I know, it's strange-- a food-obsessed couple lives in Portland for 4 years, and never eats at Fore Street. Well, it's just one of those things. In the past, whenever the subject has come up, there's always somewhere else to go if we're looking for dinner on the more expensive side of the spectrum: Hugo's, Caiola's... But Jenn and Matt invited us to join then for New Year's Eve dinner, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to find out what all of the fuss is about. (#16 in Gourmet's American top 50 restaurants; James Beard best chef award, etc. etc.) We even got all dolled up-- ties, suits, little black dresses-- the works. I even wore makeup, which people who know me will concur only occurs on occasions of the utmost seriousness.

Overall: it was a truly delicious meal, and I'm glad we went. However, I have the feeling that we just won't be adding Fore Street to our regular rotation.

When we arrived, I was impressed by the space; it's a cavernous former warehouse, which somehow manages to feel cozy. Irritatingly they were out of hangars for our coats, but Matt discovered some hooks in the bar, so that problem was solved. Our table was next to a gorgeous mullioned window, and thankfully, a nice functional heater. (I can't imagine what their heating bills must be with that enormous drafty space. So sue me, it's been an expensive winter so far, it's on my mind.) Our waitress was wonderful, and not pushy at all; she brought us our drinks (3 Manhattans and a dirty gin martini) quickly and didn't pressure us to order.

We decided to start with two appetizers: finnan haddie and a combo of Maine shrimp in horseradish cream (the menu described it as 'shocked,' whatever that means) paired with smoked scallops and a little salad of baby arugula. Both were delicious. The shrimp were raw; that way the sweetness of the shrimp, and their slightly soft texture, stood out. The light dressing barely tasted of horseradish, but then again it didn't really need to; the shrimp flavor was perfect. The smoked scallops were something of an afterthought to the plate, I thought; there were only two, and they were fine but not outstanding. The finnan haddie was lovely; it was served with toast points and its creamy sauce was delectable. I used some of our table bread to sop up the sauce from the plate. (Note: Jenn didn't seem that enthusiastic about this one, but I didn't have a chance to ask her why.)

When it was time to order our entrees, everyone but me went for the duck, and I ordered the spit-roasted Quebec pork over Morse's sauerkraut. We also ordered a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a side of roasted beets, to share. Our entrees were all delicious; Otis literally ate every single edible crumb of meat from off his plate. My pork was crusty on the outside and juicy on the inside--cooked just right-- and the sauerkraut was wonderful. The beets were tasty, although not remarkable (but how is it possible to make roasted beets remarkable, really?). The mashed, the same. The four of us shared a dessert, some sort of chocolate yumminess with cinnamon sorbet.

All in all it was a lovely dinner, and not outrageously priced. So why do I say we probably won't be adding it to our rotation? I think, honestly, it's the philosophy of the restaurant: simplicity. I'm not trying to say that I want all sorts of crazy ingredients, like chocolate and cheddar and peppers mixed together or something like that. But personally, I love complex, layered flavors, and Otis is the same. When we go out, we want to try new things and experience complex flavors. It's sort of like the contrast between an English and a Continental aesthetic-- English food soars when it's a single, simple item, cooked perfectly. That can be the case with French or Italian as well-- and certainly both approaches require the best, freshest ingredients-- but the French, the Italians, the Spanish, all excel when they layer flavors, combining fresh herbs and fresh ingredients in a kind of alchemy. My personal preference definitely leans toward the latter, and Fore Street's approach is decidedly the former.

So, I really have no complaints about our meal, which was masterfully prepared within its merits, or the service, which was truly outstanding. It just didn't excite the hell out of me.

The Portland Press Herald tells us today that the Hugo's as we know it is no more. It's hard to tell from the piece what motivated the change, but I can only assume their business suffers during the winter.

I'm greeting this news with mixed feelings. On one hand, I am pleased I'll be able to afford to eat there more often; on the other, I always loved the chef's tasting menu in concept and execution. I hope that the restaurant doesn't lose the ineffable character that makes it special.

But I wish them the best of luck.

EDITED: This entry sort of makes it sound like Hugo's is closing. It's not-- it's just changing the way it structures its menu. Apologies for any confusion!

When people come to our house for the first time, they often don't notice the fact that there are two refrigerator-shaped items in the kitchen-- it's only when they go to put their beer in the freezer that they realize that there is, in fact, a full-size standup freezer where there used to be a closet. It's not a very big kitchen, at all, so I attribute this to people's preexisting expectations for kitchen appliances.

