Jim Dixon

To get to Dstone001's question about better burgers at upscale places, I think you're more likely to get a better burger when the restaurant either grinds its own or buys top-quality beef, and that isn't likely at a diner or bar. I did a similar burger roundup for our restaurant guide in 2001, and here in Portland there's really good burger available (from Painted Hills or Oregon Country Beef, rancher consortiums that offer grass-fed, additive free beef). The purveyor grinds it daily, and even a couple of places that used to do their own have switched. Freshly ground beef also reduce the chances of E. coli infection and the other unpleasantness about mass-produced burger as related in Fast Food Nation. The one thing Levine didn't address is the ability to get your burger rare or, my preference, medium rare. I've had to convince more than one server that it's perfectly legal to serve a pink-on-the-inside burger if the customer asks for it. The local regs for burgers not cooked to order is 155F, and the result isn't worth eating. Levine also implies that burgers were first eaten in NYC, but my research found no fewer than four cities claiming the very first hamburger. Food anthropologists generally give Athens, Texas the nod. (and don't ask me what the other ones are...it didn't make it into the story) I have to agree with him about burger size, though. The trend to bigger patties just makes them harder to eat. The very best burgers, which are the ones I grill on the Weber in my back yard, run about 5-6 oz. The trick is to buy the smaller cheap buns (or rolls, as you east coasters like to call them) and make the patties thick enough to sear completely but remain med-rare inside. Jim

Last night I ate a great bowl of pasta...penne with celery root in apple juice, hard cider, parmigiano, and cream. But it was the evolved end product of two weeks’ worth of leftovers. For New Year’s Eve I braised a pork shoulder in caramelized onions with apple juice and French hard cider (low alcohol and fizzy). When the pork was finally knocked off a few days later, I still had a few cups of the braising liquid, the apple juice and cider fortified with a bit of olive oil (from cooking the onions) and pork fat. Late last week I turned this into a soup by cutting a celery root into small cubes and simmering them in the braising liquid. I used a potato masher to coarsely smash the cubes, added a bit of creme fraiche, and ate the soup with some crusty bread. Very nice, although maybe a bit sweet, but the celery root went well with the apple flavor. I was down to about a cup of the soup, by now thickened from a couple of heatings. I heated it again with a handful of leftover cooked penne, a good grinding of sea salt, about a quarter cup of cream, and maybe half cup of fresh grated parm. Let that come to a boil and cook for a few minutes. The added cream and parm cut the sweetness, and it was one of the nicest bowls of creamy pasta I’ve eaten for awhile. The problem, of course, is making it again. Jim

Suvir, I only ate the one dish that was exactly like the bhel puri described here (and very good)...the other one, which I will go back for later, looked exactly like this: The green sauce looked like water.... Of course, the whole thing could also be a communication issue...I'm never exactly sure if the people who work this cart understand what I'm saying...next time I'll order by menu number.

In one of those doo-doo doo-doo, twilight zone-ish episodes, just last week I was getting lunch from this newly discovered Indian food cart (called the Indian Chaat House...up near the library here in portland). There were a couple of youngish (like maybe college age) Indian guys eating something that looked really good at the plywood counter. While I was waiting for my channa saag, I asked what it was, and they pointed to the menu on the side of the truck. "Number 38, bahle-poori," said one, "it's really good." So I walk back to work, log on to eGullet so I can read while I eat, and there's Suvir's story about bhel poori. The picture looks just like what these guys were eating, and I'm thinking, "whoa, is that weird or what?" So today I go back up to try some. I order #38, pronouncing it bally poori like the other guy, and when it's ready the Indian woman who cooks everything asks me if I know how to eat it. She shows me several fried things, smaller than donuts but with an indentation. She says I put some of the cooked, spiced mashed potato in the indent, pour on some green sauce, and pop the whole thing in my mouth. Sounds great, but wasn't what I was expecting. I describe what I thought I had ordered, and she says, "you want panni-poori." She makes it and it's just like Suvir's bhel poori (except really hot, since I had asked for spicy). Is this a regional dialect thing or something similar? Jim ps...and does chaat mean snack?

