I always knew I loved Dining Month, but it wasn’t until I went out with some girlfriends on a Friday night that I realized just how good of a deal it really was!  Three of us, two cocktails, three courses each, great conversation – I got out of there for under $45 on ‘date night.’

Now onto the good stuff. Gilt Club took Dining Month to the next level by offering three different choices for each course in the prix-fixe. So being the food-loving friends we are, we naturally ordered all of ‘em.  So then it began, course after Dining Month course.  There were three standouts for the evening – Rabbit rillettes with toasty bread, nicely dressed greens and a creamy whole grain mustard; Salt and pepper fried quail with pea tendrils and arugula salad with Pedro Ximenez pickled red and green strawberries, fried peanuts and sherry gastrique; and a lemon poppy seed pound cake with fresh Oregon strawberries and a citron sorbet.

I’m glad to have had Dining Month Portland to lure me into the dining room, because I have to admit, you can usually find me cozying up to the Gilt Club bar with a bing cherry Manhattan.

Once again, a Dining Month success!  This is one menu I’ll be returning to.

Our Dining Month Portland challenge is in full swing at Watershed HQ and that means the opportunity to share our reviews with each other, and with you.  We’ll be posting mini-reviews from some of our restaurant visits on our blog throughout the week.  The list of Dining Month participants can be a little daunting at first, so my personal strategy was simple – start at the top of the list and work my way down.

I should probably mention that I have amazing friends and family who were amused, and slightly baffled, at the idea of trying to visit all of the participating Dining Month restaurants.  Thankfully, they’ve been good sports who are willing to take one for the team (er, waistband?) so I get great meals and some pretty awesome company to boot.  Last night my Dining Month posse visited 50 Plates.

Our first course was iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, bacon and scallions.  It was simple and delicious. So delicious in fact, that we dove right in and I forgot to get any pictures.

The second course of the evening was a half Draper Valley chicken served with grits and greens.  The portion was more than generous and the dish reminded me of something my Grandma in Missouri would have made, if she were a better cook.

The third course was a chocolate devils food cake with brown sugar ice cream.  You can’t really go wrong with chocolate cake and it was rich enough that we could have easily shared one portion.

As a team we’ve visited 10 restaurants so far, with 51 to go.  Has anyone else checked out the Dining Month Portland deals?  What did you think?  Let us know which ones have been your favorites in the comments below.

We opened the Oregonian this morning to discover FoodDay has a great cover story with five fabulous chili recipes for your Super Bowl viewing party, including a vegan Heirloom Bean, Kale and Wheat Berry Chili recipe that has certainly caught my attention.

Our clients have also been hard at work crafting the perfect Super Bowl chili recipe and the following is a simple yet extravagant dish using super-charged chipotle sour cream, linebacker-sized chunks of avocado, and humanely raised beef from Organic Prairie.  Enjoy!

* Photo Credit: OrganicPrairie.com

Grass-fed Beef and Black Bean Chili with Avocado and Chipotle Sour Cream

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Chili:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ pound Organic Prairie bacon, finely chopped or ground (to grind, cut into chunks, freeze until firm, then pulse in a food processor)

2 pounds Organic Prairie grass-fed ground beef

1½ tablespoons kosher salt or 1 tablespoon table salt, more to taste

2 cups chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons mild chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika (optional)

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (not tomato puree)

2 4-ounce cans mild roasted green chiles

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth

2 tablespoons molasses (optional)

Hot sauce, to taste

Toppings:

1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with a little lime juice and salt

1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles (freeze the leftovers)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until most of the fat is rendered and the bacon pieces are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour off all but around 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Add the beef to the pan, sprinkle on about 2 teaspoons of the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, but don’t let the meat get brown and crusty. Scrape the meat from the pan into a bowl; set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan, add the onion and 1 more teaspoon salt. Turn down the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika (if using), cumin, and coriander and cook another minute, stirring and scraping so the spices fry slightly in the oil.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, chopped cilantro, beef broth, molasses and remaining teaspoon salt, plus as many shakes of hot sauce as you like. Turn the heat to low, and cook, uncovered, until thickened and rich tasting, 45 minutes to an hour. Add back the bacon and beef and simmer another 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt or hot sauce as needed.

Serve the chili in bowls with some avocado piled on top and a generous drizzle of the chipotle cream.

Cook’s Tip:
Grass-fed beef is generally leaner than conventional beef, which means that you need to take care not to overcook it or it may seem dry, especially if you’re cooking a steak, roast or hamburger. For the ground beef in this chili recipe, drying out isn’t a worry because you’re simmering it with so many moist ingredients – including olive oil and bacon!

About Organic Prairie. Organic Prairie meats are produced by an independent cooperative of organic family farms. We are pioneers of the organic meat industry, who began producing our delicious meats—without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or pesticides—back in 1996. We insisted on third-party organic meat certification long before federal organic standards were established. We were the first in the industry to ban animal by-products from our cattle’s diet. And we played a vital role in shaping federal organic meat certification standards—the strictest in the industry. To learn more about our cooperative, please visit www.organicvalley.coop, and look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OrganicPrairie.

