http://leeksoup.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/ox-restaurant-portland-food-adventures-hot-hot-hot/

Greg and Gabi’s destinations:

And here is the commemorative first $2 of revenue ever at Ox.

Portland Food Adventures Spring Arrives Dinner
at Milwaukie Kitchen & Wines
with
Chef Pascal Sauton
Chef Courtney Sproule of din din Supper Club

3.20.12


Hors d’Oeuvres
Domaine Denoit Brut Classique

Poached Egg Yolk with Spring Mushroom & Leek Mousse
Aged Sherry Vinegar 
2010 Sancerre Domaine Neveu “Les Grands Fricambault”

Diver Sea Scallop & Seared Foie Gras
Spring Vegetable Bouillon
2008 Domaine Thibert Saint Veran “Champ Rond”

Rack of Reister Lamb, 
Sorrel Hazelnut Galette, Tarragon Beurre Blanc
2009 Chateau Peyrabon Bordeaux Haut Medoc

Rogue River Caveman Blue & Bacon Napoleon with Port Syrup
Croft 10 Years Old Tawny Port

Lemon Curd Tartlet, Pistachio Brittle, Sour Cream Ice-Cream
Ristretto Roasters Coffee

Plus gift certificates to:
Enchante
Ristretto Roasters
Kir Wine Bar
KitchenCru

Tickets here! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222234

Early in the Summer of 2011, I had the good fortune to interview Naomi Pomeroy of Beast for About Face Magazine. In that interview, when I asked Naomi where her favorite places were, she indicated to me that she held the relatively new Aviary in very high regard. In fact, she mentioned them in the same thought as Le Pigeon and Gabe Rucker, both of whom I know are near and dear to her heart.

I don’t take chef’s recommendations lightly. After all, that’s the impetus behind Portland Food Adventures. So when Naomi spoke, I listened. And ate. And so I found myself at Aviary’s chef’s counter a few days later, led there by one of the most delightful front of the house people in Portland, Leah (who, sadly, moved on after the soon to be referenced unfortunate event). The first moment of Aviary love starts with the bagna càuda dipping sauce. Oh my God. It’s warm, creamy and so incredibly tasty. If all I ever had at Aviary was that, I’d go back to dine over and over again. It’s a warm butter sauce infused with anchovies, tomato water, olive oil and garlic. I slowly inhaled two other plates, one sturgeon and another with crab and clams, and couldn’t wait to sing Aviary’s praises to friends. But before I could sing, I was blessed with the most delicious and beautiful panne cotta ever for dessert. I looked up and conversed with the creator of that heaven, Kat, who, as it turns out, shares a common Connecticut upbringing with me. We connected on more than a culinary plane.

As if the full head-on culinary barrage of delight wasn’t enough, I walked out of Aviary and there in front of me stood The Salt and Straw cart. Realizing I was borrowing a page from Caligula, I couldn’t resist a taste and purchase of their Strawberry with black pepper variety. SO delicious. That was before they had their store.*  

That visit had me back with a companion two days later. We ate like Beasts (a tribute to Naomi for

encouraging this discovery), and were delighted when chef Jasper came out and presented us with various amuses. Here, I thought, was a different Portland experience. Not that I hadn’t had amuses before, but I don’t think I had had the chef come out to meet me and present them at the same time. I assume he was appreciative of the fact that I came back so soon with friends. That’s the stuff of success, for sure. And then to have every bite be so amazing, truly this is why I love Portland. I mentioned to Jasper what I do with Portland Food Adventures, and asked if it would be possible to come and talk to him about an event. We set an appointment for Wednesday, July 6th.

Monday night, upon returning from viewing the fireworks from Neahkanie Mountain with my son, I noted on Facebook that Aviary had suffered a fire. I tried to email Jasper, but didn’t hear back. As the reports came in, it sounded more and more severe. Nonetheless, I dropped by Aviary at the appointed time on Wednesday and was so saddened to see what had happened to this utter gem. It had been gutted, and there were trucks outside salvaging whatever could be salvaged. I saw the table I dined at merely a week ago stacked up in a Penske truck ready to be hauled away. So sad.

