian sausage available for $.50 more) and 100% pure organic maple spread.

Turns out I hadn't seen anything yet. "S'more!" shouted the very serious waffle girl, meaning that my Nutella with Mallow creme waffle was sitting in the window. My eyeballs went all Geico-googly when I saw the fluffy billow of stark white marshmallow creme nesting with a creamy slash of Nutella inside the prettiest golden-brown waffle you ever saw this side of Grandma's kitchen.

Not to be outdone, Shellie dashed to the waffle window to pick up her Fifth Avenue--peanut butter and Nutella, and Mette almost toppled the picnic table getting up to grab her Black Forest--Nutella and raspberry jam. Perhaps you're noticing that Flavourspot is a Nutella lover's wet dream?

We were starting to slow down. Waffles were laid on the table, deep breaths were taken, sharing was insisted upon, encouragement was given, tall icy cold glasses of milk were fantasized about.

In the end, we did pretty well. We surveyed our waffle carnage, gathered up our waffle remains and neatly packed them in their foil wrappings, and hurried back to the office, with round waffle-filled bellies and the smug certainty that even though we'd spent well over an an hour cramming waffle after glorious FlavourSpot waffle in our mouths and would now have to pay for our tardiness by spending the next three or so hours in the Vault trying to keep the mice at bay with a barricade of empty Diet Coke cans and rolled up March 2007 US Weekly's, we'd have snacks. Wonderful Nutella, Mallow creme, peanut butter, ham and cheese-smeared waffle snacks. Confinement just doesn't get any better than that.

-Jen

FlavourSpot * N. Lombard between N. Denver & Greeley (corner of Videorama parking lot): M-F 6:30-3pm, Sat/Sun 8am-3pm, 503.289.YUMM(9866) and corner of Mississippi & NE Fremont: M-Sa 9am-dark, Sun. 9am-3pm, 503.282.YUMM(9866) * www.flavourspot.com

Special Correspondent April Does NOT Like Haggis!

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our very own globe-trotting Special Correspondent April has made her way to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she came up against her biggest culinary challenge ever: the infamous Scottish "delicacy" haggis.

I'll let Wiki define Haggis for you:

There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.

Haggis balls are chunks of haggis deep-fried, as only the Scots can deep fry something. Oddly enough, Special Correspondent April is not a haggis fan, fried or not!

More than a wee bit of Haggis

Inbox
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April

to me

12:53 PM (2 hours ago)

Sorry friends, no sign of Gordon Ramsay. However, while dining in Dublin I was told by my waiter that Bono had been at the same restaurant the night before and may have even sat in my same chair! If interested, my unwashed jeans can now be found on Ebay - the bidding began at 5 Euros.

The last few days I have had some excellent Indian food in Ireland, Thai in England, and most unforgettably, some traditional Scotland Haggis Balls. I was told it would be inconceivable to leave Scotland without a plate of Haggis Balls. Let's just say this is the last time I am going to type the word Haggis for it brings back oh so bad memories. If only I would have known what they were before humoring my waiter and ordering the large plate.

Downtown Farmer's Market Starts Today!!

2009-04-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Driving past the South Park Blocks this morning on my way to work, I noticed the intrepid, red-jacketed, and seemingly-waterproof Portland Farmer's Market crew setting up booths. I was confused, because try as I might this morning to convince myself that it was Saturday and I didn't have to get up and go to work, the Blackberry told another story. Then it hit me--Wednesday Farmer's Market starts TODAY at its central downtown location in the South Park Blocks between SW Salmon and Main!

From 10 am to 2 pm, you can browse a small but perfectly bountiful selection of the Market's best and freshest vendors, and you can get a Salvador Molly's Yucatan Chicken tamale fix for lunch today.

The beginning of downtown Farmer's Market always makes me think that summer is nearer than it probably is, but a tiny dose of delusion wouldn't hurt my rain-soaked psyche right now. Hope to see you at the downtown market TODAY!

-Jen

Sushi roll lunch special at Sinju

2009-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

$10 for a bowl of miso soup + four pieces of spicy tuna roll + four pieces of crab cucumber roll + four pieces of Philadelphia roll + three pieces of Las Vegas roll. That's a lot of plusses - what a deal!
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TASTE OF THE NATION: TONIGHT!!

