The Perfect Couple

Some pairings are meant to be. And I'm not talking about Brangelina or Bennifer or whatever poor devil might be Madonna's catch of the day.

I'm talking about the cuisine of India and beer, a pair that was meant to make beautiful music together, or at least some downright memorable meals. Most people automatically think of India Pale Ale when the subject comes up—the British did ship highly hopped IPAs to their colony because the strong ale could withstand the five-month journey—but this complex cuisine deserves better than tastebud-dulling hops or too-pallid lagers.

So when David Anderson, chef at Vindalho in Portland, and Beer NW magazine publisher Megan Flynn put their heads together to come up with a three-course dinner featuring Vindalho's spice route cuisine and (mostly) Northwest craft beers, they looked way outside the box in their quest to find innovative matches.

My brother and I walked in with the other guests to find champagne flutes filled with a light and delightfully bubbly libation, a Krait Prestige Champagne Lager, that accompanied Mr. Anderson's spicy samosas (above left), along with tender and juicy lamb meatballs and his justly famous masala chicken wings. (Read my brother's review of the evening here.) Though it was almost impossible, I tried my hardest not to chow down on too many of these lovelies since I knew there were three courses yet to come.


And come they did, with an appetizer of black pepper and curry leaf prawns paired with Laughing Buddha Mango-weizen (above) the light and slightly sweet-tasting beer accentuating the richness of the crustaceans. It was followed by the oh-my-god richness of the dish I can't seem to not order, the pork Vindalho accompanied by saffron pullao and crispy shoestring potatoes (top photo). It was backed up by the smokiness of Southern Oregon Brewing's porter, a match made in heaven if ever there was one.


By now our heads were swimming from flavor overload, but our intrepid hosts weren't done with us by a long shot. Before we could protest that we really needed to be going, they slipped onto the table a miniature plate of orange-spiced chocolate mousse with a crisp coconut tuile that looked to my addled senses like a scorpion about to sting. Fresh glasses were filled with Cuvée du Jongleur from Cascade Brewing, a Belgian-style brew that has more similarity to wine than what is normally thought of as craft beer here in the NW. Fine, slightly sour and with notes of citrus peel and wood, it was the perfect accompaniment to the dessert and probably my favorite pairing of the evening.

Megan dropped by as we were sliding under the table to let us know that the magazine will be hosting more of these dinners in the future, so stay tuned. If they're anything like the evening of deliciousness this one was, even you non-beer drinkers out there may find yourselves converted to the malty side of the street.

Subject: Wings at Vindalho

"Just so ya’ know...
"J- & I had dinner there Saturday. Try to get their “wing” special while it’s still on the menu. Dry rubbed and sauced with amazing Indian spices coming through with hints of cinnamon, clove and plenty of heat. Served with some kinda yogurt dipping sauce.

Some of the best wings I’ve ever had.
"With a martini."

To me, getting an e-mail like this is an all-points bulletin that rockets its subject to the top of my to-do list. So when I e-mailed Dave and told him we needed to meet at Vindalho that evening, he asked no questions, knowing it was a mission of the utmost importance.

And those wings? Heavenly. Delicious. Deeply satisfying. Especially (Thank you, K-!) with a martini. And I dare you to order just one plate.

Details: Vindalho, 2038 SE Clinton St. Phone 503-467-4550.

And In This Corner...

This writing thing is such a gas. When I heard that there were identical twin chefs cooking at two of this town's top ethnic restaurants, it was like someone had dropped a set of keys to a brand new car into my hand. Then when David Machado (owner of Vindalho, one of the restaurants) suggested giving them a box of identical ingredients and having a cook-off, all I heard in my head was, "Vroooooom!"

Today's edition of the Oregonian's FoodDay features that article, "Twin Chef Face-Off," with excellent photos by Michael Lloyd (which are not, alas, included on their website), a side-by-side comparison of their individual stats and recipes for you to make at home. Oh, and a little blow-by-blow of the competition just to make it interesting.

Thanks to Martha for buying the story in the first place (and for the great editing), and Lindsey for her most excellent coordination!

Very Vindalho

That's Vindalho, pronounced vin-duh-loo', for those who may, like me, have been wondering about the odd spelling. But that's one of the vagaries of Americanized spelling of foreign words in foreign alphabets (Devanagari, in this case). This relatively new entry on David Machado's resumé, starting with Pazzo and Southpark, then the wonderful Lauro Kitchen, is a welcome addition to Portland's Indian restaurant scene, which has been dominated by the same tired curries and rice dishes, not to mention the horrifying lunch buffets of over-cooked foods steeping in gooey sauces or congealing under heat lamps for hours on end.

But any bad memories were immediately blown away when we entered this large open dining room and were shown to our table, where we ordered martinis and dug into our appetizers of shrimp pakoras, which were bursting with fresh shrimp flavor, and mussels in a terrific coconut curry with fresh chiles. The coriander chutney, a gorgeous green sauce accompanying the pakoras, was oddly flat considering the punch that fresh coriander usually has.

On the recommendation of the kind and helpful hostess, Lisa Belt, we ordered a 2003 Lagrein Alto Adige to have with our entrées. First was the evening's special of seared ahi tuna marinated in lemon and black pepper and served with a coconut curry and chayote squash. The tuna was perfectly cooked and slightly pink in the middle, and the lemon and black pepper counterpointed the lushness of the curry. The chayote squash was a fun addition, with it's braised apple-y color and texture.

The second dish was the house pork Vindalho, pork shoulder braised with chilies, garlic and vinegar. This deeply flavored, richly sauced pig was served with mildly flavored saffron rice and topped with deep-fried slivers of julienned potatoes. It's a dish to be envious of, and one I'm going to try to duplicate at home sometime. I love pork shoulder, that cheap, fatty, chunky cut that's exquisite for braising and has tons of flavor, enough to stand up to heavy spicing, which is why it's used in everything from chili to pulled pork.

We skipped the sides and condiments, of which there are many, so coming with a crowd would be a great chance to sample more dishes on their menu, plus you'd get to impress lots of people all at once with your restaurant selection prowess. The staff works hard to impress, and Mr. Machado himself was bringing food to the tables the night we were there.

The only drawback we found was with the cocktails. We just weren't impressed with the skills of the bartender on duty that night, and our martinis sat on the bar for a good five minutes before they were brought to our table, a definite no-no in cocktail-land.

But, all in all, you'll like everything about this place. It's very adult and very enjoyable, and the fact that it's located on a little-used stretch of lower SE Clinton St. makes it a perfect hidden treasure.

Details: Vindalho, 2038 SE Clinton St.; Phone 503-467-4550.