“Many of us grew up on crappy food, but with fond memories of it. So why not make a better version?”
So says Forrest Brunton (former executive chef for Linda Derschang’s bars and restaurants), when asked his vision of Snack/Bar’s mission. I was invited to stop by his first pop-up, held last weekend at Miyabi 45th. With talk of a possible food truck or brick-and-mortar location, he wants to see how other people react to his play on convenience food, fair food, and bar snacks.
The ideas are interesting. In addition to the evening’s menu items, Brunton bandied about ideas like cotton candy combined with candy corn, and foot-long foie gras-ed corn dogs. His goal is to “make snack food that’s good quality but still affordable.”
It’s hard, and not necessarily fair, to judge the future based on a first night’s effort. I got a sense that the kitchen crew was figuring things out as it went along. My “haute pocket,” for example, looked a little pale and naked, whereas later in the evening others’ were more attractive: browned and topped with black sesame seeds. The food was fun; a couple of items were definite keepers, and a couple were forgettable—one saved only by a serving of foie gras. Here’s a look at the snacks I sampled. It will be interesting to watch the evolution and see the public’s reaction to Snack/Bar. (Like Snack/Bar’s Facebook page to keep posted on future events.)
I enjoyed these Prosciutto Rinds, dusted with freeze-dried prosciutto blended in a Vitamix.
The Duck McNuggets have that disconcerting hot dog-like texture of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, but that’s by design, as they contain duck forcemeat. It was fun to have a few sauces. I liked the tangerine sweet and sour sauce over the honey mustard sauce, with the plum BBQ sauce a distant third.
Here’s the Haute Pocket. Good flavor, but while the menu shows a plural number, it’s a bit expensive at $8 for one—even if filled with coq au vin.
The Party Pizza reminded me of the boxed pizza of my childhood. I can’t imagine buying the cheese version (unless, of course, drunk and craving a snack at a bar), but if you have the dough, you can spring for a foie gras upgrade. Now that’s fun!
The Pudding Pop is a play on the Jello-O version, and is essentially pot de crème on a stick. But is it elevated enough?
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Holly Smith's sea urchin and whipped lardo on pumpernickel crostini with lime and chili - my first bite at the Celebrity Chef Tour dinner, and my favorite of the passed hors d'oeuvres.
A close second as my favorite hors d'oeuvre: Brian Scheehser's curried prawns with Walla Walla onion marmalade.
Headcheese pot-au-feu en gelee with horseradish mousseline, by Justin Aprahamian.
Naomi Pomeroy's caramelized fig with foie gras mousse.
Ethan Stowell's butternut squash soup with walnut oil and creme fraiche.
The table is set, with many wine glasses previewing what's ahead.
On to the dinner plates: Smith's momentary meandering into the world of molecular gastronomy means Alaskan red king crab with green apple sorbetto and crab butter powder. I had this dish a few years ago, and it's still just as delicious!
Aprahamian's smoked foie gras with pickled plums, marinated fennel, and plum hibiscus reduction - interesting ingredient interactions.
Scheehser and his crew prepare the salmon plates.
Scheehser's pepper-crusted house-cured wild salmon with apple brandy splash, pepper rosemary grissini, and golden russert apples from his farm - a nice "fresh" plate.
Perhaps my favorite of the main dishes: Naomi Pomeroy's caramelized pork belly with heirloom vegetable succotash. (I learned that one of the keys to this dish is the combination of maple syrup and 30 year old balsamic vinegar.)
Stowell and the celebrity chefs start plating the beef dishes.
Stowell's beef tenderloin with artichoke puree, baby artichokes, chanterelle mushrooms, and red wine reduction - as melt-in-your-mouth delicious as the beef was, I also enjoyed the supporting cast of vegetables.
A mainstay at Trellis (and what I always order for dessert when I'm there): lemon sage flan with sage-infused syrup, lemon sage tuile, and candied lemon.
To finish: a selection of cookies, with chocolate dipping sauce.
About once per year, something called the Celebrity Chef Tour makes a stop in the Seattle area. A benefit for the James Beard Foundation, it’s been held in recent years at the Columbia Tower Club, with the host chef opening up the kitchen for one or more guest chefs to wow an audience of appreciative eaters.
This past weekend, the Heathman Hotel hosted the event (the Columbia Tower Club is going through renovations), and the trip to Kirkland—even with the 520 bridge closed—was well worth it. Three chefs were local: host Brian Scheehser of Trellis, Holly Smith of Café Juanita, and Ethan Stowell of, well, Ethan Stowell Restaurants. (His list is getting too long to type!) Joining them were Justin Aprahamian of Sanford in Milwaukee, and Naomi Pomeroy (who recently won Feast Portland’s Sandwich Invitational) of Beast in Portland.
