gourmet shop Archives

Why I Adore Good Salt – Portland’s Salt Shops

Posted on February 8, 2020April 15, 2020 by Sherri

The short answer is because good salt makes everything taste better! I have loved cooking since I was about two. And for many years, traveling around and being a scratch cook, I have preached “if you give me oil, vinegar, salt and a cooking source – I can make just about anything taste good.” Well, to my delight, a couple decades after I first said that, I happened upon Samin Nostrat’s book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat AND Portland’s salt shops.

A friend told me about it and I sheepishly admit it took me a while to get it, because I thought to myself “yeah, I already know that, I’ve been saying and living the philosophy for years.” Well, I am happy I got over my ego and acquired the book because it is an absolute goldmine of information. Samin really delves into each of the elements and, I promise you, there is something to be learned no matter how long you have been aligning yourself with your allies Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat.

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Fun Facts about Chocolate – Portland Food Tours

Posted on November 2, 2019April 12, 2020 by Sherri

A really sublime chocolate experience is heavenly. And chocolate is a health food and has been considered such for eons. Only in relatively recent times has chocolate been denigrated to junk food, because of the additions of so much milk and sugar. It shouldn’t surprise you that a self-proclaimed foodie has a bookshelf full of books about food. Many cookbooks, but also a lot of books that focus on a single ingredient, or the cultural aspects of food. So I whipped out my book The Chocolate and Coffee Bible and dug around for some fun facts about chocolate.

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Jasmine Pearl Tea Company – a tea lovers’ delight

Posted on June 1, 2019April 12, 2020 by Sherri

I had already noticed signs at other local businesses displaying “We Serve Jasmine Pearl Tea” so I assumed Jasmine Pearl was a local company procuring and possibly making their own blends of tea. There is a sign before you step in requesting you do not use your cell phone or other electronical devices. How refreshing! Somebody thinks tea is sacred and is bold enough to make others acknowledge the same.

The spacious room has plenty of varieties of tea and tea preparation paraphernalia. Tea pots, tea cups, tea infusers, and other accessories are all on display in an appealing and uncluttered fashion. There are different styles, mostly Asian inspired, but some European styles. And there is a rack with the more popular tea varieties prepackaged in two ounce bags for customer’s ease. Jasmine pearls are a tea variety themselves. The leaves from green tea are rolled up into little pearls and blended with jasmine flowers, which are intoxicating in their own right.

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Providore Fine Foods – Visit on a Portland Food Tour

Posted on April 15, 2019April 12, 2020 by Sherri

Providore claims to be a purveyor of fine foods and it is indeed just that. It is actually a mix of several businesses that each occupy space in the same building. And the synergy of the mix is awesome. Providore’s website lists: Pastaworks (fresh pasta, wine, and a deli), Arrosto (rotisserie chicken), Flying Fish Company (replete with its own oyster bar and soup samples), The Meat Monger (think duck, quail, hazelnut finished pork, and pasture fed beef), Rubinette Produce Market (with unusual varieties of usual fruits and veggies), Little T Baker (artisan bread and sweet treats) and Hillary Horvath Flowers (think seasonable like eye popping peonies and wild berry flowers).

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