Suvir, I'd only recommend this if you first fly to Portland (or maybe Boise, since the drive it shorter), rent some kind of 4-wheel drive vehicle, cross the entire state (diagonally, the long way, about 8 hrs from Portland) to the far southeastern corner (including about 50 miles of gravel road), turn off on the rutted track just north of the Alvord Hot Springs, and drive to the base of the steep hillside just where Pike Creek issues from its canyon. Then pull out a can of the cheapest pork'n'beans you could find (maybe at the Safeway in Burns), open it with your Swiss Army knife (or, even better, one of those tiny Army surplus p-38 can openers), and use a thrift store spoon to eat. I'm sure my affection for beans from the can comes more from my association with the circumstances of eating them than any perceived flavor. The beans I cooked last night...small whites simmered in the oven with olive oil, salt, and garlic...actually did taste great, so I think you're much better off avoiding the canned ones...unless, of course, you really do want to go camping. Jim ps....does anybody ever eat the "pork" in pork'n'beans? When I was younger I always picked the little cube of salt pork out and tossed it. And did you ever notice that there's only one cube per can?

Saturday pasta with black bean sauce, which I guess could be called fusion but it tastes so good I never think about it Sunday small white beans, baked slowly with garlic and olive oil cavalo nero (aka lacinato kale) with onions and a hunk of Smithfield ham (yes, we're still eating it) Jim

But when you're sitting on a rock at the base of the eastern scarp of Steens Mt in October when the aspens are turning that incredible gold color, and out in front of you stretches this amazing flat, white, alkali playa called the Alvord Desert, nothing is better than opening up a can of pork'n'beans and eating them with spoon, right from the can, of course. Jim

Kim WB If they have them at your market, get pink-skinned Chioggia beets (golden beets are very similar) instead of plain red beets. Chioggias are sweeter and have less of that earthy flavor you don't like. They're also a lot less mess since you don't get red beet juice all over. I like to roast them with the skins on, peel, slice, and eat with just good olive oil and good salt. Jim

There aren't too many I don't like...but celery root or celeriac is my favorite under-achiever vegetable. The most common recipes are for using it raw, shredded into a salad, but it's much better, I think, cooked. Peel it, cube it, and steam it with potatoes, then coarsely mash both together with olive oil. Cut in matchstick and slowly braise in olive oil Combine with potato and leek for soup(cook in chicken broth, finish with creme fraiche) Jim

Even though I have a pot of beans in the oven right now, and I think that cooking dried beans makes the very best beans...I still love to eat lowly pork'n'beans right out of the can (curiously, the best tasting canned pork'n'beans are the vegetarian variety, which obviously lack any pork). In my misbegotten youth, when I would hang out with biologists in the Oregon desert, one of our standard car-camping meals was beans and 'dines (as in sardines)....quick, tasty, and nutritous (not that we cared, but it gave us more time for drinking). Jim

Most extra virgin olive oils have smoke points near 400F, so I think the you hit that before any particles in the oil would start to burn...but even unfiltered oil has only very tiny particles that settle out in the bottle (that sediment is good on bread, though). We make popcorn in one of those stovetop poppers with a crank that turns a little wire across the bottom of the pot (my wife consistently finds them at garage sales for $2-3)...but we use extra virgin olive oil and it tastes fine. I should add that for higher heat cooking, I use Trader Joe's extra virgin, the all-Italian one that costs about $5/liter. It's a waste of money to use the more expensive oil for anything that gets hot and stays that way for very long. Jim

