Anyone who can guess all three of our Halloween costumes will receive a special treat. A surprise seasonal ale! Don’t be scared…

Happy Halloween!

Open Gourmet’s November issue, turn to page 28 and welcome to Portland’s “smoking-hot” restaurant scene. The article recognized several acclaimed Portland restaurants - Sel Gris, Le Pigeon, Beast, Screen Door, The Country Cat, Pok Pok - but Jack Yoss, Executive Chef of Ten 01, opened the article with a bang. One highlight - author Jessica Maxwell describes Jack’s roasted sea scallops with chorizo and peppers as one of the most delicious dishes she’s had!

We had a wonderful time working with editor Joceyln Zuckerman who assigned the story to Jessica and offering our two cents on who would be fantastic to include in the piece. Congrats to all the Portland culinary artists who continue to shine the light on the exciting scene here. ~ Lisa

Check out the article below:

Ten 01 in Gourmet

I love this time of year… Halloween and Fresh Hop Beers! It’s times like this that I count my blessings for living in the Northwest. While people everywhere will celebrate Halloween this week, there isn’t another region of the country where you can get the fresh hop experience, and even if you live here you’d better move fast - they only last a few weeks. In order to seize the moment, we did a LAD taste-test of two Oregon fresh hop brews: Deschutes Hop Trip and Rogue Independence. Both were delicious but very different in style. Here’s a recap of our tasting notes, and since we’re so close to Halloween we’ve given the beers their own costume equivalents.

Festive Fresh Hop Beer

Deschutes Hop Trip / Jack Skellington: Sophisticated, fresh, fruity and smells like a hop farm. This beer was layered with a bright nose and dry palate that evaporates off the tongue leaving you curious for more. Herbal without the intense bitterness, it would be the hit of Halloween Town.

Rogue Independence / A Pirate : Dominant, intense, bitter and might knock you over the head. Simple, but tried and true and always fun. This beer had more hop intensity, with rich malt and caramel flavors. The quintessential hop lover’s beer with a big pop. Get ready to walk the plank, matey…. arrggh.

Just back from a long weekend in San Francisco and wanted to share a few leads.

Coffee Bar in the Mission has fantastic espresso drinks and unexpected savory breakfast items. I had a cheddar scallion gourgere and a cappuccino which was nearly as good as Andrea’s at Spella.

Perbacco in the financial district is urban and formal and very Milanese in its sleek, modern style.  I loved the Swiss Chard ravioli with a sage butter sauce paired with the Moretti La Rossa. The fruity yeast the German brewer uses in this Italian beer was the perfect complement to the sweet, delicate flavors of the flawless pasta.  Thanks to Cathy Whims for telling me I HAD to check this place out.

Piperade This off-the grid older (almost ten years old) Basque restaurant is a must for anyone who appreciates simple, honest food. I loved it!  Starters like the goat cheese stuffed peppers stood out for their brightness and austerity.  A salmon main course with chunks of lardons and brussel sprouts was a terrific early fall dish.  Interesting brisk white wines on the Basque-oriented list were a delightful departure from familiar regions and varietals. 

Ponzu I stayed near Union Square at a Kimpton Hotel called the Serano and wanted my first night to be easy so I ordered a chicken satay and green salad from room service.  I have to admit that I’m a classicist at heart so when the satay showed up without a peanut sauce I was deflated.  However, the chicken was insanely tender and the idea of a yogurt sauce accompanied by dollops of fig jam turned out to be wonderful.  Don’t write this one off if you need a quick meal near Union Square.

Ferry Building Farmer’s Market — sorry, I can’t recall the name but there’s a fantastic tamale place at the back of the first tent.  $ 4.00 gets you a tamale filled (and I mean plenty of slow cooked pork) and a big portion of black beans.  I can’t explain it but this food was clean in a way that most Mexican street food isn’t. Definitely a good option if you aren’t in the mood for Hog Island Oysters or some of those other great restaurants inside.

Just how do you get your kids in the kitchen to cook? Give them Matthew Locricchio’s The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids!

This is a very exciting time for kids cookbook author and chef Matthew Locricchio. His newest cookbook The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids was released on October 1st and by October 14th his book was included in a feature story on the front page of the FoodDay section of the Oregonian. His book received a great review by 10 year old Lia Knox-Hershey. Congrats Matthew! This looks to be a great gift for kids this holiday season. You can read more about Matthew and his cookbooks at www.cookbooksandkids.com.

