March 12th
After surviving a losing battle charging up San Juan Hill of Long Island (basically being flattened by a trickster sidewalk) I am ready to venture out again and share a few of my rehabilitation journeys. The road begins locally but soon it will be to take on the world — Memphis, Boston, New York and Dublin. The “On the Road” stories begin today.
March 14th
Most stories begin: And when I looked in the refrigerator I realized that I had six days of edible leftovers (those that have not already been identified as laboratory material ) and only two days to get rid of them. Faced with choices, who would take the food I couldn’t eat? how much should I eat before going on a trip that would involve a lot of eating? how long could the used food be in my garbage can before the animals in the neighborhood began their nightly partying — rodent beach parties (although it is a little cold in Spokane for a beach party the rodents seem to wear their best outer gear and worry about the cleaning costs later.)
I look at the smallest containers first. These were probably big containers at one point and have the best chance of being unworthy for a last meal before departure. Two dollops of potatoes (probably from the corned beef), a small tent of cabbage and a thrice cooked orange pile about the size of pellet droppings. Trash Can.
A solid film on the bottom of a Tupperware container. It smells like it could be used in a wilted salad but by the time I get back I won’t need anything to wilt the red leaf lettuce that is already showing signs of liquid capabilities. I carefully keep the open side of the produce bag upward so it won’t leak on my fungi looking slices of blue and gold and black rot (formerly lemon slices for fried tilapia — I think that artifact must be somewhere in the refrigerator as well. I had noticed a rather awkward smell recently when I was looking for a jar of pepperocinis. Trash Can.
I always wonder about those little jars in the door of the refrigerator. When you can’t turn the cap and regular hot water won’t loosen them I’ve decided that pouring boiling water over the cap just isn’t worth it any more. It is sad to see “Kiss my Ass” hot sauce dumped on top of the garbage but perhaps it was more prophetic than I realized. I also dispose of a sack of old coriander (I remember the posole as if it was my best friend, perhaps a real hottie.) I believe this could have been the source of the green liquid that was covering the bottom of my vegetable bin the last time I returned home. Nice color, texture leaves a bit to be desired. I throw the hard cheese away. I’m pretty sure Boursin isn’t supposed to be hard. My bags are packed. It is time to hit the road again.
March 16th
Lauro’s Portuguese Rice & Sausage
Lauro Portland Oregon
The drive to Portland from Spokane is always marked by long periods of mental wandering. Before you know it you passed Connell and didn’t even spend a moment wondering if there are any future Jesse James in the walls or how the families of the prisoners are holding up. You close your eyes and put the car on cruise control. Before you know it you are heading up the hill out of the Tri-Cities area towards Umatilla. For being established in the 1850’s Umatilla doesn’t get much respect. It was used as a trade depot for the 1860’s gold rush in Eastern Oregon but faded away as the communities grew. That was until the 1940’s when it became military depot — storing military items like ammunition and blankets until it became even more useful as a chemical storage facility in 1962. (Umatilla mustard is not recommended for your ham sandwiches.) We arrived in downtown Portland, checked in at the Hotel Lucia then headed for the bar to meet with the fellow revelers. The troops have a few pre-dinner drinks and appetizers. I think Macaroni and chees went past my seat, some kind of dip and several types of scotch. The last day to be 59 drank almost an entire sip of her margarita. We hailed a cab to take us to Lauro’s (next to Pok Pok which is one of the best Asian restaurants I’ve written about in the Northwest) on SE Division Street. One macho group had to drive so they arrived later after looking for a parking spot which are at a premium on a Friday night. It is raining (I guess I already mentioned I was in Portland, sorry for the double talk) but that doesn’t dampen our spirits because the yaya of Vancouver is having her 60th birthday weekend.
