Quick Bites PDX: EVOE of course!

What else are we expected to do on a Sunday afternoon with a near empty refrigerator and hungers fueled by a 2+ hour hike in the Columbia Gorge? EVOE, with its proximity to our house....a 13 block walk or 2 minute drive...and its astonishingly good food, has proven to be something we can't resist. And the chilled glasses of wine to the left (w's 2007 Elvio Cogno Langhe Bianco Nas-Cetta, an intriguingly lemony-minerally, slightly spritzy, and completely refreshing Piedmontese white; and my 2008 Chateau Miraval Provence Rosé), were our prelude to another unbelievably satisfying mid-day luncheon. Speaking of EVOE and wine, their glass prices and bottle offerings are absurdly cheap. I might suggest you get in and slurp down all of the 2007 Cameron Winery "Willamette Valley" Pinot Noir you can for $7 a glass or a ludicrously affordable $20 a bottle! This is one of the best Oregon pinot noirs of 2007.

Once ensconced at our two ringside seats at EVOE's long rustic lunch table, where the culinary genius of chef Kevin Gibson are on display about three feet in front of you and from a vantage point at which the observant eater can pick up tips to take home to try in our own kitchens, we placed our orders off the myriad temptations on the chalkboard menu. w chose the potato-leek soup with fresh morels and the scallops with a grapefruit-avocado salad. I opted for, after strong prompting from Kevin, his housemade wurst sausages with potato salad (below right) and the vitello tonnato (pic at left). As always, everything was exceptional. Again Kevin's deft touch lets every ingredient stand out, and his simple, totally unfussy preparations and presentations should be a clue to almost every other cook in town. The soup was surprisingly not creamy as potato-leek soup almost always is, instead chunky with cubed potato. It had a rich, heady, morelly broth with a hint of butter. Excellent stuff. The always reliable scallops were, as ever, perfectly prepared with the richness of the shellfish counterpointed by the citrusy twang of the grapefruit. The last time I had vitello tonnato, which is thinly sliced or pounded veal with a tuna sauce, was at a small café in Monforte d'Alba on our Piedmont excursion a couple of years ago. I told Kevin all I wanted was to be transported back tableside in Monforte. He, as he should have, rolled his eyes at the food dork before him and said he'd do what he could. One bite in and while I might not have been back in Monforte, I was pretty damn happy to be seated at the table in EVOE. The veal was perfectly chilled and tender, the tuna sauce a bright, tangy compliment. His wurst sausages with potato salad were also pretty fabulous. Moist, seasoned just so, wurst should never overpower. It's the subtle sausage. And each bite, dipped in a dab of mustard, followed by a bite of potato salad and sip of rosé, was luscious. Again, as I've said before, Kevin's cooking at EVOE is easily among the best in town, and the incredibly reasonable prices make this hands down the best dining deal in Portland.

Yin and yang

The differences between mediocrity and greatness were never more evident than they were to us last weekend. We made plans to meet with our friends K&D for some happy hour noshing, and w had read a couple of interesting things about the preciously named H5O (h-five-oh) Bistro and Bar on the ground floor of the Hotel 50 downtown. We walked in about 3 and found ourselves to be the only ones there (although a few other people wandered in as we were leaving). They're trying to pull off the updated mid-century aesthetic with varying degrees of success. The gas fireplace in the middle of the bar is pretty cool, but what's up with the hideous head shaped cocktail table? And the dining room, which has a nice view looking out over Waterfront Park, seems almost like an afterthought, leaving a room with about zero feel.

But we were there to eat and drink, and the bar space itself was pretty comfortable. K and I started out with Manhattans (pic at top left) which seemed thin, almost like they had been sitting in the cocktail shaker too long. D & w tried a couple of their house cocktails. w's pomegranate-something was so tart it really needed some simple syrup to bring it back into balance, and D's ginger-vodka infusion drink was, well, pretty good. The happy hour deal is $1 off well drinks, a couple of wine specials, and $3 off their bar menu items, which could make for some pretty sweet deals. Note the "could make". We tried four different things, with varying degrees of success, but overall I went away pretty unimpressed. The Venison Burger ($9 on happy hour- pic at left) was good, juicy, well cooked, a little blandly seasoned but with an intriguing apple slaw on it that I did like. The trio of crudos ($6 for beef, salmon, and tuna- pic at right) was very attractively plated, but the flavors lacked that slap to the palate that something really fresh delivers. The razor clam strip I thought was tough, but the others liked, saying they liked the chew. I like some chew, too, but to me there's a difference between "toothsome" and "overcooked". We also had the charcuterie plate, which seemed to consist of Sysco-provided sliced meats (if I'm wrong I will definitely print a correction), which in this town of incredible house-cured meats just doesn't cut it. So all in all a sadly uninspiring attempt at satisfaction.

