MIX Magazine May 2012

portland, May/June 2012 eat • Drink • get Out • get together

Best brunches,fish brunches, fish markets,meat-friendly markets, meat-friendly wines eat like a caveman • tour Beervana by bus hand-forged knives • piscos worth pouring

fire up the grill Mouthwatering recipes using grass-fed beef, p27

the ins and outs of buying a whole hog, p35 Chefs and winemakers grill up a feast, german-style, p20 MAY/JUNE 2012

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editor’s note Here it is, the age of Meatless Mondays and mainstream veganism, and we’ve put together an entire issue that goes against the prevailing trends. Does that mean we’re anti-plants? Probeef-council? Flagrantly thumbing our noses at the “Eat food. Mostly plants” credo? Not at all. We embrace all categories of food here at MIX, from tempeh to tri-tip, but we especially love the foods produced in our own backyard.

And it just so happens there’s a lot of meat in our backyard, or, to be more precise, the lush pastures scattered throughout our state. Families with just a few acres or more than a few hundred are hard at work raising animals sustainably and humanely, just a short drive from our doorsteps.

Out in Dundee, the Ortloffs at Worden Hill Farm fatten up their happy heritage hogs on premium scraps from local restaurants and farms. Elsewhere, Want to be sure you families are raising get every issue of MIX? feed-lot-free, grassSubscribe! fed cattle so we can 10 issues, $20 enjoy our steaks and Go to mixpdx.com roasts with an extra or call 503-221-8240.

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helping of omega-3s and a little less guilt.

That’s why this issue celebrates the hardworking people keeping us well-fed, and serves to guide you in making the most of the meat they provide. On Page 35 we’ll explain the benefits of buying your meat directly from the farm — including access to cuts you won’t find at the supermarket. After all, if you truly want to honor the animal, you have to use every part. (Don’t worry.

We have recipes.)

And if it’s steak you crave, it doesn’t get much better than grass-fed. If you think this super-flavorful meat is too tricky to grill, we happily dispel the myths and offer tips and lip-smacking recipes on Page 27. For even more grilling inspiration, there’s the über-German schwenker grill, currently available only to DIY-ers with a blowtorch, unfortunately. But if that’s you (or even if it’s not; you can fake it with a regular grill), feast your eyes on Barnaby and Olga Tuttle’s party, complete with a chef-studded guest list and a vast selection of

bottles from their Teutonic Wine Co. We also pick our top five fish markets, profile a local knife-maker (because your local, artisan meats deserve to be cut with a local, artisan knife), examine a protein-packed eating regime that’s making waves, and offer five grill-friendly wines to keep stocked in your cellar this summer.

Non-meat eaters, we haven’t forgotten you. We have beer tours, pisco picks, hot brunch spots and great cheese. So, no matter what your dietary predilection, there’s something for everyone in these pages. Consider it your kick-start to summer.

Danielle Centoni, editor dcentoni@oregonian.com PHOTOGRAPH BY ROSS WIllIAM HAMIlTON

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20 GrILLInG, GerMan-StYLe Winemakers and chefs gather around a swinging schwenker

27 raISInG the SteaKS Recipes for grass-fed beef you can’t wait to get on the grill

35 the WhOLe hOG

The virtues of buying an animal share direct from the farmer

In everY ISSue 11 StarterS: Chef-y ice cream, Must-have cookbook, Old-school beer, todd Coleman’s take on PDX 14 raDar: Where to go and what to do in May and June 17 I.D.: Knife-making blacksmith arnon Kartmazov 18 GOOD fOr YOu: What the Paleo plan is all about

40 GOOD CheeSe: how harbison cheese revitalized an industry

47 SCene: 12 weekend brunches to wake up early for

41 WIne: Laurelhurst Market’s Melissa radke picks five grill-friendly wines

52 hIGh fIve: Our favorite fish markets

43 MIXMaSter: It’s time to give pisco its due 45 PubCraWL: hop on the brewvana bus

On the COver: Swing low: Marinated rabbit and lamb cook to perfection as they gently rock on barnaby tuttle’s schwenker grill.

PhOtOGraPh bY ranDY L. raSMuSSen

thIS PaGe: Sitting poolside, with a plate of juicy, grassfed coulotte steak and vibrant fattoush salad.

PhOtOGraPh bY rOSS WILLIaM haMILtOn

MIX is 10 issues a year! It’s easy to subscribe online — go to mixPdx.Com and click on “subscribe.” You can also find past articles, restaurant reviews and all our recipes at mixpdx.com, so get clicking and start eating.

where to find the reCiPeS in thiS iSSUe: EntrEEs • Coriander Sumac-Rubbed Coulotte With Fattoush, p32 • Mixed Grill Piri Piri, p34 • Rib-Eye and Grilled Romaine With Hot Tomato Vinaigrette, p29 • Swinging Pork Steaks (Schwenkbraten), p23 • Tequila-Lime Bavette Carne Asada, p31 SidE diSHES • Braised Leeks With Mustard Cream and Thyme, p24 • Quinoa Salad With Spring Vegetables and Walnut dressing, p25 DEssErts • Rhubarb Upsidedown Cake, p26 • Buttermilk ice Cream, p26 Drinks • Heaven’s Kickback, p44 • Pisco Sour, p44

OnLIne eXtraS at mixPdx.Com: • Find out where to buy Melissa Radke’s grillfriendly wine picks • Get david Kreifels’ recipe for Grilled Baby Romaine With Green Harissa • Use the whole hog to make Scrapple, Pork Cracklin’ Spread and Morcilla sausage • Cook Gregory Gourdet’s powerpacked dinner of Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Kale With Ginger Vinaigrette

L AST CHANCE!

MARK ROTHKO CLOSING MAY 27

COMING SOON! CALIFORNIA IMPRESSIONISM selections from the irvine museum

JuNe 16 – SepteMber 16 Mark Rothko, No. 14, 1951, Oil on canvas, © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/Artist Rights Society (ARS); John Hubbard Rich (1876– 1954), The Idle Hour, 1917, Oil on canvas, Courtesy of The Irvine Museum.

Comfort is . . . putting the world on standby.

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Writer leslie Cole lived in Germany years ago, but it took a Portland winemaker to introduce her to the schwenker, a swinging barbecue contraption beloved

by Germans in and around the Mosel Valley. As cool as the grill was at Barnaby and Olga Tuttle’s late spring barbecue (Page 20), the real fun, she says, was watching some of the city’s top food professionals hang out, chase their toddlers, make jokes and sip wine. In true Portland spirit, the weather was dodgy, the mood open and welcoming, and the food exceptional. Cole, a former staff writer at The Oregonian and a contributor to MIX, is communications manager at Grand Central Bakery.

Writer kerry newberry has found herself milking dairy goats, chasing lambs and treading through a vat of fermenting pinot noir clusters in pursuit of stories.

She’s an East Coast native, but since moving to Portland she’s developed a fondness for all things farm related, brightly colored rain boots and really tasty pork. That’s why she was excited to spend a Saturday at Worden Hill Farm meeting the resident heritage hogs and celebrating the art of butchery Bavarianstyle (Page 35). When she’s not snacking on Kalter Braten and seeking inventive pork dishes, she writes for publications including Edible Portland, Sommelier Journal, Fodor’s Travel Publications and more.

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Photographer ross William Hamilton was born in New York City to New York City Ballet dancer Mary Jean (Golden) Hamilton and Union Theological Seminary student William Hamilton. He received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1974 and joined the staff of The Oregonian four years later. In his many years on staff he’s photographed everything from zoo animals to celebrities. For this issue of MIX he happily turned his lens toward the flickering flames of the grill for our story on grass-fed beef (Page 27). It was a subject close to his heart. “I grill throughout the year,” says Hamilton. “Yes, less in the winter but it doesn’t have to be warm and I don’t need guests. I can pretty much wear out a grill in five years.”

A former vegetarian, lynne Curry became the grill master in her home when she and her husband, Benjamin, moved to the Wallowas in 2001 and bought their first quarter-share of a grass-fed steer. She wrote about grilling grass-fed beef (Page 27) based on her nearly 10 years of experience cooking this heatsensitive meat. “It’s never all about the steak for me. I think of it as a complement to the seasonal produce. That’s where I pour most of my focus and energy.” A cooking teacher as well as a freelance writer, Curry is on a mission to get more girls to grill because it really is the easy part. Her new book, “Pure Beef: An Essential Guide to Artisan Meat With Recipes for Every Cut,” is out this month from Running Press. You can read more of her work at lynnecurry.com.

Other COntributing Writers: grant butler, MattHeW CarD, paul Clarke, SaSHa DavieS, JoHn FoySton, aSHley gartlanD, laura b. ruSSell, MiCHael ruSSell, anDrea SloneCker, auDrey van buSkirk Other COntributing PhOtOgraPhers/illustratOrs: tHoMaS boyD, FaitH CatHCart, JaMie FranCiS, FreD Joe, torSten kJellStranD, Motoya nakaMura, ranDy l. raSMuSSen

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At SweetWares, we love to bake and want to share that passion with others.

We have stocked our shelves with a carefully selected array of simple and useful tools of our trade. There are wares to lure a new baker into the kitchen or to bring a bit of excitement back to an expert baker looking for a muse. Come peruse our wall of baking books; handpicked to inspire and instruct — at 20% off every day! Located 8 doors from our sister bakery, Baker & Spice.

Open since 2002, the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market is SW Portland’s year-round source for local plants, produce, cheeses, meats, eggs and more. The market is held in the Wilson High-Rieke Elementary parking lot, 1405 SW Vermont St. Parking entrance at SW Capitol Hwy and SW Sunset Blvd. Weekly cooking demonstrations and Master Gardener talks. Summer events include Red, White and Blueberry Sunday (July 1) and Tomato Mania (August 26).

Debit, credit and EBT cards accepted.

6306 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.546.3737 www.sweetwares.com

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Baker & Spice is a small batch bakery that uses traditional methods and the highest quality ingredients to create our pastries, cakes, breads and savories.

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Hillsdale Eye Care is dedicated to providing personalized eye care based on the patient’s individual needs. We enjoy working with patients requiring demanding visual needs such as sports vision, difficult to fit contact lens (bifocal or astigmatism) and children’s eye care.

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Paloma Clothing With a unique, fun collection of women’s clothing and accessories, Paloma Clothing is always the perfect choice when it comes to excellent service and a knowledgeable staff.

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As it is exciting to wear a new look for spring and summer and a guarantee of fun, fantastic results. Our knowledgeable stylists train monthly to provide outstanding service.

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With an emphasis on regional American foods, traditional preparations, and close relationships with local farmers and producers, Three Square Grill has been Hillsdale’s neighborhood restaurant since 1995 as well as the home of Picklopolis – The Kingdom of the Brine, purveyor of fine pickles and preserves.

Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday, 5 - 9 p.m.

Breakfast: Sunday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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Korkage Wine Bar & Shop Enjoy live music and wine tasting in an intimate setting, featuring local boutique wineries and selected picks from around the World. The Korkage Chef, former instructor at a top hospitality school, offers gourmet small bite and wine pairings and expert wine consults - you can be confident you’ll find just the right bottle for any event!

6351 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.293.3146 www.korkagewine.com

To advertise in Marketplace contact Darcy Paquette at 503.221.8299 or dpaquette@oregonian.com

VOLUME 6 / ISSUE 4

mixpdx.com DANIELLE CENTONI / EDITOR

dcentoni@oregonian.com

LINDA SHANKWEILER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR

lshankweiler@oregonian.com REED DARMON / DESIGNER

rdarmon@oregonian.com

WALLY BENSON, COLIN pOWERS, AMY REIfENRATH / COPY EDITORS ADVERTISING BARBARA SWANSON / VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING bswanson@oregonian.com, 503-221-8279 STEvE uRBAN / MIX MAGAZINE MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 DENICE WILLIAMS / RETAIL ADVERTISING MANAGER dwilliams@oregonian.com, 503-221-8514 DEBI WALERY / GENERAL ADVERTISING MANAGER dwalery@oregonian.com, 503-221-8302 RYAN COuRTNEY / AUTO, REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING MANAGER rcourtney@oregonian.com, 503-221-8329 CHuCK SpITTAL / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR cspittal@oregonian.com, 503-294-4110 TO ADVERTISE STEvE uRBAN / MIX ADVERTISING MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 TO SUBSCRIBE: GO TO MIXpDX.COM OR CALL 503-221-8240 OR wRITE OREgONIAN puBLISHINg COMpANY

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Attn: Circulation Dept./MIX Magazine 1320 S.w. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201

B A B E T T E S F. C O M

2 0 8 N. W. 1 3 T H A V E N U E , P O R T L A N D ( 5 0 3 ) 2 2 8 - 0 4 0 7

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starters saveur’s todd Coleman takes on PDX, gingery drink, well-aged parm, old-school beer, must-have cookbook, chef-y ice cream

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tHe sliCe OF liFe: Our eigHt FaVOrite Pizzas Best pie, period

Portland’s high priest of pizza Brian Spangler makes some of the best pies in the country, not just Portland, at Apizza Scholls: 4741 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., 503-233-1286

runnerup

Only open Friday to Sunday, Tastebud has mozzarella-covered pies that are worth the wait: 3220 S.E. Milwaukie Ave., 503-234-0330

Best toppings

Where else can you find nettles, taleggio and pancetta on a pizza other than at Lovely’s FiftyFifty?: 4039 N. Mississippi Ave., 503-281-4060

Best wood-fired

Back in 2005, Ken Forkish helped drag Portland out of the pizza backwater, and the lines haven’t died down since at Ken’s Artisan Pizza: 304 S.E. 28th Ave., 503517-9951

most authentic italian

With apologies to Nostrana and the 50-second pizza at Via Tribunali, the margherita pie that has us dreaming of Italia is found at Firehouse Restaurant: 711 N.E. Dekum St., 503-954-1702

Happiest neighbors

BY miCHael russell

The extra cheesy, cornmeal-crusted, Chicagoby-way-of Portland pie brings plenty of smiles at Dove Vivi: 2727 N.E. Glisan St., 503-239-4444

Best buzz

With hourlong waits and an impressive cocktail menu, no pizzeria has the town talking like Oven & Shaker: 1134 N.W. Everett St., 503-241-1600

aBOVe: lOVelY's FiFtY-FiFtY, PHOtOgraPH BY Jamie FranCis

Out of town

To find pie on Portland’s level, you have to go all the way to Hood River, where Apizza Scholls’ Brian Spangler helped set up the pizza program at Double Mountain Brewery: 8 Fourth St., Hood River; 541387-0042

starters COnt. in Southern Oregon’s beautiful Umpqua Valley

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3. How does Portland’s food cart scene compare to that of other cities?

