Quick Bites PDX: Bar Avignon; Alba Osteria; and chatter

ALBA OSTERIA
For those of you who have reading along all this time, you know I have large amounts of respect for chef Kurt Spak's Alba Osteria out in SW Portland. If you haven't been clued in, you need to be, because this is, as w and I were reminded after dinner there this past Saturday, the best Italian food in town. We had another intensely satisfying meal, where Kurt's spot-on representation of Piedmontese cooking knocked us out. Just recounting the meal here makes me salivate for my next chance to go there....

Starting out, along with a couple of of glasses of fizzily refreshing prosecco, we had the Tartra of Heirloom Tomatoes, Taggiasca Olives, and Anchovy surrounded by a decadent pool of Salsa di Noce, a heavenly hazelnut sauce. The tart was perfect, sweetly fresh baked tomatoes set off by the salty pungency of the olives and anchovy, inside of a perfectly made crust. We also had the Halibut in Carpione, which was marinated halibut with a zucchini, tomato, and cucumber salad. Fresh, bright, the halibut in its citrus marinade matching perfectly with the lightly dressed veggies. This is a dish that takes a light touch, and it was executed exactly right.

Following that, we opted for the Ricotta Gnocchi with a cream sauce of chanterelle mushrooms, fresh corn, and pecorino. I've probably said it before, but AO's gnocchi are sublime. Soft, perfectly textured, pillowy bites of goodness, and the seasonal cream sauce was again very flavorful but light. Then we shared the magic that is Spak's Agnolotti del Plin, tiny stuffed pastas filled with veal, pork and rabbit tossed in a butter sauce. Impossibly delicate, they melt in your mouth, and it is amazing they can get them from water to table without falling apart. The agnolotti, which I've had stuffed with various fillings, are always a not-to-be-missed menu option.

After that primi, it was on to secondis, and in a fit if pasta overload, w decided she had to have Alba's Tajarin with a butter/sage sauce. Always the best version of these long, thin, ribbony noodles we've had outside of the Piedmont, this is another plate of fabulousness that never disappoints. I went carnivore with their Grilled Tails & Trotters Pork Loin Chop with a balsamic glaze and topped with a sliced, roast peach. This was fabulous stuff, the hazelnut finished Tails & Trotters chop tender, slightly pink in the middle, and juicy (our waiter Jeff said the don't even need to brine the T&T pork). The sliced peach on top was inspiration, and the surrounding polenta and a few glasses of a fabulous 1999 Ugo Lequio Barbaresco had me swooning.

The only disappointment was our dessert of Vanilla-Blueberry Crème Brulée. The blueberries under what would have been a silky crème on its own instead mixed with the cream, making it a bit of a soupy mess. But by that time we were so full and so satisfied that it was a minor letdown. Alba is closed through the 10th of September for vacation, so you'll have to delay your gratification for a bit, but when they reopen they'll have a new fall menu ready to roll out that I'm sure will provide untold pleasure for a helluva lot less than a ticket to Torino!

Also worth noting is that now Alba is offering their tajarin and ricotta gnocchi for retail sale. That has to be good news!
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BAR AVIGNON
You may have read this Oregonian piece about Bar Avignon's new chef Jeremy Eckel and the expanding menu at this cozy dining room on 22nd and SE Division. Owners Nancy Hunt and Randy Goodman (that's them at left in a pic from The Oregonian) have finally found the perfect person to take a spot that always provided great cocktails and an extremely well priced and varied wine list and ramp it up into what I now feel might be one of Portland's best spots to grab dinner. Nancy was telling us what she loved about Eckel was his love of all things seasonal in the chef's bounty that is Portland. She said his eyes just light up when she brings in her latest farmer's market finds, and we saw that same dreamy look in his eyes when he was explaining to us what he going to do with a batch of fresh sardines he was salting. You can tell when someone is into it, and this guy has it bad!

We went last Friday, dug our forks into some of Eckel's creations, and came away dying to return. We started with Wild Boar Ribs with a spicy-sweet peach barbeque sauce that are perhaps the ultimate bar snack. A Chilled Sweet Corn Soup topped with a sprinkle of smoked sea salt was so richly flavored, yet light, made with a vegetable stock. We followed that promising start with Fideus, which are short Portuguese-style noodles (think broken spaghetti) in a sauce of summer squash and chard with a soft baked egg attractively situated right in the middle. Something you have to have if it still on the menu is his roasted Chicken with baby artichokes, pacha beans, and aioli. I don't order chicken out very often, because I make various kickass dishes myself at home, but Eckel's chicken was fabulous. A half chicken that is bursting with juicy flavor, and the whole plate just screams of the summer season.