While I said that I wasn't offering this as gospel, I think she's clear enough that she's talking about the oil. But whether or not there's any trans in canola oil or even the GMO isssue isn't why I don't use it. I'd rather use oil that hasn't gone any industrial processing, so I use extra virgin olive oil. If you read the entire article (and again, I'm not saying that everything in it is right, altho' her vilification at the hands of the Edible Oils Council, the industry's lobbying arm, gives her more credibility in my book), check out her theory about natural vs refined fats. She basically says that the historical increase in heart disease in the last 100 yrs can be correlated to the increased consumption of refined fats. Enig goes on to say that naturally-occuring saturated fats aren't necessarily bad for you, and may in fact be healthful (with all the usual caveats about balanced diet and exercise). Just like the lipid theory of heart disease, hers doesn't really prove causality, but it does make sense whan you think about the French paradox and other exceptions to the accepted wisdom about diet and heart disease. Health issues aside, the best reason for extra virgin olive oil is that it tastes better. Jim

Here’s my 2 cents Extra Virgin There is a lot of confusion as to what “extra virgin” really means. The term doesn’t appear in the USFDA regulations about olive oil, but in the European Union, the words can only be used if the oil meets both chemical and flavor standards (aka “organoleptic,” a term that encompasses flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel). While there are still some older ram-type presses in operation in Italy, the best oils are the product of a high-tech continuous press, a mechanical wonder of gleaming stainless steel and digital readouts capable of turning hundreds of kilos of olives into oil every hour. It probably uses hot water, up to 30 degrees Celsius (about 86 degrees F), to help get the last molecules of valuable oil away from the olives’ other vegetable liquids. A high-speed centrifuge separates the oil and water, and the oil may be filtered through cotton. One school of thought about filtering is that the fine particles can oxidize (go rancid) more rapidly, the other says that they provide more flavor. This debate goes on and on in Italy. The definitions for different grades of olive oil were established by the International Olive Oil Council in 1990. Only two grades of oil, extra virgin and virgin, are the result of simple mechanical pressing that, while technologically advanced, mimics the age-old methods of squeezing olives to get oil. -Extra virgin: These are mechanically-pressed olive oils with “perfect” flavor, defined as an organoleptic rating of 6.5 or higher as determined by a panel of certified tasters, and a level of free fatty acid (expressed as oleic acid) of one percent or less. -Virgin: This term is used for oils with good flavor (a rating less than 6.5) and an acid level between 1 and 3 percent. Note that “first-pressing” and “cold-pressed” don’t appear in the official definitions. All extra virgin and virgin oil comes from a single pressing, and in fact, the olives are almost always only pressed once. Even if warm water is used, the oil is considered “cold-pressed.” You can think of it as code for “not refined”, but the term on the label is really just for marketing, similar to the use of the phrase “no cholesterol” on products that clearly aren’t of animal origin. The other grades of olive oil are the result of two different processes. They’re sometimes called “rectified” because additional steps are taken to correct or rectify the flavor. -Olive oil: Formerly referred to as “pure,” this is mostly oil pressed from inferior fruit so that the flavor is unacceptable or the acidity is more than 3 percent (in some countries oil with high acidity is preferred, but most of us would find it unpalatable). It is refined to remove the undesirable characteristics, leaving a completely tasteless oil. A small amount of virgin or extra virgin oil is blended back in to provide some flavor. -Olive pomace oil: The residue from the pressing process, called pomace (or sansa in Italy) undergoes additional chemical refining to extract the last fraction of oil. The process typically uses hexane or a similar compound to capture the oil, then the blend is distilled to remove the chemical. Sometimes water is used, but not often. A small amount of virgin or extra virgin oil is blended in to provide flavor, but pomace oils still have acid levels as high as 20%. The Italian olive oil producers I know don’t think the rectified oils are fit to eat and should be used for making soap. But they also know that olive oil of any grade fetches a high price, so they have no problem selling the sansa (aka pomace, the leftover dried out paste that accumulates in large piles on the ground outside the frantoio or press). The sansa is trucked to industrial refineries that extract the last bits of oil. Healthful Qualities The most significant benefit extra virgin olive oil offers is a high level of antioxidants. But I also use it exclusively because it isn’t refined at all, and some researchers have suggested that most refined oils, which includes almost all of the vegetable and seed oils (unless they’re labeled “expeller produced”), contain trans fats. My information about trans in canola comes the following article: The Oiling of America, by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. and Sally Fallon (Dr. Enig is a researcher at the University of Maryland, and her work in the 1960s and ‘70s is largely responsible for the FDA’s more critical look at trans fats. The article was originally published in Nexus Magazine in two parts, Nov/Dec 1998 and Feb/Mar 1999 and can be found at www.nexusmagazine.com/OilingAmerica.1.html . Here’s the passage that convinced me. “Canola oil, processed from a hybrid form of rape seed, is particularly rich in fatty acids containing three double bonds and can contain as much as 50% trans fats. Trans fats of a particularly problematical form are also formed during the deodorization of canola oil, although they are not indicated on labels for canola oil.” I don’t know if this is true or not, but I prefer to stick with foods that have undergone a minimal amount of processing. Since I’m in the olive oil business, I have a lot of it around. Another reason for avoiding canola is that almost all of it produced from GMO seed. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat It’s true that at temperatures over about 190F a lot of the flavor compounds in extra virgin olive oil start to go. But the oil itself can take the heat and, as Mario says, it’s used for all kinds of frying in Italy. For you chemistry geeks, I offer this from Dr Guido Costa, who’s family has been growing olives and pressing oil for several generations: “...the greater the number of double bonds in the fatty acid, the more unstable, and more easily broken down by heat, light, etc. That's why olive oil, made up predominantly of monounsaturated oleic acid, is so much more heat-stable than the highly polyunsaturated seed oils. Olive oil can, for example, be re-used substantially more often in frying than other seed oils (including canola, which has about three times the amount of polyunsaturation than olive oil).” Jim

