Top 5 Things I Ate Last Week

It was another week of marathon eating, this time in Portland, where I spent several days on a media trip exploring Oregon’s bounty. Here are some of the highlights of my last 7 days of feeding:  

Shrimp tacos at Clyde Common
When surveying an unfamiliar lunch menu, there is perhaps no trustier dish  than tacos. Served on flour tortillas, these plump little numbers were topped  with cabbage slaw, tomatillo salsa, and fresh corn relish carved straight off the cob. They were so perfect in their natural state, they didn’t even need hot sauce. Okay, maybe they would have been even more delicious with a spicy kick, but still. Two tacos will set you back $13. Not the cheapest tacos, but oh so good. 

Butter by Ava Gene’s
The beauty of a farm dinner cooked by Josh McFadden of Ava Gene’s (Bon Appetit‘s #5 Best New Restaurant of 2013) at Our Table Cooperative in Sherwood, OR can be summed up with one photo: butter. There’s nothing quite like fresh farm butter, especially when it’s served on a wooden board and decorated with the prettiest edible flowers and herbs you ever did see. There were a few slices of bread leftover once the table was cleared for the first course, but there was no butter in sight. I’m pretty sure I saw the guy next to me spoon some directly into his mouth. 

Ataula Montadito by Ataula
On Thursday, media types and artisans (Ben Jacobsen of Jacobsen Salt Co., Mike Wright from Commons Brewery, Ancient Heritage cheese) gathered at  Cyril’s in Portland for an obscenely decadent 10-course brunch prepared by Ataula chef Jose Chesa. The first course was my favorite: house-cured salmon, mascarpone yogurt, black truffle Bee Local honey, and finished with Jacobsen’s sea salt. Yes, paired with an equally stunning cocktail probably kicked this dish up a notch or two, but it was still grand. 

Weathervane Scallop by Holdfast
But not just any old scallop. This one was the first bite of an 8-course lunch created by chefs Will Preisch and Joel Stocks of Portland’s Holdfast Dining (The Oregonian’s 2014 Restaurant of the Year, even though it’s technically a pop-up). Served in the dining room—and overlooking the vineyard—at Alloro winery, the scallop was served in a horseradish panna cotta and garnished with sea beans, sandwort and compressed apples pickled from the leftover brine of pickled green strawberries. 

Coconut ice cream with salted caramel bars at Salt & Straw
No visit to Portland is complete without a trip to this ice cream haven—the Portland equivalent of Molly Moon’s. There’s a long roster of flavors to choose from but really, no need for heavy reading my friends because I found the best flavor! It’s vegan (and gluten-free) coconut with a generous dose of salted caramel cookie bars mixed in. For extra points, S&S stirs in hand-burned caramel and house made chocolate ganache. If this ice cream was located anywhere near  my home, I would probably start sweeping floors at night in exchange for free scoops.