Archives for March 2015

Green Food for St Patrick’s Day plus Variations on a Reuben

March 12, 2015 by 4 Comments

Looking for some green food that doesn’t involve using food dye to help celebrate St Patrick’s Day? Here’s a round-up from previous posts I’ve done… there is so much green out there naturally, and in many delicious forms. I also have some suggestions for fun ways to use corned beef and/or pastrami besides a reuben sandwich towards the bottom of the post.

Green Food for St Patrick's Day with no need for food dye or food coloring, plus suggestions for fun ways to incprorate corned beef and pastrami

But, first, the green food.

For appetizers, of course you could go with guacamole– I did a face off with 3 different guacamoles, one recipe from Alton Brown, one recipe from Bobby Flay, and one from Rick Bayless

Guacamole from Food Network chefs: The Rick Bayless Recipe- Sundried Tomato Guacamole Guacamole from Food Network chefs: The Bobby Flay Recipe- a spicy guacamole and in the back The Alton Brown Recipe- a tomato guacamole

Or try edamame hummus for an option besides the obvious guacamole!

Edamame Hummus

Last year I went with an Avocado Mac and Cheese from the Melt cookbook

Recipe of Green Mac and Cheese for St Patricks: Avocado Mac and Cheese, using cheddar and many green things like avocado, green jalapeno, lime, green onion, cilantro

But there’s a lot of avocado inspired recipes you could try, as I covered in this Avocado Pesto and more Avocado Awesomeness post that also shows some avocado inspirations from Chef Lisa of Mother’s Bistro

Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich California Avocado Commission and the sticker for California Avocados California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes Avocado Pesto, vegetarian and easy to make, has a feel sort of like an alfredo or mac and cheese sauce but much healthier!

Another way to get in the green naturally is with broccoli, like this St. Norbert College’s Cheese Broccoli which is an awesome simple casserole that is nostalgically old fashioned. There’s also these homey Spinach and Cheese Pinwheels

 Spinach or Squash Cheese Pinwheels

Or go with Brussels Sprouts, either Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Mashed Brussels Sprouts.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts Mashed Brussels Sprouts

There’s green in these Creamed Kale or Creamed Cabbage Recipes.

Easy vegetarian side dish: recipe for Creamed kale with caramelized onions Easy vegetarian side dish: recipe for Creamed Cabbage

Green Gazpacho that celebrates the bounty of greens with green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives
The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Green Gazpacho recipe, green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives, spring soup recipe

Asparagus Goldenrod evokes green as well as gold

The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe

Or combine beer with green but without going to the low of green beer by making Saison Beer Ricotta on Cucumber appetizers

Saison Beer Ricotta on Cucumber

If you’re not in the Northwest and enjoying a 60-70 degree weather like we are, you probably wouldn’t be out on the grill, but here in Portland with our 70 degree March 17 we could do a bbq and throw in Irish Whiskey into our burger as well by making Cheddar Whiskey Burgers that has a combination of beef and pork with a bit of whiskey, and then is stuffed and then topped with a cheddar whiskey sauce. Sorry everywhere else that is cold and has snow.
Recipe for Cheddar Whiskey Burgers

For more authentic food that is Irish inspired, you could enjoy a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie courtesy of Moosewood

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Ok, this doesn’t qualify for meatless, but I dined out at Kenny and Zuke’s for this this Bagel and Egg and Cheese with Pastrami bagel and this dish of Pastrami Cheese fries and it seemed very celebratory to me. What I love about these ideas is taking corned beef or pastrami and doing more than just a sandwich. Shake it up by putting it into a breakfast sandwich with a bagel or croissant, make reuben dogs or make them mini and adorable slow cooked beef reuben sliders. Chop it up and add it to fries, nachos, make a reuben mac and cheese or any casserole (I like this one with layers), or even into a baked creamy reuben dip! I will be making one of these links this weekend- I haven’t quite decided which one yet. I’ll also be making a colcannon – but instead of making a potato colcannon, I’m doing a cauliflower colcannon. Stay tuned for the outcome on Monday’s post!

