Destination: Park Kitchen

Happy birthday to me. Danno took me to Park Kitchen for my birthday back in April. This is what I love about Portland...many of the dining establishments have seasonal menus! Living in Southern California helps one forget that there are actual seasons...it's always sunny, the leaves don't change colors and the sky, well, is always the same color (I won't say what color...).

This is not to say that So Cal restaurants don't have seasonal menus. Lucques (where I learned from the best) always has a Market salad and procures from the Santa Monica Farmers Market. But Portland has a strong Locavore movement. Maybe it's more apparent to me because Portland just isn't as expansive of an area as say, the Los Angeles Basin.

Anyway, on to Park Kitchen...it was a quiet night for them. This destination spot sometimes overflows with patrons waiting at the bar to be seating. That night, we were one of maybe four parties after 8pm. The previous Friday was apparently similarly unbusy but the Tuesday before was super busy. The economy is a crazy inconsistent creature.

Everything sounded so delicious that we decided not to decide and ordered the "Tasting Menu." It's the chef's selections for the day or night, as in our case. Let's start at the top...

Sizzling baby octopus...sauteed in butter, butter and more butter. The server recommended that we save the bread for last, in order to dip it into the buttery goodness at the bottom of the skillet. We listened to him the rest of the night.

Farm egg, braised leeks, nettles and duck ham...yeah, duck ham. I'm not the biggest fan of nettle but in combination with the creamy egg, tender leeks, and the flavorful duck oink, it was quite tasty.

You might not be able to tell, because I couldn't until I bit into it but that's a clam salad. Razor clams, celery root remoulade and ham to be precise. There was a surprising repetition of seemingly similar ingredients (clam, nettle, ham-ness) in the tasting menu but everything was refreshing. The julienned razor clam was tender and is warming me up to the larger clam's texture.

Nettle fettucini, saffron braised cipollini and clams was a surprise. I usually enjoy my smaller clams tossed in black bean sauce and my green pasta is usually spinach, so imagine my surprise when this plate arrived at the table. The fettucini was a tad more bitter than the standard green pasta but was nicely balanced by the mild cipollini onions.

Then we had Nic's sprouted salad with quinoa crunch. Apparently Nic is one of the cooks and grows sprouts in his garden. The salad reminded me of the Magic Mix from Jazzy Sprouts (sold at many So. Cal. farmers markets). The quinoa crunch was a thin, sweet cracker. It was simple and might have been my favorite part of the meal.

We finished the meal with a sticky date pudding with whipped yogurt and sesame and a rhubarb consumme, hibiscus, goat cheese panna cotta. I wasn't too crazy about the rhubarb or hibiscus but I loved the panna cotta. The other dessert ironically did not stick in my mind.

For us, the meal was definitely better than the dessert. It was a slow night for them so I hope that business picks up again for them this summer because it is a definite destination spot.

Yummy Romesco

When I was traveling in Spain, my first stop was Barcelona. That was where I first tasted a romesco sauce. It's a nut-based sauce that goes really well with the abundance of seafood in Catalonia, that northeast region of Spain.

I have such fond memories of that trip...I love to re-live some by making my own romesco. I like mine on the thicker side so that I can use it as a stuffing. I can always add more oil to thin it out into a dipping sauce.

Romesco Dressing
1 c. hazelnuts, toasted
1 c. almonds, toasted
3 cloves garlic, rough chop
3 ancho chilis, soaked in warm water until soft, then seeded and patted dry
1 TBL smoked paprika
2 c. roasted tomato
3 1" thick slices of bread, fried in oil or toasted
3 c. olive oil
2 TBL parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
salt, to taste

In a heavy saute pan, heat 3 TBL oil and cook chilis for 5 mins. In food processor, blend nuts, garlic, bread cubes by pulsing the machine. When ground together, add chilis and pulse for another min. Then add roasted tomato and parsley. With machine running, slowly add enough of the remaining oil to make a smooth emulsion. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt.

Use less chilis and/or paprika if too spicy.

Buen Apetito!

Memories of Those Passed

It's strange that as I get older I know of more people dying. Maybe it's because when I was 6 y.o. I only knew maybe 30 people. Now, 30-some-odd years later, so many more people have touched my life.

