Euphoric Portlandia

Euphoria is over and I am thankful that I actually got to enjoy the weekend with minimal stress.  I got to see some old friends, meet some new ones and celebrate a weekend filled with lots of wine and food.  I had a nice dinner Saturday night supporting my friends' restaurant Stella's Southern Bistro.  Chef Clay Miller (and new chef) from the much talked about Yardbird in Miami, James Boyce from the Cotton Row restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama were the guest chefs with Jason Scholz that night, but the home team proved to be my favorite of the evening.  My favorites were duck bacon on a sweet potato biscuit to start and a duo of rabbit; one buttermilk fried and the other a stuffed loin with African squash puree, Scarlett Queen turnips, grilled burgundy okra, and pickled coriander and bourbon barrel jus was the best course of the night.  This morning I have quite the food hangover from the lauded Sunday Supper last night, which is probably the best event of the weekend.  A family style event that has been graced with such notable chefs like Sean Brock from Husk, Joseph Linn from Blackberry Farm and last night Mike Lata from FIG.  Other great chefs from the event include whoever is the current chef at High Cotton, which this year longtime chef Frank Lee from Maverick Southern Kitchens lead the culinary team and Mike Davis from Terra restaurant in Columbia assisted in the event again and has done so for the third year now.  It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since I left my distributor job to work crush in Oregon.  It was this day a year ago that the news broke I was leaving RNDC.  The time has absolutely flown!  I have driven across country twice, traveled to some beautiful spots in the U.S. and achieved my goal of becoming a certified sommelier.  I am happier and less stressed than I've ever been, so needless to say it has been a good year.  

In August, my husband and I traveled to Portland to celebrate the marriage of one of my favorite people Rebekah Bellingham and her long time boyfriend Colby.  Family and friends gathered for the intimate garden party they planned for the most heartfelt ceremony filled with much love and joy.  I am happy that we were there to share this special day with them.  While we were there celebrating I got the official offer to go to work for Ben Arnold.  Honestly, I was shocked that I was offered the position because I had been out of the game for a while and really thought someone internally would get the job.  Until then, I didn't have a plan for what I was going to do but had considered going back to work harvest again or I was going to try to get a tasting room position in the Willamette Valley.  When this opportunity came up I was happy to explore it, and even happier that I got the job.  Sometimes things work out differently than you expect.  

Rebekah and I were fast friends from the start being the only two girls working harvest for R. Stuart & Co. in 2012.  On our second day we were to clean three of the stainless steel tanks by ourselves, only having been briefly shown how to do this the day before.  We didn't have it down, and were given very long instructions on how to do it the "right way" by the jack of all trades curmudgeon (deep down sweet) cellar master.  Fortunately we got through it and with lots of laughs.  Over our time working together we experienced even more laughs, and have shared many wonderful meals at the Stuart's house for harvest meals and many on our own with others in Portland.  She's such a great person inside and out and she also has such a great sense of humor.  Sharing lots of laughs and some tears, I am a better person for having her in my life and I miss her dearly.  She's introduced me to some fantastic people in the industry, all of which make the Oregon allure that much more for me. 

Portland will continue to be one of my favorite cities to visit until we move there one day.  I am confident that it will happen but it's not the right time and as with everything else, timing is everything.  If you ever find yourself in Portland or in McMinnville, there are numerous places to eat and drink but here are some that I've been to and absolutely love.  Honestly, I've never had a bad meal in the city. 

Portland
Ava Gene's-voted one of the best restaurants per Bon Appetit magazine 2013 and with good reason.  Delicious pasta dishes and notably a salami spread called nduja (pronounced IN-DO-YA).
Laurelhurst Market-Atypical Steaks and chops with wonderful sides.  Last visit we enjoyed fried green tomatoes with chow chow and crispy pork cheeks.
Tasty N' Alder-One of the hottest brunch spots in town.  Breakfast sandwiches, and fried potatoes done papas bravas style with eggs.  The 90's playlist had me dancing in my seat during breakfast. 
Por Que No-Tacos and Agua Fresca's in the Hollywood district.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters-Great coffee in town surrounded with great coffee roasters.  Hairbender is my favorite, especially blended with hazelnut milk.
Lardo-Killer sandwiches and best of all the "dirty fries" with lardons, fried herbs and hot peppers.
Clyde Common-Barrel aged cocktails and a great late night menu.
Tanuki-Sake and izakaya.
Pok Pok-Thai street food at its best.  The wings are fantastic as is the dungeness crab fried rice.
Aviary-Eclectic small plates.  I had crispy pig ears with Chinese sausages and rice that was fantastic.
Apizza Scholls-Monster sized pizza.
Oven & Shaker-Radicchio salad and thin crust pizza.
Le Pigeon-Highly awarded and much regarded restaurant. Get the tasting menu and you won't regret it.  We enjoyed rabbit pot pie with dijon ice cream and foie gras sponge cake with elderflower.  

McMinnville
R Stuart & Co. Wine Bar-enjoy some Rose d'OR or a glass of rose with pate or roasted cashews.
Nick's-Panzanella salad and pizza were my favorites.  THE place to see and be seen during harvest hanging out in the back room.  
Thistle-Great cocktails at the bar with the bar keep Patrick.  The interesting menu changes often and last time dining there was a great salad with Green Goddess dressing. 
Community Plate-love the breakfast here, especially the breakfast burrito and also sausage gravy biscuits.  They might be the best outside of the South that I've had.  Also, here is where I would get my hazelnut milk latte before going into work every morning.  
Las Ramblas-tapas done Pacific Northwestern style.

TBO Wine Pick of the Week #1

Since I have just started a new job this week I am going to incorporate a segment for my blog for weekly wine picks.  AND since I have a whole new portfolio of wines to play with, I have decided to choose one wine a week to write about.

Fall will soon be upon us, and what better way to celebrate cooler weather than by drinking Pinot Noir.  I never need a reason to enjoy a glass of this fabled and delicate varietal; it is after all one of the many reasons I took off to Oregon last fall. 

My first wine pick of the week is Sanford Winery Sanford and Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills California 2010.  Sta Rita Hills was officially established as an AVA in 2001 and located in dreamy Santa Barbara County.  Soil structures, microclimates, and East/West valleys that draw cool air from the Pacific come together to make the Sta Rita Hills appellation unique and one of the longest, coolest growing regions in all of California. Sanford winery is one of the oldest wineries in the area established in 1971, and, along with that fact, the winery was used in the filming of the movie Sideways (the film that catapulted Pinot Noir into stratospheric popularity).  Most importantly, Sanford winery can also boast quality production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay like their cult neighbors in the Sta Rita Hills such as Seasmoke and Brewer-Clifton, but has the benefit of being readily available and at a lower price tag.

With 2010 being a very challenging vintage for some producers of California Pinot Noir because of unusually cool weather and reduced yield, it did not pose a problem for Sta Rita Hills producers.  The 2010 Sanford and Benedict vineyard Pinot Noir is bold in style with luscious flavors of cola, rhubarb pie, overripe black cherries, savory herbs and spice.  Retails for around $60 a bottle and would be delicious paired with seared duck breast or wild boar sausage ragout.

If you want to read more about Sanford and Benedict Vineyard click link below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-jennings/sanford-benedict-story-of_b_3350715.html