It’s Labor Day weekend! Which means you should probably be outside doing something fabulous instead of sitting inside on your computer reading this. But if you’re doing the latter, that’s ok with me. The time has come for SERIOUSLY SUMMER’S ALMOST OVER AND WE HAVEN’T DONE [insert stereotypical summer activity here] YET, GAH. So, these weekend finds are some things I need to do in the next month, and some things I’m looking forward to.
1. Summer Vegetables and Glass Noodles
I need more hot weather so I can eat more cold noodles.
This summer has been the season of cold noodles with crunchy veggies. I’ve got a few weeks left of summer, so I’m going to try to get one last version in, and it will be this one (or a variation on it) with glass noodles.
While I love a good blueberry muffin. Or blueberry galette. Or any blueberry baked goods. But sometimes, savory is good too. Which is why these pickled blueberries pique my interest.
4. Bull in China
They’re really just enabling me, at this point.
Guys, my neighborhood is blowing up. Lots of construction, lots of neat places opening up. Included, this one stop shop for bartenders, Bull in China, by a couple local bartenders. I’m certainly looking forward to stopping in, lusting after the glassware, tasting the bitters, and reading all the liquor literature.
5. Fudgesicles
Cold frozen chocolate on a hot day? Yes please.
If I haven’t already told you about Molly Wizenberg and her lovely blog, Orangette, I’m telling you now. Her writing is wonderful (I’m still working on getting my hands on a copy of her newest book, Delancey), her photos are so beautiful and really she could probably tell a story just with them. But her recipes are delightful. I’m hoping I can make these fudgesicles before the warm weather runs out.
Well friends, today marks the beginning of June. That’s a pretty crazy thing. This year is flying by, and it seems like if I blink, it’ll be Christmas. But I’m working on taking things a little slower and enjoying what I’ve got going on. These finds are what I’ve been liking this week.
1. Davenport
The fried octopus atop frisee. (Photo from Portland Monthly.)
When family is in town, we eat. And we eat well. Last night, after finally winnowing down our list of places to dine, my dad, Darla, Jonah, and I went to Davenport. The kitchen is helmed by Kevin Gibson, of Evoe, and they’ve been open for about 6 months. I’d been wanting to go for all of those 6 months. Located in the old June space on E. Burnside, the restaurant is cozy and clean. Last night it was warm enough that the big garage door was open. Our servers were so kind, the wine was perfect (a red sancerre) and the food was impeccable. Highlights included: roasted fava beans with pancetta, fried octopus over frisee, asparagus with porcini/breadcrumbs/parmesan, and grilled duck breast with a walnut aioli.
2. Pro Pie Tips
Some key pie advice will lead you to pie nirvana. Pievana? (Photo from Bon Appetit.)
It is officially pie season. The rhubarb is here and the strawberries are starting to trickle in. So do a little prep work and check out these tips from Bon Appetit. I’m especially keen on the recommendations to put the pie at the bottom of the oven and to put it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you bake it. So smart.
3. Rachel W. Cole
A screenshot from Rachel Cole’s website – all about figuring out what you’re really hungry for.
Now don’t get all judgmental on me here. Rachel Cole is a life coach who focuses on feeding your true hungers. Via her social media outlets (which I follow), she talks a lot about body image and how we fill ourselves, with food and other things in our lives. I recently signed up for her newsletter, and spent a few hours on Friday doing her fulfillment pyramid activity (you can get it too if you sign up for her newsletter on her site). Think of it as making a food pyramid for yourself, but putting all the things you need in your life in it, not just vegetables and grains. It was a really fun, reflective, positive activity, and I definitely recommend it. Trust me, cooking for friends and baking pies definitely made it on to my pyramid.
4. Foodie events in and around Portland
Why yes, I will spend my summer drinking rosé out of mason jars in a beautiful field, thank you. (Photo from Feast.)
Why does cooking pork belly make me so nervous? (Photo from Food52.)
I’ve been itching to try cooking with pork belly, and I think once my schedule becomes normal again, it’d be a great day-long kitchen activity. I’m picturing it seasoned with thyme, and served with a rhubarb chutney. I’ll definitely be re-reading these tips from Food52 before I go for it.
