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Nodoguro Harajuku Theme

October 30, 2015 by Pechluck 6 Comments

I’ve written about Nodoguro themed dinners and also Noduguro Hard Core Sushi Omakase before, and I won’t retread the old material of my love and devotion to their depth of flavor layering, beautiful artful presentation, thoughtful construction of textures and how it works with the theme and as a progression of dishes, how every new theme (every month and a half or so it changes) is a shift in the restaurant decor that transforms it in new creative ways every time.

Instead, let’s go straight to dinner. As always, there was a printed menu at each place setting for me to add to my Nodoguro menu collection – this one was printed on both sides with the courses listings one one side and a little Harajuku illustration on the other
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

I was fortunate enough that for this dinner, I also got to be reunited with the Three Hungry Broads, and sat next to Mike the Firefighter. We had an amazing time all together chatting and eating, and I also enjoyed meeting the Latino sisters + brother group to my left who were also super fun. Never feel like you can’t come enjoy Nodoguro without a partner – go ahead and come solo, you’ll have a good time meeting new food friends!
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

OK, I lied, let’s check out the new decor first before the food.
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

The theme for this visit was Harajuku, which is a neighborhood in Tokyo known for fashion and being a gathering place for urban Tokyo youths from their teens to 20s and the hip culture and trends they embody.
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

On the counter between where we ate and where the chefs plated food were a few set up scenes with fashion dolls with big blinky eyes and posed onstage, at a pink piano, or with the backdrop of their fabulous apartment.
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

I loved this idea where the Nodoguro staff dressed up and took a fashion photoshoot on the streets of Hawthorne right by this pop-up restaurant (currently next to Pastaworks until January 2016 – not sure if they will keep the space or move when Pastaworks closes at that time). Each photo really did look like it was lifted from an Asian fashion magazine.
Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

Ok, now dinner.

Course 1: Sea Bream with Citrus and Wasabi

I always enjoy having a clean, fresh start of sashimi to dinner. As for the sake pairings, the first of the flight was actually the Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Petillant Naturel 2014, a naturally sparkling rose that I drank before I even took a picture of its beautiful strawberry colors (I’ve had it before though at the Hardcore Sushi Omakase dinner).

Sea Bream with Citrus and Wasabi

Course 2: Ankimo and Ground Cherry

Recently, Portland Monthly listed Nodoguro as the 2015 Restaurant of the Year, and described Mark Wooten pictured here helping to plate this dish as “house farmer has a Mad Max haircut and GQ looks”. Also helping to plate is quiet and intense Colin Yoshimoto.
Plating a Nodoguro course is Mark Wooten, house farmer has a Mad Max haircut and GQ looks Nodoguro plating here assisted by Mark Wooten and Colin Yoshimoto "Also

And the silky mouth melting foie gras of the sea, ankimo (monkfish liver) combined with the other secret/not so secret treasure of ground cherry and the fun pop of that roe. I thought this was great with the Ohyama (Big Mountain) Tokubetsu Junmai Sake that offered a bit of sweetness, a bit of grain, floral, and dryness to add more layers of flavor to this course. Another sake that is just too easy too drink and enjoy.

Ankimo and Ground Cherry

Course 3: Curry Mackerel Sunomono

Chef Ryan made the curry vinegar here and I was thrilled to see such a hefty seafood in the sunomono (more acidic salad course) this dinner with the cured then grilled mackerel. Curry dishes are a common regular Japanese food that is very affordable and hearty.

Curry Mackerel Sunomono

Course 4: Winter Squash Chanko Cup

Chankonabe is usually a huge hearty one pot stew – think HUGE pots – served to sumo wrestlers as part of their weight gaining diet, and is served in restaurants sometimes operated by retired sumo wrestlers. The more senior wrestlers eat first at the table, and then the next rank down, and next rank etc down to the juniors so I guess this mini version would be what’s left for us from the original giants.

