A Winery, A Whiskey Library, and a Supermarket Basement Walk into a Blog.......

Portland’s food scene never fails to surprise— three experiences worth repeating

The setup

Portland is filled with great places to eat, drink and be merry. Some are worthy of at least a single visit, and some must be experienced over and over to truly understand their depth and breadth across seasons. I haven’t posted in the past month about my experiences, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been wandering around exploring all that Portland has to offer.

With that in mind, today I want to tell you about three Portland food and drink establishments that have all continued to draw me in over the past month. Longtime readers will recognize all of them from past posts.

The Winery

Every couple of months Amaterra Winery puts on a food and wine pairing dinner to celebrate each of the special components of the winemaking season or to highlight one of their brands. Their most recent event was a celebration of their 51 Weeks label.

Once again, they put out a spread for about 40 people in one of their private dining rooms, starting with some really lovely appetizers.

I passed on the Shrimp Louie with lemon, dill and preserved tomato aioli (allergies and all) but I went back for seconds on the Calabrian Sausage over a toasted seed bread with an olive-caper and herb relish. I was even more impressed with their treatment of the Winter Succotash containing White Bean puree, squash and roasted fennel in a phyllo cup. Appetizers were paired with the 51 Weeks 2023 Reisling which was crisp and not overly sweet, as I’ve come to expect many Rieslings to be.

After 15 minutes of mingling, we sat down and the first course was promptly served, house-baked Parker House rolls with a whipped bone marrow butter along with a tomato jam (missed getting a pic of the cast-iron baked rolls). A simply delightful start to whet the appetite.

This was paired with their 2023 Baton de Champ Rose which is actually named after their favorite dog Champ, who likes to chase sticks (batons in French) so the Stick of Champ as described by the General Manager and Winemaker, Matt Vuylsteke. Matt continued to describe the origin and background of each pairing throughout the evening, which really personalized the experience and enhanced the enjoyment I think of all the participants.

Shortly thereafter, we were served the only individual component of the evening, except dessert (the rest of the meal was served in their usual family style). A very light, delicate and flavorful Crab & Burrata Ravioli with a base of soffrito-safron nage (French for a stock flavored with vegetables, herbs and wine), with caramelized fennel and lemon then topped with scallions was put before each of us. There was an extra roll at our end of the table, and I made sure to grab it to sop up all of the nage. Rather than snooty side eye, I think I actually received a few envious looks for that low brow but very rewarding move. The ravioli was paired with their 2022 Viognier Marsanne Roussanne from the Columbia Valley. This meritage of three grape varietals was so surprisingly crisp and slightly sweet, a perfect accompaniment to the pasta that highlighted the sweetness of the crab without overpowering it, that I made sure to leave with a bottle at the end of the night.

Given the family style nature of the meal, and my location at the very head of the table (being left-handed) the remaining dishes were not exactly picture worthy by the time they made their way to me, so I have a single picture of the entire plate mounded with food below.

I’ll start with the Good first. The sauteed mushrooms with garlic, shallots and tarragon butter was certainly a very earthy and umami-filled highlight, as was the creamy potato gratin with aged goat cheese, fresh thyme, chili flakes and cream. The roasted broccolini with confit garlic, thyme roasted onions and crispy sunchokes was a decadent nod to having greenery on the plate.

The Bad included the Yorkshire pudding (that puffy bread-like thing on the left) as it was lifeless and bland and after one bite I left the rest on the plate.

Now for the ugly (It’s actually a mixture of really good and really bad, but we’ll get to that in a second). The chef was serving up a slow roasted prime rib that he hand-carved tableside for the diners. However, the way he described it (and he seemed very proud of this thought process) was that he separated the components of the prime rib prior to roasting it. I’ll take a moment here to bring everyone up to speed on the cut of meat called a Prime Rib (from which Ribeye steaks are derived when the roast is sliced).

The two primary parts of this cut of beef are the Cap, or Spinalis Dorsi, and the Eye, or Longissimus Dorsi. The chef separated the Cap from the Eye and roasted them separately, then provided a piece of each cut to each diner (with the Cap portion being significantly smaller). What actually ended up happening though (and me being me, I shared my feedback on this with the General Manager) was that the Cap was a rich perfectly marbled exquisitely tender and flavorful couple bites of steak while the remaining large chunk of meat, having lost the marbling and fat cap from the butchering process, was a tough overly cooked piece of Ribeye. Needless to say, the majority of it stayed on the plate and as I looked around the table I saw that the other diners had a very similar experience.

I don’t know if the chef learned his lesson or not, but I would never advise breaking this cut of meat down into its components unless one plans to serve the Cap by itself to First Class and the rest to everyone else.

Even with that negative experience, due to the overall volume of otherwise incredible food and the perfect pairing with the 2020 Petit Verdot and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, the meal was still an overwhelming success. We wrapped it up with a very lovely Salted Caramel and Espresso Budino Parfait topped with candied citrus, salted caramel, cocoa-nib-almond crunch and popped sorghum. The parfait was paired with their 2021 Viognier which I found tasted like grapefruit juice despite its 17% ABV. I loved the parfait but was definitely not a fan of the dessert wine at all.

I always like to give my honest opinion of a place, whether good, bad or ugly. This night’s festivities were a mixed bag, but I still very much enjoyed myself and I highly recommend anyone in the Portland area looking for an outstanding winery to check out Amaterra for one of their dinners.

