Livin' in the Blurbs: Poetry of Spring

Grab your tatami mat and calligraphy brush, folks, it's time for the 3rd Annual Springwater Farm Truffle Haiku contest! If spring has you longing for these treasures from the forest floor and you find pleasure in the olfactory explosion in your head when you inhale their scent, this is your chance to express yourself. Even better, there are prizes involved! The deadline for entries is Sunday, Feb. 19, and you can post your composition on The Farmer's Feast website or drop it off at the Springwater Farm stand at the Portland Farmers Market on Sat., Feb. 18, or at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market on Feb. 19. If you need some more inspiration, last year's winner was a doozy:

It was our first time
You and I unearthed much more
Now we search as one

As with any contest, if you don't enter, you can't win, so get to scribblin'!

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You don't need to watch Portlandia or read the New York Times to get the message that Portland is one of the coolest places on the planet to live. All you have to do is go to the city's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (yes, it's cool enough to have that, too) and take a gander at their list of Urban Growth Bounty classes (also listed on the calendar, left). From beekeeping to chickens to organic gardening to food preservation, for a reasonable price ($15-$50) you can learn from the experts about how to be a more productive citizen. Literally!

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If you love good music but hate crowded arenas or concert halls, not to mention sky-high ticket prices, consider one of the small venue concerts put on by Matt Miner Music. Matt began by putting on concerts in his home featuring local and national singers and songwriters looking to supplement their concert schedules. Now he's moved to intimate venues where you can sit mere feet from some brilliant musicians, with ticket prices that are ridiculously cheap considering the talents on display:

• Gary Ogan. Mar. 8, 7 pm; $10 adv., $12 door. O'Connor's Vault, 7850 SW Capitol Hwy.
• Jazz Guitar Summit with Dan Balmer, John Stowell and Mike Pardue. Mar. 18, 3 pm; $20 adv. Nel Centro Restaurant in the Modera Hotel, 1408 SW 6th Ave.
• The Barn Birds, Chris Kokesh and Jonathan Byrd. April 27, 9 pm; $15 adv. Secret Society Ballroom, 116 NE Russell St.

Details: Concerts by Matt Miner Music. Tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets. Info, contact 503-484-8196 or e-mail.

Finally, Some Payback!

Grateful isn't the right word. And neither is thankful. Blessed comes close, though I'm not particularly prone to using religious analogies. But what else can I say about the people who've been so supportive of this science experiment, my attempts to learn to write? You've stuck with me through the silly and the profound, the ups and downs. So this year I'm dedicating myself to giving back to you.

First up is a discount on tickets to Matt Miner's Hollywood House Concerts for GSNW readers. Matt and his wife, Sasha, host music concerts in their home and have started working with the folks at Blackbird Wineshop on NE Fremont. Matt is offering GoodStuffNW readers a discount on a pair of tickets to the April 11th show featuring New York jazz singer Kendra Shank with phenomenal guitarist John Stowell. The clincher is a special appearance by legendary jazz vocalist Nancy King.

For only $50 for two (regularly priced at $60 for the pair), you get up close and personal with these nationally known musicians, accompanied by a selection of desserts from Sasha. Wine is available for purchase from the shop to make the whole evening even better!

Details: Kendra Shank, John Stowell and special guest Nancy King in concert. April 11, 8 pm; $50 for two. E-mail Matt to reserve your tickets.

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Wait! There's More!

And if you vote for my post on Culinate.com before noon on Tuesday, Mar. 31, you could help GSNW win a signed pre-release copy of Deborah Madison's new book What We Eat When We Eat Alone that I'll give away in a future drawing. So both of us can win!

More House Concerts

The new schedule of spring Hollywood House Concerts just came in and it looks like there is a plethora of great music to choose from. All concerts are on Sundays, and the ticket price of $30 includes a light seasonal buffet by chef Sasha Kaplan. The March concert will start at 5 pm, and the rest begin at 6 pm (it shifts with daylight saving time...sensible!). Reservations are required and seating is limited, so e-mail your ticket request soon.

Mar. 2: Tim Ellis and Jim Walker, with Will West. Tim Ellis, a mostly unsung hero of Portland music, has worked with Spencer Davis, The Platters, The Ink Spots and Mac Davis. With his songwriting partner, Jim Walker, they comprise JVA. Will West opens.

Apr. 6: Michael Sheridan, RedRay Frazier and Lara Michel. Singer-songwriter Sheridan is a NYC transplant and leads the touring band National Flower. Another New Yorker, RedRay Frazier (pictured) and Dirty Martini vocalist Lara Michel join him.

May 4: Roz Corral with Dan Balmer and Phil Baker. In her only Portland stop on a tour of the Northwest, jazz singer Corral will be joined by Portland guitar legend Dan Balmer and Pink Martini bassist Baker.

May 25: Benny Green and Belinda Underwood. Green is just back from gigs in Europe and Japan and is paired with young singer-songwriter Underwood.

June 8: Jenna Mammina, a San Francisco-based singer who became a Portland favorite at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival a few years back.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Local Motion

House concerts, informal music events that are held in private homes, are all the rage among music cognoscenti these days. One venue called Hollywood House Concerts is featuring Portland's Tim Ellis on Mar. 2, singer-songwriter and NYC transplant Michael Sheridan joined by Dirty Martini guitarist and vocalist Lara Michell on Apr. 6, and the piano-vocal duo of Benny Green and Belinda Underwood on May 25. For reservations or to get on the e-mail list, contact Matt Miner. If you'd like to find out how to put on a house concert of your own, check out ConcertsInYourHome.com.

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It's time for holiday dinner events at GoodStuffNW's favorite restaurant, Castagna. On Dec. 23 is the Réveillon de Noel, a French-inspired three-course meal featuring gougeres, a Dungeness crab and mache salad and Christmas goose prepared two ways, as well as Buche de Noel and two glasses of wine, for only $55 per person. Then on New Year's Eve will be a five-course meal that sounds out of this world with a choice of three entrees and three desserts for $80 per person or $125 with wine pairings. For information and reservations, call 503-231-7373.

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In a previous post about storing your cheese to keep it at its peak, I mentioned local cheese guy Mark Goldman's packet of cheese papers. At that point it was only available from limited retailers, but now Formaticum has its new website up and running so you can order it anywhere from Poughkeepsie to Death Valley (and beyond).

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The restaurant space on NE 24th and Fremont that's been a revolving door for the past several years is now slated to be the new home of Lucca, "a neighborhood-friendly, Italian-influenced restaurant and bar. Lucca will have a wood-fired pizza bar and rotisserie-cooked items highlighting the rustic trattortia menu," according to a post on PortlandFoodandDrink.com. It "will focus on a value-driven wine list as well as a retro-cocktail menu. The owners, Nancy Salta and Sue Davidson, are passionate about quality food and wine, and desire to recreate the sense of community they experienced while visiting the city of Lucca." We wish them good luck!