A beautiful (and bitter cold) day in the Old Port finds Kate and me looking for lunch. (What's new!?)
At the suggestion of several friends, we found ourselves in Olive Cafe on Commercial St. If you've never been here before, it is a Mediterranean style restaurant with a heavy influence from the Southern Mediterranean specifically.
I naturally ordered a glass of wine (to go with my meal) while Kate had a nice cup of hot tea to stave off the cold we were both feeling from the weather outside.
A hot bowl of soup was precisely what I needed too, so I ordered the soup of the day. Today's soup was a pumpkin soup prepared with apples, onion, cinnamon and cumin. What a treat and WOW, were my taste buds set to the test. There was just enough cumin to give it some real pizaz, yet not too much as to drown out the flavors of apple and pumpkin. Well done!
For our main lunch courses, we chose the Beef Shawarma and the Vegetarian Plate (with an addition of Falafel). The Shawarma was tightly wrapped in a pita with onions, lettuce, tomato, parsley, sumac, tahini and beef that had been marinated in arabaic spices. It was truly a perfect blend of textures and flavors and I WILL be back for more of it again. Kate's Vegetarian plate was beautiful. Seriously, we took a picture of it and posted it on facebook it was so nice looking! Hummus, Tabouli, Baba Ganouge, fresh imported olives and pita bread. Oh, and the extra Falafel.
The entire menu from top to bottom reads like a mouth-watering list of delectable options.
...Can't wait to go back again!
~Joe
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
five fifty-five
Neither Kate or I could believe how long it had been since going to five fifty-five. ( ...Had we even been here together yet?) Well, it was high time we did, so Friday night we put this one to bed!
There are a select few restaurants here in Portland that fall into a category I refer to as "the best of the best". five fifty-five falls into that category for anyone who knows what I'm talking about. Owners Steve and Michelle Corry are seeing to it that this distinguishment will remain for a long time to come, with their attention to detail on every aspect of what happens in "555." From the rich wooden interior and decor to the extremely well thought out, deep, Nationally acclaimed wine list, to the menu itself. Their passion for gastrominique is intrinsic in everything that the guest sees here. Even the wait staff are accomplished. Don't believe me? Strike up a conversation with your server on your next visit and find out for yourself just how committed this group is.
Now to dinner.
You might notice right off the bat that the menus themselves are quite interesting. Several loose pages of menu items on brass clipboards, which can make it a little difficult to navigate until you get used to the concept, but highly necessary given the state of constant change. The wine list, as fantastically deep as it is, also must be sorted through with a specific purpose. Of course, the staff are more than able and willing to help you with this.
I chose the Stags Leap Petite Sirah from the wine list. Not that there weren't at least 15 other wines that I wanted to choose... Part of the reason Kate and I go out and eat so much is to try new things and new wines in combination. Then, when we find something we really like, we can go buy it to keep at home and enjoy again later, whether together or with others. Tonight we wanted something new and big and the Stags Leap certainly filled the bill.
For starters, I chose the duck soup with balsamic and Kate shared a couple of spoonfuls with me. What an absolute delight this was. The "balsamic" was reduced to caviar sized pearls and placed delicately as a garnish with the bowl. The creamy texture (served hot like soups should be served, including a piping hot soup bowl) was so smooth I couldn't believe it.
(I know what you're thinking.... Petite Sirah with creamy-styled soup, right? Well, let me tell you this: the combination was truly pleasant!)
For my entree I chose the Pork two ways. The plate was served piping hot (again) with a beautifully marked pork chop that was seasoned well (not overly). The 2nd way of pork was a homemade sausage wrapped in cabbage that was typical of what one would expect from a sausage in flavor but had a very sweet edge to it as well.
Kate chose the Filet Mignon with grilled Brussels sprouts and a cream sauce. Her filet was one of the best we had experienced in the past year. (Yeah, we wind up sharing just about everything!!) It melted in the mouth like one would expect and was perfectly cooked to order.