In other places, they aren’t as inventive or as soulful as they are here. But the biggest thing is that there are so many of them.

These pods have been created, and there’s a social aspect. They’re in every neighborhood, and they’re not just there for grabbing a quick lunch — people were coming on Fridays and Saturdays to hang out. They have the mellow vibe that farmers markets can have, but the food is focused and professional.

Todd Coleman, executive food editor of Saveur magazine, recently visited Portland (for the first time!) to photograph a story on Portland’s food cart scene for the magazine’s upcoming June/July issue.

He spent four days with the mobile chefs, bakers and entrepreneurs who are helping to make our city the culinary hot spot it is. We caught up with him before he flew back to Manhattan and asked him about his impressions.

1. What surprised you most about Portland?

I was surprised how at home and comfortable I feel here.

You hear bits and pieces about a place, but you know, you can never quite believe it, and I think it’s even better than I expected. Not having much experience in the Northwest, I really liked the vibe of the place, and the people were really friendly. The food carts really did surprise me.

A lot of them are doing a very high level of cooking — they’re not taking shortcuts. Like the Big Egg, they were really taking their time, and it was very important to them that they were putting out good food. I would eat there every day if I lived here.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LILA MARTIN

2. What cart impressed you the most?

I liked Artigiano the best because I really liked Rachel and Tyler.

They were calm, they worked well together, they were very funny and they were professional. Their food was very good and they were very unlike any cart I’ve ever been to: They were making fresh pasta every day, and they weren’t really interested in doing much else. They were super focused, very young and energetic. It was inspiring.

4. If you were going to open a food cart in Portland, what would it be like?

Oh, that’s easy — a Gujarati cart. Gujarat is in India where Gandhi’s from, and they have the most highly developed vegetarian food in the world. I haven’t seen much Indian food here, but I think that would really key into what people are into here. In fact, that’s what I should do.

5. Is there anything you’ll miss about Portland?

There’s a laid-back atmosphere that I’ll miss. I think people here are living better lives, happier lives.

— LILA MARTIN

DOn't miss salt & straw's CHeF series Salt & Straw’s knack for collaborative recipe development has already brought ice cream fans such flavors as Big Hibiscus Sherbet and Brown Ale With Bacon. Now Kim and Tyler Malek, the scoop shop’s owners and ice-cream-makers, have partnered with five local restaurants to create a Chef Series that highlights the creative genius of some of the city’s top talents. Expect flavors such as Ox’s Foie S’mores and Beast’s Smoked Salt Ice Cream With Chocolate-Covered Feuilletine. Between June and October, Salt & Straw will serve one PHOTOGRAPH

BY KIM MALEK

chef-inspired flavor each month. Don’t want to wait to try them all? Visit the shop June 4-8 to get a sneak preview of a new Chef Series flavor each day. Salt & Straw will also donate $1 from every scoop sold to a charity of the respective chef’s choice, so you can enjoy your ice cream and give back to the community, too. — ASHLEY GARTLAND

BranD new CHurCHkeY Can CO.

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Taking inspiration from the days of yesteryear (and, let’s be honest, thumbing their noses at progress), actor Adrian Grenier and native Portlander Justin Hawkins have revived the long-forgotten flat-top steel beer can — a style that appeared in 1935 and was sent into obscurity by the pull-tab can in the 1960s. That means you’ll need an old-fashioned “church key” opener to get to the light, easy-drinking, p ilsner-style beer within (created by Portland homebrewers Lucas Jones and Sean Burke). Yes, it’s more work, but the duo think the can will appeal to anyone looking for a retro drinking experience. — ALLIE GAVETTE Available at New Seasons, Belmont Station, Spirit of ’77 and more.

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Just when we thought true ParmigianoReggiano couldn’t get any better, we found out there’s an even more deluxe version.

Parmigiano-Reggiano Stravecchio is aged three years instead of the requisite 18 months, giving the cheese a more umami-rich flavor and slightly crystallized texture. Yes, it’s divine grated on all your favorite dishes, but it’s even better nibbled as is or with a drizzle of syrupy balsamic vinegar (just make sure it’s the good stuff).

In his latest book, “Charred & Scruffed” (Artisan, 2012), grilling expert Adam Perry Lang once again challenges tradition with new and exciting techniques that can build more flavor into your flame-kissed foods. He introduces a whole new vocabulary, including scruffed, which involves roughing up meats to create more surface area for crust and flavor pockets to form, and clinched, which brings searing to a whole new level by cooking the meat directly on the coals. Lang thinks carefully about how each step in the cooking process contributes flavor to the end result — even on a molecular level — and he capitalizes on every possible opportunity to deepen that flavor. Helpful step-by-step instructions can inspire less-experienced cooks to be more ambitious. But there’s enough new information to make the most experienced pit masters rethink the possibilities of the backyard grill. — ALLIE GAVETTE

— DANIELLE CENTONI

Available at Trader Joe’s

quOte

“If you want a meal that’ll make you question just what your life’s become, eat at any restaurant listed on a freeway exit sign.”

— Angry Bobby Flay, Twitter personality (@AngryBFlay)

13

Drink tHis HOt ginger Drink Listen up, ginger heads. You know those chewy, sweethot ginger candies you can’t resist even though they stick like crazy to your teeth (not to mention the wrapper)? There’s a much-easier-to-consume liquid version at the Wayang House Indonesian food cart in downtown Portland. The hot tea made with freshly grated ginger, palm sugar and a squeeze of lime is just the thing to finish off a belly-busting lunch from the carts.

— DANIELLE CENTONI

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radar our picks for what to do when CoMpiLeD By grAnt ButLer

CoMing up roses

June 9: the portland

greens, no enVy

May 12: one of the state’s best places to score fresh produce returns with the opening of the 2012 Beaverton Farmers Market. Look for midspring favorites like asparagus, artichokes and peas, along with an array of greens, mushrooms and baked goods. beavertonfarmersmarket.com

14

strength in nuMBers

May 8: for 25 years, portland chefs have pitched in to help oregon’s hungry with Taste of the Nation, an evening-long sampling of signature dishes, specialty cocktails, wine and beer. this year’s festivities move to Jeld-Wen field, with proceeds benefiting oregon food Bank, partners for a hunger-free oregon, st. Vincent de paul food recovery program and klamath-Lake Counties food Bank — all fighting to end childhood hunger in oregon. strength.org/portland

A night in MeMphis

Wines of the tiMes

magic that might have happened if rock ’n’ roll icons elvis presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl perkins ever found themselves in the same recording studio. it actually happened, and the Broadway musical “Million Dollar Quartet” re-creates the music of one night in Memphis in 1956. portlandopera.org/broadway/ 2011-2012

Willamette Valley wineries and tasting rooms offer special open houses during Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country, including many that are only open to the public twice a year. sample pinot noir, pinot gris and other newly released wines. willamettewines.com

May 22-27: imagine the

May 13: What? you haven’t made your brunch reservations for Mother’s Day yet? if you plan to eat out, you need to check out our list of 12 great brunch spots (many of which don’t take reservations) on page 47. or visit mixpdx. com for breakfast and brunch recipes, including Brioche “egg in a hole” With Wild Mushrooms, sage and Crème fraîche.

photogrAph By JoAn MArCus

June 17: Call it a quirk of the calendar, but portland’s annual Pride Parade always falls on Father’s Day. think of it as a reminder that there are all sorts of different families today, including ones with two fathers. After the parade, head for a late brunch at gayfriendly Cadillac Cafe, where hearty omelets have been satisfying dads of all persuasions for more than 20 years. pridenw.org cadillaccafepdx.com

get A MArket MAkeoVer

June 22: the St. Johns Farmers Market is the only farmers market in north portland, and portland’s Culinary Workshop is pitching in to help the nonprofit raise money and awareness with a special class using ingredients from market vendors. portlandsculinaryworkshop.com

May 26-28: More than 150

DeALs you CAn’t refuse

June 1-30: Diners, it’s deal time, with the return of the third annual Portland Dining Month. Last year, more than 60 restaurants throughout the city offered three-course deals for $25, including some of the best kitchens in town. if finding a baby sitter for your kids is a deterrent to taking advantage of these deals, there’s evening drop-in day care at the pearl District’s WeVillage. downtownportland.org wevillage.com

uniteD We stAnD (AnD DAnCe)

June 9: oregon Ballet theatre brings back its fundraising showcase Dance United, featuring company members along with worldclass dancers from the Joffrey, new york City Ballet, the Dutch national Ballet, Miami City Ballet and the san francisco Ballet. oBt will also offer a sneak preview of next season’s performance of “swan Lake” and george Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” patrons who purchase $125 tickets get to attend a post-show dessert reception, where they can meet the star dancers and feast on treats from some of portland’s best kitchens. obt.org

photogrAph By BLAine truitt CoVert

DeAr oL’ MoM

rose festival culminates with the annual Grand Floral Parade, which features more than 15 floral-covered floats, marching bands, plenty of riders on horseback and (hopefully) sunny skies. the parade begins on portland’s east side, then winds through downtown. Just a block from the action, you can pick up cookies and panini at Blue Collar Baking, portland’s newest bakery at southwest third Avenue and pine street. rosefestival.org bluecollarbaking.com

My tWo DADs!

Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

503.445.3700

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G R E A T

Escapes

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Lunch - Brunch - Dinner - Sightseeing

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I.D.

Arnon Kartmazov, knife-maker

Despite its virtually unmarked home wedged between crumbling warehouses off North Columbia Boulevard, Bridgetown Forge is easy to find. Just listen for the dull, rhythmic punch of hammer on anvil.

Home to Portland’s only locally forged, professionalgrade kitchen knives, the cavernous, anachronistic workshop is filled with hulking, soot-coated machinery, racks of arcane tools, blunt anvils, a glowing forge and piles of half-formed metalsmithery. There in the midst of it all, knife-maker Arnon Kartmazov hammers out custom blades valued by such local chefs as Adam Sappington of The Country Cat, the line cooks of Biwa and countless zealous home cooks.

The knives, which are typically forged from rather humble but tried-and-true carbon steel, are more delicately shaped and thinner than European-style blades. They’re also usually sharpened Japanesestyle on just one side (like a chisel). This results in particularly fine, clean cuts, says Kartmazov.

But the blacksmith has the soul of an artist, as evidenced by his fancier blades made of sandwiched steels called san mai and very labor intensive Damascus steel (which involves folding steel into microscopically thin layers). The blades exhibit the rough forge marks and naturalistic aesthetic (called wabi sabi) prized in Japanese culture. In the same vein, the rustic handles are typically hewn from ash, or the knives are a single piece, tip to bolster, the handle twisted into a simple helix.

The knives of a sword maker After mastering the blacksmithing basics from the famed Uri Hofi in Jerusalem, Kartmazov eventually moved to Sekai, Japan (the country’s knife-making capital), where informal apprenticeships sparked a growing obsession with the craft. He eventually moved to Okinawa, where he studied under swordsmith Kanehama Kyochika and labored toward the formal 10-year apprenticeship required of recognized sword-makers.

But the brutish demands of being a sword-maker’s apprentice — grueling tasks such as making charcoal and working raw iron into quality steel — were enough to convince Kartmazov that it wasn’t the life for him. He returned to Kyoto and opened a shop peddling his knives and ornamental ironwork, feeling that smithing was “the one thing” he was meant to do, and eventually brought his craft to Portland.

Although commissioning a custom knife (or bowls, chopsticks and sculpture) is an option, Kartmazov’s reasonably priced ($120-$300) production line includes stout cleavers, all-purpose chef’s knives, delicate vegetable knives (what the Japanese call nakiri), and a uniquely shaped, remarkably useful paring knife. His abiding love for all things Japanese, and a steadfast belief that form follows function, guides his aesthetic. Within those parameters Kartmazov tries to “make the knives as beautiful and functional” as he can.

“The line between art and craft,” he says, “is illusory.”

Bridgetown Forge; 503-804-1524, Bridgetownforge.com

By MATTHEW CARD PHOTOgRAPHy By THOMAS BOyD

17

good for you

18

t

[ What is Paleo? ]

BY LAUrA B. rUSSELL

here it was, sitting among the stacks of books at Costco: “The Paleo Answer” (Wiley, 2011) by Loren Cordain. If we ever needed proof that the Paleo diet was going mainstream, this was it.

Paleo (short for Paleolithic), has been gaining momentum recently, as more people are avoiding wheat and gluten, choosing foods with a low glycemic index, and in general looking to eat more whole foods rather than processed stuff. There’s a trend toward going back to basics — and in the case of Paleo, the very basics.

The Paleo diet is eons old (although proponents would rather refer to it as a lifestyle, since the word “diet” has so many loaded connotations). It’s essentially all about eating the foods that have been available to humans for most of our evolutionary history: meats raised on their natural forage, seafood, eggs, fibrous vegetables and greens, nuts and seeds, healthy fats and some fruit — all things that would have been

recognizable as food to our most primitive ancestors. It’s about “focusing your choices on real, whole foods that are more nutritionally dense and less detrimental to your health,” says Cain Credicott, Bend resident and author/publisher of Paleo Magazine.

Under the Paleo plan, you obviously must avoid sugar, processed foods and most conventional dairy products. But the plan also excludes all grains and legumes, which seems contrary to what you might think.

Whole grains and legumes, such as beans, are supposed to be healthful, right? Well, Paleo proponents say that these foods are relatively new to the human species and that we are generally quite ill-suited to consume them. According to local author Nora Gedgaudas in “Primal Mind, Primal Body” (Healing Arts Press, 2011), “Grains and legumes contain phytic acid, which can result in mineral depletion and even severe deficiencies in some individuals who overconsume them. In addition, they contain antigenic substances such as gluten and

At the Paleo-friendly lectins that trigger inflammatory states.” restaurant Dick’s In other words, grains Kitchen, you can swap the bun on your burger and legumes can for kale Caesar salad. irritate the gut (leaky The “burger bowl” gut syndrome) and made with grass-fed cause a constant beef (or venison, wild state of inflammaboar or lamb when tion throughout the available) is just body, putting one at one of the grainrisk for many chronic free menu options. illnesses.

