Happy Pi Day!

3.14, that is.

And a little ditty to go along with it called "Pi" by Hard'n'Phirm.

Primo Pasta

I nominate MIT researcher Judith Wurtman for a Nobel Prize. According to Wurtman, when your body produces serotonin, it helps your body know when it's full. "Serotonin is crucial not only to control your appetite and stop you from overeating; it's essential to keep your moods regulated." One of the "mood foods" that causes this surge in serotonin? Pasta!

And Culinate.com has just published my list of eight great pastas and sauces that go with them in its Culinate 8 column this month. Titled "Pasta Parade: Which Shape for Which Sauce?" it'll give you lots of links to great recipes to get your serotonin levels soaring. Check it out!

HUB-date: Ben sez...

Our neighbor, Mr. T (aka Brown Shuggah), is almost as crazy about Mr. Ettinger's beers as my Dave. Almost.

Rumor had it that Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) was planning to open on Tuesday, Mar. 17, so he and Dave were going to go stand in line at the door around 3 in the morning to make sure they got their seats at the bar for those first precious pints.

Well, according to Ben Love, assistant brewer, apparently no one told the city inspector about this plan, and he had some tweaks he wanted the guys at HUB to make before he'd let them throw open the doors. So they've had to push back the opening to Tuesday, Mar. 25, to make sure all their ducks (not to mention the pints) are in a row before they start pouring.

But if you see a couple of guys out there in the wee hours of the morning on the 25th, honk. 'Cause you know what they're there for.

Company Dinner

When the weather closes in and you've got company coming for dinner, nothing works better than a simple braised meat dinner. You prep it several hours ahead and pop it in the oven, leaving plenty of time for vacuuming up pet hair, making some nice appetizers and maybe even taking a bath with your favorite aperitif nearby. So you're relaxed when your guests arrive, natch'.

And when they do arrive, the whole house has that complex, rich aroma that promises something fantastic for dinner. The dinner I made last weekend did just that, and with some mashers and a salad with candied walnuts and vinaigrette, it was a hit.

Again, we have Mr. Bittman to thank for this recipe. I doubled it for five people and had great leftovers to mix with pasta a couple of nights later. Dave put together a video of the prep so you can see how simple it is. Next time I'll try to dress up a little more!




Short Ribs With Coffee and Chilies

1 Tbsp. oil
4 large or 8 small short ribs
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 dried pasilla chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 dried chipotle chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 c. dry red wine
1 c. strong coffee.

In a heavy pot that can later be covered, drizzle oil [I used a separate pan to brown and saute - KAB]. Over medium heat, brown ribs well, adjusting heat as necessary to get a dark crust. Take your time, and season with salt and pepper as they cook. Remove them to a plate and turn heat to low.

In same pot, cook onions, garlic and chilies, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Add wine and coffee and reduce over high heat by about half. Return ribs to pot, cover, and cook over low heat (or in a 300-degree oven) for 2 to 3 hours. Cook until very tender — beyond when meat falls off the bone — turning every hour or so. [I would skim some of the fat off the surface before serving - KAB] Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

It's What You Don't Know

You don't need to know. At least that's what companies like Monsanto and some in the dairy industry are saying. That's because more and more consumers are buying milk that is labeled as hormone-free.

This hormone, recombinant bovine somatotropin and known as rBST or rBGH, is sold as a product called Posilac and stimulates milk production in cows of up to an extra gallon a day. The Food and Drug Administration has said it's safe, and it's being used in about a third of the dairy cattle herds in the United States. Several European countries disagree, however, and have banned it.

With consumers, and many stores like Whole Foods and even Wal-Mart, wanting to buy hormone-free milk, the sales of Posilac are threatened. So Monsanto and its industry mouthpiece, the American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, or Afact, are actively working in several states to ban labels that declare milk to be hormone-free.

An article in Sunday's New York Times titled "Fighting on a Battlefield the Size of a Milk Label" talks about these industry efforts and calls the "grassroots" nature of Afact into question. Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility is involved in fighting anti-labeling legislation on a national level, and you can download their list of hormone-free dairy producers here. Get a state-by-state breakdown of where current legislative efforts stand by clicking here.

