JANUARY 2009 ARCHIVES
This Week's Email
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 by Ben
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I have to say I am very pleased that the holidays are behind us. Not because of anything too bad, I'm just ready to make a fresh start with a new year. I am really looking forward to this one, in many ways: the most obvious one, I'm sure is our new project we're working on over here (you know, the restaurant/butcher shop?). I'll have more details on that one for you soon.
While we're in that transition period between the closure of Viande Meats & Sausage inside City Market and the unveiling of the new location, I've been spending a lot more time over at the Simpatica space. My man Mick Vandegrift and I (you've seen Mick at Brunch before) are getting the meat program restarted over at the dining hall kitchen, grinding sausage, curing bacon and hams, and getting a few new goodies in the works. Come check out what we've got going on in a few weeks at Brunch.
Speaking of Brunch, I just want to mention again that we are doing Brunch on Saturdays AND Sundays now. Same hours, 9-2, and same location, with the same reservation policy (parties of 8 or more). We'll be doing this through the opening of our new space; after that we'll be going back to just Sundays. So all you people who work Sundays better hustle down on Saturdays while you
can. Okay?
I think that's it for announcements. Now on to dinner. It's funny, I've noticed that I often refer to our menus as "one of our favorites", whether it be Steak Night, Spanish Night, Seafood Night, Cheesy Italian Night, Cajun Night, etc. I finally realized that they're pretty much always a favorite of some kind. It's pretty sweet, I mean, that's just what we do: we cook food that we love, and it's all favorites. That's what keeps it fun for everyone (ourselves included). Well, this weekend is no different... two of our favorites for you: Steak Night and Cajun Night. Check out the menus, I think you'll see what I mean.
Friday, January 9th
Steak Night
Sauvie Island Organics Squash Soup with Shaved Truffle and Parsley Oil
Frisee au Lardons with Poached Egg and Fried Celeriac
Piedmontese Flat Iron Steak Frites with Sauteed Leeks and Brussels Sprout Leaves, Served with a Red Wine and Veal Stock Reduction and Aioli
Roasted Pear Clafouti with Sweet Rosemary Chantilly
Price is $40 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, January 10th
Cajun Night
Cajun-Style BBQ Shrimp
Chicory Salad with Fried Oysters and Tasso Vinaigrette
Rabbit and Andouille Sausage Gumbo with Greens and Rice
Chocolate Beignets with Bananas Foster Ice Cream
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Saturday and Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
That'll do it. Talk to you next week.
This Week's Email
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by Ben
Whatup? I hope this email finds all of you well. I've been traveling a bit this week - the fam and I spent the weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah visiting my sister. Besides being a bit interesting for reasons I won't discuss here, I will say this about Utah - wow, that place is gorgeous. The way the mountains surround the city is just amazing. We took the kids up to the Snowbird/Alta ski areas and really had a blast - I even tried skiing for the first time in 27 years, and loved it - I have been a snowboarder since '92. The people were so friendly and nice. Really a pleasure. This morning my mother and I flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma and drove the 90 miles to Joplin, Missouri, where we'll be visiting my brother for the next few days. The jury is still out about the people and the surroundings, but I'm hoping to do some exploring. I want to explore for some BBQ... if any of you know of some kick-butt BBQ in the Joplin area, drop me a note.
I'll be back in time for this weekend, though. The reason I bring that up is twofold: Friday and Saturday. The Oregon truffles have been really fantastic and plentiful recently, so Dave and Scott have put together a rockin' menu for Friday night. And, asa backup plan (in case I don't find any good 'que here in town), Jason's going to throw down on some BBQ of his own on Saturday. Either one of these menus will be a great one to soak up, and really represent opposite ends of the spectrum, a little something for everyone.
Just one more reminder, and then I'll probably let it go: Brunch is on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday Brunch is taking off like wildfire, so I probably won't need to fan those flames much more. It's still less of a wait than Sundays, but that is going to change within the next few weeks. So get in while you can!
Friday, January 23rd
Oregon Truffle Menu
Seared Truffle Studded Sea Scallop with Warm Beluga Lentil and Frisee Salad with Shaved Pear and Truffle Crema
Black Trumpet Mushroom Ravioli with Shaved Truffle, Brown Butter and Sunny Side Quail Egg
Piedmontese Beef Tournedos with Truffled Madeira Sauce and Celery Root Puree
Pippen Apple Tart with Truffle-Scented Pastry Cream, Vanilla Gelato and Fleur de Sel
Price is $48 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, January 24th
BBQ Night
Hush Puppies with Remoulade and Housemade Pickles
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Vinaigrette, Fried Shallots and Crisp House Cured Bacon
Smoked Beef Brisket and Pork Spare Ribs with Ozark BBQ Sauce, Braised Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks and Cider Vinegar
Baked Apple Dumplings with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Saturday and Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Have a great week, friends. I'll see you back in town... hopefully I can regale you with tales of some life-changing barbecue from out in MO. If not, I'll regale you with tales of life-changing barbecue over at Simpatica Dining Hall. Love ya.