Hub-UK2... I make sorbet at home (Krups unit) using fruit, simple syrup, and a small bit of some kind of alcohol. I'm too lazy to pick up the MeGee book right behind me to look up exactly how the alcohol affects the freezing, but know from experience that it keeps the finished sorbet from getting too icy. I don't like to bother with custards, so I make a sort of gelato using milk, cream, sugar, and cornstarch. I was using gelatin, but picked up the cornstarch after a Saveur article a couple of years back about gelato in Sicily. Jim

Bridgeport (Portland, Oregon) has stopped making Ebenezer, their winter beer and my personal favorite. I've managed to grab a couple of cases so far, but if you like it act fast. Last year I stuck a case out in the garage and saved it for summer...even though this malty, dark brew is meant for cold weather, it tasted great. Jim

creme fraiche is always in the top 10 search terms that bring visitors to my site... I don't even know if you can buy it anywhere here in Portland, so I've always made my own. Instead of buttermilk, I use Nancy's Yogurt, which has live acidophilus and other cultures (and still comes in the Kesey-era conatiners decorated with hippy art). Here's my 'recipe' to a pint (or half pint) of cream (and Horizon Organic is the highest butterfat cream out here), add a couple of healthy tablespoons of yogurt (I use nonfat because that's what we eat)...stir, cover, and leave out in warm spot (I set mine on the stove over the pilot so it stays warm) until thick, 1-2 days. Jim

Washington is the only place with more draconian liquor laws than Oregon. I don't really mind the tax-driven prices so much as the fact that I can't get things like Nonino Amaro or other more obscure spirits. If it was privatized you could at least special order stuff like that. My original olive oil supplier once told me I should import the limoncello they make (they grow their own organic lemons, a special variety unique to the Sorrento peninsula, and even use organic alcohol). "Jim," Ernesto says,"the limoncello is much more profitable than olive oil." I tried to explain how liquor was sold in Oregon, but I don't think he really believed that anything so ridiculous could even be possible. Jim