Catalan Onion and Almond Soup Tender Fried Calamari with Piri Piri Sauce This is one of the best preparations of fried calamari I’ve had. The Piri Piri sauce is originally made from the “African Birdseye Chili” originally. When I lived in Tanzania we called it pili pili (pepper pepper) and its intention is to warm your body up going up and warmer when going out. When I make it I usually used crushed chillies (hot is about all we can hope for here, the Ugandan markets are sparse in this neighborhood to get real blue pointed red chili pepper), citrus (I prefer lime) peel, garlic, onion, salt, lime juice, bay leaf, basil, oregano and a slight hint of licorice like French tarragon. This works with a lot of dishes like chicken or fish and with a blender is easy to make and you don’t have to worry about rubbing your eyes — I wandered around blind more than once while I heard the natives laugh at me — crying then rubbing your eyes — but in those days I could eat it hotter than most of them could stand so my stature returned at the dinner table.
Cataplana Roasted Mussels with Chouriço and Peppers
Albondigas, Spanish Meatballs in a Saffron Almond Sauce. Meatballs come in all size and flavors. Finnish meatballs are often a blend of ground beef and reindeer served with some sort of gravy; in Germany the Konisberger Klopse meatball has anchovy blended into them and is served with a caper sauce. Lauro’s version is Spanish (probably originating from the Berbers al-buduq when the Muslims rulled Spain rather than from a party the Ayotollah hosted as is so commonly thought. I liked the meatballs but they were just appetizer fodder for me.
Grilled Chicken Pinchos with Cumin Spiced Lentils and Crème Fraiche. We didn’t try this Andalusian inspired dish. I don’t have any pincho spice mix at home but I believe it comes in either hot or mild versions.
Pancetta-Wrapped Radicchio with Balsamic Vinegar, Parmesan and Pine Nuts If you have ever seen Portlandia some of their skits must have come from the descriptions on this menu. Take the salads. They have Singing Pig Farm organic salad with white balsamic vainairgretts. What would have the muted sows greens been like? Next we could choose the hearts of Romaine with Lemon, Garlic and Anchovy Dressing. I asked the waitress if they had the kidney of Romaine as a substitute (I suppose that was the pre-dinner drinks talking) but she wasn’t sure if they had it tonight but she thought they might have had it in the past! Café Salad of Endive, Apple, French Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts or Roasted Beets with Oranges, Watercress, Walnuts and Spiced Yogurt. I love all of these choices and it is nice to know what goes into the dish you are about to eat but it can get a little pretentious.
Entrees
Bone in Pork Chop with Cassoulet Style Runner Beans and Brandy Plum Sauce
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Caramelized Turnips and Rapini
Chicken Tagine with Eggplant Tomato Jam, Olives and Almond Couscous This was my entree choice. It was served in a traditional tajine earthenware pot which is usually a clay pot. (remember those old clay pots we had in the late 60’s and early 70’s) The bottom is usually flat with a couple of inches of depth and the top is a large dome shaped cover that covers the food while it is baking. The top allows the moisture to rise and still be contained to insure even heat. The dish iscooked with both olives and fruits. I can recommend this dish.
Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Quince Sauce and Spinach
Seafood Paella with Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Squid and Chorizo
Grilled Culotte Steak with Crispy Yams, Lacinato Kale and Harissa Butter
Pork and Clams “Alentejo” with Chouriço, Peppers, Potatoes and Cilantro
Moussaka of Roasted Eggplant, Spiced Lentils and Sauce Béchamel
My main taste tester for the pastas, pizzas and burgers was there, young D. He gave the Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli with Wild Mushrooms and Sage Butter as a waste of good pasta. What happened to marinara sauce and pepperoni our pizza expert asked? Spicy Coppa, Peppadews and Ricotta Salata Pizza was ok once you got the peppadews off the top and could stop thinking of the cheese as a salad. Roasted Apple, Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese and Arugula Pizza Lauro Burger with Dry Aged Jack, Pommes Frites and Aioli — once I convinced him that the Aioli was mayonnaise with a grownup name he went for this and pronounced the pommes frites ok (an amazing recommendation) and “sure, it was ok” for the cheese another resounding success. Lauro’s had a lot of side dishes and nightly specials (written on their chalk board although by 8:30 the chalk was a little slurred). Some of the highlights were Pommes Frites, Almond Couscous or Catalan Spinach; House Marinated Moroccan Oil Cured Olives We weren’t allowed to try their desserts. Madame Curie said we had to go up the block to Pix for desserts. So thr gourp exited Lauro’s. Mr. Roll On Columbia, Gutenberg and his wife, the dog whisperer, the carpenter and his wife the church lady, yaya and her husband the pipe man and I headed out for our just desserts.
