Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

July 24, 2015 by 20 Comments

I was fortunate to be able to attend last week the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 at OMSI with Chef Ryan Morgan and Chef Jim Dodge. I was excited and very curious to see the many savory ways to incorporate berries into a multi course dinner instead of the usual suspects of berry smoothies and cocktails, pies and ice cream. The menu looked very impressive, with wine pairings or dry sparkling pairing available for each of the four courses.
Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner July 18, 2015 at OMSI with Chef Ryan Morgan and Chef Jim Dodge Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner July 18, 2015 at OMSI with Chef Ryan Morgan and Chef Jim Dodge

The dinner took place on the OMSI terrace, which gave us a view of the Tillikum Bridge as the sun slowly set behind the rest of the Portland cityscape along the Willamette River during dinner.

During the Hors d’oeuvre time as we mingled, cocktail pairings by the Eastside Distilling & Commissary Syrups included this Portland Potato Vodka with Strawberry and Cucumber and Lime, as well as Below Deck Silver Rum with Marionberry, Cacao, Ginger and Lemon. No-Li Brewhouse Mosh Pit Tart Cherry and Cranberry Ale offered a beer pairing option to cocktails.
"Cocktail Cocktail of the Eastside Distilling & Commissary Syrups Portland Potato Vodka with Strawberry and Cucumber and Lime at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

Hors d’ oeuvres

Blueberry and blue cheese empanada with ginger and green onion chimmi – this was definitely my favorite of the three as it really put the berry front and center and was such a unique combination of flavors that is so creative to put together, very impressive.
Blueberry and blue cheese empanada with ginger and green onion chimmi at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Blueberry and blue cheese empanada with ginger and green onion chimmi at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Blueberry and blue cheese empanada with ginger and green onion chimmi at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015
Smoked pork, raspberry glaze, herbed salsa is a combo I’d like to see more often. BBQ is often about the spice and sweetness through tomato, but you can get fabulous sweetness for your bbq meats from berries too!
Hors d’ oeuvres - Blueberry and blue cheese empanada with ginger and green onion chimmi plus the Smoked pork, raspberry glaze, herbed salsa at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Smoked pork, raspberry glaze, herbed salsa at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015
Cured salmon and shrimp salad with herbs and blackberries in butter lettuce offered an appetizer that was probably the healthiest of the three
Cured salmon and shrimp salad with herbs and blackberries in butter lettuce at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Hors d’ oeuvres at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

Salad course

Herbs, flowers and silky greens with honey, up in your face chevre and marionberries was presented beautifully and paired with Adelsheim Vineyards 2014 Pinot Gris
Herbs, flowers and silky greens with honey, Up in Your Face chevre and marionberries at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Herbs, flowers and silky greens with honey, Up in Your Face chevre and marionberries at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

Main course

Chicken barbacoa, pickled strawberries, cotija cheese, blackberry serrano sauce served over duck smashed potatoes topped with shaved kale slaw Holy moly was this amazing! My only complaint was that the plating was not consistent – which resulted in my table looking around to find the most photogenic one since the saucing varied so much.
Chicken barbacoa, pickled strawberries, cotija cheese, blackberry serrano sauce served over duck smashed potatoes topped with shaved kale slaw at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Chicken barbacoa, pickled strawberries, cotija cheese, blackberry serrano sauce served over duck smashed potatoes topped with shaved kale slaw at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015
This course was paired with side by side tastings of Pinot Noir that included Foris Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir from Rogue Valley with the same year but different area, Seufert Winery 2011 Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.
Chicken barbacoa with pickled strawberries and blackberry serrano sauce, paired with Foris Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir and Seufert Winery 2011 Pinot Noir at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

Dessert

Boysenberry cassata, yuzu butter chiffon cake, soft cream, boysenberry sauce I admit I had never heard of a cassata before this course, and it turns out it’s a Sicilian Italian dessert that starts with a small cake (here a very thin layer of that butter chiffon cake) with a big layer of a softer ricotta cake that’s very soft, almost remisicent of a cheesecake that is softer like whipped cream.
Boysenberry cassata, yuzu butter chiffon cake, soft cream, boysenberry sauce at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Boysenberry cassata, yuzu butter chiffon cake, soft cream, boysenberry sauce at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

