My Birthday Dinner

  Well, I lied.  About eating salad that is.
   I came home Sunday night to a wonderful surprise.  My boyfriend spent the day preparing a special birthday dinner for me.  On Saturday he went to the farmer's market and bought lamb, beautiful snap peas, and rhubarb.  Have I said how much I love lamb? I do.  I generally can't resist it on menus.  It could go without saying that his lamb was delicious, but I will.  It was meltingly tender, and stewed with beans in white wine.  A dish he picked up during his stage in Paris.  That made me smile too; I've been waiting to taste his new tricks in the kitchen.
   And then there were the peas.  Stunning, giant, thick, and crunchy, so full of flavor I would have thought he just picked them off the vine outside our door.  Then, he sauteed them in butter...quite a bit of butter.  I was sold.  We had a great asparagus salad on the side with mushrooms, onion, and feta.
   For dessert, my sweet man made a rosemary rhubarb crumble.  He is a very talented chef, but would be the first to say that dessert is not his specialty.  Hasn't made any in years, yet he was giddy about this dish.  His excitement was justified.  First, he made a rosemary rhubarb syrup with the ends and trimmings of the rhubarb.  With part of that syrup he cooked thinly sliced ribbons of rhubarb to tender with some of the flaked mace he brought back from France.  In this shape you can truly taste the rhubarb, get to know its tart flavor, and maintain a consistent texture.  I often find that rhubarb in tarts or pies is too mushy, too crunchy, or masked by the flavors of other fruit.  It was baked with his oatmeal brown sugar streusel on top and served with a yogurt whipped cream made with more of the rosemary rhubarb syrup.
   Dinner was such a treat, and even more special knowing that the menu was designed with me in mind.  A birthday present I won't forget.

Sunny Santa Fe

   My birthday was Wednesday, and it was a perfect excuse for my mom and I to meet in Santa Fe for a two-night stay.  No surprise, it was a (too) fast, fun weekend full of food and drink.
   After flying into Albuquerque, we drove to Santa Fe, stopping at the original Range Cafe in Bernalillo along the way.  Carne adovada tacos and tamales with red and green chile.  Every bite was awesome.  I love the two chiles together, also known as "Christmas" when ordering in New Mexico.  Both can be very spicy depending on the chiles and the season, but the red had more heat at the restaurants I went to on this trip.  I like the balance of the sweet, roasted green chiles and the smoky red chiles.  We were off with a bang.
   That night we had dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant, El Farol.  Lovely food and a jumpin' little joint with the locals once the band started playing. We had the grilled romaine stuffed with Spanish goat cheese and roasted tomato vinaigrette. Grilled shrimp with chipotle mango cream. Grilled rib-eye skewer with chimmichurri and crispy, spiced patatas bravas.  Chorizo with fig aioli (the most intriguing for me- I want to make it).  Penne in poblano, manchego, and pinon cream.  Sauteed spinach with raisins, garlic, and pinon.  Baked Spanish goat cheese with pinon flatbread, roasted garlic and asparagus.  Reggiano crusted artichokes in lemon-caper butter.  We were too full to even finish all the tapas, but that didn't stop us from ordering dessert!  A luscious tres leches, different from many I've had.  It had a lot of cinnamon and the cake was swimming in plenty of sweet milk.
   The next day we made a trip to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market. What a treat; it was fun to see their community thriving and loving their local farmers and producers.  We grabbed a couple pastries from local bakeries for breakfast- a huge chocolate croissant and a stuffed green chile and cheese flatbread.  Mom also picked up a wonderful loaf of purple walnut bread (excellent with the local raspberry jam) to take home.
   We had lunch at the The Shed with margaritas, tacos and enchiladas in Christmas chile, posole, and green chile potato stew.  All great, but we liked the Range better.
   For dinner on Saturday we went to Aqua Santa; a small restaurant off the beaten path and a new favorite for locals.  A short, well-composed menu.  The warm escarole and calamari salad was bright and rich.  Halibut with lentils, tapenade and greens were cooked perfectly, but they needed a bit of fat and salt.  The chicken was incredibly moist and tender with a caramelized skin and velvety sauce over greens and polenta.  I loved this dish.  And the flirtatious chef in the open kitchen was kind enough to send us extra wine and dessert!  A strawberry rhubarb crisp and a flourless chocolate cake.  A fun dinner, and fortunately we had a long walk home before falling asleep with full bellies.
   On the morning of our departure we had breakfast at Tecolote Cafe.  Eight choices of bread for the French toast- have to appreciate that!  The blue cornmeal pinon pancakes were worthy of breaking into song and dance.  Nutty, fluffy, the subtle crunch of cornmeal... I'm looking forward to creating my own version.
   I had a great weekend with my mom and look forward to a second visit to Santa Fe.  For now, I need to eat some salad.

