Experiencing busy streets full of construction work, trash bins overflowing after a happy weekend, and political stickers on every other lamppost are part of the process of rediscovering beauty – the beauty of a story, like an old kitchen cutting board where each line carved by the chef’s knife adds to the value of the wood, like exploring the nature that surrounds you and bringing back the local and rustic ingredients into the kitchen. It’s rediscovering the beauty of what’s right in front of you.

Thus begins the chic, full-color guidebook to Copenhagen, Denmark, recently released by travel website, Momondo. In a unique collaboration, Momondo’s guide to the popular Danish capital is entirely composed of city picks from the staff of the destination’s lauded restaurant, Noma. Recently named, once again, as the “World’s Best” restaurant, over forty Noma staffers, both front and back of the house, offer up their favorites from across the city for this latest travel must-have, amid beautiful photos and information snippets on where to enjoy the best sights, bites, and beverages, in Copenhagen.

Chef René Redzepi picks Kastellet for a idyllic picnic setting:
“I like the old and historical parts of Copenhagen, the picturesque Royal Library Garden and the preserved fortification of Kastellet, today one of the finest parks of Copenhagen. I go here as often as I can to take stroll or lie down in the grass. It’s so peaceful, and I enjoy the feel of the open space.”

Restaurant Manager James Robert Spreadbury, originally of Adelaide, South Australia, recommends Restaurant Fischer for a bite to eat:
“The food is excellent and the menu is simple and tasty – like fettuccine, poached cod, tiramisu. Only the best is included. And the feeling around the place is cosy and informal, making you feel right at home. It’s like being in someone’s home. Very relaxed.”

Assistant Restaurant Manager Sune Østergaard, a Copenhagen native, opts for a great cocktail at the Kitjn Cocktail bar:
“There’s something about kitchens. They bring up memories. They’re perfect for drunken chats. And, perhaps, for a few forbidden cigarettes; this kitchen is one of the few places where smoking is allowed. However, the main attraction in Kitjn is the creative cocktail menu that takes you on a journey through the art of cocktailing.”

Heavy on restaurant and bar picks, naturally, the snappy little guide also includes great tourist info, including maps, emergency contacts, and where to find the nearest post office, in addition to a whole host of do-not-miss stops. You can purchase a copy of the guide at Amazon UK.

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credits: Published with permission from Momondo.com

“While a one-week food stamp challenge can’t compare to the real challenges of living on a food stamp budget, it’s a meaningful way to build awareness and understanding of the importance of ensuring low-income families have access to needed food,” Ms. Purvis said.

With the Farm Bill currently in movement through Congress, as well as whole host of looming proposed budget cuts to the food assistance program, support is critical in order to shed a light on the impact such reduction and restructuring can potentially have on the community as a whole.

Mr. Batali, also a trustee of the Food Bank for New York City, urged people to take the challenge. “For one week, walk in someone else’s shoes,” he said in a statement. “Knowledge is power, and by trying to understand what our friends and neighbors are going through, we will be better equipped to find solutions.”

You can sign up to take the challenge here. Others across the nation have taken up similar challenges this spring, including folks in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Students at the University of Maryland blogged about their Food Stamp Challenge as well.

~Jennifer Heigl

This year was no different. Taking place at Jeld-Wen field – curiously in the halls, rather than the green field itself – the Share Our Strength fundraiser welcomed yet again a strong following of hungry supporters, excited to revel in the rows of bites and imbiberies, despite the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.

Over fifty restaurants offered bites at this year’s event, from Otto to Irving Street Kitchen. Carefully balancing my plate, camera, and wine glass, I had a chance to taste the Asian steam buns with lemongrass pork and shrimp sausage from Boke Bowl, spicy chicken bao from Departure Restaurant & Lounge’s Gregory Gourdet, Clyde Common’s chilled spring soup, Beaker & Flask’s inventive pork cheek pastrami and pea puree from chef Anthony Walton, a mini meatball pucchia from James Beard nominee Cathy Whims, beet tartare from Portobello Vegan Trattoria, a pickled watermelon salad from Smokehouse 21, and a whole array of sweet things, including a killer sea salted caramel brownie from Saint Cupcake (I took two for the road). Standouts included the steam buns, bao, brownie, and the mini Reggie from Pine State Biscuits.

