Food+Drink

The Oregon Truffle Festival, going on twenty years, brings pungency to savory and sweet dishes to great delight

Oregon Truffle Festival

written by Kerry Newberry One of the bright spots of a Northwest winter is the Oregon Truffle Festival. Where else can you romp through misty forests on a guided truffle foray, partake in lectures with renowned mycologists and indulge in exceptional wine and truffle dinners? For almost twenty years, fungi and foraging enthusiasts have flocked to this winter fête to celebrate the state’s native black and white truffles. The luxurious ingredient grows wild in Oregon and is prized around the world for the umami flavor it adds to dishes. Most often found flourishing beneath the roots of Douglas fir trees, the fragrant fungi play an exceptional game of hide and seek. One of the best ways to root out the heady mushrooms is with a truffle dog and the festival includes a popular two-day training for dog owners along with The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Competition, the only event…

Ōkta, a new star in McMinnville’s dining scene, has its own farm nearby.

Ōkta

written by Kerry Newberry Is the most beautiful dish the luminous beautiful dish the luminous ceramic orb cradling Oregon Dungeness crab with silky mushroom custard and stone-ground grits? The whisper thin slices of turnips checkered across rockfish with huckleberry puree and earthy shitake mushrooms—or the sunny meringue snug in a scooped-out lemon sprinkled with lemon thyme leaves? These are but a few of the wonderful and wildly inventive dishes dreamed up by chef Matthew Lightner at Ōkta, the Willamette Valley’s latest epicurean destination. You might know Lightner from Portland’s Castagana, where he built a devoted following with his farm and forage-inspired menu. He then alighted to New York City for a stint at Atera, earning the acclaimed Tribeca restaurant two Michelin stars. His return to Oregon brings this immersive fine-dining experience that taps into all the senses. Each dish resembles a mini work of art—exquisite in presentation with a depth…

Heirloom tomatoes on the vine at Stoneboat Farm.

Heirloom Treasures

Local is always best, but when it comes to eating tomatoes, sourcing is imperative written by Julie Lee | photography by Dan Hawk Locally grown tomatoes are nature’s delicate gift that loyalists wait for each season with held breath. Tomatoes also can be confusing; are they vegetable or fruit? Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits, bearing seeds and grown from a flowering plant, however from a culinary point of view, tomatoes are considered vegetables and counted as such by nutritionists as well. The United States Supreme Court even had a say, naming the tomato a vegetable in 1893 for taxation purposes. There is also debate on whether the benefits of tomatoes, which include powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium, are best reaped when tomatoes are cooked or eaten raw. The lycopene found in tomatoes is at the center of this debate; a unique and powerful antioxidant plentiful in just a…

A roasted carrot soup with miso butter is carrot comfort food for fall.

A Carrot by Any Other Name

written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane It was a bone dry 95 degrees as our 1975 family van rolled into downtown Ashland. I was hot and thirsty, and my three sisters had been asking for hours for dad to turn on the air conditioning. “It uses too much gas.” He hollered back from the driver’s seat as he pulled over to a bank of granite-clad drinking fountains at Lithia Park near the center of town. “Go drink some cool water.” Following his instructions, we piled out of the van and raced to the fountains. As I took my first gulp, I almost gagged at the foul smell and taste of the warm water. Over my shoulder, I heard a laugh. I turned to see a balding middle-aged man in a dress. “Never drink the Lithia water!” he exclaimed in a British accent. He was holding a carrot…

The Egg Drop’s Amy Engelhard.

Re-Nesting

The egg beats its way back into our homes written by Julie Lee Photography by The Egg Drop The egg is peeling back its bad reputation. Once frowned upon as a cholesterol calamity, to the contrary, eggs are one of the best sources of high-quality protein you can find. Rich in vitamins including B2, vitamins B12, D, and A, and a host of minerals, eggs are an essential part of a healthy diet. A bonus? They are low in calories. Shelling out pretty pennies for glowing skin? Try eating eggs instead. Eggs are great for skin; they soften, firm and hydrate all at once, with amino acids helping to generate new skin cells. Studies show that two major antioxidants in eggs, lutein and zeaxanthin, are known to increase protection against UV damage that leads to lines, age spots and cancer, as well as to reduce age-related macular degeneration. Eating one…

A chance encounter in Italy led to this egg yolk and ricotta ravioli recipe.