These all-stars started the evening by sending out some incredible passed hors d’oeuvres during the reception, including Holly Smith’s sea urchin and whipped lardo on pumpernickel crostini with lime and chili. Urchin and pork fat? Two of my favorite things!
And then each did a dinner plate, with Scheehser’s pastry chef, Sandra Cook, contributing dessert. The spectacular meal went from crab to foie gras to salmon to pork belly to beef tenderloin, with ingredients donated by the likes of Snake River Farms, Pacific Seafood, and Hudson Valley Foie Gras. (Scheehser invited the other chefs to his 10-acre Woodinville farm, where he harvests fruits, vegetables, and herbs for his restaurant’s menu.) Each course came with a chef-selected wine pairing; Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Late Harvest Chenin Blanc paired with the lemon sage flan my favorite.
With ticket sale proceeds going to the James Beard Foundation, this was dinner for a cause. As Stowell told the crowd, the Beard Foundation is not only a vehicle of recognition for established chefs (the Beard Awards are the Oscars of the culinary field), but it also provides support for the industry through educational initiatives, scholarships, and the like. Given the soaring quality of the meal he and his fellow chefs prepared this night, it makes sense to support an organization which ensures that future chefs will create their own culinary masterpieces and thrive in the restaurant world, sharing their passion and products with those of us lucky enough to partake.
To keep posted on future events in the area, follow the Celebrity Chef Tour on Twitter or Facebook. And for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the memorable dinner, including a look at all the hors d’oeuvres, dinner courses, and desserts, check the slideshow above.
Every year or two, the Celebrity Chef Tour rolls through Seattle. The event typically pairs a well-known chef from outside the area with a local one; for example, in 2010, Trellis‘ Brian Scheehser worked with Top Chef contestant Richard Blais. The Celebrity Chef Tour benefits the James Beard Foundation, with the local event typically held at the top of the Columbia Tower Club, where host chef James Hassell also contributes to the dinner.
This year’s guest chefs, though, were three celebrities from the Seattle restaurant scene: Jason Franey of Canlis, Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s and Luc, and Jason Wilson of Crush. An experience at any of their restaurants can be amazing. This multi-course meal with all three of them contributing was simply magical.
Franey prepared small bites for the reception, including foie gras pumpkin pie, sweet potato tapioca pudding with prawn, and a gorgeous rabbit loin with pine ash, apple, and yuzu. (Unfortunately, I was unable to capture any photos of these passed plates.)
Following Hassell’s salad course and Rautureau’s foie gras pairing (one as part of a smoked duck gizzard salad that I especially enjoyed), Wilson served a refreshing plate with geoduck, sea vegetables, sorrel, and Meyer lemon:
Next up was the duck course, in which Rautureau plated cured duck breast with flageolet puree, chanterelle mushrooms, foie gras nage, and harissa jam (and, yes, he has a bit of a foie gras fetish, which is fine by me):
Wilson followed this up with pork and fish, serving Pacific turbot and pig skins (chicharrones) with cured foie gras sauce (the fetish was contagious), red wine onion lentils, pork belly, and fennel:
The evening ended with Hassell’s dessert of caramel-poached Seckel pears (delicious!) with crispy shortbread and creme fraiche ice cream. After Chateau Ste. Michelle wine pairings throughout the meal, this course came with a full glass of Leffe beer.
As much fun as it was to sample all the wonderful food, I also enjoyed watching the chefs at work in the kitchen. While earnest in their endeavors, Franey, Rautureau, and Wilson worked as a team in a fun and playful manner in getting each of the courses out to the dining room. Observing them made me appreciative of all the culinary talent we have in our area, and thankful for any opportunity I have to sample the spectacular food all these chefs create day to day.
Portland is the perfect place for a couples getaway centered around sex and food. It’s an edgy city that’s fairly open about sex and adventurous in its culinary pursuits.
For a place with many vegetarians, Portland really likes its meat. (Muscle, fat, flesh, organs, and all—to massage and devour in a variety of ways.)
So let’s spend the night together in Portland, where we stamp this week’s Passport to Pleasure—a hedonistic quest for great food and good times.
CHOCOLATE TAKES FLIGHT AT CACAO
Assuming an afternoon arrival in Portland, you may be interested in a pick-me-up, though something short of the full caffeine jolt of coffee. If so, your first stop should be Cacao. There’s a small jewel box store in the Heathman Hotel, but today you’re going to the West End location, which puts you close to both Powell’s bookstore and the Pearl District. Like the Chocolate Box in Seattle, Cacao is an aggregator of quality chocolates from sources local (think Xocolatl de David and Sahagun, which closed its retail store last year) and afar.