Brand New Toy

You gotta love Craigslist.

From furniture to cars to jobs to your (possible) future mate, it's got everything. The "Best Of Craigslist" is often hysterically funny when it's not, as they warn, "explicitly sexual, scatalogical, offensive, graphic, tasteless, and/or not funny."

And Dave scours it relentlessly, even when we're not in the market for a car, a kegerator or whatever woodworking tool he's desiring at the moment. But his fancy got tickled on Saturday when he saw an ad for a brand new never-been-stoked Cook'n Ca'jun II smoker.

As I've written before, this is a guy who's out in the weather at Christmas 'cueing a 20-plus-pound bird with a beer in his hand, so he was out the door as soon as he found out it was still available. Now we're making plans for all kinds of meat products, including some more of that pork shoulder we've discovered.

If you've got recipes, ideas or, especially, experience to share, do tell!

Pure Pork

Speaking of Mr. Bittman, we have him to thank, at least partially, for the fantastic dinner we had last night. We'd invited four friends over for dinner to celebrate the start of one couple's new venture and, because of a proclivity for the pig shown by most of them, decided to make the Puerto Rican dish called pernil.

When I first read the recipe in Bittman's column and subsequently watched the podcast, I knew it would be appearing at dinner, and soon. But my brother, who was equally intrigued (and is equally pork-centric), decided to make it for the dinner he'd offered to cook for my birthday. Being the self-sacrificing person I am (and, incidentally, never ever looking a gift meal in the mouth, especially one made by him), I didn't whine that I'd wanted to make it first. So I watched and took notes instead.

As the video makes perfectly clear, this is one of the simplest dishes to prepare and perhaps one of the cheapest. It calls for processing onions and spices to a paste, then smearing it all over the meat. Stick it in the oven with a little water for six hours and it's fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious. The cost for an 8 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder was just under $17 and made enough for seven with lots of leftovers. Incredible!

And a note on the wine that R generously contributed. Its label had badly deteriorated in a humidity-related incident, but you could still make out that it was a bottle of 2004 Saint Joseph Offerus, a Rhone valley syrah from producer J.L. Chave. Drinking perfectly, this came off more like a Burgundy with loads of fruit and finesse, subtly developing the spicy, peppery notes that Rhones are known for as it opened up over the course of the dinner. Terrific stuff, and fit the flavors in the meat like a glove.

Oh, and the sides were very simple, just fingerling potatoes roasted with garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil, and a simple green salad with balsamic-and-mustard vinaigrette. I can tell you we're going to be looking up lots more recipes for this cut of meat, and it'll be starring in many dishes this summer, especially considering the new toy that Dave picked up.

Pernil

1 pork shoulder, 4-7 lbs.
4 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves or 1 Tbsp. dried
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ancho or other mild chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil as needed
1 Tbsp. wine or cider vinegar
Lime wedges for serving.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Score meat's skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.

Rub this mixture into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Roast pork for several hours (a 4-lb. shoulder may be done in 3 hours) [as mentioned above, my 8 1/2 lb. shoulder took 6 hrs. - KAB], turning every hour or so and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, raising heat at end of cooking if necessary.

Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.

Yield: At least 6 servings.

Bittman's Blogging

Here at the homestead we are all up ons about Mark Bittman. He's been doing his Minimalist column in the NYT Dining section for several years, preaching that good food doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to prepare. And for the last few months he's also been doing a (near-) weekly video podcast. In these five-or-so-minute-long videos, he demonstrates the recipe that he wrote about in his column that week, and they are uniformly engaging and informative.

And as different from typical food TV fare as you can get. Not only are they filmed casually, he makes messes and even the occasional gaffe which, like my personal goddess of the kitchen, Julia Child, he uses to show that mistakes happen and they're not fatal.

Now he's even started a blog where he discusses various food topics and recipes, as well as his travels, and (gasp!) even answers comments. I'll be putting it on my feed list, and I'll keep you posted if anything intriguing pops up.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Bees, Chickens and Dirt

It must be spring, because my mailbox is busting with e-mails about upcoming events. First up is a class on Bees & Honey at Foster & Dobbs on Tuesday, Mar. 11, where Tom Foster, a seventh generation beekeeper, will discuss bees and beekeeping, and you'll get to taste honeys from around the world. They're also hosting a Bake Sale on Sunday, Mar. 9, to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Meredith, their able employee, is also the pastry chef for Carafe and will be baking all the goodies for the sale.