For dessert I had the pumpkin custard served with candied tangerine rind (amazing to say the least) and Kate enjoyed a simple homemade chocolate chip cookie!
We look forward to our return visit to five fifty-five! Anyone interested in joining us, just let me know! You won't regret it.
I give five fifty-five 5 stars tonight!
~Joe
There are a select few restaurants here in Portland that fall into a category I refer to as "the best of the best". five fifty-five falls into that category for anyone who knows what I'm talking about. Owners Steve and Michelle Corry are seeing to it that this distinguishment will remain for a long time to come, with their attention to detail on every aspect of what happens in "555." From the rich wooden interior and decor to the extremely well thought out, deep, Nationally acclaimed wine list, to the menu itself. Their passion for gastrominique is intrinsic in everything that the guest sees here. Even the wait staff are accomplished. Don't believe me? Strike up a conversation with your server on your next visit and find out for yourself just how committed this group is.
Now to dinner.
You might notice right off the bat that the menus themselves are quite interesting. Several loose pages of menu items on brass clipboards, which can make it a little difficult to navigate until you get used to the concept, but highly necessary given the state of constant change. The wine list, as fantastically deep as it is, also must be sorted through with a specific purpose. Of course, the staff are more than able and willing to help you with this.
I chose the Stags Leap Petite Sirah from the wine list. Not that there weren't at least 15 other wines that I wanted to choose... Part of the reason Kate and I go out and eat so much is to try new things and new wines in combination. Then, when we find something we really like, we can go buy it to keep at home and enjoy again later, whether together or with others. Tonight we wanted something new and big and the Stags Leap certainly filled the bill.
For starters, I chose the duck soup with balsamic and Kate shared a couple of spoonfuls with me. What an absolute delight this was. The "balsamic" was reduced to caviar sized pearls and placed delicately as a garnish with the bowl. The creamy texture (served hot like soups should be served, including a piping hot soup bowl) was so smooth I couldn't believe it.
(I know what you're thinking.... Petite Sirah with creamy-styled soup, right? Well, let me tell you this: the combination was truly pleasant!)
For my entree I chose the Pork two ways. The plate was served piping hot (again) with a beautifully marked pork chop that was seasoned well (not overly). The 2nd way of pork was a homemade sausage wrapped in cabbage that was typical of what one would expect from a sausage in flavor but had a very sweet edge to it as well.
Kate chose the Filet Mignon with grilled Brussels sprouts and a cream sauce. Her filet was one of the best we had experienced in the past year. (Yeah, we wind up sharing just about everything!!) It melted in the mouth like one would expect and was perfectly cooked to order.
For dessert I had the pumpkin custard served with candied tangerine rind (amazing to say the least) and Kate enjoyed a simple homemade chocolate chip cookie!
We look forward to our return visit to five fifty-five! Anyone interested in joining us, just let me know! You won't regret it.
I give five fifty-five 5 stars tonight!
~Joe
Ribollita
When Kate and I promised to take her parents out to dinner as a gift, we had in fact already determined where we wanted to take them, all we had to do was make the reservation.
So on Wednesday night we found ourselves at Ribollita on Middle St. in Portland. It's a quaint little Italian Restaurant with lots of charm, an excellent selection of authentic Italian dishes utilizing local ingredients, great service and a smaller but very dynamic wine list. (They have the full gamut of Italian wine varietals available to their guests.)
One of the charming aspects of this establishment is its aesthetic simplicity. If one knows what they are here for they will NOT be disappointed! As was the case, we knew exactly what we were here for.
I don't know about you, but sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is pair the perfect wine with all the potential entrees. After all, there were 4 of us dining... I finally settled on the Farina Amarone della Valopicella, as it represented the best match for the majority of our dinner choices. (Besides which, we all agreed we'd enjoy a red wine with our meals.)