Presents From France

    My boyfriend returned from his trip to France - Paris, Strasbourg, Honfleur, Cancale, and Lyon- with many stories of travel and meals that I am achingly jealous of.  Wine, cheese, more wine, slowly dining and lounging at meals in Paris.  Giant platters of seafood in Brittany.  Jaw-dropping dessert carts wheeled up to his table.  Cheese plates cut and dishes sauced tableside.  It's all a bit of a fantasy for me.
    On the upside, he brought some treats back for me to enjoy too.  Exciting new spices for us to cook with, mace and long peppers, that I've only seen in magazines.  A beautiful box of chocolates with intricate little molds (ducks, rabbits, bouquet of roses) that were almost too pretty to eat- almost.  Another box of chevre chocolates that I was very intrigued by; they were small and delicate.  Four different fillings- plain, thyme, cumin, and roquefort.  Definitely unusual, but the size of each piece allowed for a nice balance between the rich chocolate and tangy cheese.
    But all this pales in comparison to the macarons from Pierre Herme.  The macarons that I have blabbered about to anyone who will listen.  The macarons that I've been dreaming about since.  The macarons that made my mouth drop open in amazement.  There may have been a high-pitched squeal.
The seven in the pack he brought back were so not enough.  The flavors we tried were:
  Olive oil and Vanilla, Salted Butter Caramel, Strawberry and Balsamic, Apricot and Pistachio,
  Lemon, Pistachio and Griottine, Chocolate.
    It was impossible to pick a favorite, although the olive oil and vanilla came close.
Now, I've had French macarons prior to this occasion, and they were pretty and fun, but I've never thought they tasted as good as they looked.  They usually have a weird egg white slick and a too airy crunch.  Not these.  The cookie is flawless- tender and soft, but not crumbly, just the right density.  The fillings were incredibly intense.  How is there so much flavor in that little amount?  None were cloyingly sweet.  Perfect.  I have an insatiable sweet tooth and am pulled like a magnet to baked goods, desserts, or confections wherever I go.  But these macarons blew my mind.  If you are ever in Paris or Tokyo please eat them, and then bring some back to me.

I've Been Eating

     Hmm... I've been neglecting my posts lately, but I haven't been neglecting my stomach.
Tried quite a few new spots around Portland.  Here is a bit of what I thought:

Bamboo Sushi:
  They are the first certified sustainable sushi restaurant and have a fairly large menu of Japanese cuisine.
I appreciated the quick walk from my home and the contemporary, yet relaxed atmosphere. We had two sake flights, scallop carpaccio, and an assortment of nigiri and rolls.  It was all good, but the highlight for me was the saba or house pickled mackerel.  I would like to go back just for that.
We actually had sushi again the next day (with a boyfriend just back from a month in France, butter is the last thing he is craving).  Sinju- with locations in the Pearl, Bridgeport Village, and Clackamas- it was just okay. The bottom line...we've found our favorite place for sushi is Hiroshi.

Spints:
   A new alehouse just two blocks from my house.  My friend and I decided it was an older/calmer version of Prost. (Also a recent try and a fun German pub).  The design of the interior was inviting and cozy, easy to relax there.  We went late for drinks, but couldn't resist ordering a couple items.  We tried the fried morels- great crunch and texture, earthy, salty, and perfect with our beer.  We both appreciated the cheese board for the clean and simple presentation.  I was surprised to see a full dinner menu and plan to return to try more.

Tabla:
   I really wanted this to be better.  We got the $24, 3-course dinner; a great bargain for an appetizer, pasta, and entree.  The seared ricotta and nettle gnudi was less interesting than it sounded, but good.  The fish trio was not.  Our pastas were definitely the winners of the meal.  The tabla ravioli was fun to eat and the poppy seed butter really made the dish.  The black pepper fettuccini with sorrel pesto had a nice texture and balanced flavor.  The salmon in lobster broth with spring veggies was cooked to a frightening firmness and where was the lobster flavor?  I enjoyed the spice and richness of the lamb crepinette and black olive semolina cake, but the crepinette was also overcooked.  It was in a sauce that was more of a tomato broth than a harissa, as the menu described.  The wine pairings were also lacking for some courses, but I'm still willing to give Tabla a second chance.

Belly Timber:
    Oh my.  Admittedly we were treated quite nicely thanks to my friend being previous co-workers with the chef and cook in the kitchen, but still... everything I tried was delicious.  They have a fabulous happy hour menu and a great cocktail list to boot.  Here is the feast we had:
Pork Meatball Sliders- perfect texture
Beet Salad
House Ricotta (a bit of sweetness, honey?) and Grilled Bread
Duck Wings with Quince, Chiles and Mint- the quince was the sweet spot of this dish
Oyster and Smoked Salmon Tater Tot with Salsa Verde- fun take on a comfort food done well
Boudin Noir with Romesco and Rapini
Crispy Pig Ears- I'd take these over fries
Maple Braised Pork Cheeks with Sweet Potato Pancakes, Swiss Chard and Apple Jam-  my oh my- my       favorite!
Roasted Pork Belly over lentils with a fennel and greens salad- great!
Roasted Bone Marrow with Sea Salt, Capers and Herbs- lovely
Makers Mark Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs- subtle and a perfect end
  Our drinks:  Cherry BlossomCello Soda, BT Collins, &Everything Nice

It was all fantastic. We were so full I thought I might explode.
I highly recommend this restaurant!

Ciao Vito:
   Another happy hour gem and it is all day on Sunday!  I will absolutely be back.
We had the fried meatballs, potato fontina fritters, pork sugo, beet salad, and crispy flatbread with pork and cheese off the happy hour menu.  All excellent.
My friend and I are suckers for razor clams so we had to try their dinner special and it delivered.
For dessert (still makes me giggle):
Housemade peanut butter gelato in a hot fudge sundae with crunchy little peanuts and a peanut biscotti on top alongside our warm Moroccan coffees.
The portions were nice, the drinks were fun, and everything was tasty.  I also love the atmosphere; just the kind of neighborhood, cozy, friendly place I want to hunker down in for hours.

Vindalho:
   Made a visit to Vindalho on Mother's Day with my friend who once worked there.  Well, I already love Indian cuisine and this meal satisfied that craving!
Started with a Lemongrass Martini, Chicken Seekh Kababs, Paneer Pakoras, and Masala Chicken Wings with a tamarind yogurt chutney.  Those wings...yum... very spicy with an edge of sweetness and the cooling chutney.  We also split the lamb curry and naan.  The lamb was meltingly tender in the rich coconut milk broth.  I am big fan of lamb, but this is a dish that turns lamb haters into lovers (including my eating companion).
I was stuffed and can't wait to go back.