Details: Bees & Honey class. Mar. 11, 7:15 pm; $20, reservations required. Bake Sale. Mar. 9, starting at noon; payment by cash or check only. Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods, 2518 NE 15th Ave. Phone 503-284-1157.

* * *

Linda Shively at Farmington Gardens says they're gearing up for spring with a couple of classes. The first is How to Design a Border That Looks Great in All Seasons with designer Anne Nickerson on Saturday, Mar. 15. For all of you who, like me, lust after fresh eggs and are thinking about starting your own flock, there's a class on Chickens in Your Own Back Yard with David Kobos of Kobos Coffee fame on Saturday, Apr. 5. He has a large organic farm in Estacada and a passion for chickens that he's eager to share.

Details: How to Design a Border That Looks Great in All Seasons. Sat., Mar. 15, 11 am; free. Chickens in Your Own Back Yard. Sat., Apr. 5, 11 am; free. Farmington Gardens, 21815 SW Farmington Rd., Beaverton. Phone 503-649-4568.

* * *

For all you gardeners who can't wait to get your hands in the dirt and start planting, mark your calendars for the 12th Annual Spring Garden Fair on Saturday, Apr. 26. Put on by the Columbia County Master Gardeners' Association, it will be offering 2,000 heirloom tomato plants for only $1 each, as well as garden art, perennials, herbs, trellises, books, trees and more.

Details: 12th Annual Spring Garden Fair. Sat., Apr. 26, 9 am-4 pm; free. Commons of St. Helens High School, 2375 Gable Rd., St. Helens. Phone 503-397-3462.

Four Hundred Posts

That's a lot.

Especially for something that was started as a lark. Even the name was a temporary place-holder until I could come up with something really clever. After all, no one would read it except me and maybe my family. Who would care?

From the very first post, though, something about this (to me) new medium just clicked. And people were excited about it. Not to mention incredibly encouraging. Now there are upwards of a hundred people a day reading it. Amazing!

Here's to you for reading, for your comments, and for your suggestions. You rock!

Common Vocabulary

OK, I admit it. I'm impressed.

When you read that Eric Asimov came to town and found a restaurant worthy of mention in the NYT, it's like, "Yeah, that's nice." But when you start hearing from people whose opinions you know and respect say that it rocks, that's when you prick up your ears.

On Saturday night, my brother invited us to join him for the Vino staff party at Clyde Common. I'd had drinks there shortly after it had opened and thought it was fine, but with its shared tables and groovy, low-key vibe I thought, "Pass." That's when word started filtering in that it was worth checking out.

The Haut Medoc.

And with six of us at dinner that night, we were able to work through most of the menu, starting with appetizers like terrific crunchy whole fried anchovies with aioli, pork belly with oysters, and a "scallop board" of raw bay scallops with jalapeno jelly and a shot of cava. We also had the chicken wings and spiced chickpeas, but they weren't nearly as impressive.

Fried whole fish.

Things got really good when we got to the entrées, in no small part because my brother had pulled a magnum of 1995 Chateau Hanteillan Haut Medoc out of his cellar to share. (Have I mentioned lately that I'm a lucky, lucky person?) Plus a bottle of a 1995 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino that we'd brought in case we needed back-up. And then the food started coming, including a fried whole fish with salt-roasted potatoes, hanger steak with a poached egg and potato cakes, tagliarini pasta with a sauce of stinging nettles and walnuts, and grilled rabbit with wild mushrooms in a sherry sauce. Crazy!

Grilled rabbit.

You might have though we'd have had the sense to stop there, but with three bloggers at the table there was a reportorial imperative to satisfy, so we also had four out of five desserts on the menu, of which the carrot cake with goat cheese cream and the grapefruit sorbet with green apple-fennel granita almost put us over the top.