In a completely upside down way, we ordered a couple of side (Contorno) dishes first, while our Caramelized Onion Tart was being prepared from the appetizer (Antipasti) section of the menu. We were starving and just didn't want to wait the required time to enjoy our first dish. I started with the Saute of spinach and pine nuts with golden raisins, which was cooked to a perfect wilted state and seasoned ever so lightly. Kate chose the Caprese salad with Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella. She knows her fresh mozzarella believe me, and tonight's dish brought an instant smile to her face. The Caramelized Onion Tart, made with black olives and goat cheese was served and shared by all at the table. Naturally, we wished we had ordered more than one to share but we all raved about it none the less.
For entrees we had two orders of the North End Linguine (one with red sauce and one with white), Braised Beef Short Rib and Cacciucco (Tuscan Fish Stew). I think the easiest thing to say would be that each and every dish was exquisite, filling, perfectly seasoned and a true value for the dollar. Alright, that's not what you really wanted to read right? So: the linguine dishes were truly unique in each of their respective sauces. The red sauce was spicy, flavorful and a perfect compliment to the clams, mussels, scallops and calamari within it. The Linguine itself was al dente and plentiful. My Beef Short Rib was like nothing from recent memory. It fell off the bone like butter off a hot knife. In fact, I didn't even need to use my knife it was so tender, flavorful and savory. The garlic mashed potatoes and accompanying sauce didn't stand a chance either as they were consumed with glee and mopped up with the fresh foccacia we were served.
I didn't think we had reserved enough room for dessert, but as fate would have it we ordered anyway. I ordered the homemade espresso ice cream with chocolate chips, Steve had the same and Kate ordered the cottage cheese cheesecake. Wow. Each of these dishes were rich, fresh and delightfully satisfying.
Our stay was perhaps a little longer than normal for a weekday dinner, but each of us had a terrific experience at Ribollita and we all agreed that we needed to eat here more frequently!
"Eccezionale" I give Ribollita 5 stars on this visit!
"Grazie" to Kevin Quiet, chef/owner.
So on Wednesday night we found ourselves at Ribollita on Middle St. in Portland. It's a quaint little Italian Restaurant with lots of charm, an excellent selection of authentic Italian dishes utilizing local ingredients, great service and a smaller but very dynamic wine list. (They have the full gamut of Italian wine varietals available to their guests.)
One of the charming aspects of this establishment is its aesthetic simplicity. If one knows what they are here for they will NOT be disappointed! As was the case, we knew exactly what we were here for.
I don't know about you, but sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is pair the perfect wine with all the potential entrees. After all, there were 4 of us dining... I finally settled on the Farina Amarone della Valopicella, as it represented the best match for the majority of our dinner choices. (Besides which, we all agreed we'd enjoy a red wine with our meals.)
In a completely upside down way, we ordered a couple of side (Contorno) dishes first, while our Caramelized Onion Tart was being prepared from the appetizer (Antipasti) section of the menu. We were starving and just didn't want to wait the required time to enjoy our first dish. I started with the Saute of spinach and pine nuts with golden raisins, which was cooked to a perfect wilted state and seasoned ever so lightly. Kate chose the Caprese salad with Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella. She knows her fresh mozzarella believe me, and tonight's dish brought an instant smile to her face. The Caramelized Onion Tart, made with black olives and goat cheese was served and shared by all at the table. Naturally, we wished we had ordered more than one to share but we all raved about it none the less.
For entrees we had two orders of the North End Linguine (one with red sauce and one with white), Braised Beef Short Rib and Cacciucco (Tuscan Fish Stew). I think the easiest thing to say would be that each and every dish was exquisite, filling, perfectly seasoned and a true value for the dollar. Alright, that's not what you really wanted to read right? So: the linguine dishes were truly unique in each of their respective sauces. The red sauce was spicy, flavorful and a perfect compliment to the clams, mussels, scallops and calamari within it. The Linguine itself was al dente and plentiful. My Beef Short Rib was like nothing from recent memory. It fell off the bone like butter off a hot knife. In fact, I didn't even need to use my knife it was so tender, flavorful and savory. The garlic mashed potatoes and accompanying sauce didn't stand a chance either as they were consumed with glee and mopped up with the fresh foccacia we were served.
