I generally attend the Bite of Oregon to support Special Olympics, check out the Oregon Chef’s Table which usually has more complex flavors piled into affordable bites ($4 tickets this year), and taste wine. Here are a few photos from this year’s 2013 event, when I attended on Sunday.
Not pictured, us enjoying listening/watching Finn Doxie jam, which is why we picked Sunday as our day to visit.
Some BBQ in progress at Adam’s Rib Smokehouse from Salem. The smell of smoke and meat is so intoxicating! I feel like I could just stand there and smell it for hours. Clearly I can never be vegetarian.
Cupcake Vineyards had a tasting truck (offering samples of a few of their Cupcake whites and reds) and Live Deliciously lounge. I need to name my house this.
Thanks for the free tastes Chobani, it was yummy, I love that there were such different combinations of flavors, and it was awesome to have a healthy snack.
Oregon Bounty Chef Table, a dish of buffalo mac and cheese with grilled seafood cake, thanks Seafood Oregon Commission.
Pinot Noir braised Oregon beef on polenta with greens from the Oregon Bounty Chef Table, thanks Oregon Beef Council
Another bite from the Oregon Bounty Chef Table, thanks to the Oregon Potato Commission: Oregon Potato Confit Puree with Pomegranate Demi Glaze, Garnished with Braised Pork Belly and Baby Arugula
Dessert: Oregon Blackberry & Raspberry Commission’s Oregon Marion Berries on Nitro with Fruit Compote & Cookie!
Gabriel Rucker did a cooking demo on the day I went. He introduced that although his main restaurant is known for its richness and usage of meat, he always has one of the six dishes always be vegetarian. But, it is important to him that the veg dish always be delicious and equal to his meat dishes as well. Thus, for the demo he was cooking a vegetarian entree dish of bbq glazed celery root with beaujolais from his new cookbook, Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird which is releasing on September 17.
As he prepared it for us, he talked about how his philosophy of food focuses on playing with the flavors of of salt, fat, and acid, and how he thought Katz vinegar was a game changing ingredient. At home, he’s surprisingly simple- just one cooked item, and a salad are his go to meal combo, and he adores radishes. Besides the steaky celery root slices, he also did demo preparing a grilled curry lamb chop with watermelon and radish salad, based on a watermelon showing up the restaurant so he decided to “wing it”. Oh, Gabe, you and your bird thing (his restaurants are Le Pigeon and Little Bird Bistro). You can get a glimpse of the lamb in the middle photo below… which later would end up on the floor when it decided it didn’t want to stand up to sear on the grill!
Seeing Gabe reminded me I have it on my wishlist to return to both Le Pigeon and Little Bird Bistro- I haven’t been back to either for probably a couple years. Anyone else interested in joining me?