Then just as we were gathering what was left of our dignity, what should appear but an angel-winged, parasol-wielding flock of white-clad figures. At first we thought perhaps we were suffering a food-induced hallucination. But they turned out to be performers from Cirque du Soleil dancing through the place, providing an appropriately theatrical end to the evening.

Details: Clyde Common, 1014 SW Stark St. Phone 503-228-3333.

Taking the Spice Route

In a follow-up to the article I wrote about twins Ray Anderson of Nuestra Cucina and David Anderson of Vindalho, consummate PR person Lindsey McBride has just sent over the roster of cooking classes that David will be offering this spring.

The classes will be covering three of India's main culinary traditions based on David's travels in the country and the extensive research and testing he does in developing his recipes.

• Mar. 16: Bengali Cuisine of Calcutta. 4-7 pm.
• Apr. 13: Parsi Cooking of Bombay, 4-7 pm.
• May 18: Tropical Food of Sri Lanka, 4-7 p.m.

Each monthly class will feature the cooking of one region and will include dinner and selected wine and beer pairings. Class size is limited to twelve and each student will receive recipes, a recommended reading list plus tips on sourcing ingredients. I can tell you that he loves sharing his passion for this cuisine and you'll definitely learn a lot (and maybe even have fun in the process)!

Details: Spring Cooking Classes at Vindalho. Cost is $75 per person per class, including food, beverage and gratuity. Call for information or to register. Vindalho, 2038 SE Clinton St. Phone 503-467-4550.

Illustration by Sanjay Patel from The Little Book of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow (Little Book).

The Scene: Bar Avignon Hits Division!

Finally I get to share the secret I've been bursting to write about since I heard the first rumblings several months ago. It's that our friends Randy Goodman and Nancy Hunt, well-known couple on Portland's food scene, are going to be opening their own place on Southeast Division.

Called Bar Avignon, it'll be a neighborhood bar and bottle shop with a menu of small plates featuring local produce, artisan charcuterie and cheese boards along with a constantly evolving selection of libations including wine, beer and spirits. A chalkboard will highlight daily panini and salads, and wine will be available for retail purchase. It's on the corner of Southeast 22nd and Division in the newly renovated Mt. Baker Building and will occupy the space that used to be the Red & Black Cafe.

It's the culmination of a dream they've had for many years, and I can't tell you how much research and planning has gone into making this a reality. Their plan is to open in early summer of this year, so when you're in the neighborhood, be sure to check on their progress. They're great people and deserve every success!

Report from the Real 'Couv

Occasionally I ask guest commentators to join the fray here at GoodStuffNW and write up reports from their travels. Here are some notes from friends GnH who recently made a whirlwind trip to Vancouver, BC.

Vij's. Grab a glass of wine next door at Rongoli (Vijs' cafe and take-out place next door). Buy a tin of garam masala while you're at it. Reason enough to go just to have dinner here (friends flew up to join us on Sunday & Monday, but dinner was the focus). The best Indian food outside of India (not that I've been). 1480 W 11th at Granville. Phone 604-736-6664. Opens at 5:30 daily, no reservations.

West. Beautiful space. Have an after dinner drink. Great bartenders. 2881 Granville at 13th. Phone 604-738-5909.

Hapa Izakaya. Cool little Japanese spot. Amazing grilled squid, sashimi & small plates. Open late. 1471 Robson. Phone 604-689-4272.

49th Parallel Coffee. Killer coffee, roasted in-house. Clover drip machine. Mod version of our beloved Stumptown. 2152 W 4th Avenue, between Arbutus and Yew. Phone 604-420-4901.

Les Amis du Fromage. Killer cheese (the gooood stuff!). Try Salt Spring Island goat cheese
or the "naughty" triple creams from France. 1752 West 2nd Ave. Phone 604-732-4218.

Chambar. [Belgian Restaurant] It was late. A bit trendy. Beautiful space and great bar. Belgian beer. Killer fries. 562 Beatty Street. 604-879-7119.