This food is seriously good, the vibe at BA is incredibly comfortable, and the prices are ridiculously cheap, with everything above ranging from $7 to $14. Add on to that some bargain priced wines and you have the ultimate cheap date that will satisfy your wallet and leave your palate breathless, which is pretty much what we're all looking for, isn't it?

You can also buy most of the wines off the wine list to go for 25% off, and be sure to check out Randy's Saturday afternoon free wine tastings at the back table!
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CHATTER: This article in last week's New York Times Dining Section was all about the hotdogueros of Tucson who peddle griddled bacon wrapped hot dogs topped with taco seasonings. I read this, immediately wanted to book a plane to Arizona to taste these wonders, then came up with a much more economical solution. I walked across the street from the wine shack to Kiko's Taqueria Uruapan and handed Enrique a copy of the Times story and inquired (through his son) if he might consider adding this to his repertoire. He gave me the look I immediately recognized as the same look I give people who suggest ways to improve my business. So when I checked with his son the next day to see what they though, he said they are probably going to be offering them up this Saturday at their cart on SE 13th and Lexington in Sellwood. I was overjoyed, until I suddenly realized I'm leaving on vacation early that morning. But being altruistic as ever, rather than bitterly keeping this nugget to myself, I offer it to you and hope you will take advantage of what I will sorely be missing.
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Word on the street has it that Donald Kotler, owner of the deliciously cute place Toast on SE 52nd is working on financing to open another spot at the very cool space that was formerly CAVA on SE 53rd and Foster Road. No word on what his plans are, but I can only hope this comes through, because I love his act at Toast.
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A sampling Oregon pinot noirs and commentary on the NYT site by writer Eric Asimov. The main point seeming to be to talk about how the young Oregon wine industry is more informed by winemaker choices rather than the elusive terroir that makes France's Burgundy region what it is. Not surprising, and can't say I disagree, but it is too bad their tasting is limited by the availability in their local market, which would leave most of America to believe that Oregon pinot noir at this stage is hardly worth the investment. With that I couldn't disagree more, and I only wish they could sample the very reasonably priced offerings from J. Christopher, Cameron, Grochau, Broadley, and others.
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Click here to check out the info on the upcoming "Going Whole Hog Class with Morgan Brownlow and Aaron Silverman of Tails & Trotters" at Luan Schooler's appetite inspiring Foster and Dobb's food emporium on NE 15th. For what seems a quite reasonable $20 you get a class from two pork know-it-alls who will discuss "...the European style of butchering. They will also explain the best ways to use various cuts of pork in the home kitchen and share their experiences raising the pigs." I'm guessing snacking will somehow be involved. Sounds yummy!
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Chickpea Tagine with Chicken & Bulgur: Bittman rules!

Fucking Bittman. I've got to hand it to that guy. I may not like everything he suggests, but every now and then he kills it. Plus dude is pretty entertaining in those videos he does on the NYT site. What I do like about his schtick is that his recipes are usually pretty straightforward and come together very easily. Even this tagine, with a relatively long list of ingredients, is incredibly simple to prep for. Literally about 15 minutes of chopping and measuring and I was good to go. And that's with bumping everything up by half 'cause I got screaming deal on chicken thighs at Costco (don't give me any shit, either. Oregon grown Foster Farms, no addtives, hormones, etc. Sure, the chicks live a bit "cozily", but even those supposedly PC "free range" birds at your organo-mart usually never leave the warehouse they're crammed into).

The end result was a palate popping, holy-Jesus-this-is-good plate of Moroccan influenced deliciousness. The spices were spot on, the chickpeas and bulgur become this decadent mush, and the chicken practically fell off the bone before being shoved in all its savory fabulousness into my mouth. In other words, this bird is the fucking word! Absolutely company worthy too, this one.