2009-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I bumped into my friend Eric yesterday at Freddy Meyer and we got to talking food, and somewhere along the course of conversation he asked if Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation was worth the $75 ticket price.

"Of course!" I proclaimed, although I had to add the disclaimer that I've never actually bought my own ticket--the first year I went I was mooching off my then-cube farm's free sponsorship package, and last year my friend Leigh and I went as volunteer Garbage Girls. You can read my Riches-to-Rags Taste of the Nation tale by clicking HERE. It's a tearjerker, let me tell you, complete with gratuitous shots of me sifting through scads of some of the most gourmet trash in town. Michelle was conspicuously absent, you may notice.

This year, Leigh, Michelle and I are volunteering again, but we have been upgraded to Ticket Girl status, so if you happen to be attending Taste of the Nation Monday night, April 27, you will see us and you should say hello and slip us some St. Cupcakes cupcakes. In my humble opinion, it's worth $75 alone to stand at the St. Cupcake booth and survey the platters upon platters of miniature cupcakes, and know that you could eat them all and not get arrested, if you were a big, bold, rude, and fast enough pig. You wouldn't do it, of course, but the possibility is...priceless, really.

If you're a Taste of the Nation newbie, here's how it works:

*On Monday, April 27, 2009, (THIS MONDAY!) enjoy an unforgettable night of gorging yourself on some of the finest food and drink Portland has to offer. 100% of ticket sales go to Share Our Strength, to help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry. Yes, we see the irony in stuffing your own face to help hungry children, but as they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat. So for 75 skins, you can fight hunger by eating a lot. That's just how this works.

*There are three ticket tiers, depending on how fancy/spendy you'd like to be. The top two tiers get you in early, plus some other exclusive perks. What's the benefit of paying more to arrive early? Supply and demand, that's what. Last year, Toro Bravo ran out of pulled pork sliders by 6:30 pm, that's all I'm saying. However, in their defense, it was their first year doing TOTN and how were they to know they'd be so darn popular? It must have been a traumatic experience though, because I didn't see them on the lineup this year?

1. LUXE ticket entrance at 5:00 pm — $200
If you pony up for the LUXE ticket you get the creme de la creme of exclusivity perks: WAY less rabble crowding you as you're sampling Davis Street Tavern's smoked duck legs or Lucy Brennan's latest cocktail, reserved parking, and entrance to the LUXE Lounge WHICH HAS ITS OWN BATHROOM. This is not a small thing. Also, if you're single and searching and want someone who loves good food and is financially solvent, remember that It's Just Lunch is almost $2000, and this ticket is only $200, AND you can tell your grandchildren that you met over Bamboo Sushi's Meyer Lemon Oil & Spring Herb Crudo instead of through a dating service for desperate wealthy workaholics.

2. VIP entrance at 5:30 pm — $125
A VIP ticket simply buys you more time, and believe me, that extra hour is all you need to get first dibs on everything and then spend the rest of the time making multiple rounds to the St. Cupcake and Ruby Jewel booths.

3. General Admission at 6:30pm — $75
Still pretty cool.

4. Garbage Girl volunteer — $-10 (dry cleaning bill)
TOTN still needs volunteers, by the way. Click above to find out more.

This year, TOTN is being held at:

LUXE Autohaus
410 NE 17th Ave
Portland, OR 97232

You have be 21 or older.

For tickets call 1-877-26TASTE or purchase tickets online .

NOW FOR THE STOMACH CANDY...

THE MENU

2009 Restaurant Participants

Carts

FlavourSpot
Waffles served aboard the St Vincent de Paul Mobile Bus

Salumeria di Carlo
Sausage Bites

Tastebud Farm
Roving Restaurants

Restaurants

Bamboo Sushi
Meyer Lemon Oil & Spring Herb Crudo of MSC Certified Wild Alaskan Salmon atop an English Cucumber Disc

Delilah’s Catering
Deviled Crab Salad in Endive Leaf Boats

DOC
Roasted Leg of Mutton with Bitter Greens and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Restaurants

Al Forno Ferruzza
Sicilian-style Pizza including New Haven White Clam and Margarita; Stromboli; Scarpetta - local seasonal heirloom vegetables seasoned and prepared in the traditional Sicilian style

Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill

Andina
Causitas Moradas y Solteritos - Traditional Peruvian preparation of fresh lime flavored potatoes with savory fillings: purple potatoes with shredded chicken and aji amarillo; yellow potatoes with garden fresh vegetables

Autentica
Mole Guerrerense - Autentica’s homemade Mole sauce with 8 kinds of peppers and nuts, served with white rice

Baker & Spice
Vanilla and Chocolate Shortbread; Rhubarb Danish

Bay 13
Dungeness Crab on Endive

Biwa

Bread & Ink Café
Belgian Sugar Waffles with Bacon, Brie and Basil

Caprial’s Bistro
Pecan Blondies Layered with Chocolate Mousse and Topped with Sugar Honeycomb

Celilo Restaurant and Bar
House Charcuterie, Smoked Fish and Vegetable Terrine on Lavash Crackers

Charlie’s Produce

Clarklewis
Grilled Monterey Bay Calamari Salad with Poached Kingfisher Potatoes, Castelvetrano Olives, Wild Greens and Piment d’Espelette Oil

The Country Cat
Pulled Smoked Duck Legs on Mushroom Crackers with Mascarpone Cream Fava Beans

Cupcake Jones
Downtown Cupcake Brown - Miniature devil’s food cupcakes topped with fudge frosting

Davis Street Tavern
Seared Muscovy Duck Breast with Apricot Chutney on Brioche

East India Company
Crispy Baby Vegetable Samosas with Mango Ginger Chutney

Eleni’s Estiatorio / Philoxenia
Lahano Salata - Thinly sliced cabbage, shaved fennel and toasted almonds; tossed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and smoked paprika

Fenouil
Salmon Tartare with Absinthe and Crème Fraiche Hazelnut Macaroons

Firehouse
Grilled Rosemary Lamb Sausage with Baby Field Greens

Garden State
Frittelle Siciliano - an assortment of Sicilian street fritters

Higgins
Higgins Pig and Pickles

La Calaca Comelona

Lauro Kitchen
Grilled Asparagus Salad with Hazelnut Tangerine Vinaigrette

New Seasons Market
Linda Brand Crab and Bay Shrimp Salad on Endive; Local Artisan Cheeses

Noble Rot
House-made Charcuterie and Dessert Wine

Nostrana
Cannellini Beans with Olive Oil Poached Albacore Tuna

Nuestra Cocina
hicharron con Salsa Verde - fried pork rinds with a jalapeno salsa; and Tostadas de Salpicon - chilled beef salad on a tostada with radishes, cucumber, cilantro, lime and chile

Paley’s Place Bistro & Bar
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Pazzo Ristorante
Fig Bellinis; Cold-Smoked Marlin-Wrapped Asparagus

Por Que No

Ristorante Fratelli
Chocolate Blini with House-made Wild Boar Bacon, served with Citrus Marmalade or Huckleberry Mousse

Roux
Boudin Blanc Corn Dogs with Spicy Creole Mustard Sauce

Ruby Jewel
An Assortment of Miniature Ice Cream Sandwiches

Russell Street BBQ
Barbecue Babyback Pork Ribs from Carlton Farms; Frito™ Pie Shooters

Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Filet Mignon - The most tender cut of Prime beef, cut generously and broiled expertly to a melt in your mouth tenderness

Saint Cupcake
Hundreds of Really Cute Cupcakes

Simpatica
Mussels Rellenos with Chorizo - Baked stuffed mussels with fennel, parsley, chorizo and toasted bread crumbs

Southpark
Escabeche with Bay Scallops or Prawns; Miniature Lemon Tarts

Tastebud Farm

Vindalho
Spring Vegetable Pakoras, Grilled Naan Bread and Seasonal Chutneys

Wildwood
Chilled Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Crème Fraiche

2009 Beverage Participants

MIXology Station

Be an amateur MIXologist! Learn how to mix your own drink from 4 of the cities best bartenders. Hosted by MIX magazine and Lucy Brennan from Mint/820 featuring spirits by Brown Forman & Aviation Gin. A new bartender will be featured each hour.