Well, months later, after some insurance battles and after Aviary’s chefs experiencing the true Portland spirit of community — as restaurants like PING, Genoa and Firehouse opened up and allowed Aviary to have pop-up dinners at their respective establishments, Aviary was to reopen. Expaned, with a new bar and patio area, and as beautiful as it was.  They added to their arsenal Ross Hunsinger in the bar and Christine Schuman to the front of the house.  (They haven’t missed a beat).  I wanted to have an PFA on the day they opened, but these meticulous chefs preferred to have a bit of a soft reopening before our event, so we set the date for January.  I met with the chefs, and I was so pleased to hear their recommendations that would provide gift certificates as part of the Aviary adventure:  Salt & Straw, Firehouse and St. Jack.  What a powerhouse lineup!

Of course, who could predict that January 17th would fall smack dab in the middle of a media-hyped snow event in Portland? I decided the night before to turn off the TV, and just plow ahead. As it turns out, I was right. The roads were so clear that I zipped over to Alberta from my office in SW in no time. And I was greeted with a very romantic setting, the bar looking wonderful with Ross readying the welcome cocktails, and this incredible menu. There need not be more words in this blog to describe the evening. I think the pictures, while not all inclusive, and the menu (also not all-inclusive–there was an amazing amuse of pig’s snout to start the evening, and Ross’ cocktails to bookend the night were fantastic), are enough of a tease to present anyone reading with this for cause enough to not only try a Portland Food Adventures event in the future, but as one of our guests that evening so eloquently posted on Facebook the next day, “Portland, fly, don’t run to AviaryPDX. They are turning out some outstanding eats and thanks to Portland Food Adventures for organizing a fantastic evening of wine, food, and people.” (Thank YOU, Lee Barth, for experiencing and enjoying your first ever Portland Food Adventures event!)

I am fortunate to have had my dear friend Allison Jones provide some of the photographs for this wonderful winter evening at Aviary.

Note and disclaimer on this menu. Any typos are MY responsibility. Any uncontrollable salivation is the responsibility of the chefs at Aviary.

Jasper Shen, Kat Whitehead, and Sarah Pliner welcome our guests to their beautiful and updated Aviary.

Ross sets the tone. The evening started in the bar with a delicious Bourbon cocktail.

The delicious amuse. (Not on the menu)

The spicy duck leg may just have claimed the best dish of the year for me, only 17 days into the year. Unbelievable. It’s on Aviary’s regular menu. MUST. ORDER. IT.

The artichoke was a favorite of many when we asked for a show of hands.

Our “First Meal of the Year” Breakfast in Bridgetown with Paul Gerald Portland Food Adventure was no exception. I was excited to have Portland’s definitive King of Breakfasts to be there to sign his books and share some of his favorite breakfasts with hungry, excited and appreciative foodies, who came from as far away as Salem to the south and Vancouver to the North to kick off their year of culinary adventures with us. It appears everyone loved the idea, and were glad they jumped out on New Year’s Day to come and start their year out on the right fork.

Broder is a beautiful and inviting cafe and easily one of my favorite breakfast spots in a city where great breakfasts are everywhere. (They also serve dinner–and it’s a gorgeous spot in the evening).

It’s in a fantastic neighborhood on Clinton Street. Easy to park, and inviting.

Peter Bro, Broder’s owner, and Joe Conklin, its wonderful GM, were gracious and skilled hosts and put together an amazing menu for us. I thought Broder would be perfect for a multi-course breakfast, because their menu is so diverse, it relies on flavors more than it does quantity (although it doesn’t fall short there), and the menu made it easy transition from breakfast to lunch in the span of our three hours there.