Luckily we knew just where to go to regain our equilibrium, which was across the river and up SE Hawthorne to EVOE at Pastaworks, where once again chef Kevin Gibson knocked out our tastebuds with his über-fresh creations. We ordered a bottle of the 2007 Tedeschi Soave which was perfectly bright and crisp to keep our palates clear for what was to come. What came? How about his famous fennel salad with guanciale crisps on top? Or some perfectly seared scallops with a mouthwatering grapefruit-avocado salad? And we were just getting started.

Even though we had been eating quite a bit, the thing I find at EVOE is that with Kevin's light, balanced touch with food, the more you eat the more you want to try. Everything on the menu seems to call to me. It's like "if that is THAT good, then that other thing must be amazing". And it usually is. So keeping those gluttonous thoughts in mind, we also tried the meltingly tender razor clam on toast (at left). Take notes H5O...this is exactly how clams should be cooked! Then we noticed the duck confit. I think I made my feelings about duck confit clear a couple of posts ago (in fact, I have Ruhlman's recipe poaching at home in the oven as I type this at work) and EVOE's (pic below right) was sublime. The duck was awesomely tender, the skin crisped just so. Between w picking away at it and D cleaning the bones down to the bone I only got a few quick bites (that's why I love eating with those guys. Every diner for themselves!) and it was stellar. After that we were ready to leave, but Kevin put it upon himself to bring out a plate of the Pastaworks house-cured lardo (pic at bottom left), basically the cured fatty parts of a prosciutto, with some julienned apples. If ever the Lord was to take me, that would have been the perfect time because I would have died a happy man! This was incredible... the lardo smoky, perfectly seasoned, so clean.

the fennel salad and scallops at EVOE

Even though I've pimped EVOE a lot in my posts, it is truly one of the 2 or 3 best restaurants in town right now. Every time I go i find something new to get excited about. And I was struck once again at how Kevin is able to squeeze so much flavor out of so few ingredients. He gets the maximum, texturally and flavor-wise, out of every ingredient, yet everything is always simple, light, and balanced. This is great cooking, and if you haven't been yet, you NEED to go! Just keep in mind if you see me coming, hurry up and clear out of that chair!!
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: one of my fave apps, Piquillos con Atun!

Quick Bites PDX: 5 Guys Burgers and Fries; Spella Caffé; EVOE

I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire. I wanted to earlier, but never made it. Now that I've seen the Academy Award ass-kicking they gave the American movie industry, I'm still a little leery. It's almost a matter of no way can they meet my expectations. My friends are about 70/30, loved it/meh, and I know it's theater worthy, but still.....

Right out of the bag and looking a bit worse for wear, but it's all about the flavor, right?

I bring that up as a prelude to my visit to the new-to-PDX 5 Guys Burger and Fries out in Beaverton. This east coast chain was also much anticipated, kind of like if In-n-Out came to town....which they haven't....yet! I read a mention in our local fishwrap, and have a good friend who swears it's the deal. I did a post about its opening and got about the same 70/30, love it/overrated feedback. So today I made the trek to the 'burbs to check it out. I am nothing if not a huge burger fan. From the perfection that is the Castagna Café burger and fries to my twice yearly Big Mac. So while I lust after the great burger, I'll also slumdog my way through fast food on occasion.

The kitchen at 5 Guys, where esprit de corps seems to be in abundance. Go, you'll see what I mean. And, no, I didn't photoshop the "place order" sign in.

