It's Not All About Voodoo Donuts

There's more to the Portland food scene than what you've witnessed on TV.   Then again, can't that be said about anything being misunderstood, even if it's just a bit?  If you are slightly epicurious, then the Epicurean Excursion from the Portland Walking Tours is for you.  (No they didn't pay me...I paid them!)

First mission, knock out all the Portlandia episodes I just marathoned before our trip from my memory.  Portland couldn't possibly be THAT into birds, cacao, green-anything and coffee.  Or could they?

First stop, Cacao Drink Chocolate.  Okay, so much for the safe word exiting my brain. The cup of hot chocolate below is the most silky, rich beverage I've ever had.  And not too sweet at all.  What makes it so?  The store sources their chocolate bars from small producers with the criteria you would imagine (fair trade, organic, limited chains of manufacturing and minimizing fillers such as wax).  The owner celebrates his curation so much so, he showcases the farmer on the labels.

If I learned anything on this excursion, all valuable edibles have a fan base resembling the qualities of a wine aficionado.  Onto the Flying Elephants Deli.

Everything made out of this deli is done with care of using in-season ingredients including their infamous tomato/orange soup.  Amazingly good, we went back here later in our trip for a full lunch.

The savory soup, so popular with locals they begged for the recipe.  And the deli has shared it.  Click here if you're interested.  Smartly, the deli knows it is VERY difficult to successfully use citrus with a creamy base without curdling.  Good luck to you!

No food tour in Portland would be worth its efforts without a stop at one of the infamous food carts permanently parked in a pay parking lot.

The owners of these parking lots reap huge financial rewards by bordering their lots with these food trucks who pay for "parking" as any other vehicle would, but 24/7.  For the vendor, this is a way to have a food business without the huge outlay for a brick and mortar restaurant.  Everyone views this as a win/win.   Because our tour was in the morning, our stop was for liege waffles.

Super indulgent waffles are made with a brioche dough (not batter) and pearl sugar.  Crazy sweet and extravagant.  I'm now deeply wanting a cup of coffee.  Our intuitive guide was on it.  Courier Coffee Roasters to the rescue.

While Stumptown Roasters is the most known, there are roasters on seemingly every corner of Portland.  What makes Courier special is they can only be had if it's within biking distance of the roasting facility.  I'm not exaggerating.  A typical delivery bike just above services many local restaurants.  Not only does their business model exemplify hyper local, but they aim to be incredibly sustainable.  The packaging of their coffee made entirely of compostable paper and they are working on a system of "milk on tap" to circumvent the constant opening of the refrigerator at their coffee bar.

What better way to soak up all that caffeine than a behind the scenes stop at Pearl Bakery.

Another very local approach, using as many organic ingredients as possible they source their flour from millers in eastern Washington and serve McMinnville's locally churned butter.  Bread-aholic or not, it would have been rude not to consume their tasting platter don't you think?

Thank goodness our next stop didn't require eating!


 The Camellia Lounge is a charming tea house where you can sample teas from around the world.  Come the weekends it transforms into a live jazz venue.  Most seductive and never knew existed we learned about tea bricks.

Used primarily in the 19th century, fermented tea was pressed into forms to make better transport of the ingredient.  Today, they are mostly sold as a novelty.

Apparently we still looked hungry and were escorted over to Hot Lips Pizza.  Family owned and hyper-local, the gourmet pizzas are made with ingredients only in season.

It doesn't seem possible, but we had a dessert stop.  Cool Moon Ice Cream makes home-made, hand-churned ice cream made with Oregonian ingredients.  My choice, blackberry ice cream.

Because we could put no more down our gullet, our last stop was Benessere's Oils and Vinegars.  The least "local" stop, was still an informing touch on an ever-increasing focus on quality olive oils and vinegars.

The only missing highlights (in my opinion) would be a local brew stop at Deschutes Brewery and the new/used cookbook aisles (there are 3-4 long aisles) at Powell's Books.   Happy adventuring!

Food Porntography Gone Too Far?

I, like so many food bloggers before me, have fallen into a trap.  We can't help but whip out the camera at the sight of noteworthy food.  But have we gone too far?

Personally, when I witness such a scene, I remind myself of my own code of ethics.

