Food+Drink

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…

Sibeiho’s Holly Ong and Pat Lau.

Sibeiho: Spice of Life

written by Kerry Newberry A few years ago, Holly Ong and Pat Lau cooked up one of their favorite childhood dishes: Singapore Chili Crab. But instead of traditional mud crabs for the signature seafood dish, they used freshly caught Oregon Dungeness crabs from Kelly’s Brighton Marina. “We are always looking to add flavors that remind us of our home using local ingredients,” said Ong. The sweetness of the crab played off their homemade spicy, tangy umami sauce in a way that delighted them both. “We thought maybe other people will want to try this too,” said Ong. In 2019, the longtime friends who met while working for Nike Singapore, began hosting private supper clubs. “It was a way to share family dishes from Singapore that we missed the most,” said Ong. Enter Covid in 2020, and the entrepreneurs shifted their focus from pop-up dinners to launching a food startup, beginning…

At Fish Sauce, send your palate on a trip with, clockwise from top left, chuối chiên; pork bánh mì; bún vermicelli; gỏi cuốn; Botta’s Favorite with grilled shrimp, fried egg, jasmine rice and núớc mắm; and the Fortune & Glory cocktail with rum, mint, hibiscus and lime.

The Global Flavors of Portland

In America’s darling of the dining scene, the world lands on your fork written by Julie Lee When the culinary scene in Portland amped up in the early 2000s, the keystone to international recognition was flavorful dishes that chefs created which were ingenious to anywhere but the Northwest. The secret to the recipe, though, was the collective passion to source local ingredients. Of the more renowned chefs, Andy Ricker became internationally famous for what he could do with a chicken wing. Pok Pok was one of the first of many foodie favorites that started as a food truck, garnered international acclaim, and put Portland front and center on the gastronomic map for occasional diners and food snobs alike. In the pandemic’s wake, the restaurant industry has suffered dearly, with decades of hard work and fame wiped out. While Portland lost some renowned chefs including Ricker, many food carts, restaurants and…

Von Ebert Brewing’s Pearl District pub is a perfect spot for sampling its award-guzzling brews such as Volatile Substance IPA.

Pour It On

The new year is brewing with excitement written by Beau Eastes Hello 2022, we couldn’t be more excited to see you. After a year in which we saw iconic institutions like Portland Brewing and Bailey’s Taphouse close, as well as the cancellation of most of the state’s annual beer festivals, we’re looking forward to the new year like a bearded man in flannel loves a super danky double IPA. Here’s what we’re giddy about as we roll into 2022: VON EBERT’S ENCORE Arguably no craft brewer in Oregon had a better 2021 than Portland-based Von Ebert Brewing. Less than four years old, Von Ebert was named the 2021 Medium Sized Brewery of the Year by the Oregon Beer Awards, claimed gold in the uber-competitive American IPA category at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival with their Volatile Substance IPA, all the while expanding their popular Heritage Beer Series. It’s a…