Winter Squash Chanko Cup

Course 5: Banana Fish with Walnut

With the dehydrated bananas and fish and walnuts I wondered how this was going to work out, but it was fun – fresh and a little sweet that reminded me a bit of the feeling of hope and youth and being a good kinda nutty different that is in Harajuku among the people who hang there. The dish was working well both as an homage to the now defunct Japanese Fashion Brand Banana Fish and it’s creative spirit.
Banana Fish with Walnut

Course 6: Yum Yum Yummy Pork

This dish is a reinterpretation of a gyoza – in Harajuku you can find Harajuku Gyoza, a restaurant devoted completely and totally to only serving Japanese dumplings (usually they are pork). Ryan has ditched the dough outside to let the skin shine for crispness instead and focus on the rich pork belly in the slightly sweet sticky sauce.
Yum Yum Yummy Pork

I don’t recall exactly when the Shirataki Junmai Ginjo Jozen Mizunogotoshi was poured, but the mildly floral and fruity sake was gone pretty quick and is so light that anyone would enjoy it. I think I complained to Mike that I needed a second of it. And third.

Course 7: Takoyaki with Tomato and Avocado

Another one of my favorites for the evening was this fun and bright Takoyaki with Tomato and Avocado and that delicate coriander flower inspired by takoyaki, a street food version of Octopus Balls without the batter and brightened in flavors.

Course 8: Moshi Moshi Box Bento with Futomaki, pickles and matsutake

There’s always a rice course, and here it is in the form for this dinner of futomaki rolls with delicate buttery matsutake mushrooms on one end and homemade pickled veggies from Phantom Rabbit Farm on the other.
Moshi Moshi Box Bento with Futomaki, pickles and matsutake

Course 9: Eggs & Things Omelet

The tamago, sweet and light and with all those little layers pressed in, is the sign it’s time to end the meal with dessert and tea approaching…
Eggs & Things Omelet

Course 10: Toasted Corn Crepe and Apricot Cream, Tea

An interpreted twist on the crepes you get at stands in Harajuku filled with fruit and cream and sometimes a whole slice of cheesecake. I had no idea this flavor combination of Corn and Apricot could and would work. That’s why I love coming back, to see the new little food adventures I may experience with combinations in entirely new ways that work by the geniuses here.

And soybean flour us a truly underappreciated underused topping for ice cream – it adds a roasty flavor and contrast of dry texture to a frozen cold dessert that’s marvelous. Here, it does double duty to be a nod to the thin crepe that usually wraps the Japanese creme cone dessert.

My sake here, the Tsukasabotan Yamayuzu Shibori, is perhaps maybe my third such little cup of what Ryan called the sake version Mike’s Hard Lemonade upgraded, but I’ll give it more class and say like a limoncello with such strong Meyer lemon notes that the 5 of us (Broads, Mike and I) indulged in with lots of laughs.

Toasted Corn Crepe and Apricot Cream

Thanks for another fabulous dinner Nodoguro!
Tea at Nodoguro with a Harajuku friend Nodoguro Dinner in October 2015, theme Harajuku

The themed dinners can be reserved by purchasing prepaid dinner tickets at NodoguroPDX for $85 for 9 courses plus tea service which does not include gratuity and beverages (you can pay via cash or credit card via Square reader there).

Which course do you think most interests you? What do you think of how Elena brought the Harajuku theme to life in the Nodoguro pop up space?

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #nodoguropdx, #nodoguropopup, Ankimo and Ground Cherry, Banana Fish with Walnut, Curry Mackerel Sunomono, Eggs & Things Omelet, Elena Roadhouse, Mark Wooten, Moshi Moshi Box Bento with Futomaki and matsutake, Nodoguro, Nodoguro Dinner, Nodoguro October 2015, Nodoguro PDX, Nodoguro Pop up, Nodoguro Portland, Nodoguro themed dinner, Ryan Roadhouse, Sea Bream with Citrus and Wasabi, Takoyaki with Tomato and Avocado, Toasted Corn Crepe and Apricot Cream, Winter Squash Chanko Cup, Yum Yum Yummy Pork

Drina Daisy at Astoria, Oregon

October 27, 2015 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

When you need a break from eating seafood while exploring the Oregon coast, how about a visit over to an entirely different country with Bosnian food? There isn’t much Bosnian food to be found in Portland, so I was surprised when I saw that Drina Daisy in Astoria not only specializes only in Bosnian cuisine, but got consistently high ratings on Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Zomato. In fact, on Tripadvisor it was ranked the second highest restaurant in Astoria (with understandably Bowpicker Fish & Chips taking the #1 spot).

When I read the description, I couldn’t help but be a bit charmed by it’s sincere heart:

Drina Daisy strives to offer uncommon food that is approachable & satisfying. Our food is prepared & presented with a respect that comes from its ancient roots. We labor to celebrate the dignity of hard work & meaningful service. Drina Daisy is a place to relax with good food & good hearts. Drina Daisy seeks to bridge both time & place.

