Quick Bites PDX: Apps at Castagna Café

I've been meaning to get this up since last Sunday, but, um...forgot. So hopefully when you go by Castagna Café they'll still be on the menu. But if not, you know whatever is there will more than satisfy you, so no huge loss. But just in case, these two are firmly in the don't-miss-this appetizer category. Just the thing to warm up your palate for the greatest burger in America (certainly better than Five Guys in the last post, ya know?).

Foie Gras (swoon) Toasts with Sauterne Gelée. This is how it's done, class!

Trés Tapas: mini-salt cod croquettes; shrimp with aioli; and sardines with fresh salsa.
Three amazing, distinct, yet complimentary flavors. Awesome!

Things I love....another in an unending series of edible pleasures.

Just another quick sharing moment and something I really need to learn how to do at home, a lovely, silky, sensuous slice of seared foie gras on top of a peach-sauterne purée with toast points. Wow! Another delectable bit of food decadence, this one from Castagna Café. Rumor has it it'll be on their starter menu for a couple of more weeks. Now you know where to find me!!

Another animal gives its all...thank god!

A quick memo to lucky Portland eaters: Get into Castagna Café while you can and order their Pork Cheeks on polenta with fried sage leaves. So fucking good....a huge wow dish: tender, succulent, freakishly satisfying. Just thought you'd like to know!

Spread the word: Belon sighting in PDX!!

This is a shout out to all who, like w and I, live for their next bivalve fix in the form of brinily fresh, just-shucked oysters. For us the sight of a dozen or so Kumamotos or Fanny Bays and a cold glass of Muscadet are enough to bring our lives to a momentary, sweet stop. Last night we had another such experience that all of you fortunate PDX oyster aficionados need to know about. Right now at at Castagna Café they are serving what some consider the n'est plus ultra of oysters, fresh Belons, these coming from Washington. These native French delicacies originally from the Brittany coast are now being harvested up in Washington, and when I saw them on the menu last night my eyes got as big as the Belon's pleasingly round shells. They were outstanding with their creamy texture and salty-briny flavors. So fresh, it always reminds me of a perfect descriptor of the fresh oyster experience: "It's like eating the ocean." So true!

They won't be around long, so grab them while you can, preferably with a glass of their Francois Chidaine "Touraine" Sauv Blanc. Does it get any better? I think not!

As if I needed another temptation....

For me, part of the fun of going out to dinner is the pre-dinner libation, aka "the pre-func", "getting your groove on", or "setting the table". When w and I have our date nights we almost always make one stop for a refreshing adult beverage before our final destination. The place that has become our de facto starting point lately here in PDX is the Teardrop Lounge in northwest. They've come on fast and hard and are among the cutting edge cocktailistas in town, with a menu of creative and deliciously intoxicating beverages that only seriously indulgent minds would come up with. The owner/bartenders are awesome, and Teardrop was recently named Bar of the Year by Portland Monthly Magazine. They almost always nail it with their drinks (although I have to admit that w's "A Bittersweet Life" was a rare miss). It's a warmly inviting, modern/retro boîte (modern in its sleek design; retro in its comfortable to hang at bar and barmen who take their work seriously and appreciate the history of their craft) that we really dig, a place that doesn't reek of the annoying, trying-too-hard vibe usually given off by other places in the "Pearl" district. Before dinner out at Alba last Saturday, I also happened to have one of the best new drinks to wreak havoc on my liver in quite some time (the last really cool, new drink that grabbed me was the Old Pal at Castagna Café), the intriguingly named "Vow of Silence" (right), a perfectly balanced blend of gin, yellow chartreuse, grapefruit, lemon, averna amaro, and gomme syrup. I'm still not sure what those last two ingredients are, but they all come together to form one wildly good drink that will leave your personal vows of silence, sobriety, or whatever else you're swearing off this week in tatters on the floor around your bar stool!

Eating out and about.....

I've been having, as usual, some pretty kick-ass meals around PDX. Here's a few quick impressions.....