PHOTOGrAPH BY Avoiding foods such rANDY L. rASMUSSEN as whole wheat, rice and soy is definitely the hardest part of the diet, but advocates say the benefits present themselves almost immediately. “I’ve been eating Paleo on and off for three years,” says Gregory Gourdet, executive chef at Departure and an avid marathoner. “When I tried it I felt like I got immediate results. I lost a lot of weight.

I increased my muscle mass. I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in physically.”

Gourdet first went Paleo when he joined

CrossFit Portland three years ago. The diet is thought to provide the kind of fuel needed for the program’s signature high-intensity workouts (think pull-ups, sprinting and Olympic lifts), and it matches the program in Departures restaurant executive philosophy, too. “It’s what chef Gregory Gourdet, here just you would do in life if you finishing up one of his long runs were out working in the in Forest Park, is a strong advofields,” says Gourdet. cate of eating Paleo. He credits “You’d have to lift somethe plan with giving him steady thing heavy, sprint a little energy for his rigorous workouts. bit and jump over rocks.”

PHOTOGrAPH BY Basically, it re-creates MOTOYA NAKAMUrA the types of movements that used to be an integral part of human life. And as CrossFit has gained popularity, so has Paleo.

But when Gourdet began training for endurance running, which is quite different from CrossFit-style workouts, he changed his diet to make sure he’d have enough stamina for the long hauls. “I went to a wheat-based, carb-heavy diet when training for my first marathon,” he says. It worked in terms of supplying him with the energy he needed for his long runs, but he didn’t like the results. “I had gained a bunch of weight so I went back to eating Paleo.” It was easier the second time around, he says. “I realized I didn’t miss dairy at all. I realized beans and legumes now reacted differently in my body, in my digestive system. So I’ve gone off those as well.” And he noticed other benefits, too. “I feel a little bit lighter and cleaner. I wake up easier. I don’t have the energy highs and lows that I get from wheat and quick carbs.”

So when he resumed his marathon training (he recently completed the LA marathon in March), he remained Paleo.

“I trained wheat-free and gluten-free. I was pretty strict,” Gourdet says. “I was scared to not have enough carbs for this marathon. But I had lots of sweet potatoes. I cheated a bit with some corn and rice, since that’s easier to digest than wheat, but that’s it.”

His Paleo-fueled race was a success. As Eugene CrossFit trainer Clay Givens puts it, “Food equals fuel. Good stuff in equals good stuff out.” Clearly to those involved, Paleo is more than what you eat -- it’s a lifestyle.

chaLLenGeS Most advocates of the Paleo lifestyle report very few negatives, though a few issues are worth noting: ● Locating sources of high-quality and sustainably raised meat, fish and vegetables takes legwork. ● real food comes with a price tag: Grass-fed, wild and organic foods can be more expensive, though you can learn to become a savvy shopper. ● Paleo or vegetarian: pick one. It’s nearly impossible to be both. ● Time commitment: You have to be willing to cook — and plan ahead. It’s hard to grab something on the go or pop open a can when you’re avoiding grains and beans, and restaurant dining can be restrictive.

 oNLINE EXTrA: get gregory gourdet’s

recipe for Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Kale With ginger Vinaigrette at mIXPdX.Com

What can I eat?

Yes:

Meat (particularly grass-fed, which has healthier fats, is better for the environment and mimics the kinds of meat humans have been eating for millennia) Seafood (particularly wild) Poultry and eggs (particularly pastureraised) healthy fats (particularly coconut oil, avocado and olive oil because they have omega-3s) Fibrous vegetables and greens Fruit (some) nuts/seeds (some)

No:

Legumes/beans (includes soy and peanuts) Grains Sugar Processed foods

Depends on your camp:

Dairy: If your body can tolerate dairy, some full-fat, raw milk sources can be included.

Best choices: cultured products such as yogurt and kefir, goat and sheep’s milk, and butter, cream or ghee from organic, grass-fed sources.

three to eat If you choose carefully, you can put together a Paleo-friendly meal at most restaurants. If a dish comes with grains or beans as a side dish, ask to substitute salad or vegetables.

Still, here are three restaurants that are a Paleo paradise.

Dick’s Kitchen: Portland’s only Paleo-centric restaurant has two locations specializing in 100 percent grass-fed beef, turkey, buffalo or wild salmon burgers, as well as a daily “guest burger” made from venison, wild boar or lamb. For a truly Paleo version, order your patty on top of a kale Caesar or Thai salad “burger bowl.”

704 N.W. 21st Ave., 503-206-5916 3312 S.E. Belmont St., 503-235-0146 dkportland.com

Sundays

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RIBS INCLUDES CHILI FRIES & COLESLAW

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the country cat: All meats are locally sourced and butchered in-house. While the menu is not strictly Paleo, substitutions are welcome. Try the Grilled Idaho Trout on a bed of Swiss chard minus the bread crumbs. 7937 S.E. Stark St., 503-408-1414, thecountrycat.net

OPEN DAILY ON SYLVAN HILL

Urban Farmer: This downtown steakhouse focuses on sustainable practices by serving meats, poultry, seafood and produce from local ranchers, farmers and fishermen. Choose a grass-fed ribeye steak along with a salad of local greens and shaved vegetables.

525 S.W. Morrison St., 503-222-4900; urbanfarmerrestaurant.com £

FOOD  SPIRITS SPORTS

503.297.5568

5515 SW Canyon Court, Portland OR www.sylvansteakhouse.com follow us on:

19

get together [ Teutonic grilling ]

t

By LesLie CoLe / Photography by Randy L. Rasmussen

20

he return of grilling weather is an easy excuse for a party. But throwing a party because of the grill itself ? That would be an emphatic yes, if you’re talking about a German contraption called a schwenker.

“These things are everywhere in the mosel,” says Barnaby Tuttle of Portland’s Teutonic Wine Co., pointing to the hanging metal grid gently swinging from a tripod over smoldering 28-year-old pinot noir vines. you can safely say they’re nowhere in Portland, except on Tuttle’s front porch on this spring day, where he’s watching pork and rabbit sizzle suspended over a portable fire pit. The homemade schwenker surely must be part grill, part good-luck charm and part beacon, because with the fire lit, the lingering storm clouds part and old and new friends trickle into the house for a late afternoon potluck and barbecue.

Barnaby and his wife, olga Tuttle, have prepared for the barbecue as Germans do, by burying large cuts of pork in a marinade of sliced onions and paprika, and making potato salad. There is also boar and lamb on deck from Ben Childs, a cousin who

works at a local game wholesaler. out back, guests from as far away as ashland squeeze onto the deck to take in the view of “schloss olga” (olga estate), seven rows of neatly trellised chardonnay and syrah vines stretching across the Tuttles’ tiny backyard. in the home’s tiny kitchen, Park Kitchen chef david Padberg cuts rabbit and quail, then ferries it out to the gently swinging grill, which Barnaby, with help from a friend, built in an afternoon.

The word schwenker describes both the grill and the person who operates it, explains ewald moseler, a German wine importer who stands next to the contraption and occasionally pushes it to keep the pendulum motion going. Food cooks more evenly because of the movement. and schwenken, as the events are called, are a beloved summertime activity in the mosel Valley and beyond.

Perhaps they’ll take off in Portland, too. “it’s incredibly simple. But it’s brilliant and simple,” says Kevin atchley, co-owner of Pine state Biscuits, who surveys the sizzling meat and proclaims that he and his partner, Jenny Cook, will have to make their own schwenker for

21

Spring is the perfect time for

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22

get together cont. summer get-togethers. “you already have the fire pit going, so why waste it? you can pull this out and make dinner at the same time.” inside, a buffet table set with freshly cut flowers looks more like spring in Portland than summer in saarland.

Padberg and his partner, Rebecca Clark, have brought a turnip, walnut and asparagus salad, strewn with rapini blossoms and chive flowers. matthew domingo of Farm to Fork dinners, who used to cook with Padberg at Park Kitchen, sets down a platter of braised leeks with mustard cream and fresh thyme. meanwhile Cook, Park Kitchen’s wine buyer and assistant manager, decorates a rhubarb upside-down cake with fresh flowers, to be eaten with a scoop of homemade buttermilk ice cream.

When the sun suddenly appears, casting a moment of golden light over the crew on the front porch, Barnaby breaks out a white burgundy-style wine he’s made from the fruit grown at the house (the couple own a larger vineyard in alsea), and offers tastes of two vintages for people to compare. “Wine is like a time machine,” he says, noting the complexity that results from not just fruit but soil, place, climate and the people who work with it at a given time. it’s nearly dusk when the meat comes off the grill. Guests fill plates and settle into comfy chairs in the living room, away from the chill outside. Barnaby tells the story about how a decade ago he became besotted with cool-climate wines and, in a single moment, went from being, he says, “a punk rocker and a knucklehead who worked on old Chryslers” to an aspiring winemaker.

There’s Beatles music softly playing. more wine is opened and glasses are filled. someone calls for a toast. “i’m really happy to have everyone here,” Barnaby says, “and really happy to be making wine.” Talk turns to when they’ll all meet again. no doubt there will be a schwenker, of course.

The menu assorted alpine cow’s milk cheeses Grilled pork shoulder, lamb, boar, quail and rabbit Quinoa salad With spring Vegetables and Walnut dressing spinach and Couscous salad German Potato salad Braised Leeks With mustard Cream and Thyme Rhubarb upside-down Cake, Buttermilk ice Cream

The Wines 2010 Teutonic Pinot Gris 2010 Teutonic Rosé (pinot noir) 2010 Teutonic White (pinot noir and Müller-Thurgau blend) Von Hovel 2009 scharzhofberg, saar, Riesling Kabinett Weingut eugen Wehrheim, 2007, neirsteiner Bergkirche, Riesling spatlese Halbtrocken

WHAT WILL YOU GRILL?

That’s the hard part. The easy part is finding the perfect grill to put it on.

That’s where we come in. From grills to accessories, we have it all. Come visit us!

“swinging” Pork steaks (schwenkbraten)

Weber

Makes 4 servings

a schwenker is a swinging grill, or a person who has perfected the art of barbecuing pork steaks on one. even if you don’t own a schwenker, you can make the spectacular pork steaks called schwenkbraten by marinating meat in paprika, onions and fresh herbs and grilling it on a hot fire, preferably with wood smoke. ¼ cup salt ¼ cup sweet paprika 4 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground ginger 4 pork steaks cut from the neck or shoulder (each about 1 inch thick and 8 to 10 ounces, fat trimmed) or 1½ pounds thick-cut country-style ribs 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife ½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, including parsley, sage, rosemary and/or thyme ¼ cup vegetable oil

Combine salt, paprika, white pepper, allspice, nutmeg and ginger in a small bowl. arrange the pork steaks in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. season generously on both sides with the rub.

Big Green Egg

add onion, garlic, fresh herbs and oil and turn several times to coat meat on both sides. Let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 to 4 hours; the longer it marinades, the richer the flavor will be. set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat it to medium high. ideally you’ll grill over a beechwood fire, but you can use wood chips or chunks to add a smoke flavor.

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Brush and oil the grate. drain the pork steaks well, discarding the marinade (you can throw the onions on the grill if you like). if you’re using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips or chunks onto the coals. arrange the steaks on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning once or twice. serve the grilled pork steaks at once.

— From “Planet Barbecue!,”

by Steven Raichlen

Hot Spot Fireplace & BBQ Shop 11525 SW Canyon Rd. Beaverton

503.626.4652

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Your Fireplace and Stove Expert!

23

74

Braised Leeks With mustard Cream and Thyme Makes 6 servings

For this decadent dish, leeks are sautéed to caramelize the outside and develop flavor, then braised until silky and tender.

6 large leeks (about 4 pounds) ¼ cup extravirgin olive oil sea salt ½ cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 24

2 cups vegetable stock or water ¾ cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 1 lemon wedge

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Fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut off the tops of the leeks, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of light green.

Trim roots but keep the root end intact. slice leeks in half lengthwise, then run under cold water, letting water get in between the layers to remove any residual dirt. dry leeks thoroughly.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat. add the oil and heat until shimmering. add the leeks, cut side down. (Though it’s best to cook the leeks in one pan, you don’t want to crowd them, so sauté them in batches if necessary.) season the leeks with salt and cook until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip them over, season the cut side with salt, and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. add the wine and butter and simmer for about 1 minute. add stock or water (it should almost cover the leeks). slide the pan into the preheated oven and cook for about 30 minutes, or until tender. meanwhile, bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. simmer until the cream thickens slightly. Turn off the heat, then whisk in the mustard. add a squeeze of lemon and salt to taste. Transfer leeks to serving platter, drizzle some or all of the mustard cream on top, and garnish with a few fresh thyme leaves.

— Matthew Domingo, Farm to Fork Dinners

Quinoa salad With spring Vegetables and Walnut dressing Makes 10 servings

a garlicky, nutty dressing provides a rich counterpoint to a salad of quinoa and tender-crisp vegetables. This recipe serves a crowd, but it can be easily halved.

Walnut Dressing: ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 ounces garlic cloves, sliced 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup toasted walnuts (divided) Chile flakes, to taste Zest of 2 lemons Juice of 2 lemons Salad: 12 ounces baby turnips, washed, trimmed and quartered 12 ounces asparagus, washed, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

To make the dressing: in a small heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add garlic and salt, and cook gently until the garlic is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer oil and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. add one-third of the walnuts, a pinch of chile flakes, and the lemon zest and juice. Process into a fine paste, then pulse in the remaining walnuts, leaving some big chunky pieces for texture.

To make the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. drop turnips and asparagus into pot and blanch until just tender, 2 to 5 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water bath. drain well and set aside.

6 cups vegetable broth or water

Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse well under cold water. in a large saucepan, combine quinoa and vegetable broth or water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. simmer until grains are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

½ cup lightly packed chopped fresh italian parsley

Transfer cooked quinoa to a large serving bowl and toss with the blanched vegetables, parsley and minced chives.

¼ cup lightly packed chopped chives, blossoms reserved

add ½ cup dressing and toss well.

Continue adding dressing, ¼ cup at a time, to taste. you’ll probably use about 1 cup. Just before serving, garnish with chive blossoms, if available.

3 cups uncooked quinoa

HEALTH FOOD

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Buttermilk ice Cream Makes about 1½ quarts

equal parts heavy cream and buttermilk result in a rich ice cream with a welcome tang that goes great with fruit desserts.