It's too bad, but bento as used here (in Portland, anyway) doesn't really have much relation to what the word means in Japan, as least as I understand it. Big Dan is probably to blame for that, but it doesn't really matter as long as everybody understands going in that our bento is going to be rice with something else, most often some grilled chicken and a sort of sweet soy sauce (aka teriyaki). That said, my personal fav is Tom's Bento (SW 1st and Madison near the Veritable Quandry in Portland). His rice is good (he actually rinses it) and he offers not just grilled (but not skewered) meats but panko seafood (oysters, shrimp, halibut, and salmon depending on what's available) and a few other things. Jim

To the contrary...the entire experience has been hamtastic. Jim

One of the reviewers at the local daily used "endlessly tenuous" to describe a restaurant that has since been renamed and revamped but is still in the same physical space. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell he meant, but am pretty sure he just liked the sound of it. Jim

At the Ft Meyers Publix where I got mine the hams (and some Smithfield bacon, which we ate long ago) were piled on a table. As of today (1/2), I'd guess we're about halfway through the ham. Buried in the utensil drawer (not in the knife rack) I found a long thin slicing knife I'd picked up at a garage sale. A bit of sharpening and it's working nicely for slicing the beast. Yesterday made a nice omelet with the ham and some Bandon extra sharp cheddar. We've also been eating a sort of Italianesque ham biscuit...slices of ham on ciabatta drizzled with olive oil. Jim

Last night (12/31).... bone-in pork shoulder braised with caramilized onions, apple cider, and French hard cider soft polenta braised leeks caramilized caulifower levain bread from Ken's Point Reyes blue, Explorateur, and Tumalo Tomme with Ken's walnut baguette Judith's cantucci, my mom's truffles, and caneles (also from Ken's) Today (along with some leftovers) lenticchie con cotechino The lentils are supposed to represent coins and bring good fortune for the coming year. Jim

A few other possibilities.... Lucere, formerly The Esplanade (in the Riverplace Hotel) has a great chef...Pascal Sauton...who offers a sort of French country menu adapted to the local ingredients. (disclosure: one of my olive oil customers) There are several really good Italian places within a few blocks of each other (some actually next door) on NW 21st: Serratto, Caffe Mingo, and Bastas (this last one is, I think, one of Portland's most under-rated restaurants). Cafe Azul (NW 9th and Davis) serves Mexican food you're unlikely to find anywhere north of the border. The chef, Claire Archibald, worked at Chez Panisse and makes an annual pilgrimage to Mexico to hang with Diana Kennedy. Bluehour may be Portland's hippest place (in the oh-so-cool Weiden and Kennedy Building) but chef Ken Giambalvo serves excellent Mediterranean-influenced food.(another occasional olive oil customer) Pho Van in the newish, art-deco Gregory on NW 10th is an upscale but very good version of the Vietnamese cafes that can be found all over town (for Asian food in Portland, Vietnamese is the way to go, altho' I also like the dim sum at Fong Chong). Navarre is one of a wave of new wine bars, but I think the food here is incredible....small plates from $2 to $10 and a short but perfectly appropriate wine list by the glass, 1/2 carafe, carafe, or bottle. On the east side (NE 28th and Burnside, 503-232-3555) but still close to downtown. (another customer) Finally, on SE Belmont Street, there's Genoa. A seven-course meal (the menu changes every 2 weeks and focuses on a different region of Italy) costs about $70 and stretches over 2-3 hours. Deep wine list and knowledgeable servers...co-owner and chef Cathy Whims recently left, but since all the cooking staff share the chef title and take responsiility for an antire menu every few wweeks, the food should still be great. (and, of course, they buy olive oil from me) Jim

I also like it over crushed ice...and a shot added to good iced tea in the summer is great. Jim

Most likely the entire west coast is doughbut/donut wasteland (and getting worse as Krispy Kreme raises it's poofy, too-sweet head), but that place in the market that makes those mini-donuts with that antique machine is still pretty cool. Jim