Tomatoes for dessert? Indeed, Clyde Common’s love affair with the tomato runs deep. So, as we bid adieu to Executive Chef Chris DiMinno’s summertime tomato salad, we transition into fall with a perfectly inspired seasonal dessert from another Clyde star – Pastry Chef Danielle Pruett.

Food & Wine’s popular blog, Mouthing Off, just published a roundup of their five favorite restaurant dessert trends for Fall, and included in the mix is Pruett’s tomato upside-down cake. Writer, Kate Heddings mentions a few popular takes on this classic American dessert, but notes that “the most interesting fruit in rotation has to be tomato, seen at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.” This local gastropub has a way of creating some of the most unique and delicious creations with the use of local and seasonal Northwest ingredients, and sure enough, people are taking note.

Click here to read the full article: http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/mouthing-off/2011/9/27/top-5-trends-in-restaurant-desserts

NW Portland’s Serratto is one of my favorite spots in town – it doesn’t get a ton of buzz, but it’s been around forever (over 25 years!) and is one of those old Portland staples with great food, excellent service, and an upscale yet warm and cozy ambiance. They also happen to have one of the best happy hours in town, and being that the restaurant is a little pricey, it’s not the kind of place I generally go to for a 3-course dinner. So I was really excited to get the opportunity to check it out for Dining Month, and was very pleased with the meal – all of the dishes were beautifully prepared, the wine pairings were thoughtful and on-point, and the service, as always, was impeccable.

I started off with a chilled asparagus soup, served with crème fraiche and micro-greens set atop a mini crostini  - a combination that gave each bite the perfect crunchy texture and refreshing creamy mouthfeel.

In my opinion, the main course was the standout dish – a house-made spaghetti served with sautéed prawns, English peas, cherry tomatoes and watercress, dressed in a lemon-dill cream. This dish was spot on in many ways – you could taste the freshness of the pasta in the first bite, and the spaghetti’s thick but airy texture made it difficult to put my fork down. While the prawns were cooked to perfection, the dill was a bit strong for me and took away from the simplicity of this otherwise perfect plate.

For the third course we enjoyed a Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée served with a shortbread cookie…rich and flavorful, but with a bit of an overglazed top.

Hope you enjoy my photos from the evening – as always, I had another very pleasant experience at Serratto. There’s just something about this place that draws me in and makes me feel right at home, and even if I only go back for happy hour, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Serratto.

Chilled Asparagus Soup

House-made Spaghetti

Last Saturday marked the 7th Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival, and wow, was it a success!

We’d like to thank everyone involved from our generous sponsors, craft winemakers and chefs to our passionate volunteers and attendees who all exhibited their passion, love and support for Oregon’s craft winemaking community.

It’s after all the hard work is done (we’re happy it’s Friday!), that we have a chance to see the positive response from our media and consumer attendees.  Thanks for the support and here are a few highlights:

Paul Gregutt, Seattle Times
http://www.paulgregutt.com/2011/05/when-to-spit-and-not-to-split.html

Jennifer Heigl, The Daily Blender
http://www.dailyblender.com/2011/05/celebrating-independent-wines-at-portlands-indie-wine-food-festival/

Allison Jones, Portland Monthly’s Eat Beat
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/blogs/eat-beat/pourings-and-pairings-may-2011/#

Don Bourassa, Yelp.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/portland-indie-wine-and-food-festival-portland

As members of the Portland Culinary Alliance, we are excited to share our upcoming program – a 101 on sour beers led by Portland brewer Van Havig. Check below for the details and we hope to see you there!

Pucker Up for Sour Beers with Brewer Van Havig

Northwest may be known as “Hop Heaven,” but a new trend is brewing in the Rose City – sour beers. Traditional lambics, gueuzes and Flemish sour ales from Belgium are finding renewed appreciation as local brewers experiment with bacteria and yeast varieties. If you’ve wondered what makes these beers and their tangy tartness so appealing, The PCA has just the program for you. So pucker up, it’s sour beer time!