2 cups heavy cream 1¼ cups granulated sugar (divided) ½ vanilla bean 8 large egg yolks 2 cups buttermilk Pinch of salt in a large, heavy saucepan, combine the cream and 1 cup of the sugar. split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. add seeds to the cream, along with the pod. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Rhubarb upside-down Cake Makes 10 servings

Jenny Cook, Park Kitchen wine buyer and assistant manager, says you can bake this versatile cake in a cast-iron skillet. When rhubarb isn’t in season, try substituting apples, pears or plums.

Crumble topping: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar sea salt Cake:

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch-by-2-inch round cake pan. dot with ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of the butter cut into pieces. in a bowl, toss rhubarb with ¾ cup of the sugar and let stand for 2 minutes. Toss again and spread in prepared pan. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and 1½ teaspoons salt.

1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering pan (divided) 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut on a very sharp diagonal about ½ inch thick 26

To make the topping: stir together butter, flour, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt until moist and crumbly.

1¾ cups granulated sugar (divided) 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder

meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup of sugar.

When cream begins to simmer, remove from heat and slowly pour a little into the egg yolks while whisking. (you are trying to avoid curdling the yolks with too much heat too fast.) Continue pouring and whisking until you have added about half the cream. Pour this mixture back into pan with the remaining cream and return to the stove. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk and salt. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight until very cold. Remove vanilla bean pod (discard or rinse and save to make vanilla sugar). Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.

— Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining ½ cup butter (1 stick) and remaining 1 cup sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the orange zest and juice. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing until smooth. spread batter evenly over the rhubarb in the pan.

Crumble the reserved topping evenly over the batter.

Kosher salt ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake, and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before serving.

— Adapted from Martha Stewart

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raising the steaks simple techniques and delicious recipes for making the most of local grass-fed beef

By LYnne CurrY Photography by rOss WiLLiaM haMiLtOn

J

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uicy steaks, hot off the grill, are some of the best things about summer, right up there with corn on the cob and running through sprinklers. Lately, though, we’ve all become a bit more mindful of the meat we eat. the mantra of the day? eat less meat — and make sure it’s sustainably sourced. that’s where grass-fed beef comes in.

For conscious carnivores who crave beef, the best option — for your health and for the environment — is meat from pastured cattle raised on grass from start to finish. they’re rich in good fats, and managed in a sustainable way. and if you use the meat as a supporting player, rather than the main attraction, you can serve more people while spending less — without compromising pleasure. still, even if you can recite all the benefits of choosing beef raised against the grain, how confident are you at cooking it? not so much? Well, there’s good reason for all the confusion. at the same time that you hear advice to reduce the heat 50 degrees to compensate for grass-fed beef ’s leanness, you’ll see photos of steaks on the grill with shooting flames. so, to get you primed and

ready for the start of grilling season, let’s set the record straight and take the misleading warnings one at a time: The 30 percenT rule. i’d love to track down the first person who introduced the notion that all grass-fed beef cooks 30 percent faster than conventional beef. Let’s do the math: if a standard 1-inch-thick t-bone grills to medium rare (130 degrees before resting) in about 8 minutes, or 4 minutes per side, then a grass-fed should cook to the same temperature in 5.6 minutes. right? nope. in that time, my t-bone was only at 112 degrees. the takeaway is that there is no hard and fast rule for timing a steak — any steak. though in theory heat penetrates more quickly through leaner grass-fed meat, time and temperature are always relative. Your grill, the internal starting temperature of the steak and the thickness of the cut will ultimately determine the grilling time. so, yes, you’re going to have to baby-sit your steaks a bit. high heaT is bad. it’s all over the internet, even on authoritative sites, that you shouldn’t expose this heat-sensitive beef to extremes of temperature. i say, isn’t that the whole point of grilling? the

stripes from the grate (or diamonds if you’re showing off) and the coffee-colored sear on the exterior are why we wait eons for the coals of a charcoal grill to be ready, or spend good money on a quality gas grill. high heat is the mission, though there is a big difference between a char (no cancer-causing hCas, thanks) and a spectacular sear. With grass-fed beef, the key is to limit the exposure to high heat so that the meat juices, in limited supply, do not escape, which is what happens over extended cooking times. keep the steak over the hottest part of the grill for 3½ minutes max. cooking beyond medium-rare is worse. truth be told, any beef is better

when cooked to medium-rare (132-135 degrees) for two physical reasons: the meat stays juicier and the proteins stay more supple. But what if you or an important guest (i.e. your mom, like mine) prefers medium, or even medium-well? You can please her without any extra trouble whatsoever, simply by sliding that steak over to the coolest reaches of your grill until it achieves temperatures of 140 degrees to 145 degrees (higher than that, and you’re asking for trouble). a lowheat finish over indirect heat makes it all possible. Do remind your guests that grass-fed beef retains a redder color when cooked to the same temperature as standard steaks.

Bottom line: grilling grass-fed beef isn’t that different from grilling conventional beef, so don’t be afraid to pick up some locally raised steaks for your barbecues this summer. Mix up an easy spice rub or marinade, give them a quick stint on the grill, and you’ll have a juicy, beefy dinner in minutes. ●

Lynne Curry is a freelance writer who became a born-again carnivore when she moved to the Wallowas from seattle in 2001. she is the author of “Pure Beef: an essential guide to artisan Meat With recipes for every Cut” (running Press, May 2012), a grass-fed-beef manifesto.

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rib-eye and grilled romaine With hot tomato Vinaigrette Makes 4 servings

a new way to enjoy steak and a salad: seared hearts of romaine along with slices of rib-eye, the prize for steak lovers everywhere. any premium tender steak — including strip loin, t-bone or bone-in rib steak — deserves this simple treatment of a warm vinaigrette to mingle with a light pimentón rub. to serve a bonein steak, simply trim out the bone before slicing.

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, such as Pimentón de la Vera ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2 rib-eye steaks, 1 to 1¼ inches thick 1 head romaine lettuce ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 large ripe tomato, chopped 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice ⁄8 teaspoon salt

1

Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the kosher salt, paprika and pepper together in a small bowl. Pat the steaks dry and season them on both sides with the salt blend. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. slice the romaine in half lengthwise, wash it by swishing each half in a large bowl of cool water to rinse out the dirt between the leaves. Place the halves cut side down in a large colander to drain. in a small saucepan, combine the olive oil with the garlic and tomato. Cook over low heat until the oil shimmers and the garlic smells fragrant. remove the pan from the heat to a warm spot while you prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat. scrape the grate clean and oil it lightly. use a pastry brush to lightly coat the romaine halves with some of the tomato oil and place them cut side down on the outer edges of the grill. grill the romaine until the cut sides are burnished with grill marks and the outer leaves are wilted. Cut out the core, slice each half into quarters, and set it aside. grill the steaks over the hottest part of the grill for 3 to 3½ minutes, then use tongs to flip them and grill for 3 to 3½ minutes on the second side. Check for doneness (125 degrees for rare, 130 degrees for medium-rare) and remove them from the grill (or, slide them to the coolest part of the grill to cook over indirect heat to medium or beyond). transfer the steaks to a cutting board. While they rest (the internal temperature will rise a bit), make the tomato vinaigrette by whisking the lemon juice and salt into the reserved tomato oil. slice the steaks against the grain ½ inch thick. Place a wedge of romaine and 4 to 5 slices of steak on each plate and spoon the tomato vinaigrette over all with a grind of black pepper to taste.

— Lynne Curry

GrillinG the Grass-fed way Cooking over a live flame puts on a good show, and grilling steaks is a cakewalk once you’ve done it more than once. Being equipped helps, too. Start with a great grass-fed steak (see Adventures in Steak, Page 33), a hot grill of your choice (charcoal with briquettes, hardwood charcoal or gas) and a few essential tools: a timer, tongs for flipping and a platter for the cooked steaks. A digital instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of determining the moment your steak is within five degrees of your ideal serving temperature. (The internal temperature will continue to climb after you remove the steak from the grill; this is called carry-over cooking). Stay relaxed and attentive, just like in your yoga practice, as you monitor those searing steaks and you’ll be a hero of the grill.

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Before: While your grill preheats, or about 30 minutes in advance, pull the steaks from the refrigerator to take off some of the chill. Use a paper towel to pat them dry on both sides and season them well — both the meat and the fat — with kosher salt. Note that most people severely undersalt their meat, so don’t hold back.

Pepper is optional. Scrape and oil the grill so that it shines and move your hand about 6 inches above it to find the hottest areas (ideally 450 degrees to 475 degrees). Aim your steaks for those areas and swiftly lay them down. Set your timer for 3 minutes for rare or 3½ minutes if you’re going for medium-rare or beyond.

durinG: Do nothing but stand by. Moving, prodding and piercing the steaks will prevent the formation of an outside crust and release the juices you want to preserve. Notice the moisture beading on the surface and a slight curvature in the meat as the meat fibers on the hot side contract. Use tongs to flip the steak and reset the timer for 3 to 3½ minutes. Wait, watch, breathe.

If you have a digital instant-read thermometer, check the temperature during the last 30 seconds of cooking. If you’re going for rare, remove it at 125 degrees, for medium-rare 130 degrees — give or take a degree. To go beyond medium-rare, use your tongs to slide the steaks over to the coolest part of the grill, close the cover and wait for one to three minutes longer. This way the steaks will stay moist while continuing to cook to medium (pull them off at 135 degrees) or well-done (about 140 degrees before resting). Immediately transfer the steaks to your waiting platter, preferably warmed by the sun or a very low oven.

A finger jab is another method that’s pretty easy to learn with a few practice steaks. Start by poking the steak with your index finger when it’s raw, so that you’ll get the feel for the meat. After six to seven minutes of grilling, test it again. If it feels firmer, it’s probably medium-rare — or so close that, if need be, you can put it back on the grill (even if it’s turned off) for another minute to cook it further without any shame. Once it’s overcooked, however, there’s no return.

after: While you pull together the rest of the meal, let the steak rest for just five minutes. This is particularly important for grass-fed beef. You need those precious juices to disperse throughout the muscle fibers so that every bite is juicy. To serve a bone-in cut, use a boning knife to trim the bone away from the meat and use your sharpest knife to slice the steak against the grain before serving.

For boneless cuts, trim away exterior fat if you like, and slice tender, fine-grained steaks into ½-inch thick slices. For coarser-fiber steaks, slice against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices for the most tender eating experience.

Tequila-Lime Bavette Carne Asada

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Makes 4 servings

One of the newest steaks on the scene, bavette (aka sirloin flap or flap meat) has the same long ropey grain as flank steak but is a more even and thicker cut. It’s deliciously beefy in flavor, and if you cut it across the grain into small pieces for tacos, it’s perfectly tender. Flank and tri-tip steak are great alternatives, or use skirt steak (outside or inside) by reducing the grilling time by one minute per side. Prepare bowls full of chopped fresh radishes, cucumbers and pickled jalapeños to serve, along with the makings for soft tacos, and you can hang out by the grill drinking, which is the whole point of a carne asada party.

4 garlic cloves, peeled ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 1 bavette steak ¼ cup tequila 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice for serving: 1 dozen fresh corn or flour tortillas, warmed and wrapped in a cloth napkin 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1 cup shredded green cabbage 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped 2 limes, quartered Store-bought or homemade salsa

Make a garlic paste by slicing the garlic and sprinkling on the kosher salt. Use the side of a chef ’s knife to smash the garlic into a coarse paste. Rub the steak with the garlic paste and lay it in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Pour in the tequila and lime juice, cover, and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 12 for the most prominent flavor and tenderizing effects.

Drain the steak from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and discard the excess marinade. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat, scrape the grate clean, and oil it lightly.

When the grill is hot, lay the steak on the grate and cook for 3 to 3½ minutes. Use tongs to flip it and cook for an additional 3 to 3½ minutes.

Check for doneness (125 degrees for rare, 130 degrees for medium rare) and remove them from the grill (or, slide them to the coolest part of the grill to cook over indirect heat to medium or beyond). After the rest, slice the steak against the grain into very thin strips. Pile the meat onto a platter to serve warm or at room temperature along with the tortillas and bowls of the onion, cabbage, cilantro, limes and salsa.

— Lynne Curry

Coriander-sumac-rubbed Coulotte With Fattoush Makes 4 servings

this spice rub blends earthy and nutty coriander with citrusy and tart sumac, a Middle eastern berry that’s outstanding with grassfed beef. Coulotte is a marbled, single muscle cut that’s supremely tender. it’s essentially a sirloin steak cut from the top of the hip section. if you can’t find coulotte, a superior top sirloin (ask your butcher since sirloins vary widely depending on where they’re cut) is the shoo-in here, or seek out any of the classic steaks, including rib and rib-eye, strip loin or t-bone, to serve with fattoush, a crunchy pita bread salad.

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds 1 tablespoon sumac 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 coulotte or top sirloin steaks, 1 to 1¼ inches thick Fattoush (recipe follows)

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grind the coriander, sumac, turmeric and salt in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until coarsely ground. Pat the steaks dry, sprinkle the spice mixture generously onto both sides, and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat, scrape the grate clean, and oil it lightly.

Cook the steaks on the hottest part of the grill until seared, 3 to 3½ minutes. use tongs to flip them and grill the second side for another 3 to 3½ minutes. Check for doneness (125 degrees for rare, 130 degrees for medium-rare) and remove them from the grill (or slide them to the coolest part of the grill to cook over indirect heat to medium or beyond). Let the steaks rest before slicing ½ inch thick against the grain and serve with the fattoush.

— Lynne Curry

10 reasons To go grass-fed 1. From birth to slaughter, beef cattle consume only native grasses, legumes and other forages (plus stored hay in winter where necessary) for a wholesome and complete, muscle-building diet.

2. animals live unconfined, ideally with opportunities for natural social interaction and excellent physical and psychological comfort.

3. Their muscles are lean and their fat contains a recommended balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (2:1 or even lower), on par with wild game.

4. Pastured beef (as well as dairy and poultry) is one of the few sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLa), another essential fatty acid (“good fat”) found to have significant healthenhancing and cancer-preventing properties.

5. Compared with conventional

Fattoush Makes 4 servings

Zatar is an easy-to-love Middle eastern herb and spice blend with sesame seeds readily found in the spice section of natural markets and international food stores. it layers delicious flavor onto this chunky salad.