And boy, do we love our freezer. Not only does it allow us to easily preserve much of our annual CSA bounty (aside from the stuff Otis cans), but we also have a ton of leftovers preserved for emergencies of laziness. (Or just to use when appropriate. This Thanksgiving I made a pumpkin pie with pie filling I had made from our CSA pumpkin and frozen two years before. It was delicious.)

Right now, this is what's in our freezer:

baked rigatoni
puerto rican pork and rice
pureed tomatoes
shucked oysters
chicken tikka
beef stew
beef stock
bbq sauce (otis's secret recipe)
more pumpkin pie filling
pureed squash
pesto

plus an assortment of purchased items:
whole grain english muffins
pitas
frozen chicken and vegetable dumplings
whole wheat tortillas
a frozen spinach pizza
fake breakfast sausage
linguica
chicken sausage
chicken thighs
bags of innards from chickens (for making stock)
handle of vodka
ice

and probably more stuff... I didn't want to keep the door open too long. I'd say we're fairly prepared. For lazy Sundays, at least.

Otis and I took an extra day off MLK weekend and jetted off to San Francisco. It's was a fairly long trip for such a short visit, but due to our schedules (school started for me on Jan 22) it was really the only viable time we could go; plus, my mom was visiting at the same time, and it turned into a big family weekend.

My grandfather, Moe Haber, lives in SF, in the Jewish Home for the Aged. He just turned 93, and I hadn't seen him in 2 and a half years. (The actual birthdate is a matter of some internal family debate, since he always said his birthday was Dec 25. It now seems that was a dramatization, and his real birthday is Dec 29. Part of this also stemmed from the fact that his parents were named Mary and Josef. He is a character.)

So, we flew out of Boston early Friday morning (6:10) and had a whirlwind weekend visiting the city and my family. We had gorgeous, sunny weather, and had the chance to see my grandpa, my cousins Leila and Damon and their respective spouses and adorable children, my uncle Merrill and aunt Nancy, and my mom. We also got to visit Otis's old high school friend Seton, his wife Patty, and their adorable little toddler Eva.

Part of what makes spending time with my family amusing is the constant food-related talk. (Hey, I come by it honestly!!) This is a group of people who plan their dinner while eating breakfast. We basically arrived, went to visit my grandpa in the home, and then went out to dim sum, without a pause.

So, there was a lot of delicious food to report on:

- Friday dim sum at Mayflower Seafood
- Friday dinner at my cousin Leila's house, which featured a delicious warm shrimp salad which was prepared from a recipe Merrill and Nancy learned at a cooking school during their recent trip to Vietnam
- Irish breakfast at O'Reilly's in North Beach
- Burritos at a restaurant in Alameda with Seton (I forget the name of this one, I'll have to check with Otis!)
- Pastry and coffee at Caffe Trieste
- Sunday brunch with bagels, lox, some insanely cheesy hash brown casserole, and mimosas at Leila's house
- Dinner at Cafe de la Presse

I think that's it! A lot of food in one short weekend! It was a wonderful time, and if I have a chance I will post restaurant reviews. And, as a special treat, here is the warm salad recipe from Vietnam. The recipe calls for squid, but you can make it with anything, really.

Also, there are comments written on my copy by my uncle Merrill... but I can't read them, his handwriting is so bad. Hopefully there's nothing important! (This recipe is from the Red Bridge Cooking School in Hoi An, Vietnam. If you're ever there, it sounds like a fabulous day of cooking and eating!)

Warm Squid Salad in Half a Pineapple

100 grams sliced squid
2 t vegetable oil
1 t garlic, chopped
1 t ginger, chopped
1/2 t sugar
1 t light fish sauce
1 T tomato puree or tomato sauce
1 T sweet and sour chilli sauce (recipe below)
1/2 cup chopped hot pepper
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 T water
Few pieces cilantro

Add vegetable oil to wok with ginger and garlic. Add squid, fish sauce, and sugar, and stirfry 1 min. Add vegetables and tomato puree, and stirfry 3 minutes. Add water. Serve in hollowed-out pineapple sauce and top with cilantro and hot pepper.

Sweet & Sour Chilli Sauce

1 T water
1/2 t sour chilli sauce (super sour sriracha is probably what they mean here)
1/2 t tomato puree
1/2 T finely chopped white onion
1/2 T finely chopped pineapple
1/2 T finely chopped tomato
1/2 t crushed ginger
1/2 t veg oil

Heat oil in wok and add all ingredients except water, sour chilli, and tomato puree. Fry for a few seconds, then add reserved ingredients. Bring to simmer, simmer until cooked.