Portland brewer Van Havig (former head brewer of Rock Bottom Brewery, a past president of the Oregon Brewers Guild, and all-around sour beer aficionado) has selected an array of sour beers for us to try and will guide us through a tasting of this unique style. And because a program wouldn’t be complete without tasty bites, the team at KitchenCru, the recently launched “culinary incubator” and shared-use community kitchen, will provide small plates to enjoy during the tasting.

Visit our fabulous new website at pdxca.org/upcoming-events to register!

When: Thursday, May 26, 2011 from 6:00pm–7:30pm

Where: KitchenCru, 337 NW Broadway, Portland, OR 97209

Cost for PCA members: $30

Cost for non-members: $40 (Become a member today and qualify for the member rate at this and upcoming events!)

Registration Deadline: Monday, May 22, 2011

Max Capacity: 30 attendees

Renowned culinary magazine Star Chefs made its way to Portland last month to get a taste of what Cooking Light recently called “one of the most exciting food towns in the country.” Star Chefs has been nominated for Best Web Site for Food and Nutrition by the James Beard Foundation and is a go-to resource for culinary insiders. So when we heard that Star Chefs was coming to town we were curious about what they were up to. Now we know…

The Star Chefs team visited our clients Cathy Whims at Nostrana and Chris DiMinno at Clyde Common for feature stories, checkout the great photos below. We also learned that they’re currently in the process of accepting nominations for the 2011 Rising Stars award for Portland and New York. We’ll update you when we hear more about the awards!

Click below to see more…

One step closer to Steven Smith’s personal mission…to bring the freshest full-leaf tea experience to consumers. With praises from Bon Appetit, Imbibe, and now The Wall Street Journal – we’re proud to be storytellers for Steven Smith Teamaker. Watershed’s mission is to help brands grow in today’s artisan economy, so blending our passion with Smith’s is just our cup of tea. It might be yours too…Now, you can find blends from this small batch teamaker nationally, at Williams-Sonoma. See below for Charlotte Druckman’s take on this “Small Brew Tea Party.”

What a dream come true…being listed as a Portland favorite of Bon Appetit’s Andrew Knowlton, is quite an honor. With hot restaurant bars like Clyde Common and innovative businesses like Smith Tea, it’s no wonder that national media still has their eyes on us. After all, where else would you find bartenders tinkering with barrel-aged cocktails and once-retired teamakers pulled back into their passion. Our city is a place where passion and creativity blend perfectly, so it takes working on a story like this to remember that we’re still  stirring up cutting edge concepts. Click here to see get the full scoop – Drinklandia: Where to Get Buzzed in Portland.



On March 19th The Wall Street Journal featured Nancy’s Organic Cottage Cheese With Fruit On Top, the first-ever organic one of its kind, in their Bits & Bites: News You Can Eat section. It’s not often that we get to help launch a new product from this pioneering creamery and in case you haven’t tried it yet, take the advice of the WSJ and pick some up at your local Whole Foods. Check out the full hit below…

How did Steve Smith successfully brew up a premium tea brand at a time when critics and grocery buyers said the tea market was saturated?

Learn how on this MSNBC’s morning program “Your Business”, as Steve Smith expands on how fining a niche directly impacts the growth and success of businesses, just as it has for Smith Tea. Steve’s mastery of the tea business has helped him find his niche, but segments like this reaffirm how important it is to also master the art of telling one’s story. Smith’s business acumen is proven by his ability to distill 27 years of experience into 7 minutes. It was inspirational to have a behind the scenes hand in this interview.

Click here to watch the segment!

Happy friday everyone! We just read Bon Appétit’s awesome interview with our favorite local superstars, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein and they, like us, tout their undying love for Clyde Common…

Fred says, “I really like Clyde Commons. And I know these are big touristy spots that everyone loves, but I just want to say that I love Clyde Commons and Pok Pok. Remember that I’m a tourist. But Clyde Commons is fantastic. I loved it.”

Check it out: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2011/02/portlandia-interview.html

Now we’re even more excited for Round #3 of Portlandia tonight!