The menu delivered. We started with a beautiful Swedish Breakfast Bord with homemade brown bread and rye crisp, wonderful meats and the most delicious smoked trout anywhere (I would have been satisfied with just this plate!), potato salad and a fantastic starter–a cinnamon cardamon roll. Orange and Grapefruit wedges balanced it all out.

After our starter, I introduced Paul Gerald to talk a bit about his experiences with breakfast in Portland and his book, Breakfast in Bridgetown.

Coffee was poured.

Aquavit Bloody Marys from House Spirits were served.

And just then, the aebleskivers came out of the oven.

When I arrived at Broder in the morning, Michael introduced himself to me as the former partner in the recently closed Hash, which was a destination on our previous adventure at Tabla. I had always thought it would fun to do an aebleskiver throwdown between Hash and Broder, and on this special morning we were being treated to these delicious balls of doughy love prepared by Portland’s hands-down expert at making them. No need for a throwdown. The winner was before us.

Paired with lemon curd and lingonberries, they were absolutely delicious. (Pardon the less than professional camera images–but they do capture the moments!)

Next up, the across the bord (intended spelling) favorite, the Smoked Trout swedish hash. This sweet dish of finely diced potatoes, complemented by perfectly smoked trout, was simply devine. Top it off with a baked egg and some diced beets. Magnifikt!

Then came the Swedish Meatballs. Next time you’re at Broder, make sure to order them on their brioche! But for this meal, and the hearty fourth course, they were fantastic served with the lingonberries and toast.

Everyone was in Broder heaven….

To finish us off–as many waved the flag in surrender — the Swedish Creams were served, along with one absolutely delicious chocolate cookie…

We handed out packets with a small insert of Paul’s new favorite places since his last edition, along with the unique treat every Portland Food Adventurer gets, gift certificates to go to some amazing places. At every other Portland Food Adventure, it’s been the chef’s favorites. At this one, however, author Paul Gerald chose three of his favorites, Cocotte, Helser’s, and Sanborn’s. Paul talked about each, and what to order (Personally I can vouch for his recommendation of the Scotch Egg at Helser’s!), prepped and encouraged everyone to use their certificates to continue their adventure, keeping the memory of this first meal of 2012 alive for the rest of the year.

Next up: An Aviary Portland Food Adventure in two weeks with chefs Sarah Pliner, Kat Whitehead and Jasper Shen. While each Portland Food Adventure is unique and special in its own way, we set the benchmark really high right off the bat with this wonderful and memorable brunch. Of course, everyone has high expectations for Aviary. That’s why it was sold out — 30 people — over a month in advance.

http://www.7×7.com/portland/big-eat-portland

This would have made the list, Duck Wings @ Ten – 01 had they not closed.

By Chris Angelus, Portland Food Adventures (Our next wonderful event at Cocotte is here!)

When I got the Email from the Portland Culinary Alliance for their Summer Picnic, my friend Shannon, who runs the super Vanport Food and Wine Meetup Group and I scarfed up tickets within moments. The 25th was Shannon’s birthday and since she had just taken a cooking class from the PCA’s Andrea Slonecker at the Art Institute of Portland, it seemed a great way to spend a birthday. It was to take place at Viridian Farms, where I had earlier enjoyed not one, but two incredible Plate & Pitchfork dinners a month ago, which I blogged about and enjoyed so much.

What I didn’t know when I ordered the tickets were a few things. First, that I would have just completed an impromptu trip to Idaho, which included a number of delicious stops — one at CK’s Real Food in Hailey, and three memorable breakfasts and lunches at The Stanley Baking Company (which had the most incredible oatmeal pancakes, with oats soaked in buttermilk overnight). And so what that meant was that I didn’t realize I’d get home on the Wednesday prior, and will have already planned four crazy eating days in advance: The Indulge event on Thursday night, dinner at DOC on Friday night with the Vanport Meetup group, friends coming in on Saturday which meant visits to Toast for breakfast and Toro Bravo for dinner, and then the PCA dinner Sunday night. So by the time Sunday rolled around, I was just about rolling around myself, too. (“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”) On any other day, I’d have really been looking forward to going. But the weather had just turned from a summery 85 on Friday to overcast and autumnal on Sunday. The PCA had hedged its bet and moved the event to Red Ridge Farms, so that the weather would no longer be a factor, and picnic blankets would not be necessary.

