bourdain in pdx

[Jim Dixon]

He'll be reading from his new novel Bobby Gold at Powell's (1005 W Burnside) Friday, 5/23, 7:30-9 pm, and at Murder by the Book (3210 SE Hawthorne) Sunday, 5/25, at 5 pm.

Mention eGullet and get blank stares from the crowd (but a knowing nod, and maybe a smoke, from Tony).

Jim

[Jim Dixon]

This just in....

Anthony Bourdain Offal Dinner

May 24, 2003. The Heathman Restaurant

Menu

Roasted Veal Kidneys, Baked Shallots and Madeira Sauce, Sautéed Spinach, $19.50

Quenelles of Halibut and Cocks Combs, Bay Shrimp vin Blancsauce, Sautéed Ramps and Morels, $18.00

Rocky Mountain Oyster Shepherd Pie, Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes and Onion Compote, $14.90

Sautéed Sweetbreads a l'Ancienne, Morel Risotto, Pumpkin Seed Oil, $21.00

Grilled Rabbit Kidney Salad With Prunes in Armagnac, $8.50

Sautéed Fois Gras a la Normande, Braised Cabbage and Pommeau Sauce, $14.00

Duck Gizzard Confit with Poached Duck Egg, Frissee Salad with Lardon Vinaigrette, $8.90

To make reservations and meet Chefs Bourdain and Boulot, please call the Heathman Restaurant at 503-790-7752. The Heathman Restaurant is located in Downtown Portland on the corner of SW Salmon and Broadway

Boulot is Phillipe, the Beard-winning Heathman chef.

I'll be peddling oil all day at the farmers market, but if I'm still standing will try to make this. Hope to see you there (use the secret eGullet handshake for identification).

Jim

[guajolote]

Mention eGullet and get blank stares from the crowd (but a knowing nod, and maybe a smoke, from Tony).

Jim,

You might get a free meal and a chance to eat sheeps head

[jhlurie]

Mention eGullet and get blank stares from the crowd (but a knowing nod, and maybe a smoke, from Tony).

Jim,

You might get a free meal and a chance to eat sheeps head

Hah. C'mon guys. Tony is hardly making Emeril money.

[KNorthrup]

Missing the reading because Ottawa managed to force a seventh, but the dinner... The trouble is I'm always willing to try new things (and most of that list is new) but if I don't like it, I'm not so willing to send a mostly full plate back to the kitchen. For several reasons. How are they publicizing it on such short notice and what kind of turnout do they expect?

[Jim Dixon]

Tony had said he'd been scheduled for a last minute meal with the press as of last week. But then I heard from my editor this week that the meal was open to the public. I called the local publicist to get the menu just this morning.

I didn't get all the way through today's Oregonian, so there may have been a mention somewhere. Otherwise I haven't heard anything in the way of promotion. When I called the Heathman for a reservation, I was told that there were several, but it wasn't full.

I'm headed over near Powell's, so I may stop by. But readings there tend to be crowded, and today was about 85, so I know it will be hot inside the bookstore with all those rabid fans.

Jim

[duckduck]

Rabid? Rabid fans? I thought everybody at Powell's last night were pretty cool. So what is this secret handshake deal? Finger to the other chat forum that censors everything? I want to go check out the rocky mountain oyster shepard's pie but nobody will go eat with me. Sometimes eating out alone is ok. People look at you like you're mysterious or something..."Who is that woman dining alone and what is she writing?" But after I was a stumblebum last night when he signed my book (dropped my camera, knocked the little book rack off the table, and couldn't seem to say anything but "uh, thanks!") I think if I were sitting alone I might look like a rabid fan or something. Still thinking about it though. I might just run out the door at the last minute. ( going to eat cow nutts...don't wait up for me...)

[Jim Dixon]

duckduck,

welcome to eGullet...

I dropped by Powells at about 9, after the reading but in time to get a book signed for my son, who's at the bottom rung of the cooking' ladder. I hadn't been to an author appearance there since they moved them upstairs to the new space, and it looked much more comfortable than when you'd be crammed in between the stacks.