So how did 5 Guys measure up? For a fast food burger their hand-formed beef patties are pretty rocking. They come two patties to a burger (I had the bacon cheeseburger), are properly cow-like, meaning pretty clean tasting and not industrial fatty (I would also never eat the plain patty off of my Big Mac by itself. It needs all that other shit they layer on it to make it edible) like McD's. Thicker than our own Burgerville chain's patties, with cheese that was melty-gooey and the bacon not bad, and a bun that held together. I'd have to rate it pretty highly. The fries were the best part. Thicker cut, fried in peanut oil and lightly salted, with good starchy texture, they are way above other chain fries. They also post a sign (pic at left) on the wall telling you where that days spuds came from. Today's were the pride of Warden, Washington. Word to the wise: the regular order of fries at $2.79 was plenty big enough for 2, maybe 3 people. They have big boxes of peanuts in the shell set out to munch in line or at your table, and in their aw-shucks-we're-just-regular-folks shout out, they let you throw the shells on the floor. Schticky, but kind of cool, too. So would I make the special trip to Beaverton from the east side just to indulge? Eh, probably not. It was okay, and while I like the hand-formed patty thing it wasn't transcendant, and I can get any number of just okay burgers at any number of bars in town...with a beer!
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So I'm driving back into town, thankfully out of suburban mall madness, and decided to cut through downtown to have one of the legendary coffees from Andrea Spella's cart on SW 9th and Alder, Spella Caffé. To reference the open, not all legends live up to the hype. Spella does. From his hand-roasted beans to the perfect hand-pulled espresso, this is what every coffee bean dreams of becoming. You did know coffee beans have dreams, didn't you? The espresso in the picture, that perfectly chocolatey looking dab in the cup, maybe two tablespoons of caffeinated pleasure with it's lightly foamy crema floating on top? THAT is exactly what I want to see when I order a doppio espresso. Not this half a cup of watery, thin, bitter swill sloshing around a cup like 90% of places give you. I want body and texture. I live for the roasted, bittersweet chocolate taste with a sublimely smooth finish. I need to feel the love. At Spella, it's all about one man's love, passion, coffee, and the pursuit of perfection. Bravo, Andrea!
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So yesterday, after a pokey morning and my gut-busting breakfast torta from Por Que No, hunger slowly crept up on me about 4. Luckily, with the magical chef's table at EVOE about a two minute drive from our front door (I know, we could've walked...heck, we snowshoed there before...but that pokey feeling hadn't quite gone away) relief is never far away. Kevin was as usual throwing down his usual dazzling array of simple, flavor packed small plates. The EVOE blackboard menu always presents almost too many options, because with me, the more I see, the more I want. Luckily, w is always there to talk me down, so we settled...like you ever just "settle" at EVOE....on, among other things, this......

Lomo (cured pork loin) with a mache salad
Baby calamari, achingly tender and delicious, with an almond, pea,
and mint dressing on toast. AMAZING!!

We also had some perfectly seared scallops with grapefruit and avocado and a hearty nettle dumpling soup. Both, again, delicious. I am continually astonished at the value and beauty of the food at EVOE!

Snow(shoe) Day!

Just because we can't drive because of all the crazy snow we're getting doesn't mean we aren't getting fed. Besides, what better way to rationalize indulgence at EVOE than working it off before and after with a snowshoe stroll through the winter wonderland that Portland has become. Sitting inside the cozy space at the big table letting Kevin stuff us yet again while watching snow falling outside on the street was about as good as it gets! Here's how the reward system works for w and I..........

Perfectly seared scallops on top of sliced fennel that's been tossed with olive oil, a little lemon juice, and sea salt, with pomegranate seeds scattered about like little Christmas ornaments.

An amazingly ample portion of fabulously succulent Big Table Farm pork loin on top of locally sourced garbanzos and kale. This was insanely good!

Ha and Vl: Noodle heaven! + Genoa r.i.p?: Another view.