Bartenders for the MIXology station:

* Jason Boyok from Mint/820 - Herradura tequila
* Leslie Bucher from North 45 - Jack Daniels
* Kristin Strother from Saucebox - Aviation gin
* Sean Skvarka from Departure - Finlandia vodka

Wineries
Adelsheim Vineyard
Amity Vineyards
Apolloni Vineyards
Argyle Winery
Belle Pente Vineyard
Boedecker Cellars
Cara Bella Winery
Carlo & Julian Winery
Cooper Mountain Vineyards
Elemental Cellars
Elk Cove Vineyards
Evesham Wood
Foris Vineyards Winery
La Bete Wines
Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards
Left Coast Cellars
Oak Knoll Winery
Redhawk Winery
SakeOne
Torii Mor Winery
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Witness Tree Vineyard
Youngberg Hill Vineyards
Young's Columbia Distributing

Breweries

Captured By Porches Brewery
Double Mountain
Full Sail Brewing
Sierra Nevada

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Caffe Umbria

Salivating? Buy your ticket to Taste of the Nation NOW!!

Or win two tickets here by telling Portland superbartender Lance Mayhew your most nightmarish food, cocktail or wine experience.

Okay, that made me really hungry. I am heading to the food carts.

-J

Special Correspondent April in the Land of Skinny, Chain-Smoking, (Ham and) Cheese-eating Surrender Monkeys

2009-04-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

Special Correspondent April, currently reporting from Europe, bids adieu to enchanting Paris--but not without letting us in on her newfound secret for how Frenchwomen stay so effortlessly thin.

Those Skinny French B**ches
Inbox X

April

to me

3:48 AM (7 hours ago)

I've discovered the French woman's secret to being thin - a ham and cheese baguette per day and at least three packs of cigarettes. Oh, and I couldn't bear to leave Paris without a pain au chocolat. Perhaps I will not be able to maintain my new baguette and cigarette diet.

Thanks Special Correspondent April! Hmm, sounds kind of like my college diet, except substitute vodka for the cigarettes and T Bell 7-layer burritos for the ham and cheese sandwich. Hey--I'm American!

As she heads to London, we are looking forward to Special Correspondent April's report on the English populace's affinity for Bangers 'n Mash and any sightings of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, who, as my dear English friend Sian puts it, "is sex on a stick." Blimey!

-Jen

All Sunday breakfasts should be like this...

2009-04-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Special Correspondent April and Her $40 Parisian Lattes

2009-04-25T10:13:00.001-07:00

Special Correspondent April, poor thing, is in Paris today as part of a whirlwind 10-day European adventure. She has sent us an update:

Bonjour Mon Amie
Inbox X

April

to me

show details Apr 24 (2 days ago)

This morning Justin and I went to an outdoor cafe and ordered lattes. The waiter brought us some croissants and orange juice in addition to our lattes, which we thought was so generous. Of course, that was only until we received our bill. Our lattes ended up costing us 30 Euros - it was awesome!

Tomorrow, April and Justin head to London. We hope they get to meet Gordon Ramsey. Special Correspondent April has promised to send updates.

Contemplaying life at departure

2009-04-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

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A coup

2009-04-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

We have stolen the best seat in Departure.
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Belly Timber Happy Hour Starts TONIGHT! 5-7 PM!

2009-04-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

This photo of Belly Timber's bar was poached from OregonLive

Just saw this on Twitter:

BellyTimberPDX Belly Timber Happy Hour begins tonight! Tue-Sun nights 5-7PM. Please RT.
about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Belly Timber is located in a big old Victorian at 3257 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

David Siegel is the chef and he is a super swell guy who is a whiz in the kitchen. Maybe we'll see you there tonight. It's still warm enough to sit out on Belly Timber's front porch, right?

-J

Coconut cakelet

2009-04-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

We can't stop eating cake at Baker & Spice.
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Baker & Spice pastry case

2009-04-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

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Almond cake

2009-04-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Layered with raspberry preserves and cream cheese mascarpone frosting.
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Lemon and Coconut Cream tartlets

2009-04-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

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2009-04-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

Jen left no crumb unlicked.
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2009-04-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Lisa from Jacob's Creamery told us to be sure and get the crumb cake, so we did. Deliciously moist, with a good inch of crumb topping, it's irresistible.
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At baker & spice

2009-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

We ventured to Hillsdale for Farmer's Market, and stopped for a snack at Baker & Spice. Concealed inside a strip mall along the Beaverton-Hillsdale highway, this cute little bakery has a full selection of freshly baked breads, cakes, tarts, cookies, croissants and sandwiches.
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Kumquatini at Castagna

2009-04-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Girl's Night has moved to Kir Wine Bar

2009-04-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

We are starting out with a bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo.