2 (6-inch) rounds pita bread 2 medium cucumbers, peeled 3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped ¼ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar ¼ cup chopped fresh mint ¼ cup lightly packed chopped fresh parsley 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup) 2 to 3 tablespoons zatar Mixed salad greens for serving Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the pita bread into 1-inch squares, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven until crisp, about 12 minutes. slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds, and slice them into ½-inch-thick crescents. toss the cucumbers, tomatoes and salt with the oil and vinegar in a large salad bowl. add the mint, parsley, feta and zatar, toss again and taste for seasoning. toss the salad with the pita bread. serve immediately if you like it crispier. Or wait 20 minutes to 1 hour before serving if you like it softer. serve it over a bed of salad greens arranged with slices of the spicerubbed steak.

— Lynne Curry

grain-finished beef, grass-fed is consistently higher in beta carotene, vitamin e, B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin, and the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium.

6. Cutting out the feedlot brings more money directly to the rancher and supports family farms and their communities.

7. rotational grazing methods promote soil regeneration and biodiversity and are a promising avenue for increased carbon sequestration.

8. Far less fossil fuel is used in producing this beef, and animal waste is a valuable plant fertilizer that is dispersed over the rangeland, not collected in polluting manure lagoons.

9. The texture of the beef when raw is resilient, like a well-toned and relaxed muscle, less watery and, when cooked, is more substantial and satisfying.

10. The flavors are more concentrated and varied with mineral, mushroom and umami qualities — all dependent on the composition and quality of the pastures where the animals grazed.

Note: Beware of false grass-fed claims, which are rampant. UsDa requirements for labeling beef grassfed are loose. Be sure to ask your farmer or butcher, and you can check third-party certifiers like the Food alliance (foodalliance.org) and american grassfed (americangrassfed.org).

advenTures in sTeak steaks from the middle — the rib and loin sections — used to be the definition a great steak. not anymore.

The seam butchery revival (which preserves the muscle groups) has redesigned the menu, offering more steaks from the chuck, such as the flatiron, as well as beefy, coarsetextured steaks like the bavette from the bottom sirloin and plate. and for whole animal eaters, there are novelty items for grilling, too, like the heart.

For most cuts you can visit your local meat counter since it’s prime steak season. For less common cuts, you’ll need to seek out a dedicated butcher shop, like Chop, Laurelhurst Market and Phil’s Uptown Meat Market.

Classic steaks: These are the steakhouse steaks, especially rib steak (rib-eye when boneless), Tbone and porterhouse (pretty much the same cut, though porterhouse has a larger tenderloin muscle; the term “porterhouse” can also indicate

33 a thick-cut steak), strip loin (aka new York steak) and tenderloin steak (aka filet mignon, not a favorite of butchers, FYi, because it lacks flavor).

New steaks: recent discoveries from the chuck include flatiron (aka top blade steak), teres major (aka shoulder tender) and chuck-eye steak, a bargain cut just one slice away from the pricey rib section.

Bistro steaks: along with old favorites like flank steak and tri-tip, there is skirt steak, both inside and outside, hanger steak and bavette (aka sirloin flap or flap meat).

Novelties: Though they’re not technically steaks, these are great grillers for the adventuresome: beef heart (trimmed and sliced), tongue (boiled for two minutes, then peeled and sliced), back ribs and flanken-style short ribs (the thinly cut ribs are also called korean-style).

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Beef heart isn’t technically a steak, but it’s tender and loves a quick fire on the grill and a strong marinade like this spicy-hot piri piri sauce, a purée of roasted red peppers, red chile flakes and cumin. together with thin-cut flanken-style short ribs, which sizzle up quick, links of chorizo, corn on the cob and tomatoes, you get a complete dinner party on the grill. if you’re not into heart — the leanest and most intensely beefy cut there is — substitute hanger steak, tri-tip or top sirloin. if you do get a heart, keep in mind that grass-fed animals are generally smaller and therefore so are all of their cuts. a trimmed grass-fed beef heart typically weighs about 2 pounds. if you get a conventional heart, it’ll likely be twice as big. piri piri sauce: 2 whole roasted red peppers (or 1 packed cup jarred roasted bell peppers) 3 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar ¼ cup olive oil 1 to 1½ tablespoons red chile flakes (or to taste) 1 teaspoon sea salt ¾ teaspoon ground cumin ⁄8 teaspoon granulated sugar

1

mixed grill: 1 beef heart, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch wide strips (see note) 1 pound flanken-style short ribs (also called korean-style) 12 ounces chorizo links (see note) 6 to 8 ears corn on the cob, husk and silk removed

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4 to 6 large ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced

To make the piri piri sauce: in the bowl of a food processor, purée the peppers, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, red chile flakes, salt, cumin and sugar until smooth. it makes 1 cup.

To make the mixed grill: Put the sliced beef heart and short ribs in a shallow dish just large enough to contain them and brush them thickly with half of the piri piri sauce. Cover and reserve the rest of the sauce for serving. Marinate the beef for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill for high heat, scrape the grate clean, and oil it lightly. grill the heart and short ribs over the hottest part of the grill for 2 to 2½ minutes per side, pulling the thinner pieces off the grill soonest. at the same time, grill the sausages where they’ll fit, turning them 3 to 4 times, until they are nicely browned all over, 7 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, space the corn around the edges of the grill — or once you’ve removed all the meats — turning every few minutes until it is lightly browned and tender to the bite, about 12 minutes each. slice the short ribs between the bones to make roughly 2-inch serving pieces and cut the sausages into thirds. arrange the beef heart strips, short ribs and sausages on a serving platter and dab with some of the piri piri sauce, if desired. Cut each corn cob into three pieces, arrange the corn and tomatoes on a separate platter and sprinkle them with salt. Pass the piri piri sauce at the table to drizzle over everything to taste. notes: to trim a beef heart, slice off the fat and silver skin (membrane) from the exterior, and trim off all the membrane from the inside. san Francisco chef Chris Cosentino has a great video on Youtube demonstrating cleaning a beef heart (bit.ly/ahLhin).

Don’t use Mexican chorizo, which is meant to be squeezed out of its casing, or spanish chorizo, which is hard and cured like salami. Look for chorizo-flavored sausage links from niman ranch at grocery stores like new seasons, or look for house-made links at butcher counters like Laurelhurst Market.

— Lynne Curry £

Going whole (or half ) hog For customers looking to get closer to their food source, buying meat directly from the farmer is the only way to go

The Good Life: At Worden Hill Farm in Dundee, the heritage Duroc and Berkshire pigs range freely on the 12-acre property, feasting on scraps from nearby gourmet restaurants and orchards.

By Kerry neWBerry Photography by roSS William hamilton When meeting Wolfgang ortloff at his home, it is not out of the ordinary to see a 200-pound Berkshire hog trotting by. or to see a spotted snout poking out from behind an oak tree, followed by a resounding snort. ortloff and his wife, Susan, raise close to 100 Berkshire and Duroc pigs a year on their 12-acre Worden hill farm in Dundee. the pastured pigs reach a robust market weight slowly and naturally as they feast on locally milled grains and scraps from nearby gourmet restaurants and boutique food producers. Briar rose Creamery, just up the road, brings buckets of whey left over from making goat’s milk cheese. in late summer, the hogs snack on fresh peaches from neighboring Baird family orchards, plus apples and hazelnuts in the fall. artisan brewery heater allen provides an occasional amuse-bouche — buckets of spent grain. “after they eat it, they just lay there, smacking their lips with satisfaction,” says Susan. the ortloffs sell half and whole hogs to a handful of restaurants — ned ludd and Ciao Vito in Portland, and thistle, Jory and Community Plate in the wine country. But most of their customers are avid home cooks who want to know the provenance of their pork and aren’t afraid to invest in a whole or half hog.

“People are really excited about knowing where their pigs come from,” says Susan. “the health and humanity, the way the pigs were raised, are two main reasons.” the taste and quality of the pork is another, she adds. Berkshire pork is considered the “Kobe beef ” of the pork world. When pasture-raised, the breed produces tender, dark, juicy meat with high marbling and intense flavors. and for nose-to-tail devotees and adventurous cooks, purchasing a whole or half hog gives them the opportunity to have access to all parts of the animal because they have a direct dialogue with the farmer and butcher. that means they can take home all the unusual bits — skin, fat, trotters and head — to make recipes such as scrapple, cracklings, blood sausage and other charcuterie. although this is something of a novel idea these days, it’s nothing new to ortloff, who grew up in a small village in germany. once a year his family would buy a pig and invite the local butcher to the house for schlachtfest, a traditional german pig slaughter, followed by a festive meal with wine.

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Butchers Devin Nowlin and Spencer Adams from Laurelhurst Market break down half a hog as some of Wolfgang and Susan Ortloff’s customers look on. For conscious consumers — and adventurous cooks — it doesn’t get any better than this.

and that’s why, one sunny Saturday, the ortloffs hosted a butchery affair for their customers, Bavarian-style. imagine an intimate wine and cheese party, but with two butchers breaking down half hogs on the main table in the ortloffs’ open kitchen.

“We raise the pigs, but this is where the true craft comes in,” says ortloff, nodding toward the two butchers.

A

s 30 urbanites clad in hunter Boots and dark denim sip wine and nibble cheese, and three young spectators sit perched atop stools, elbows on the wooden table, Spencer adams and Devin nowlin from laurelhurst market break down the first half hog of the day. While one butcher deftly glides a long, thin, flexible knife around the bone of a ham, the other uses a hacksaw to remove the trotters. the meat belongs to michele meyer, the ortloffs’ family friend from Seattle. this is her fourth time buying a half hog — her family loves pork and so do many of her friends. So much so, her facebook post looking for people to share the meat quickly generated more responses than she needed. Splitting a hog with friends is a common tactic for buyers concerned about storage space and eating all the pork. a family of three or four usually cooks through a half-hog in six months or less. “the bacon always goes first,” says meyer. adams, a soft-spoken butcher with a red goatee, begins peeling back a thick layer of skin — the process is smooth, clean and methodical. meyer took the skin last time, but she wasn’t sure how to use it. adams chimes in that the skin can be made into cracklings or croutons — a trifecta of salt, fat and crunch that’s delicious as a topping for salads and soups, or as a stand-alone appetizer or side dish. fat trimmings can also be rubbed in a pan and used as “pork butter” or rendered into lard.

“Do you want your feet and your hocks?” adams asks. meyer muses, until adams reveals that the feet are a secret ingredient in great soup or stock. if you simmer the trotters long and low, the natural gelatin releases. “this gives the soup a nice velvety texture,” says the butcher. “the hocks, just above the feet, are really good for seasoning any kind of beans,” he adds, and can be slow-cooked or cured and smoked. “it’s fascinating to find out all you can do,” says meyer, marveling at the ham hocks and feet being neatly wrapped in brown butcher paper.

Clark Brinkley, a nose-to-tail enthusiast, agrees. “you can go to the store and say, ‘i want some pork chops or a ham,’ but this way you get it all,” he says. “and you get to try all kinds of cuts that you wouldn’t have tried before, like schweinshaxe,” he says with a sigh, a delicacy he recalls fondly from a year spent in austria. the german dish of spit-roasted

What to expect The cuTs: “Pork is great because you can do so many different things with it,” says Jim Parker from heritage farms northwest. “Plus, there are so many cuts available that you can’t get from beef or lamb.” Working with a butcher to talk through your cuts is like joining a CSa for the first time — the quality of the product and element of discovery is inspiration to hit the kitchen and host an impromptu pork fete. Since the cuts will vary based on customer preference, here’s a general breakdown of a what a half-hog can include: Shoulder roast (Boston butt) Shoulder picnic roast Boneless chops Bone-in chops Sirloin chops leg roast leg steaks Baby back ribs Spare ribs Bacon ground pork Pork sausage liver fat/lard Soup bones

Back Fat Shoulder roast Jowl

Shoulder picnic roast

Baby back ribs Spare ribs

Sirloin chops

Bacon

Leg roast, steaks

Hock Foot

sTorage: many people think they can’t buy an animal share because they don’t have the space. But a small chest freezer is all you really need. Clark Brinkley, a Worden hill farm pork customer, never viewed storage as a barrier to buying half a hog. “When i moved from a house to a one-bedroom apartment, the first thing i did was buy a chest freezer,” he says. the freezer fits in his front closet and doubles as place to stack coats during dinner parties. it’s stocked with wild salmon he’s caught, venison he’s hunted and the pork he cooks — often using Julia Child’s recipes. a half hog takes about 2.5 to 3 cubic feet of freezer space. a typical refrigerator freezer (if starting out empty) will fit a half hog. a small chest freezer is large enough to store a half hog, and can be purchased for around $150 to $200. and if you don’t want to go that route, you can ask friends or co-workers to share the meat with you.

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Buying a whole or half share of a hog directly from the farmer gives customers the chance to cook unusual cuts they won’t find at the supermarket. Not only that, by working with butchers such as Spencer Adams and Devin Nowlin at Laurelhurst Market, they can get the meat custom cut or even cured to their specifications.

pork knuckles (or uncured ham hocks) is cooked slowly until the skin is crisp and the meat is tender. “the mystery is how do you start with this big thing,” Brinkley nods toward the half-hog, “and create all those little things,” he says of the primal cuts being further broken down, his eye on a roast for dinner. the laurelhurst butchers work with customers to cut and package to their needs. “if they have four people in the family, that’s four chops per package because they are going to freeze it, so you want them to be able to pull it out and use it as is,” says adams. “that’s what i love about being part of butchering right now,” he says about working directly with customers. “it’s all coming back around to what it used to be.”