Kenny and Zuke Deli's delicious pastrami brunch with an Everything Bagel and Egg and Cheese (cheddar) with addition of Pastrami Kenny and Zuke Deli, Delicious pastrami brunch with pastrami cheese fries

Also, I’m heading to Bowery Bagels on Monday because they are celebrating with Corned Beef Bagel Sandwiches, available at their downtown shop the week of March 16th – 21st for $8. These corned beef bagel sandwiches are packed with house-cured corned beef and topped with cabbage slaw and spicy mustard, which you can get on Bowery March bagel special, the Light Caraway Rye Bagel. Get the fingerling potato salad as a side and have the full Irish corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes experience. I’ll update with a photo when I acquire the goodie bagel.

Are you making anything special in celebration of St Patrick’s Day?

Signature

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Portland Dining Month 2015 Aviary

March 11, 2015 by 16 Comments

I covered in a previous post what Portland Dining month / March 2015 is and a few highlights from the amazing list of more than 100 restaurants in the Portland area offering the $29 3 course special. Today, I’m going to share my first Portland Dining Month 2015 meal, which was at Aviary. Aviary is located in the Alberta District at 1733 NE Alberta Street and offers eclectic Northwest ingredients combined with Asian flavors fusion food.

This was not my first time at Aviary – but during dinner service (the only meal they serve), the restaurant has really dim romantic lighting which doesn’t do well with my regular camera-phone photos. This time though, I brought my backup camera so was able to absorb a little bit more light through the lens. Although there are no vegetarian options on the Portland Dining menu, the regular Aviary menu has almost half a dozen options to choose from.

You can make reservations online at OpenTable, and this is recommended because I’ve heard of others dropping in and them being full!

Now without further ado, my Portland Dining Month 2015 Aviary menu selections, with my choice being in the bold.

First, the complimentary bread service at Aviary is wonderful as instead of just bread with butter, they offered a bagna cauda (butter, garlic, anchovies) for dipping the bread. Obviously because this has anchovies it’s not vegetarian so if that’s important to you, you’ll have to pass on the dip. One of the two breads on the plate was an olive bread.
complimentary bread service at Aviary is wonderful as instead of just bread with butter, they offered a bagna cauda (butter, garlic, anchovies) for dipping the bread. Obviously because this has anchovies it's not vegetarian so if that's important to you, you'll have to pass on the dip. One of the two breads on the plate was an olive bread.

First course (choose one)

Dungeness crab chawanmushi with bone marrow, sea urchin, Asian pear, snap peas and truffle vinaigrette
-OR-
Warm vegetable salad with romanesco, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, lime-pickle vinaigrette and black garlic
Aviary first course of Dungeness crab chawanmushi with bone marrow, sea urchin, Asian pear, snap peas and truffle vinaigrette for Portland Dining Month 2015 Aviary first course of Dungeness crab chawanmushi with bone marrow, sea urchin, Asian pear, snap peas and truffle vinaigrette for Portland Dining Month 2015
Seriously, this dish alone is worth a visit. I was sitting at the Chef’s Counter facing the open kitchen and man, chef Sarah Pliner was a BOSS whipping these out with somehow being able to pick up bowls of the chawanmushi from the steamy water pan just with tongs, and then flame on with a fiery torch. My favorite course.

Second course (choose one)

Miso braised beef short rib with taro root, yuzukoshō slaw, and shitake mushroom
-OR-
Pan-seared salmon with cauliflower, saffron, green apple, trout roe and American caviar
Aviary first course of Miso braised beef short rib with taro root, yuzukoshō slaw, and shitake mushroom for Portland Dining Month 2015

Third course (choose one)

Brown Butter Cake with whipped ricotta and rhubarb and basil Note this is different than what is listed on the Portland Dining Month website which listed a strudel, but I think the brown butter cake is even better.
-OR-
Chocolate budino with butterscotch ice cream and sour cherry
Aviary third course of Brown Butter Cake with whipped ricotta and rhubarb and basil for Portland Dining Month 2015 Aviary third course of Brown Butter Cake with whipped ricotta and rhubarb and basil for Portland Dining Month 2015