Always on the lookout for new and delicious ways to get my food fix here in PDX, last Monday I went to the food mecca that is SE 82nd Avenue......wait, food mecca AND 82nd Avenue?? Maybe, if you want to eat your Big Mac in the used car you just bought off one of the innumerable car dealers with the hooker you just picked up on the street. At least that is the shared perception. But as in most cities, where suburbanites fear to tread are where food cognoscenti know to find some of the best places to nosh on authentic Asian food. Where the rents are cheap is where the newly minted communities set up their shops, serving their native foods to others who miss that taste of home. I had read about Ha and Vl on the website of our local fishwrap The Oregonian, where Karen Brooks raved about their hand crafted bowls of noodle soup. Tasting is believing, so Monday morning found me pulling into the parking lot of the charmingly named Wing Ming Square, a mini-mini mall of all things Asian and entering through the portal of Ha and Vl. There's something exceedingly satisfying knowing that at 9:30 in the morning, when most office workers are wiping the powdered sugar off their shirts from that donut they just pounded, I'm sitting down for what turned out to be perhaps the best bowl of soup I've had in town. The room itself is fairly small, with brightly painted walls, and a TV in the corner that on this morning was playing a Steven Seagal blow-'em-up movie. Perhaps the perfect backdrop to the flavor explosions that were going on in my mouth from my bowl of Bun Rieu, a shrimp paste based broth with loads of noodles and pieces of pork, soft tofu, peppers, onion, and tomato with just the right chili bite to slap the last of the morning funk out of my head. Incredibly fresh, you can taste the care that goes into each bowl. Every day they do one soup (two on Sundays) that is usually sold out by noon. At $7 for a very large bowl, this is about as good as breakfast can get! Also don't miss their perfect Vietnamese coffee. I ordered it in "strong" mode. Like Steven Seagal, if I'm going in, I'm going in hard! Also Tanya (Tonia? Tonya?), who is the daughter of owners Owners Ha Luu and William Voung H. (the "ha" and "Vl" of the name) was SO nice. I've also got my eye on their exceedingly affordable bahn mi sandwiches. This is the real deal, and worth the trip to the badlands of east Portland. And for all you B&T'ers who travel in trepidation, don't worry, the hookers usually don't hit the streets until the afternoon...um, so I've heard.
Ha and Vl, 2738 S.E. 82nd Ave., 503-772-0103, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
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In Portland Genoa Restaurant for over three decades was a Portland institution, a temple of Italian food that garnered loads of national press for it's authentic, usually impeccably prepared food. It was also the incubator for several of Portland's current top chefs, including Kevin Gibson of Castagna and Evoe, Cathy Whims at Nostrana, and John Taboada of Navarre among many others. There's been much hand-wringing over it's recent closure, with everyone saying what a loss it is and how could this happen. Yes, it was one of the first restaurants in town that showed how good serious restaurant dining can be. But I have to take issue with owner Kerry DeBuse's explanation that the current economic downturn had been lethal to his restaurant: "I've seen serious recessions over the decades at Genoa," DeBuse told The Oregonian, "but nothing to compare to the economic meltdown in which we now find ourselves. We cannot continue as an economically viable business." Gee, does that sound familiar? Like the auto moguls on view in the District this week, Mr. DeBuse seemingly wasn't willing to change with the times. His contention that "it all changed 180 degrees within a week of the recent (Wall Street) crash" isn't exactly a mea culpa. These things don't happen overnight. Stubbornly clinging on to his expensive, fixed-price, special occasion only menu like Ford clinging to its SUV hegemony, rather than offering ala carte options to make it more accessible to the masses, he saw customers leaving for the less expensive options in town when they wanted that "night out" experience. His corner location was also a prime spot, and I could never figure out how they wouldn't open it up to the street, drawing people in by making them curious as to what was happening inside, instead keeping the windows facing SE Belmont covered in a tired, frankly unattractive dull reddish wrap. The restaurant business is like any other be it cars, newspapers, my wine business, what have you. Like the dinosaurs found out, those who fail to adapt to changing times become pieces of history.

Sunday in Portland: food, shoes, and satisfaction!

Not to be a creature of habit, but I can't seem to get enough of the vibe or the food at EVOE, the new temple of all things delicious attached to Pastaworks here in Portland. As I said in this post, chef Kevin Gibson is kicking out some fabulous small plates for extremely reasonable prices, and w and I are rapidly being trained to show up ever Sunday afternoon for a couple of plates and a glass or two of wine. Again, if you haven't been there (the hours are 11-6 Tuesday-Sunday) you are missing out on some of the best food in town! This past Sunday we sat down and swooned over the following......
The incredible pork belly on a steaming pile of pacha beans with chopped goat horn peppers. This was SO good!
Chevre Chaud on Arugala. Definitely my kind of salad course!
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Prior to satisfying our hunger at EVOE, w satisfied her shoe fetish at Amenity Shoes, a really cool new women's shoe store on NW 23rd. They pride themselves on selling comfortable shoes with awesome style and prices. The service was excellent, and I have to say w's new shoes are über-cool! They have another store on NE Fremont, too.

Join the EVOE-lution!!