Did you try the testicles? I had the sweetbread and morel risotto, not really too daring but it sounded good (and it was). I spent some time with Phillipe Boulot at the kitchen pass through and he showed me a serving of the Rocky Mt Oyster shepherd's pie...lot of cream and Parmiggiano in the potato crust, with slices of tennis-ball-sized balls grilled and placed on top. The rabbit-kidnet salad looked pretty good, too.

Tony schmoozed the room nicely, altho' he spent more time in the bar than dining room (and who wouldn't?). The customers with glazed stares were a group of prom dates (from Hillsboro, featured in last week's NYT because budget woes ended the school year 17 days early...they mostly ordered steak frites, no offal).

Bourdain also held his own in a rambling conversation with a local wild mushroom purveyor who consistently has the best fungi (he gave TB a few fresh porcini, supposedly available only in the fall, picked near Mt Adams in the Columbia Gorge) but is also a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Tony quoted Lenin and told a story about a farmer who survived the Khmer Rouge only to vote for the man who killed his family. Then he got another beer.

Jim

[duckduck]

I was planning to go until the last minute when I made the mistake of sitting down on the couch and somehow my body reminded me that I had pretty much had my ass bounced off the wall all week at work. That's really bad when I give up eating nutts with Tony. Going through some serious burnout. And I knew I had to be at work bright and early and if I got started drinking...no rest for the weary. Next time 'round though. At least I got my book signed and a "Be good.." from Tony.

[bourdain]

The All-Offal meal at the Heathman was terrific--160 reservations for the night (busy they told me), though not eveyone ordered guts. Big sellers were the sweetbreads, the rabbit kidneys, and the surprising hit: cocks combs with halbut. Philippe Boulot (Boulot means "the job" in French btw) and some of his crew sat down to eat and drink some really nice wines at the end of the night--followed by a raucous booze-fest going-away party for one of their cooks--who's headed for a stage in France. The evening was marked by much frivolity, good cheer and mayhem--and Somewhere there's a photograph of me spanking the bare butt of said cook, who apparently regularly strips down to a gold lame thong and drapes his dong on the shoulders of his culinary comrades. He dances quite gracefully--and like all of Bouot's crew, is a "monster" in the kitchen. I stood at the end of the line for a while watching them cook and felt terribly useless, old and homesick for the days when I actually worked or a living. There are two women in particular on the Heathman line, a saucier and a grillardin who are absolute "Rottweilers" (to use a Ramsayism). It was truly beautiful to watch these two kick ass and bust balls mid-rush--and one of them had just had a kid--working up to her ninth month. Give me ten cooks like these and I could rule the world.

Earlier--a visit to the Farmers Market, some mushroom fondling...Portland, for a politically correct town is still pretty smoke friendly in saloons--seemingly drawing a reasonable happy medium accomodating both smokers and non (No smoking in most restaurants--but still at many bars...outdoor cafes). The most heavily tattooed population of cooks I've ever seen-very friendly people, lots of restaurants, incredible hi quality food and wine. Good place. And the 10 dollar steak from the Acropolis is not bad.

My liver hurts....it tastes like a wolverine shat in my mouth and my brain is shrivelled up like a sun-dried chickpea--so I must be having a real good time.

[mamster]

My liver hurts....it tastes like a wolverine shat in my mouth

I got a call from the Portland Oregon Visitors Association asking if they could use this as their new slogan, and I told them it was fine. Hope you don't mind.

[Kerouac1964]

My liver hurts....it tastes like a wolverine shat in my mouth

I got a call from the Portland Oregon Visitors Association asking if they could use this as their new slogan, and I told them it was fine. Hope you don't mind.

Mamster:

Perhaps I could suggest another slogan?

"Free Tongue Splitting for all new vistors!"

What will the young, and disaffected of our society choose to do next? To bad they all don't take up Classical French cooking, and give their lab projects to the homeless.

[Alberts]

Met Mr Bourdain at the Farmer's market briefly on Saturday. Man, it's hard not to be ga ga when meeting such a personage. He was very complementary about our local produce and it seemed sincere.

Anyway, he's quite a nice guy even aside from all the hype. Come back anytime, Tony. Portland is a great place to hang out, relax and eat.

[bourdain]

Meant every word. The mushrooms in particular are awe-inspiring..

And the local weed is spectacular.