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he next half-pig on the table belongs to Ben Conte. his wife just returned from their daughter’s soccer game, where she was taking pork orders on the field. Conte declares the roast sausages from their last Worden hill hog the best he’s ever had (the sausage was custommade at laurelhurst market). the family split their first half-hog with friend Steve Baczko, who quips that the tail is the best part. (the tail can be braised, stewed or deep-fried.) this time they plan to give some of the pork to neighbors and in-laws, and have aspirations to pursue the craft of charcuterie. home-cured coppa (cured ham from the neck muscle) tops the list. “the key is to make sure you get the right salts,” says Conte. “this is the absolute bible of curing and salting,” he continues, holding up “Charcuterie: the Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing” by michael ruhlman. the gospel of charcuterie speaks to using all parts of the pig, which is also one way to honor the animal. the butchers are on the last hog when a winemaking couple arrive with more bottles of pinot noir and two warm-from-the-oven apple pies. “Wolfgang drove by with his truck filled with apples this afternoon, and asked, ‘Do you want any of these before i feed the pigs?’ ” says Julia Staigers, from the neighboring Crumbled rock Winery. Staigers wants to make headcheese (pig head meat suspended in a jellied stock). She’s betting the ortloffs will barter — one pig’s head for a bottle of wine and homebaked apple pie. it’s clear that nothing will go to waste today.

oNLINe eXTra: Get recipes for Scrapple, Morcilla Sausage, Kalter Braten and Pork Cracklin’ Spread at mIXpDX.com

Farm-direct pork The local farms we found that offer farm-direct pork are raising heritage breed hogs on pasture year-round.

The pigs roam freely — foraging and grazing on pasture grasses until they reach market weight. As a result, the meat is more succulent, tender and richer. “It tastes like the pork your grandmother used to cook,” says Jim Parker of Heritage Farms Northwest.

Here’s how it works: You place an order for a half or a whole pig, reserving your share with a deposit (the amount varies by farm).

Keep in mind there might be a waiting list.

When your pig reaches market weight, the farm will contact you to confirm the processing date and will bring the pig to their local processor for slaughtering.

Depending on the farm, you will either work with their local butcher or they will deliver the pig to a butcher of your choice. After you talk with the butcher, you can choose either standard cuts or custom-order cuts; the pork will be wrapped and, for a little extra, cured or made into sausages to your specifications.

If you are new to the idea of pig shares and want a trial run, there are options.

Bernard Smith at Full of Life Farm offers a 10-pound Pork Sample Box that caters to new customers so they can try a variety of cuts from the animal. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and get some cuts that you are not normally used to,” he says. “This is the first step to realizing there’s more to the world of meat than what you find in grocery stores.”

Here are a few of the producers offering whole or half shares of pork (and often grass-fed beef, chicken and other products, too) not far from the Portland area:

afton Field Farm: Owned

by Tyler and Alicia Jones.

Tyler is a protégé of Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm in Virginia, which was featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and recognized for sustainable livestock management. The herd of Berkshire hogs at Afton Field Farm can be found foraging in the nearby forest. Come fall, the hogs are run through an oak grove for an acorn feast. The Joneses also offer grass-fed beef and poultry, and deliver to several buying clubs around Portland.

375 S.W. 53rd St., Corvallis, 541-738-0127, aftonfieldfarm.com

champoeg Farm: Mark and Catherine Anderson own and operate Champoeg Farm, a family farm established in 1856. Their Berkshire hogs run, root and roam under a grove of large fir trees, grazing on grasses and eating custommilled feed. Grass-fed beef, eggs and turkeys are also available. Check out the website for seasonally scheduled farm tours.

21579 Champoeg Creek Lane N.E., St. Paul, 503-678-3333, champoegfarm.com

Deck Family Farm: In addition to grass-fed beef, lamb, goats and chickens, Deck Family Farm raises

a mix of Hampshire-Duroc crosses and Red Wattle hogs. John and Christine Deck feed the piglets raw milk. As they get older, the herd forages on organic vegetables, supplemented by a diet of nuts, pears, apples and locally sourced grain. These pigs also have their own YouTube video: “Deck Family Farm Pigs on Pasture” gives you a behindthe-scenes peek at the pigs grazing on spring grass.

25362 High Pass Road, Junction City, 541-998-4697, deckfamilyfarm.com

Full of Life Farm: A health and nutrition seminar prompted Bernard Smith and his wife, Michelle, to leave their careers in the San Francisco Bay Area to focus on raising animals on his family’s farm. In addition to Berkshire and Duroc hogs, the farm raises grass-fed cattle, chickens, turkeys and goats. Smith leads regularly scheduled pasture walks and farm tours. And if you leave with the farming bug, he offers consulting services to aspiring livestock farmers.

7358 Champoeg Road N.E., St. Paul, 925-876-6720, fulloflifefarm.com

heritage Farms Northwest: Jim and Wendy Parker focus on raising, promoting and preserving rare breed farm

animals, including American Guinea hogs and Red Wattle hogs. Red Wattles are listed with Slow Food USA on its Ark of Taste, which is a catalog of more than 200 foods in danger of extinction. The breed is slowly making a comeback because of small farmers raising herds. Heritage Farms NW has the largest herd west of Kansas.

The Parkers sell finished pork by the side, barbecue pigs, grass-fed beef and even individual cuts, so you can custom-order a crown rib roast, pork chops or a pound of bacon. They are also AWA certified (Animal Welfare Approved).

5585 Liberty Road, Dallas 503-606-9883, heritagefarmsnw.com

Worden hill Farm: The Berkshire and Duroc hogs raised by Susan and Wolfgang Ortloff are fortunate to feast on scraps from nearby wine country restaurants, plus fallen fruit from nearby orchards. The herd also feeds on locally milled grains and forages for walnuts that drop from the property’s trees. Whole or half hogs can be delivered to your butcher of choice, including Laurelhurst Market in Portland.

1305 S.W. Ninth St., Dundee, 503-705-1766, wordenhillfarm.com £

The price: The price: Whole, half or quarters of an animal are sold by “hanging weight,” which is the weight of that portion of the animal when it arrives at the butcher shop (i.e. after slaughter but before bones and extra fat are removed).

The hanging weight of a whole pig is typically 200 pounds and the price per pound averages $4, for an average total of $800 for a whole pig. After the bones and extra fat are removed, typically 65 percent of the animal is left, which is referred to as the “cut-out” or “finished weight.” A 200-pound pig might result in 130 pounds finished weight. But since you’ve already paid $800, that means the price per pound for the meat you’re taking home is actually higher, more like $6 a pound. The butcher will charge a separate fee for cutting and wrapping the meat (usually $90 for a whole pig, $45 for a half), and any curing and sausage-making is extra.

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a

good cheese [ Revitalizing an industry, one cheese at a time ]

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ndy and Mateo Kehler started much more than a farmstead cheese company in 2003 when they began making cheese at Jasper Hill Farm. For generations, their family spent summers in northeastern Vermont, and as the boys grew, they watched the farming industry decline to the verge of collapse.

Jasper Hill Farm and its cheese were the first steps in their vision to revitalize the landscape and the economy in the region.

When the Kehler boys were kids, a 35- to 40-cow dairy farm could sustain a family. They were determined to make that a reality again, adding value to their milk by transforming it into artisan cheese. Their cheeses were an immediate success, and that was all the inspiration they needed to blast into part of their acreage in 2007 to construct the Cellars at Jasper Hill’s site near Greensboro.

This 22,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art cheese maturation (affinage) and distribution facility is the first of its kind in the United States. By offering affinage expertise and labor, marketing and sales, and distribution logistics, the operation removes some of the biggest hurdles in artisan cheesemaking, and frees cheesemakers to focus on producing the highest-quality milk possible and developing their skills. Having an array of cheeses from different producers in one location also gives everyone more opportunities to learn about rind, flavor and texture development in maturing cheeses.

Harbison, Jasper Hill’s newest cheese, fits right into the Kehlers’ vision of re-establishing a vibrant and sustainable agricultural economy. The Kehlers created Harbison to use the milk that used to go into another beloved Jasper Hill cheese, Bayley Hazen Blue. This transition was a way for them to move Bayley Hazen production to another facility and begin purchasing milk from other cow dairies in their area, keeping more farms afloat.

The cheese is a luscious disk of cow’s milk bound by a strip of spruce bark. The durable yet tender rind and creamy center of each round of Harbison showcases the cheesemaking finesse of Jasper Hill and the affinage skills that have been developed at the Cellars.

This cheese is wonderful shared by two on a romantic evening or as the centerpiece for a cheeseboard serving eight to 10. With every luscious scoop you can feel good knowing that what you are eating is helping preserve dairying and develop the art of cheesemaking here in the U.S.

pHoToGrapH By FaiTH CaTHCarT

By SaSHa DaVieS

Name: Harbison Milk: ayrshire cow Age and look: a pudgy disk covered with white mold and bound with spruce bark.

Ripening and storage: Harbison is aged for one month at the Cellars, allowing time for select bacteria to develop the rind and also for enzymes to break down the paste and release flavors. ripe disks should still be white, possibly with some gray accents, and should feel like the fleshy pad at the base of your thumb when gently squeezed.

Flavor: Brace yourself for rich, buttery flavors with hints of hay and mustard. The spruce binding adds a nice woodsy quality.

Serving recommendations: Tricky to cut into slices, this cheese is best served by peeling back half of the rind on one side and scooping

the paste onto crackers or baguette, or simply eating it by the spoonful. Use a small paring knife to make a small incision across the top of the cheese, then cut around the edge to make a semicircle that you can gently peel away.

Keep the rind handy just in case you don’t devour the entire interior; you can cover it back up with the rind before wrapping for storage in the fridge.

Drink with: Burgundian chardonnay, oregon pinot noir or a Belgian-style ale.

Why we like this cheese: it is delicious in its own right and it also embodies the passion and dedication of two visionaries who are working to make sure that great regional cheeses will be made in america for generations to come.

Where to buy: Cheese Bar and select Whole Foods and New Seasons stores £

five wines [ Melissa Radke’s

t

meat-friendly picks ]

BY KATHERINE COLE

ry tasting wines on a Tuesday at Laurelhurst Market and you’ll notice something distracting: the smell. First it’s fried chicken. Then seared pork chops. Then something being smoked.

These atmospheric conditions make Melissa Radke’s job both harder and easier than it might otherwise be. Tougher, because it’s difficult to focus one’s proboscis on a wineglass when the essence of roasting marrow bones drifts through the air. Simpler, because if a wine doesn’t smell right in this aromatic environment, it won’t taste right with the butcher-shop-driven menu.

For Radke, general manager at the restaurant, it’s all part of a chaotic job description that includes leaping up every five minutes to answer the phone and managing, remotely, the vino list at Simpatica Dining Hall, where the prix-fixe, wine-matched menu is never the same twice.

This is a lady who has seen it all and remains calm in the eye of the storm.

A veteran of legendary San Francisco spots such as EOS, Restaurant LuLu and Jardinière, and the shortlived but much-loved Sel Gris here in Stumptown, Radke learned about wine on the job. She counts nationally recognized sommes such as Debbie Zachareas and Nate Ready among her mentors. She’s still a part owner of Luna Park, a San Francisco restaurant (with a second location in L.A.) that she and some friends opened in the spring of 2000 out of frustration over a lack of affordable noshing spots for restaurant-industry insiders with high standards but slim pocketbooks.

In the early aughts, Radke decided to take a break from the dining scene and jetted off to the U.K. But, while studying interior design at the Chelsea College of Art & Design in London, she got sucked right back into the biz, first by the “stunningly beautiful” interiors of the nowshuttered Isola in Knightsbridge (“They take the aesthetic of dining to a whole new level in London: even the salt shakers are specially designed!” she says). Then she was off to Dublin for a stint at the hot spot Bang.

At Laurelhurst Market, Radke commandeers the everpresent wait list (psst: if you hadn’t already heard, the restaurant now takes a few reservations every night) and brings a certain feminine touch to the wine list. Perhaps influenced by her background in design, she seeks out bottles that bring elements of surprise, subtlety and nuance to a table laden with meat. For this issue, we couldn’t think of a better oeno expert to consult. Here’s what she reaches for when it’s time to fire up the grill.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH NAKAMURA

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THE WINES 2010 J. Christopher Croft Vineyard Oregon Sauvignon Blanc ($16.50) “I feel like this should be the quintessential Oregon summer wine,” says Radke. “It has that high minerality and high-acid finish.”

Winemaker Jay Somers has gotten behind sauvignon blanc in a big way, making it the second-biggest part of his production, in marked contrast to his pinot gris, chardonnay, riesling and pinot blanc-producing

neighbors. This succulent yet Sancerrelike single-vineyard beauty made from organically grown fruit convinces Radke that Somers is on the right track. “It tastes like a French white, but it does have a bit more ripe fruit — even some ripe kiwi — and midpalate roundness,” she says. She recommends serving it as an aperitivo, or alongside a summery starter platter of grilled white fish, shrimp or ceviche. Note: You may find the 2011 vintage of this wine on store shelves.

five wines cont.

2010 Martina Prieto Rueda Verdejo ($17) “Verdejo used to be just cheap; I didn’t take it that seriously,” recalls Radke. Then she met Martina Prieto Pariente and tasted her wines. “I thought, ‘This is the best verdejo coming out of the Rueda,’ ” Radke recalls. Prieto Pariente is the daughter of verdejo evangelist Victoria Pariente, who resurrected the reputation of Spanish whites with her serious Bodegas José Pariente wines. The younger Pariente produces limited amounts of her own wines under the Martina Prieto label and is just as passionate about verdejo as her madre, harvesting the fruit at night so as to capture acidity levels at their peak.

Radke finds that this wine’s mineral, floral and herbal notes, offset by hints of pineapple and orange rind, pair beautifully with grilled vegetables. (A prime example: Try it with chef David Kreifels’ recipe for Grilled Baby Romaine With Green Harissa, available at mixpdx.com.)

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2010 Domaine Rabasse Charavin Côtes du Rhône ($15.75) Mother-daughter

2009 Olivares “Altos de la Hoya” Finca Hoya de Santa Ana Jumilla Monastrell ($11.50)

NV Rockblock by Domaine Serene Oregon SoNo Syrah ($30) For those who prefer a meaty

vigneronne team Corinne and Laure Couturier farm their vineyards tenderly and let their fruit shine by bypassing oak barrels in favor of stainless-steel and enamellined tanks. This blend is carignan, grenache and syrah, from vines ranging in age from 10 to 40 years.

“For a basic Côtes du Rhône, this wine is amazing,” Radke says, praising its pretty floral quality and subtle minerality. She advises pairing the Rabasse Chavarin’s lush texture and aromatic fruit with spicy barbecue sauce, or pork grilled with peaches or cherries. Another shoo-in: Grilled chicken. (Oh, and don’t believe the statement that it weighs in at a hefty 15 percent; the importer assures me that the alcohol by volume is actually lower, though the label has been printed thus for years.)