So say you want lunch out. Nothing too big and fancy, but you want it good. Really good. Like small, perfectly made and composed plates of good. By one of the most talented chefs in the city. Oh, and wouldn't it be nice if he was making your lunch right in front of you, where he's making each dish to order. And how awesome if it also happened to be one of the best values in the city? Yeah, right, like that would happen. In your dreams.....

Or better than that, how about living the dream on SE 37th and Hawthorne Blvd. at the semi-newly opened EVOE, where former Castagna co-owner/chef Kevin Gibson is doing all of the above, and serving it with some kick ass wines by the glass to those lucky Portland eaters who can get away Wednesdays thru Sundays from 11:00-6:00. w and I finally stopped by today after a brief morning kayaking excursion (my first time!) where we worked up the proper hunger so we could do justice to Kevin's stellar preparations. Attached to Portland's premier imported food and cheese purveyor, Pastaworks, EVOE is the closest you'll come to a small, well thought out European wine/tapas bar. Kevin has access to the depth and breadth of Pastaworks larder of edible goodness, and he is making full and good use of it. Plus his well selected and very affordable wines by the glass are not to be missed.

The prime seats are at the beautiful old wooden table where the action is happening about two feet in front of you. Of course the whole place is so small that it doesn't matter where you sit as long as the mouthwatering plates keep coming. EVOE is so small that I almost hate to spread the word because I am already envisioning the crowds that are bound to show. And I am going to be PISSED if I have to wait, because this is food that I am already craving again, and I just left a couple of hours ago! You know, on second thought, don't go...the place sucks, you'll hate it!! But just in case you're the type who just won't listen, here's what you'll have to endure.....
Ham and eggs EVOE style: hand carved Jamon Serrano and Kevin's famous Deviled Eggs
A steaming plate of Pacha beans with peppers waiting it's topping of a perfectly crisped piece of pork belly. I didn't have it today, but it is calling my name!
Calmar Provençal: the most tender calamari imaginable lightly tossed with a black olive tapenade and set on top of roasted peppers with a drizzle of olive oil. Forget that $3000 trip to the south of France...I'll just have it here!
A crisply fresh Raddicchio, Apple, and Walnut Salad topped with Frico. Sorry Kevin, w's already planning on stealing this fab salad to make at our place!
The Handsome One, busily ensuring my future happiness. Thanks K...it was awesome!!

Portland food rants, plus a crackback from Seattle

Our local fishwrap, The Oregonian, every year puts out their local restaurant guide. This year's issue came out this morning, and the local foodie scene will be buzzing. This years winner is Chef Andy Ricker's Thai food shack/restaurant Pok Pok..or Whisky Soda Lounge depending on your preference. Both names get you some of the best Thai-style street food on the west coast. Very deserved, and if you like explosive flavors, this is the place. Although I do have to say we were there last week when they rolled out their new menu, and it was slightly flat. Hopefully a one night aberration.

Best ironic moment from the Oregonian Diner guide: Gabriel Rucker, indie chef of the moment whose restaurant Le Pigeon is one of my personal favorite spots to get my grub on and my pick for Best of the Year, and who has never met a stick of butter or piece of offal he didn't want throw on a plate, was named by the paper Rising Star of the Year 2007. Very flattering I'm sure, but his picture on the cover of the new Food and Wine Magazine has gotta carry a little more juice and I'm guessing will be the one in the frame on the wall.

More Food and Wine Mag: Ex-local wunderkind chef/train wreck Michael Hebberoy, who drove Gotham Tavern/Ripe/Clarklewis and his marriage off a cliff before high tailing it to Seattle has an article about the the indie restaurant/food scene in Seattle in the new F&W issue. Local PDX chefs (along with any number of winemakers) like Greg Higgins of Higgins, Scott Dolich of Park Kitchen, and Kevin Gibson of Castagna, who could cook MH 's ass under the prep table any time, must have loved his parting crackback on his Portland experience: "What I loved about Portland was the unabashed amateurism. The farmers were learning how to farm, the winemakers learning how to ferment, the cooks learning how to cook (many chefs even lying about their pedigrees and staying up late to work on their supposed three-star skills)." This from a guy who left a trail of lawsuits blowing in the wind as he drove out of town after his own restaurants imploded. Hey, no sense looking in the mirror, right M?
*thanks to Portland Food and Drink for the heads up on the Hebberoy story