Mama Lee's mama (my grandmother) passed away earlier this week and the father of my good friend, Rose, passed last week Thursday.

My grandmother lived in China, Hong Kong, and Canada, raised four kids mostly on her own, and could seriously crochet. How different her life was from mine. Unfortunately I didn't know her very well since she lived in Canada all my life. Neither of us traveled back and forth much and my Cantonese is so bad that telephone calls were awkward at best. I do remember the times that we did spend together...I remember a lot of dim sum, some serious snoring on her part, and when we were all in Vancouver for the World's Fair in '86, she complained about how expensive high tea was at some she-she hotel in Victoria. She, like my mother, would have rather had dim sum.

Rose's dad, Bob, was a very sweet man. I was fortunate to spend time talking and eating (of course) with him that week before Rose's wedding. He grew rubies for industrial use, invented some sort of dongle for ultrasound machines, and professed many things that are outside my realm of scientific understanding. Selfishly, I am most grateful to him for helping bring Rose, my spicy foodie sistah, into my life.

Many are sad because of your parting, Yu Sau and Bob, but effects of your lives will be felt for the rest of eternity. Thank you.

"My Beloved" Artichoke Hearts

Back in the 70's, I remember making salads with my dad. After spinning the freshly washed lettuce in our salad spinner, slicing cucumbers and carrots, and shaking the Good Season's Italian dressing package with vinegar, water, and oil, we would toss in a small jar of Cara Mia marinated artichoke hearts.

The hearts were always a treat. We didn't always have them because, well, they were expensive. It doesn't seem like that much of a precious treasure now that you can get a gallon jug of them...well, maybe not a gallon, but 32 oz is a lot...at Costco.

What I like to do nowadays is marinate them myself. They are really fresh if you cook your own baby artichokes but that just feels like a lot of waste. It's a lot of time and artichoke scraps for not a lot of return when you can get nice 'choke hearts from the freezer. I prefer the freezer chokes to the can because they have less of that can aftertaste and no salt.

Marinated 'Chokes
8-9 oz frozen artichoke hearts
3/4 c vinegar (white or apple cider)
1/4 c water
4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
1 TBL salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne (depends on how hot you want it)
oil, enough to cover (olive, grapeseed)
1 qt jar w/lid (preferably mason)

1) Completely thaw artichoke hearts.
2) Place in 1 quart jar.
3) Combine vinegar, water, garlic, salt, dried herbs (lightly crushed), and cayenne in small saucepan. Bring to boil.
4) Pour hot liquid over artichoke hearts in jar.
5) Let sit for 10 mins then pour in mild oil to cover artichokes.
6) Cover. Shake. Refrigerate.

Good for up to 3 weeks...if they last that long!

Quiches Without Borders

When I was in Weight Watchers earlier in the millennium, one of the tricks to lower calorie desserts during the holidays was to bake a crustless pumpkin pie.

Pie crust is typically white flour, fat (butter, lard, shortening), and a little bit of cold liquid (I know a person who uses vodka). So you remove that and use fat-free condensed milk, all of a sudden you have a low-fat dessert (there's still of couple of eggs in the mix so it's not fat free).

What's the fun of eating a pie without crust, you ask?

Well, maybe you're gluten-sensitive or you're trying to lose weight but still want some of the goodies or you just don't like that crumbly crust...there are a number of reasons.

For me and my Quiche Without Borders, I just didn't want to deal with pie crust when making individual sized quiches. With mini quiches/tarts, there's always such an overwhelming percentage of crust that you don't experience with a slice from a regular 9-incher.

I don't recommend removing the crust from any recipe that requires a double crust (like an apple pie) because it requires that type of enclosure to help retain it's juiciness. But any single crust-er that holds its own shape (pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, quiche) will be just fine.