Organic Prairie, the meat division of Organic Valley, makes it easy to have your football chili and feel good about it too.  Their new online store — www.organicprairie.com — offers USDA-certified organic beef, pork, and poultry – including grass-fed organic ground beef — making it easy and convenient to access meat that meets all of your high standards and delivers great taste in the process.

I confess!  The 4th of July is one my favorite holidays.  No, I’m not going to sew myself a homemade American flag dress, or sing the Star Spangled Banner out my apartment window for all of Northeast to hear.  For me, this holiday is about slowing down and being grateful – over a huge slab of ribs and a lot of laughs.

The last few 4th of July parties I’ve been to have lacked one thing, a great cocktail!  So this year I asked Brandon Wise, bartender at Irving St. Kitchen, for a delicious and easy-to-execute cocktail recipe that I can mix up on site (and impress my friends with, of course).

His answer:  Pimm’s Punch.  It’s a classic English summer recipe that’s perfect for a festive BBQ, or cocktail party, and can be done in larger batches – perfect!  Bonus, it’s a gin cocktail and I love gin.

Hey Britain, we don’t want your King, but we’ll sure keep your cocktail!  Check out Brandon’s recipe.

Pimm’s Punch from Brandon Wise of Portland’s Irving St. Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 parts Pimm’s No. 1 (Pimm’s is a gin based spirit that should be available at your local liquor store)

2 parts London Dry Gin

2 parts fresh lemonade

1 part soda water or seltzer

Seasonal fruit salad (Brandon likes to use strawberries, cucumber, lemon and mint, but says you can also use what’s fresh in the garden)

Directions

Mix ingredients together in punch bowl with ice and add your summer fruit salad.

Cool ice cube twist…

Another fun way to use seasonal produce is to take an empty plastic container (or any mold you have around the house), fill it with water and fresh fruit or herbs, and freeze it into a large ice block for the punch bowl.  Keep your eyes open at resale or antique shops for great bargains on vintage punch glasses and punch bowls.

Cocktail, check.

Ribs, not so much. Last year, I was asked to ‘man’ the grill, but was quickly booted back to the veggie station.  This year, I’d like to avoid that… so I asked Irving Street Kitchen’s Chef Sarah Schafer for three simple tips to achieve success on the grill.

Sarah Schafer’s Three BBQ Tips:

1. Injection, injection, injection. With the right combination the flavor cuts right to the bone.  When I inject my ribs I like to use a combination of onion, garlic, Tabasco and butter.

2. Moisture! – when smoking.  When the smoker is full of meat more moisture gets trapped creating more humidity and more tender meat.  You can also use a water pan to add more moisture to the environment.  I like to put ketchup in the smoker to create smoked ketchup.

3. Thighs before breasts.  When cooking chicken remember if separate cook thighs first.  If it is a half chicken, use indirect heat with the thighs pointed toward your fire. This will produce a more evenly cooked bird and a better tasting breast.

Happy 4th everyone!  May your cocktails be balanced, and your grill smokey!

God bless America.

–from Martha Holmberg

My favorite sound in early spring isn’t the cheerful chatter of birds, tho that’s nice, but rather the clack-clack of wooden Portland Farmers Market tokens being counted into a ziplock bag for me at the info booth. I never have cash so I always start my market morning with a handy swipe of my debit card—the tokens make me feel like I’m getting all that wonderful stuff for free, except, um, I’m not.

My first market shop was this past Saturday, and while I felt bad about missing opening day, I felt righteous as I huddled against the highly unpleasantly driving rain and did my shopping.

Yet all was not dreary, the food is fantastic and makes me so happy. And the market has expanded, too! I’m curious to see how the extra space plays out once the crowds return – I will love being able to stroll rather than rugby-scrum the aisles in June.

My lettuce, though not really from the farmers market--for illustrative purposes only!

My score? I start with my ritual breakfast of a crab cocktail from Linda Brand Crab (hey, where’s the friendly guy with the good blond highlights? Hope he’s back later this season). Then I bought:

-       Coppa roast from Tails n Trotters, (plus a couple small pieces of pork butt that are in the freezer awaiting my command. I swear that the fat does taste like hazelnuts, which is the main food source for the hogs).

-       Nettles from the Osmogaia guy, which turned into a shockingly delicious soup with some spinach and a potato.

-       Young and lovely lettuce from him too, that I dolloped with the following pretty green dressing (I didn’t measure, so use your improv skills):

In a mortar and pestle or food processor, mash an anchovy or two, about a half a small clove of garlic, some grated lemon zest, lots of salt. Add some lemon juice, then start mashing in some ripe avocado – I used a half a medium one to make dressing for 4. Once you get a thickish puree, start working in a bit of buttermilk. When you have a nice ranch-dressing consistency, taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and lemon and a shake or two of hot sauce. If you have nice tender herbs such as parsley, chervil, chives, or dill, you could throw in a sprinkling of them, too.

April 15th is less than a month away and Pazzo Ristorante has created a tax break that doesn’t require accountants or an abacus.  Introducing, the $20.10 Tax Relief Prix-Fixe dinner menu!