Even though this event only comes around once a year, food insecurity is an ongoing struggle for many.  Support Share Our Strength, as well as hunger organizations in the Portland area and beyond, including TOTN beneficiaries, the Oregon Food Bank, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, St. Vincent De Paul, and the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank.

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender

From graphic design to drink slinging, the budding bartender began her tin-shaking at Portland’s renowned, craft-cocktail-heavy Beaker & Flask before moving on to B&F’s next door neighbor, the fabulously rum-centric Rum Club. Next week, she’ll continue her winning streak as she helps to manage the opening of Riffle NW, a “catch-inspired” restaurant located in the city’s Pearl District, where owners Ken and Jennifer Norris have assembled a crack team including Beverage Director David Shenaut and Chef de Cuisine Joseph Cefalu.

Despite the city’s anticipation for the new restaurant, Baker, effervescent and always down-to-earth, isn’t the least bit nervous about her new role…

Q: How did you wind up behind the bar?
A: I was a corporate graphic designer for Nike, and it was just not working for me. I was at a meeting once, and I looked around at the room of people, and even though they took really good care of me, I realized it just wasn’t what I wanted to be. The day I did that, I called my Dad, who’s a chef, who said he had never been more proud of me than that day.

After that, I was a barista for a bit, which is what I did in college – my only other skill, really. One day, I had a few drinks at Beaker and Flask and talked my way into a job. Did a stage, won over the kitchen staff, which is what my father told me I really had to do. I started as a food runner, and then moved to hosting, and during my weekend shifts, I noticed that people would stay longer if I offered them a post-dinner drink, so I got really good at the cocktail menu. David Shenaut was the bartender at the time, so we’d coordinate on the drinks he wanted to make, and the drinks I was pitching. One day, he was really busy, and he asked me to shake a tin for him. He was impressed with my shake [laugh] and asked if I would be interested in training as a bartender. Of course, I said yes.

So I started coming in to watch and learn, and then come behind the bar to practice. And then somehow, someway, I weaseled my way behind the bar, and all of a sudden, I’m a bartender at one of the best cocktail bars in the city.

Mike Shea was building Rum Club at the time, and he would come over to have a drink, saw what I was like behind the bar, and offered me a shift. Early on, he had to go in for appendix surgery, and I saw that things needed to be done, so I did them. And when he returned to work, I was promoted to bar manager.

Q: Any aspects of bartending that have been difficult? Drinks you’re not a big fan of?
A: Tiki drinks are really hard for me. I personally don’t have much of a sweet tooth so it’s hard for me to remember cocktails that I wouldn’t drink myself. Cocktail drinks in general are difficult for me – I love them, I appreciate them – but I’m a beer girl. I think the easiest drink for me to make is anything with tequila. It was the first spirit I fell in love with. Back in 2010, at the first Portland Cocktail Week, Dave suggested I go to a lecture with Ron Cooper, owner of Del Maguey. It was the first time I realized that someone could really love something food/drink-based. I didn’t get it. I was a vodka soda or Coors Light girl. I was so inspired by that. So I went to Mexico for three weeks and learned more about it. Whether good or bad, I’ll always prefer working with agave spirits.

I still have yet to make a Long Island Iced Tea.

Q: What do you love about being behind the bar?
A: The people. I talk a lot, and I’m very social. It was a void that I didn’t know I had to be filled. When I was sitting in a cubicle, I didn’t know. But I have to talk, I want to know about people, I want to know about their day. When I ask, I mean it. I like remember names and what they drink. I really love when someone takes a taste of a cocktail, and they’re like, “Yep! That’s it.” It’s that little eyebrow raise. I live for that.

It’s a creative outlet. I’ve been creative forever, and cocktails, for me, are about creativity. It’s fun, it’s instant gratification.