And like the Chocolate Box, the one thing they do make on site is drinking chocolate. No need to make a difficult choice, as the two of you can share a flight (as at Kathryn Taylor Chocolates) to experience all the options. You just might find yourself staring at the large map of Paris on the wall and planning a full-fledged chocolate experience there in the future. (Stay tuned for a Parisian Passport to Pleasure in the next few weeks.)
PERUSE THE SHELVES FOR PLEASURE AT POWELL’S
When you’re in Portland, you absolutely have to go to Powell’s City of Books. Here you’ll find 68,000 square feet of shopping pleasure. As Powell’s buys 3,000 used books each day, they have all kinds of titles—new and used, best-sellers and off-beat, current and historical.
Befitting the Passport to Pleasure theme, you’re looking for the sexuality section. Feast your eyes on shelves and shelves of erotica, instruction books, philosophical treatises, and much, much more. Pick up a book about aphrodisiacs, erotic massage, or perhaps even Sex for Dummies for some fun and inspirational reading.
Whatever your area of passion, be it cookbooks or manga or fine arts, you’ll find a section in Powell’s. (There are 122 subject areas in all.) The best part? You don’t finish your shopping today. You can come back tonight or tomorrow. Powell’s opens daily at 9am and closes at 11pm, offering perfect refuge for a rainy day. (And don’t forget that there’s no sales tax in Oregon!)
BULLISH ON TORO BRAVO
By now, you’re ready for your first real meal in Portland, so you’re going to one of the best restaurants in town: Toro Bravo. John Gorham’s restaurant is extremely popular, so if you’d like to avoid the inevitably long lines, arrive early, as Toro Bravo doesn’t take reservations for two. (In fact, you’d need a party of seven or more to secure reserved seats.)
With a long list of intriguing pinchos, tapas, and raciones, the tasting menu is the way to go. For a very reasonable $25 per person, expect about ten dishes, each chosen by the chef. The tasting menu eliminates decision-making and offers the element of surprise. At this level of quality, you can put your trust in the kitchen.
You’ll probably start off, appropriately enough, with a French kiss: a brandy-soaked prune stuffed with foie gras (above, left). Look for other delicious dishes like sherry chicken liver mousse, marinated sheep’s cheese with rose petal harissa and mint, and a fabulous house-cured ham with hand-cut noodles and vegetables (above, right).
LOUNGE ABOUT AT LUCIA
Photo courtesy of Hotel Lucia
Tripadvisor calls Hotel Lucia one of America’s sexiest hotels.
Which is why you’re staying here.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Lucia
Hotel Lucia is right in the heart of it all downtown, and an easy, free ride on the MAX Light Rail from (and to) the Amtrak station. That’s convenient.
The front desk staff is hip, friendly, and helpful with advice. The lounge areas are sleek and sexy, with nice touches of art—including photographs from Pulitzer-prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly. (His photos extend to the corridors and the guest rooms.)
The sexiness continues into the guest rooms, which are contemporary and comfortable. (Bathrooms are painted a passionate red.) And also thoughtful. Earplugs are provided if you need to combat the noise from the street scene. There’s a pillow menu, an iPod docking station, and pet-friendly rooms. Need 24-hour service? No problem, as there’s around-the-clock availability of the business center, fitness center, and room service offering Thai and American cuisine. Oh…and the lights are fully dimmable, to help set the stage for your romantic evening.
BREW, AND FOOD TOO, AT PUBLIC DOMAIN
If you wake up early and want to take coffee outside of your room, Public Domain is less than two short blocks away. This bright and cheerful shop serves up exceptional coffee.
It’s also your downtown source for some delicious treats from Nuvrei Pastries. Bring some back to your room, or make the walk together and enjoy a seat in the window, taking in the minimalist vibe and enjoying the crowds of coffee-seekers.
WHEN GRISTLE IS GOOD
Today’s a porky, meaty day, so pastries simply won’t suffice for breakfast. You’re off to northeast Portland for good eats at the rustic Grain & Gristle, where you grab stools at the U-shaped bar. There’s a “breakfasty” section of the menu with eggs Benedict, pancakes, and the like, but you’re going right for the “hearty” menu listing.
A burger’s a beautiful thing in the morning, so one of you might consider that, but one of you should try the scrapple with fried eggs and farm greens. Scrapple’s got all the good pig parts caked together, coated with cornmeal batter, and deep-fried until golden brown and crispy. Add a side order of potato terrine, and you’ll have energy to butcher a pig or tend to the fields of farmland. Grain & Gristle is a relatively new restaurant—and off to a great start.