Jade Dynasty. Dim Sum "yum yum." Great, authentic, not too many round eyes. More food than we could eat. $15 per person. 137 East Pender St. Phone 604-683-8816.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Chocolate, Cheese and Beer

In the past year we've found out that chocolate is good for your heart, your sex life and your moods. So this coming weekend you can do yourself a world of good at the Fourth Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland. Hosted by the Ashland Springs Hotel, it will feature an array of Oregon artisan chocolatiers, wine and beer tasting, restaurants and a gift market. Plus you can add in a play at the Shakespeare Festival without battling the crowds later in the season!

Details: Fourth Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. Mar. 7-9; $20, tickets available from the Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 East Main St., Ashland. Phone 1-888-795-4545.

* * *

Then a reminder that the weekend after that is the Fourth Annual Oregon Cheese Festival at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point. You'll get a chance to sample and buy products from more than a dozen of the best artisan cheesemakers in the state, as well as select from the labors of several Oregon winemakers and also try other tasty artisan-made items. It's bound to be one of the highlights of the year for cheese-lovers, and if you haven't been down to that part of the state, it's a perfect excuse to explore that gorgeous area.

Details: Fourth Annual Oregon Cheese Festival. Mar. 14-16, 10 am-5 pm; $5 entry fee; $5 wine-tasting fee. At Rogue Creamery, 311 North Front St, Central Point. Phone 541-665-1155 x163.

* * *

That same weekend is Double Mountain Brewery's First Anniversary Party in Hood River. Talk about the horns of a dilemma! They promise to have "special beers, including a new dry Irish Stout on nitro, some oak-aged experiments, and a stashed keg of the elusive Devil's Kriek" as well as "100 pounds of slow-smoked pork BBQ goodness and free live music throughout the day and night." Sounds like a party!

Details: Double Mountain Brewery's First Anniversary Party. Noon-11 pm, Mar. 15. Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom, 8 Fourth St., Hood River. Phone 541-387-0042.

As Others See Us

"Lone Fir is the resting place of an astonishing variety of those who’ve come to be the city’s natives: along with pioneers and their descendants, there are Russians, Cambodians, Japanese, and Chinese whose families immigrated—some of them generations ago—and stayed," posts former Portlander and now Famous Publisher of the blog Rotund World in Puerto Rico. And though we're known for our rain, hippies and volcanoes, he says that they are merely "minor annoyances when compared to the city’s surpassing loveliness. Actually, the hippies are part of the charm, like colorful garden dwarves scattered amidst the tall firs."

Doing It Right

You all know how I love people who do the right thing in the right way for the right reason. This video, made by the folks at Cooking Up a Story, shows the Obringer family, who are making some of the most amazing sheep's milk cheese in the country at their Ancient Heritage Dairy in Scio, Oregon. And thanks to the Pacific NW Cheese project for another great tip!

Good Mex

All these years later, I still miss Cafe Azul. The depth and complexity of Claire Archibald's cooking, the regional dishes that I have yet to see on any other menu in town, not to mention the excellence of the bar (here's to you, Nancy!). Sigh. And my heart still skips a beat with anticipation when I hear talk of another "authentic" Mexican restaurant about to open. Could it be? Maybe? Please?

So it was with high hopes that we ventured to the latest entry in Portland's Mexican sweepstakes, Trebol on North Albina. And, to cut to the chase, I found it good. Some items were bordering on very good, though none I had on my two trips were great. Homemade tortillas, interesting sauces, lots of vegetarian options and a complete lack of yellow cheese.

Shrimp in chipotle chili sauce

I'd put it in the same category as Taqueria Nueve, a fun, semi-funky place to hang out, especially for drinks and appetizers. The guacamole was excellent with that creamy avocado flavor up front, not overly sexed-up with other ingredients. The jalapeno vinaigrette on the mixed green salad had just the right heat level to make it interesting but not overwhelming, and the shrimp in chipotle sauce was good if a bit lacking in the depth that chipotle chiles can bring to a dish. And the red and green chile sauces that accompany their tortillas were really some of the best things on the menu.

It should heat up when the outdoor dining season arrives, since it has a street-side patio that will give diners a front-row seat for people-watching. And maybe, just maybe, they'll step over that line from good to great. I'll certainly be hoping.

Details: Trebol Mexican Restaurant, 4835 N Albina Ave. Phone 503-517-9347.