Extras

Since I was passing on the salad, I thought I might need a little bit more vegetable. And it’s March = St Patrick’s is this month. So I rationalized the Aviary cocktail of the Canicule with Bombay Sapphire East Gin, Ransom Dry Vermouth, Sauvignon Blanc, Pineapple Shrub, Cilantro, and Jalapeno. Because it’s green. It’s not a spicy drink, despite the presence of jalapeno somewhere – it was much more on the cilantro side. If you like cilantro, this is the drink for you. I didn’t know it at the time I ordered it, but this was the cocktail highlighted by Portland Monthly in their Best Bars 2014 article and most recently in their list of The 10 Most Interesting Cocktails in PDX Right Now in their March 2015 issue!
Aviary cocktail of the Canicule with Bombay Sapphire East Gin, Ransom Dry Vermouth, Sauvignon Blanc, Pineapple Shrub, Cilantro, Jalapeno

Also you must order this Crispy Pig Ear with coconut rice, chinese sausage, and avocado. I was dining alone because veggie F is not too keen on the idea of pig ear (and I knew dining alone pretty much guaranteed a seat at the Chef’s Counter – I and several other ladies dining alone or in twos chatted a bit). So ordering this, I knew this meant I would have leftovers, because the 3 courses are already more than enough for dinner.  But I’ve taken back this dish more than once and I love having it as a leftover the next day, even though the crispyness of the dish of will be gone (I nibble on as much of the crispyness as possible at the restaurant). I always get this dish,  it is one of the Aviary signature dishes and I urge you to get it too.
Aviary dish of Crispy Pig Ear with coconut rice, chinese sausage, avocado

Aviary on Urbanspoon

Next on my Portland Dining Month list is Laurelhurst Market, which I’ll share on Friday!

Where have you dined or are planning to dine this month for Portland Dining Month? 

Signature

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Northern Chinese lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesars Las Vegas

March 10, 2015 by 7 Comments

Once in a while I just get a craving, and on Sunday I didn’t want to deal with brunch madness – I wanted dim sum. Specifically some of the hand pulled noodles that I had seen walking around the previous day at Caesar’s Palace. So it came to be I went for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Beijing Noodle No. 9.

I was pleased that there was no wait at all when I arrived. The entrance of Beijing Noodle No. 9 includes a little hallway full of tanks of goldfish. Don’t worry, those goldfish are all for show, not for eating.  The entrance also has a small bar area where you can watch the hand pulled noodles being made and pulled.

Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The entrance includes a little hallway full of tanks of goldfish (they are all for show, not for eating!) Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The entrance includes a little hallway full of tanks of goldfish (they are all for show, not for eating!) Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The entrance includes a small bar where you can watch the hand pulled noodles being made and pulled Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The entrance includes a little hallway full of tanks of goldfish (they are all for show, not for eating!)

There’s just something so baller walking down that corridor of goldfish, where you then enter into the main area of the restaurant. The interior here is all white flowery swirls like you are on the inside of a white paper cut art piece and in a fish bowl yourself at the same time.
Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The inside is full of these white flowery swirls essentially from floor to ceiling like the cellophone wrap of a bouquet was all around me Time for some Northern Chinese on Sunday lunch at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The inside is full of these white flowery swirls essentially from floor to ceiling like the cellophone wrap of a bouquet was all around me

I started off with a cocktail because I’m in Vegas and after the bloody marys at Todd English PUB the day before I needed a break from my standard breakfast/brunch drink. So I went with the Shanghai Wave cocktail, which was probably one of the best things I had here at this restaurant.
Shanghai Wave cocktail at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9.

The first thing to come out was the Sichuan Dan Dan Mein with Spring Noodle. Every time I got a little bit of the meat I got a little pop of flavor, but there wasn’t a lot of that meat go go around. All the ground meat is right there in the picture on tip- the rest was just noodles plopped in the bowl.

I still believe the noodles were freshly made that day  given the man in the window at the entrance pulling noodles.

