Archives for June 2014

Avocado Pesto and more Avocado Awesomeness

June 30, 2014 by Pechluck 5 Comments

Today is June 30, which marks the last day of June and therefore the last day of California Avocado Month. Of course, just because it’s the end of the celebratory month doesn’t mean you can’t keep using and enjoying avocados, particularly since California avocado season runs approximately from the middle of April through the middle of September. So you have plenty of time STILL ahead to enjoy the awesomeness of avocados.

As part of the celebration of California Avocado Month, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) worked with 15 chefs across the country to help inspire more ways to incorporate avocados in your meals. In Portland, the chef on this list is owner and chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner where Chef Lisa was creating a dinner menu with every food item featuring avocados in some way. More on that in just a little bit. I need to share how much I adore avocados.

I’m a big fan of avocados – I’ve shared recipes on this blog before for various versions of guacamole (the “gateway” to avocados and great for those who are just being introduced to avocados), as well as an avocado mac and cheese that included other green things like lime and jalapeno and green onions and cilantro matched up against Beecher’s Cheddar.

Yet another recipe you might consider for this summer is Elote Pasta Salad that upgrades pasta salad with roasted corn, cotija and avocado. Or try Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Tomato and Greens Sandwich and/or a Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Salad with Avocado and Greens Sandwich, both which I packed for a picnic!

And of course, I’ve enjoyed avocados made by others in many wonderful ways, varying from sushi, slicing them and including them in a wrap (even a DIY Vietnamese summer roll) or at breakfasts via the traditional way as part of Eggs Benedict or with a Mexican breakfast dish that could be a breakfast burrito or in this case, Migas (a flour tortilla stuffed with 3 chipotle-cumin scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, Tillamook cheddar, fresh basil, homemade salsa and sour cream and then served with fresh avocado salsa). Yum right??

And avocados are always welcome in a large variety of sandwiches or salads… Possibilities are endless.

And then, of course, there was this incredible Avocados Dinner by Chef Lisa Schroder to promote California Avocados that I attended. The menu included

Lucy Brennan’s Avocado Daiquiri
Hors D’Oeuvres of Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail and also Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes!

For the recipe for the Pink Grapefruit Avocado Crab cocktail, check Je Mange Le Ville’s avocado post from this event. Also for tips on using avocados check out the blog of Urban Bliss Life for her avocado dinner coverage which includes a video of Lisa demonstrating how to cut avocados!
Butter Lettuce, Avocado and Green Onion Salad with lemon vinaigrette
Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions
Dessert of Avocado Lime Pie in a graham cracker crust topped with fresh Oregon strawberries and whipped cream

Clearly I have been enjoying avocados for a while, though I don’t think it was until I went to college that I first tried them. I remember when I first moved out on my own after college, I even bought a special avocado slicer (though that has since been lost among many moves. My relationship with avocado has prospered without it.)

Some people say that it is a texture thing with the avocados, which is why they don’t like them… but maybe I partially don’t believe that this can’t be conquered. I have rallied to have people try tofu or blue cheese before in recipes successfully, and I think I can do the same with avocados.

One clever way might be this Avocado Pesto recipe I threw together with one of the avocados generously gifted to me by the California Avocado Commission. One of the bunch of avocados was already ripe, and this is a 1 avocado recipe so you don’t have to shell out a lot to try this out. And, it whips up together in minutes with a food processor making the sauce so that by the time the pasta is cooked, you are ready to eat!

In this pesto pasta recipe, the avocado feels creamy, almost like a light alfredo sauce or cheese sauce, but MUCH MUCH HEALTHIER. After all, an avocado contributes nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients while being sodium and cholesterol free and a source of the good, monounsaturated fat that helps lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

Avocado Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta (about 14 ounces). I picked vegetable macaroni pasta here, but you can use spaghetti or any kind you’d like
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 small garlic cloves
Juice of 1/2 a lemon, about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup of freshly cut basil
1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper or to taste
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated, plus optionally more for serving
1/4 cup of milk
1 pinch – 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
A few pinches of cheddar cheese for topping/serving (optional)

Directions:

Boil water and cook your pasta until al dente as you normally would. This usually means for me boiling a pot of water with a pinch of salt, and then once it is boiling I add the pasta and a quick drizzle of olive oil. This cools the water and I wait for it to come to boiling again and once it does so, after a few minutes I check to see whether it is al dente.
While the water is coming to a boil/the pasta is cooking, in a food processor mix in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Process these together first until the garlic is basically chopped.
Now, add in the lemon juice, spoon in the avocado (leaving out the skin and pit), the 2 tablespoons of basil, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Process everything until smooth.
Finally, add the milk and process again until fully mixed. Depending on the size of your avocado or your taste, you may want to adjust the salt or pepper or Parmesan until the flavor is to your liking. I know my avocado was large, and I added more Parmesan.
When the pasta is ready, drain the water from the pasta and then mix in this avocado pesto sauce and optionally the red pepper flakes until everything is well combined. Top optionally with cheese of your choice and enjoy!

