The News Returns
Anyone notice the restaurant at the Standard Dairy, which has gone through quite a few iterations in the past two years, is now Cuban? First it was Billy Reeds, then an awful place named Spice, something else, and now Cuban (the exact name escapes me at the moment). Anyone been? I can loan you a grenade.
Rumor on the street: The Ace Hotel Folks are opening a branch in New York City – but wait, there’s more. Stumptown will join them, complete with a roasting facility. Now I’m a fan of Stumptown coffee: don’t really drink much of anything else unless I’m in N.E. in which case I’ll stop by Ristretto. But if this is true, I worry about how they are going to pull off so much expansion and keep the quality up. I remember when Stumptown first opened, you went anywhere that served their beans, and you were pretty much guaranteed a good cup of coffee. Now, every bar, restaurant and coffee shop seem to carry their product. I hate to say it, but many of these places can’t, or don’t take the time, to brew it correctly. I’ve had lots of bad Stumptown coffee over the past year. Don’t get me wrong; I love their politics, sustainable goals, supporting the farmers, etc. I just wonder if they aren’t getting stretched to thin. Maybe I just worry too much.
Interested in Thomas Keller? Epicurious.com posted a very good series of videos and chef profiles: one is an amazing tour of the kitchen at Per Se, and a few more showing him cooking both Gnocchi and the sauce for it. They also have videos with Charlie Palmer, Alice Waters, Jacques Torres, and more. Well worth the time to watch.
The pastry chef at Carlyle has given notice and will be moving to Ten 01. You can read more over at his personal blog. I’ve never had his food, so can’t comment.
W Magazine (I’ve never heard of it either), just did a large article on Oregon’s Truffle crop. Some farmers are inoculating saplings with microscopic truffles in hopes of producing more. Interesting read.
Epicurious has come up with a list of the worst food trends of 2007. Here are two of them:
The Ubiquitous $40 Entree: Rising prices make great food inaccessible to the masses.
Restaurants “In Preview:” They charge the same prices, but aren’t accountable for the food because they’re in “preview” mode. Restaurateurs need to own up to what they’re putting out and the level of service.
I partially agree to the first one. Updating the menu site on a regular basis, I have constant examples of the upward spiral of prices. I’d guess most dishes rose by about $2.00 this year (including appetizers) though at some restaurants the jump was more like $4.00. However, I think there are still plenty of choices for “the masses”.
You can read the whole list here.
You know you absinthe is legal in the USA now? Salon.com did a great article called “Everything You Know About Absinthe is Wrong“, which dispells many of the myths. Yes, if you do drink enough of it, you might cut off your ear. The same thing could be said of gin. It won’t make you insane!I’m looking forward to getting good absinthe, rather than the horrible stuff one normally smuggled in from Canada or cruise ships. Some of those are just awful. Fortunately US distillers are stepping up to the plate. Done correctly, it can really be a nice drink. Personally, I like the whole process of dripping it over the sugar in the slotted spoon. With Oregon’s liquor laws, I’m not sure if you can get it here yet. Anyone know?
Do you consider yourself a “foodie”? I dislike that label, and associate it with those that run from hot spot to hot spot, forgetting all the great places along the way. “Food Snob”, yes; I’ll admit to that one – I’m picky about food, and if I’m going to put empty calories into my mouth, they had better be worth it. Anyway, in a recent post on GlutenFreeGirl, Shauna sums up how I feel:
Here is what still resonates for us about Italy, in our mouths and minds. No one is really a foodie there. The moniker is not necessary. Everyone reveres food. We didn’t see junk food or convenience food, at all. Everyone seems to eat well, and slowly. Passions abound. No one is indifferent when it comes to food. And if you talk about great ingredients, and the best way to braise beef, no one thinks you are being elitist. They simply join in the conversation.
Well said.
Finally, I’m not going to tell you what this video from the NY Times is, I’ll just let you watch it. Totally fascinating.
Food DudeComments
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How could you forget the Spice incarnation of the Standard Dairy – the place with the over the top menu riddled grammatical errors?
It’s now Venue (or at least it was when I stopped by a month or so ago, shortly after they change the menu to Cuban food.) Yes, I had some. It was – okay. The portions were huge, but the price tag was as well (the bartender was trying to talk me into the lobster special, but since I just wanted something quick while I watched the Blazer game, I settled for something less extravagant.)
I am not a Cuban food expert – the closest I got were the Chinese-Cuban restaurants in NYC where those in the know went for killer ropa vieja. But I was told the new owner/chef had really high aspirations/big goals.
But speaking of Chinese – I don’t ever remember it being a Chinese restaurant after BIlly Reed’s. Or did I just blink and miss it?
Correction: The pastry chef at Carlyle is moving to Ten -01, I’m just a lowly line cook at Roux. I’ll miss both these jobs for various reasons, and I’m looking forward to Ten-01, and working with Jack Yoss. Thanks Food dude.
I was able to order absinthe from http://www.drinkupny.com. My understanding is that us not available in the western US just yet. This site had free shipping and semi-reasonable prices.
Imbibe had absinthe as their cover story this month. Being a fan of the Sazerac, I look forward to having it as originally created.
Twitter: pdxfooddude
says:
Spice! That’s it. How could we forget that website. Several of us went in one night, walked in, through the restaurant, and right back out the door
Thanks for the update, Betsy
Butterinthecoffee: thanks for the clarification!
Just got the Press Release on the new Imbibe (I always read it cover to cover). Will be posted shortly.
FD:
The Times had an interesting article on Absinthe at the beginning of December. It’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen it. Absinthe is indeed legal. But it looks like it will not be cheap, and for the time being one of the reasons is because the Treasury Dept. will still screw with you if you want to produce it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html
In regard to Stumptown, I think that it is high time they got themselves to NYC. That city has been slobbering over everything Portland for some time now, and I predict Stumptown will make a killing there as long as they keep an eye on the quality. As for spreading themselves too thin, businesses are like sharks – swim or die. You always have to be growing.
Yes growth is a risk, but I don’t think their biggest risk is quality. With this type of growth the biggest risk is usually service. And in any case once you start selling your beans to enough third parties, there’s nothing you can do if they make the coffee badly. Essentially, Stumptown has to decide if they are going to be like “Apple” and control all aspects of the product, or are they going to be like “Microsoft” and license it out to others? I think Stumptown’s decision on this is already clear.
The Keller videos are nuts. CBF turned me on to those last week. Fellow chefs who look at this guy’s operation must either shake their heads in total disgust or total envy. Maybe a bit of both. Aside from everything else, note how his entire kitchen and prep area (which is huge) look cleaner than most hospitals.
As for the $40 entree, I’ve been reading about this for a while.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/dining/21plate.html
I think we have been spared this in Portland only because we have a different attitude toward restaurants. But it’s only a matter of time. Top quality ingredients and a 25-30% food cost are not a good combo for people who want to eat cheap.
The Times video you posted is actually really cool. Almost makes me get on board with the whole molecular gastronomy thing. Almost.
The New Yorker did a fascinating article on Oregon truffle hunting around September of 2007. Not sure of the exact date because the issue isn’t in the house any longer. But you all might be interested in reading it.
1. You can get your absinthe at the new fancy pants liquor store on NW Lovejoy b/w 9th and 10th. I did–bought a fifth as a holiday gift for someone. $40, but that’s for 110 proof. Eeesh. Not sure if she’s gone insane (not sure if I could tell
2. Ok, we got some world class stuff here (say, Powells, Portland Farmers Market). Truffles aren’t included. Sorry. They aren’t even in the same universe as the best of Italy (tuber magnatum) or France (tuber melanosporum). Look, if you’re going to spend stupid amounts of money on a luxury item, get the real thing and savor it. Urbani in NYC will sell to anyone: http://www.urbanitartufi.com/inglese/default.asp? French blacks are currently in season. I don’t even want to know the price this year.
3. $40 entrees. Hell, we’re still bitching about $30 entrees here in P-town. No surprise though–oil is through the roof; the dollar sucks; credit is tight. I doubt any of our friends in the food service trade are enjoying any windfall. Major oil companies? Hmmm. . .another time.
4. Would someone kindly waterboard the people who produced the new Gordita commercials for the corporate shit taco peddlers? Hate having my football games ruined. Thanks, now I feel better.
–mcz