The Whiskey Library

From wine to whiskey—after a refined night at Amaterra, I was ready for something a little more down-to-earth, and there’s no better place for that than the Multnomah Whiskey Library.

In the back corner of “The Library” there lies a small room just big enough to house six members and a lecturer at a dinner table.

On this particular evening I was there to participate in a special dinner and bourbon tasting. Specifically, we tasted a flight of Heaven Hill products ranging from a $20 bottle of JTS Brown up to the ~$1000 bottle of Heaven Hill 18-year.

To get us in the mood, and with the Kentucky theme in mind, within a few minutes of sitting down the chef presented each of us with a plate of boneless fried chicken thighs, Kentucky style, mashed potatoes and gravy, bacony collard greens and a biscuit with butter and hot honey. The dinner menu at MWL is outstanding, but for these special one-off classes the chef puts on a dedicated menu that he curates for the occasion. This was just simple Southern style cooking done well.

Once we had finished our plates and tuned our tongues to the theme, a series of six Glencairn glasses were placed before us, each with a pour of one of the Heaven Hill products. The instructor provided the backstory on the tasting by describing how bourbon was made and then stored in the rickhouse. Where things got interesting (and where the thought process was a new concept for me) was when he stated that all six of the products started out with the exact same ingredients and mashbill (the ratio of water to grains that goes into the making of the bourbon) and with that isolated, the only difference between the brands was where the barrels were stored in the rickhouse and for how long.

Given the weather in Kentucky (hot humid summers and cold winters), depending upon whether the barrel was on the sunny side of the rickhouse or the shadowy side, how far up the stack it was stored, and for how long would determine how much movement the liquid would have in relation to the barrel. As the liquid expanded and contracted it would draw color and flavor out of the charred wood barrel. I knew how bourbon was made, and the various components that go into it, but with this flight of bourbons right in front of me I was fascinated with seeing the concept of using the exact same inputs to get different outputs practically demonstrated. With identical water, corn, barley and rye ingredients in each product, with time and attention to detail the only thing separating them I was amazed that the same ingredients could be turned into both a product made for building $15 cocktails and a product costing upwards of $150 a sip.

After tasting each whiskey halfway, I went back and finished them in order to compare them again more thoroughly. What I found was that the barrel proof Elijah Craig (just under $100/bottle) was my favorite, and the additional 8 years of aging of the more expensive bottles didn’t really make them any more palatable or enjoyable.

The Library is just such a special place filled with special people and I can’t help but have a great time every time I go there. Membership can take up to three years, but with a referral, you can get in within days. Let me know if you're interested!

A Supermarket Cellar

After an evening steeped in whiskey history and Southern comfort food, I was ready for something entirely different. Enter Zupan's Market—a high-end family-owned Portland grocery store that, on the surface, might seem like an unlikely destination for a fine dining experience. But in true Portland fashion, hidden beneath the aisles of artisanal cheeses and fresh produce lies an intimate cellar where some of the city’s most unique wine dinners take place.

This past week Zupan’s hosted a Moroccan Lamb and Veal Wine Dinner for sixteen of us lucky diners.

The evening started out with appetizers and light conversation amongst the guests and hosts. The first item I tried was the Lamb Kibbeh Nayeh, an Oregon grassfed lamb made into a meatball, mixed with bulgar wheat and onion and served over a spice-filled sauce that had everyone later asking for the recipe.

Next up was a Cheese Burek, stuffed with feta and mozzarella. It was like a high end pizza roll and it demanded that I come back for seconds… and thirds.

Finally, a plate of very nicely grilled pita was served up with hummus and Baba ghanoush.

All of this was accompanied by a very light and fruity Oeil de Perdrix (Eye of the Partridge) Brut Champagne.

While gnoshing on the apps and looking around the cellar I spied a few of my favorite vintners…

…while also trying to discover the most expensive bottle of wine in the cellar.

With the light opening conversations over and the appetizers consumed, we took our seats.

The first dish to come out was a Veal Kofta Salad made with kale, mint, parsley and lemon. I don’t remember when I last had Moroccan food, but being in the same geographical area the lemon really reminded me of something similar I’ve had recently in Greek restaurants. I’m sure it was cooked exactly as it was supposed to be, and the flavor was spot on, but I would have liked a little bit of a crust or browning effect on the meat for some texture. Still, a great way to start the meal.

Next up was the Lamb Tagine which was basically an incredible Osso Bucco served up with couscous, stewed apricots, and lots of spices. There was one small legbone and I was able to dig out the marrow to mix in with the couscous adding a lusciousness to it.

To finish off the meal the host brought each of us a small bowl of kheer flavored with cardamom and topped with roasted pistachios. This was rice pudding elevated to a different level.

It was heaven and when I finally did leave and thanked the host I told her, “You know, I don’t think one can ever have too much cardamom and pistachio in their life”.

Maybe someone not living in Portland can enjoy a top-notch dinner and wine pairing in the basement of their supermarket, but I have my doubts. I feel like this is an “only in Portland” experience to be had by one and all.

So, the next time you are looking for some incredible ingredients (or full-blown deli-made dishes) for your next meal, I strongly encourage checking out one of the Zupan’s Markets in Portland. Oh, and don’t be afraid if you forget your bag.

These three evenings reminded me of why Portland’s food scene is so special—whether it’s high-end winery dinners, intimate whiskey tastings, or gourmet meals hidden in a supermarket cellar, there’s always something unexpected waiting to be discovered.