Q: What’s your signature cocktail?
A: It’s probably the ‘Mexican Circus Tiger.’ [laugh]

I had only been bartending for two or three shifts when the [Northwest Spirits and Mixology Show] competition came up. I had just came back from Mexico, and while I was there, I met this guy who was missing the end of his finger. He had been drunk at a Mexican circus, and wanted to get close to a couple of tigers in cages. He went up to one, and was able to pet it, but when he moved to the second, it bit the tip of his finger off. Instead of going to the doctor, he just poured tequila on it. And he told me this story while we were drinking palomas, so it’s a bit of a riff on a paloma. Grapefruit and lime and mezcal, because it’s delicious.

It was the first drink I had ever made up. And of course, winning that competition gave me that initial boost of confidence, you know. It helped me think, I do belong behind the bar at Beaker, I do belong behind the bar at Rum Club, and I can handle opening a new bar.

Q: Tell me about Riffle. What’s it like to be working with David again?
A: Well, Dave is Shenaut-be-won, and I’m the padawan. It’s never been a secret that he’s taught me 99% of everything I’ve learned. I’m really appreciative and grateful that he took the time to give me a new career – I’m not sure he realizes that’s really what he did. So I was excited to work at Riffle before I knew how awesome Riffle really was. I have so much more to learn, and the team that he’s assembled, which includes [former Teardrop Lounge bartender] Ricky Gomez – how can I not want to work with those people? I’m really appreciative that I was offered the position. It wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter, I still had to prove myself to Ken and Jen, I still had to be up to snuff with everyone else at the bar. Luckily, they saw past the hurdle that I frequently encounter – the lack of time I’ve spent behind the bar – and recognized that I do have the skill, the talent, the hard work that really plays into being in bar management. Dave’s the idea guy, Ricky’s the creative guy, and I do the business stuff. But I like that.

Riffle is everything I could hope for and more. It’s catch-inspired seafood. Taking the best ingredients, building a very open and honest kitchen. They’re giving a lot of credence to the bar, which I think is awesome. It’s seafood, and there’s a lot of ice involved, so we’ll have an ice program, which I think will be one of the best in the city. Their philosophy is that there isn’t a front of the house and a back of the house – everybody’s on the same team. Everybody’s learning. I’m excited to be behind a bar where I can really throw myself into it. I have a lot to learn. Pairings, new ingredients. It’s going to be white spirits focused, which is new for me, but it’s going to be amazing.

–

Riffle NW makes its grand debut on May 15, with a handful of preview dinners prior to opening its doors.

Curious about the Northwest Spirits and Mixology Show? Join in for two days of spirits tasting and showcasing when it returns to Bend, Oregon this summer on June 23 and 24.

~Jennifer Heigl

So it didn’t surprise me at all that behind the restaurant’s graceful charm is a chef with similar qualities – heavy on the talent, without a trace of overblown ego. Chef Aaron Barnett has not only been recognized as a Portland Star Chef in 2011, he was named a semifinalist to this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards, with a resume full of culinary greats from Vancouver, British Columbia (Lumière) to San Francisco, California (Gary Danko). I’m just glad he stopped in the Northwest.

I caught up with the chef just after the JBFA semifinalists list had been announced.

Q: Before landing in Portland, you cooked in San Francisco and Canada. What’s different about the food scene here in Portland?

A: San Francisco is heavily influenced by Mediterranean cooking, Vancouver (BC) is all about Pacific Rim cooking, but Portland is Portland. It is hard to say what makes it different. I think the local product drives the cuisine and the chefs have a distinct view for the product and what they want to do with it. There is less pretense, the restaurants are smaller and more intimate and the food speaks directly to the people. Food and drink are the stars in Portland and I hope that never changes.

Q: Your restaurant St. Jack is in good company with a handful of other fantastic French restaurants in Portland. What do you think makes St. Jack stand out amongst them?

A: Our staff and management team, plus we snagged a great location. The Lyonnaise style of cooking is something I thought would fit well in Portland. It is one of the hardest to styles to get right but is also completely unpretentious. It always has a bit of heart in it. Maybe literally.

Q: You were nominated for a regional James Beard Award this year. How are you feeling about that?

 A: Obviously it’s an incredible honor. Since I started cooking, it was always something that I had dreamed of but never thought would ever happen. The restaurant has received so much attention and had so many accolades this year and [the nomination] just topped it all off. Everyone works very hard at St. Jack, and I hope it shows, but I do feel like there’s a lot of luck going on here too.