Still, when Shannon text-messaged me to tell me that she had a really bad sore throat and regretfully wouldn’t be able to make it, I was sad for her on her birthday that she felt that way, (and further, would miss my charming presence), I was frankly OK with the idea of skipping out on a fifth in a row food-fest. But just in case my mood changed, I asked Shannon if she would be OK with my son Austin using her ticket in case we decided to make the trek to Dayton at the last minute, and not waste the tickets.

Round about 3:30, when my Jets were losing in Oakland, the sun came out. I had no backup dinner plans, so I asked Austin if he’d rather go to the dinner for his pre-PSU senior year eve send-off celebration, or just hang at home. I had sent him the menu that was to be prepared by the folks at Crown Paella with fresh produce provided by Viridian, and he asked if we could go. Twist my arm (it’s about the only body part that doesn’t show the perilous zoftigian look of the past week of eating).

The easy Sunday drive against traffic down 99 through Dundee seemed to whiz by, and after a couple of quick turns we found ourselves at the gorgeous Red Ridge property. The building where our event was couldn’t have been more inviting. Its views of gardens and farm fields were a perfect start to the Autumn mindset (even thought this was called a Summer Picnic to start). The room was beautiful and the guests were enjoying the wine they brought, some sangria, while the PCA folks made sure everyone was settled in.

Emily Ketterman, of Crown Paella.

Lila Martin from Travel Portland, and Josh Wiesenfeld, Sommelier from Paley’s Place enjoy each other’s company.

The aroma from the deck of the building was simply overpoweringly delightful, so I forayed downstairs where I heard the paella was being prepared. What a beautiful scene. Two beautiful presentations of paella, one with shrimp, rabbit, snails and beautiful vegetables provided by the folks at Viridian.

Scott listens for the crackle in the vegetarian paella.

Then it was back upstairs, where we were introduced to Scott and his lovely wife, where we found out this was to be the coming out and inaugural event for the pair and Crown Paella. What a marvelous way to start.

Some of Portland’s culinary gems were in the house. Leslie and Manuel Recio of Viridian Farms, and with the beautiful locks behind Manuel, Jess Pierce, GM and sommelier of Ned Ludd, along with Jason French, get ready to feast.

Then, with the party already in full swing, it was time to eat and enjoy.

The menu:

PCA Paella Picnic Menu

Wood-Fired Paella Valenciana with Rabbit, Shrimp, Snails, Piquillo Peppers, Garrafón Beans, and Saffron
Wood-Fired Paella with Artichokes, Garrafón Beans, Piquillo Peppers, Sweet Onion, Smoked Paprika, and Saffron (vegetarian option)
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil, Oil-Cured Olives, Juniper Grove Tumalo Tomme, and Sherry Vinaigrette
Fried Padron Peppers with Sea Salt

Dinner was served buffet style.

Jen Stevenson, the charm behind the blog Under the Table with Jen, and Sarah Curtis-Fawley, co-owner of Pacific Pie Co.

There’s Laura, who attended my Portland Food Adventures dinner at H5O Bistro, who I didn’t get a chance to talk to, and wanted to.

And then it was time to eat. Earlier, I had surveyed the tables and saw only two seats that didn’t seem to be taken. We lucked out and ended up at a table where I was able to tell Jen Stevenson just how much I loved her book, which I had recently purchased, Portland’s 100 Best Places to Stuff your Faces. Her charm shines through, and I really enjoyed her tangential take on so many of the places I’ve discovered myself in the past year of doing Portland Food Adventures.