How fun to go on a little adventure to the coast, and then embedded in that adventure have a mini adventure that takes us to another place in the world. As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, we could immediately feel a different vibe from the rest of the Coast, almost as if we had stepped into a portal that had transported us into a little family restaurant in some street in Sarajevo.
Signage identifing the location of Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

The Ajvar that we started out with (a traditional condiment and spread made from pureed fire roasted sweet red bell peppers, here served with bread) is the consistentcy of how I model the adjika sauce that I made previously with burek (though thanks to the use of red chili peppers, adjika is much spicier).

Meanwhile, the Bosanski Sudzuk (a Bosnian Smoked Beef sausage with light garlic and other light spicing) sliced and decoratively arranged with pickled vegetables and Sopska (a tomato and cucumber salad with diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and cheese in light sour cream dressing) served as a second shared appetizer for us.

What you see is pretty representative of the starters that Drina Daisy offers, they only have 3 starters (2 meat, and the other is the Ajvar) and they only have 3 salads. The arrangement on the plates was simple and functional – the menu promises that “presentation varies by availability and mood”.
Bread with Ajvar, a traditional condiment and spread made from pureed fire roasted sweet red bell peppers at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Bosanski Sudzuk (a Bosnian Smoked Beef sausage with light garlic and other light spicing) sliced and decoratively arranged with pickled vegetables and Sopska (a tomato and cucumber salad with diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and cheese in light sour cream dressing) served cold at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Then our main dishes came in huge platters for the four of us- we had ordered 3 mains. The major types of entrees they have fall into a beef stew (the only type we didn’t get), stuffed cabbage leaves (either with beef or vegetarian), handmade pitas/pies with jufka (filo pastry), and a lamb platter.

Here, you can see the vegetarian entrees were placed together along with some green salads and various fruits: it was so old school style.
Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, Zeljanica and Sarma Sa Povrcem at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Zeljanica is a cheese pita of Jufka folded and baked around spinach, farm cheese mixed with eggs. They had a version without spinach (listed as Sirnica) and a version that included ground beef and onion (Burek).
Zeljanica, a cheese pita of Jufka folded and baked around spinach, farm cheese mixed with eggs at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

The favorite of the 2 vegetarian options was the Sarma Sa Povrcem, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Italian arborio rice and Vegetables and spiced with Mediterranean spices.
Sarma Sa Povrcem, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Italian arborio rice and Vegetables and spiced with Mediterranean spices at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Three of us also shared the Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two.
Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two. At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two. At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Finish off with Kafa, a Sarajevo style Minas coffee. Made and served as it was when Sarajevo introduced coffee to Europe in the 1500s. Made and served in traditional dzezva, includes mineral water, sugar cubes and lokum (a cookie). They also Baklava if you want an actual dessert option.

Kafa, a Sarajevo style Minas coffee. Made and served as it was when Sarajevo introduced coffee to Europe in the 1500s. Made and served in traditional dzezva, includes mineral water, sugar cubes and lokum (a cookie). At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Other unique beverage options include Cockta (a Yugoslavian soft drink produced in Slovenia flavored with 11 different herbs with dog-rose berry, vitamin C and caramelized sugar providing much of the flavor. No caffeine, no corn sweeteners or phosphoric acid) and Kiseljia, Bosnian Mineral water that can be mixed with their fruit syrups including strawberry, blueberry, and rose petal. A dozen Eastern and Central European beers and spirits and wines of Yugoslavia rounds out the beverage menu along with the regular teas and American sodas.

Have you been to Astoria? What was your favorite eats there?

Have you been to Drina Daisy, or had Bosnian food before?

