Tag Archives: pork belly

Honeymoon: Portland, OR – Le Pigeon

19 Jul

One more round of applause for Mike for his restaurant research for our honeymoon. Our last night in Portland (after an awesome whirlwind drive along the Oregonian coast) brought us to Le Pigeon, whose chef won best chef of the Northwest from James Beard this year. Mike had read about him in Food & Wine and they were getting a good amount of buzz.

Le Pigeon had an open kitchen and I was envious of those around the bar who had a great view of the action.  (We were in the center of a 6 top communal table, but neither of the other 2 couples were very social, so we just observed their reactions to the dishes, made fun of the ridiculous date going on beside us, and enjoyed the food).

DSCF1846

 

Here was the menu for the week:

DSCF1843

DSCF1844 DSCF1845

And the specials of the day.

DSCF1848

We opted for the Five Courses where the chef selected what would come out (though I made a special request for the beef cheek bourguignon to be included since that seemed right up my alley).

We decided NOT to do the wine pairings after our delicious yet unfortunately over-indulgence at Kingdom of Roosevelt.

Our meal started with the trout lox which came with raspberries, fennel, crème fraîche, and roe.  This was delightful.  A great, light entry into the meal and the raspberries tasted like they were grown especially to be paired with trout lox for the rest of time.

DSCF1851

Everything was so insanely fresh.

DSCF1854

Our next dish was grilled pork belly with peas and carrots, and strawberry jam.

DSCF1856

This was cooked very well and the sauce went marvelously with the pork belly.  It was a hearty portion too.

DSCF1858

Then we were served the braised rabbit (rabbit again!) which came with shells and cheese, truffle vinaigrette and crispy spring onions. Once again, we really enjoyed the rabbit here.  Everything went so well together and the rabbit was enhanced by the creamy shells and cheese, truffle, and the crispy of the fried onions.

DSCF1863

And then came the beef cheek bourguignon. (Apologies for the dark photos… I tried to bring over the candles but it got quite dark in there).  This was packed with flavor.  There was richness from the meat (which was as tender as could be but still a bit of char on the outside) over a potato puree which may or may not have had pears in it (Mike thinks he heard that, I don’t recall).

DSCF1865

On the side there was a roasted root vegetable (maybe parsnip) that we very much enjoyed.

DSCF1868

And then came dessert: Foie gras profiteroles (yes, seriously) with caramel sauce and sea salt.  This was a masterpiece.  On the side was a roasted (?) fruit dish in a white chocolate cup.

DSCF1870

The profiterole was incredible. The foie gras somehow totally worked with the sweet and it didn’t seem at all weird to be a dessert the moment you tasted it.

DSCF1873

And then they came out with one last bite, a “spicy” chocolate.  I asked the waitress what kind of spice and she immediately said not to eat it and gave them both to Mike.

DSCF1877

And brought me out a most perfect dark chocolate cookies (which I believe had some salt on it) and was a perfect final bite.

DSCF1881

When we walked away from our meal at Le Pigeon, we were raving.  It was only a few weeks ago, but I really remember loving it.  Incredibly, however, when stacked up against the delicious and well served meal we had at Canlis and the original and fun meal we had at Kingdom of Roosevelt, it falls ever so slightly behind.  But that is not to say it wasn’t an incredible meal. It was just in very competitive company.

I’m very glad we tried it and I highly recommend it.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

nomscale- 08.0

 

Honeymoon: Seattle- Canlis

10 Jul

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows that we are huge Top Chef Sluts.  So it should come as no surprise that one of the restaurants we first looked into upon planning our honeymoon that was starting in Seattle was Canlis, a restaurant prominently featured on Episode 4 of Top Chef Season 10 (Seattle).

We were intrigued by the fact that it had been around for 50 years and then as we read more, we knew it was a primary destination for dining.  Chef Jason Franey was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest (stay tuned for our Portland Honeymoon write-up coming soon to read about who actually won) and the executive chef won Cochon 555 Seattle this year.

Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by name (mind readers) and wished a very warm congratulations on our honeymoon.  They asked us about the details of our honeymoon trip (Mike didn’t even remember telling them about our road trip).  They informed us that our table was not quite ready but we were welcome to get a drink at the bar, next to the (very good) piano player. Our drinks were not only tasty, they were also absolutely beautiful.

DSCF1723

The flower petals really made it look that much prettier.

DSCF1724

We were sat the moment our drinks came out.  The dining room is timeless.

DSCF1726

 

With a nice view of the water (even in the fog and pouring rain).

DSCF1730

 

We sat down to a lovely note from the Canlis family and two glasses of champagne on the house.

DSCF1729

We hear the menu changed recently, ever so slightly. Here was the menu when we were there at the end of June, 2013:

DSCF1731 DSCF1732 DSCF1733 DSCF1734

DSCF1735

We decided on the 4 Course menu because we both had heard great things about the duck and wanted the opportunity to try that.

We started with 3 amuse bouche (bouches? is bouche a plural?)

From left to right, it was a morel mushroom tart (nice, rich flavor), black olive coronet with salmon mousse, pickled rutabaga, and wasabi tobiko (which was packed with flavor and textures that mixed together perfectly), and a fried egg yolk, which we were advised had a liquid center “So don’t try to take a bite. You have to commit.” And commit we did.  Great flavor and a nice middle ground between a hard boiled egg (which would be way too solid when fried) and a poached egg (which would be too runny).

DSCF1738

The holders were also lovely and showed off each bite as if it were artwork.

DSCF1739 DSCF1741

 

The wine was a local Pinot Noir (from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, a place we were soon to visit) that the sommelier picked (and we really loved).

DSCF1742

Our first of 4 courses arrived:

Mike chose the smoked Copper River salmon which came with yellow and purple potatoes. (Salmon is very popular in this part of the country and was on nearly every menu. I believe it was also salmon season, though every day could be salmon season up there for all we know.  Funny thing… I usually don’t like salmon, but every time I had it up in the Pacific Northwest, I really loved it.  Totally different flavor and none of that gross salmony-fishiness I hate).

The salmon was smoky and light but filled with flavor.  Both Mike I said that we wished there were more (not because the portion was small, which it should be with a multi-course tasting menu) but because it was so good.

DSCF1746

I chose the foie gras with cherry beet puree, cocoa brioche, dehydrated milk with pistachio.

DSCF1750

The brioche had a great crunch and everything combined perfectly.  There was tarta and sweet to pair with the rich and dense foie and brioche.  One of the best preparations of foie gras I’ve had.

DSCF1752

As we were awaiting our next course, we noticed a manager-like looking man come to our side of the restaurant and look around as if observing his flock.  Mike went totally out of character and struck up a conversation with him, only to find out that he is one of the owners (and grandsons of the original owners), Brian Canlis.  Brian was warm and genuine and we instantly liked him.  We had a quick discussion about where we were from and Brian asked us our favorite restaurant, to which we answered in unison, Eleven Madison Park. He got very excited at this and asked us if we knew about the connection between Canlis and Eleven Madison Park.  We did not, so he told us he went to Cornell with William Guidara, business partner in Eleven Madison Park.  (And now the presence of a special Ithaca Beer on the EMP menu made much more sense!)  I told him I went to Ithaca College and we had a great moment reminiscing about the lovely town of Ithaca, NY.  Brian then excitedly asked if we ordered the duck and when we confirmed we had, he said he thought it beat EMP’s duck (sadly, we didn’t try the duck, we chose the beef when we were at EMP, but the friendly competition was quite adorable). He then kindly excused himself and we went back to our meal, but not before the waiter was kind enough to take a lovely picture.

DSCF1755

 

For course two, Mike chose the famous Canlis Salad (which is prepared table-side, but only for bigger parties from what we observed). This was one great salad.  The inclusion of mint was fantastic without being overpowering. It tasted like it was all picked fresh moments before hitting our plate.