Taking Cuts

With spring on the way and warmer temperatures in the forecast, eating outdoors again is looking like a possibility. Which is a good thing if you've been to Kenny & Zuke's lately. Finding a seat these days nearly always involves a wait, and if you've chosen to go at lunchtime, that wait may be considerable.

Luckily for you, if the weather gods are smiling upon you and the sun is shining (or even if it's just not raining), there is a deli at one end of the restaurant that carries nearly all of their meats (including smoked fish and pickled tongue), breads and salads at very reasonable prices.

A bialy and a knish

So you can get a homemade bagel with cream cheese ($2.75) or a bialy and a salad, head to a nearby park and, as your mother used to say, "Get out and get some fresh air. It's good for you!" She'd be so proud.

Details: Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen, 1038 SW Stark St. Phone 503-222-3354.

Taking a Break

You know how Saturdays go. If you have small kids, there are the inevitable soccer-baseball-football practices or horseback-riding lessons, not to mention the housecleaning-dishes-laundry that's been piling up all week at everyone's house (including mine, even though I work at home), plus walks for the dog or trips to the grocery store. You catch my drift.

The perfect martini

But yesterday I decided to jump off the conveyor belt and take a couple of hours to ride Max out to the Expo Center with a couple of friends and listen to Michelle Kaufmann (see post, below), architect and green building advocate. Afterwards, it being 4 pm or so, we were in need of conversation, food and libation, and rather than heading to our respective homes to dredge up something for dinner, we had the bright idea to go together to (you guessed it...) a bar.

Clockwise from bottom: Salutation, Nootka, Chef's Creek. Not shown: Kumamoto and Fanny Bay

I hadn't been to the Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill since it had closed due to the owner's financial difficulties and reopened when the chef took it over and arranged new financing, keeping much of the previous (and excellent staff) intact. And am I glad we did. We started with an excellent Hendrick's martini and a dozen-and-a-half of the freshest, most lovely oysters I've had in a long time.

Mignonettes (clockwise from bottom): champagne; cucumber-horseradish; black pepper; orange fennel

The exotics were the Salutation Cove oysters from Bedeque Bay on Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, that had been described as creamy and briny. While excellent, they were a bit bland compared with the Northwest representatives, though we scarfed them all down in no time, completely ignoring the lovely and tasty plate of four mignonettes, any of which would be great on a salad with some nice olive oil.

Beet salad

We followed those, at K's insistence (don't you hate friends like that?), with Alberta Street's terrific fries and spicy aioli along with a salt-roasted beet salad with candied almonds and smoked duck. The fries were crispy and not at all greasy, and as for the salad, what's not to like about a combination like that except that it doesn't come with free refills?

Mussels

Last but not least we had a big bowl of their blue mussels with pork jowl, black mustard and beer. Needless to say, the mussels were perfectly steamed and much sopping of broth was done by everyone. It was a little scary to have this much fun playing hooky from household chores, but we may just have to do it again sometime. And soon.

Details: Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill, 2926 NE Alberta St. Phone 503-284-9600.

Farsighted Vision

As you may have guessed by now, I get crushes on people quite easily. All they have to do is bat their eyelashes, knock me out with some paradigm-shifting, visionary ideas and all I want to do is sit at their feet and beg for more. Because it's people who think outside the box that really turn my crank, individuals like Muhammad Yunus, Hanan Ashrawi and Al Gore who don't let the way things are keep them from imagining, and then working to accomplish, what might be.

And as of yesterday I've added Michelle Kaufmann to the list of my personal heroes. She and her firm, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, have taken the idea of prefabricated housing, combined it with stunning design and a sustainable, environmentally sound process and come up with something that is turning the way we think about building homes on its head.

She has developed five principles of sustainable design that her firm uses on all its projects: smart design, eco materials, energy efficiency, water conservation and creating a healthy environment. What's remarkable is not just that, for instance, the end product is a home built from green materials, but that every step has been vetted to insure that it is produced in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.

She believes that the way we build homes is broken, wasteful of resources and not sustainable. And that the way we sell homes is misleading and environmentally disastrous. She asks questions like, "How have McMansions come to embody the American Dream? Why are these cookie cutter, energy hording monster homes that force us into our cars and away from our families for hours a day so desirable that we are bankrupting ourselves just to possess one, if only for a fleeting moment? Can’t we as a nation dream of something better and aspire to something higher? Can’t we dream of homes that don’t just look good from the outside but that are also good for our health, our souls, and the environment?"

