DaNet Review for 2016

I wrote well of DaNet last year in 2015 when I attended and had a belly busting time with the Russian food at the pop up. Since then, DaNet has reduced their pop up to only once a month, which means when they announce their dates you better hop on the phone ASAP. The next dates for DaNet are 6:30 PM Saturday, July 16, 2016 and Saturday, August 20, 2016. The dinners are served family style and are $65 per person with beverage pairings or drinks a la carte extra. Call Imperial to make your reservation 503-228-7222.

It still takes place at Portland Penny Diner and is presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, so the best way to get the scoop is to be on the mailing list for all the fun and delicious events they do. Recently in May I was able to get into one of these hot Russian dinners, so here’s my updated DaNet Review for 2016 of what the experience is like.

The doors open at 6:30 PM, where you then check in your name, are given a welcome punch beverage.
Welcome check in and punch at Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley Welcome check in and punch at Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley

You are also here given your  assigned table letter so you know which table to head to, and your dining party name is placed at each seat. Unless you are a large party of 6+ people that will take up a whole tabletop, expect to make new friends / comrades at your table.
Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner. When you check in, you are given a welcome drink and told which table letter to look for to look for your placecard Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner. When you check in, you are given a welcome drink and told which table letter to look for to look for your placecard

With the only one night a month, DaNet has expanded to take up the entire Portland Penny Diner.
Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner

The entire diner has been decorated to suit the theme with new artwork and lots of tchotchkes on any decorative shelf available and even the posts had pre Soviet era posters.Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner Da Net, the Russian Pop Up Experience presented by Imperial and Chef Vitaly Paley, is only once a month and takes up the entire Portland Penny Diner

Once you find your seat, you should see two menus before you. The larger dinner menu one has an overview of the four family style courses you will be enjoying. The smaller menu is the specific list of the Zakuski that the dinner menu vaguely refers to as “variety of Russian drinking appetizers”.  The first thing you should do is turn the dinner menu over, which is where the beverage menu is located. I highly recommend selecting a vodka flight to share with your group, or maybe some vodka infusions, to go with the zakuski. Alternatively, there are also several cocktails to select from, or you can choose to have a wine pairing with the first 3 courses. The Bar Czar will probably be at your table shortly to take your drink order.
At DaNet, Once you find your seat, you should see two menus before you. The larger dinner menu one has an overview of the four family style courses you will be enjoying. The smaller menu is the specific list of the Zakuski At DaNet, Once you find your seat, you should see two menus before you. The larger dinner menu one has an overview of the four family style courses you will be enjoying. The smaller menu is the specific list of the Zakuski

Since I wanted the full Russian experience, I decided to order all three of the vodka infusions offered –  an infusion with pear and clove, an infusion with elderberry, and an infusion with apple and ginger. I thought I would sip on these three throughout dinner, but they went so well with the various zakuski I found that I needed a new beverage for the other 3 courses!
Since I wanted the full Russian experience, I decided to order all three of the vodka infusions offered - an infusion with pear and clove, an infusion with elderberry, and an infusion with apple and ginger. I thought I would sip on these three throughout dinner, but they went so well with the various zakuski I found that I needed a new beverage for the other 3 courses! Since I wanted the full Russian experience, I decided to order all three of the vodka infusions offered - an infusion with pear and clove, an infusion with elderberry, and an infusion with apple and ginger. I thought I would sip on these three throughout dinner, but they went so well with the various zakuski I found that I needed a new beverage for the other 3 courses!

I switched to cocktails for the other two courses since I knew there would be tea with the dessert. I tried the tart !pa ye kha lee! or Let’s Get Started cocktail with bubbly, honeyed campari, lemon, and radish gastrique. The radish is a nod to when Chef Paley was on Iron Chef and won Battle Radish where radish was the secret ingredient.
At DaNet, the tart !pa ye kha lee! or Let's Get Started cocktail with bubbly, honeyed campari, lemon, and radish gastrique. The radish is a nod to when Chef Paley was on Iron Chef and won Battle Radish where radish was the secret ingredient. At DaNet, the tart !pa ye kha lee! or Let's Get Started cocktail with bubbly, honeyed campari, lemon, and radish gastrique. The radish is a nod to when Chef Paley was on Iron Chef and won Battle Radish where radish was the secret ingredient.