But these noodles were too soft and overcooked. Maybe I should have sat in front of the noodle man.
Sichuan Dan Dan Mein with Spring Noodle, at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9 Sichuan Dan Dan Mein with Spring Noodle, at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9 Sichuan Dan Dan Mein with Spring Noodle, at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9

The Shanghai soup dumplings were adequate, but not outstanding. If you don’t know, the way to eat these is with your chopstick to hold it gently and rock it back and forth until it comes off the steamed paper/bamboo so that you don’t break the soup out of those dumplings until they are in your mouth.

I suppose the version I got here really do taste like something you might get in the streets from a vendor… but not the vendor that has a line of people backed up for their dumplings. The dumplings needed more seasoning inside, in my opinion – it shouldn’t need sauce.
Shanghai Soup Dumplings at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. Shanghai Soup Dumplings at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9. Shanghai Soup Dumplings at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9.

It turns out the best thing I ate was this dish of Lamb Pancakes that had moist flavorful lamb inside and a crisped up skin on the outside pancake. I was warned that they make this fresh so it might take 20 minutes until the dish came, but I thought it was worth the wait. The flavors here were what I was expecting, given my previous visits to Beijing before.
Shanghai Soup Dumplings at Caesar's Palace at Beijing Noodle No. 9.

With other restaurants of the calibur of Rao’s and Guy Savoy and Nobu and Bobby Flay’s Nobu Grill, it’s a shame that this restaurant is so average. Clearly, I should have gone to Chinatown (just a mile away from the strip), and followed the advice of blogger friend Meagan that she shared in her own Las Vegas guide

I don’t usually write this kind of review as I like to give the benefit of the doubt with another try, but in a tourist city and directly on the Las Vegas Strip like Beijing Noodle No 9 is, you don’t want to waste your limited vacation time and dollars so I wanted to still share my single experience anyway. Caesars actually has numerous good foodie options… This is just not one of them given that the signature Noodle dish was overcooked on a not very busy seating and the toppings so stingy on top. Maybe I’m extra picky because I have spent time in Beijing before (I lived there for almost 2 months in college). I really wanted to reward keeping up the history and artisan skills of pulled noodles too 🙁

I do admit this is the cleanest Chinese restaurant I have EVER been in.

Beijing Noodle No. 9 on Urbanspoon

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

Signature

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Cauliflower Alfredo with Spinach

March 9, 2015 by 8 Comments

I grew up eating a lot of Asian food, and I think it must not have been until late middle school or possibly even early high school that I first had Fettuccine Alfredo. My love for that creamy sauce on pasta lasted only until college, when I realized how many calories that Alfredo sauce actually contained.

Fortunately, I can still indulge in a pasta alfredo once in a while, but instead of the traditional alfredo sauce with cream and stick of butter and Parmesan, I would recommend this lightened up version of Cauliflower Alfredo with Spinach. I use spinach because I generally tend to have it in my kitchen, but you could use other greens or vegetables as well to further fill up the pasta dish. This dish serves 4 people as a side dish.
Cauliflower Alfredo with Spinach Cauliflower Alfredo with Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups small cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup 2 percent low-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon of minced onion
  • 8 ounces of pasta (I like using ones I can spoon, like this bow tie, so I can eat the whole thing with a spoon instead of slurping sauce on my face)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus another 1 tablespoon if you want to saute/wilt your spinach before adding it to pasta, optional)
  • 1 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Couple handfuls of vegetables of your choice, such as two or three handfuls of spinach.
  • Salt to taste
  • Ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring cauliflower florets, milk and minced onion to a simmer in large saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Cover pan and let the cauliflower soften, which might take 15 – 20 minutes depending on the size of your florets.
  2. When the cauliflower milk mixture is soft enough that your wooden spoon can mush it, transfer contents of the pan to food processor. Let it cool for a bit before you blend it into a sauce.
  3. Meanwhile, while your cauliflower milk mixture is cooling before you process it, cook your pasta in a pot until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water to help marry it with the cauliflower sauce later. Toss the pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  4. I wilted the spinach slightly over heat with a little olive oil in that large saucepan I had just used for the cauliflower. But you can also toss it in raw as the hot pasta and sauce will also wilt it if your timing is right. You’ll just have to stir a lot depending on how generous your handfuls are until they get smaller.
  5. Now to your pan, add the pasta,the cauliflower puree, the 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and nutmeg. Toss until the sauce coats pasta, adding reserved pasta water per your taste if mixture is clumpy and you want it to be smoother. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Serve your dish sprinkled with a little extra Parmesan and bit of pepper if you’d like. For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper.
Cauliflower Alfredo with Spinach