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review, Travel Tagged With: #traveltuesday, Ajvar, astoria, Astoria dinner, Astoria eats, Astoria restaurants, Bosanski Sudzuk, Bosnian Food, Bosnian Mineral water, Cockta, Drina Daisy, dzezva, Eastern European Food, Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, Kafa, Kiseljia, Mediterranean food, Minas coffee, oregon coast, Sarajevo, Sarma Sa Povrcem, Travel Oregon, Travel Tuesday, Zeljanica

Nodoguro Hardcore Omakase Sushi

October 9, 2015 by Pechluck 9 Comments

I’ve written about Nodoguro extensively – I was lucky enough to hear from a friend about their very first pop-up, and for the past 1.5 years, have attended many of the pop up dinners at their space now next to Pastaworks on SE Hawthorne. Every 90 days or so they rotate out/in a new theme as the inspiration for their menu and their decor. However, last week was my first visit to their Hardcore Omakase Sushi dinners. And so this is a recap of that 21 course dinner.
Place setting at Nodoguro Hardcore Sushi Dinner Chef Ryan Roadhouse explains the various seafood in his display of the sushi to come, fresh from being picked up at the airport less than 24 hours before and sourced from Tsukiji and Fukuoka Municipal

At these dinners, Ryan chooses what the menu will be just like his themed nights (aka Omakase), but there is more of a focus on sushi, and it’s not your usual tuna and yellowtail, and there’s no imitation crab meat or anything with cream cheese or drenched in sauce in sight. Everything is dressed intentionally, but simply. Of the 21 courses, you get to see Ryan carefully slice the fish he has displayed on the platter at the beginning of the evening for about half the dishes.
Chef Ryan Roadhouse explains the various seafood in his display of the sushi to come, fresh from being picked up at the airport less than 24 hours before and sourced from Tsukiji and Fukuoka Municipal

Rest assured it is not a night of just raw seafood despite the “hardcore” in the name. Ryan includes many “snacks” before the sushi parade starts, and not all of the fresh seafood which he just picked up less than 24 hours before, ordered from Tsukiji and Fukuoka Municipal, comes in raw form.
Display of the sushi to come, fresh from picked up at the airport less than 24 hours before and sourced from Tsukiji and Fukuoka Municipal

The dinner menu if you attend will depend strongly on what was ordered, based on what is freshly caught at the market and if there are certain fish in season. In my visit, Sanma, or Mackerel Pike, an autumn silvery fish, was a feature that you won’t see long after the beginning of winter. (naturally in Japan, there’s a festival in celebrate the arrival of Sanma season). For the last course you get a chance to request a second helping of your favorite, so of course I went back for this specialty though without the rice, as excellent as it is (as covered in detail by Kyle Hildebrant here).

Nodoguro now is offering two Hardcore Omakase Sushi nights – Sundays and now Wednesdays, partially to help alleviate the response of the October Sunday nights selling out in 30 minutes. Make sure that you follow Nodoguro on Twitter and get on their email list on the Nodoguro website so you get a pre-announcement the day before of when the $120 ticket will go on sale on their website.

The ticket includes dinner but not tip or alcohol – and pretty much you should always get a Sake flight, though wine flights or by the glass are also available. I have never ever been disappointed, unlike some of the alcohol choices at other pop-ups. If I had not had a work call after my dinner (I was the last to leave at around 10 PM), I might have “helped” them finish their open bottles…
Wine and Sake options curated by Paul Willenberg for Nodugoro Hardcore Omakase Sushi night

I wanted seconds and thirds, or maybe the whole bottle of the delicious Johan Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir Petillant Naturel whose color was gorgeous, it was bubbly and effervescent sparkling, and very light and too easy to drink. Too easy. The Ohyama Big Mountain sake was fruity yet dry and I thought went with everything, another easy drinker.

Meanwhile, the yellower sake you will see in later photos is the Senkoma Koma Colt Sake had a much stronger maltier flavor that made it a sipper but I never tired of the depth of flavors unfolding as it warmed to room temperature that you will want to save to try tasting just a little sip with the dishes to compare what it can bring out in flavors.
Delicious Johan Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir Petillant Naturel Sake

Next week, I’ll be going to the themed dinner (Harajuku). But for now, without further blabbing like I always do, here is the food porn you are waiting for.