The view at sunset at Noble Rocket

2009-04-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Amazing food and view... 1000% better than Departures.

Girl's Night at Noble Rocket

2009-04-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Braised pork with frisee and asparagus with a mustard sauce... Fantastic, fall apart meat, beautiful flavors...

2009-04-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Spring Pea with Parmesan Soup

2009-04-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Nothing taste better on a beautiful spring day than the taste of spring pea smooth cream soup.

Noble Rot on a Spring Night

2009-04-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Friday Lunch Club at Kenny & Zuke's Sandwichworks

2009-04-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

ROB AND METTE LIKE SANDWICHES!

Every Friday, I join my work lunch club for a midday meal excursion. Today we trekked to the new Kenny & Zuke's Sandwichworks up on NW Thurman & NW 24th. The line poking out the door was a little daunting, but we weren't turning back, and fortunately the spillover was mostly due to two moms with hulking strollers, so it wasn't but a minute or two before we bellied up to the counter.

I was craving a hot dog. Normally I ignore hot dog cravings because they seem inherently wrong, but the flowering trees lining NW Thurman made me think of Spring and Spring made me think of Life and Life is Short, so I gave in and ordered the New York Dog--a Sabrett meatstick with kraut, relish, or onions. I chose...relish. Nick Zukin, Kenny & Zuke's super nice co-owner, encouraged me to upgrade to a chilidog, but I couldn't do it, as my stomach was still feeling fragile following Wednesday night's--let's just say...interesting--dinner at Departure.

The picnic tables were full, so we stood around sipping our retro sodas (Kenny & Zuke's has a great selection) and waited for someone to leave or Moses to appear to part the sandwich eating masses. Finally someone left, so me, my coworkers, and my Boylan's birch soda claimed our picnic table throne and conversation stalled as we stuffed our faces.

I work with some pretty eloquent people, so I thought I'd let you tell them about their lunch club experience in their own words.

Name: Mette
Sandwich: Tuna Melt--tuna salad, lettuce, and tomato. Add a dollar and they'll melt it. Mette forked over the dollar.
Experience as told by Mette:
Kenny & Zukes: Where I met a man in a blue jumpsuit named Tor. (Just to explain, Tor was the new friend Mette met in line today. She is friendly like that.) My tuna melt was fabulous - so much so that I ate the last 1/3rd of it while fighting fullness gag reflexes because I just couldn't let it go to waste. The chips were crispy and good enough that my co-worker Rob bagged them for leftovers, even though a tiny bit of tuna had touched them and he absolutely does not eat seafood, but he disregarded the tuna touching and took the chips anyways. My retro coca-cola reminded me of my childhood summers hob-nobbing in europe drinking warm sodas in cobble stone squares with beautiful fountains. This made me sad because I no longer drink warm sodas in foreign countries much because I work for the man, and in hindsight I might have taken my frustration out on the chips, intentionally dropping bits of tuna on them. I'm sorry tuna, I'm sorry chips, for using you against each other when, really, you're a perfect pair and made my day. Until next time...

Name: Rob
Sandwich: Cuban Mixto-roasted pork, ham, pickle, mayo & cheese. Grilled and pressed on a hoagie roll.
Experience, as told by Rob:
The roll was wonderfully rustic and chewy. It oozed with melted mayo and cheese. I added a little hot sauce, which gave the sandwich the perfect kick for my tastes.

Name: Shellie
Dog: Chilidog--Sabrett hot dog topped with house-made chili
Experience, as told by Shellie:
When I first saw the chili dog offering on the chalkboard, I felt my heart skip a beat, but that feeling was immediately replaced with one of guilt at the thought of ordering such a seemingly decadent item. However, when the K&Z sandwich works owner eagerly asked Jen if she was ordering one, I knew it would be too good to pass up.
I was right. The chili was nice and thick, allowing it to stay in place on top of the dog, and an application of spicy mustard on top pushed it into the A+ category. I will certainly be ordering this little gem again, with much less guilt involved.

Thank you Mette, Rob, and Shellie! Your Sandwich Stories are an inspiration to us all. Stay tuned for the next installation of Friday Lunch Club: Bad Name, Good Lunch.

