Beast – Sheer Sophistication in Portlandia

One of my biggest culinary wishes during our Portland trip was to visit Chef Naomi Pomeroy’s restaurant, Beast. Known for her role on Top Chef Masters, I’ve respected Chef Pomeroy from the start – even during her neurotic temper tantrums on the show. The fact that she’s a culinary genius, specializing in cooking with responsibly raised animals such as the almighty pig, is something I can get behind.

Our friends, Moses and Sonya were curious about it as well, so we ventured out for dinner on a Friday night, taking advantage of their later seating.

Atmosphere:
I was surprised to learn that Beast is located in one of Portland’s neighborhoods, on the outskirts of downtown. As we walked up to it, we noticed a few couples hanging around. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, as the restaurant was empty—only later noticing that the staff was inside, working away at setting everything up. Never experiencing this type of service before, except during special occasions such as New Year’s Eve for example, I realized we were in for a treat and something that would no doubt be a memorable experience.

After we were welcomed into the restaurant, I was yet again surprised—this time because of how intimate the space was. Seating just merely 30 guests, the cozy dining room consisted of a mix of different sized tables, including a bigger communal one (where we sat), as well as a few four tops, and additional bar seating.

The staff looked busy still, preparing things, and I noticed them laying out our first course and plating it right on the spot. Again, this was a non-traditional way of conducting service, but I appreciated the candor and the thoughtfulness with which each plate was composed.

Food:
As you’ve probably inferred, our dinner consisted of a tasting menu, and this one was 6 courses rich. While I must admit that Dan felt a bit squeamish about some of the selections, I was truly excited at the prospect of such a complex and sophisticated feast.

Course 1, Chilled Zucchini & Buttermilk Soup - We started with a beautiful little cup of chilled zucchini soup, which was milky white in color, boasting a few colorful accouterments such as house cured salmon, fresh dill and a pretty blue edible flower. The taste was gentle on the palate and really refreshing. While it didn’t make a huge impression on me in terms of flavor, it was Beast’s way of gingerly easing our way into what would be a pretty robust dinner.

Course 2, Charcuterie Plate – What the soup didn’t bring in terms of flavor, the charcuterie certainly did. Consisting of six different bites of cured meats and beautifully smooth pates and mousses, I adored not only the way everything tasted, but how it looked. My personal stand-outs were the steak tartare topped with a gorgeous quail egg and the house foie gras bon bon with a cool sauternes gelee that made everyone comment with curiosity and pleasure. I saved that one for last and adored each bite.

Course 3, Pork Belly – Chef Pomeroy’s specialty is of course the pig, and I can confidently say that we were all looking forward to the pork belly course. Set on a slightly crunchy but still soft on the inside bread, it stood up to the meat’s richness, soaking up its savory juices. Tender, succulent and a little smokey, this dish truly evoked a hefty dose of comfort and indulgence.

Course 4, Tomato Goat Cheese Galette – Even though Dan isn’t crazy about goat cheese (in fact, he hates it); it was awesome that he tried it and appreciated the dish nonetheless. I on the other hand was in heaven, devouring the galette's buttery, flaky crust and savoring each bite of the tangy cheese and the blistery heirloom tomatoes. 

Course 5, Cheese Plate – As if we didn’t get enough cheese in the last course (I didn’t!), there was a whole plate of it now, arranged in a rustic fashion. Three distinct cheeses, a handful of fried almonds, a dollop of armangac poached prune jam, and a puddle of local honey decked the plate. While my dining companions were sadly slowing down, I was totally ready to enjoy these delights and loved pairing each cheese with the honey, a little bit of jam and a crunchy almond on top. Out of the three, I preferred the tomme corse goat, which was of the fragrant, heady variety, evoking visions of the rich earth it came from.

Course 6, Berry Trifle – Dessert is always a beautiful thing in my book, and I was excited to try the intricately arranged cups of mini berry trifles that were coming our way. After skimming the fresh whipped cream on top, I was immediately in heaven, as the airiness was delightful. Further delving into its layers, this trifle was truly out of this world, boasting chunky pieces of raspberries, which then further intermingled with the thick pastry cream in the middle. Holy sweetness – I’d go for this any day!

A Sweet Bonus – Just when we thought the feast was over, there came a sweet little plate of miniature pig sugar cookies—their behinds dipped in exquisite dark chocolate. The attention to detail here was uncanny, as they even attached a little orange zest for the pig's tail. I took one last memorable bite to complete my experience.

Service and Cost:
I’ve already told you a little bit about the interesting service, which is unlike what I usually experience when dining out. Even though it was special and memorable, I must admit that the service felt oddly rigid and a bit snobbish. For an evening that we thought would be really relaxing and laid back (just like Portland itself), we felt the situation was a bit too controlled and we weren’t as at ease as if we’d gone to one of the restaurants in Moses and Sonya’s Mississippi Ave neighborhood.

Costs are on the high side at $75/person but certainly fair for the high quality of food you’re getting, and for the specialized experience.

3 Mmmms

Beast - 5425 NE 30th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211
503.841.6968
www.beastpdx.com

Judging the French Culinary Student Final - And the Verdict Is...