I added 1 teaspoon of red pepper to my pasta so I could enjoy a little heat, but you can feel free to add just a pinch instead, or ignore all together. Optionally, you can also top with freshly ground pepper and a few pinches of cheddar to reinforce the “cheesiness” of this creamy pasta dish/trick someone into eating avocado. You can also get inspired like the Mac and Cheese of the Avocado Dinner and add textural and flavorful fun with bacon!

When you go out to purchase Avocados, look for the sticker and that the word “California” is on the label that proves the avocado is from California rather than from overseas. A few interesting facts:

Did you know that California produces approximately 90% of the nation’s avocado crop?
California avocados are hand-grown on approximately 5000 small family farms throughout central and southern California
There are 7 varieties of avocados in California, with Hass accounting for 95%: the rest of the avocado varieties are named Bacon, Fuerte, Gwen, Lamb Hass, Pinkerton, Reed, and Zutano.
The Hass tree was actually patented (the first patent on a tree) but the patent had run out by the time Hass avocados started to become popular.
All the Haas avocados are descended from one original Hass Mother Tree from the 1920s. Check here for the story of the Hass Mother Tree!

For more on avocados, check out the California Avocado social media channels on Facebook California Avocados, Pinterest CA_Avocados Boards that are chock full of recipes, Instagram @CA_Avocados, Twitter handle @CA_Avocados, or the Youtube channel California Avocados.

Disclosure: I attended a complimentary dinner and demonstration promoting California Avocados by the California Avocado Commission and Mother’s Bistro. They did not require I write this post and I have been loving avocados way before this dinner. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: avocado, Avocado and Green Onion Salad with lemon vinaigrette, avocado in a salad, Avocado Lime Pie, avocado mac and cheese, Avocado Pesto, avocado recipes, avocado sandwiches, Butter Lettuce, California Avocado Commission (CAC), California Avocado Month, California Avocado social media, easy avocado pasta, Grilled Chicken Breast with avocado, Guacamole, Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes, healthy eating, healthy mac and cheese, Lisa Schroeder, Lucy Brennan's Avocado Daiquiri, Macaroni and Cheese with avocado, meatless monday, mother's bistro, pasta salad, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail, vegetarian

Book Club Review: Moveable Feast by Lonely Planet

June 29, 2014 by Pechluck 5 Comments

For June the Kitchen Reader book club selected reading is A Moveable Feast published by Lonely Planet. It had a lot of essays in it by different authors, which made it a perfect airplane read for me as I traveled to San Diego and then later also to Chicago this month. In fact, one of the first things I did was flip through it, trying to see if anyone had written one of the food/travel essays about either of those two cities. The closest I got was Jim Benning’s essay Tijuana Terroir that definitely got me in the mood for Mexican flavors – I had it 3 times while in San Diego, and it upped my enjoyment of the mariachis.

Someone needs to do that- have some sort of place that I can check where I can search for food writing on a travel destination to get me in the mood for special cuisine representing that place! Every place seems to have a certain food that represents them- whether it be a specific local produce for that area, or way of cooking, style of flavor profiles, something.

I enjoyed the book. I was pretty sold already even in the Introduction, as the editor of this anthology collection, Don George writes

“One truth is clear: wherever we go, we need to eat. As a result, when we travel, food inevitably becomes one of our prime fascinations – and pathways into a place. On the road, food nourishes us not only physically, but intellectually, emotionally and spiritually too.”

From there, depending on what order you read the 38 chapters, you can travel and experience different ways food and travel intersect. For my Book Review of Moveable Feast by Lonely Planet I thought I might highlight my favorite chapters…

