“My 8-Hour River to Table Experience”

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hook up with some of my team in Portland, and go salmon fishing with a guide on the Columbia river. We caught a couple beautiful Spring Chinook. These 20-25 pound fish were only one day out of the ocean (as the guide indicated by showing us some small sea bugs still attached to the outside of their skin) – so were incredibly fresh. They also have the highest levels of omega-3 oils of any salmon.

I took My Salmon to Urban Farmer steakhouse and chef Eric Schlicht cleaned and prepped it. That evening Chef Gregory Gourdet up in Departure used one side and cooked it three different ways for us:

-       Salmon Nigiri with Smoked Citrus Soy

-       Grilled, Marinated, Spring Chinook Salmon Belly

-       Spring Chinook Salmon with Fish Sauce, Palm Sugar, Lime and Chilies

All in same day! It was super cool, and I took lots of pictures, some of which are attached here.

I had the guys cryovac the other side and overnight it to my house, where I utilized it to cook dinner for my family. My wife is used to me fly fishing (where we always just catch-and-release) and coming home with only a smile on my face – so was pleasantly surprised to finally be eating fresh fish after one of my escapades…

Please enjoy the rest of this month’s newsletter!

Meet the Talent, Aaron Zerby, Assistant General Manager, Urban Farmer Restaurant

When did you join Sage Restaurant Group?

I joined the SRG team in October of 2009.

What are your favorite foods and drinks at Urban Farmer & Departure Restaurants?

As Urban Farmer is a seasonally inspired restaurant, our menus change frequently. That being said, we have a few iconic side dishes and entrees that are always offered. One of those side dishes is our ‘Twice Baked Fingerling Potato Tart’: A potato crust filled with potato puree topped with sliced fingerling potatoes, aged cheddar, house cured bacon, sour cream and chives. It has been our best-selling side dish for several years…with one bite you’ll understand. As for an iconic entrée, we offer a unique ‘New York Steak Tasting’. Think of it like a wine flight, except with beef! This is another one of Chef Matt Christianson’s brilliant ideas. This dish consists of three distinctly different 6oz New York Steaks each raised in entirely different styles; a grass-fed, corn-fed and dry aged cut…plus you have the option of adding a wagyu cut if you really want to round out the experience.

Urban Farmer’s bartender just rolled out their Spring and Summer specialty cocktails and although they are ALL fantastic, I sincerely enjoy our rum based drink called ‘Golden Bäre’, it is made up of a local Portland rum called Deco, Bärenjäger, a squeeze of lime, a splash of cranberry, a dash of peach bitters, topped with Prosecco…it’s a delight!

A trip to Departure wouldn’t be complete without an order of Chef Gregory Gordet’s ‘Departure Wings’ in a sweet chili glaze followed by the ‘Crispy Pork Belly’ with pickled cherries,  ginger and pumpkin seeds.  Wash it all down with the ‘Tasho Macho’ made with Thai chili vodka, Thai basil and ginger beer…but be warned the chili vodka is not for the faint of heart, it has some real heat!

Where did you work before you joined SRG?

I have been in the food and beverage industry for years but before I settled on this as a career path, I held a few interesting jobs: I worked as a deck-hand aboard a fishing vessel in Alaska for 3 years and I worked in the banana fields of Israel as a harvester to help finance my travels. Just before I started with SRG I worked for Morton’s The Steakhouse under the tutelage of David Marsh. I must have impressed him (moderately) because once he accepted the position as GM of F&B here at the Nines, he brought me over and plugged me in at Urban Farmer.

What do you like to do when you are not working for some of PDX’s hottest restaurants?

I’m a big golfer. If the weather is right, and the ‘honey-do’ list is all taken care of, you will find me on the golf course.

Temple Downtown, Providence, RI

One of the greatest things about the early spring is the abundance on new local seasonal produce that comes on the market.  One of Chef Cardell’s favorite items are fiddlehead ferns.  Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of a young fern.  Fiddleheads are harvested in Rhode Island early in the season, usually April through May before the frond has opened into a full fern.  Fiddleheads have a high antioxidant activity and are a good source of omega 3 and omega 6 and are high in iron and fiber.  Fiddleheads resemble the scroll on the end of a stringed musical instrument such as a violin.  They have a great lightly bitter flavor once cooked and are a great addition to our spring vegetable tagine.  Our spring vegetable tagine also includes locally harvested fava beans, baby carrots, morel mushrooms and artichoke hearts served over Moroccan spiced cous cous.  This is a true taste of spring!!