Q: What would you be cooking if you weren’t cooking French?

A: I really like Scandinavian cooking–all that fish! And the marriage between sweet, sour and herbaceous is so refined. Actually, anything involving fish would be right up my alley.

Q: Where’s your favorite city to eat outside of Portland?

A: I like Vancouver, BC,  for Indian and Chinese; San Francisco for Italian; and New York for everything else. Where else can you eat at a James Beard award-winning restaurant at 2am?

–

Barnett and his crew will be dishing out the finest in St. Jack wares at Portland’s Taste of the Nation event happening next Tuesday, May 8. Be sure to snag a ticket for the city’s most premiere food and wine fundraising event at the Taste Of The Nation website.

~Kat Vetrano

*Photo credit: Restaurant St. Jack

**Editor’s note: We mistakenly noted in our original post that Chef Barnett had been on the James Beard list more than once – and we may have jumped the gun. 2012 was his inaugural year as a JBFA semifinalist, but we certainly hope to see him again on next year’s list!

On the grounds of the beautiful Maui Plantation, nestled at the base of the green mountains so familiar to the Hawaiian countryside, the day began as most on the islands do – a little overcast, a possibility of rain. The late morning clouds parted just as the festival opened its gates, the parking lot already full by 9:00 a.m. Pencil in hand, I joined my fellow judges for the day’s culinary competition, a showcase of farmers and chefs from around the island, each paired to feature the best of Maui agriculture.

With twelve dishes, I’m glad I had a small breakfast.

We started with the Chipotle Roasted Yacon and Shrimp Salad, and then the Shredded Cabbage and Chicken Salad. From there, I lost track – and tried not to think about what I might look like shoveling food into my mouth on a stage…

 

The full list of dishes and competitors:

• Sweet Potato Gnocchi with heirloom tomato and O’o Farm Herb from Chef James McDonald of I’o Restaurant, Pacific’O Restaurant, and Feast at Lele with Lynn & Russell DeCoite of L&R Farm on Moloka’i
• Pan-Fried Smoked Salmon-‘Ulu Cakes with Tapioca Tartar Sauce from Chef Riko Bartolome with Ian Cole of the Breadfruit Institute
• Chipotle Roasted Yacon and Shrimp Salad from Chef Jeffery Heubschman of Whole Foods Market  with Bill and Marta Greenleaf
• Parmigiana di Melanzane (eggplant parmigiana) from Chef Wesley Holder of Pulehu with David Horsman and Manu Akana of Ho’opono Farms
• Taro Dumplings from Chef Sheldon Simeon of Star Noodle and Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop with Bobby Pahia of Holaloha Farms
• Kalua Pork Laulau with Taro Fries and Coconut Taro Sauce  from Chef Chris Schobel of Hula Grill Ka’anapali with Kekai Keahi and Willy Wood of taro lo’I Honokohau
• Ube Macapuno Ice Cream (sweet potato ice cream with coconut) from Chef Jojo Vasquez of Banyan Tree with Alika Atay, Maui Sweet Potato Company
• Ko Style Korean Beef Jun Sushi from Chef Tylun Pang of Ko Restaurant with Alex Franco of Maui Cattle Company
• Porchetta Mini Slider with frisee, favas, and fingerlings from Chef Marc McDowell of Makena Beach & Golf Resort with David Fitch of Malama Farms
• Pan Roasted Hawaiian swordfish, truffled rice and cauliflower puree from Chef Ivan Pahk of Cane and Taro with Northern Pacific
• Kona Kampachi crudo with Hawaiian Chili Pepper Vinaigrette and pickled root from Chef Joey Macadangdang of Roy’s Restaurants, with the beautiful Pacific Ocean off the Kona Coast
• Shredded Cabbage and Chicken Salad from Chef Jennifer Nguyen of A Saigon Café with Jamie Shishido of J Shishido Farm

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo Credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender; except for Pulehu, courtesy of the Westin Ka’anapali

**My incredible Maui experience was on invitation from the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau. Many mahalos to Keli’i Brown and Charlene Ka’uhane for fantastic coordination; as well as the Old Wailuku Inn, the Fairmont Kea Lani, and the Westin Ka’anapali for their gracious hospitality during my stay.

