05.01.04

Taste of the Nation

Posted in Food at 8:08 am by Leopoldo

On Monday I had the pleasure of attending the Taste of the Nation (formally known as “Chefs’ Night Out”) event at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The event is a culinary fundraiser set up to raise money to fight hunger in the United States. Present at this year’s gathering were over 70 of Oregon’s best restaurants, plus 40 wineries and microbreweries serving samples of some of their best foods. Though the feast was probably worth the $70 price of admission I was able to attend without paying by volunteering a few hours of my time to help break the site down and do some cleanup.

The lobby and all four floors of the foyer at the PCPA were filled with tables each brimming with delicious food. I arrived at the event at 5:15 and promptly got to work sampling appetizers, entrées, desserts and wines knowing that I would need to make a few circuits around the building with rest breaks in order to get the most of the event. Luckily it also occurred to me to front-load the wine tasting knowing that I would need to have a couple of hours of water consumption before the 9pm teardown time. The systematic approach seemed to have worked well; I believe I was able to taste at least one sample from each table with the exception of the 2nd floor east wing, which was full of seafood (I am allergic to seafood). It is very hard to remember all the foods and restaurants that I sampled but a few dishes still stand out in memory and are worth mentioning:

Genoa: Genoa restaurant is one of the best in Portland and had the item that most impressed me. Served on a soft slice of baguette was a medallion of fresh goat cheese covered with a spicy tomato sauce. The taste was complex with a mixture of soft sweetness as the food settled on the tongue followed by a mild spiciness and a rich after taste. At the same table (but I am told from a different restaurant) they also served a venison with chutney that I had a mixed reaction to. The meat was tough and not very tasty but the chutney was delicious.

Tuscany Grill: The second most memorable item were the light panna cotta served by Tuscany Grill. They had three varieties: Pistachio, fennel and vanilla bean each with Port sauce. I ate a vanilla panna cotta with absolute delight and for what is probably the first and last time in my life wished I liked fennel so I could taste that version as well. The texture and consistency were a perfect compliment to the delicate and delicious taste.

PIX Patisserie: This marks the fourth time that I have been able to sample a PIX delicacy without having had the opportunity to visit their restaurant. The éclairs were good but not remarkable. I was a bit apprehensive about the beer float (yes I said beer, not root beer) but it turned out to be one of the most memorable tastes of the evening. The float had a small spoonful of coffee ice cream served in a rich stout and is a drink I definitely plan on having again. I also had the owner of PIX pointed out to me and can say she is rather delicious looking herself.

Hall Street Grill: Had properly done delicate Key Lime tarts. Each small cup was so well prepared that it received the honor of being the only item that I repeated.

Castagna: Served well balanced little espresso-chocolate cakes.

Mother’s Bistro: Even though I had just been to their restaurant the week before and had shared one of these, I still accepted a portion of chocolate bread pudding. Delicious.

Campbell’s Barbecue: Again, I had recently eaten at Campbell’s but their Brisket and coleslaw are just too damned tasty to pass up.

New Seasons Market: A number of restaurants were serving various pâtés and other spreads but the New Seasons goose liver pâté seemed the most memorable.

Typhoon: Typhoon had two dishes. Other people reported the clam chowder as excellent but I did not sample it. Their marinated flank steak was quite incredible. I may be a bit biased in my opinion, as flank steak is my favorite beef cut but I can also state as someone who has had many flank steaks in his life that Pho Van does the meat justice. I asked the fellow they had serving the steak whether the marinate was a vinegar-ginger mix and was disappointed that he did not know how the dish was prepared.

Heathman: The Heathman had a croque-en-bouche pyramid. The pastry was good but the pleasure of seeing a proper pyramid reaching up towards 7 feet (from a table that was probably 3 feet tall) just like you see in old French paintings alone was worth the stop at their table.

3 Doors Down: I am sorry I did not much the serrato ham and cheese sandwich they were serving (I think the high salt content was too much to take late in the evening) but I was very glad to meet the restaurant owner and to be able to congratulate her on their recent expansion. Two days earlier I tried to take my friend Gretchin to 3 Doors Down and was shocked to find that the wee-little one room restaurant had taken over neighbors on both sides and now truly had 3 doors. The restaurant was not open for Saturday lunch which is probably just as well since they serve a good vegetarian fare and are worth saving for a day when we have Sven along.

Viande Meats: Damned good ham with some nice guys serving it up.

Wines: I have an awful memory for wineries and cannot remember the names of the many delicious wines that I sampled. They were each great but two were particularly delectable. One was a 2002 Pinot Gris special reserve being served by Willamette Valley Vineyards that was crisp and delicious with a never bitter after taste. The second was a Muscat served by Tualatin Estates that was cool and sweet without any bitterness. I also had a 2002 Pinot Noir served by Argyle Winery that I did not like as much as other wines I had that evening but was good nonetheless and that I liked better than other wines of theirs I have had. I know Argyle is a local favorite but for some reason I have never much cared for their wines. All in all I think I sampled about a dozen wines, most of which were good many were excellent. I need to remember to bring a pad and write down names that I like.

The music stopped at 8:45 and people began to clear out, at 9PM I changed into a work shirt and got to work clearing out the site. There were about fifteen on us on the teardown crew and we were able to make quick work of clearing away tablecloths, tables, buckets and other items belonging to the Taste of the Nation crew. By 10:30 I was very sweaty, tired and very happy with the evening. Definitely one to repeat next year.

There are more pictures from Taste of the Nation at:
Geekroar.com Gallery :: TOTN

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