1. Does the restaurant seem receptive?  When in doubt, ask.
2. Will I make my fellow diners uncomfortable?  After all, eating out is supposed to be an enjoyable experience.
3. I don't want my food to get cold...so snap quickly and put it away.

Do you have other thoughts on the subject?  I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know.

Olive Oil Appreciation 101

Every year, in spring, is "girls weekend."  This year's destination, Ojai, CA.  A destination I've been trying to get hubby to for years, my girlfriends chose this spot with great enthusiasm.  Let's go!

**If you're so inspired, John's Nutty Pesto Recipe Below**

Now in our 6th year, we've treated ourselves to many wonderful locales across So Cal including spas in Laguna and Palm Springs, wine tasting in Temecula and celebrating Royal Tea in Beverly Hills.  This year, we explored our inner foodie-selves and took on olive oil tasting.

We started our quest at the Ojai Olive Oil Company.  Unfortunately, we arrived too late to join the formal ranch tour.  What can I say, The Arcade in town distracted us.

The ever so gracious owners invited us to stroll the grounds and of course sample their oils and vinegars in their humble tasting room.

We sampled with bits of bread and ood and awed at the magnificent variety.  Probably my fave was the Cinnamon Pear infused Balsamic.

Taking advantage of the invitation, we indeed strolled the grove.

The official greeter pulled out all the stops with wags, belly rubs and kisses. No doubt, we were to make ourselves at home.

The olive trees were in their spring mode sending out young shoots for fruiting the following year.  The trees that didn't have young shoots had already done so the previous year, hence the trees are classified as Alternate Bearing.  Needless to say our timing didn't reveal fruit or blossoms.  Harvest season falls in October till the trees are all shaken of their production.

So what is a girl to do to show off the trees; some of which were planted in the late 1800's?  Perhaps our theater upbringing allowed us to ham it up.

Sufficiently entertained, our palates were primed but not necessarily educated.  We drove down to our next stop ... Regalo Olive Oil, Omaggio Farm.

If I could choose where my last days would be, it would be here.  The setting transported us to fantasies of living in the Italian countryside.

It is here, where we learned olive oil is produced within 24 hours or less of harvest.  They are washed, ground to a paste, warmed to release the oil and centrifuged to extract the impurities. 

Learning to savor olive oil is best done straight (drinking a sample).  But if you can't fathom doing that, than a bit of bread to soak the flavors is the next best option.

Timely for this post, the NY Times reported this last week that in addition to the health merits of olive oil having a wealth of antioxidants and monounsaturated fat for protecting the heart, it may also increase the feeling of feeling full by just smelling it.  Could this be another key to limiting obesity?

So many variables can impact the taste including growing region, olive type, soil, blend and how it was produced.  We COULD tell the difference from the farm we just visited just a couple of miles away.  Both supremely good, just different.

Yes, we purchased.  What did I do with my acquisitions?  I implored John to make his "famous" nutty pesto.

Hi!  John here and I will now share my famous nutty pesto recipe with you.  First, send me $1,000.  

While I wait for your check, here is the recipe -- I trust you!

      

As Sylvia has pointed out, starting with high quality "extra virgin" olive oil is a must.  Place a large hand full of pistachios and pine nuts in a food processor.  I have made this without garlic and it's fine but I prefer 2 large or several small cloves of garlic.  Blend these three items for 10 to 20 seconds just until it's granular like the photo below.  Take the lid off the processor and give this first step a whiff.  Someday I am going to make a pasta "sauce" with just these ingredients.

Next, add basil leaves (I remove the stems) -- the equivalent of one of those large plastic containers you find at the grocery.  Sylvia and I grow our own all summer...

Blend the basil leaf, nutty mixture until the leaves are just minced.  Add quality grated Parmesan -- an entire wedge saving back a little for topping the pasta when it's served. Do a few turns of a pepper mill if desired.

Start the processor again and start to slowly pour olive oil into the spinning blades.  The mixture will first "bunch up" and then start to smooth out, becoming more liquid.  Take the top off again and taste.  You may need a dash of salt or a teaspoon of lemon juice -- or both.  Crazy, I know...

Re-blend briefly to mix -- be careful not to over mix.  During the summer, when we have basil abundance, I freeze Mason jars of this stuff.  Keeps us in pesto until Christmas.  Makes a great cracker spread -- stunningly good on grilled salmon...

and of course, pasta!