The Original Dinerant, Portland, OR

Maybe it’s because it is the 21st century (which may mean we’re too busy impressing our dates…when we’re not ignoring them in favor of our 21st-century smartphones), but we seem to have lost our bacchanalian ways.

Time was, we’d call someone (or even email them). Now we shoot them a text. And somewhere along the way, long before smartphones, we chose forks and knives over our hands and teeth when digging into something meaty and juicy.

We’ve not only lost touch with our inner-Berserker, we can’t even remember it’s milder and, some would say, more sophisticated Viking and Caveman cousins.

Recently, it seems like the only things we’ve got to stir those old cellular memories are, you know, those Renaissance Faire drumsticks. And those are but available what, maybe for a few weeks, once a year?

But that was then.

If our Braised Pork Shank doesn’t rouse those old memories and inspire to skip the fork and knife…well, then you are quite civilized. But then again, maybe your date would be more impressed if you did go the old hands-and-teeth route (would not a man be jelly in the hands of a woman who ate like a Viking?).

Cured with garlic, coriander, salt, sugar and other spices, and cooked in its own fat, our meaty, cudgel-shaped Shank is so tender that it just clings to, rather than completely slides off, the bone.

And it’s accompanied by a quartet of artfully piled Bacon Apple Fritters, little doughy fried balls seasoned with cinnamon and, you guessed it, bourbon. Because, why not?

And because it’s such a pretty package we put a bow on it—in this case, a small salad comprised of apple shavings, basil and thyme.

So, jaws or fork, how you eat it all is up to you. But if you do choose to use your fork, why not be a little transgressive eat that small salad with your fingers.

You may not impress your date, but you’ll impress us.

So, jaws or fork, how you eat it all is up to you. But if you do choose to use your fork, why not be a little transgressive eat that small salad with your fingers.

You may not impress your date, but you’ll impress us.

Braddock’s American Brasserie Pittsburgh, PA

“Pittsburgher”

Although the hamburger is not a traditional American food, as American’s often do, we have adopted the food and made it uniquely our own. Today, the hamburger is undoubtedly America’s most iconic food.  Braddock’s American Brasserie has continued this tradition of adoption and has created some burgers that are specific to Pittsburgh and its rich food culture.  Our chefs have had a fun time taking creative liberties to produce some amazing burgers that reflect our city.

The Pittsburgher pays homage to America’s burger tradition.  The Pittsburgher is adorned with a short rib pierogie, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese; it is a great Pittsburgh meal formed into a burger. Braddock’s chefs have successfully designed the nontraditional “burgher” to be a celebration of America, Pittsburgh, and of course, great food.

Departure, Portland, OR

Departure’s crafty bartending masters spent April researching, creating, and shaking 12 spring-time inspired drinks to tasty fruition. With Asian inspiration and uniquely conceived collaborations, these drinks epitomize Departure’s ‘modern Asian’ aesthetic.

Behold the ‘Crazy 88’, with house infused thai chili vodka, mango, orange juice and citrus, garnished with a house made pate de fruit. Or for those who view modernity as simplistic and clean, pony up for our ‘Lychee-tini’, with house infused lychee vodka and fresh citrus. Of course, springtime would be remiss without the ‘Ume Spritz’, a zingy little concoction of Choya plum wine, St. Germaine, and citrus, topped with house-made pate de fruit.