What a treat to meat Josh from Paley’s and get to try the Rose pairing (toast to the birthday girl here) he brought just for this Paella. It was also quite satisfying to hear the man who is at the apex of the Portland dining culture, as the sommelier at Paley’s (“Where do you go from there?” I asked him.) expressed to me that he would prefer to simply enjoy the wine, rather than talk about it. He was happy to be in a position to do that. And anyone who knows me knows that I didn’t for a moment violate that for him. Rather he and Jess and I went on to talk about our love of Louis CK.

Then it was a farewell from Scott, and an invitation to call him for his tapas and paella catering, which I am sure will not be a problem. I wish him luck on his new venture! And then a wonderful fresh berry dessert prepared by Caroline and Andrea of the PCA. The crust was simply perfect. And so was the evening.

Click here to adventure to Dina’s delicious blog

As though Saturday evening at Viridian Farms’ Plate and Pitchfork event wasn’t wonderful enough, I was invited back the next day by P&P‘s Erika Polmar to photograph the Sunday night dinner, which was to feature one of my favorite Portland tandems, chefs Greg Denton and his delightful wife Gabrielle, both of one of Portland’s absolute gems, Metrovino, along with Pascal Sauton, formerly of Carafe. Pascal is now opening up a neighborhood spot in Milwaukie. The evening, also at Viridian, was sold out, but Erika offered that if someone failed to show, which oddly enough happens after people have already shelled out the $125 a head for such an extraordinary experience, I could take that seat and enjoy the dinners the three chefs and their supporting talents were to prepare.

As it turns out, from the two degrees of separation file, Lucy’s Original’s Evan and Ali, another amazing Portland cooking tandem, who were part of the inspiration for my Portland Food Adventures concept, called Erika from somewhere too far, and regrettably informed her that they wouldn’t be able to make it. Evan and Ali had been my guests at our Park Kitchen Dinner. I think they were the reason Allison Jones thought of the headline in that beautiful blog. So the universe was in line for me to be able to sit in one of the seats they would have otherwise occupied for this crazy good dinner.

There were many highlights for me this evening. I got to spend time with Greg and Gabby, and marvel at how they could put out such amazing cuisine while having time to relax, enjoy the Oregon sun on a beautiful farm, and shoot the shit with me for what seemed like a half hour. I also talked a bit of shop with Metrovino owner Todd Steele, with whom I’ve been discussing putting together a Portland Food Adventures dinner recently.

There was the interesting discussion of the wine business by Doug of Brickhouse Wines, who was instrumental in getting Plate & Pitchfork off the ground nine years ago, and a heartfelt conversation of the state of organic dairy farming by Jon of Double J Jerseys, who provided the dairy products for the evening.

Of course, the focus of the evening is on the food and wine, and I will let the menu and the pictures tell that story. Suffice it to say that the backdrop of the farm and the fantastic Oregon weather only serve to enhance the tastes and aromas and bouquets of the talents of our best chefs and wine producers. Again, if you love food and you’ve never been to a Plate & Pitchfork dinner, you haven’t experienced the unique sensual delight of the intersection of all that’s wonderful about Oregon — in one amazing evening.

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After the hors d’ouvres, guests are treated to a tour of the Viridian Farms’ Manuel Recio.

Gabrielle, Pascal and Greg entertain the 100+ guests with not only their skills, but their senses of humor. They give credit to the farmers for providing the amazing stuff that lets them do their thing.

Greg and Gabrielle taking time to enjoy the evening.

Erika shares her love for some of her favorite winemakers and dairy farmers with her patrons.

Doug of Brickhouse Wines

Jon discusses the history of his farm and organics, and thanks all for supporting the organic movement.

Pascal caps off the evening by wishing his lovely wife a Happy Birthday.

Happy everything to all.