Meanwhile for the third course with the lamb and cheesy bread, I went with the slightly more bracing but cleansing !za vas! or !to you! cocktail with horseradish and dill infused vodka, mp roux, tea infused vermouth, fermented apple, and peychauds. Although I didn’t try the wine pairings, my other table mates really enjoyed them, particularly the Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rose 2014 was raved about from the second course pairing, and a few asked for an extra a la carte glass of the Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2013, which was paired with the first course, both wines are from France. The third pairing was Gotsa Mtsvane 2013 from Georgia, making the third course fully Georgian.
At DaNet, the slightly more bracing but cleansing !za vas! or !to you! cocktail with horseradish and dill infused vodka, mp roux, tea infused vermouth, fermented apple, and peychauds

First Course: Zakuski

I definitely advise being prompt to the seating as while the drink orders are being taken, some of the zakuski will be served as passed hors d’oeuvre by a server stopping at your table. For this dinner, this included Buterbrodi with sprats, herring butter, cucumber, radish, and green garlic cheese spread.
Zakuski at DaNet Russian Pop Up: Buterbrodi with sprats, herring butter, cucumber, radish, and green garlic cheese spread Zakuski at DaNet Russian Pop Up: Buterbrodi with sprats, herring butter, cucumber, radish, and green garlic cheese spread

The Stuffed Eggs with beet and sumac
Zakuski at DaNet Russian Pop Up: Stuffed Eggs with beet and sumac Zakuski at DaNet Russian Pop Up: Stuffed Eggs with beet and sumac

Then, the family style service started with the zakuski of PicklesPicklesPickles that included pickled mushroom, rhubarb, beet, cranberry and strawberry which was perfect with the vodkas
DaNet zakuski of PicklesPicklesPickles that included pickled mushroom, rhubarb, beet, cranberry and strawberry which was perfect with the vodkas DaNet zakuski of PicklesPicklesPickles that included pickled mushroom, rhubarb, beet, cranberry and strawberry which was perfect with the vodkas DaNet zakuski of PicklesPicklesPickles that included pickled mushroom, rhubarb, beet, cranberry and strawberry which was perfect with the vodkas

Then there was the Monkfish liver served with Everything Matzo crackers
DaNet zakuski of Monkfish liver served with Everything Matzo crackers DaNet zakuski of Monkfish liver served with Everything Matzo crackers DaNet zakuski of Monkfish liver served with Everything Matzo crackers

More fish on the table arrived via the Smoked Fish Plate with steelhead, herring, and black cod
DaNet zakuski of Smoked Fish Plate with steelhead, herring, and black cod

Stan’s Meat Plate with horseradish
DaNet Zakuski of Stan's Meat Plate with horseradish

Herring Under a Fur Coat, salted herring layered beautifully withvegetables, chopped onions, and mayonnaise.
DaNet Zakuski Herring Under a Fur Coat, a layered salad composed of diced salted herring covered with layers of grated boiled vegetables, chopped onions, and mayonnaise DaNet Zakuski Herring Under a Fur Coat, a layered salad composed of diced salted herring covered with layers of grated boiled vegetables, chopped onions, and mayonnaise

This was a particular highlight by Chef Paley as he read from friend Anya Von Bremzen’s book Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking about Salade Olivier
At DaNet last night, Ken Norris looks on as Chef Paley reads from friend Anya Von Bremzen's book Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking about Salade Olivier DaNet Zakuski of Salad Olivier

My favorite, as always, is the Warm Blini and Potato Latkes with steelhead caviar, melted butter, and sour cream
DaNet Zakuski of Warm Blini and Potato Latkes with steelhead caviar, melted butter, and sour cream

Here’s my almost done zakuski dish (minus the Herring Under a Fur Coat which is still coming around to me) with my plate displaying from the left and clockwise the Warm Blini and Potato Latkes with steelhead caviar, melted butter, and sour cream; Smoked Fish plate items of steelhead, herring, and black cod; Salade Olivier; Stan’s Meat Plate stuff with horseradish, and Monkfish Liver with Everything Matzo
DaNet Zakuski plate, including from the left and clockwise the Warm Blini and Potato Latkes with steelhead caviar, melted butter, and sour cream; Smoked Fish plate items of steelhead, herring, and black cod; Salade Olivier; Stan's Meat Plate stuff with horseradish, and Monkfish Liver with Everything Matzo

Second Course

We got another reading from Chef Paley to introduce this course, this time from friend Anya Von Bremzen’s book Please to the Table The Russian Cookbook about Ukha
At DaNet last night, Chef Paley reads from friend Anya Von Bremzen's book Please to the Table The Russian Cookbook about Fish Ukha DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. The bread is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish stew that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth

The introduction was well worth it to appreciate the complexity of this Fish Ukha, a fish stew that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth and tender morsels of those as well. Chef Ken Norris, who is working with Chef Paley on the new seafood restaurant Headwaters that will be at the Heathman, and who was in the kitchen as part of this DaNet dinner,  is showing off again his sophisticated seafood skillz.
DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. The bread is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish soup that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth as well as tender morsels of it as part of the stew DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. The bread is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish soup that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth as well as tender morsels of it as part of the stew

