I have given a lot of love to Lardo in the past, in particular their Chefwich series which spotlights a collaboration with a local chef with a portion of the sales going to a charity near and dear to that guest chef’s heart. For December, the chefwich spotlight is to XLB‘ s Jasper Shen + Laura Tran. Together, they created a Char Siu Reuben that stars roasted Chinese pork, spicy cabbage, Swiss, XLB secret sauce on griddled rye bread.
Lardo PDX Chefwich with XLB – Char Siu Reuben
Oven and Shaker Chef Series: Ox’s Clam Chowder Pizza
I’ve covered during 2013 many sandwiches from Lardo, who have been doing chefwiches– that is chef collaboration sandwiches, each with a guest chef of another excellent restaurant in Portland. Recently in November, Oven & Shaker started doing a chef series in which there are collaborations with chefs for a special pizza option on the menu, and part of the proceeds for that pizza go to the charity of choice selected by the collaborating guest chef. Oven and Shaker schedule is for a beginning-end of the month rather than Lardo’s mid-month change-up. So the second pizza in this post is available until the end of December!
The first chef pizza at Oven & Shaker was in collaboration with Rick of Lardo, with the charity of choice for November being Ecotrust’s Farm to Schools. Together, they turned Lardo’s mortadella sandwich into pizza form with a Mortadella pie. This pizza started with an olive oil, oregano, and garlic base topped with provolone picante, Mama Lil’s peppers, and mortadella, and then was topped after the wood fired oven with shredded lettuce and dressing. It was a very meaty pizza. Sorry for the dark lighting!
This month, December, the collaboration chef is Greg and Gabrielle Denton of Ox with a Clam Chowder Pizza Pie with split bone marrow and jalapeno. Very indulgent.
Clearly the Oven & Shaker series is going after some signature dishes with each guest chef. Compare this with the famous Ox Clam Chowder soup…
Every visit I’ve also treated myself to one new cocktail. Both are still available on their current cocktail list. The first was a Kingdom of Walnut Cocktail, which has 2 oz Bols 1820 Genever + 1/2 oz Punt e Mes + 1/4 oz Nux Alpine Walnut Liquor + lemon oil. It is a strong drink.
The second for December was a refreshing Honey Basil Collins: loose third pint full of basil, + 2 oz vodka + 3/4 oz freshly pressed lemon juice + 3/4 oz house made clover honey syrup + 2 oz club soda. Of course, you can always go for the classic favorite from the cocktail menu (I don’t think anyone can dislike this cocktail), their Pineapple Trainwreck or Pepper Smash: I’ve had both before and covered them in previous blog entries.
I also can’t resist the fact that Oven and Shaker also offers the iconic Nostrana Radicchio Caeser. At happy hour they have a smaller portion for half price… and you can see the portion is still very generous. There are times I can’t stop thinking about this salad and just have to go have it. I don’t know what you’ll think of me when I admit I’m more likely to suddenly have the urge for this salad rather than anything with chocolate.
Which of these items sounds most interesting to you? What do you think of a pizza that comes with a big marrow bone in the center!? I didn’t have to share, so no worries about dividing the marrow bone with others for me.
The Lardo Chefwich Series is Back!
So, I covered during most of this year the 6 chefwiches of Lardo. Each month usually around the 15/16th, there would be a new collaboration sandwich on the menu between Rick Gencarelli of Lardo and a guest chef, aka, a chefwich. Each chefwich has been rotating into the Lardo menus (either of the two Lardo locations, Lardo West in SW downtown or in Lardo East in the SE) over the past 6 months. For all the chefwiches a portion of the proceeds benefited a charity of the guest chef’s choice, and each chefwich was a limited time sandwich offer, only available for a month. Each chefwich could also net you a stamp on the chefwich card, and if you collected them all it offered you VIP access to the Chefwich Party (though you can also purchase a ticket in- and the party brought back all the chefwiches all at one time for an ultimate chefwich faceoff!)! I covered all the previous 6 sandwiches here at this blogpost.
Well, the Lardo Chefwich party has come and gone, but the Chefwich series continues! Starting off with #7 and going to #13 apparently, which means the next chefwich party will be in May?
The chefwich series continues on by kicking off with The Chris DiMinno, formerly of Clyde Common. This sandwich has apparently been dubbed “Arthur Avenue Called” and is comprised of breaded chicken, marinara, mozzarella, parm sauce, soft hoagie… essentially a chicken parmesan. The charity of Chris’s choice is The Bicycle Transportation Alliance which works to promote bicycle use and improve bicycling conditions to make bicycling safe, convenient and accessible.
Update 12/17 The next chefwich is out: Adam Sappington of Country Cat‘s chefwich of a Cattail Creek Lamb Burger with smoked tomato jam, fennel slaw, and havarti cheese will benefit the Oregon Humane Society. Goddamit, Lardo you are making me a sandwich addict.
But let’s just get to the sandwich photo porn from chefwich #1 shall we?
Rick Gencarelli hasn’t just been collaborating on sandwiches however. Oven & Shaker is also now doing a chef series, but with pizzas. The first chef pizza at Oven & Shaker was in collaboration with Rick, and turned Lardo’s mortadella sandwich into pizza form with a Mortadella pie. This pizza started with an olive oil, oregano, and garlic base topped with provolone picante, Mama Lil’s peppers, and mortadella, and then was topped after the wood fired oven with shredded lettuce and dressing. Their schedule is different than Lardo’s by doing beginning-end of the month rather than Lardo’s mid-month change-up. Oven & Shaker doesn’t have a punchcard, but they also donate some of the proceeds to the collaborating chef’s charity of choice. Last month, November, it was Ecotrust’s Farm to Schools.
This month, December, the collaboration chef is Greg and Gabrielle Denton of Ox with a Clam Chowder Pie with split bone marrow and jalapeno. Clearly the Oven & Shaker series is going after some signature dishes with the guest chef. I’m planning to go there next week, so stay tuned!