Uovo the Top

written by Thor Erickson photography by Tambi Lane “What to cook for dinner?” I thought to myself as I arrived home after a long day. I knew my fridge was looking a bit sparse, and I was at a loss as to what to prepare. Walking into the house, I noticed a box on the front step. I opened it to find two dozen fresh eggs from our friend, Darren, who has twelve chickens that he refers to as “the girls.” The eggs were so fresh that they were still warm. I suddenly knew what was on the dinner menu. As I cracked the delicate brown shells on the edge of a cup, I noticed the intense orange of the yolks. Suddenly I was transported back in time to a meal I had at a small hilltop restaurant just outside the northern Italian town of Piacenza. Upon my arrival, I…

Field & Vine Events staff pour wine at a dinner held at Alloro Vineyard in Sherwood as Field & Vine founder, Pascal Chureau, welcomes attendees to the dinner with Alloro Vineyard owner, David Nemarnik.

Farm Dinners

written by Kerry Newberry photography by Bridgette Rusnac For local food enthusiasts, the hottest table of the year is the one that’s on a farm. Is there any better place to enjoy the abundance of sought-after berries, grilled corn on the cob and a gorgeous heirloom tomato salad? “We know our guests enjoy getting out of restaurant dining rooms on summer nights and eating close to the source,” said Pascal Chureau, founder of Field & Vine Events. “It’s also a fun way to discover new wineries and farms.” Chureau hosted his first farm dinner in 2013, initially as a one-off event to introduce patrons to the farmers who supply his West Linn restaurant Allium with produce. That wildly successful gathering spurred a new business venture and the chef now partners with farms and vineyards around the state, connecting the seasons through food and place. Some of his most popular spots…

Buoy Beer Company’s fifth vintage of Love, Lost at Sea barleywine is aged in Freeland Spirits bourbon barrels.

Keep Spring Beers Weird

written by Beau Eastes Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for more than 20 years, I’ve come to love and appreciate the craft beer calendar so many of our amazing breweries operate on. Summer brings out IPAs and all their goodness, fall is time for fresh hop experimentation, and winter is usually one glorious high ABV haze. But the spring, oh the spring is when things get wild and anything goes. It’s the seasonal equivalent of international waters or Malheur County. Here’s what we’re drinking while we’re embracing the shoulder season behind March and April. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING FROM HAIR OF THE DOG: In February, craft beer pioneer Alan Sprints announced he’s shutting down Hair of the Dog, the iconic eastside Portland brewery he founded in 1993. Your favorite barrel-aged beer most likely owes a debt of gratitude to Sprints, who popularized the Old World beer-making technique at a time…

Wild Thing PDX serves up vegan-forward, plant-inspired bowls.

Wild Thing PDX

written by Kerry Newberry Like so many other diners with good intentions, you pledged to eat more vegetables this year. That’s easier to do with the recent addition of Wild Thing PDX to Portland’s Alberta Arts District. The first thing you need to know about this vegan-forward, plant-inspired bowl restaurant is that chef Sam Smith of Sweedeedee (and formerly Tusk) designed the core menu. “He’s such a wizard with vegetables,” said Kelsey Glasser, owner of wine bar Arden and the developer behind Wild Thing PDX. “Chefs can do amazing things with vegetables, but Sam really gives them the star treatment,” she added. Another talent currently leading the kitchen is Dominique Rodriguez, who worked at vegan hot spot Tiny Moreso and co-founded the vegetarian pop-up, Raiz. The signature bowls pop with satisfying flavors from The Wild One that layers ginger beets, urfa chili sweet potato, lemony brussel sprouts, crispy sumac cabbage…