Farm Spirit Winter 2019

Farm Spirit recently moved into a larger space that offers table dining now and double the capacity for guests, more seatings in terms of different times, and with a larger kitchen that boasts new capabilities like fire (literally they only used hot plates before to work cooking magic). When they finally opened their new space on 1403 SE Belmont St I quickly snapped up seats for F and I for our visit to check it out. Here’s a look at the Farm Spirit Winter 2019 menu during our meal in January.
Farm Spirit Winter 2019 Farm Spirit Winter 2019

As always, to dine at Farm Spirit you purchase reservations and prepay ahead of time. You will not know the menu until you arrive and are shown to your seat, but expect it to be 100% vegan and what Chef Aaron Adams calls “Cascadian Cuisine” which uses modernist techniques with everything plant based he can find within 100 miles. He also focuses on as little waste as possible, using every part of the plant he can. Even some of the plates are sourced locally from local makers.
Farm Spirit, an all vegan restaurant, Farm Spirit Winter 2019 menu Farm Spirit, an all vegan restaurant, Farm Spirit Winter 2019 menu

Since they source mostly locally depending on availability and season expect dishes to change. Because it is winter, a lot of the techniques used for the food involved dehydration and rehydration to remove and add textures and flavors.

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Matt’s BBQ Tacos

I was literally squeeing— squeeeee!! — earlier this week on Tuesday when I saw the news that Matt’s BBQ is opening up a taco cart probably sometime next month in March 2019. I had a chance to enjoy Matt’s BBQ Tacos when they did a pop up with Shipwreck back in 2017, and they were legit the best breakfast tacos I ever have had. I can’t wait to have more.

Shipwreck PDX at Chalino with Matt's BBQ in November 2017 featuring cocktails and Matt's BBQ Tacos Shipwreck PDX at Chalino with Matt's BBQ in November 2017 featuring cocktails and Matt's BBQ Tacos featuring breakfast tacos such as a Basic Taco with scrambled egg, potato, cheddar; Brisket Taco with scrambled egg, potato, cheddar, brisket; Sausage Taco with scrambled egg, potato, cheddar, and jalapeno cheddar sausage; Mushroom Taco with scrambled egg, potato, cheddar, smoked mushrooms; and a Pork Belly Taco with black beans, cotija, tomatillo salsa, and pork belly

Since then Portland’s BBQ prince Matt Vicedomini has already launched Eem Portland with food friends Eric Nelson of Shipwreck PDX and Earl Ninsom (of Langbaan, Paadee, Hat Yai), a brick and mortar restaurant of Thai and BBQ mashup on North Williams. I had been hoping that maybe breakfast tacos might pop up there now and then at Eem to re-live this previous popup, but this news is even better. The Matt’s BBQ Tacos will be a food cart on SE Hawthorne, and though I don’t know for sure what the menu will offer, here are some possibilities…

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Gado Gado Portland Breakfast

I have been a fan of Gado Gado Portland, a PDX popup featuring Southeast Asian food, by Thomas and Mariah Thomas Pisha-Duffly over the past year. Their food menu has varied drawing inspiration from all over Asia but usually with nods towards Indonesia from which inspired their Portland popup name. I was thrilled that now they are working on a brick and mortar restaurant home in the Hollywood Neighborhood for spring. Until then they are still a pop-up and probably will be testing out what will go on the menu for their anticipated dinners and brunches. I think the recent Gado Gado Portland Breakfast at Guilder during the past MLK weekend was just the start of seeing what people have interest in.

Gado Gado Portland Breakfast pop up at Guilder during MLK weekend 2019 Gado Gado Portland Breakfast pop up at Guilder during MLK weekend 2019

I’m always excited to see Asian breakfasts. I never thought that Portland would fall in love with Chinese breakfast – but Master Kong has brought congee and jian bing crepes into the common food vocabulary here in PDX so there’s a real chance to expand beyond our donuts or biscuits and gravy and into more types of international breakfast options. Having Gado Gado Portland Breakfast will be a popular standby for me when they open, whether or not the breakfast items I had a chance to try will all be there. The recent pop up included

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Portland Dumpling Week 2019 Picks

Once again this year the Oregonian has organized Portland Dumpling week 2019, this year extending from February 1 – 9 2019. Featuring more then 30 restaurants all over Portland, this event offers limited time only dumplings available at each participating restaurant only for this week. Then after consuming the dumpling you can collect a dumpling sticker specifically from that establishment to add to your Dumpling Week passport.

Dumplings from Dough Zone Gnocchi from the Nightwood
These are dumplings to get you in the mood… not representative of Portland Dumpling Week 2019 dumplings since I haven’t had any yet… Dumpling possibilities are from around the world, both east and west!

I’ve been eating dumplings and crawling through multiple dumplings a night since the first annual dumpling week. With the 36 possible different dumplings I know I can’t visit them all, even when sharing dumplings with good friends of a dumpling crawl. I curate a list based on unique offerings of dumplings listed to use as my wishlist, making sure to get a variety of dumplings from around the world, many from restaurants and chefs I trust will offer a delicious dumpling dish, and then some that just are unique. I will update the listings with photos of dishes when I have them, and may add or remove based on what reviews I may hear during the week.

Updated 2/3/2019

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Nodoguro Supahardcore 2019

Although I don’t recap my visits to Nodoguro like I used to on this blog (just search on Nodoguro for previous posts), I still make sure to visit Nodoguro a few times a year. At this point Nodoguro is well revered as a significant contributor to the Portland food scene both in local PDX media and nationally with raves ranging from Bon Appetit, Condé Nast Traveler and more, with tickets selling out quickly. But I decided to do this one of my recent visit of Nodoguro Supahardcore for some of my foodie friends who I attended the dinner with, and to show some updates on the parade of Supahardcore courses that has happened over the years. So let’s drool on together, shall we?

Doors opened 30 minutes before the dinner seating – I like arriving around this time to get settled after they take your coat and umbrella and order an initial drink to start with and hang out in the lounge doing catch-ups with your dining companion or meeting the new dining companions who will be with you on at the 16 seat counter tonight. The selfie photos are courtesy of Elizabeth and her selfie stick, thanks for sharing E!

After we were all ushered to be seated (they will have seats for your party in mind based on the various party sizes that night), we had a chance to take a look at the A5 Wagyu and its certification before it will be prepared in three different ways, three different courses tonight. Oh that beautiful marbling.
My experience at Nodoguro Supahardcore 2019 - worth the price for the multiple high quality courses and A5 Wagyu Beef My experience at Nodoguro Supahardcore 2019 - worth the price for the multiple high quality courses and A5 Wagyu Beef

And now onto dinner…

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