DSCF1754

I went with the pork belly, which came with an almond vanilla sauce with huckleberry.  The pork belly could not have been cooked better. The creamy fat, the hammy pork, the crispy top.  A great balance of flavors and textures with a slightly sweet sauce to compliment the pork and bring it all together

DSCF1758

And then they showed us the duck.

DSCF1759

A few minutes later, it came out fully prepared and ready to be tasted. They had carved up the breast (which included seeds a black peppercorns) and made a duck leg confit croquet, which they plated separately for each of us.  There was also an orange marmalade, fennel puree, and bruleed onion.  The flowers were grown in their garden.

DSCF1761

The crispiness of the seeds on the duck were great, and I really loved the way the spicy black peppercorns mixed with the orange marmalade, which was tart yet sweet.  I was enamored by the marmalade, but, sadly, Mike is not a fan of orange/marmalade/tart sauces so it wasn’t his cup of tea. Luckily, since it was all separate, he could enjoy it just fine without while I lapped it up.

DSCF1766

 

Our eyes were much bigger than our bellies, and we ordered an additional twice baked potato when we first put the order in.  As we finished up the duck, we realized that the potato never came. We were commenting about how this was a very good thing because we were FAR too full and still had dessert to go, but just as we were concluding that, a huge dish of fries came out and our very concerned waitress. She informed us that she forgot to put the potato in and it takes a bit of time to prepare, so as soon as she realized her mistake she put it in and had them make us fries (which are much faster to prepare) to make sure we had something.  Service was impeccable until this moment, and I always say that mistakes happen, but it’s about how you fix them.  Talk about a fix! Not only immediate response but a solution of fries to boot.

We informed her that we were just too full so we didn’t need the potato and we requested she wrap up the fries. Though not before trying a couple, and WOW! What fries!  Sadly, we didn’t have a fridge in our room so the fries couldn’t be saved.  (I nearly cried as I set them in the trash the next morning.)

DSCF1768

 

But I couldn’t be too sad for very long since the dessert menu was in front of us.

DSCF1767

Mike chose the Mille-Feuille and I chose the Pistachio Génoise.

The Mille-Feuille was absolutely delicious with lots of textures and flavors.

DSCF1769

But I really loved my pistachio dessert. The cherries on it were just fantastic.

DSCF1772

 

The pieces of gelee were great.

DSCF1776

 

And the crisp of the pistachio was great with the flavorful ice cream.

DSCF1777

 

And we loved the extra touch of writing “Congratulations” on both our plates.

DSCF1774

We were also given macarons in two flavors: negroni and apple pie.

DSCF1778

They were both great but if I could spend the rest of my life eating those apple pie macarons, I would be a happy lady.

DSCF1779

And just when we thought they couldn’t make the meal any better, they gave us a chocolate breakfast brioche for the following morning (which wound up being absolutely sensational, even without a lick of butter to add… we just tore into it and it started our last morning in Seattle perfectly). I absolutely love this touch. It leaves such a great lasting impression on a diner to give them something to eat from the restaurant the next morning.  Classy.

DSCF1782

 

The entire meal was special. Absolutely special.

The service was some of the best we have ever seen, but not in a mechanical way like some fine restaurants seem to specialize in. This service was warm, personal, and made us feel like we were the only ones in the entire restaurant.  And just as we were wrapping up to leave, Brian came back over to see how our meal was (and of course we gushed) and then he offered us a tour of the kitchen. (BUT OF COURSE!)

He excitedly showed us pictures of his family and the restaurant. One was of opening night and had all the women of the day wearing hats, drinking whiskey, and smoking cigarettes.  Such a time-specific moment.  He was kind and warm and told us he just enjoyed having some drinks at the bar and being in the restaurant that evening.  You could tell he absolutely loves this place and what he does. We talked about how much we envied that he got to grow up and come to own such a place. His enthusiasm was infectious.  He was excited that we were so excited to be there. For half a moment, we felt like part of the family.

And boy what a family that would be to be part of!

I would say that if you’re in Seattle, be sure to go here… but the truth of it is that you should just be sure to go here. Make a special trip to Seattle.  Canlis is one of the best of the best of the best.