The three course dinner allows diners to select their choice of starter, entrée and dessert. The menu changes weekly, and current menu follows:

I.

BARBABIETOLA

roasted beets, brussels sprouts, horseradish mascarpone, salted pistachios

-or-

PROSCIUTTO

san daniele prosciutto, baby cress, grilled ciabatta, marinated grapes

II.

TAJARIN

hand- cut ribbon pasta, cattail ceek lamb ragu, thyme, aged goat cheese

-or-

SPALLINA

grilled cascade natural shoulder tender, olive oil- yukon gold potato puree, oregon truffle confiture

III.

PANNA COTTA

honey – sweetened vanilla custard, buddha’s hand citrus

-or-

SPUMA

frozen meyer lemon mousse, lavender, crushed meringue

Meyer Lemon Spuma

Its been four years (this Saturday, October 17th) since Executive Chef/owner Cathy Whims and her team moved to the corner of Southeast Morrison and 14th to open Nostrana, which has since become one of Portland’s most beloved restaurants.

Nostrana’s humble, rustic Italian fare continues to charm the likes of many – Nostrana was named The Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year in 2006 and most recently, Cathy Whims was a James Beard Award finalist for the Best Chef Northwest title.

This Saturday, Whims and team are excited to shine the spotlight on the local farmers and winemakers that help Nostrana maintain its longstanding commitment to community producers.  In honor of the occasion, Whims is preparing a four-course menu that features ingredients from the farmers with whom she has longstanding relationships including: Ayer’s Creek, Cattail Creek Farm, 47^th Avenue Farm, Kingfisher Farm, Laughing Stock Farm, Prairie Creek Farm, and Your Kitchen Garden.  Local winemakers include Cameron, J Christopher, Matello, and Westrey.  Farmers and winemakers will be on site for the celebration, so this is a great opportunity to savor local food and wine with the producers themselves, prepared by one of Portland’s leading chefs.

The evening’s menu is below.

Two reservation options are available on anniversary night, Saturday, October 17; one at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m.  The cost for the evening is $60 per person, wine and gratuity not included.  Reservations are required.  For more info, visit Nostrana’s website.   Come celebrate!

Tonight’s happy hour at Wildwood looks amazing!  Chef Dustin Clark will be outside on the patio grilling up some tasty dishes. Check out tonight’s menu below.

Grill menu August 4, 2009

Alaskan halibut skewers
Sweet corn flageolet bean salad and aioli

Garlic and oregano sausage
Pickled green beans and blackberry mustard

Nectarine crostini
Basil, arugula and mascarpone

Wildwood also offers a variety of drinks on their happy hour menu, including a white and red wine, cocktail and selection of beers.

The New York Times, Saveur, Portland Monthly, Forkfly — Burgers are apparently as newsworthy today as saying someone’s actions

A creation from Mother's Bistro & Bar's new Burger Bar

are stupid despite the fact that you’re the head of the free world.

Why burgers? Why now?

When my friend Kate Krader from Food & Wine Magazine was in town a few months ago she explained it this way.  ”People are super interested in cooking and food, they want to become authorities on cuisines and dishes but when the economy’s down, they can’t afford to obsess on super high-end ingredients or become experts at something that’s a luxury item.  However, it’s easy to become a burger or pizza afficianado.”

Good editorial instincts Kate, it’s no wonder you’re one of America’s top culinary trend forecasters.

My question though, is the obvious conflict between conventional vs. natural beef.  Anyone who’s read a Michael Pollan book or seen Food Inc. is most likely verging on becoming a vegetarian if not at the very least considering giving up all conventionally raised meats. So, how do food-loving passionate burger fans indulge in burger mania when most offerings are patties made from grain fed, hormone filled, inhumanely treated animals?

We say, think local now more than ever when it comes to your burger cravings.  Develop a solid understanding of where your beef comes from so you can eat with wild abandon.  Here are our top 3 local, grass-fed beef ranchers and/or Co-ops we want to support: Painted Hills Natural Beef, Highland Oak Farm and Ford Farms.  Please consider doing the same.

Each Tuesday for the past two weeks Wildwood’s new Garden Grilling happy hour has enticed this young LAD to put in a little time off the clock.

Ok, I haven’t actually been working (as demonstrated by the $2 bottle of Session Black gracing my table) …

… but regardless I’ve found it impossible to miss Wildwood’s exhibition of garden grilling at its finest.  Their menu offers delicious gourmet dishes using seasonal ingredients at prices that well, even an intern can afford.

On June 30th we enjoyed three dishes (all $5 each) from the kickoff menu including:

•    Grilled lamb ribs with red harissa
•    Grilled yogurt marinated chicken, cucumber raita and summer lettuces
•    Grilled flatbread pizzetta, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and chili flakes

I couldn't wait to take a nib

Garden Grilling happy hour takes place on Wildwood’s front patio overlooking NW 21st St. every Tuesday throughout the rest of the summer from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  The new value-oriented happy hour menu offers three new dishes each week, depending on what the farmers deliver.  Wildwood is also now offering happy hour beverages, including white and red wines ($5), a specialty cocktail ($5) and a select draft beer ($3).

We caught them in their natural habitat!