So when I received the call (or the email, rather) inviting me to participate as a judge at this year’s Maui County Agricultural Festival, there was little hesitation. Would I return to that beautiful island – and its people, food, historic Hawaiian culture – that had embedded itself in my heart and soul? Yes, yes I would.

Not only was the agricultural event a spectacular display of all the goods, wares, and fine hardworking folks residing on the Hawaiian island (more on that next week), as part of a food-filled week of media familiarization, our group of journalists dined and imbibed around the countryside, from Wailea to Lahaina to Wailuku – and found a number of dining destinations worthy of a second and third visit.

1)  Star Noodle, Lahaina

Dare I say, starting off the trip with a spot like Star Noodle was definitely setting the bar a little high. Chef Sheldon Simeon had come across my radar earlier this year when he was chosen as a finalist of Food & Wine magazine’s  “People’s Best New Chef”, so the location was on my list of required island stops. Early on a Thursday night, the restaurant was already packed, with folks waiting outside in the parking lot for a seat at the lone restaurant hidden among industrial buildings. Our table ordered nearly eleven dishes, interested in trying the whole gamut, from ahi to roasted mushrooms to noodles of every shape, size, and flavor. There were cocktails and dessert and unending glasses of water for all of us weary travelers – and it was all worth it. Star Noodle is definitely a restaurant shining star.

2)  T. Komoda Store & Bakery, Makawao

Even though there’s certainly a store housing the busy bakery line, visitors and locals queue at the door for the pastry wares at this little corner store located in the curiously spaghetti western town of Makawao. Guava malasadas, malasadas on a stick, and cream puffs bigger than your hand fill the glass window cases, making it a great upcountry stop  for all-things sweet and bakery-fresh.

3)  Longhi’s, Wailea-Makena

What a fine, fine venue for a little birthday breakfast in Wailea-Makena. My fellow fun-loving cohorts, Ayngelina Brogan of Bacon Is Magic and Carol Cain of NYCity Mama, picked the spot, and we were super pleased with the decision. Despite the placement on the outskirts of a busy shopping center (the beautiful Shops at Wailea), the patio seating was comfortable in during our Monday mid-morning visit. With bloody marys and mimosas all around, we ordered the weekly pastry (topped with strawberry and cream cheese) as well as the saucer-sized cinnamon roll, a local favorite, in addition to our eggs, potatoes, and assorted breakfast dishes. The pleasant staff and stellar food offerings definitely made the restaurant a place for repeat brunch visits.

4)  Pulehu, Ka’anapali Beach

Nestled away in the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Pulehu arrived at the nearly tail end of my visit, but a wonderful way to wrap up the visit.  The cheese plate featured island favorites, including a spread from Maui’s popular Surfing Goat Dairy, with a charcuterie plate to please the meat-eaters in the group. Specializing in Italian dishes utilizing all the best local ingredients, I was encouraged to order the Moloka’i Shrimp Risotto as a main course – and was super impressed – following up with nearly every dessert on the menu. I didn’t skip over the cocktails or the extensive international wine list either, and the open-air patio perched against a beautiful koi pond only added to the celebration of the spectacular birthday meal.

5)  Cilantro Grill, Lahaina

I didn’t get a chance to stop by Cilantro Grill on my last visit to the island, but the aforementioned ladies and I had a lunchtime half hour to ourselves, and stopped by for bite. Again, very impressed. Positioned in one of Lahaina’s many strip mall spaces, I went with the Mother Cluker flautas (how could I not) and was very pleased in my choice. Fast service, fantastic flavors, fresh made-to-order dishes – a great recommendation for both a quick lunch and an easy dinner.

6)  David Paul’s Island Grill, Lahaina

Our last dining adventure on the island included a private tasting at David Paul’s Island Grill in Lahaina. Chef David Paul Johnson had left the area for nearly a decade after parting ways with his Lahaina Grill location, and returned in 2009 to open the new location. Like many of his fellow chefs, Johnson utilizes the abundance of local ingredients while incorporating some of the finest imports as well. Prepared by the chef himself, our courses included a housemade burrata cheese, an Idaho trout salad, Maui-raised Berkshire pork belly, and a cheeky cherry-topped panna cotta. The space within the restaurant is warm and inviting, and includes an open front patio with an ocean view, as well as a cozy banquette and fire place setting in the back. You can also reserve a two-seat chef’s table in the kitchen for special occasions, putting you in the heart – and nearly on the line – of the busy kitchen.