And then there’s this seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the Ukha.
DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. This is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish stew that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. The bread is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish stew that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth DaNet second course of Fish Ukha with seafood rastegai. The bread is the seafood rastegai with fish mousse inside to accompany the fish stew that boasts crayfish, prawn, salmon and halibut in the broth

Then there was a Birch Juice palate cleanser, a tradition from Belarus, though the birch here is from Alaska
DaNet Birch Juice palate cleanser, a tradition from Belarus, though the birch here is from Alaska

Third Course

The main course featured Georgian cuisine, specifically Lamb Shashlyk with grilled vegetable caviar (eggplant). A little clay pot offered Lobio Beans, another traditional Georgian bean dish.
DaNet Third course included Lamb Shashlyk with grilled vegetable caviar (eggplant) The main course featured Georgian cuisine, specifically Lamb Shashlyk with grilled vegetable caviar (eggplant). A little clay pot offered lobio beans, another traditional Georgian bean dish.

To accompany the lamb was included Khachapuri cheesy bread with cheese inside of havarti, mozzarella, and feta. There were also three sauces that included ajica (a spicy red pepper sauce), herbed yogurt, and a tkemali wild plum sauce that Chef Paley picked himself at Sauvie Island
DaNet Third course included khachapuri cheesy bread with cheese inside of havarti, mozzarella, and feta DaNet Third course included khachapuri cheesy bread with cheese inside of havarti, mozzarella, and feta, and the three sauces included ajica (a spicy red pepper sauce), herbed yogurt, and a tkemali wild plum sauce that Chef Paley picked himself at Sauvie Island

My dish seems small, but I was already having a had time finishing it – all the one of everything adds up!
DaNet Third course included khachapuri cheesy bread with cheese inside of havarti, mozzarella, and feta; lobio beans; Lamb Shashlyk with grilled vegetable caviar (eggplant); and the three sauces included ajica (a spicy red pepper sauce), herbed yogurt, and a tkemali wild plum sauce that Chef Paley picked himself at Sauvie Island DaNet Third course included khachapuri cheesy bread with cheese inside of havarti, mozzarella, and feta; lobio beans; Lamb Shashlyk with grilled vegetable caviar (eggplant); and the three sauces included ajica (a spicy red pepper sauce), herbed yogurt, and a tkemali wild plum sauce that Chef Paley picked himself at Sauvie Island

Fourth Course

This dessert course included Steven Smith Teamakers DaNet Blend black tea from samovar with accompaniments of which jam is the usual sweetener rather than sugar though it is available. This is along with desserts of Eskimo with smoked milk and chocolate, Pistachio halva made with sesame and tahini, and deep fried dumpling Cherry Vareniki. There were birthdays being celebrated at our table, so an additional candle was added to our dessert platter.
DANet fourth course of desserts of Eskimo with smoked milk and chocolate, Pistachio halva made with sesame and tahini DaNet one of three of the fourth course desserts, deep fried dumpling Cherry Vareniki DaNet Fourth course of desserts include Steven Smith Teamakers DaNet Blend black tea from samovar with accompaniments - of which jam is the usual sweetener rather than sugar though it is available

At the end, your check will arrive with gratuity already included. Just like after Thanksgiving, you will probably feel overly full and want to lie down, but are also completely satisfied with the little bit of everything that was your Russian meal tonight.
Steven Smtih Teamakers DaNet Blend black tea from samovar with accompaniments along with desserts of Eskimo with smoked milk and chocolate, Pistachio halva made with sesame and tahini, and deep fried dumpling Cherry Vareniki

This really is a unique experience to be able to join in on a Russian dinner like this and experience a communal table in a familial atmosphere and Russian food that both respects tradition but also takes advantage of the expertise of someone so experienced like Chef Paley to also improve upon it and take advantage of fresh Northwest bounty. I am always thrilled whenever I can have Chef Paley’s Russian food, and this food is not necessarily easy to prepare – sometimes taking days of work to get ready for this night, and much of it comes from his childhood to recreate the flavor experience he had and techniques from generations of grandmothers so you can have that same love and deliciousness communicated through painstaking patient effort. A big banquet like this would have taken a kitchen full of grandmas aunts and mom’s even with the know how. Fortunately Chef Paley has the skilled staff of Imperial pitching in.

After the Soviet revolution these foods that had proudly been passed through generations of Russians became only a memory for most, and it’s time to bring it back and celebrate it. I can’t recommend DaNet enough for a one of a kind dinner experience. For everyone who wishes there was a babushka in your life, we’ll at least now there’s DaNet and Chef Paley and Imperial.