Spinach and Artichoke Heart Quiche
1-1/2 tsp, olive oil
1 oz, onion, small dice
2 eggs, beaten
4 fl oz, heavy cream
4 fl oz, milk
pinch, fresh nutmeg
6 oz, frozen spinach or 1/2 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned & stemmed
1 c., artichoke hearts, frozen (thawed) or canned

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Heat oil in saute pan. Add onions. Cook until translucent (2 mins).
3. Add spinach. When spinach wilts add artichoke hearts and heat for 2 mins.
4. Remove from heat and squeeze out all moisture. Roughly chop spinach and artichoke hearts.
5. In mixing bowl, beat eggs, cream, milk, and nutmeg.
6. Add veggie mix to egg mix. Stir gently to incorporate.
7. Pour mixture into 9" pie pan or 4-6 smaller, oven-proof dishes. They will puff up so do not overfill.
8. Bake at 350*F 20-30 mins, until set.

I love eggs. Enjoy!

Vanessa Hates, I Mean, "Loves" Exercise

Ok, folks. I just downloaded pix from a wedding I went to last month. Pretty much one year after my own. The photos were shocking. I am a bit fluffier this year than I was last. I blame it on the cold weather of winter in the northwest...I mean, I need insulation. It freakin' snows here. But it has gotten me thinking about exercise.

What does this have to do with food? Well, I have to practice what I preach. Back in the day, I used to teach cooking and, uh, NUTRITION classes. I want to get back into that. I was healthier back then. Maybe it was because I wasn't eating as decadently. Or maybe it was because I was planning a wedding, going to culinary school, teaching cooking classes, writing grants, working in a restaurant, and walking a dog.

Nowadays, I'm only doing one of those things. I'm not saying which.

So I had a birthday a couple days ago. You'll see the delicious morsels from that dinner soon. But in this next year of life, I vow to exercise enough to support my extravagant foodie lifestyle. If I don't, at the rate I'm going, I believe I'll be considered obese in the next two years. Yikes!

We should all exercise anyway, right?

I say it to you, my loyal readers, I will exercise 30-60 mins, 3-5 times a week. It's springtime anyway. I should be outside doing something. Who will join me? Well, virtually anyway....

Gourmet Doughnuts??

Can there be such a thing as a gourmet doughnut? Probably not...to be considered gourmet requires food to be of high quality ingredients, prepared accurately, and presented artfully. Doughnuts will always come in a flimsy paper box or bag. If it didn't, I don't think it would actually be a doughnut anymore.

Voodoo Doughnuts does a great job being artful and delicious...but it's still a doughnut from a paper bag after all. But don't let that fool you. Vooddoo is not like any other doughnut shop. They do weddings as well. I am a lover of the fried pastry but I guess I'm not that much of a fanatic. I would choose our lovely museum courtyard wedding over having it in a large pink building full of fried dough any day.

There is actually a doughnut called the "Voodoo Doughnut" which is in the shape of a person...or doll...with a mini stick pretzel in it. At the time of the visit, I was too full for my own doughnut. Leave it to Danno to get an friggin' apple fritter. Don't get me wrong it was delicious, apple-y sweet, and fluffy.

I remember when I was in high school...I would sometimes stop at the donut shop on Charter Way to get a doughnut on the way to school. I think it was a Yum Yum Donut. I would get one of three: chocolate bar, maple bar, or glazed twist. But with doughnuts like: Grape Ape (raised doughnut with vanilla frosting and grape powder), Dirty Snowball (chocolate cake doughnut covered with pink marshmallow glaze and surprise filling), and The Memphis Mafia (chocolate chips, banana, peanut butter and glaze)...I kinda wanted to try something not-so-traditional here.

The fried goodness of Voodoo cannot easily be described. The variety and creativity of the menu is enough to get you to stop by and look into that rotating case. You'll be mesmerized and ingest a full day's worth of calories in one sitting. But it's really worth it. The traditional doughnuts are outstanding and all their specialty doughnuts will knock your socks off, no matter what kind of sweet you desire.

There's something for everyone--even our vegan friends!


Voodoo Doughnuts
22 SW 3rd Ave.
Portland, OR 97204
Tel: 503-241-4704
Open 24 Hours!

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Voodoo Doughnuts Too
1501 NE Davis
Portland, OR 97232
Tel: 503-235-2666
Open only 21 hours: 6:01am - 2:59am