So if you have some friends who are deserving and need to be awed by your kitchen skills, throw some of this in front of them. It seems multiplying ingredients by the number of thighs you need to serve seems to do the trick. And that 4 serving thing below? Don't believe it unless you're serving a bunch of Karen Carpenter wannabes. This is so good it really makes 2 large servings because everyone will be back for seconds. Plan accordingly. Also, canned garbanzos were the deal, and use chicken stock, not water if you want the full flavor of this dish. You do like full flavor, right??
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Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and Bulgur
from "The Food Matters Cookbook"

makes: 4 servings
time: About 1 hours with cooked or canned beans, largely unattended

"Braise precooked (or canned) chickpeas and chicken in a North African spice mixture and the chickpeas disintegrate, the chicken becomes fork-tender, and everything is intensely flavored. It’s an extraordinary dish and made even more so by the bulgur, which is cooked right in the stewing liquid."- MB

ingredients:
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained, with liquid reserved
2 cups bean-cooking liquid, stock, or water, or more as needed
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 bone-in chicken thighs
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1-1⁄2 teaspoons coriander
1-1⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄2 cup raisins, chopped dates, or currants
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; include their juice)
1⁄2 cup bulgur
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

method:
1. Put the beans and the liquid in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so the mixture barely bubbles.

2. Meanwhile, put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Cook, turning and rotating as necessary, until it’s brown on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken to the pot of beans.

3. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, raisins, and tomato; cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the mixture to the beans and adjust the heat so the mixture returns to a gentle bubble.

4. Cover the pot and cook, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is bubbling gently, for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir the bulgur into the bottom of the pot; it should be covered with about 1 inch of liquid. If not, add more water. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the bulgur is done, another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve each chicken thigh with a big spoonful of the chickpea mixture and garnish with parsley.

My favorite babysitters....or "Recipes?? We don't use no stinking recipes"!!

There are some, I suppose, who would consider it embarrassing to have to have a babysitter as an adult. Normally I would be, too. I found myself in this post-post-adolescent predicament because w, while we were out to dinner with our friends Keith and Denise, mentioned that she was going away for the weekend. Denise immediately offered their services if I needed "babysitting" for a night. As I said, normally I would be somewhat offended to have someone think I couldn't take care of myself. But I also knew that if I played my helpless card right, I'd be in for an evening of amazing food and beverage, as Denise is an incredible cook and her man Keith not only makes one bad ass martini, but also makes the most perfect poached eggs on the planet (which were atop a beautiful salad), because according to new motto at the K/D house, "Everything is better with poached eggs"! What more could a lonely, needy, and hungrily conniving person want for an evening? So with that I showed up last Saturday night, and (over)indulged....yet again. Denise is endlessly curious and enthusiastic about food, and if you click this link to her blog you can check out her recent trip to the south of France where she and her family ate their way through all that is decadently delicious about French cuisine. Mouth-watering, envy-inspiring reading. In any event, I, along with our friends Jill and John, were treated to some staggeringly good home cooked fabulousness. Being a natural cook (you know the type....one who doesn't make use of a whole lot of recipes and just cooks) Denise, as always when I ask how she made something, goes "well, you put some of this in there, add, oh, some of that, and you'll know when it's done". Um, okay, a little more specific please? So she relented, and over the next three days I'll share three awesome recipes (if I can get her to give up the crème caramel how-to). Remember, this is cooking by feel, with suggested measurements, so don't be shy, just feel it!

The picture at the top is courtesy of Keith and his artistic eye that puts my lame efforts to shame. Thanks K!
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We started with these set out on a plate, and given my love of all things tuberous named potato, I could've happily stuffed dozens in my mouth!
Deviled Truffle Potatoes...or faux deviled eggs
for 6

15-20 Small yellow creamers / yukon gold potatoes
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Deviled mixture...can be any proportion or combo of the below; use whatever you have on hand and go by taste and texture
3-4 T finely minced shallot or mild onion
3-4 T green herb...I used chive but could be parsley, maybe even tarragon...
4 T (?) sour cream
1 T mayo
1 tsp mustard
1-2 T olive oil
2 T whipping cream to lighten up the gloop
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Rock salt plus table salt
1 T truffle oil

Boil potatoes gently in heavily salted water until tender. Cool, cut in half and scoop out centers into a bowl. Smash up with a dash of salt, a dash of truffle oil, and the other deviled ingredients. If using whipping cream to lighten the mixture, add it towards the end.

Thinly coat a plate with truffle oil and a mixture of kosher and rock salts. Roll the potato bottoms in the oil and salt, stuff with deviled mixture, et voila.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: the perfect lazy Sunday with Cinnamon French Toast!