Signature

Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

Last week, I walked you through making your own fresh ricotta. Today, I’m going to share another recipe on how to enjoy that fresh ricotta. This Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich is vegetarian and a mix of flavors textures like the soft creamy ricotta and firm edamame and grassy microgreens, crunchy slighly spicy radish and acid of quick pickled red onions. This is my take when I saw the recipe of Summer Pea and Radish Pita in the Vegetarian Times and was inspired to make a version that’s more me and less pea.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The original recipe made 6 sandwiches, and there was not an easy way to reduce the amount for quick pickling the onions (and you use the leftover liquid to help make vinaigrette), so I followed that portion exactly. So, you will have a bunch of leftover quick pickled onion to enjoy as you will. I only needed to make 2 sandwiches for my household of 2, so you’ll notice I give instructions in the ingredients and directions below for what is needed per each sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

Rather than making a sandwich, you can totally eat this as a salad as well and ignore the bread (I used regular sandwich bread here and not pita). My version also uses microgreens and edamame, which I used instead of pea shoots and peas as called by the original recipe, though the idea of pea shoots and peas in a sandwich is pretty lovely too.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of diced onions
  • 1 cup shelled edamame (you can also use peas instead)
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 6 cups microgreens or pea shoots or you can use torn butter lettuce, your call (you will use about a cup of greens per sandwich)
  • About 2 cups of thinly sliced radishes (you will use 1/3 cup per sandwich)
    Slicing radishes thinly thanks to my new mandoline
  • Your choice of sandwich bread – I used multigrain
  • 1 cup of fresh ricotta (especially if you make it yourself, like in my recipe here for homemade ricotta)
  • Directions:
  1. First, place the diced onions in a heat proof bowl. Let me interrupt this step for a second to plug one of my favorite kitchen tools besides my silicon spatulas for scraping every bit of food in containers, KitchenArt ButterMate for measuring and cutting butter with no mess, and my rice cooker. My #4 fave kitchen tool is the Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard. I bought it a couple years ago when after (wearing glasses, not contacts) chopping a large beautiful onion I had procured from the Portland Farmers Market, I noticed at work the next day that the misty morning was continuing in that it was looking a little misty inside my work cubicle looking at my monitor. An emergency appointment that evening at the eye doctor yielded that I had somehow burned my eye with possibly onion vapors and needed steroid eye drops for the rest of the week. Shortly after that I bought this Chop Wizard and now I can get onions diced in less than a minute and there are never any tears. It even measures how many cups of onions I have so I only need to chop what I need. Some people like the repetitive ritual of chopping, but not me – and this chopper helps me get if over faster with all sorts of vegetables, not just onions. It’s awesome.
    <One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy
    Anyway, in a small saucepan bring to a boil a combination of the 1/4 cup water, the 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to a boil.  Once it is boiling, remove the liquid from heat and pour over your diced onions. Let the onions pickle for about 15 minutes before separating the onions out. Don’t toss the onion vinegar liquid – you’ll be using that as a vinaigrette later! This is a great trick for quick pickling onions for any of your sandwich needs.
    Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar
  2. If you use frozen edamame like I did, you should defrost them by steaming, boiling, or because of the summer heatwave I just used the microwave. They only need to be heated for a few minutes, and then blanched for the same number of minutes (I refreshed mine in water with ice). Drain the edamame from the water and set aside.
  3. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the leftover onion vinegar liquid that was left in a mixing bowl with the olive 3 tablespoons of olive oil. That’s enough dressing for 6 sandwiches, but I only needed to make 2 sandwiches so I eyed only a small amount to keep in the bowl and refrigerated the rest for future sandwiches and salads.
  4. In a mixing bowl I combined that small amount of onion vinaigrette (approximately two tablespoons) with a small amount of the quick pickled onions (probably two tablespoons, one for each sandwich again) as well as 2 cups of microgreens, a tablespon of the shelled edamame, and 1/3 cup of sliced radishes and tossed them all together so everything was coated with the vinaigrette.
    For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions
  5. For each sandwich, I first spread the fresh ricotta (about 1 tablespoon for each sandwich half), and then topped each half with 1/2 a cup of the greens edamame radish mixture.
    My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

I left my sandwiches open-faced because that’s my thing right now, to let the insides of a sandwich be visually enjoyed. I also am a bit greedy and may overstuff my sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The next day, instead of sandwiches I added more torn butter lettuce to fill it out (I added a bit more of the leftover vinaigrette to compensate) and had this whole thing in salad form instead of sandwich (and my homemade ricotta had gotten more firm, so was perfect for adding in little 1/4 teaspoon fulls instead of spreading on bread).
Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad

What’s one of your favorite go to summer sandwiches during the hot summer? What are your favorite kitchen tools/tricks?

Signature