Total Nom Points: 9 out of 10

nomscale- 09.0

Portland, Maine: In’finiti Fermentation and Distillation

2 Apr

We arrived in the main center of Portland, Maine less than 20 minutes after we deplaned at the airport, which included renting a car (flying to Maine actually takes less time than my commute to Connecticut. Sad but true.)

We parked on Commercial Street in the first spot we could find, and then turned around to see distillation equipment in the window of an unmarked building. It was new, and definitely not there when we had last visited in the fall.

Curiosity got the better of us and we crossed the street and peered in the windows. Imagine our surprise when we saw people staring back.  We walked in to find a fully operational restaurant. One that didn’t seem to have a name. We saw an “8” on the floor and assumed it was called just, simply, “8.” We were not correct. We got the menu and realized that we were sitting in the brand new (less than 2 weeks after opening) In’finiti Fermentation and Distillation.

We later found out that it’s run by the same people that do Novare Res, which is probably one of the best beer bars (and beer gardens) I’ve ever been to. Just for the sheer options of awesome beers they have if nothing else.

DSCF1079

We got a couple beers (their own brews, which we found very drinkable but no stand outs) and chatted with the bartender who said that their food was like “elevated bar food.”

DSCF1080

I asked him what his favorite thing on the menu was, and he proceeded to list off about 15 things. I told him he was not making my choice any easier. We decided that we would come back that night for a proper meal.

DSCF1081

By the time we came back for dinner, it was packed and there was about a 45 minute wait (it wound up being nearly an hour, which the host apologized for many times, though we were having a fine time just drinking good beer at the bar).

I wound up drinking a Marshall Wharf Dopplebock, which I loved. It was creamy and chocolatey and was easy to sip while standing up to food. Great beer. (And local!)

Beer

The aesthetic of the place was described by a Beer Advocate review as being “somewhat industrial with a touch of steampunk.” I can’t think of a better way to put it. And it is an aesthetic I really like. I was a big fan of the tables and stools being made from tree trunk slabs and the pipes holding up all the tables.

photo 1

They have a large collection of brewing and distilling equipment, all of which is visible behind big glass windows.

photo 2

And these gorgeous copper beauties up front that first caught our eye.

Distiller

 

Even the bathroom sinks were kind of awesome.

Sinks

 

Ok… so I was pretty enamored. But how would the food stand up?

We started with the lobster marscapone arancini (rice balls) with blood orange “paint”.

DSCF1083

They were quite tasty but we both wished for more lobster flavor. I liked the orange flavor which was mild, but Mike didn’t think it added to the dish. So we were a bit ehh on this.  Then again, you really can’t go wrong with crispy rice.

DSCF1087

The burger was getting a lot of buzz on various social media outlets we were looking at while awaiting our table, so Mike went for it. Luckily, they put the spicy stuff on the side so I could try the burger. It was, in fact, very good. The meat tasted like meat. A nice char, a bit of salt, and a great meaty flavor that was well complimented by the toppings. And the burger wasn’t too tightly packed. It was packed just enough to stay together. Great texture. The fries were good but not exactly the bliss others were raving about. But still good.

DSCF1089

I went with the Turf and Turf which came with braised short ribs and crispy pork belly, seared polenta, and fried cippolini onions.

This was an ode to meat cooked without fluff. Just meat. Pure and simple. I think that short ribs should be tender enough that you don’t need a knife, however, so these were a bit lacking and could have used some more slow cook time. But the meat just tasted good. Good like meat should taste.

DSCF1091

We really enjoyed the atmosphere of this place and the beer selection. The food was solid. Very good but I can’t say it was amazing. The burger was really good and I enjoyed everything we ate. I look forward to trying it again and trying their own beers, liquor, and bitters they are making in house. It’s a nice addition to (the already food saturated) Portland. I’m sure this will be a really great place to get a really great beer right on the main street by the water. And as the weather warms up, that deck they have will be lovely.

Total Nom Points: 7 out 10

nomscale- 07.0