I made it vegetarian, although I would understand if you might want to throw in a little protein via some chicken, or turkey, or maybe even some cut up sausage. If you miss a little of the fat of the alfredo, do a combination where instead of all 2% milk (I personally found skim or 1% too thin for me) you can make part of that cup a more full milk, Cream. And/or you could also consider at the end when mixing the sauce with the pasta adding some drizzle of Greek yogurt!

Signature

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner and a Guide to Nodoguro

March 6, 2015 by 10 Comments

When I was at dinner at Nodoguro yesterday, a guest sitting to my right asked me if this was my first time or if I was a regular. And I sorta realized I *am* a regular- I’ve been to seven Nodoguro dinners, including this one. Thanks to all the great press Nodoguro has gotten, there are lot of new people discovering and experiencing Nodoguro.

As a regular patron of the Nodoguro culinary arts, I thought besides my usual photo recap of my latest Nodoguro dinner, I would provide an overview of what to expect your first time. So here’s my Guide to Nodoguro, as well as a recap of the Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme.

The March tickets just went on sale for the new Spring theme so HURRY and snap one up!

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015 Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse

What kind of food is Nodoguro?

There are two main kinds of experiences with Nodoguro. You may see tickets for a “Hard Core Omakase” dinner sometimes. Those are sushi/sashimi dinners where you put your fate in them to take you on a chef’s choice journey based on whatever was just flown in from the famed fish markets of Japan.

The second are “9 course Tasting Menu“. This 9 course tasting menu changes based on the theme, which generally changes every month. To give you an idea, here is a listing of the themes I experienced before this post’s Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme of February 2015

My Previous Nodoguro Coverage:

As far as I know, I only missed the theme of October 2014 (Tribute to Water) and December (Glitter) and January (Izakaya). Because I’m a stalker I can refer you to Misadventures with Miso for the better than I would have written anyway recaps of Water with Nodoguro and Time to Get Your Sparkle On Nodoguro Style posts.

Anyway, the 9 courses are served in what I, who am not Japanese and not very well versed in the complexities and intricacies of Japanese culture, would describe as a combination of  Modern Kaiseki and Kappo Ryouri style. The Modern Kaiseki description I picked because the dinner is very formal in presentation and the food philosophy is sophisticated simplicity to respect the local and seasonal ingredients.

In presentation, each individual dish tries to showcase taste, texture, appearance, and color. Both the food and the dishware count as important elements of the visuals. Nodoguro carefully considers what plates and bowls they will use as well as carefully arrangement of every element in plating the ingredients. You might even notice in even placing the dish in front of you, they may even turn it just right to face you. All these artful dishes will be small, but trust me, they do add up so you will be satiated.

Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Chawanmushi topped with Dashi soaked Ikura and Wasabi Nodoguro July 2014 Cucumber soup with fermented ume, and Nasturtium Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Canned Albacore with Roasted Pepper

In terms of hearing it’s simple food, don’t be fooled. There is always a printed menu at your seat, and often there will only just be a handful of words to describe what the dish is – say one dinner there was a dish described as Dungeness Crab and Fennel Sunomono. In this dish, there was this tubular vegetable thing that had some sort of weird melt in your mouth taste and texture in it? Oh says Ryan offhandedly, just Uni wrapped in Kelp. No big deal. There are so many times that you ask about one element – why does this Dashi broth in this Black Cod with Dashi dish feel so soft, what is that other flavor? Oh, I vaporized sake in it, explains Ryan. There is all sorts of hidden complexity in the simplicity.