Description from their website which is worth visiting to see their different pastries. http://www.pixpatisserie.com/collections/desserts
Big Cheryl’s Ghetto Cake from Pix
Pix Pâtisserie
Cheryl Wakerhauser (a.k.a. Pix), is known for her eccentric and distinctive style that intertwines flavors and textures. After a short-lived career studying to be an astronaut, Cheryl trained at the pâtisserie of MOF Philippe Urraca in Southern France. In 2001 she moved to Portland and set up shop at the Portland Farmers Market. The next year, the first opened its doors, bringing European flare and edible art to Portland with an assortment of elegant pastries and handmade chocolates.
The range goes from Chocolate Port Fig Tart and Big Cheryl’s Ghetto Cake to Almond Apple Nougatine and Tigre d Epices. The latter was a gingerbread mousse with cognac buttercream and cognac macerated dried winter fruits. (what are macerated summer fruits?) If you are just looking for dessert this might be the place to go (after saving up money for a couple of weeks) for something different. Don’t forget the St. Honore — I am told that one could find this gâteau in 1840 in France. 172 years later you can find it in Portland. Puff pastry, caramelized cream puffs, Grand Marnier pastry cream and vanilla bean crème chantilly…Wee! Wee! said the troupe.
Tiki Tiki with Mango
March 17th
It was officially Denise’s 60th birthday and what better way to spend it than wearing new clothes — a GU Bulldog tee-shirt. Dressed in uniform we wandered over to Henry’s Pub for the second round of the NCAA championships where the winner of the GU-ohio state game was destined for the final four. Henry’s has 100+ beers on tap — Philly cheese steaks, fries. The wildcats sat wishing their team was there (always next year says their guru from Sandpoint). Tied 61-61 with less than two minutes to go it seems the buckeyes shed a few shells and the Bulldogs stopped to sniff at them while the nuts from ohio made some free throws. There is always next year.
To relieve our pain we went over to Powell’s to browse our sorrows away. Never a bad thing to wander the book stacks. I met up with the Paintress and said good-bye. We took a harrowing six block trip down to her studio. After breaking through a padlocked fence and using an ancient formula for picking locks we were in a very dark room with uneven surfaces. I stumbled my way through the studio, tripping over the guard dog who woke up to wag his tail. The other guard dog stared at me and wandered why I wouldn’t kick him too. These were aggressive beasts just waiting to find the energy they had ten years ago. We entered a paint fumed room to look at some of the new creations including a day of the dead grape painting which I purchased for my cellar room. It should keep the grape spirits happy.
To celebrate the 60th birthday party elders and younger went to Chef Waddle’s restaurant, Duck Tales, in Vancouver, WA. Just a few blocks from the church of yaya. They were having some traditional Irish food — Shepherd’s pie, Corned Beef and Cabbage and Reubens (young david tried their hamburger). Denise met several of her parishoners and I think she liked the calm — the descriptions at Lauro’s were both intoxicating and stressful when you tried to pick out your dinner (do olives and apricots really belong together or are there too many social conflicts to overcome?); the desserts at Pix were over the top good but late night desert gatherings with a group of sweet nomads has its limitations; the zag game was a good prelude into the familiar surroundings of Vancouver and the dogs who waited patiently for their mistress to return home.
SEE ALSO FOR PORTLAND
BREAKFAST — KEN AND ZUKE’S