One

Teamwork plating Prince Edward oysters in mignonette atop ice by Mark Wooten and Colin Yoshimoto
Teamwork plating oysters by Mark Wooten and Colin Yoshimoto Colin Yoshimoto carefully adding mignonette to the oysters

Oysters first course at Nodoguro Hard Core Sushi Dinner Prince Edward Oysters and mignonette first course at Nodoguro Hard Core Sushi Dinner

Two

Tataki with 2 types miso: buckwheat and saikyo young white miso

Three

Monkfish liver tofu salmon roe yuzu

Four

Flash fried Japanese eggplant in cornstarch, with avocado and salt and yuzu juice

Five

Abalone steamed in seaweed atop that same seaweed plus abalone liver and uni
"Abalone

Six

Ryan plating geoduck with toasted matsutake sautéed miso butter. It still annoys me that you say “gooey duck” even though it’s spelled geoduck. This is the most attractive I have ever seen geoduck. It was also sorta fun for me because I know matsutake also has a long, um, tubular stem to see it with the geoduck.
"Geoduck Geoduck with toasted matsutake sautéed miso butter

Seven

Poached Monkfish liver over sea bream cured with kelp (Konbu jime), here with the Senkoma Koma Colt Sake

Eight

Kanpachi on aged soy – I’ve always like the pretty colors of pink and white in kanpachi, it’s sorta romantic <3

Nine

Tasmanian ocean trout, marinated 2 hours in soy sauce and finished with aged soy. This was my second favorite fish. Well, after Uni but I don’t count Uni as fish… it should be spread freely, like truffles on pasta or fries or well anything.
Tasmanian ocean trout Marinated 2 hours in soy sauce and finished with aged soy

Ten

Miyagi fresh wild scallop

Eleven

Wild Mackerel with ponzu aged soy and shiso underneath the fish
Wild Mackerel ponzu aged soy and shiso underneath fish

Twelve

Uni from Santa Barbara with shrimp

Thirteen

Giant clam with a little sea salt and yuzu

Fourteen

The grilled Sanma with grated red radish, my favorite of the night.

Fifteen

Yuzu, fresh Wasabi, salmon roe on rice

Sixteen

Mana with purple shiso flowers

Seventeen

Just eel that Ryan butchered himself and then prepared with Sansho Peppercorns. Fun fact, Sansho Peppercorns can have a tingly, slightly numbing sensation.

Eighteen

Hand roll with crab and uni. Oh man this was so good too, the crab was so buttery and then with uni, and the hand roll meant I got 4 bites out of it. How many favorites have I used so far – this would be numbered in the top 5.

Nineteen

Tamago. Look at those perfect layers of this Japanese omelette. F usually doesn’t eat eggs, but I told him he is going to have a hard time when we visit Japan in December. Besides now being able to eat natto, and eating things with red bean, when he tried tamago he finally understood what I meant that Japanese egg is better than European or American eggs – it’s much lighter.
Tamago. Look at those perfect layers.

Twenty

Miso soup

Twenty One

My encore that I requested was the Sanma with grated red radish

What do you think of what I had – would you have eaten them all? What do you think you would have liked the most? What is your favorite Japanese restaurant, and what is your favorite thing to order?

Ryan forming the sushi while Elena awaits serving it to a guest

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #foodiefriday, Abalone liver, Abalone steamed in seaweed, Colin Yoshimoto, Eel, Flash fried japanese eggplant, Giant clam with a little sea salt and yuzu, grilled Sanma with grated red radish, Hand roll with crab and uni, Johan Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir Petillant Naturel, Kanpachi on aged soy, Mana with purple shiso flowers, Mark Wooten, Miso soup, Miyagi fresh wild scallop, Monkfish liver, Nodoguro, Nodoguro PDX, Nodoguro Portland, Nodoguro Sushi, Noduguro Hardcore Omakase Sushi, Noduguro Hardcore Sushi, oysters, Oysters and mignonette, Oysters in mignonette, Poached Monkfish liver over sea bream, Prince Edward Oysters, salmon roe, Sansho peppercorns, Tamago, Tasmanian ocean trout, Tataki, Unagi, Uni, Uni with shrimp, Wild Mackerel ponzu aged soy and shiso underneath the fish

Happy Hour at Altabira City Tavern

September 25, 2015 by Pechluck 7 Comments

Happy Hour at Altabira City Tavern is the latest hot happy hour in Portland. Located at 1021 NE Grand Ave, it’s location makes it right next to the Max stop for the Oregon Convention Center and perfect after an event there or before or after something at the Moda Center a block or so away.