Rhoda McAdam in Communion on Crete as she writes with her Food Culture Master’s classmates of starting her day with thick fresh yoghurt and honey on soft bread with homemade jam and coffee with milk from a goat tethered in the garden. As if didn’t sound lovely enough, they then visited shepherds in humble mountain-top milking parlours where lunch is too much fresh Mizithra cheese with raki that curled in their bellies. That was followed by cheesemakers with gravura mountain cheese (similar to gruyere) and more raki, and then a village hall dinner where each village home had prepared her own dish, sourced from animals they had raised or ingredients they had grown or foraged themselves. As Rhoda writes, “it was a humbling experience, for these were the most personal of gifts. Replete doesn’t describe our state by the end of this day. The feeling was more of a cultural satiation.” It made me really long to do a cheese quest myself. It also made me realize it’s been a long time since I’ve had saganaki… and that I can probably do this at home if I just go find some good greek cheese!
Grow from feeling like a foreigner to feeling at home home while reading Elisabeth Eaves in Seasoning Jerusalem in getting a lesson in making Maqluba from an Arabic mom that has no units of measures, just descriptions of the aromas, the colours, the textures was enough to make me really want to eat this dish, she did a wonderful job of describing it. A few days later I started looking for recipes for Maqluba, and I found a vegetarian version on Serious Eats that I have on my list to try out perhaps in the fall. I was only in Israel for a few days for work purposes and I visited Jerusalem briefly but had not been exposed to this dish and I wish I had! one thing I also remember vividly is how incredible the bread and cheese were, and not realizing there would be so much great fresh cheese until duh, of course, they have had shepherds here for how long, and it turns out at one point Jerusalem was called the Valley of The Cheesemakers! Mmm and now looking at the pictures I missed out also on those interesting takes on pizza… I guess I’ll have to try to visit again!
Be hooked into the mystery of laphet thote in Karen CJ. Coates’ Salad Days in Burma. Laphet Thote is a national snack made from pickled leaves, crispy dried yellow peas and beans, sharp raw garlic, potent red capsicum, a drizzle of oil, a hint of sour, a bit of pleasant bitter, savoury, unique crunchy, oily, moist consistency ending in dragon-fire breath that leaves me intrigued.
Feel the awkwardness and humor of drinking too much in a strange land with Laurence Mitchell’s The Hair of the Cow story in Georgia with khinkali (dumplings) and khachapuris (cheese bread). This is as shown below that I had never had until Kargo Gogo food cart enlightened me. I also liked the drinking too much story where you wish you could turn invisible or melt into the floor with The Abominable Trekker by Jeff Greenwald, or with the even crazier misadventure of Stefan Gates in The Icon on the Japanese Cake.
Go on a quest with dad on a search for the best barbecue road trip while also cementing a new chapter in your relationship as an adult to adult with Doug Mack in The ‘Cue Quest. The overzealous list of how many meals can be attempted, whether to trust the menu and the server at each stop, the way good food is an equaliser for people of all walks of life are all covered. I also still quite vividly remember the flavors of the best bbq I ever had, which was when visiting friends in North Carolina even though it was seven years ago
A Feast on Fais by Lawrence Millman and his possible trolling by an elder in Micronesia made me laugh outloud on the plane.
Is it wrong that I was totally on the side of Emily Matchar in Peanut Butter Summer where food and travel style are a total valid deal breaker?
The kindness of strangers so perfectly summed up with food in Mango Madness by Amanda Jones, or the way strangers may play you such as Breakfast Epiphanies by Ruth Rabin, or the resourcefulness and hardiness of so many people in the world that I don’t see since I can get my food at a supermarket is celebrated in Foraging with Pee by Jeffrey Alford.
Italy moved up on my bucket list after the description of the wedding feast by Laura Fraser in Italy in Seventeen Courses. There needs to be a dinner party in which everyone does a course in Italian and even though there’s no wedding, I want the feast! I’ve also always wanted to go to a Hindi wedding.

I enjoyed that the essays were each very different in covering country or cuisine or what food moment they were going to tell. And, it definitely made me more cognizant of the way food was shaping my experiences while I traveled. Many of the stories were overseas, but there are a few in the US too, which demonstrates that you don’t have to go too afar. The only thing I think would have improved this book would be more stories and maybe being able to index them by country at least. Actually, that would be a killer website to crowdsource and search as I said in the beginning right? It would also be a pretty fun TV series show – I think more fun than following one host, having people act out an experience that was submitted in from around the world.

Next month, the book is The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, which has been on my wishlist for awhile so I’m excited to read it. Are you interested in joining our book club? For our casual online club there is a new book selected for every month, each book is related to food, and members write a review on their blog during the last week of that month. If you are interested in joining, check out the website Kitchen Reader!

Filed Under: Book Review

2014 Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch & Bloody Mary Smackdown

June 27, 2014 by Pechluck 9 Comments

Here is my recap of the 2014 Portland Monthly’s Country Brunch & Bloody Mary Smackdown. This was my second time attending the event- I also attended the 2013 event and did a blog recap so visit there for more. This event took place at Castaway Portland and is sponsored by Portland Monthly Magazine, and one of the things that was really great was there was never really a line of a handful of people to get food or drink and there was plenty of seating so everyone was able to sit to enjoy their tastes!