-J

More beautiful views from Departure's rooftop deck

2009-04-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

From 15 stories up-the highest open-air restaurant terrace in Portland.

The happy hour menu

2009-04-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Has a $5 'Bubbles of the Day' offering. I am very happy, all right.
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The view from Departure

2009-04-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Atop the Nines Hotel.
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50 Plates Press Event

2009-04-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Jen and I were fortunate enough to be invited to 50 Plates' Spring Cocktail and Float Fest... Jen is avidly taking notes while I sip on my cocktails.

Me sipping my cocktails...

2009-04-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Starting with a 50 Plates Cooler and Spiced Lemon Drop. The cooler is made with vodka, tonic, grapefruit juice, and Aperol (Campari's less bitter sister, with notes of rhubarb and blood orange). The Spiced Lemon Drop is modeled after a traditional lemon drop, but is made with a spiced simple syrup and Chinese Five Spice powder heavy with cloves and cinnamon ... we decided that it tasted like Summer (lemon) smashed into Winter (cinnamon) and that equals Spring.

Jen decided to put her notes down and join me...

2009-04-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

After I prodded Jen to put the notebook down she went full force with a shot of Four Roses Bourbon followed by a chaser of a nameless cocktail made with Jim Beam, blueberry juice, lemon juice, and a dark brown sugar simple syrup steeped with Mexican cinnamon and a dash of cognac, which we dubbed the BBBTTP (Blueberry Bourbon Table Talk Portland).

Lance Mayhew, Master Mixologist

2009-04-13T18:29:00.001-07:00

Our drinks were mixed and poured by exceptional bartender Lance Mayhew, who writes a great blog called My Life On The Rocks.

Lance Mayhew, Bartender/Photographer

2009-04-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Lance was kind enough to help us take pictures of everything.

We so thirsty!!

2009-04-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

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The food...

2009-04-13T18:00:00.001-07:00

Oh yes, there was food too! We were served the Kobe beef and fried green tomato burgers, Castroville artichoke rolls with goat cheese, roasted garlic, artichoke filling and avocado dipping sauce, and roasted button, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms on challah toast drizzled with sherry sauce. Delicious, and quite reasonably priced on the happy hour menu. We were reminded of what a great happy hour 5O Plates has.

Back in the real world, it's not even quittin' time yet...

2009-04-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Since we had to leave work early to attend this event, we told our bosses that we had to run to the post office to mail our taxes, and not to expect us back because the lines were going to be so long. It was kind of true. The lines were really long when we passed the post office on our way to 50 Plates.

We thoroughly enjoyed the 50 Plates Spring Cocktail and Float Fest, and we'll be back soon, if we ever recover from the tremendous hangover we're bound to have tomorrow.

Happy Monday

2009-04-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

From,
Jen's desk
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I Missed You Cafe Velo

2009-04-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a long winter without my drip to order coffee on Saturday at Farmers Market.

Mmmmmmmm....

2009-04-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Best $5 Breakfast I've Had in a Long Time

2009-04-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

At Café 401. A perfectly poached egg nestled in creamy polenta, and topped with a slab of melty Asiago and a sprinkling of paprika salt and chives.

Yum. And only $5.

Portland City Grill

2009-04-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

The views are magnificent, the beef skewers tender enough to cut with a sharp glance, the champagne particularly effervescent, and the nice piano man is playing Tiny Dancer for us!

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Dog Found

2009-04-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Craigslist and Imira are our heroes!!!

Table Talk Portland Alert

2009-04-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Help!!! Mom's small white dog got out of the yard today while we were at Mother's Bistro. If you see her let us know!!

Have a Picnic at Kenny & Zuke's Sandwich Works

2009-04-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

I had a stressful start to the day. Monday Night Sunday Supper Club went late last night and involved a lot of champagne, so it was a rough morning--getting to work on time and staying relatively coherent and all that. When I took a break to pop into Nuvrei, they were out of my favorite ham & cheese croissant. Then Mom lost her new dog, Roxie, who slipped through a hole in Michelle's back gate while Michelle was lounging around at Mother's Bistro eating macadamia nut pancakes.

When lunch finally rolled around, I was ready for something good to happen. Something like...a great sandwich. And the universe came through for me, because Kenny & Zuke's Sandwich Works opened its doors today at NW 24th and NW Thurman.