Located on the sixth floor of the boutique hotel Hotel Eastlund, it offers not just a hip indoor bar area that continues the contemporary cool look of the hotel inside, but also an outdoor rooftop patio to appreciate Portland sunshine and is ready for cooler weather with heaters and fire pits. Seating at the Altabira bar and patio are on a first come first serve basis, and this outdoor happy hour is a hit so expect to see lots of beautiful people along with the beautiful view!
Altabira City Tavern

Beware though that with it’s location so close the convention center, you can see a small rush of big groups looking to network and have a bite/drink around 5:45 or so when conferences typically end during a weekday, so the outside can get busy. But, there were plenty of seats for smaller groups still available at the bar.
Altabira City Tavern

The Happy Hour at Altabira is is Daily between 4PM – 6 PM. Here are some examples of what I’ve tried and adored from their happy hour menu:

$7 Pizza Special (half off from the regular Tavern Menu)
I was particularly enchanted with the Spinach, Walnut and Blue Cheese Pizza though the Roma Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pizza was also enjoyed. These pizzas are enough for 2-4 to share.
Altabira City Tavern's Happy Hour, Roma Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pizza

Don’t overlook the Citizen Baker Pretzel with Spicy Beer Mustard and Pimento Cheese if you want something small and it goes great with their big beer list that includes 14 beers and 2 ciders almost all from Oregon (1 was from California).
Altabira City Tavern happy hour special (also on their Tavern Menu) of Citizen Baker Pretzel with Spicy Beer Mustard and Pimento Cheese

A lot more messy but pretty tasty is the Smoked Chicken Wings which can be found on the Tavern Menu and also on the Dinner Menu though the best deal is of course at happy hour.
Altabira City Tavern happy hour special (also on their Tavern Menu) of Smoked Chicken Wings

More substantial happy hour offerings include an Altabira Cheeseburger on Brioche Bun and a Smoked Brisket Sandwich with Spicy Cole Slaw.

For cocktails, I tried Altabira City Tavern’s cocktail Sandia Mountain with Vodka, Fresh Watermelon Juice, Lemon and Lime and the Summer Squall with Coruba Dark Rum, Ginger Beer and Pineapple Juice. For happy hour, be sure to ask what the special cocktail of the day is – one time it was this tasty coconut cinnamon beverage!
Altabira City Tavern's cocktail Sandia Mountain with Vodka, Fresh Watermelon Juice, Lemon and Lime For happy hour at Altabira City Tavern, be sure to ask what the special cocktail of the day is, one time it was this tasty coconut cinnamon beverage

I also have tried some dinner starters:

Cornmeal Fried Local Oysters with Spicy Remoulade were light, crispy, perfectly executed (note: the photo is for a platter that is more than one order, it’s not an individual order).

Country Style Pork Pâté are a great appetizer as wellthat when I had it, had a crust around the pate of bacon. Yup. Note: the photo below is for a platter that is more than one order, it’s not an individual order).
Country Style Pork Pâté at Altabira City Tavern

It’s nice to see the Near SouthEast Side starting to come into it’s own instead of being just a bunch of generic convention center hotels. With the completion in the future of some high rise condos in the area, this is going to be a happening neighborhood that has the convenience of easy access to highway and public transit and some pretty sophisticated choices such as Altabira.

In walking distance/a stop or so away on the streetcar are neighboring hot restaurants like Renata, Kachka, Oso Market, Mirakutei, Simpatica, Nong’s Khao Man Gai, the bars of Coopers Hall for wine and Loyal Legion and White Owl Social for beer all to the south within 1 mile, and Reverend’s Nat’s, Upright Brewery, Ox Restaurant, Toro Bravo and more to the north within 1 mile makes this area by the Lloyd District an up and coming neighborhood.

Welcome Altabira City Tavern to the area, I believe many convention center goers are so happy to finally have a destination right here for them besides the usual chain, and they thank you!

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #foodiefriday, Altabira City Tavern, Altabira happy hour, Citizen Baker Pretzel with Spicy Beer Mustard and Pimento Cheese, cocktail happy hour, cocktails, cocktails with a view, Cornmeal Fried Local Oysters with Spicy Remoulade, Country Style Pork Pâté, dining by convention center, Foodie Friday, happy hour, Happy Hour at Altabira, happy hour pizza, happy hour portland, happy hour with a view, Hotel Eastlund, Oregon Convention Center, outdoor happy hour, PDX Cocktails, pdx happy hour, pizza, portland cocktails, Portland happy hour, portland view, rooftop happy hour, rooftop patio portland, Sandia Mountain cocktail, smoked chicken wings, Spinach Walnut and Blue Cheese Pizza, Summer Squall cocktail

A September Dinner at Farm Spirit

September 11, 2015 by Pechluck 4 Comments

I’ve had Farm Spirit on my wish list for quite a while since they first opened a few months ago in mid June, and recently for our wedding anniversary F and I enjoyed a Saturday evening 12 course dinner there.