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

This year, six chefs prepared bites of their favorite brunch fare while six contenders vied for “Best Dressed Bloody Mary” (either or both Judge’s and People’s Choice) in the third-annual Portland Monthly Bloody Mary Smackdown!
Brunch Bite Bonanza at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

100% of net proceeds of this event benefit Zenger Farm‘s new Urban Grange. Urban Grange is an 8,960-square-foot facility that will support the Zenger Farm ongoing efforts to connect Portland communities to fresh-grown food by being a space for Zenger youth field trips, summer camps, healthy eating workshops, and farmer training programs, opportunities for emerging businesses in the commercial kitchen, etc.
Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

Brunch Bite Bonanza by:

Chef Jose Chesa from Ataula boldy presented a cold tapas breakfast dish of Mojama-cured Albacore Tuna sandwich on coca bread with dill mustard mayo, mango, and arugula which was a nice refreshing dish with all the other richness and spiciness of the other samples that brunch for me.
Chef Matt Christianson from Urban Farmer who provided Bohemian, a stroopwaffle with bacon jam and eggs and bourbon maple
Chef Johanna Ware from Smallwares brought one of my favorite Asian breakfast dishes, Breakfast congee with Chinese Sausage, egg, scallion, granola and maple ponzu. I could have had a whole bowl of this.
Chefs Karen Pride & Brittney Galloway from Harlow presented Mercy Blues, a bed of spinach topped with garlic herb polenta, stewed black beans and corn, slow-roasted tomatoes, smoky tempeh, chipotle cashew hollandaise and scallions. I thought it had a lot of flavor and unlike all the other brunch bites, is vegan and vegetarian.
Chef Rick Gencarelli from Lardo of course brought the fat with a Pork Belly Egg Benedict with a buttery buttermilk biscuit, big hunk of pork belly, fried quail egg, and Frank’s hollandaise. I had to admire the Lardo team as they efficiently were putting out those plates, including frying those little pork bellies and quail eggs.
Chefs Michael Madigan & Jeff McCarthy from TenTop did a unique take with their Miso Soy Ginger Bagel with bulgogi beef, kimchee schmear, and cured egg yolk. You can see Chef Michael below adding the egg in the little bagel hole.

Bloody Mary Smackdown presented by Grey Goose:

Irving Street Kitchen (2012 People’s & Judges’ Choice Champion, 2013 People’s Choice Champ)’s Irving Street Bloody Mary by Pete Koptiuch was as spicy as ever, combining “all of the ingredients you’ve come to hold so dear in those early morning recoveries and mixed them with a few we thought you deserved”
Le Bistro Montage (2013 Judges’ Choice Champion) Steve Dodge brought their Bloody Mary Lou Retton, a cajun bloody mary with beef bouillon and Spam garnish
Broder man Chad Hinman brought a Broder Danish Mary that included a blend of citrus, spice, horseradish layered with curry, cumin, fresh dill, toated fennel, cumin seed, dill seed, celery seed, and fresh cut dill and more left under Danish secret.
Radar Lily Tollefsen and Jonathan Berube brought a Voddie Mary that had tomato, roasted garlic, peppercorn, tapatio, lemon, lime, vodka secrets with Rainier-Celery Soda shot to follow.
Doug Fir ended up winning both People and Judge’s Choice for 2014 with their spicy, smoky, sweet and tart flavors, including candied bacon garnish and apparently Guinness and brown sugar as some of their ingredients of their concoction Joshua Merrion calls The Antidote
Imperial‘s Brandon Wise was on hand mixing a Smoked Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary with sponsor Grey Goose vodka, smoked heirloom tomatoes, barrel-aged fresno pepper hot sauce, Imperial spice blend, fresh horseradish, sherry vinegar, fish sauce, and house pickled giardiniera.

In addition to brunch, a pushcart would come by offering bottomless Manmosas (beer +orange juice) by Miller Highlife and Crispin Cider. Also, New Seasons Market had several booths with fresh organic juices and local hot sauce condiments as well as an extra bite of Oregon Bounty Quiche with Ruby Hill Farm eggs, Olympic Provisions ham, spring onions from Gathering Together Farm, and Portland Creamery herbed goat cheese.. Boyd’s Coffee Company, which I did not partake of since I was already full of way too much liquid, was also present keeping everyone caffeinated with their fresh brew.

Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm, New Seasons Market provided an extra brunch bite of Oregon Bounty Quiche with Ruby Hill Farm eggs, Olympic Provisions ham, spring onions from Gathering Together Farm, and Portland Creamery herbed goat cheese.