Nodoguro PDX September 2014, theme dinner Totoro. Fourth Course: Dungeness Crab and Fennel Sunomono and Uni wrapped in kelp Nodoguro PDX September 2014, theme dinner Totoro. Fourth Course: Dungeness Crab and Fennel Sunomono and Uni wrapped in kelp

The Kappo Ryouri description I picked because you will be sitting right across from the chefs at a kitchen counter. If you’ve been to a Japanese restaurant before and seen the sushi counter – it’s very similar to that, but without any glass case needed to keep seafood cold for sushi. Kaiseki also has a specific set of rules of the progression of food, while kappo ryori has more freedom on what each course may have in terms of ingredients and cooking style.

At a high level, based on my dinner experiences so far, there will always be generally within the first few courses some sort of raw and/or sashimi dish. There is always a sunomono dish, a “salad” which as Ryan wryly explained, is “stuff in vinegar”. There is always a cooked fish dish – it may be smoked, or broiled. After that is some sort of meatier dish, which may be just generous protein or a protein on top of rice bowl dish. There is always a sweet rolled omelette dish (tamago) as the 8th course, followed by dessert as the 9th course, and that is usually finished with hot Japanese tea and manju snack.

Nodoguro's McDonalds theme for November 2014, a play on fast food: Wartime Sashimi (soy cured ocean trout and wasabi) Smoked Mackerel Sunomono with egg vinegar, cucumber and seaweed, my fave sunomono they have made so far at Nodoguro August themed pop-up- Haruki Murakami 8/12/2014 Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Cherry smoked black cod with miso jam and soba Nodoguro PDX September 2014, theme dinner Totoro. Seventh Course: Chiashu with Turnip, Miso, and Walnut, a dish that is a nod to Spirited Away also by Hayao Miyazaki Nodoguro June 2014 Firefly Theme Dinner, Sweet Dashi omelette Nodoguro PDX September 2014, theme dinner Totoro. Tea Service: Moon Manju with Peppermint Tea

Where is Nodoguro?

Ryan Roadhouse, Rising Star Chef 2014 of Portland Monthly

Nodoguro’s origins are as a nomadic pop-up restaurant, since it had no permanent home. My journey with them started at Yakuza, and then they moved to Evoe, where Nodoguro would visit for a few days every month. They would  literally be bringing in the prepped ingredients and food in boxes that day and at the mercy of what Evoe’s kitchen state was, with the Evoe menu on the chalkboard taking up most of the largest wall a reminder that we were only visiting.

When Evoe shuttered in August, the space then permanently became Nodoguro at 3731 SE Hawthorne Boulevard. This is an attached space directly to Pastaworks, a gourmet grocery store. You can see a Nodoguro sign to the left (facing them) of the Pastaworks with a door, but also if you enter Pastaworks, on the left side as you step in, you will see the Japanese style sliding doors that demarcate the grocery store from Nodoguro’s dining space and you can also go in that way (sometimes musicians seem to camp very close to the Nodoguro door, so you may feel more comfortable coming in/out from Pastaworks).

There will be some that probably would debate whether Nodoguro still qualifies as a pop-up since it no longer moves around and has control over their kitchen and dining space. At the same time though, the same philosophy of a pop-up still is a driving force, since

  1. Nodoguro is constantly doing something new, creative, and experimental because the change in themes every month allows for a lot of freedom and flexibility
  2. The menus at Nodoguro are always prix fixe because of the limited nature of the kitchen and number of guests, it is always a very crafted controlled menu progression designed by Nodoguro
  3. The small space also limits Nodoguro to one seating per day, with a limited number of seats, and you have to purchase your “dinner ticket” ahead of time. They are only a few days every week.

Who is Nodoguro?

Nodoguro PDX in action, with Chef Ryan, Sous Chef Mark, and Hostess/Designer Elena

If you haven’t heard, Ryan Roadhouse is nominated as one of the James Beard Best Chef Northwest for 2015.

Ryan was also highlighted as a Rising Star Chef 2014 and Nodoguro listed one of Portland’s Best Restaurants by Portland Monthly, Ryan and Nodoguro also made the Eater PDX Top 3 List for 2014 Chef of the Year and 2014 Restaurant of the Year.

There has been coverage of some of his themes by pretty much all the local media ranging from their first highlight by the Oregonian when opening as a pop-up to being part of the Restaurant of the Year roundup when the Oregonian dubbed the winner “All Portland Pop-up Restaurants”. There are also swoons by the Portland Mercury on the Haruki Murakami menu or recently the Examiner on the Twin Peaks menu I also am writing about in this post.