Farm Spirit is completely vegan, and their dinners are purchased by ordering online a ticket to one of their 9 or 12 course chef’s choice dinner courses. The tickets prices listed already include a gratuity, though beverages are extra and you can choose from individual wine glasses to individual housemade non-alcoholic drinks, or a flight of either of those. The flights can be pre-purchased on the website, or you can order the flight or individual drinks at dinner and pay for them then.

Wednesday and Thursdays are 9 courses for $65, and Friday and Saturday nights offer 12 courses at $75. You arrive slightly before 7 PM which is when they open the doors for everyone. When they serve dinner they do so when everyone arrives and everyone gets their courses simultaneously, so don’t be late as you’ll hold everyone else up!
Outside of Farm Spirit at 1414 SE Morrison Street waiting for doors to open (they did around 6:50 for our 7pm dinner) The inside of Farm Spirit consists of 14 seats Inside of Farm Spirit, at seating. Chef Ricardo welcomes us at the door and explains the beverage program while Chef Tim is on the final prep of the first course. Wall behind the bar at Farm Spirit

The 14 seats inside Farm Spirit are right at a chef’s bar, which will remind you of a omakase bar such as the chef choice dinners at Nodoguro, or Holdfast. You get to watch them plate every course, which is pretty impressive as they plate the next upcoming courses on each side of the two induction burners in the center.

I was pretty excited because F, who is vegetarian, never accompanies me to these kind of chef’s choice fine dining dinners and has never had the experience of seeing chefs running the pass and the incredible art for the eye that these food plates offer besides culinary art for the palate. Also, he has a much better cameraphone than I do (Nokia Lumia 1020 vs my Samsung Galaxy S4) that is incredible at picking up light.
Seating at Farm Spirit Inside of Farm Spirit, at seating. Your placecards have your name from the reservation to indicate your seats. Chef Aaron Adams is working on the prep of the second course.

The chefs of Farm Spirit are serious about their food, and serious about service that includes placecards for your assigned seats, replacing napkins when a guest is on a bathroom trip, and changing out silverware a few times (but not every course – each seating has a silverware rest used for a few courses before the next swap).

At the same time, Farm Spirit has a very laid back, playful vibe. During the 3 hour dinner experience, we saw a little dancing, a little singing, and the dining soundtrack varied from Under Pressure to Safety Dance.
Front of Menu on September 5, 2015 at Farm Spirit Back of Menu on September 5, 2015 at Farm Spirit \

As you can expect at a farm to table restaurant like this, the menu changes based on the availability of what is at the Farmer’s Market or the various farms they buy directly from, which Chef Aaron Adams seems to be at pretty much everyday as he listed off seriously half a dozen markets and farms from where he sources his ingredients.

Alongside Chef Aaron is Chef Ricardo (who also is the man behind the handmade drinks and all fermentation be it pickles, kombucha or yogurt) and Chef Tim (tweezer master who also bakes the bread and is responsible for desserts), and the three men pow-wow every week to decide what the dishes will be.

But, here’s what we had on September 5th, 2015.

First Course

Smoked eggplant pureed with fennel jam on housemade bread
Housemade bread, a smoked eggplant pureed, fennel jam

As I enjoyed my Tempranillo for the night, F had ordered the homemade non-alcoholic beverage flight so Chef Rico poured the Watermelon Mint Juice as Chef Adam explained the course and the philosophy of Farm Spirit and where they source their food.
Chef Aaron Adams of Farm Spirit explains the philosophy of the restaurant and where he sources his ingredients Chef Ricardo pours the Watermelon Mint Juice, the first of the housemade non-alcoholic drink flight

Second Course

Celtuce, harukei turnips, peach puree, Soarer cucumber, fried walnuts

This was one of F’s two favorite platings because of the charm the plating of a plant made from plant. This was the dish Chef Aaron was adding the nuts when we first walked in to be seated as Chef Tim worked on plating the third course…

Third Course

Tomato Water, plums, herbs, basil oil, nasturtium capers, cherry tomatoes
Plating of Third Course by Chef Tim at Farm Spirit
As casual as Farm Spirit it, still felt too soon to be lifting bowls to our lips to drink every single drop of this course. Not sure we’d be shy the next time we have a bowl presented to us though.