As far as drinks go, aside from the mentions above, I wasn’t able to find a stellar craft cocktail location on this visit (don’t get me started on the conversation I had with one bartender about Fernet-Branca) but there are plenty of mai tais to be had at Kimo’s in Lahaina. And I know from my previous visit that the bar at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua can certainly satiate any Fernet requirements you might have.

In case you missed last year’s posts on Maui, previous restaurant favorites include The Banyan Tree with chef Jojo Vasquez at the Ritz-Carlton, as well as Humuhumunukunukuapua’a with chef Isaac Bancaco at the Grand Wailea.

Stay tuned next week for the wrap up of my time at the Maui County Agricultural Festival!

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credit: Chef Sheldon Simeon – Ayngelina Brogan / Bacon Is Magic; All others – Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender

**As mentioned above, I was thrilled to be invited back by the wonderful folks at the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau. Many mahalos to Keli’i Brown and Charlene Ka’uhane for the invitation and coordination.

I should have known that my Kogi experience would be special, though. Roy Choi, the well-known owner of  LA’s Kogi BBQ trucks, Chego, A-Frame, and his newest, Sunny Spot – and the author of the soon-to-be published Spaghetti Junction: Riding Shotgun with an LA Chef  (from Ecco Press, thanks to friend, author, and fellow chef Anthony Bourdain) – had been the ideal phone interviewee just a few weeks earlier. With some chefs these days getting press for the wrong reasons, the articulate and humble Choi isn’t one of them. Not to mention his tacos are clearing-the-clouds-away awesome.

Q: With three restaurants, the Kogi BBQ food trucks and an upcoming book, you seem pretty busy lately. Walk me through a typical day.

A: Well, things change a lot day to day, I tend to get involved in a lot of side projects. But I’ll walk you through today.

I’ve been working on a project with Jefferson High School in South Central to develop a fruit store, which they run twice a week. I’m here 9-11:30 morning every Wednesday through Friday. The store gets them to eat fruit in a delicious way, not just a healthy way. If you try to eat healthy first, it just doesn’t work. Around noon, I visit the office, check out payroll, bills, that kind of thing. From 1-2:00 p.m., I visit the prep kitchens at Chego and A-Frame, 3:00 p.m. I try to catch the back-end of the lunch for the trucks. Six to nine at night, I’ll do a kitchen service, and at 10:00 p.m. I’ll hit up the dinner service for one of the trucks. In between, I do interviews like this one, a lot of times in the car, or if it’s by email I’ll pull over and write it.

Q: What about the LA food scene stands out to you in comparison to other food cities like Portland and NY?

A: I think LA is closer to Portland’s food scene than New York. Oh, hear that? [Stops and listens] Bells.  That’s their five minute warning to get to class – high school. Anyway, the LA food scene is growing back to what it’s always been, about the cultural neighborhoods. Behind the scenes, it’s really coming up, like going through puberty. And the scene has always been there. Los Angeles used to be different, it was California cuisine, big Hollywood, lobster kind of stuff, but now it’s coming back to the neighborhoods, which is great.

Q: Tell me about your book that’s coming out.

A: Well, it’s called Spaghetti Junction: Riding Shotgun with an LA Chef. In the beginning, I didn’t really want to write a Kogi book, and definitely not a cookbook either. I don’t like to be forced or doing something just for money. Plus, I  never felt like Kogi just had one collective voice. This book is a more personal exploration, going back. There were so many interviews where they kept asking, how did you find this flavor? And I couldn’t answer, it was deeper. Why was I cooking it now? I didn’t know, and then I realized it was my upbringing. And now I’ve gotten to the point where I’m okay with it, I’m not ashamed. I had a good and bad upbringing, and it gave me the ability to cook this flavor for Los Angeles. As for the title, I was thinking of Spaghetti Westerns in light of the freeways here, and the lines that are represented. I don’t care if people hate it. I want this book to be an open door, like, “Come ride with me, let me show you what I do.  Let me show you why I cook this way. If you don’t like it, I’ll pull over and you can get out.” You can just get in and get out. It’ll be stories about childhood with a food filter, lots of pictures. I want it to be an exploration, a mural of life.

