duckduck

I've only eaten there once but it was bad enough I wouldn't go back. Their "gravy" is unlike any I've had and I feel if you're going to use a strong flavor and use a ton of fennel seeds in your gravy, that information should be listed on the menu so people have a clue.

Those are some decent prices! Thanks for the links.

I have to agree with Kelly Clark of Willamette Week that I wouldn’t really want to be there on a Friday night during the butt-sniffing, tail-wagging hour but weeknights are a totally different story. I find the water walls and live music relaxing. And the bartender on Monday and Tuesday totally rocks. I’ve become a regular. Overall, the place is clean, the staff is fun and the food and drinks are great. The vanilla lemon drop is a wonderful balance of sweet and sour with a beautiful fresh sugared rim. Heather’s twist on a cosmo needs a new name because it’s so much better that any cosmo I’ve had anywhere else. The chocolate martini was little light on chocolate flavor but she will adjust anything to suit your personal tastes. All her drinks are well balanced, heavy on kick but don’t have that heavy alcohol taste. Yummy stuff. Always have one more than I meant to. The food shines. I expected the ample serving of fresh cut garlic fries to be overwhelming but they weren’t. The flavor is balanced and they’re even good as they get cold. You can’t push them far enough away to stop nibbling on them. I was craving red meat one night and the burger hit the spot. You can taste the moo and the cheese is thick enough that even after it melts down you can still taste the fact that it’s Tillamook cheddar. It’s served up on a Kaiser roll with a slice of red onion, generous amount of butter lettuce and nice slices of roma tomatoes. At a time when no one has tomatoes and prices are through the roof, I can see that they don’t cut corners on their produce. They get credit from me for that. The crab and cream cheese crepes (they’re really more like spring rolls) are small but very tasty. The soba noodles were good quality but a little light on flavor for me. The crispy ahi I’ve gone for twice already. I love the tangy asian slaw it’s served up on and the spicy sauce. The mussels in green curry broth are a great value as well as a beautiful dish. If you’ve never tried mussels, at $2.95, they’re a steal. Done to perfection, nice and tender, and incredible flavor. I kept going back for the broth with a shell because I couldn’t get enough. Dessert have rocked. The crème brulee is not too heavy, not too light, carmelized just perfectly, served up with a little fruit and butter cookies that were just delightful. The chocolate hazelnut torte hits the chocolate spot without being as dry as other places. Nice and moist. The cheesecake was the surprise though. I didn’t expect to be thrilled. Mile high, soft and light and just the perfect amount of lemon. Best I’ve had in ages. I’ll be back again and again. Weeknights, I’ve found it to be a very comfortable place to sit and write. And there are still many more items on the happy hour menu for me to explore. Lollypop chicken wings, mild or hot w/celery and blue cheese dip – 3.95 House cut garlic fries – 1.95 Tempura vegetables w/ginger soy dipping sauce – 2.95 Cold buckwheat noodles w/ soba sauce – 1.95 Lebanese hummus and pita w/melted feta – 2.95 Tillamook cheddar cheeseburger – 3.95 H2O house salad – 1.95 Mussels in green curry broth w/ mint – 2.95 Mediterranean crab and cream cheese crepes w/red pepper coulis – 3.95 Soup of the day – 2.95 Spinach risotto – 2.95 Crispy Hawaiian ahi stick w/spicy mango sauce – 3.95 Asian chicken salad w/ mandarin peanut dressing – 3.95 Monday – Friday 4-6:30 pm 204 SW Yamhill

Seems to be a theme going on here in Portland. Lisa from Mother's Bistro has had problems with a ghost at her new place Mama Mia's Trattoria too.

They have Chocolate Artistry on www.alibris.com and it ranges from $35 to $100+. I got a copy for $32.

Thank you mktye and Wendy! What are the titles of Chocoartist's books? I would love to check them out. I'm interested in the books on chocolate artistry out there. And I was looking at Thomas Haas' stuff online but the minimum order is $75. I'm going to do a box of Norman's for the family for Christmas. I'll be checking out that airbrush and picking one up soon. Thanks for the advice guys.

It's my understanding that Amoretti is really good about sending out samples if you call and ask them. That way, you can try it before you order a ton.

The other thing I love about Norman's work is his amazing flavors. The banana just blew me away. And the textures. When you eat his chocolates, you're just so totally in the moment. Everything else just melts away. I could use a box right now!

I was looking on e-bay but it was difficult to wade through all the stuff they have when you ask for airbrushes and the stuff I was coming up with was more expensive than that. I wish that "scary lady" was my work! I believe Stephane did them all as an example for each class but my class was the first and he was just showing us how to make a stencil from a photograph and one of the people in my class asked if he would pour sugar over it and it became a showpiece by the end of the day. My work is a whole lot more simple than that. I work on paper with stipple brushes and I've wanted to transfer the same designs to fondant and I figure I'll get a softer look using an airbrush. If I can ever figure out this scanner I borrowed, I'll post a pic sometime.

Thank you so much Wendy! Any ideas on where to get that mini airbrush? I've been looking for a less expensive way to get myself something to play with. I really enjoyed the airbrush work at the forum.

Said it before and I'll say it again...Mom's pan fried venison and mashed potatoes with pan drippin' gravy. Makes me feel all cozy inside just thinkin' 'bout it.

Great time was had by all. Michael Bazzani from the Heathman brought Tony over to our table and introduced the Portland Food group. When he introduced me to Tony, he replied "We go way back. We did some prison time together." He and Extramsg had a bonding moment over talking about eating at Charlie Trotter's. He signed books and sat down and ate a little pate and bullshited with us for a bit. We had a great time.

1 more day. Is anybody other than the Portland Food Group going? There will be a dozen of us going.

7 days....

Ice cream float with cherry lambic sounds good actually. I just recently dicovered lambic and I'm hooked. Cheryl at Pix Patisserie I believe has a guiness float and a local brew house does a chocolate stout milkshake.

I'd agree with Tabla too. They were great. When you have a table full of foodies and there's silence & awe at the table, you know it's a good thing.

My father was diabetic and the most common thing I made was apple pie. Instead of sugar I would use about 2/3 of a cup of apple juice concentrate. I got to where that was the way I prefered it. It's great with a little half & half poured over it.

Wow! Great thread. That's a lot of writing. Thanks for taking the time Seth and for being so thorough.

Just bringing this back up top. Only two weeks away.

Picked up demi glace at Pasta Works here in Portland. Made Bourdain's bourginone with a bottle of O'Reilly's pinot noir and it turned out wonderful. It's even better for lunch the next day. (slurp)

Thanks for sharing the photos! It's greatly appreciated by those of us that couldn't go.

I haven't been overly impressed in general. Especially when I see good reviews for places like Cafe Allora where they play down the poor service in the reviews. I still read them looking for that occasional nugget of some odd dish you can't find elsewhere but overall, I trust eG or Portlandfood.org a bit more for info or opinions.

Can I just say....coconut scones....to die for!!!!! Totally to die for! And that pear hazelnut galette...so flaky...so flavorful...lovin' it!

Woo-hoo! I can hardly wait to see this one!

Yes, all the same day. Seattle on monday, Portland tuesday, S.F. wednesday...he's going to be one busy guy. There is a correction here. He will not be speaking at Powell's. The talk will be held in a private room at the Heathman (bar will be open) and Powell's will be represented at the Heathman with books for sale.