Also, next week I'll have all of the details about the open house we've got planned over at Pine Street Studios. Can you say 6-person Blue Note jazz band provided by the highly talented Northwest Jazz Project? I knew you could...
This Week's Email
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 by Ben
Hey friends. How did you like that snow this morning? I love how nonchalant everyone is these days. Any other year and people would have been outside doing snow angels in the 1" of accumulation, cross-country skiing to the store to buy batteries, candles and PBR. But after what we got in December, everybody has just resorted to just being crabby about it. Love it. Well I thought it was beautiful!
So what's up this week? First off, thanks to all of you who wrote with suggestions of where to get BBQ in South Missouri (apparently pronounced like"Misery" as I've noticed people call it). I ended up going to Lumpy's... great ribs, sauce and service,but I thought the brisket needed a little something. Really makes me appreciate the little jewel known as Podnuh's here in NE P-town (check it out if you haven't already - oh, and Simpatica BBQ Nights).
Where was I? Oh yeah. I have a number of announcements to get through, then on to this week's menus. First off, I've got a class coming up at In Good Taste Cooking School on Tuesday, February 3rd in the Pearl. I'll be going over one of my favorite topics, inexpensive cuts of meat. As our budgets start to retract, unfortunately our appetites don't necessarily follow suit. I'll be talking about some of the different cuts of beef, such as hanger, skirt, flat iron, flank, etc. - where they come from, some of their characteristics, and some different ways to prepare them. I'll be putting a whole meal together, in fact.
Here's the menu:
In Good Taste Cooking Class
Frisee Salad with Brioche Croutons,Bacon Lardons and Warm Stoneground Mustard-Bacon Vinaigrette
Meats Mentioned Above
Potato-Celeriac Gratin
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Anchovy, Caper, Parsley and Lemon
To register for the class, check out the
websiteor call them at 503-248-2015 for more info. Hope to see you there.
Also, I have a lot more details about our open house coming up soon. Now, we haven't had an open house since January 2006, when we officially unveiled the Dining Hall in it's unfinished concrete and plaster glory. Well, there have been a number of changes made to both the space and the entire building in the last three years (believe it or not!), and we thought we would invite all of you in to see some of the changes. On Thursday, February 12th from 6-9pm we will have a 6-piece jazz band playing across the hall while we serve beer and wine and appetizers. In addition, for those of you made of sterner stuff, there will be a cash bar with some specialty cocktails available for purchase. Need more? Our good friend Gabe Rosen from Biwa (down the hall) will be serving some appetizers and I believe pouring sake. Let's see... free food, free booze, free music, great space... why won't you be there? Also (here's the plug), if you are looking for an event space for this next year, maybe you want to check out the dining hall (perfect for rehearsal dinners) or some of the other spaces in the building (company parties, receptions, etc.). Who knows?
Oh, and for those of you who have been inquiring, we will be releasing our Valentine's Day menu next week. Promise.
But let's get on to this week, already! I've talked enough (my fingers are going hoarse), so here's the menus:
Friday, January 30th
Pan-Fried Razor Clams with Warm Cabbage, Bacon and Apple Salad
Green Lentil Soup with Housemade Pancetta, Kale, Caramelized Lemon and Butter-Fried Crouton
Braised Piedmontese Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Potato-Chestnut Puree and Slow Roasted Cippollini Onions
Chocolate Ganache Tart with Housemade Orange Marmalade and Chantilly Cream
Price is $40 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, January 31st
Cassoulet Night
Country Pate with House Pickled Vegetables and Dijon Mustard
Blood Orange and Belgian Endive with Oil-Cured Olive Vinaigrette
Cassoulet with Duck Confit, Toulouse Sausage, Pork Belly, Phipp's Country Store Heirloom Cannelini Beans and Breadcrumbs
Cream-Filled Almond Gateau with Apple Compote
Price is $38 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVP or call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Saturday and Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Hey, I'll see all of you at the party. Or maybe at my class. Or maybe at Brunch on Saturday or Sunday. Or at Dining Hall this weekend. Whatever. Have a good Superbowl Sunday, don't get too loaded. Or get too loaded, just don't drive afterwards.
Also, we're thinking Hawaiian Dinner Night soon. Maybe the Saturday following this weekend? I'll let you know next week for sure. Mahalo.
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