Q: After reading your piece in LA Weekly and your discussion of all those cookbooks, I can’t help but wonder what you’re cooking when you’re at home. What’s the last thing you made?

A: Lots of eggs. I’m gone so much, a lot of times the only time I’m home is in the morning. I make a lot of porridges, rice. The last thing I cooked was kimchi fried rice with a soft poached egg. I make a lot of stews and soups to be the base of dishes throughout the week, and I make a lot of Korean food: marinated meats, vegetables medleys. I cook most like the food we have at Chego.

Q: Any LA restaurants you recommend during my visit?

A: Go to all of them! [laughs]. Well, if you want to chill out in your PJs and get some grub, I’d go with Chego. If you want a friendly, communal, Portland-type experience, go to A-Frame. If you want to party, go to Sunny Spot, and if you want to really taste LA, I’d say hit up one of the trucks.

Spaghetti Junction: Riding Shotgun with an LA Chef will be released in 2013.

~Kat Vetrano

*Photo Credit: Alice Shin

In my time at Daily Blender, there has never been a food and wine event that hit so close to home as this past weekend’s Eat.Run.Hope. As a survivor of a late-term pregnancy loss, I’ve had the unfortunate – or fortunate – occasion of meeting parents around the country who have experienced similar losses, so when the running-slash-eating fundraiser was announced earlier this year, I knew I wanted to help in some way, any way, that I could. Bringing together a 5K walk/run, kids fun run, and Chef’s Tent as part of the event, the Stowells masterfully created Eat.Run.Hope. as a tribute to their two sons, Nathanael and Gabriel, lost last summer. Top Seattle chefs and restaurants stepped up to the plate to support the couple in their mission to bring recognition to fetal syndromes, and hundreds of friends, family, and community members joined the Stowells in raising over $60,000 for the Fetal Hope Foundation. What was surely a day of sadness for many who attended was also, in fact, a day of great eating and hoping.

–

Pregnancy loss affects far more folks than you can imagine – friends, family, neighbors. You can donate to the Fetal Hope Foundation, to help fund the identification, research, and awareness of fetal syndromes, as well as groups like SHARE and Portland’s Brief Encounters, who lend support to bereaved parents.

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender

**Dedicated to Nathanael and Gabriel Stowell, Avery and Cameryn Stoute, Ella Heigl, and all of the babies lost too soon.

However, in the ramp up to host this year’s Super Bowl celebration, the capital city had, in fact, put quite a lot of time and effort into developing its central area. Higher-level bars and restaurants, the installation of new artwork (thanks to its “46 for XLVI” initiative featuring murals by forty-six artists), and a polished city greeted me upon my arrival. To say that I was pleasantly surprised by my visit would be an understatement. To be honest, I may have blurted out a number of notable quips while venturing through the Circle City…

“I’m just going to set up a tent right here.”

I heart the Libertine, and that’s all there is to it. The starting point on Day One, I admittedly didn’t want to leave once I had a look at the menu of drinks and bites offered at the downtown spot. The cocktail list read like any craft bar in Portland, with all my favorites from mezcal to absinthe available. I started the evening with an Aviation – my go-to tipple, when it’s available and done right. And it was done oh-so-right. My host for the weekend, Evan Strange of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, recommended a choice of savory, well-executed small plates to start the evening, which included a wild mushroom crostinis, artichoke fritters, and a chicken pate on waffles – a standout on the chicken-and-waffles craze. Chef and owner Neal Brown was on hand as well, eager to have me taste a mastic cocktail he had been working with, and much like everything else at Libertine, its caipirinha-plus-pine flavor made me never want to leave my seat.