And oh yeah, there was just the The Bloody Mary Garnish Bar courtesy of Whole Foods that included sweet beet pickled egg, saffron soaked mozzarella, Olympic Provisions salami ribbon, Unbound Pickling Asparagus, and Spicy Green Bean. Have to appreciate both New Seasons and Whole Foods highlighting local artisan vendors and farmers!
Oh, just the bloody mary garnish station courtesy of Whole Foods at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm. The Bloody Mary Garnish Bar included sweet beet pickled egg, saffron soaked mozzarella, Olympic Provisions salami ribbon, Unbound Pickling Asparagus, and Spicy Green Bean Oh, just the bloody mary garnish station courtesy of Whole Foods at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm. The Bloody Mary Garnish Bar included sweet beet pickled egg, saffron soaked mozzarella, Olympic Provisions salami ribbon, Unbound Pickling Asparagus, and Spicy Green Bean Oh, just the bloody mary garnish station courtesy of Whole Foods at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm. The Bloody Mary Garnish Bar included sweet beet pickled egg, saffron soaked mozzarella, Olympic Provisions salami ribbon, Unbound Pickling Asparagus, and Spicy Green Bean Oh, just the bloody mary garnish station courtesy of Whole Foods at Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm. The Bloody Mary Garnish Bar included sweet beet pickled egg, saffron soaked mozzarella, Olympic Provisions salami ribbon, Unbound Pickling Asparagus, and Spicy Green Bean

Special entertainment by Master of Ceremonies for #CountryBrunch Poison Waters and great country music by Foghorn Stringband. And, there were special guests, the Belmont Goats!
Poison Waters was on hand to MC the Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm Belmont Goats were a special guest at the Portland Monthly's Country Brunch 2014 at Castaway benefiting Zenger Farm

Keep an eye out for when I give you the warning next year that the tickets are on sale- it has been selling out every year, it’s a really great event for a wonderful cause. Please check out the Zenger Farm website to learn more about how you can help.

Many of the bloody mary drinks are available at the originating restaurant bars (including the winning Antidote at Doug Fir) , and I believe the TenTen bagel sandwich is appearing at Bowery Bagels this coming weekend and us available Friday Saturday Sunday! It’s listed as the MSG (Miso Soy and Ginger) bagel sandwich with bulgogi beef with kimchee schmear.

Which of these descriptions of brunch bites or bloody mary concoction intrigued you? Do you feel an urge to go to brunch this Sunday?

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: #countrybrunch, 2014 Portland Monthly's Country Brunch & Bloody Mary Smackdown, Ataula, Belmont Goats, Bloody Mary Lou Retton, Bohemian, Brandon Wise, Breakfast congee with Chinese Sausage, Brittney Galloway, Broder Danish Mary, Chad Hinman, Chef Jose Chesa, Chef Matt Christianson, Doug Fir, Foghorn Stringband, Grey Goose Bloody Mary Smackdown, Harlow, Imperial, Irving Street Bloody Mary, Johanna Ware, Jonathan Berube, Joshua Merrion, Karen Pride, Lardo, Le Bistro Montage, Lily Tollefsen, Manmosas, Mercy Blues, Michael Madigan, Miso Soy Ginger Bagel, Mojama-cured Albacore Tuna sandwich, Pete Koptiuch, Poison Waters, Pork Belly Egg Benedict, Portland Monthly Bloody Mary Smackdown, Radar, rick gencarelli, Smallwares, Smoked Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary, Steve Dodge, stroopwaffle, TenTop, The Antidote, Urban Farmer, Voddie Mary, whole foods, Whole Foods Bloody Mary Garnish Bar, Zenger Farm

Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Menu

June 26, 2014 by Pechluck 10 Comments

Very cruelly, I am about to share you the food porn photos of the dinner from Ryan Roadhouse’s heavenly pop-up, Nodoguro. The Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Menu is no longer available- he is doing a new one for July. But, I hope this will encourage you to purchase reservations for one of his just announced pop-up dates in July, all starting at 6:30pm, of

Tuesday July 8
Wednesday July 9
Tuesday July 15
Wednesday July 16

Like in June, the space Nodoguro will be using is that of Evoe/Pastaworks on Hawthorne and includes nine courses for $85, gratuity and alcohol not included. I love the use of this space as it is very intimate in being able to watch him work and ask question. I also adore how with just a few simple decorations, they have been so successful at evoking a restaurant feel even though I know they just “popped” in, and successfully reinforced the firefly theme.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, a Portland pop up specializing in Japanese by Ryan Roadhouse

There is a new theme each month. Honestly, it doesn’t matter because whatever the theme, whatever he is serving, I am there. You will see below why- and don’t forget that I also went to his first Nodoguro Popup dinner and had a different menu in May that I recapped here.

