Laurie Wolf - Portland, Oregon Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes From The City Of Roses

Portland, Oregon Chefs Table celebrates the food and culture of what the New York Times calls the citys Golden Age of dining and drinking. The citys food scenelargely a celebration of the farm-to-table movementhas grown and evolved tremendously in the last five years, with an abundance of local farms, fisheries, and small beef, lamb, and pork producers providing the citys iconic restaurants with a wide array of locally grown deliciousness.

Portland, Oregon Chefs Table is the first cookbook to gather Portlands top chefs and restaurants under one cover. With over seventy recipes for the home cook from more than sixty of the citys most celebrated restaurants and showcasing stunning full color photos from award-winning photographer Bruce Wolf, featuring mouth-watering dishes, famous chefs, and lots of local flavor, Portland, Oregon Chefs Table is the ultimate gift and keepsake cookbook for both the tourist and the Portland local.

2012 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

All interior photos by Bruce Wolf unless otherwise noted.

Project editor: David Legere
Text design: Elizabeth Kingsbury
Layout: Nancy Freeborn

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-0-7627-7810-2

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Restaurants and chefs often come and go, and menus are ever-changing.
We recommend you call ahead to obtain current information before
visiting any of the establishments in this book.

For Nick, who has put up with my challenges moving into the age of technology with kindness and humor, maybe not in that order.

For my husband, Bruce, it seems like both a week and an eternity that we have known each other. Thanks for all the good times and good photos.

And to Olivia, who is the person in my life who has stretched me the most, whose determination and bravery have changed my parenting philosophy over and over again. She is an amazing, challenging, and joyous addition to all our lives. There is no stopping her: She is an inspiration.

For someone who feels about cooking and dining the way I do, this book has been perhaps the perfect project. It has allowed me to explore the food scene here in Portland in great depth, seeing the restaurants during the nonpublic times of dayduring the deliveries, the setting up of the tables, the bread slicingand the personalities of all the people who come together and make these extraordinary restaurants possible. We photographed during the weeks leading up to the James Beard awards, when there was a buzz of excitement and nerves. We were in the kitchens the days when the word got out that some favorite haunts had closed and when new places had their soft openings. During a very chilly and rainy May, we were there to hear talk of how the weather needed to change to get the tables outside, and when it would be warm enough to start getting the local berries that rule the summer menus.

Portland is a very manageable city. It is easy to get around; there is little traffic; and there are few people, if any, who are too busy to give an interview or to help carry equipment from the car to the restaurant. And as insignificant as it may sound, we have been able to park in front of every restaurant we photographed.

This book is filled with over a hundred terrific recipes. All of the chefs have been incredibly generous with the dishes they have allowed me to include. I did not expect to get the crust from Random Order, the matzo ball soup from Mothers, or the sugo from Caffe Mingo. I could go on. I am deeply indebted to every restaurant and shop we visited, where everyone from the head chef to the people washing the dishes was helpful, warm, and hospitable. I envy all of these people in the kitchens and farms; they are in the middle of something huge and wonderful.

Writing this book has made me a differentand I think betterchef. I love that. I hope that everyone who owns a copy of Portland, Oregon Chefs Table puts it to frequent use, lets it get a little food stained, and even turns back some corners. My favorite cookbooks are the ones that get the most worn, which is how it should be.

My editor at Globe Pequot, Katie Benoit, might possibly be the nicest and most upbeat person in the world. She is brilliant at saying what she wants and responding with such warmth and positive energy that I want to give her the best book in the world. And to Janice Goldklang, who has made this whole thing possible, a thousand thanks for your kindness and humor.

To thank everyone who helped, I would need to include a list of hundreds of names. There are, however, some people who gave extra time, advice, and expertise and clearly need to get an individual shout-out. For Andy Ricker and Kurt Huffman, many thanks for the suggestions and the door openings. For the guys at Victory Bar, Yoni Laos and Eric Moore, you made things ever more delightful and delicious. Bette Sinclair offered a wealth of information and helped us connect with a host of places. Bruce Carey gave us his time and his firsthand knowledge of the history of the PDX food scene. Same goes to Michael Cronin, who was a wealth of knowledge and city lore. Jenn Louis and David Welch, of Lincoln and Sunshine Tavern, were always ready to help and were nourishing spiritually as well as culinarily. Gabriel Rucker was patient and adorable when Bruce photographed him cooking during actual service in his tiny gem of a restaurant, Le Pigeon. Megan Henzel of Roost and Tracy Olson of Random Order provided much needed sustenance during this delicious journey. John Taboada of Navarre and his lovely wife, Giovanna, shared with us some great restaurant suggestions, as well as smart and interesting stories filling out the Portland food scene. Dayna McErlean and her son Bishop made our trips to their amazing world of wonderful Yakuza energy, beauty, and food fun.

To all the farmers and ranchers, winemakers (special thanks to Ron and Lynn Penner-Ash) and beer brewers, bread bakers and kitchen cleaners, suppliers of everything food-related, thank you for being willing to do the very hard work, setting an example throughout this country of your commitment and dedication despite not always getting the kudos you deserve. To my friends Freddi Greenberg, Ellen Shea, and Pam Abrams, thank you for your help and support and for being willing to read something over just one more time when I was feeling creatively challenged or insecure. To the Ovist family, you have no idea how much I needed Mallory. And if you are lucky, you will get to observe one of Ms. Yeomens fun demos at one of the local Farmers Markets.