I laughed really hard when I read the introduction to Kachka chef, Bonnie Morales’ cookbook, Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking. She tells the story of when she and her husband Israel were opening Kachka in 2013 and they interfaced with contractors, inspectors, vendors, food writers, banks, potential employees. In short, in every discussion, once she mentioned her restaurant to be would serve food from the former Soviet Union, she was met with blank stares, long pauses and confusion.
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A Night at Erizo Is a Night Worth Remembering
I had been to Bar Casa Vale once before and liked it well enough. But the announcement from its parent company that a second restaurant, with a focus on sustainable seafood was opening up next door really grabbed my attention. It’s name was to be Erizo. It sounded like a fun place to eat in Portland.
Usually it is the fancy restaurant that opens first and the casual cousin comes next, to make the chef more accessible to the masses. But hey, this is Portland, and things don’t happen in any particular order. Someone creative gets an idea, goes with it and often, they are successful doing it their way.
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Holdfast Dining — the Place for Re-envisioned Seafood
I love a good backstory and Holdfast Dining has all sorts, including the pop-up birth. Currently the open kitchen seating is housed in the tasting room at Fausse Piste Winery. Will went to culinary school with the man who owns the winery. As befits a winery, the restaurant is filled with large barrels, as well as an old press, that, if I understood properly, is still in use in “the season”. So its roots are woven into the ambiance of the place, which is very Portlandesque, I may add. The winery and restaurant are tucked away in part of a non-remarkable looking building in close-in southeast, probably a building that had its roots in an industrial endeavor.
Holdfast, evolved from a pop-up created by chef Will Preish over the past three years. Unfortunately I only heard of it in the last six months. I must have been busy chowing down on other worthy endeavors. But you can be sure that I am delighted to be part of Holdfast’s 522nd dinner. I know this, because they put that info on the menu for May 19th.
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