Anyway, I am going to have a hard time explaining how exquisite this dinner was. I was impressed by the execution that was high in technique, precision, and thoughtful melding of flavors and textures that definitely called back to me the great care that chefs in Japan have. It’s a little disorienting every time I looked behind the counter and saw young Ryan softly explaining how one component of a dish consisted of 5 ingredients and 5 steps and yeah, those are just the greens that go with the eel. Every ingredient has been carefully and with great intention included in any dish.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, a Portland pop up specializing in Japanese by Ryan Roadhouse

For this experience, Carl Donheiser of Pastaworks created a special menu of alcoholic beverage service for the dinner that included some wines, sake, and a cocktail. The cocktail I had was the Nashi Sparkler with Cremant de Loire, Genki-Su Asian Pear drinking vinegar, Kumquat
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, drink menu by Carl Donheiser of Pastaworks

Course 1: Squid Somen with Dashi and Radish Pods
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner
So there in the above photo you see Ryan separating out the squid for the first course of the menu… this was one of my favorites because the flavor was a great light start but the texture was soooo cool. The radish pods, like many of the produce, comes from Phantom Rabbit Farms (check out their website for their series of farm dinners!).
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Squid Somen with Dashi and Radish Pods

Course 2: Oysters with spring garlic and citrus
I would eat these all summer long if I could.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Oysters with spring garlic and citrus

Course 3: Chawanmushi topped with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi
I still love chawanmushi, whether hot or cold. This is a cooler presentation because of the fish. I also always feel like I’m being given a present. The soft custardy feel of one egg against the pop of the other egg is just incredible.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Chawanmushi topped with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi

Course 4: Green Strawberry sunomono
The little palate cleanser course. Ryan can put that aged miso just on rice and I would empty the bowl. I was pleased to see I was not the only one that after finishing the things you could pick up in this mini salad dish marinated in vinegar, picked up the bowl and drank the rest of the liquid.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Green Strawberry sunomono

Course 5: Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba
One of my favorite courses. Who am I kidding, half the courses of this menu were my favorite courses. The play of the big smoke that yet did not overwhelm the delicate fish flesh and crispy skin was melt in your mouth and alluring.
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba

Course 6: Canned Albacore with Roasted Pepper
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner
Now, time for the most stunning presentation of the whole evening which consisted of all art on every plate. I couldn’t resist doing a whole photoshoot even though I really really also wanted to eat it.

Course 7: Sake poached Eel with cucumber and myoga

I always love eel, but I was surprised by how much I was smitten by those blanched greens which had been then dried, kissed by dashi and dusted with wasabi. The myoga here is the pink pickled Japanese ginger blossom
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sake poached Eel with cucumber and myoga

Course 8: Sweet Dashi omelette
And now, the start of the last two courses, desserts. It’s always delightful how both savory sweet this is
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sweet Dashi omelette

Course 9: Sterling Tiramisu
Everyone was rolling their eyes in ecstasy after taking a bite. There was silence. And then another small spoonful of it, it was such dessert sex. This was Ryan’s take on a tiramisu, although he admitted that as he made it, it kept getting farther away from an actual tiramisu except for the layers and the his original inspiration, the Sterling Coffee espresso reduction. Which was sinfully deep and dark, a counter to the lightness of the cheese cake (which was almost like panna cotta) and the texture and nuttiness of the toasted soybean (kinako).
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sterling Tiramisu, with a cheesecake and Sterling espresso reduction

Tea Service: Hydrangea Manju with Genmai Macha Tea
I am not usually a fan of sweet bean paste because it’s so dry and chewy. But, taken with tea like this, and just a few bites, and this version wasn’t as chewy, I did like how it brought a traditional close to this incredible meal.

I’ll be at Nodoguro PDX dinner in July. After all, I think it is currently the best Japanese omakase cuisine here in Portland. Will you try Nodoguro? What do you think of the courses of the Firefly June menu?
Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: Canned Albacore with Roasted Pepper, Carl Donheiser, Chawanmushi, Chawanmushi with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi, Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba, Cremant de Loire, Genki-Su Asian Pear drinking vinegar, Genmai Macha Tea, Green Strawberry sunomono, Hydrangea Manju, Nashi Sparkler, Nodoguro, Nodoguro Dinner, Nodoguro PDX, Nodoguro Pop up, Nodoguro recap, nodoguro review, Oysters with spring garlic and citrus, Pop-up, Ryan Roadhouse, Sake poached eel, Squid Somen with Dashi and Radish Pods, Sterling Tiramisu, Sweet Dashi omelette

North American Organic Brewers Festival 2014

June 25, 2014 by Pechluck 8 Comments

The 10th annual North American Organic Brewers Festival starts tomorrow! This year’s event (also nicknamed NAOBF) will take place Thursday June 26 through Sunday June 29.

NAOBF aims to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living, and serves up nearly 60 organic beers & ciders from around the nation. There are more than two dozen styles represented at the festival, running the gamut from Belgians and goldens to porters and stouts, with a bit of everything in-between, so you can “Drink Organic, Save the Planet, One Beer at a Time.”

This year, NAOBF will also be hooking up four flat screen TVs to show all the World Cup matches as well as the Friday Portland Timbers game. WOOOooooo! Of course, as in previous years, there’s also live local music, organic food and sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits. Food that will be available from the various vendors include BBQ pork sliders, pizzas, Fifty Licks ice cream (YUM), samosas and curries, different German sausages like bratwurst, bierwurst, currywurst, and for any vegetarians/vegans one of the vendors has really great options (so vegetarian F tells me) including vegan cheesesteak, vegan bbq, and vegan reubens.