The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids in the Oregonian

This past weekend I traded in Portland’s lush fall greenery for a quick dose of dry New Mexico sunshine. What an incredible state! We kicked off our Saturday afternoon with an early feast at local restaurant The Shed, which serves some of the best authentic New Mexican cuisine in town. There I indulged in some traditional Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas with posole, a margarita and, of course, tons of chips and salsa. After the meal, we decided to walk off our food coma by gallery hopping in the area. One of my favorites was the Ed Larson Gallery, a small folk art studio we happened into off the infamous art strip, Canyon Road.

Sunday was incredible! After a nice quiet breakfast, my family and I rode our bikes to the local farmers market where we were immediately hit by the intoxicating scent of roasted chilies in the air. We parked our bikes, ran inside and watched as the locals picked, purchased and roasted their peppers.

Choose your color: Red, green or both.

Take them to the pros (be sure to stand back to avoid the embers):

When you’re home and ready to cook the peppers, you want to make sure that you clean them well and peal away the outer shell. If you like them hot, be gentle so not to lose the seeds since they’re the spiciest part.

Then slice off the tops and they’re ready to go. We were chatting with a local woman at the market who told us that her favorite way to cook up her chilies are to sauté them with corn, onion, mushroom and butter.

Anyone else have a chili recipe to share with us?

Be on the look out for a LAD cameo in “Friday Night Dinner Party” in the October/November issue of MIX magazine, featuring the Pappas-Boedecker family - Owners of Boedecker Cellars.

Athena Pappas reveals some of her favorite Greek recipes from her childhood (I might have to steal some of these) and her husband Stewart reveals his choice of drinks.

I just received Michael’s real time email with a preview of what’s in store for Tabla Mediterranean Bistro’s Tuesday Flight Night this evening. It sounds delicious! Unfortunately I’m missing out, but for those of you seeking a fruity Tuesday night bite paired the perfect wine head over and let me know how it is!

Pears
October 14, 2008
Wine Flight :: 12
Food :: A la Carte or 23 for all 3

cheese plate :: ossau iraty, brie, purple haze,
grilled pears and saba :: 12
Pairing :: 2006 Roland Lavantureux, Chardonnay, Petit Chablis, France

duck sausage :: stuffed pears, thyme, grana frico :: 8
Pairing :: 2007 Domaine Lapierre, Gamay, Morgon, Beaujolais, France

grilled pork chop :: pear and sage chutney :: 15
Pairing :: 2005 Azul Guelbenzu, Tempranillo/Cabernet/Merlot, Ribera del Quieles, Spain Full Glasses ::

Full Glasses ::
Lavantureux :: 12
Domaine Lapierre :: 13
Azul Guelbenzu : 11

It was a blue sky and a perfect day for sorting fruit at Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in the Willamette Valley yesterday. The attraction for me is to personally connect with this year’s harvest, to smell the fruit, see the clusters, chat about random things and come home with sticky boots and a little more knowledge about the magic of how these ripe berries become a memorable elusive liquid.

The view from the Terrace which looks onto Mt. Hood

I worked on the sorting line with Lynn and Ron and a few other friends who hand sorted several tons of Pinot Noir from Shea Vineyards.

Fresh from the vineyard

The last time I did this I learned about second crop or fruit that needed to be pulled from the line because it was not as ripe as the main clusters and this time I noticed Lynn pick up one cluster and pull off a few berries. I asked why she had yanked only a couple berries and she showed me that they had a bit of botrytis or rot. Fortunately, we saw this only once or twice but it was a great opportunity to learn how to identify it and to see the real care that goes into this process.

I was impressed that her eagle eye could see such a subtle discoloration so quickly (fruit zips by fast and even though at some points we had up to six people on the line, it is still an intense momentum). I did occasionally feel like Lucy on the bon bon candy belt.

It was a great day indeed.

Lots of laughter, great tasting fruit (yes, it is mandatory to nibble on a few berries) and a good hearty lunch.

a slow moment on the sorting line

We just learned the sad news that David Lett eyrievineyards passed away last evening.  We want to convey our deepest condolences to the Lett family.  

We have had the privilege of working with David’s son Jason over the years and also of joining both David and Jason for one of the most memorable tastings of my career.  In March of 2006 David and Jason graciously opened up their cellars for two of my good writer friends from NY who were visiting as part of the Indie Wine Festival (Malachy Duffy, former senior editor of Food & Wine, and Alice Feiring, Natural wine advocate and wine writer for Departures, LA Times Magazine, etc.)

Alice and David at our fabulous Sunday afternoon tasting in McMinnville

Papa Pinot’s talent, attitude, vision and wine will be enjoyed for many years to come. They will live on in his children, grandchildren and the wine culture here he helped establish.  Let’s all lift a glass this evening in his honor!