I didn't think we had reserved enough room for dessert, but as fate would have it we ordered anyway. I ordered the homemade espresso ice cream with chocolate chips, Steve had the same and Kate ordered the cottage cheese cheesecake. Wow. Each of these dishes were rich, fresh and delightfully satisfying.
Our stay was perhaps a little longer than normal for a weekday dinner, but each of us had a terrific experience at Ribollita and we all agreed that we needed to eat here more frequently!
"Eccezionale" I give Ribollita 5 stars on this visit!
"Grazie" to Kevin Quiet, chef/owner.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
schulte & herr
Alright. Let's get real for a minute. Just how many authentic and I mean truly authentic restaurants are there here in Portland? ...Anyone?
On Saturday afternoon Kate and I finally found and experienced schulte & herr, located at 349 Cumberland Ave. (No, that's not a misspelling!)
It's a modest looking establishment from the street with it's unassuming green awning and simple sign above. Once you enter the place you begin to wonder if you're really in Portland or whether you've stepped into some portal that has transported you directly to an eatery in some remote corner of Bamberg or Berlin, Germany.
They only serve breakfast and lunch here at schulte & herr, but what they do is top shelf and worth the trip. Yes, it's a little off the beaten path from the normal restaurant scene here in Portland, but the experience is worth it. Just one block down from Congress St, this gem of a restaurant is simple in it's approach: Do it authentically and do it well. And by authentic, I also mean that the staff can and do converse in fluent German with it's guests when it can.
The menu is small but not without enough choices. Kate and I each chose a different soup, then we shared an appetizer before having our own lunch plates. The soups were lentil and pumpkin soup and split pea with smoked ham. As would be expected, bread was delivered to the table along with the meal. The breads are baked in house. Today's breads were both rye, one light and one dark. Both were fresh and went perfectly with the soups.
The appetizer we shared were a plate of traditional Potato Pancakes (aka. latkes) served with homemade applesauce and sour cream. They were crisp, hot and absolutely clean tasting.
It was at about this point in the meal that Kate and I both commented that the feel and atmosphere of this restaurant was very genuine and similar to our own experiences traveling and dining throughout Europe. No pretense. No dressing up. Nothing for show. Just great food in a very relaxed environment. The hum of conversations from other tables was a pleasant mix of blended English and German language. All of which was positive and light. I had to find out if my own German was still good enough to be understood, so I paid a compliment to the hostess on our meals and asked that she let the cooks know that we were pleased with our dishes. Apparently I did OK, as I didn't get tossed out on my back side. (Whew!)
Our main lunch courses showed up and again we were pleasantly surprised. Kate had ordered the sauteed spaetzle with caramelized onions, emmenthal cheese and fresh chives. Wow! I hadn't seen a dish like this for almost 25 years now.
My beer braised beef sandwich with whole grain mustard and horseradish sauce was amazing! The beef closely resembled brisket and was soooo tasty! (I forgot to ask what kind of beer it was braised in unfortunately.)
Each of our dishes had an accompanying side dish, which we shared as well. We opted for the roasted beets and cucumber salad with fresh dill and vinaigrette. The cucumbers were so good I had to put a few on my sandwich!
Needless to say, this was perhaps one of the best "first" dining experiences either of us could recall in recent memory. Especially since this was lunch!
Mark this one down: schulte & herr. 773-1997. Open Tuesday through Sunday.
We give schulte & herr a firm 4.5 stars!
....And, I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to Breaking Bread with Joe and Kate soon too!