Fava fabulousness!

They're not just green. That would almost be an insult to the shiny, almost vibratingly vivid green that emerges from the thin outer membrane surrounding these edible emeralds in early summer. Fava beans. Every year when I first see these at the Farmer's Market I am sent scrambling to my recipe archives to find new things to do with them. Last night I added them to what looked to be a delicious risotto by Jean-Georges Vongerichten that I spied a while ago on Food & Wine magazine's website. Seeing as how my beloved Meyer lemon tree had a couple of perfect, perfumey lemons waiting to be picked, I googled Meyer lemon recipes and this came up on the screen. Since I also had a pound or so of favas in the fridge, why not make a good thing even better? I had a feeling the favas would work well with the lemony flavor of the risotto, plus add a nice texture contrast with the rice. It worked wonderfully, and this decadently rich risotto will wow your dining companions. I can't wait for leftovers at lunch!

For all of you who think favas are too much work, they aren't. Even if they were, they'd be worth the effort. The prep for the favas for this dish took exactly ten minutes. If you're not in a risotto mood, simply lightly sautéing them in butter as a simple, elegant side dish is hard to beat.

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Meyer Lemon Risotto with Basil
adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
6 first course servings
If you can't find any Meyer lemons, use regular (Eureka) lemons.

ingredients
* 6 cups homemade chicken stock (or...if you must...canned low-sodium broth)
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
* 1 tender inner celery rib, finely chopped, plus 1/4 cup chopped leaves
* 1/2 Thai chile, minced
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 1/2 cups arborio rice (10 ounces)
* 1/2 cup white vermouth
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
* 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
* 2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest (or 2 tablespoon finely grated Eureka lemon zest)
* 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (or 2 tablespoons fresh Eureka lemon juice)
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons julienned basil leaves
* 1 1/2 pounds fava beans...to prep: shell beans from outer pods, blanch beans for 60 seconds, then gently squeeze beans to separate favas from the outer membrane. Set shelled favas aside.

directions
1. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, cover and keep hot. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery rib and chile, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the celery leaves and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring until glossy, about 1 minute.
2. Add the vermouth to the rice and simmer over moderate heat until almost absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the hot stock, 1 cup at a time, and cook, stirring constantly between additions, until most of the stock has been absorbed before adding more. The rice is done when it's tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes total. When the rice is amost done, melt one tablespoon butter in a small nonstick sauté pan, add favas and sauté for about 60 seconds, just enough to wram them up. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, the mascarpone, the lemon zests and juices, favas, and the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls and serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

Killer B's!!!

It's not like I'm digging ditches for a living or anything. But my job here at the wine shack does entail a certain amount of effort. You think setting that table in the picture below is easy? How about filling 160 glasses 1/3 full, knowing that everyone is going to be checking out the person next to them to see if they got more. Talk about pressure!
So what did I go through all this for? Why did I put myself through this work day meatgrinder? So 18 of my new best friends who showed up at the wine shack could taste a great batch of 2001 Brunello di Montalcinos, that's why. To my mind the reason that sangiovese was invented by the gods of wine was so the resulting grape juice could make it way into these bottles of vino fabulousness from that tiny patch of enchanted land surrounding the hilltop village of Montalcino. I love these freakishly great bottles of Tuscan goodness, which are absolutely one of my favorite ways to get my grape groove on, and the 2001 vintage was simply incredible in that part of the winemaking world. Across the board these wines killed. They didn't even start to open up and show their stuff for about 90 minutes after I poured them. Everyone was pretty knocked out. The wines we had were:
* 2001 Mocali
* 2001 Caprili
* 2001 Canalicchio
* 2001 Altesino
* 2001 La Gerla
* 2001 La Gerla "Angeli"
* 2001 Campogiovanni
* 2001 Solaria
So what were the hits? How about all of them. For me I loved the Solaria, Mocali, Caprili, and La Gerla "Angeli", but none of them were lagging. The only thing is you need to wait about 5-10 years before these start to show their best. Talk about anticipation. When you're making some rocking Italian dinner in about eight years and wander down to the basement and grab one of the bottles you were smart enough to hold on to, you'll be pretty freaking smug once it hits the glass. Feel free to look me up and thank me for the heads up I gave you a few years earlier.

So that was my day at work......how was yours??