NAOBF also strives to be the most earth-friendly beer festival on the planet, and last year’s 2013 event recycled and composted 92% of the total of more than 2,000 pounds of waste, marking the second year in a row that more than 90% of the event’s waste was diverted from the landfill. Pretty impressive right?

Also, their festival logo is the best! I hope they will be selling tee shirts with their logo because I totally want one.
Logo for the North American Organic Brewers Festival NAOBF

Event hours are Noon to 9pm Thursday June 26 through Saturday and Noon to 5pm Sunday June 29.

It is being held at the usual location of Overlook Park in North Portland (1301 N Fremont St, at the intersection of N Fremont St & N Interstate Ave. This is right across the street from the Overlook Yellow Line Max Station, so it is highly encouraged for you to take the Max down. There is also going to be a Hopworks Bike Corral where volunteers from Rotary Club of Portland-Westside’s Cycling 2 Serve Fellowship will watch over your bike. Bicycle parking is free, but donations are greatly appreciated and donations will benefit Rotary International’s “End Polio Now”.

Admission is free to the event.

However, to taste any of the brews you need to purchase the $6 reusable, compostable cornstarch 2014 NAOBF tasting glass and $1 tasting tokens. A full glass of beer costs four tokens and most 4 ounce tastes costs one token (a few might cost 2 if they are rare or expensive brews)- tokens can be reused for future NAOBF festivals.

Remember how I mentioned riding the Max? You receive a $1 discount toward the tasting glass with a validated Tri-Met ticket (you also get the $1 discount if you show a Bike Parking ticket!).

North American Organic Brewers Festival, NAOBF cup, photo credit Timothy Horn

As my usual strategy, I reviewed the beer list and marked off certain brews that I wanted to make sure I wanted to try. My list includes a lot of Berliner Weisse style as I happen to enjoy them when it’s sunny summer weather:

Alameda Kiwi Strawberry Berliner Weisse: This sour mash Berliner Weisse features an added 95lbs of fresh kiwis and strawberries. A malt base of 2-Row and wheat malt gives a nice cereal finish on an otherwise tart beer. The finished product is a dry, tart beer with huge fruity character and a nice subtle sweet touch on the end to round it all out. Who needs Snapple when you’ve got beer?
Ambacht Bourbon Barrel Aged G+: This is Ambacht’s Belgian Strong Golden aged in Bourbon barrels from Hair of the Dog Brewing. HOTD used these barrels to age its Cherry Adam from the Wood and left the Adam-infused cherries in the barrel. Ambacht stored its Strong Golden Ale in the barrels for nine months, resulting in a barrel-aged fruit beer that is complex yet surprisingly light; a higher-alcohol beer with a light taste for summer drinking.
Falling Sky Brewing Biopiracy Best Bitter: So you want to save your own seeds? Yargh! Think your crop is safe from genetically modified contamination? Yargh! Scalawags using indigenous knowledge for profit? Yargh! Our uncertified best is made with 100% organic ingredients and features aromas of honeysuckle and pears with flavors of stone fruit and malt in the finish. Ok maybe this beer I just picked because the description is awesome…
Fort George , both their Spruce Budd Ale: The brewers hand picked over 500 lbs of spruce tips for a 30 bbl batch of this extremely seasonal elixir. Spruce tips, two-row organic malted barley, slow sand-filtered water and yeast keep this beer simple and spectacular AND/OR their Pi Beer 3.14 IBU Organic two-row barley, organic wheat malt, organic strawberry & organic rhubarb make for a light, tart, fruity, slightly pink and completely irrational beer.
FOTM Brewing Company Shocks of Sheba: This Northwest IPA is inspired by KBOO’s mainstay Reggae program, Shocks of Sheba. As strong as its inspiration, this IPA is made with 100% organic malts and copious amounts of Oregon hops.
Gilgamesh Brewing Sweet Potato Rye PA: This beer has been taken to the next level with a mash consisting of 800 lbs of organic sweet potatoes, and 400 lbs of organic rye. After fermentation was complete, a small dose of organic blue agave was added to balance out the Belgian yeast’s semi-dry finish.
Golden Valley Brewing Wheat Tart: Wheat Tart is Golden Valley’s take on the Berliner Weisse style. The mash was equal parts organic pilsner malt and organic wheat malt, with just a touch of Tettnanger hops. Soured with Lactobacillus and fermented with our house Kolsch yeast, this brew is very low in alcohol and just tart enough to be supremely refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
Hi-Fi Brewing Thai-Fi: For this pale ale brewed with Thai basil, the brewers took a page from the recipe book of Washington home brewer Mark Griffin. With basil and citrusy hops front and center in both aroma and flavor, this beer makes a great pairing with Italian or Thai food.
Hopworks Urban Brewery IPX Ahtanum: Fresh from the Hopworks Urban Brewery science lab, comes HUB’s latest creation, Ahtanumous Prime. Made with only organic Ahtanum hops from Perrault Farms in Toppenish, WA. This dual purpose hops contributes a bright, orange peel-like character.
Lakefront Brewery Fuel Café Coffee Stout: This unique stout combines the flavor of organic roasted malts and Milwaukee’s renowned organic Fuel Café coffee. It pours a deep, dark color with a beautiful creamy tan head. Coffee aromas dominate the nose, with a background of roasted malt. The fine balance of mild organic hops, gentle brightness of choice coffee and the full mouthfeel from roasted malted barley make this an unforgettable brew.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Seizoen Bretta and Seizoen– if you haven’t had these beers before, you might consider trying them, although both these beers are available by the bottle from them
Loowit Brewing Co Gaiabolical: Gaiabolical is a tribute to the seductive and destructive beauty of Mother Earth. Made with an amazing balance of 100% organic malts and 100% certified Salmon Safe hops, this pale ale is perfectly suited for a volcanic eruption, catastrophic landslide, massive tornado or any sunny day.
Natian Brewery Elder Jazz Man Organic Festival Blonde: This blonde ale entices the nose with sweetness that comes from cold brewed Jasmine tea infused into the beer after the fermentation process is completed. Earthy notes of elderflower dance on the palate with a flowery tea finish as if to the tune of an experienced jazz musician.
Pints Brewing Bio-liner Weisse: Brewed true to the traditional Berliner Weisse methods (Schultheiss-style), this “bio” (“organic” in German) exemplar is made with certified organic malts from Bamberg, Germany, and with the yeast and bacteria brought to Oregon via Berlin by PINTS’ Brewmaster (who received his Brewing Science Degree in Berlin in 1998). The Lactobacillus strain creates the mouth-puckering tartness and some wonderful fruity esters, Saccharomyces drives down the sweetness and a splash of Brettanomyces rounds out the flavor profile.
ThirstyBear Brewing Co. Panda Bear Ale: This is a unique easy drinking ale, lightly hopped, then dry-hopped with pounds of whole vanilla beans and TCHO cocoa nibs to infuse the beer with flavor and provide an incredibly aromatic sensation.
Two Kilts Brewing Saison De Poivre: This light, crisp saison was brewed with French saison yeast. It has a light to medium body with a small amount of wheat to give a full mouthfeel and slightly hazy appearance. It was finished with crushed peppercorns and sprigs of thyme to add an accent of spice to the flavor and aroma.
Upright Brewing Marble Tulip Juicy Gruit: The Marble Tulip Juicy Gruit is an intensely aromatic beer made with wild lettuce, galangal, calendula and white willow bark – all in place of hops. Made with the brewery’s house saison yeast, a light fruity character sits under the botanical elements while the copper colored beer drinks light and finishes soft.
Widmer Brothers Brewing Gruit to It! : a light, sessionable golden ale brewed with yarrow for bitterness and flavor, rosemary and lavender for aroma, and unmalted spelt to add some bready notes. This unhoped brew is floral and slightly spicy with an almost tea-like quality. So, Gruit To It for a refreshing summer beer!

North American Organic Brewers Festival, NAOBF cup, photo credit Timothy Horn

The event is cash only. Minors are only allowed into the festival if accompanied by a parent (must be a parent, not just a guardian) and there is a special Chipotle Kids’ Zone zone geared towards them, including free activity books, grow pots and Chipotle kids’ meal cards, plus face painting and a root beer garden with complimentary Crater Lake Root Beer for minors and designated drivers. Note animals are not allowed on the festival site except for service animals.

They do have some tables and chairs set up, but in good weather I have also seen plenty of people just spread out a blanket and make it a picnic. Also, don’t forget the sunscreen as there is no shade except if under a tent or under their one big tree in the park! If it is indeed rainy, I wear hooded rainwear so a hand is not lost to holding an umbrella, and look for a seat in the tent. If a chair is propped leaning up against a table it’s a sign it’s occupied but otherwise enjoy at group tables like the beer halls in Europe!

North American Organic Brewers Festival, photo credit Timothy Horn

Find out more about the North American Organic Brewers Festival or NAOBF at www.naobf.org, their NAOBF accounts on Facebook or Twitter @NAOBF account and check hashtag #naobf! And, happy 10th year anniversary NAOBF!

Have you heard of NAOBF before? Are you aware of organic beer? What beer calls out to you as interesting from their beer list?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: NAOBF, North American Organic Brewers Festival 2014

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North American Organic Brewers Festival 2014

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