Cheers,
~ Joe
On Saturday afternoon Kate and I finally found and experienced schulte & herr, located at 349 Cumberland Ave. (No, that's not a misspelling!)
It's a modest looking establishment from the street with it's unassuming green awning and simple sign above. Once you enter the place you begin to wonder if you're really in Portland or whether you've stepped into some portal that has transported you directly to an eatery in some remote corner of Bamberg or Berlin, Germany.
They only serve breakfast and lunch here at schulte & herr, but what they do is top shelf and worth the trip. Yes, it's a little off the beaten path from the normal restaurant scene here in Portland, but the experience is worth it. Just one block down from Congress St, this gem of a restaurant is simple in it's approach: Do it authentically and do it well. And by authentic, I also mean that the staff can and do converse in fluent German with it's guests when it can.
The menu is small but not without enough choices. Kate and I each chose a different soup, then we shared an appetizer before having our own lunch plates. The soups were lentil and pumpkin soup and split pea with smoked ham. As would be expected, bread was delivered to the table along with the meal. The breads are baked in house. Today's breads were both rye, one light and one dark. Both were fresh and went perfectly with the soups.
The appetizer we shared were a plate of traditional Potato Pancakes (aka. latkes) served with homemade applesauce and sour cream. They were crisp, hot and absolutely clean tasting.
It was at about this point in the meal that Kate and I both commented that the feel and atmosphere of this restaurant was very genuine and similar to our own experiences traveling and dining throughout Europe. No pretense. No dressing up. Nothing for show. Just great food in a very relaxed environment. The hum of conversations from other tables was a pleasant mix of blended English and German language. All of which was positive and light. I had to find out if my own German was still good enough to be understood, so I paid a compliment to the hostess on our meals and asked that she let the cooks know that we were pleased with our dishes. Apparently I did OK, as I didn't get tossed out on my back side. (Whew!)
Our main lunch courses showed up and again we were pleasantly surprised. Kate had ordered the sauteed spaetzle with caramelized onions, emmenthal cheese and fresh chives. Wow! I hadn't seen a dish like this for almost 25 years now.
My beer braised beef sandwich with whole grain mustard and horseradish sauce was amazing! The beef closely resembled brisket and was soooo tasty! (I forgot to ask what kind of beer it was braised in unfortunately.)
Each of our dishes had an accompanying side dish, which we shared as well. We opted for the roasted beets and cucumber salad with fresh dill and vinaigrette. The cucumbers were so good I had to put a few on my sandwich!
Needless to say, this was perhaps one of the best "first" dining experiences either of us could recall in recent memory. Especially since this was lunch!
Mark this one down: schulte & herr. 773-1997. Open Tuesday through Sunday.
We give schulte & herr a firm 4.5 stars!
....And, I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to Breaking Bread with Joe and Kate soon too!
Cheers,
~ Joe
The Salt Exchange
What can I say? ... First Friday Art Walk in Portland, always a good night out!
...but now Kate and I are feeling famished!
We decide to try the new winter menu at The Salt Exchange, one of our favorite places to eat, especially at the kitchen bar seats that are available upon request. We've really come to love siting here as we can enjoy watching the chefs preparing and working their creations to perfection. The conversation can also be fun as the chefs have no qualms about explaining what the are preparing, the methods they are implementing or the basic thoughts that went in to creating any specific dish. The proprietor Charlie was busy entertaining guests (as usual) as we walked in for our reservation, but he made it a point to come over and say hi to us as well.
The Sous Chef (first name "Kimmo") is from Finland and tonight we were joined at the bar seats by his wife and her sister who was visiting from Houston, TX. Needless to say, the conversation was light and fun this evening. It reminded me a bit of when I was living in Germany and would go out to eat. "European" style seating prevails there, unlike here in the US. Which means, you sit wherever there is room available for your party. You might be paired with another couple at at table for 4. Or you might be joined by a party of 5 or 6 people with whom you have absolutely no connection. It's almost like going to a bar here and taking whatever stools are available, except at the Salt Exchange you are getting the full dining experience, complete with wait service, an extraordinary menu a small but remarkable wine list and lots of toys at the full bar.