You can get more of this on the firm's website and from her blog. Can you see why I can't get enough?

Bipartisan Rumblings

The search for it has been going on at least since Homer's time. Books have been written about it and countless individuals have devoted years of their lives seeking out the perfect one. I'm talking, of course, about the quest for the ultimate homemade pie, that object of lust and admiration that has driven people to take to the road in the middle of the night.

And, dear readers, I hate to say it but you need go no further than the little boomlet that is Montavilla to find a near-perfect example of the art. To one side of the espresso machine at the Bipartisan Cafe is the small pastry case that, on my visit, featured several flavors ranging from apple to marionberry to mixed berry.

Now these aren't picture-perfect pies where every slice comes out looking like it had its own stylist to make it stand up just so with the edges crimped in triangular points. We're talking truly homemade pies where the berries moosh out because it's loaded with (duh) berries instead of thickener and the crust is bubbly and brown and flaky.

I'm tellin' ya, this is goooooood pie. Get a cup of coffee, grab a window seat and prepare to be satisfied that your hunt is finally over.

Details: Bipartisan Cafe, 7901 SE Stark St. Phone 503-253-1051.

All Hail, Kale!

Leafy, green, delicious and really good for you. What comes to mind?

A perfect head of butter lettuce, arugula, spinach. But kale? I never would have put it in that category. But now it's one of our favorite greens. So when Culinate asked me to write it up for their Produce Diaries column, I jumped on it.

You can read my paen to this seasonal staple here. It might just become your new favorite, too!

Saints Be Praised!

Each of us has a friend who is the source of all knowledge. The one you go to when you need the name of a reliable plumber, or a really good doctor or, if the dog is throwing up all over the carpeting, a vet who also does carpet cleaning. This friend has researched everything and is phased by nothing, like a saint who's got your back in dire situations.

My personal holy woman just turned 50 and, rather than having some humongous birthday pastry ablaze with candles that could be seen from outer space, opted for several dozen little cupcakes in about 20 flavors. Then her guests could pick and choose, trying as many as they liked without worrying that people would notice they were on their sixth or seventh one. (I'm not the only one who worries about that, am I?)

Saint Cupcake herself

Of course, this took much research and personal scouring on her part of the many cupcake establishments in town, but her favorite was declared to be Saint Cupcake for the quality of cake as well as frosting, both integral to making a truly great cupcake experience. And they even have two locations, one on each side of town, adding access to their list of attributes.

These cakey little bits of deliciousness are irresistibly flavorful, not to mention just plain fun. And the fact that you can get small ones called "dots" that are a single bite of cupcake perfection or in regular full-sized versions just makes the place that much more appealing. While the whole cupcake thing that's going on right now might be a passing fancy, I'm hoping these folks stick around for the long term.

Details: Saint Cupcake, 407 NW 17th Ave. at Flanders or 3300 SE Belmont at 33rd. Phone 503-473-8760 (Flanders) or 503-235-0078 (Belmont).

HUB Update: Bearded and Brewing

When I was a kid, it seemed like it took forever for highly anticipated events like Christmas, birthdays and summer vacation to arrive. My parents would throw up their hands in exasperation at the constant badgering and whining, the "When will we get there?" keening of children on a long trip.

In what's getting to be the longest tease in the history of Portland brewing, Christian and the crew at Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) have chosen a soon-to-be-released secret opening date. Until the day they throw open the doors, though, he and his compatriots in excellent brewing are committing themselves to the pursuit of the hirsute and will not shave.

You can go to the website and sign up for their e-mail newsletter, which they guarantee will carry the news of their opening date. We can only hope that with all the time they're saving by not shaving, they'll be open that much faster!

Photo, l to r: Assistant Brewer Ben Love; Brewer and Owner Christian Ettinger; contest judge Jules Ettinger; General Manager Lionne Decker; and Kitchen Manager Andy Litka.

Details: Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB), 2944 SE Powell Blvd. 503-201-8957.