Nodoguro PDX demonstrates teamwork in plating with Sous Chef Mark Wooten and Chef de Cuisine Ryan Roadhouse

Besides Chef de Cuisine Ryan, he has 3 main partners in his crafting of the Nodoguro experience. There is Mark Wooten of Phantom Rabbit Farms who is providing so many of their ingredients. Apparently they just sat down with some coffee with a Japanese seed catalog and oh, decided what to grow all year. You will see Mark and his beautiful natural locks also working as Ryan’s sous chef.

Nodoguro PDX demonstrates teamwork in plating with Sous Chef Mark Wooten and Chef de Cuisine Ryan Roadhouse Nodoguro PDX in action, with Chef Ryan, Sous Chef Mark, and Hostess/Designer Elena

The second and best looking of the Nodoguro trio is Elena Roadhouse. Besides being Ryan’s wife, Elena also is the hostess who greets you and often explains the dishes and beverage pairings if you choose to purchase beverages AND is the designer extraordinaire who updates the atmosphere of Nodoguro every month based on the current theme. No detail is left unturned, be it the sign at the entrance to the tablescape to your menu or the art on the walls or hanging from the ceiling.

Finally, Paul Willenberg consults as the Beverage Director, with beverage expertise that includes beer, wine, sake, cocktails, probably everything liquid. Every menu has new pairings that he creates, and there always are surprises that challenge what you think of what a sherry or gewurtz or gruner are, and maybe new grapes or styles of sake you’ve never heard of before. He brings the best he can think of from around the world, but also always includes a local purveyor as well.

How do I experience Nodoguro?

There are limited seats and dates of the dinners. Every Nodoguro guest must always go online to buy your ticket beforehand. Follow on Twitter Nodoguro or Ryan Roadhouse to keep up for when new tickets or events for more Nodoguro Upcoming Offerings announcements as they come.

If you are dining with friends, buy your tickets together or communicate to Nodoguro to let them know because there are only a dozen seats. If they know ahead of time how many are in your party, they can make sure that there are seats together for you. You should let them know any constraints you might have (I often dine with a friend who can’t eat salmon and she is always accommodated for, and another time there was someone who could not eat pork) so they can prepare an alternative if needed.

After purchasing your reservation online from the Nodoguro website, usually a couple days before your dinner Ryan will email you what the specifics of the menu for your dinner evening will be, and let you know what time to arrive.

Dinner from start to finish is about 2 hours or so. When you arrive, after picking your seat, you will also have the chance to peruse the beverage menu and then choose to order drinks a la carte or do a pairing.

Be aware that since you are sitting at a chef’s counter, you will likely be sitting right next to each other and mostly talk to your dining friends immediately to the right or left so set yourself up accordingly. After tea service, generally one of the Nodoguro people will have a tablet running Square so you can pay for your drinks/gratuity using a credit card, or of course cash.

Twin Peaks Dinner Recap in Photos

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme in 2015, decor by Elena Roadhouse Sake and Wine Pairings for Nodoguro Twin Peaks dinner, courtesy of Paul Willenberg Sake and Wine Pairings for Nodoguro Twin Peaks dinner, courtesy of Paul Willenberg

Started off with a Welcome drink of a Long Stemmed Cherry Cocktail with shoyu and sake

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner, Welcome drink of a Long stemmed cherry cocktail with shoyu and sake Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner, Welcome drink of a Long stemmed cherry cocktail with shoyu and sake

Cod in the Dashi Percolator, with flash fried black cod, dashi with vaporized sake, mustard greens, crispy parsnip

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Cod in the Dashi Percolator with flash fried black cod, dashi with vaporized sake, mustard greens, green garlic, crispy parsnip

Sesame Pressed Trout Sashimi, it was cured with sesame and Ryan lovingly brushed sesame and sprinkled the Phantom Rabbit tiny green garlic on top
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Sesame pressed Trout Sashimi

One damn good cup of coffee, in the form of Coffee Cup Custard (chawanmushu) with Black Trumpet Gel and freeze dried Corn

Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, One damn good cup of coffee, in the form of Coffee Cup Custard (chawanmushu) with Black Trumpet Gel and freeze dried Corn Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, One damn good cup of coffee, in the form of Coffee Cup Custard (chawanmushu) with Black Trumpet Gel and freeze dried Corn Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, One damn good cup of coffee, in the form of Coffee Cup Custard (chawanmushu) with Black Trumpet Gel and freeze dried Corn

It lived up to what it needed to be.