A very nice addition to an already Gifted and Talented Eating 'hood--Kenny & Zuke's new neighbors include Square Deal Wines with the fantasmic Steve's Cheese embedded within, Patanegra, Dragonfly Cafe, Food Front Co-op, and St. Honore Bakery--K&Z's was bursting at the seams by the time I arrived at a quarter past noon.

As you walk into the big, airy space, paper menus fill a rack below the large sandwich board to your left, and a cold case holding rows of fun retro sodas from the likes of Boylan and Stewart's sits on your right, herding you towards the counter.

I really wanted to order a New York dog, or the Chicago Italian Beef: tender slices of beef with house giardiniera on a hoagie dipped in garlicky gravy, but with the remnants of last night's steakfest still lying leaden in my belly, I couldn't do it. So I ordered the Chicken Salad Club, a tasty mixture of chunks of moist chicken breast and bits of crunchy celery fused together with plenty of mayo and topped with crisp lettuce and bacon strips and tomato slices on toasted white bread. It was very tasty.

My dining companions both had the Hood River sandwich--layers of turkey (you can also opt for ham), aged cheddar, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, and whole grain mustard on white bread. The apples added a nice tart little kick to the smoky turkey and sharp cheddar. I didn't ask what kind of bread Kenny and Zuke's uses, but it received several compliments from my fellow diners, who are very picky about their sandwich bread. Inexplicably, despite ordering the same thing, only one of my fellow diners received a pickle with their sandwich, which led to an embarrassing scuffle, so next time I'll be sure to check that the pickles are equally distributed.

Kenny & Zuke's dine-in area is largely communal, with long rows of polished picnic tables next to a couple of shorter picnic tables. Since the weather was so beautiful, they rolled up the big door to reveal NW Thurman foot traffic and to let the breeze blow in. We weren't sure we'd get a seat when we ordered so we got everything to go, which meant we really did feel like we were on a picnic, what with our brown paper wrapped sammies and bagged potato chips.

It seems like sandwich shops are sprouting up like wild mushrooms on the East side as Portland rapidly becomes a sandwich lovers nirvana, and as a resident of the West side, I'm glad we've added a solid sandwich shop to our ranks. Thanks to my turgid steak-possessed stomach, I couldn't eat as much today as I would of liked, but I'm taking my work lunch club to Kenny & Zuke's II on Friday at noon for further exploration.

And now, I have to go get Michelle off her new hammock (in my opinion, she is appallingly blasé about the whole losing-Mom's-dog thing) and we are going to comb the streets of SE Portland for a small white Maltese Mix named Roxie. If you happen to have seen her, please email us at tabletalkportland@gmail.com, because Mom is inconsolable. I'd better take her a sandwich.

-J

Kenny & Zuke's Sandwich Works * 11 am - 8 pm daily * 2376 NW Thurman * 503.954.1737 * www.kennyandzukes.com

Macademia Nut Pancakes at Mother's Bistro

2009-04-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Jen's Dessert... Seasonal/ Frozen Blackberries with Hot Lips Blackberry Soda and Vanilla Ice Cream

2009-04-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Gee Sis, thanks for posting this and letting everyone know what a slacker I am. I knew I would get grief for trying to slip berry floats onto the menu in April. It's just that Hot Lips Blackberry Soda is on sale right now, $6 for a six-pack! Anyways, at least I didn't spend half the night under the table licking people's toes. Can you spell W-E-I-R-D with your heinie?

Gettin Rowdy Around the Table

2009-04-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone is eating rapturously, while Little Eli (not to be confused with Chef Eli) tells stories about when he had to get baptized naked at six years old in front of a large crowd, and the deep emotional scars left by this experience. James, our reigning Butt Charades champion, spells "steak" using only his heinie. Roxy, Mom's new dog, patrols the dining room for bits of dropped steak and licks people's toes. So does Michelle, until someone gets wise and makes her come out from under the table.

2009-04-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Cascade Farms all natural grass fed beef, grilled and slathered in herb oil, makes for a mighty fine steak! Chef Eli also served pan roasted asparagus sprinkled with sea salt and tossed with olive oil, perfectly cooked new potatoes speckled with parsley, and and an arugula salad with crumbled gorgonzola and a light lemony vinaigrette. It was beyond delicious.

2009-04-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

On the menu at tonight's Monday night Sunday supper club: STEAK. Chef Elias Cairo is slumming at the bbq.
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Monday Night Sunday Supper Club

2009-04-06T20:08:00.001-07:00

Apparently, nobody wants to sit by Jen, or even at the same table with her.

Beer Time

2009-04-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Table Talk Portland

Opa! Join us for a Pre-Table-For-Twelve Lamb 'n Ouzo Feast and Skinny Dip with Apollo* (*Optional)

Jen likes the tacos in SF

Happy New Year

Jen loves her chub!

Sex and the City with Champers

Brian and I have Crabs

Table For Twelve Returns With A Big, Fat Fibula

Hello Everyone! Table For Twelve is back! Just so you know, I'll be managing the dinners through my website Under The Table With Jen, and henceforth all invites will be communicated through my newsletter, Table Scraps, so if you want to be in the know, sign up here!!

Dear Food Friends**,

And the Eat Goes On....

Jen You Look So Happy!!

Kir Wine Bar

It's been awhile...

My first tamale of the season at Farmers Market

We couldn't handle Beesaws garlic breakfast, so we headed to Cafe D'arte for cappuccino.

Seriously 19 Cloves of Garlic

Oregon Summer Food Adventures

Put Your Vote Where Your Mouth Is--Portland Farmer's Market is the Best!!

Whiffie's Fried Pies

Ping Now Serving Lunch

Sweet Cream biscuit with homemade apple butter

Thank goodness

Waiting at Screen Door

Metrovino Begins Happy Hour Today (Last Night For Some of Us)

Enjoying the patio at brand new Nel Centro

Staccato Gelato

Protest!

RPM @ Savoy Tonight Until 8 PM!!

Barista: A Land of Vacuum Pots, Better Beans, and Otherworldly Mocha Mustaches

Kir Blog Readers Get $5 Rosé Flights!

Hello Sunshine!

May 14, 2009

Special Correspondent April Lives In a Tuscan Castle These Days

Under the Tuscan Influence

April

Get Your Sexy On at the Bye & Bye Tonight!

Bay Shrimp, Asparagus, and Spring Onion Salad at Tastebud

Flying Cat Coffee Company on SE Division Street

Sun Drops and Oregon Kisses From Sahagun Chocolate Shop

MetroVino: 99 Bottles of Bubbly on the Wall...Maybe...I Wish

Nostrana Happy Hour

Special Correspondent April Like-A the Gelato and the Pizza and the Cappuccino and the Italy

An Email From ItalyInboxX

April

Mr. T says

We have found Sunday bliss

Sunday Patio Quest

Apizza Amore on Sundays!

Free Wine and Cheese Tasting At Square Deal TODAY 1-5PM

Shhh... We snuck in tacos and champagne to enjoy two hours of Hugh Jackman in Wolverine.

3:00 is doughnut time at Staccatto Gelato. Fresh homemade lemon doughnut for a measly $1!

Jen and I have had a hard week... so we decided pedicures, champagne, and strawberries at Spa La La was exactly what we needed.

Friday Lunch Club at

Special Correspondent April Does NOT Like Haggis!

More than a wee bit of Haggis InboxX

April

Downtown Farmer's Market Starts Today!!

Sushi roll lunch special at Sinju

TASTE OF THE NATION: TONIGHT!!

Special Correspondent April in the Land of Skinny, Chain-Smoking, (Ham and) Cheese-eating Surrender Monkeys

Those Skinny French B**chesInboxX

April

All Sunday breakfasts should be like this...

Special Correspondent April and Her $40 Parisian Lattes

Bonjour Mon AmieInboxX

April

Contemplaying life at departure

A coup

Belly Timber Happy Hour Starts TONIGHT! 5-7 PM!

Coconut cakelet

Baker & Spice pastry case

Almond cake

Lemon and Coconut Cream tartlets

At baker & spice

Kumquatini at Castagna

Girl's Night has moved to Kir Wine Bar

The view at sunset at Noble Rocket

Girl's Night at Noble Rocket

Braised pork with frisee and asparagus with a mustard sauce... Fantastic, fall apart meat, beautiful flavors...

An Email From Italy

Inbox
X

More than a wee bit of Haggis

Inbox
X

Those Skinny French B**ches
Inbox X

Bonjour Mon Amie
Inbox X