SHE BOP (AND HE BOP AND WE BOP)
Last night you discovered that Powell’s has quite a selection of sex-related books, and now you’ll see that She Bop has all kinds of sex toys to complement the books they sell. This women-owned, female and couples-friendly boutique (in fat-burning, walking distance of Grain & Gristle) is discreet in its outside presence (there’s a small sign), but powerful and pleasure-focused inside.
You’ll find just about anything you’d like to enhance your sex play, from dildos to DVDs, and cock rings to Kegel exercisers. Be sure to consult with the friendly staff on hand to answer any questions.
Time it right, and you can take one of She Bop’s educational classes, such as the Striptease Salon and The Joy of Toys. Be advised that the classes tend to sell out quickly, so check the website or the Facebook page for current listings. (Photos courtesy of She Bop.)
(Note: As you’re now headed from Northeast to Southeast, you can make a stop at Powell’s Books for Home & Garden, which features a large cookbook section, as well as housewares like dishes and cooking utensils.)
LUNCH AT LARDO, WITH A SUGAR CUBE ON THE SIDE
Portland is particularly popular for its food carts, most of which are located at pods scattered throughout the city’s neighborhoods. While the downtown core has some popular offerings (including Nong’s Khao Man Gai, with Nong said to be on the verge of opening a few brick-and-mortar locations), for lunch you’re headed to the Good Food Here pod on Belmont Avenue.
Your first stop is Lardo, a little place putting out big-flavored dishes. Check the board for the full menu and any daily specials, but if you can find them, you’ve got to try the pork meatball banh mi and the porchetta sandwiches. The banh mi is full of porky goodness, with the pickled vegetables and Sriracha aioli helping to cut the fat. A little. Meanwhile, the porchetta is simply superb, with the caper aioli and gremolata amping up the flavor.
These sandwiches are filling, yet there’s always room for dessert, so walk to the next cart over: The Sugar Cube. Here, Kristin Jensen serves up sweet treats. You can continue the lunch theme and order a sandwich of the ice cream variety. Perhaps a finer choice, though, is panna cotta. At Sugar Cube, this dessert reaches its pinnacle in smoothness and flavor. Choose from luscious lemon or the day’s special, which might be toasted coconut topped with salted caramel. You might also try one of the drinking vinegars for a refreshing and healthy chaser to the lunch.
A MID-AFTERNOON MASSAGE AT DRAGONTREE
How fast do you digest your food? Hopefully you’re quick, as you’re now headed to Dragontree Holistic Day Spa, where you’ll enjoy a couples massage together in one of the treatment rooms. Your practitioners will consult with you about any issues and needs, and then you’ll lie side-by-side on tables and enjoy your relaxing treatment.
Afterward, you’ll rest a bit before being escorted to the Sangha Room where you’ll relish in the comfort of side-by-side foot baths. Call this the land of milk and honey, especially if one of you selects the warm milk foot bath (“hailed as the essence of motherly love, sweet whole milk and rich emollient buttermilk feed the feet and soften the skin”) and the other chooses the honey bath (“for a rejuvenating, soothing, anti-inflammatory, nutritious, antiseptic treat for the feet”).
Note that this is a communal room, but if you’re looking for a lower-cost experience, you can have a wide variety of experience here, including foot therapies, hand treatments, scalp massages, and combination packages. There’s something relaxing about seeing others at peace with the process, enjoying their indulgences, and you’ll feel the same way sharing this experience with your partner.
STRETCH YOUR STAY (AND YOUR STOMACH): LE PIGEON
If you can make it a late day or perhaps add another overnight (and if Lucia’s not available, sister restaurant Hotel deLuxe is a fine choice), make Lardo the foreplay for a full-on dinner feast at Le Pigeon.
With cooks wearing funneled goose t-shirts that read “In Foie Gras We Trust,” expect a meat-filled meal. Like Toro Bravo, Le Pigeon is an extremely popular restaurant, with the best seats—the ones at the counter—held open for walk-in customers. The counter gives you front row seats to a food porn production. If this doesn’t get you excited, nothing will.
As at Toro Bravo, consider going tasting menu (here more than $25; ask ahead to avoid surprises) to get a wide range of dishes—or choose what you like and share with your partner for a similar experience.
If you like foie gras, you can get the lobe here as an appetizer (pictured, left, on toasted brioche with artichoke dip and gremolata)—and note that Le Pigeon is famous for its foie gras profiteroles to end the meal. In between, you might see goat, lamb, beef cheeks, etc. Yes, this is a meat-lover’s paradise. Even the burger looks spectacular, and that counter seat gives you a perfect chance to see its miraculous construction.
Your meal is likely to have eye-opening surprises, like the namesake pigeon crudo. Chef Gabriel Rucker was just named the 2011 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year, and after a meal at Le Pigeon, you’ll see why.