Fourth Course

Summer Squash, ground cherries, arugula sauce, yellow tomato vinaigrette, calendula

You can’t help but admire what a pain this probably was to prep and plate but with such effect at the end. As Chef Aaron began to plate the next course (we saw the tomato leaves in sauce being warmed by him as we enjoyed this first squash course), Chef Rico finished plating with Chef tim this Summer Squash dish and shifted back to beverage director role as he poured the next homemade non-alcoholic drink, the Earl Grey Kombucha
Teamwork by Chef Tim and Rico in plating the Summer Squash, ground cherries, arugula sauce, yellow tomato vinaigrette, calendula Chef Rico pouring the Earl Grey Kombucha

Fifth Course

Squash Blossom stuffed with crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish
Squash Blossom crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish
Chef Aaron read everyone’s minds in explaining that yes, see, tomato leaves are totally edible and his 90 something year old grandmother has been eating them for decades.
Chef Aaron putting together the Squash Blossom crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish

Sixth Course

Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill

I think the Eggplant was just roasted, grilled, and smoked or some combination that involved more cooking than one fire element, despite being listed as simply eggplant on the menu. I loved how smoky the eggplant was, and the combination with coriander and pollen.
Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill

Seventh Course

Roasted (after Sous-Vide in aromatic herb bath) Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice
Roast Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice
Has a carrot looked so good before?

Eighth Course

Chanterelles, celeriac puree, chervil, onion cream, chard

We loved how creamy the celeriac puree is to give us richness in this dish. It was dramatic watching this plate begin to be plated given it started with Chef Tim literally firing each plate with a blowtorch.
Chef Tim just literally firing up the plates for the next course

There was a little too much chervil in this dish for my taste that threw off the balance of the dish, but still all the plates were scraped clean up and down the chefs bar. This dish was paired with the next homemade drink of the flight, Golden Beet Apple Ginger non-alcoholic beverage

Ninth Course

Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation
Chef Aaron painstakingly prepearing the Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation

Both F and I loved watching this plating happen since it was being done right in front of us by Chef Aaron and Tim as they painstakingly arranged each element, picking just the right ingredients down to watching Chef Aaron carefully consider which potato from the roasting pan to use.

Tenth Course

Candied Sungolds, basil, rye, olive oil semi-freddo

Finally, the dessert courses right? So full already… the pairing of homemade beverages for this course was the Melon Pear juice. This was another dish where I thought it was slightly off balance because of the intensity of the basil sauce, though I have to admire its color.

Eleventh Course

Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass

The white powder you see Chef Tim carefully plating with is olive oil powder. This and the next course were paired with Apple Fennel Thyme Scrub that is diluted a bit with soda water for effervescent bubbles.
Chef Tim plates the Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass course

Twelfth Course

Seascape Strawberries, aqua faba, lemon filbert cream, sorrel, hardy kiwis

We got to hear a little ode of love to aqua faba by Chef Aaron, who explained that this was a solidfier that can replace the traditional role of eggs in desserts – aqua faba is created from chickpea liquid, which means it is also gluten free and natural instead of a processed starch or gluten or soy. So that meringue you see up there on the plate – I could not tell the difference between one that would have traditionally been made from egg whites. So it definitely works and tastes right.

To finish, we were treated to a hot beverage service which included coffee or tea, and I went with the green tea. Chef Rico also gave us a little goodie bag of zucchini bread for us to remember Farm Spirit by later that night/the next morning.
Warm beverages to finish off the dinner at Farm Spirit - I went with tea while F went with coffee Chef Rico joyfully passes out his zucchini bread wrapped in white paper Chef Rico's Zucchini Bread A goodbye gift from Farm Spirit via Chef Ricardo's zucchini bread

We wanted to enjoy the food upon serving so that we could taste it at the peak of the intended temperature, but each plate was so gorgeous it was hard to limit myself to only 30 seconds of photo taking. I’m curious to see how Farm Spirit will find the upcoming winter where the produce variety dwindles from the summer and autumn bounty, and wish them all the best. I love the concept and the way they focus on really putting together unique flavor combinations. They really celebrate and show off that when you get the best product, you don’t need meat or dairy to enjoy deliciousness.

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