It even came with a little raspberry spritzer to polish off the berrylicious dinner experience of the Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015
Raspberry Spritzer to go with the Boysenberry cassata, yuzu butter chiffon cake, soft cream, boysenberry sauce at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015 Raspberry Spritzer to go with the Boysenberry cassata, yuzu butter chiffon cake, soft cream, boysenberry sauce at the Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner 2015

One of the important things I learned is that while now in the summer it’s easy to support our local farmers with the fresh local berries, you can continue to support them year round by buying frozen local berries in the freezer section. The berries are processed and frozen (or canned,  or jarred, etc.) often mere hours after being picked. So even as you thaw the berries  they will be significantly fresher still from imported berries. Furthermore, Oregon Berries benefit from a especially friendly climate here and soil type which makes them taste different (better!) so you will notice a difference in berry flavors!

Which of these courses sounded most delectable to you?

Disclosure: I attended the dinner as part of a media pass of the Oregon Berry Festival courtesy of the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission, but 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. 

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A Power Lunch at Clyde Common

July 22, 2015 by 14 Comments

Generally, when people ask me about a power lunch spot in Portland, and they want something besides the traditional steakhouse like a Ringside establishment or Urban Farmer, my mind goes to Higgins to especially showcasing Northwest and local. This is followed further on the list with maybe Davis Tavern, Gruner, and Clark Lewis. Recently though, a new fantastic lunch option has been highlighted onto my radar that I would say immediately after Higgins now on my short list- and that’s lunch at Clyde Common.
Clyde Common menu Clyde Common interior, by the kitchen special board

Clyde Common offers a well rounded menu of options showcasing the season and region, without the questionable people hanging on the sidewalks like Davis Tavern and with a more modern, hip vibe like Gruner and Clark Lewis but more approachable food that is sophisticated but not fancy.
Clyde Common bar Clyde Common interior, taken from the 2nd floor Clyde Common interior main floor Clyde Common interior, open kitchen section

As you are waiting for your lunch party to assemble and read the menu, go ahead and order a snack – everyone will thank you. The roasted garlic cashews and house marinated olives and popcorn with tōgarashi, honey, and butter sound like very low key bar snacks, but are worth it as you will find yourself continually reaching into the bowl for more as you can’t help wanting to keep that tastiness lasting that balances salty and sweet and bit of savory. These snacks are available on the dinner and happy hour menu as well.
Clyde Common snack, house marinated olives Clyde Common snack, roasted garlic cashews Clyde Common snack, popcorn with tōgarashi, honey, and butter

If your party is a little hungrier, you can’t go wrong sharing a Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate that includes meat goodies that vary depending on what is on hand, which could include (based on what I’ve seen on visits) sopressata, chicken liver or pork liver mousse, country pork pate, saucisson d’alsace or saucisson sec, chorizo navarre, lamb summer sausage, beef tongue pastrami, or various Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses, as well as pickles, mustard & bread of course. Be sure to ask to see what your board will be boasting. It would be a great choice to accompany cocktails at dinner or happy hour too.
Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate, here the board also happened to include some Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate, here the board also happened to include some Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate, here the board also happened to include some Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses

One thing I appreciated is that there are plenty of vegetarian options to choose from – look in the Clyde Common small plate sections for options like a daily soup that I’ve seen vary from cauliflower soup to a summer vegetable gazpacho with basil; there’s also grilled sweet corn with espelette & lime aioli, cotija, and cilantro (warning a little messy to eat as you see it comes on the cob), seared cauliflower with salbitxada and parsley and or a simple green salad with fennel and grana (you can add grilled chicken or seared trout to any salad if you wish). One of my favorites is the simple small plate of fried shishito peppers with citrus vinaigrette,
Clyde Common daily soup, this is a cauliflower soup The Clyde Common grilled sweet corn, espelette & lime aioli, cotija, cilantro Clyde Common small plate of seared cauliflower, salbitxada & parsley and in the back a simple green salad with fennel and grana (you can add grilled chicken or seared trout to any salad as well) "Clyde Clyde Common small plate of fried shishito peppers with citrus vinaigrette

A large plate of house tagliatelle with arugula pesto, egg yolk, and fried spring onion satisfied hunger without going overboard to take you into naptime. And look how eggscellent it is (sorry couldn’t resist).
A large plate of house tagliatelle with arugula pesto, egg yolk, and fried spring onion satisifed hunger without going overboard to take you into naptime. A large plate of house tagliatelle with arugula pesto, egg yolk, and fried spring onion satisifed hunger without going overboard to take you into naptime.

If you are a meat eater though, I would definitely point out the lunch only special of smoked pork belly sandwich, slaw, Caroline style BBQ sauce served with salad or fries. Unlike most BBQ pork sandwiches, it’s a chopped version of the pork and not drenched with sauce so you can taste the meat and whisper of smoke. I’m also a fan of Carolina style sauce which is much lighter instead of the sweeter or spicier BBQ sauces (real Carolina sauce is more vinegary than this – the Clyde Common version is thin but not as acidic).
Clyde Common lunch only special of smoked pork belly sandwich, slaw, Caroline style BBQ sauce

The meat is juicy and moist, as you can see. I would have given up the fries and bun and slaw even just to eat a small pile of the smoked pork belly by itself.
Clyde Common lunch only special of smoked pork belly sandwich, slaw, Caroline style BBQ sauce Clyde Common lunch only special of smoked pork belly sandwich, slaw, Caroline style BBQ sauce

If you happen to come for happy hour or diner instead of lunch (or perhaps in addition to…), definitely don’t miss a special touch by Chef Carlo  Lamagna from his heritage and family of the Phillippines, the pork and shitake lumpia. It’s similar to an egg roll, but a Filipinio version that is crispier and meatier than what you would normally get from a Chinese style egg roll. This is such excellent drinking food that is just too underrepresented in Portland and the US in general. The dish shown below is a normal than average portion for my dining party and doesn’t represent a normal serving. But isn’t it the fanciest presentation of lumpia you’ve ever seen?
Clyde Common dinner and happy hour dish pork and shitake lumpia Clyde Common dinner and happy hour dish pork and shitake lumpia Clyde Common dinner and happy hour dish pork and shitake lumpia

I’m also so in love with the happy hour only saganaki and olive bread but not the way you think. Of course you can’t go wrong with seared cheese… but that bread is an unbelievable revlation, I actually savored and took smaller bites of the bread to make it last as long as possible because it is so delicious, more than the cheese. Usually I ignore the bread in meat and cheese boards to focus on the main event, but in this case the olive bread is the star with it’s buttery briochie with specks of olive embedded as surprises. Wow.
Clyde Common happy hour item saganaki and olive bread

To further confuse you on whether you should come here for lunch, happy hour, and/or dinner, I’ll just leave this survey of many of the Clyde Common House Cocktail (available all day) here. I am a fan of the happy hour at Clyde Common, as you can see, and that saganaki (and now I know I was missing out by not having the lumpia too).

  • Barrel Aged El Presidente with rum, blanc vermouth, Grand Marnier, grenadine aged for three months in a  bourbon whiskey barrel
    Clyde Common house cocktail of the Barrel Aged El Presidente with rum, blanc vermouth, Grand Marnier, grenadine aged for three months in a bourbon whiskey barrel
  • Coffee Daiquiri with Appleton V/X rum, lime, Tia Maria and brown sugar
    Clyde Common cocktail of a Coffee Daiquiri with Appleton V/X rum, lime, Tia Maria and brown sugar
  • Barrel Aged Negroni with gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, aged for two months in a bourbon whiskey barrel
    Clyde Common house cocktail of a Barrel Aged Negroni with gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, aged for two months in a bourbon whiskey barrel
  • Daily Punch, this one happened to be Gin, Lemon, Pineapple and White Wine
    Clyde Common cocktail at happy hour, the Daily Punch this day included Gin, Lemon, Pineapple and White Wine Clyde Common cocktail at happy hour, the Daily Punch this day included Gin, Lemon, Pineapple and White Wine
  • Pacific Standard with vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda is also a happy hour special price cocktail
    lyde Common cocktail Pacific Standard with vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda is at special happy hour price
  • The Bourbon Renewal with bourbon, lemon, cassis, bitters is discounted at happy hour and my personal favorite cocktail
    Bourbon Renewal cocktail at Clyde Common with bourbon, lemon, cassis, bitters Bourbon Renewal cocktail at Clyde Common with bourbon, lemon, cassis, bitters

The happy hour burger is a good deal, but don’t overlook the Clyde Common Happy Hour dish of the Mussels that comes with lots of frites and is great with the Daily Punch or Pacific Standard
Clyde Common Happy Hour dish of the Mussels comes with lots of frites Clyde Common Happy Hour dish of the Mussels comes with lots of frites

And these desserts of a parfait and ice cream cake
Clyde Common dessert parfait, coconut tapioca, coffee caramel, cream Clyde Common dessert parfait, coconut tapioca, coffee caramel, cream
Clyde Common dessert of ice cream cake Clyde Common dessert of ice cream cake

So, which meal at Clyde Common do you want to come to?
An Uncommon Lunch at Clyde Common, courtesy of Little Green Pickle An Uncommon Lunch at Clyde Common, courtesy of Little Green Pickle An Uncommon Lunch at Clyde Common, courtesy of Little Green Pickle
Disclosure: I was treated to a lunch with other Portland bloggers by Little Green Pickle, but paid for my own meals at happy hour and another lunch at other times. 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.

Clyde Common snack, roasted garlic cashews and popcorn with tōgarashi, honey, and butter Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate, here the board also happened to include some Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses Clyde Common + Olympia Provisions charcuterie plate, here the board also happened to include some Ancient Heritage Dairy cheeses, here with Barrel Aged El Presidente with rum, blanc vermouth, Grand Marnier, grenadine aged for three months ina bourbon whiskey barrel

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Cucumber and Ricotta Sandwich with a recipe for Homemade Ricotta

July 20, 2015 by 14 Comments

Just a simple Cucumber and Ricotta Sandwich that is great for a picnic or dinner on the porch with a glass of white wine on a super hot day, like the heat wave that Portland just went through.

Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

I make my own ricotta because once I learned how to during a HipCooks Portland class several years back, I haven’t been able to go back. Plastic from the store leaches into the flavor of the mass market Ricotta. You can avoid this for the cost of a a little whole milk, heavy cream and a lemon juice or vinegar (which you probably already have at home anyway). Or instead of the cream and lemon juice/vinegar as your acid ,just use buttermilk instead like when I made ricotta for Pasta Shells with squash and zucchini. Either way it yields a better value if I make it myself than buy it from the store, on top of the superior flavor quality. It really is just those 3 (or 2!) ingredients!

You can never have too much ricotta, which is why I always go for the gallon or half gallon of milk plus pint of heavy cream amounts. If you need more ideas of how to use ricotta besides the obvious smearing it on bread, putting it in pastas, in desserts… check out this Huffington Post roundup of some beautiful Ricotta Recipe Ideas.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 gallon of whole milk (aka 2 quarts)
  • 1 pint of heavy cream (aka 2 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or another acid like lemon juice also works)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, add the milk and cream and slowly heat it, stirring to make sure you don’t burn the milk at the bottom, until you start to see lots of little bubbles around the corner but it hasn’t reached a full rolling boil. If you have a thermometer, you are shooting for around 180 degrees F. Make sure you keep stirring so you don’t scorch any milk at the bottom of the pot.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. You want it to reach around 140 degrees F - it will not be boiling yet, but be starting to bubbles at the pop sides like this
  2. Once you reach that heat level, turn off the heat and remove the pot of milks from the stove. Add in the vinegar and stir in. Now let it stand for a few minutes while the cheese curdles – you should see the whey (the yellowish part) start to separate from the clumps of ricotta, like below.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds starting to separate <Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds starting to separate
  3. Using a sieved spoon, I then spoon the ricotta into a sieve that has a cheesecloth folded in half over it. Let the cheese drain – the less time you give it, the softer and moister it will be, while draining it overnight makes it thicker. As you are spooning in the ricotta, if you’d like you can sprinkle in a little salt now and then for flavor. Depending on the size of the curds, I might use the strainer itself instead of a sieved spoon to get all the tiny curds. Here in this batch the curds were chunkier but it’s OK if the curds are smaller,  it all comes together as it drains don’t worry.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer
  4. Let the whey drain further – depending on how soft or firm you want the ricotta. I think it’s best within the first 24 hours, when it’s still really soft and drained for a few hours. As you drain it further such as overnight or place it in the refrigerator, it will get firmer. The ricotta should keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days, though mine never lasts than 3 days at most and I think it’s best in those first few days unless you are making a pasta dish/cooking with it as it isn’t as fresh tasting as the first days.
    Making homemade ricotta. Now in the cheesecloth, let it drain for a couple hours. The longer you wait, the most more firm it will become, especially if you drain it in the fridge overnight Homemade Ricotta after draining the whey and a little ground pepper

I use it on bread and top it with fruit and veggies as an open sandwich, or on grilled bread with just a drizzle of nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar if I’m fancy. It could be simply in a bowl with fruit, part of breakfast in pancakes or an accompaniment with eggs, or just the start of a big dinner such as stuffed pasta shells (like a Fresh Ricotta, butternut squash, baby zucchini in Pasta Shells recipe I shared in the past), lasagna, and so much more! In fact, next week, I will share one of the other things I made with this ricotta, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich.
Simple Scrambled eggs with ricotta and microgreens

In the summer, especially during a heat wave when it’s almost 100 degrees and I’m super hot and tired and lazy or combination of all of those, and I want a refreshing sandwich, I just cut up cucumbers and put it in a sandwich with ricotta – maybe even an additional smear of avocado.
California Avocados Homemade ricotta in a cucumber avocado ricotta sandwich, recipe is easy and refreshing in the summer

On a Stadium Roll (my latest favorite bread from Franz Bakery) with microgreens or whatever greens I have.
<Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

Or, no bread at all and just cucumber and ricotta with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper.
Homemade Ricotta after draining the whey and a little ground pepper plus cucumbers for a vegetarian sandwich that is nice and cool for the summer heat

I definitely enjoyed ricotta sandwiches as meals during the Portland heat wave. Have you ever made homemade ricotta? Do you use ricotta in sandwiches? What’s your favorite food during a heat wave?

Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

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Arabian Nights Cafe

July 17, 2015 by 7 Comments

It may seem like a dine out a lot- and to be fair, I do. F and I are childfree, and he’s not only vegetarian, but a picky and healthy vegetarian. I’m just… not either of those. At least when we dine out.

When we’re home, our meals are usually very simple and repetitive, and we also often eat on our own because I want nothing to do with his cold black beans or lentil soup out of a can or Morningstar concoctions with BBQ sauce. Meanwhile he is uninterested in my sauteed spinach and rice plates or riffs on mac and cheese. Even though I love delicious food and pretty much eat/blog as a hobby and a way to spend my leisure time, F is not shy to admit that if he could stop doing 3 things, one of the top 3 would be eating! For me, things like having to sleep so many hours to be functional or going to the bathroom or having to wash my hair every 36 hours make that list… and I would never even think to put eating on that list.

There are several places though that we both really really enjoy and bring us together to bridge this divide on food. Arabian Nights Cafe, a less than 10 minute walk from our home, is one of those guilty pleasures we both share great affection for. If on the way home he comes in carrying a bag of take-out from Arabian Nights, even if it’s just a side of fries with that garlic sauce, I just can never resist. I’ll tell you now that it’s totally a divey hole in the wall. But we don’t care.

Every time we order, the pita bread is always piping hot and fresh out of the oven, and it’s so soft and poofy.
Arabian Nights Cafe fresh piping hot pitas

He always gets the same thing, because he is a huge creature of habit. He finds something he likes, he will become a regular at that location with that same dish. Here at Arabian Nights Cafe, it’s the Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combination plate of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli. The baba ghannouj here is really incredible because of it’s smokiness. There are lots of times we don’t like the dolmades dish because the leaves are hard, but at Arabian Nights the chef marinates them an extra long time than usual, making them very soft.
Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli

While F always gets pretty much the same thing at every Meditteranean restaurant (always hummus and falafel, and maybe baba ghannouj), I like exploring different foods. That’s why I like going to new places, and also ordering new dishes at the regular places. The one time I asked F to dine in at Arabian Nights, I decided to try the Arabian Nights Cafe entree of the Mixed Grill Supreme with three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.
Arabian Nights Cafe Mixed Grill Supreme entree of Three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt. Arabian Nights Cafe Mixed Grill Supreme entree of Three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.

I couldn’t believe how much food there was on the plate. While the chef apologized he didn’t have any glass plates and had to serve me my food on a paper plate while F got the fancy plate, I thought it was homey and charming. And looking at those kabobs and mountains of rice, who’s looking at the plate itself? And, I was impressed that the lamb was tender and cooked perfectly medium for me and the kafta kabob was delicious also.

It clearly meant that my side order of Cheese Pie, a house dough that is used to make that doughy pita plus cheese spread on top, was clearly unnecessary to get me full, though it was super enjoyable.
Arabian Nights Cafe Cheese Pie, a house dough that is used to make the pita plus cheese spread.

The place is really a dinky and small. But I don’t judge – and would completely understand if on your visit you chose to get carry-out, which is what I think most people do given it’s in the PSU area in the South Park Blocks and it’s literally steps to a picnic in the park. Here’s an example of the carryout the Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt. That’s like 2 servings there in that box with that single order.
Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland, carryout of the delicious Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland, carryout of the delicious Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt

The Lamb Shank, which I got as carry out, is big enough for two. The lamb is fall off the bone, and served with traditional bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.
Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland Lamb Shank, lamb shank served with traditional and flavorful bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland Lamb Shank, lamb shank served with traditional and flavorful bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt

My only disappointment is that the Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Sandwich (thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce) is small. Though maybe this is actually an advantage so you can justify also getting a side of fries with that garlicky sauce. Yeah,  it totally rationalizes it. F knows when I have a crappie day and want to wallow at home the fries with that sauce always are a comfort to me.
Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Gyro Sandwich - thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Gyro Sandwich - thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce

I support all small business owners – be it those beautifully designed restaurant with Northwest wood and maybe even white tablecloths,  those pop ups with multiple courses where you bring prepped food in Tupperware, or if you working out of a food cart, or those out of a little hole in the wall. Sure I love a restaurant and being served like I’m special,  but there’s something sorta luxurious about take-out or delivery food out of boxes and yes, paper plates and plastic utensils.

What is your little hole in the wall that you love by your home? What us your family regular take out joint?

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Oregon Berry Festival 2015 and BlackBerry Grilled Cheese

July 10, 2015 by 8 Comments

Next weekend on Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 is the 5th annual Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival 2015. This FREE festival at the Ecotrust building  in the Pearl District showcases everything berry, from

  • Fresh berry vendors booths with their farm fresh berries and berry products
  • A Healthy Berry Pavilion education booth with information to introduce you to berries you may not be aware of or ways to incorporate berries into your diet and explain all the various health benefits of berries. And there’s also a culinary historian to give a brief history of Oregon berries.
  • Berry themed food booths
  • Cooking demonstrations featuring berries
  • An Oregon’s Best Blackberry pie contest and demo by Pacific Pie Company
  • Berry themed crafts at a children’s booth, appearances by blueberry mascot Ima Blueberry with coloring sheets and face painting, as well as family friendly live musical entertainment
  • There’s a chance to win a bike by filling out a Oregon Berry Festival passport by following clues and gathering stamps from vendors
  • On Saturday evening a separate Gala Berry Dinner at OMSI will be held to show how you can use berries for every course, from cocktail hour to savory to sweet dishes (tickets are $105 all inclusive, available at Brown Paper Tickets)

Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival

I’ll be attending the Berry Festival on Saturday at part of a Berry Festival media tour with the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission (ORBC), including visiting a working berry farm. I’ll be reporting back with what I learn and a NEW recipe. For now though…

What: Oregon Berry Festival 2015
When:

  • Friday, July 17, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
  • Saturday, July 18, from 11:00am to 5:00pm

Where: Ecotrust Event Space at NW 10th and Johnson, Portland, Oregon
Who: Everybody… and it’s FREE!

Recipe for a Berry Grilled Cheese

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto
Usually my berry consumption is raw: right out of the pint, in beverage form via smoothie or juice (or fruit beer!!), sometimes it’s folded into a salad or ice cream or sorbet. I rarely have it cooked, and when I have cooked berries it’s generally because it is part if a dish while I’m dining out. Also, I am a cook that prefers the forgiveness of savory foods, not a baker. What can I say, I guess I’m not a sweet girl who follows precise technical instructions.

In celebration of the upcoming festival though, I decided to seek out a recipe featuring berry and that cooks with it but isn’t a traditional dessert – and when I saw this Fontina + Blackberry Basil Smash Sandwich from the blog how sweet it is (with her upcoming cookbook Seriously Delish coming out soon), I was sold.
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

I’m not going to provide the whole recipe here: you should definitely click on over to check out her gorgeous photos and the recipe instructions yourself. But, at a high level you only need a handful of ingredients!
For your Blackbery Basil grilled cheese, you will use Oregon Blackberries, about 4 ounces (about 14 berries) per sandwich Blackberry and Basil, a great combination of flavors

  • Multigrain bread: I used Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax
  • Fresh Oregon Blackberries
  • Chopped fresh basil leaves from my garden
  • Fontina cheese (mine are from one of my local cheese loves, Willamette Valley Cheese Co)
  • And a little olive oil or butter for grilling!

The slight changes I made is that I probably used a lot more basil than she did for my sandwich (I used about 4 ounces of blackberries, which was about 14 berries FYI and almost 7 basil leaves for each individual sandwich) because I love basil. Do not wear a white shirt when making this blackberry basil smash part/get your apron out.
Make sure you carefully smash your blackberries as it does squirt a bit. Don't wear a white shirt For the Blackberry Grilled Cheese, I used about 14 blackberries and chopped 7-8 leaves of basil for each sandwich

I suggest brushing on the olive oil or melted butter on both sides of the bread before adding your spoonfuls of blackberry basil smash as that makes more logistical sense than her order. I also had a little leftover pesto from the Cashew Cheese on Cucumber recipe I shared earlier this week, so smeared that on also. I was generous with my cheese, probably about 3 ounces per sandwich, which I grated to melt better and spread over every centimeter of my bread.
Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax bread makes for great sandwiches, especially grilled cheese! I used a little pesto inside my Blackberry Basil Grilled cheese Grilling my Blackberry Basil Smash grilled cheese sandwich, adding the grated fontina to the bread and pesto

Since you grill this low and slow to get melty and brown, it shouldn’t heat up your kitchen too much. Maybe you are calling me a cheat because it isn’t so much cooking the berries as slightly warming them up, and the only prep is smashing them essentially into jam… but I don’t care.

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

This recipe is ALL win.

Warning: this sandwich needs 2 napkins or a paper towel. I would not fault you for serving this open faced because it really is pretty too!
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

For additional variant, you could swap out the fontina for a brie if you can’t find fontina, and feel free to add grilled chicken as a protein to your sandwich.

If you are looking for more berry good recipes, feel free to check out the website Oregon Berries, which not only provides information on various Oregon berries, but has a portion dedicated to berry recipes from food bloggers at Bloggers ♥ Oregon Berries as well as a Recipe Search based on the berry that may intrigue you!

I also have a few more past berry recipes I’ve shared: you can see that strawberries are my favorite berry, and that I could put together a whole dinner with just berries for every course if I wanted to! I wonder what the James Beard Award winning Chef Jim Dodge of the Gala Berry Dinner 2015 for the Oregon Berry Festival will do?!

Have you heard of the Oregon Berry Festival? What is your favorite berry, and how do you like to enjoy it, do you have a favorite recipe with berries and what is it?

Disclosure: I will be attending a media tour of the Oregon Berry Festival, but 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. And, this recipe is really delicious, as are all the strawberry recipes I previously shared on the blog. Support Oregon Berries to support local producers and it’s healthy and yummy!

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