Turnip Waldorf Salad and Miso with fresh apple
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Turnip Waldorf Salad and Miso with fresh apple Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Turnip Waldorf Salad and Miso with fresh apple

Smoked Cheese Pig with fresh mozzarella cheese in dashi
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Smoked Cheese Pig with fresh mozzarella cheese in dashi Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Smoked Cheese Pig with fresh mozzarella cheese in dashi

Seared Duck with Huckleberry and Real Potatoes
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Seared Duck with Huckleberry and Real Potatoes

Uni Porridge with Coffee, a dish of Japanese rice in dashi and uni butter sort of like risotto but done to resemble gruel, topped with ground espresso. OMG SWOON.
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Uni Porridge with Coffee, a dish of Japanese rice in dashi and uni butter sort of like risotto but done to resemble gruel, topped with ground espresso

Omelet
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Omelet

Toasted soba ice cream wtih roasted soy bean powder and black sugar syrup and light as air cinnamon sugar donut, served with Roasted Tea
Nodoguro Twin Peaks Dinner theme, Toasted soba ice cream wtih roasted soy bean powder and black sugar syrup and light as air cinnamon sugar donut

I have to give a special bow also to the amazing pairings by Paul Willenberg for this meal, which I thought was the best pairing he’s ever done. I had the sake pairing and every single one was spot on, complimenting and revealing additional flavors to enhance the food.

The Hatsumago Junmai Kimoto with the Smoked Cheese Pig… those are flavors that were just once in a lifetime that I could experience, because I don’t think anyone would ever put all those things together ever again. On Paul’s Instagram I learned this was a Pairing he adored as well:

“I love sake with cheese! Here the sweaty aromas and deep mouthfeel of Kimoto style sake high in amino acids pairs with “Smoked Cheese Pig” off our Twin Peaks Menu. Chef @ryanroadhouse takes a fresh mozzarella and bathes it in dashi vinegar and shaved, cured ham. It’s finished with Hatcho miso, which like Kimoto method, is a traditional and time consuming process–it takes over 2 years!”

Sake and Wine Pairings for Nodoguro Twin Peaks dinner, courtesy of Paul Willenberg

See, how smart is that? The wine pairing (which I sampled a few sips of from my dining companion) was full of unexpected surprises, and I thought the fact that wines/grapes were unusual and not what you would initially think was a great nod to the theme of Twin Peaks. The La Cigarrera Manzanilla Sherry was not one I would like by itself, but with the Cod in the Dashi Percolator it emphasized the Dashi flavors wonderfully and who would normally think to start off with sherry?

He also reminded me of a grape he had introduced me to last year at the Totoro dinner, a Blaufränkisch which at this dinner he paired a Blaufränkisch wine (this one with Wachter Wiesler 2010 Pfarrweingarten Blaufränkisch) with the seared duck and it was heavenly. Actually both pairings with the duck – the wine and the sake- were so good I kept taking sips from both while my dining friend was in the restroom as I just couldn’t decide what worked better.

I was constantly the last person to finish my dish and would look around to see everyone’s place was cleared and I was taking way too long with my mini-bites trying to make it last as long as possible.

Overall, this was my favorite dinners from Nodoguro ever because although all the dishes are tasty, this was one progression just seemed like all were hitting it (though my favorite Nodoguro dishes of all time still remains the Chiashu with Turnip, Miso, and Walnut with the 2012 Johan Vineyards Blaufränkisch and his dessert of Sterling Tiramisu). I can’t wait to see what Nodoguro does next!

The March tickets just went on sale for the new Spring theme so HURRY and snap one up!

Signature

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »