Sunset Magazine seems to like Portland. Barely a year goes by between mentions. In the February issue, they devote six pages to a section called Portland Cooks: This town has turned into a culinary hot spot, thanks to inspired chefs, an adventurous clientele, and some of the country’s best produce. Though some of the photographs leave a lot to be desired, the cover Paley’s Place, clarklewis, Tabla, Andina, etc. Sunset also offers recipes from various places. Overall, a decent view of Portland food. It’s not on their website yet. Elsewhere, the magazine goes on a chocolate binge, mentioning Cacao, Mio Gelato, Moonstruck Chocolates, and Sahagun. Finally, Fubon Shopping Center is mentioned. It must be our month for magazines.
What happens when you do an article on slaughtering a lamb, and accidentally place it next to an advert for a vegan establishment? The sky falls! If you haven’t been following the chaos over at the Mercury’s Blogtown, it’s been… entertaining. In an attempt to placate the vociferous vegan crowd, Matt Davis, who penned the original piece, has gone vegan for two weeks. You can read the story here. Matt, I thought of you as I was chowing down on good pulled pork last weekend.
Those of you who have made it down to Napa Valley to eat at Thomas Keller’s “temporary restaurant”, Ad Hoc, will be glad to know it is going to be permanent. From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The restaurant, which serves just one fixed-price menu family-style each night, opened last year and was supposed to be a sic-month placeholder until Keller could turn it into a “burgers and bottles” restaurant”
He is now looking for a new location to open his burger restaurant (can you imagine what he would do with a burger?!). In the meanwhile, if you haven’t made it to Ad Hoc yet, put it on your list of destinations for your summer travel; It’s great. What, you don’t plan your vacations around restaurants?! My family certainly does.
Downtown’s Virginia Cafe will be closing, to make room for a mega office tower. Will the last dive bar in downtown please turn off the lights?
Since normal people throw fruit and vegetables when they riot, do vegans throw meat?
Just wondering.
Dang. The VC has solid old-school character and I’m sad to see it go, even if their drinks were weak.
Regarding Sunset: The editions are now heavily “zoned,” which means that the Portland content may be going to Portlanders or Oregonians only, or only to the Pacific Northwest, and not to California or Arizona or Colorado. Unless you get a chance to see other regional editions, you can’t know whether all this Portland coverage is circulation-wide, or just going to a fraction of the circulation that they think will be interested. So don’t get too excited about coverage of Portland restaurants, because it may not be as widespread as you think.
I’ve always loved how self-righteous and dogmatic the vocal vegans are and how they have that fire of religious intolerance in their proselytizing similar to other really scary groups with a socio-political agenda they want to force on everyone else. Reading their responses to the article was hilarious. It’s humorous that they happily eat processed crap like Tofurkey and Quorn, support really horrible restaurants like Food Fight (everything I’ve had there makes me want to give up food, not animals), don’t give a crap about where their 100% non-animal food comes from or who grew and harvested it, and think it makes them better people.
I also love that most of them are white kids from well-to-do backgrounds.
I guess they find it inconceivable that someone would respect and revere other animals and still want to eat them.
mfkfisher: I first heard about the article from a california reader. Sunset is not something I’d normally pick up.
I subscribe to Sunset and can tell you that the Portland content that FD mentions is in editions available in our area.
The PDX article also appears in CA (according to a friend who I just e-mailed).
FD, your dive bar comment is ridiculous! There are hundreds of dank dive bars left! Long live Portland!
Well, I certainly plan my vacations around restaurants too. My brother has promised me a dinner at the French Laundry for my big 70th birthday in 2007. The problem is that they don’t take reservations until 3 months before the requested date and I have to subit my vacation days from work at the beginning of the year (like right now). I’ve requested the vacation dates and they were granted – now what if we can’t get the reservations during that week??
70th! You don’t look at day over 40!
Get your speed dialing finger ready. There is an art to getting a reservation at the French Laundry. Lunch can be another good option, and is easier to get into.
also…as for the french laundry…
something most people don’t know is you can be put on the cancelation list…quite often…a last minute cancelation get’s a suprise dining experience…in a whim…many of industry people get in this way…
Well, thanks, for the compliment, FD. (Have we ever actually met?)
The cancellation thingie won’t work for me…I can’t imagine spending the $$ to get down there, reserve car, reserve hotel then NOT get in :-(
Might try lunch, tho. Can you get the famous Tasting Menu at lunch?
all tasting all the time
Here is an interesting “diner’s journal” story regarding reservations at Per Se which share the same process and policy as The Laundry http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=126
Hey FD, you want to enlighten your loyal readers on the art of securing a reservation at the french Laundry? The on;y guy I know that didn’t follow the thyree month format or the cancellation list used his american express centurion’s concierge.
Viki, no we’ve never met. However, years of being around women have taught me, that is always the correct thing to say ;)
RE: French Laundry. Last I heard, it was still two months to the day. The article referenced above by Atlas pretty much describes the procedure. It helps to have a redial button, and they really do get booked up in about twenty minutes. Another way, is to stay in a nice hotel in the valley. In many of them, the concierge can get you in. Off the top of my head, I don’t know which ones though, and those hotels are pretty darn expensive.
Lunch is a different menu from dinner.
It’s most of the places in Yountville proper, such as the Vintage Inn, etc.
We will be staying at the Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville soon. There is also Maison Fleurie and Lavendar, the 3 Sisters properties. The Yountville Inn has a very good concierge that may be able to get you into the Laundry.
We are looking forward to trying Cindy’s in St. Helena and Redd and Ad Hoc in Yountville before heading over to Cyrus in Healdsburg. :)
Syrah girl, you won’t regret making the short trek over to Cyrus. Nice drive, nice town (I lived there once), and great restaurant.
Re: laundry, as I recall Vintage Inn was one place that could often get you a reservation.
Had a great time at Cyrus last month. The Manhattans are deadly. Fantastic Restaurant, but I think the locals really don’t dig what they are all about. The hotel it’s in is really beautiful.
The concierge at the Vintage always has 4 reservations available at the Laundry for guests.
The Les Mars Hotel is supposedly very nice. We enjoyed a very nice stay in Healdsburg at the Hotel Healdsburg one Spring, our room included a meal for 2 at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen which was amazing. :)
There is a tiny “hotel” very close to The Laundry – it’s called Petit Logis, and is really just a few sweet rooms with all of the right amenities. It’s stumbling distance from Bistro Jeanty, The Laundry, and Gordon’s.
The few times I’ve been to the French Laundry, it was when Laura Cunningham was running the dining room – she used to keep a few reservations for folks in the wine industry. Good luck with the phone system. If you don’t get in, La Toque is (IMO) every bit as good, but without the crazy hype. Hoop-de-hoop tasting menu, amazing service, and very a very cool wine list.
Laura Cunningham has left French Laundry and I agree, La Toque is great as is Terra in St. Helena. Lavender is excellent B&B.
Olea for restaurant of the year, no doubt!
seanmcm: fyi, the chef is leaving Olea
as is everyone else I hear
Bummer. Another “jinxed” location? Other than one night when we were plagued by a certifiably insane server, we’ve had some solid meals at Olea. Scott’s a talented dude, I feel.
Does anyone else think PDX has too many restaurants? I agree, Olea is a great place, and the food there has been great, as it is (almost) everywhere. But the Chef’s can’t stay put, I feel, because there are just too many options! It is like the proverbial kid in a candy store, and they seem to want one of everything! And yet, PDX is such a small town, and as such, is very gossipy, hence the popularity of this site. I just think there are too many restaurants, which makes the chosen few stay packed every night, and the rest look empty at 7 p.m., which is the kiss of death. Agree? Disagree?
I would disagree that Portland has too many restaurants. One thing to keep in mind especially in the Pearl District is that with each new building (which are typically selling out) the area adds the equivalent of a whole neighborhood.
So from my perspective, the amount of people coming into the Pearl and therefore the central city is fantastically large… making for possible revenue in the restaurants of all quarters of the city.
consider the lillies in the field, do they crash, do they burn?
some will flower, some will come to fruit
few will spread their seed
enjoy the riot of color
good point, atlas, on the new buildings in the Pearl. I wonder tho, are those people full time residents? Or are they single ppl, or wealthy couples, buying a weedend getaway crash pad? I have met quite a few that fall into the second category. And so can they be counted on to dine out regularly? It is an interesting conversation, and thanks for participating! I look forward to all replys
Seinfield aside, it”s not like eveyone wants to eat at the restaurant downstairs 5 nights a week anyhow.
Whoa, Scott’s leaving Olea FD? When did this come about?
Hunter – Yes, scott is leaving (if he hasn’t already left) for (brace yourself): Gracies in the old Mallory hotel. Olea is now looking for a new chef. Willamette Week reported on it er.. I think last week, and little tidbits have been floating in every since. I suppose I should mention it in my next news roundup
WineOH, I would suspect the segment of the people in the Pearl that use their places as homes away from homes is the minority. My point is not limited to the Pearl however, I use it as an example… there are many other parts of town where dense housing is coming in and selling out almost upon announcement. SE- NW- NE- and even parts of SW are building up. All of which bring that many more residents to within 5-10 miles of any given restaurant.
Sidemeat, the larger point I was trying to make is even Pok Pok is going to benefit from somebody living above say Fenouil just as Fenouil may benefit from the new mississipi condo project going in.
BTW sidemeat, yes indeed… “enjoy the riot of color”
Regarding Scott Shampine leaving Olea, I would imagine the Aspen Group of Gracie’s made him an offer he could not refuse. It will be interesting to see what direction Olea takes and also what Shampine does for Gracie’s. I look forward to both.
That’s what I get for going out of town for a while.
Well! I guess you’ll just have to review Gracie’s once he’s settled in. I haven’t been there – even before the changeover. But if Scott’s there, I may go.