Want to wow the gang at the barbecue? Bring this bargain, made from the undersung monastrell (also known as mourvèdre) grape, from the undersung Jumilla region of Spain. “I don’t understand how they can charge so little for this wine,” says Radke. “This is ungrafted, high-elevation monastrell from old vines dating as far back as 1872.”

(Wine geek note: Why ungrafted, and so old? Because of the sandy soils at the Altos de la Hoya vineyard, the scourge phylloxera never plagued the site.) Radke would pair this catch with lamb chops, burgers or steaks. “It has nice structure, but still has that purity of fruit. It’s not dark or overextracted; there is an elegance to this wine that for this price is amazing.”

Note: You may find the 2010 vintage of this wine on store shelves.

American red with their American red meat, Radke suggests this all-Oregon production, made by a Willamette Valley winery from fruit sourced from two vineyards on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla appellation: Seven Hills Vineyard and Stone Valley Vineyard. She decants it before we taste it; if you don’t have a decanter, just pour a few glasses and let them — and the bottle — breathe for 30 minutes or so before enjoying. “It’s big but not brutish,” Radke says after taking a taste. “The tannins are really well-integrated now that it has been open.” This well-structured red is redolent of dark berries and boasts a long spicy finish. Radke recommends pairing it with rib-eye, “or any fatty cut of meat with nice grill marks.” £

 onLine eXtRA: Get the recipe for Grilled Baby Romaine with Green Harissa, and find out where to buy these wines at miXpdX.com

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mixmaster Pisco: perennially

By paul clarke

poised as the Next Big Thing

t’s not easy being the Next Big Thing. From jai alai to Betamax, countless passing interests have germinated in the soil of our culture, most only going on to wither or freeze in arrested development, or to slowly grind out a future in the harsh atmosphere of public whimsy.

The South american spirit known as pisco has been down this path before. Wildly popular in peru and chile — which have long dueled over the claim to pisco’s parentage and, ergo, the right to claim its version as the “true” pisco (a fight peru seems to be winning) — pisco remains a relative blip on the american spirits circuit, despite years of predictions that it’s poised to be the next tequila or gin. a type of unaged brandy, pisco does have a record of success in the States: During the california gold rush in the mid-1800s, pisco that was shipped into San Francisco briefly became the most widely consumed spirit in the city. The spirit’s popularity likely owed as much to the alluring appeal of the pineappleinflected pisco punch, the signature drink of 49er-era San Francisco, as it did to the difficulties of getting whiskey across the rockies during those pre-Transcontinental railroad days.

Though pisco didn’t completely disappear from american bars, it never again became the hot cultural commodity it was during the 19th century. Not that pisco producers haven’t tried; recently, as better brands have become available and as culinary curiosity has turned in the direction of South america, sales of pisco have exploded. But even now, pisco is still a relative novelty — a couple of shots in the supertanker of the spirits industry.

It hasn’t helped pisco’s fortunes that few bartenders — and few customers — seem interested in exploring pisco-based cocktails beyond the famous (and delicious) pisco sour.

“It’s tough, because as much as you hear claims that pisco is hotter than ever, it’s hard to get people interested in drinks besides the pisco sour,” says Greg Hoitsma, head bartender at andina, the venerable peruvian restaurant in the pearl District. Hoitsma says andina’s early menus featured an array of pisco-based cocktails, but few guests strayed from the basic sour. Today there

pHoToGrapHy By FreD Joe

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mixmaster cont.

Pisco Sour MakeS 1 SerVING

The pisco sour is ubiquitous for one simple reason: It’s absolutely delicious. In lima, pisco sours are typically made strong and slightly sweet; adjust the drink’s proportions to suit your tastes. one egg white is sufficient for two cocktails — a good excuse to invite a friend for drinks.

2 ounces pisco ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ¾ ounce simple syrup about ½ of a fresh egg white Ice Garnish: 3-5 drops bitters (amargu chuncho bitters from peru are preferred, or substitute angostura) combine all ingredients except ice and bitters in a cocktail shaker and shake well, until egg white is foamy. add ice and vigorously shake again until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; dot the top of the foam with drops of bitters.

Heaven’s Kickback MakeS 1 SerVING

kask bartender ariana Vitale matches the floral notes in campo de encanto’s acholado pisco with honey and elderflower liqueur, and uses grapefruit juice and celery bitters to enhance the spirit’s earthy aspects.

2 ounces campo de encanto pisco ¾ ounce fresh grapefruit juice ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

44

¼ ounce honey syrup (see below) 1 teaspoon St. Germain elderflower liqueur 6 drops celery bitters (Vitale uses Scrappy’s, made in Seattle) Ice Garnish: Grapefruit twist combine all ingredients except the garnish in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well until chilled, about 10 seconds; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with grapefruit twist.

To make the honey syrup: combine ½ cup honey with ¼ cup hot water and stir to combine; keep remainder refrigerated.

are only two pisco drinks on the bar menu, the sour and the closely related pisco Sour kuong Tong, flavored with five-spice syrup and litchi nectar.

Hoitsma says pisco needs a cultural connection similar to that enjoyed by tequila, which in the u.S. was once consumed almost exclusively in margaritas before bartenders and drinkers began exploring its potential — though he admits this won’t be easy. “pisco doesn’t have that ‘like Water for chocolate’ mystique that tequila has been able to grab onto. Besides, everybody knows somebody who’s been to Mexico,” he says. “Who’s been to peru?” pisco may be unfamiliar to many drinkers, but the affable character of a quality version of the spirit provides a pleasant introduction. peruvian pisco can be made from eight varieties of grapes (in chile, three are used). pisco puro is a single-varietal style that can range from the delicately floral Italia and Torontel to the earthy, robust Mollar and suebranta. Acholado piscos blend two or more varietals to match and enhance the desirable characteristics in each, and mosto verde piscos are made from partially fermented grapes, resulting in a spirit that’s particularly soft and inviting. peru allows neither dilution nor barrel-aging before bottling, which makes the approachable character of pisco all the more surprising, and a testament to the skill of a quality pisco’s distiller.

Dozens of brands of pisco exist in peru and chile, but only a few make their way to

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portland bars. Fortunately, the past couple of years have seen the american debut of several worthwhile brands, including the exuberant acholado from campo de encanto, the delicate mosto verde from pisco porton, and an engaging selection of pisco puro from oro (the Italia is particularly worth seeking out).

Though the pisco sour may still dominate the cocktail shaker, some bartenders around town are prodding at pisco’s parameters — and there are even signs that customers may now be willing to explore them.

“I think people are kind of already feeling adventurous by being at a peruvian restaurant, and they’re going the whole nine yards and trying the different pisco drinks,” says erin del Solar, co-owner of Del Inti in Northwest portland.

In addition to serving the spirit in the pisco sour, Del Inti features cocktails made with pisco infused with peruvian peppers or with the purple corn known as chicha, and in a savory drink called pisco apio, mixed with elderflower liqueur, lemon and freshpressed celery juice. rum club gives the pisco sour its own spin in the off Speed pitch, made with damson gin liqueur; at Teardrop cocktail lounge, an adaptation of the crimean cup from the 1890s is made with acholado pisco, rhum agricole from Martinique and sparkling rosé. at kask, bartender ariana Vitale recently won a trip to peru to make campo de encanto pisco by creating a drink she dubbed Heaven’s kickback, made with grapefruit and lemon and sweetened with honey and elderflower liqueur. “pisco doesn’t have the kinds of powerful flavors that will overwhelm the other elements you put into a drink,” she says. “It has slight tropical tones and a little spice, and it interacts with other ingredients without being overpowering.”

Vitale says pisco’s delicate character and wine-like nuances make it a great mixing spirit. Who knows, with a little luck and a growing desire to explore pisco’s possibilities, it may even become — dare we suggest it? — the Next Big Thing. £

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pubcrawl [ Beer Touring: Get on the bus ]

m

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BY JOhN FOYStON / PhOtOGRAPhY BY ROSS WILLIAM hAMILtON erry Prankster Ken Kesey was hard-nosed about it: You were either on the bus or off the bus. Ashley Rose Salvitti offers some wiggle room for beer tourists on the Brewvana bus: “OK, everybody,” she says over the reggae soundtrack as she’s about to wheel the bus away to another pub, “raise your hand if you aren’t here.”

Which is to say, sure, you could save a few bucks and not hop aboard Angel, the Brewvana bus. You could organize your own brewery tour. But it wouldn’t be the same.

For one thing, you wouldn’t have the company of Brewvana owner Salvitti, a

young woman who combines effervescence with clipboard-toting efficiency, who makes the bus run on time and who can effortlessly wrangle a load of boisterous beer tourists. Nor could you enjoy the comforts of Angel, with its city/skyscape interior mural, its onboard refrigerator, handmade pretzel necklaces for all and a cup holder at each seat for your Brewvana souvenir pilsner glass.

You wouldn’t be able to pull up to a closed pub such as Pints on a Sunday morning and be met by brewer Zack Beckwith for a tour of his new brewery followed by tastes of his beers. Nor would Fire on the Mountain brewer Ben Nehrling likely join you for a lunch of pizza and hot wings and narrate the procession of pitchers being delivered to the table while talking

about his career in the Oregon beer scene.

“We’re really connected with the brewers and pubs,” says Salvitti. “We want them to be pumped when the Brewvana bus pulls up.” From what I saw on a recent tour, Salvitti has handily achieved her goal. “She’s great to work with,” said Ben Love, who opened the then-unfinished Gigantic Brewing for the tour. “She does such a great job planning her tours and she’s so easy to work with — she makes it clear what she expects and what we can expect from her.

Plus I love her enthusiasm. She’s great.”

Brewvana is a relative newcomer: Salvitti held her first tour just a year ago, but she and Nikki Muir, her other tour guide/driver and only employee, have found a niche as evangelists of Portland beer culture. “We love providing the complete experience,” Salvitti

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says. “hop on the bus and don’t worry about anything. We’ll make sure that lunch is ordered and ready when we arrive at the lunch stop. We’ll make sure that beers are ready to sample.”

Left to their own devices, beer tourists can find Portland a daunting city. With four dozen breweries and brewpubs, we have an embarrassment of riches. Where to start? A string of five-star reviews on sites such as tripAdvisor suggest that booking a Brewvana tour is the best move: “Ever been in a town and not known anybody?” writes one customer from Los Gatos, Calif. “Brewvana solves that problem and introduces you to unique microbreweries in the process. Ashley gives the new-to-Portland person the opportunity to meet fellow beer lovers and connect with the premier microbreweries of Portland in the process. Pass this one up and you will be a beer novice forever.”

Salvitti is relatively new to Portland herself. She moved here in April 2007 from Greensboro, N.C., where she earned a degree in art with a minor in psychology — she wanted to become an art therapist, and still may. Soon after arriving in town, she hired on as a server at Laurelwood for a year, then went to hopworks when it opened in 2008, and still works there. her beer background and her hard-wired enthusiasm equip her well as a tour guide.

“We love converting those people who think they don’t like beer,” she says. “Really, they

just haven’t found a beer they like and it’s exciting to introduce to them to different styles, like the sour and barrel-aged beers at Cascade Barrel house — those are beers that even wine drinkers love.”

Salvitti reckons that her weekend “Behind the Scenes” and “Imbibing” tours are about 75 percent out-of-towners, but she offers plenty for local beer fans, too. there are overnight excursions to beer festivals, brewery parties, tours of beer scenes in Corvallis, Eugene or Astoria, and monthly Connoisseur tours led by a different professional brewer each time.

A home brewer from the Oregon Brew Crew led a recent tour designed for people who want to brew their own beer. If you love craft-distilled whiskey, there’s a whiskey-and-beer tour, too. You can even opt for the Build Your Own tour and create your dream excursion by deciding where you want to go and what you’d like to do at each location, Salvitti says.

Whatever the tour, trust that it’ll be conducted with that trademark Salvitti enthusiasm, which, along with a cooler of beer, was enough to keep the party going when Angel broke down on a recent trip to the coast.

“A good friend of mine didn’t like me at first because she thought I was a fake,” she says.

“She thought nobody could be that positive all the time.

But that’s just the way I am, especially now, because I love what I’m doing — interacting with people and helping them discover good beer.”

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the Brewvana bus (experiencebrewvana.com) is just one of several brewery tours offered in Portland. Options range from the venerable portland Brew Bus (brewbus.com), which first rolled in 1996, to the historically minded Bridges & Brews tours from Portland tours (portlandtours.net). there’s also the portland Microbrewery Tour from Eco tours of Oregon (ecotours-of-oregon. com) and more.

If you want to really learn about brewing as you sample beer, book a pubs of portland Tour (pubsofportlandtours.com) with home brewer and brewery consultant Marc Martin, who’ll take you to pubs via MAX trains and streetcars, and who brings along samples of hops and barley.

And if you want to stay active on your tour, grab a bike helmet and take a seat aboard the 16-person, pedal powered portland pedalounge (pedalounge.com), or join the pedal Bike Tours Brewery Trail peloton (pedalbiketours.com; read about founder todd Roll on Page 12). If you want to leave wheels of all kinds behind, check out the portland Walking Tours Beervana Tour (portlandwalkingtours.com). £

scene Our picks for what to eat where Twelve top-notch brunches to wake up early for, plus our five favorite fish markets /p52

Grain & Gristle, p48

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12 To Try / The brunch bunch After five days of breakfasting on boring bowls of cereal, nuked oatmeal or spongy cellophanewrapped muffins grabbed on the go, a weekend brunch — and its requisite bloody Mary — feels almost like a culinary version of a spa day. it’s leisurely and decadent and just what you need to forget all about the stress of the workweek.

There’s no shortage of great places serving up breakfast and brunch in this town, but this month we’re highlighting 12 that take it very seriously.

These are restaurants that put the same attention to detail on their a.m. service as they do their dinner. They don’t save up their efforts just for holidays, and they don’t serve it every day, either. They create special menus for the weekend (or just one weekend day) that keep with the seasons and offer a changing selection to keep things fresh and interesting.

PHOTOGRAPH by fAiTH cATHcART

Accanto

Don’t come here looking for a football-size Denver omelet. This casually elegant sister to the high italian palace Genoa serves sophisticated brunch fare that provides an indulgent pick-me-up. Accanto looks out over belmont through massive windows, but despite all that glass and a sleek design, the space feels warm and cozy. bar seating makes a lovely spot for a solo brunch; visit twice and you’re treated like a regular. begin with a small plate of airy ricotta doughnuts, ready to dip in luscious lemon curd. More adventurously, start with oysters on the half shell, or a seasonal nettle soup with shavings of Oregon black truffle. Move on to a bowl of polenta boldly topped with braised greens, poached eggs and a hit of chili oil. Accanto does offer the “traditionale,” aka eggs and bacon, though brunchers can substitute fried chicken livers or oysters.