TEN-01: There has never been a restaurant in Portland to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes like Ten-01. I wouldn't have bet a plug nickel on their chances after the scorched earth reviews it received upon opening. I mean, it was brutal. And deserved. Well, my how times change. About a year ago they hired the very talented Jack Yoss to take the helm in the kitchen, and ever since this ship has been moving in the right direction. Very seasonal, farm-to-table food. We went there for a boy's night out recently. Eight guys, all of whom know their way around the kitchen and have eaten more than their share of meals out. The bottom line was we were all uniformly impressed with everything we had, and we ate our way through most of the menu. where there was hardly a weak spot in evidence. It was a few weeks ago, so I'm sure the menu has changed some, but from that meal and the buzz on the street, this has to be on your hit list. It has an elegant, yet comfortable feel. Kelly at the bar is absolutely nails, too, making several satisfying libations from various in-house infusions, and more importantly a rock solid martini! I also respect the kitchen's appreciation of foie gras in several dishes, especially in these food intolerant times when far too many chefs have caved to the demands of food Nazis who don't have a life of their own, so they feel the need to tell us how to live ours. And major props to my man Anthony for hooking us up with an off the menu treat that night in the form of some crazy good raviolis. Fucking awesome.....you rocked it, dude!

BASTA'S: Time was I used to go to Basta's all the time when they first opened. Then I moved out of the neighborhood, other eating opportunities caught the attention of my roving palate, and Basta's kind of slid to the back burner. w and I made a much overdue trip their before the symphony about three weeks ago, and now I'm kicking myself for staying away. The space in the former Tastee Freeze is cozy as ever. Owner/chef Marco Frataroli is really hitting it right now in the kitchen. Everything we had was delicious. The calamari was spot on, my all-time favorite pasta from back in the day, the fettucine al' anatra (duck pasta) was on the menu as a special, and it was exactly as delicious as I remember. w had the cioppino (pictured...via the camera phone!) and it was beautifully presented, really stunning to look at, and very well prepared....fresh, with a bright, flavorful broth. And Basta's all-Italian wine list is also a treat, with loads of choices at way more than reasonable prices, easily one of the best value lists in town!

CASTAGNA CAFE: I've mentioned my love for virtually all things Castagna several times. On a recent trip they had yet another thing to put on my "Foods I Crave" list, a freakishly good appetizer (left) of roasted shrimp, garbanzos, and garlic in olive oil. Another "Oh my f-cking god" moment, and I grabbed some bread and sopped up every last savory drop of sauce. So good. If it's not on their appetizer list when you go, let's badger them to get it back. Crazy stuff!!

The definition of....

SUCCULENT: (adjective) 1: Moist and tasty; Toothsome 2 : rich in interest
This kind of a geographically specific post. Particularly for you lucky several who live in Portland and can get your appetites in to Café Castagna. We went last night, and right now they have the craziest app on their menu. Gambas...which is Spanish for shrimp...sauteed in various Spanish oils and spices, and served with citrus aioli and a few veggies. But the shrimp star here. They are perfect, and if you had put fifty of 'em in front of me, I would have eaten them all! At about $7 a serving you'd best be getting 'em while you can!

Praise be to Burgers!

Can there be better news for those of us who worship at the altar of a great burger and fries? Especially when the supreme creators of the Burger, those Gods of Grilled Ground Beef at Castagna Café have just let me know they are going to be opening for lunch starting June 12th! Let the angels rejoice, because more chances to eat their divine burgers and heavenly fries are to be celebrated. Owners Kevin and Monique are also working on some specialty sandwiches with house roasted meats and a few other variations from their regular café menu. Lunch service is going to be starting June 12th, and will be served Tuesday through Saturday. The hours are tentatively planned to run from 11:30-2:30. I'll have more details as they become available.

Online inspiration!

Sorry for the paucity of postings lately. Nothing too exciting food wise has passed my lips lately. Well, except for these amazing roasted fresh sardines and we had at Castagna Café last night. It's on their appetizer menu, and they were spectacularly savory in a sizzling pool of olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts. Also had a beautifully spring-like watercress soup that by itself would have been enough, but of course The Handsome One ups the ante by floating a few deep fried morels that taste like little earthy croutons. Yum! Plus I've been way busy getting ready for next weeks escape to the land of Euro-food.

So while I have no big food news, it doesn't mean you can't have your appetites whetted elsewhere. Here's a couple more blog sites that I've been hitting regularly:
Beyond Salmon is a very entertaining site by Boston food writer/cooking instructor Helen Rennie. She usually features a great recipe to go along with mouthwatering pictures of her creations. I haven't tried any of her recipes yet, but they all read like they'll be excellent. If any of you try them, I'd love to hear back.

I also have been feeding the food jones at Culinate, which is a locally produced online food magazine with a national focus. A great variety of food related articles, insight, recipes, cookbook reviews, etc. Nice graphics, pics, and more ways to kill time at work...er, search for inspiration to enhance your homelife.

Check 'em out, and starting Sunday the great vacation blog of '07 starts with visits to the Piedmont and Cinque Terre in Italy, then five days eating our way through Paris. Once again giving it up for you!!