Week of Food

Twice a year all of the biggest material suppliers that I work with in the shoe biz come to Portland for a big materials show. It's a fun fun week, but exhausting! I LOVE to see all the suppliers...get to go out for some great dinners, get lots of Chinese and Taiwanese tea, and I get to cram in a lot of mandarin practice!! although from tonight's mandarin class you would not know that just last week was the materials show! My teacher was in Europe for the last 3 weeks, so the first class in 4 weeks....I'll admit right now, I did *not* study as I should have!!! So...back to the materials show. This show brings in around 150 material suppliers, maybe around 100 of them are ones I work with & we have to visit. Trying to get around to all of their booths, in a 2 day period, is tough!! Add to the sheer number the fact that I've been working with many of these people for as long as 10 1/2 years, often at least 3-4 years...I know them, I know a bit about their families...they know I'm adopting a baby...add to this that *I* have changed footwear companies so I also run into colleagues from my old company, and other former colleagues who have changed companies themselves....it's tough to get through all of those people in 2 days! But- It's absolutely one of the bright spots of the year for me! These are people I work with day in and day out throughout the year, and to see them- to catch up with them, to welcome them to Portland, is just sheer joy!! Becasue they are all traveling, it also means they like to go out to dinner...so it means yummy dinners for US! So last week turned out to be a week of eating for me. Here is how dinner stacked up: Monday: Halibut cheeks with a lobster cream sauce, keylime pie for dessert. Halibut cheeks- I had been wanting to try them for some time, so I was thrilled by the opportunity. Mostly, it was quite heavy and not as I had expected. Good, but I probably won't be doing that again. Tuesday:Pork chop & spinach salad (before the e. coli outbreak...), and Chocolate Souffle. Pork chop was amazing...but at this restaurant, it always is. The chocolate souffle....okay...we go TO this restaurant simply BECAUSE of the chocolate souffle. I actually have the recipe for it, but have never attempted it. I met a vendor/friend of mine there for dinner one night, and I had brought her a piece of lemon syrup cake. she tried a little piece, but saved it to take home with her. So...after we ordered, we asked the waitress if there was any way we could get the recipe for the famous and amazing chocolate souffle. I said 'we'll throw in a piece of lemon cake!" So she said she'd check. She came back about 15 minutes later and said "the Chef is going to write it down for you!". We said, That's Great! then she said, "uh....he wants the lemon cake." So...yup- the lemon cake I had *just* given to Pam, I ruthlessly stole from her in exchange for the chocolate souffle recipe. As an avid baker herself, she too was excited for the souffle recipe. Fastforward 1 1/2 years- neither of us has yet made the chocolate souffle, but I have made up TWO, count them ONE TWO lemon cakes to make up for the piece I so ruthlessly stole from her. I'm not sure I'll ever completely repay that debt of stealing the lemon cake...but I think I'm getting close. And yes, we have been back on several occasions to eat the chocolate souffle....last tuesday was yet another occasion!!! So...back to the food of last week....Wednesday: Swordfish & panna cotta. Both fantastic- the swordfish rocked- probably the best of all 3 meals.... the panna cotta was wonderful, but I am quite a fan of panna cotta! I had rose geranium panna cotta about 4 years ago in Big Sur at the Big Sur Bakery that just knocked my socks off. I am still looking to this day for the recipe but have yet to find it. If anyone knows of a recipe for rose geranium panna cotta...I will make you lemon cakes until the cows come home if you would be so kind as to send it to me!!!

That's eating in Portland last week. Stay tuned for Bathroom updates later this week, as the Drywall Has Landed! yes, that's right...there are right now 8 sheets of drywall on my 2nd floor just waiting to be attached to the bathroom walls!! Exciting times here in Portland...exciting times...