2838 S.E. Belmont St., 503-235-4900, accantopdx.com — AuDRey VAn buskiRk

Beast

What better way to solve the sweet-or-savory brunch conundrum than to simply have both? beast’s sunday prix fixe menu is ever-changing, but it usually goes something like this: a starter of seasonal fruit clafoutis, followed by a hardy duck confit hash with farmers market vegetables, a selection of three cheeses with a green salad and dessert. yep, chocolate truffle cake with gold leaf and ice cream for breakfast. not bad. four courses as your morning meal is serious business, especially when you throw in wine pairings, so surrender any plans for the rest of your day. That is, unless you are planning to catch a matinee, which is the perfect foil to this late-morning extravagance. you’ll pay $35 for the food, and another $20 for wine, so though this is perhaps the spendiest brunch in town, it’s certainly worth it. Make a reservation at least a few days in advance to get in on one of two seatings: 10 a.m. or noon. i hear saturday brunch may be on the horizon when beast moves to its new space downtown across

scene conT. from Grüner on southwest 12th Avenue and Alder street.

5425 N.E. 30th Ave.; 503-841-6968; beastpdx.com — AnDReA sLOneckeR

Cocotte

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for a taste of french countrified cooking, and ambience, too, wake up and head out to cocotte.

This is a neighborhood bistrocum-bruncherie to satisfy the francophile within. you could make a reservation for their sunday-only service, though if there’s a wait, it won’t be long.

Order the oeufs en cocotte ($9), because, as at dinnertime, their namesake dish is a sure standout. by day, the cocotte is filled with a delicate mélange of gratinéed eggs, vegetables, cheese and sauce (roasted squash, chèvre and pistou on a recent visit). for a decidedly french place, it’s curious to find such a balanced, complex and exorbitantly garnished bloody Mary (think candied bacon) on the menu. Perhaps they should refer to it as a bloody Marie. Order it, and while away the morning in this charming corner cafe.

2930 N.E. Killingsworth St.; 503-227-2669; cocottepdx.com — AnDReA sLOneckeR

Grain & Gristle

All too often “brunch” equals “food coma.” yes, we love biscuits, pancakes and waffles, but good luck trying to accomplish anything but a nap after such a carb-tastic meal. for those seeking real fuel for the day, there’s Grain & Gristle. The northeast Portland gastropub works wonders with protein, particularly in the form of a lusciously PHOTOGRAPH by ROss WiLLiAM HAMiLTOn

beast

savory braised beef hash (the ingredients change each week), gorgeous smoked trout benedict, seasonal scrambles, and my new obsession — scrapple. A slice of this moist, savory cornmeal and chunky smoked ham loaf is pure southern comfort, particularly with a fried egg on top and a lightly dressed salad to refresh between bites. Ask for some maple syrup to drizzle on top (really, it’s a must). for those with a sweet tooth (or kids in tow) there are fluffy blueberry buttermilk pancakes and to-die-for beignets — crispy on the outside, moist and custardy within, and drizzled in caramel.

1473 N.E. Prescott St., 503-298-5007, grainandgristle.com — DAnieLLe cenTOni

Irving Street Kitchen

The food delivers amplified southern comfort, but you probably won’t want to come rolling in wearing a sweatshirt pulled on over pj’s. While the well-trained staff is friendly to all comers, irving street kitchen is a glamorous spot with lofty ceilings, striking art and a posh clientele.

Traditionalists will enjoy the french toast bread pudding — especially if they’ve just finished a 10-mile run and deserve the calories. brunch purists might eschew the house-smoked tasso bacon and Gruyère cheeseburger because of its lack of eggs, but they’d be missing out. if eggs are a must, treat yourself to the textural delights of the lobster and mascarpone soft scramble with a smoked cipollini chow-chow topping. All in all, it’s brunch worth getting (dressed) up for.

701 N.W. 13th Ave., 503-343-9440, irvingstreetkitchen.com — AuDRey VAn buskiRk

style than other spots around town. in fact, the must-order dish is the euro breakfast board ($12), because, heck, cured meat is what this place is all about. for a truly euro experience, enjoy the spread of salami, smoked fish, fresh cheese, pickled eggs and accouterments with a glass of bubbly.

1632 N.W. Thurman St.; 503-894-8136; 107 S.E. Washington St., 503-954-3663, olympicprovisions.coms — AnDReA sLOneckeR

Grain & Gristle

Roost

Ned Ludd

We all know that the sounds and smells coming from ned Ludd’s wood-burning oven fill us with warm fuzzies by night, but by weekend day, they’re better than an alarm clock for getting us out of bed. The fire-kissed flavors translate well to a charred vegetable hash with hunks of smoked trout and beautiful, orange-yolked

eggs. for dessert, don’t miss the cast-iron skillet chocolate chip cookie served with a teeny glass of cold milk. yes, it is worth $8. save for the MLk traffic, brunch here feels as though you’ve awakened in a cozy cottage in the woods, with a couple of handsome lumberjacks roasting your hash and flipping your eggs, hearthside.

3925 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 503-288-6900; nedluddpdx.com

PHOTOGRAPH by fAiTH cATHcART

— AnDReA sLOneckeR

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Olympic Provisions

for a lighter start to the day, in more ways than one, do brunch at Olympic Provisions’. served on saturdays and sundays at both locations, the brunch is lighter on the wallet than other brunches, with most entrees hanging in the $8 to $10 range. With a relatively short list of brunch staples, like chicken hash, brioche french toast and a daily scramble, the rest of the menu is a bit more continental-

ernest Hemingway was wrong: Drinking spots should be dark. brunch is when you most want a clean, welllighted space. Roost, a former dive-y bar brightened up with white paint and minimal decorations, fits that bill. And their undiscovered brunch is terrific.

There’s bright produce on the plate and in the glass, from the bananabrown-bread pancakes ($10) to the simple bloody Mary ($6; the Model T of morning cocktails). The kentucky

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Hot brown sandwich ($12.50), while not very brown, hides thick tomato slices and perfectly poached eggs between Texas toast and a cascade of Gruyèrerich Mornay sauce, all marked with crisscrossed slices of crispy bacon. Persuade a companion to order the open-faced steak sandwich ($15.50), a long piece of griddled toast soaking up juice from thick slices of grilled skirt steak, stewed tomatoes, fried eggs, and parsley and garlicflecked chimichurri sauce. better yet, order it yourself.

1403 S.E. Belmont St., 971-544-7136, roostpdx.com — MicHAeL RusseLL

Simpatica Dining Hall

Reedville Cafe

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Dinihanian’s Farm Market

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Gone are the days of hour-anda-half-long, stomach-churning waits for brunch at simpatica, but the deliciousness seems here to stay. After six years in business, simpatica is still successfully morphing from a stylish supper club on friday and saturday nights into one of the finest brunch spots in town come sunday morning. The menu undergoes subtle changes from week to week and season by season, but it’s not likely that you’ll go wrong. sure you’ll find the expected brunch fare — eggs “benny,” biscuits and gravy, fried chicken and waffles — but these days the latter half of the menu reads more like a list of dinner offerings. That is, until you get to the end of each description, which invariably states: “and two over-easy eggs.” This putan-egg-on-it approach to brunch is certainly of the moment, and here it’s done quite well.

828 S.E. Ash St.; 503-235-1600; simpaticacatering.com — AnDReA sLOneckeR

Skin and Bones

skirting the edge of Mount Tabor, skin and bones’ unprepossessing exterior gives way to a charming interior, with a few two- and four-tops between a pair of long communal tables, all overlooking the open kitchen. At the sunday brunch, extremely personable service and a bright and lively bloody Mary start things off on a high note, and the remainder of the meal doesn’t disappoint. The small menu changes frequently, and many dishes pick up where the weekend dinner service leaves

Woodsman Tavern

sunshine Tavern off. At brunch, hearty bison bolognese comes piled over slabs of seared polenta or nutty quinoa. The chef’s Toast layers a rich puddle of creamed nettles, egg and ovals of chicken galantine over toasted brioche. This is still a mostly undiscovered Portland treasure (i.e. no lines), but don’t dally.

The cooking, the service and the commitment to organic everything will draw the madding crowd soon enough.

5425 E. Burnside St., 503-236-3610, skinandbonesbistro.com — AuDRey VAn buskiRk

PHOTOGRAPH fROM sunsHine TAVeRn

Sunshine Tavern

sure, sunshine Tavern serves a sweet breakfast risotto and light-as-air ricotta doughnuts, but the real draws of this upscale pub’s weekend brunch are of the savory sort. Diners come to the Division street hangout for fried chicken and waffles, iceberg wedge salads, roasted pork belly sandwiches and such an array of baked eggs, frittatas and other egg-centric dishes that they could try something new every saturday and sunday morning for a month without repeating an order. Wash down your meal with a house-made bloody Mary, then spend the rest of the morning alternating between rounds of shuffleboard and

addictive vintage arcade games.

3111 S.E. Division St., 503-688-1750, sunshinepdx.com — AsHLey GARTLAnD

Woodsman Tavern

no restaurant is going to stock a whole new pantry just for brunch. for better or worse, there’s going to be some overlap between the night and the morning. At the Woodsman Tavern, that’s just fine. Here “leftovers” consist of luscious slices of La Quercia ham — the finest cured ham this side of spain — served with a crisp biscuit and tender, dark-green kale cradling two very soft eggs. Why should oysters be hidden away until night? A dozen

fresh, succulent pearls from fanny bay on the british columbia coast come on a metal tray with shiny ice, minced red onion mignonette and a lemon wedge.

Add an order of belgian-style fries for a hedonists’ dream breakfast. More traditionally, you’ll find french toast with pear and raisin compote and a hash with crisp potatoes and cubes of anise-tinted corned beef. As with the Woodsman’s dinner, the cocktails are a standout, especially the bloody Mary, aged for two days in a tall bottle until extra savory and mellow.

4537 S.E. Division St., 971-373-8264, woodsmantavern.com — MicHAeL RusseLL PHOTOGRAPH by THOMAs bOyD

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scene

high five

Seafood markets As the northwest finally shakes off the rain and chill, and the evening light lasts long past normal working hours, it’s time to put away the stew pot.

We now crave quick dinners that need just a few minutes in the sauté pan or on the grill. That means fish and other seafood.

Luckily there’s no shortage of places to stock up on the bounty our waters provide. for the most massive seafood encounter, visit the enormous grocery emporium that is uwajimaya. True fish-o-philes may find a more selective experience at a favorite seafood restaurant (stop by cabezon, just off northeast sandy at 52nd Avenue, midafternoon and they’ll sell you prepped portions from the nightly just-offthe-boat specials list). but there’s no beating the true fishmonger experience. stop by one of these markets and discover a new favorite. — by AuDRey VAn buskiRk

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1. The Gold Standard: Newman’s Fish Market serving Oregon’s piscine-loving community since 1890, newman’s fish company in northwest Portland’s city Market sells top quality fish and seafood to many area restaurants, and locals get to share the wealth. There’s a huge selection in the glass cases and a couple of fresh tanks filled with oysters, clams, crab and lobster (only $14.99 a pound on a recent visit!). it’s a great source for unusual products (frozen salt cod for example), and if they don’t have what you’re looking for, the knowledgeable staff will be able to suggest an alternative. not the cheapest place, but always a sure thing.

745 N.W. 21st Ave., 503-227-2700, newmansfish.com 2. The Upstart: Mio Seafood Market

Located in a converted garage in an industrial pocket of northwest Portland, this small market, which opened last summer, gets points for its exuberant service. it’s no surprise that the fish market for

PHOTOGRAPH by MOTOyA nAkAMuRA

Mio sushi, the popular local sushi chain, focuses on high-grade fish ideal for the briefest (or no) cooking. you can also get terrific fish and chips made with whatever’s in the small but carefully curated fish case, from wild salmon to shrimp and shark. finish off your shopping while you wait.

Racks stock Asian and gourmet european products, including noodle bowls, sauces and condiments, and the refrigerator and freezer cases offer a small selection of vegetables, fresh noodles, miso paste and desserts like frozen mango mochi bon bons.

1703 N.W. 16th Ave., 503-219-9762, miosushi.com

3. The Green Market: Flying Fish Company

Wearing its values on its scales, this tiny (locatedin-a-shed tiny) market is all sustainable, all the time. it’s attached to the kruger’s farm Market on southeast Hawthorne and next to a Grand central bakery, so it’s a one-stop block for a local dinner.

At flying fish, you’ll find an amazing selection from mostly Oregon, Washington and Hawaii packed into the freezer and refrigerator cases. While the fish is the thing (check the website for a weekly update), there’s also an array of other local organic products from grass-fed elk and buffalo to eggs, cheese and milk. Owned by second-generation fishmonger Lyf Gildersleeve and his wife, natalie, the family-run spot offers personalized service and the assurance you’re eating the most responsibly harvested fish.

2310 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., 503-260-6552, flyingfishcompany.com

4. Old Fashioned Basics: Powell Street Seafood

Market Pacific seafood, the leviathan seafood processing and distribution company with facilities in seven Western states, started in 1941 at this comparatively minnow-like storefront. The founder’s namesake and grandson, frank Dulcich, still runs the business, and this market retains a friendly small-town feel. The well-trained staff behind the sparkling cases happily offer suggestions, recipes and ice for transporting your purchase. The selection isn’t enormous, but you’ll find plenty of local salmon and sturgeon, and it’s all fairly priced, with daily specials and a wide array of local cured fish — don’t miss the smoked trout. 3380 S.E. Powell Blvd., 503-233-4891, pacseafood.com

5. The Adventure: ABC Seafood

if you have a gaggle of questions about how to prepare geoduck or want to know exactly where the squid comes from, this is not the place for you.

There’s a significant language barrier for englishonly speakers. but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s hard to imagine fresher and more reasonably priced products. Giant bubbling tanks dominate this crowded Asian grocery with shellfish galore and live tilapia — just point at the one you want and they’ll kill and clean it on the spot. Whole catfish are $2.99 a pound, and “assorted fish” are just a buck more.

6509 S.E. Powell Blvd., 503-771-5802 £

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