I made my way back to the Libertine after a stellar dinner at St. Elmo Steak House, a local historic eatery recently recognized as one of America’s Classics by this year’s James Beard Foundation (take heed when folks tell you to prepare yourself for the spicy cocktail sauce, by the way). Securing a spot at the bar on my second visit, I snagged myself a second Aviation and a shot of Fernet Branca, chatting with bartenders Michael Gray and Doug Strodtman about the burgeoning cocktail scene, though both lamented that as a leader in craft cocktails, it certainly made it difficult to find a great drink elsewhere post-shift. Bartender-world problems.

“I’ll have the shrub.”

Despite the loud, wall-to-wall, family-friendly bustle of Café Patachou, a South Broad Ripple – or SoBro – breakfast destination, my Saturday morning started off well, with a build-your-own omelet and Udi’s gluten-free bread. Coffee in hand, I gallivanted to the Indianapolis Art Museum for an afternoon of pausing and perusing.

Hunger set in mid-afternoon, before our next food adventure was to start, and we made a stop at Black Market on Mass Ave., Indy’s strip-o-fun for shopping, eating, and imbibery just off the main downtown area. Proprietor Ed Rudisell was happy to talk rum, scotch, and cocktail inspiration during our brief stop, and we ordered the daily pickle plate, a smattering of pickled seasonal vegetables – that day, we enjoyed turnips, shallots, and a poblano pepper – curiously paired with housemade peanut butter. I also went with prickly pear shrub, made in-house as well, with the sweet and sour of the vinegar drink making the perfect complement to my escarole, apple, and cheddar salad.

“Hipsters give me hives.”

From Black Market, we went for a tour of Smoking Goose Meatery, a meat smoking shop conveniently located across the street from a brewery. Chef and owner Christopher Eley opened the meat shop nearly a year ago, piggybacking on the success of his Goose The Market location. Stopping by during a quiet day, Eley noted that with sixty percent of his product headed for restaurants across the Midwest, the production facility went through daily USDA inspections five times a week to ensure health safety. Through the amazing use of technology as well, Eley manages to even control the smoking process through the use of a phone application, resulting in tasty meats that are in high demand.

Our destination for dinner, Recess, featured the dishes of 2012 James Beard Foundation Award long-list nominee, Greg Hardesty. Rumor had it that Recess included a number of fantastic fish offerings, and despite my hesitation to order fish in a landlocked state, I was again pleasantly surprised, with the evening’s prix fixe meal including a stellar Alaskan halibut. Each plate was spectacular, with all three courses paired pleasantly with carefully considered wines.

Post-dinner cocktails offered the choice of a local hipster bar or an age-old dive bar down the block. I chose the dive bar. The Red Key Tavern, it turns out, is a local favorite, managed for years by owner Russ Settle, a World War II bomber pilot and P.O.W. who opened the SoBro location nearly sixty years ago before passing away in 2010. A place where writer Kurt Vonnegut had often held post, the bar has been the subject of a Ben Affleck movie, and comes with house rules, from taking off your hat to keeping your conversations clean. With airplane models of every shape and size hanging from the ceiling, worn linoleum floors, and a jukebox still chock full of Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra, the Manhattans were just the right price, and I settled in with the neighborhood regulars to wrap up the evening.

“But they have new pigs!”

Cheese, cheese, and more cheese greeted me on Sunday morning before I departed from my 48-hour adventure. Along rural routes, among ranches and homes dotting the outskirts of downtown, sits the idyllic farm setting of Traders Point Creamery – and the Loft restaurant. Touting the ever popular farm-to-table cuisine – while actually being in the center of the farm – the brunch menu was to die for, with scrambles, waffles, French toast, and chicken and potato fritters. I finally ordered a spicy Hoosier Momma’s Bloody Mary – a favorite of both mine and the city of Indianapolis – to kick off the morning, and ate my way to an afternoon food coma, complete with a tasting plate of cheeses made fresh at the Creamery. The dining room was packed – with an Indianapolis Colts tight end holding down the fort to boot – and a freshly made coffee and chocolate milkshake was ordered before we headed to the airport. While I’m not sure a Bloody Mary and milkshake combo was the best decision before boarding a plane, it was certainly the best way to end what was a most memorable visit to Indianapolis.

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender

**Many, many thanks to my brother from another mother, Evan Strange, and the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association for inviting me into town; to the Conrad Indianapolis for taking such great care of me; and to all of the courteous chefs and bartenders for chatting with me!