Image by frenchculinary.com

As I mentioned earlier this week, I had quite the day yesterday judging the French Culinary student final.  Before I give you the inside scoop, I have to first and foremost remark about the amazing culinary prowess that surrounded me here. It was truly an honor and a humbling experience to be in the presence of New York's finest culinary stars.  Needless to say, the afternoon was a blast and also a great learning experience, as I soaked up interesting tid-bits, techniques and advice from these skilled professionals and at the same time, offering my perspective.  Here's a run down of what went on:

The Setting:
The student final was held in one of FCI's dining rooms, this one located on the 4th floor.  It was a rather spacious area, perfectly suited for this type of event.  I loved that it faced the expansive kitchen where the busy students were off doing their thing.

A row of long tables was set up simply with crisp, white tablecloths displaying badges with everyone's name and professional affiliation.  We were greeted with some sparkling water and champagne, both welcome and so refreshing to start our afternoon of eating and judging.

My Fellow Judges:
Now...the moment you've been waiting for.  Who were my fellow judges? Well, let me start off by saying that the first person I met when I got there was the lovely Carmen Gonzalez, chef and founder of Carmen Restaurant, recipient of Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence and many other accomplishments including being a recent contestant on Bravo's Top Chef Masters.

And here are some of my other fellow judges - all impressive in their own way.

Brad Farmerie - Executive Chef, Public/Double Crown
Matt Lambert - Sous Chef, Public/Double Crown
Francois Latapie - Chef/Restaurant Owner/Front of House, LYON Bouchon Moderne
Lauren Braun Costello - Chef/Author and owner of Gotham Caterers, Author, Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft and The Competent Cook: Essential Tools, Techniques and Recipes for the Modern At-Home Cook
Alexis Pisciotta - Chef de Cuisine, Salumeria Rosi
Iacopo Falai - Chef/Owner, Falai
Howard Portnoy - Restaurant Reviewer, NY Examiner

The Judging Process:
The whole judging process was very interesting and quite involved.  We first received some background information from the chef instructors about the students' curriculum and the types of dishes they'd be preparing.  We received a print out with pictures and a list of components of every dish we'd be tasting.  There was a healthy mix of appetizers, entrees and some desserts too.  Each dish was complex in its own way and allowed the students to showcase various cooking, preparation and showmanship skills learned throughout their studies.

We received two scoring sheets - one included a number scale and the other was free form, where we could write our commentary that would later be presented personally to each student.  The components that each dish was judged on included: cleanliness of plate, presentation, plate temperature, primary cooking technique (i.e. protein such as fish or meat), secondary cooking technique (i.e. sauce), garnish (i.e. vegetables) and overall temperature of the dish.

The judging was challenging because you had to do everything very quickly and precisely, especially because in many cases, you were judging duplicates of the same dish that belonged to different students.  Twelve short minutes passed between each course, so by the end we really had to hustle.  Needless to say, I only had a couple of bites from each plate, tasting the essential elements that had to be judged - and in most cases, not reaching for seconds because the next dish was already on the table.

My fellow judge, Matt Lambert and I had a good time comparing dishes and exchanging our two cents about everything.  Matt is a talented Sous Chef at Double Crown and his culinary knowledge no doubt surpassed mine, but funnily enough we agreed on almost everything.

After we finished tasting everything, our score sheets were collected and we were left with only our comments to share with the students.  There were about 10 chairs placed in front of our table, in preparation for the students' critique.  It very much felt like an episode of Top Chef, which was so exciting--I can't believe I was the one actually behind the critic's table. 

The students were just lovely and received our criticism very well.  My fellow judge Francois prepped us a bit on how to approach the students, "make sure that you're positive and encouraging," he said. "Always apply your critique to real life and give them practical advice that they could use in a professional kitchen." And that he did!  I admired his knowledge and experience and filed each one of his comments to my mental food library.  Simply stated, this man knew his stuff!

Favorite Dishes:
Although we weren't able to take pictures of the food, I had a couple of clear favorites.  One of them was the Tuna Tartare with pickled daikon and smoked uni cream.  The tuna was perfectly fresh and sliced into appetizing little pieces that just melted in your mouth.  The overall sensation was fresh and zingy, a wonderful starter that certainly whet the appetite.

And the other two stand-outs were the desserts.  Having a huge sweet tooth, I wasn't suprised when I loved both dishes, a fresh strawberry tart with balsamic creme freche and a classic chocolate-orange parfait.  Both were expertly prepared and looked like pieces of art.  I actually thought they looked better than in the prep photo and was very impressed by the student's fine job.  The tart in particular had the most amazing, crunchy buttery crust with a touch of almond. Amazing! And the chocolate orange parfait was as smooth as butter with a delicious candied orange garnish. It was a pleasure to eat and since this was the last dish of the day, I did have seconds.

The overall experience was one that I will truly never forget. I felt (and continue to feel) extremely lucky to be a part of something so wonderful.  Kudos to all the hard-working students for completing their final.  I wish them many wonderful adventures ahead. Well done!

If you're interested in taking recreational classes at the Institute, I highly recommend it. I've taken a Parisian bread class last year and it was awesome - FCI is well known for their amazing breads.  Take advantage of that or their other great courses which are rich in variety and accommodate every skill level.

French Culinary Institute - 462 Broadway, New York NY 10013
212.219.3300
6 Train to Spring Street
www.frenchculinary.com