Our skillful mixologists are certain this fleet of fresh and feisty cocktails will be the perfect addition to your sunny days on our outdoor decks. For a complete list of Departure’s New Drinks, click HERE

Crazy 88                   

1 ½ ounce Thai Chili Vodka

Mango Puree

¾ ounce simple syrup

Splash of Lemon/Lime Juice

Orange Juice to fill

Mango Pate de fruit garnish

Lychee-tini

2 ounce Lychee Vodka

½ ounce simple syrup

Splash of Lemon/Lime Juice

Lychee garnish

Ume Spritz

Wine Glass: Fill with Ice

1 ½  ounce of Choya Plum Wine

½ ounce St. Germaine

Splash of Lemon/Lime Juice

Fill with soda

Plum Pate de fruit garnish

Urban Farmer, Portland, OR

From Spain to Oregon – Iberico Pork at Urban Farmer

When Chef Matt heard local vendor Nicky USA would be carrying Iberico de bellota, the highly coveted swine from La Alberca Spain, he couldn’t wait to feature this amazing pork on the menu. These black hoofed pigs feast on fallen acorns as they graze in oak groves and are known the world over for producing the best hams with sweet, nutty fat and earthy essence that makes the pork eat like Wagyu beef.  Inspired by the fusion of old world ingredients and Northwest bounty, Chef Matt created an amazing dish featuring spring morels from Southern Oregon and first of the season English peas.  After salt crusting and searing the pluma (shoulder), the amazing entrée was finished with veal jus and fresh pea tendrils.  After selling out in 4 days, Chef Matt can’t wait to feature more dishes on the menu with this amazing pork!

Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago, IL

We’ll see you at the party!

Spring sunshine and warm weather are showing signs of becoming regular fixtures in Chicago, as we’re seeing more foot traffic and sunglasses in place of coats and valet tickets.  As the seasons change, so do our event calendars – and this spring and summer we will be out and about making rounds in the neighborhoods!  Here are some of the places where you’ll likely catch some Mercat chefs and team members this spring:

The National Restaurant Association Show, where Chef Cory will provide some demos for JDY

Food Arts BBQ, where Mercat will host a table and provide tasting portions for event attendees

MenuMasters awards, where Chef Jose Garces will be honored and Mercat will serve tasting portions for the event

The Dempster Foundation event at the Palmer House Hilton, where Cubs baseball players and Chicago VIPs will taste a variety of foods during their Casino Night fundraiser

Whole Foods, for a “Check, Please!” tasting event with some wine purveyors and some Whole Foods guests.

Attached pictures: Chef Cory at a food demo last spring, and Cory, Peter and Jose at Food Arts BBQ last year.

The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar, Denver, Co

Today we are announcing, with happiness and a tear, that our General Manager Dana Faulk has been promoted to the General Manager of Food and Beverage at the Westin Westminster.  Dana has accepted the challenge of taking on the opening of our newest property, Kachina!  For the past year and a half, Dana has helped reshape, refine, and reconnect TCO.   It was with the help of her knowledge, support, and leadership that TCO has developed into one of the restaurants to be at in Denver CO.   She will always be considered part of our TCO family, and we can’t wait to see what she does with the new SRG property opening in just a couple of months!  She is sure to see many of the TCO staff visiting her in the North for a nifty beverage and a Southwestern bite to eat!

With Dana’s farewell we were in search of the next master to take over what our team calls the “beast of TCO.”  That is what led us to Jerome!  We are extremely excited to announce that Jerome Fosset is the new General Manager of The Corner Office!  Jerome comes to us from a sister property, the Nines Hotel in Portland OR.  He will be moving to CO with his wife and two daughters, and we are very much looking forward to adding all of them to our TCO family!  Jerome has an extensive background in five star service, management, and event management.  He was originally from France and has traveled throughout much of the United States for pleasure and work.  One of the TCO cornerstones is being global, and we are surely going to be looking to Jerome to expand our global concept.

Welcome Jerome!

Second Home Kitchen + Bar, Denver, Co

Spoiling Mom on Mother’s Day

Moms everywhere love the day that is devoted just to them. Whether the gifts are macaroni necklaces, handmade cards, or just a hug and kiss, moms deserve the best. This year, we’re celebrating moms everywhere with two different brunches at Second Home. If she wants comfort and relaxation, we’re having our famous Pajama Brunch. Moms can spend time with family, the kids can play and watch movies in the kid’s room and all moms get a complimentary “Mommy Mimosa”. If mom is craving something more formal, our Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet in the terrace has the all of her favorite brunch dishes.  Either way, it’s the perfect excuse to spoil every mom!