6. Grocery Shopping
We all shop for and cook our food differently, but what’s important is that it works for us. (Photo from The Kitchn.)
I like this little meditation on grocery shopping. Jonah and I have been trying to do more meal planning and making enough to have leftovers for lunch and then committing to actually eating those leftovers… It’s all harder than it sounds. But here’s what I’ve realized – as long as we are all feeding ourselves well and trying to be conscious about where the food is coming from, then we’re “doing it right.”
I was recently invited to a dinner at Castagna by Irene at Watershed Communications. For those who haven’t heard of Castagna, it’s certainly on the higher end of the Portland dining scene. There are two dinner menus – one a more traditional four course menu, with two choices for each course, and the other a chef’s tasting menu, with around 12 courses.
Speaking of the chef, Justin Woodward is crazy talented. He has many skills, having worked as both a butcher and a cheesemonger in addition to chef. He seems to have a very analytical brain. When we asked him about how he came up with a certain flavor combination for a dish (shiso and sheep cheese wrapped in cranberry leather), he stated very matter of factly that cranberries were coming into season, so it simply made sense.
Castagna seems to be about using incredible ingredients in interesting ways that showcase the flavors. A lot of restaurants in Portland are all about using local, seasonal, fresh ingredients, but you can really tell when someone does that because they want to rather than because that is now the industry standard. Castagna has a garden on the grounds, as well as some additional beds at a business a couple doors down, which gives them the opportunity to grow whatever they want, and to have it freshly picked every day. Every plate Chef Woodward put in front of us was packed with flavor, with interesting techniques, and was visually stunning. If you’re looking for a truly special meal, perfect for an occasion or celebration, I certainly recommend dining at Castagna. Here’s what we ate (descriptions of each dish are in the caption to the right of the photo).
Note: Please forgive grainy cell phone pictures and low lighting. The food was beautiful and delicious, no matter if it appears to be otherwise in these photos.
In this weekend finds, I want to share some interesting articles that I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks. If you’re interesting in reading more articles about food, food writing, etc. I recommend using resources like Bloglovin’, Klout, and also following David Lebovitz on Facebook (seriously, the guy posts some very interesting articles).
1. Culinary Medical School
Culinary Medical Program at Tulane University
I remember when I wanted to be a doctor. And now, I want to be a professional foodie. There have been more and more experts connecting the diet and health, and for obvious reasons. But mostly those people seem to be nutritionists or homeopathic doctors. I think it’s great that this culinary medical program at Tulane University in New Orleans is connecting the health world and the food world, and incorporating nutrition and cooking into the medicual curriculum.
2. Most Useful Cookbooks
Best useful Cookbooks
I like this article from HuffPost Taste about the best, most useful cookbooks to have on your shelf. Of course The Joy of Cooking and Mastering the Art of French Cooking make the list. But so does the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Also, I REALLY want the Flavor Thesaurus. But if you’re looking for some great basics to start building your kitchen literature collection, check out this article.
3. Ferran Adrià on his new projects
Ferran Adrià and Bullipedia
This article summarizing a stop on Adrià’s book tour is pretty interesting. His answers to questions about defining cooking and restaurants and creativity are fascinating, but the part the piqued my interest the most? His upcoming culinary museum, the lab inside, and the culinary wiki, Bullipedia, that he’s creating. That is going to be the coolest resource ever. (Also, as I was telling Jonah about this article, the guy next to us at the coffee shop where we’re working, looked up and asked us if we’d seen the documentary about El Bulli. I have, but if you haven’t, you should. It’s on Netflix Instant Watch.)
4. Food Blaggers
Food Blaggers
This article about the role food bloggers play in the restaurant review world is very interesting (I found it via David Lebovitz’s Facebook page). The thought of calling a restaurant and asking for a free meal in exchange for a positive review is mind boggling to me. That being said, I have received free meals and such, and there has never been and explicit request for a review in exchange. I always mention that I was invited, so on and so forth. But the line is certainly a little blurry. It’s something I’m working on clarifying for myself. Anyway, I find it all very interesting. Do you have any thoughts on the blogger/restaurant/PR company relationship?