Tonight's wine choice: the 2004 Colle Dei Venti Borolo, a wine that scored 95 points by the Wine Spectator and didn't disappoint. At the risk of sounding cliche', this is truly a food wine!
We started off diner with the Charcuterie plate. The plate was prepared with chicken liver pate, salami and prosciutto and served with course ground mustard.
For entrees tonight, I chose the Rabbit leg, Rabbit Ragout and foraged mushrooms dish. Kate chose the poached Maine Lobster with Apple-wood smoked bacon and diced carrot and leeks. The Rabbit was tender, moist, succulent and very satisfying especially with the foraged mushrooms. What a great combination! Kate's lobster was equally delicious; light, savory and was served with a spoon as all the juice on the plate was worth consuming. OK, the bread helped to soak up some of that deliciousness, but it was SO worth not wasting a drop of it!
Dessert was terrific. Home made cheesecake served with lemon curd and graham cracker. The time and presentation that this crew puts into it's dishes is amazing. If you don't believe me, all you need to do is come sit here at the bar one evening and experience it for yourself!
Another terrific culinary delight was had at The Salt Exchange! Keep up the good work Charlie! Kate and I both gave this experience a solid 4.5 stars.
Cheers!
~ Joe
...but now Kate and I are feeling famished!
We decide to try the new winter menu at The Salt Exchange, one of our favorite places to eat, especially at the kitchen bar seats that are available upon request. We've really come to love siting here as we can enjoy watching the chefs preparing and working their creations to perfection. The conversation can also be fun as the chefs have no qualms about explaining what the are preparing, the methods they are implementing or the basic thoughts that went in to creating any specific dish. The proprietor Charlie was busy entertaining guests (as usual) as we walked in for our reservation, but he made it a point to come over and say hi to us as well.
The Sous Chef (first name "Kimmo") is from Finland and tonight we were joined at the bar seats by his wife and her sister who was visiting from Houston, TX. Needless to say, the conversation was light and fun this evening. It reminded me a bit of when I was living in Germany and would go out to eat. "European" style seating prevails there, unlike here in the US. Which means, you sit wherever there is room available for your party. You might be paired with another couple at at table for 4. Or you might be joined by a party of 5 or 6 people with whom you have absolutely no connection. It's almost like going to a bar here and taking whatever stools are available, except at the Salt Exchange you are getting the full dining experience, complete with wait service, an extraordinary menu a small but remarkable wine list and lots of toys at the full bar.
Tonight's wine choice: the 2004 Colle Dei Venti Borolo, a wine that scored 95 points by the Wine Spectator and didn't disappoint. At the risk of sounding cliche', this is truly a food wine!
We started off diner with the Charcuterie plate. The plate was prepared with chicken liver pate, salami and prosciutto and served with course ground mustard.
For entrees tonight, I chose the Rabbit leg, Rabbit Ragout and foraged mushrooms dish. Kate chose the poached Maine Lobster with Apple-wood smoked bacon and diced carrot and leeks. The Rabbit was tender, moist, succulent and very satisfying especially with the foraged mushrooms. What a great combination! Kate's lobster was equally delicious; light, savory and was served with a spoon as all the juice on the plate was worth consuming. OK, the bread helped to soak up some of that deliciousness, but it was SO worth not wasting a drop of it!
Dessert was terrific. Home made cheesecake served with lemon curd and graham cracker. The time and presentation that this crew puts into it's dishes is amazing. If you don't believe me, all you need to do is come sit here at the bar one evening and experience it for yourself!
Another terrific culinary delight was had at The Salt Exchange! Keep up the good work Charlie! Kate and I both gave this experience a solid 4.5 stars.
Cheers!
~ Joe
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