Howdy, all! I hope you enjoyed that beautiful sunny weekend we just had. It was so nice I even enjoyed weeding in my yard for a few hours. Now that's nice! I had a great time down at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, as well. It was good to see so many of you down there.

Honestly, I thought the Farmer's Market couldn't get any busier than it was last season. Once again, I've been proven wrong. Luckily, I'm getting used to that. What there was for sale went crazy quickly. Maybe once there's actual produce for sale the farmers won't be cleaned out by noon, which is the way things have been going.

Speaking of produce, I cornered Sheldon Marcuvitz of Your Kitchen Garden the other day and got the inside scoop on the current state of affairs in the growing season. If you actually take the time to read our menus, then Your Kitchen Garden is a name you should be familiar with; we use Sheldon's produce all the time. It's a funny time in the season right now. Spring feels like it's (mostly, supposedly) upon us, and so spring vegetables should be here, right? Actually, spring veggies are just now starting to grow, and we're still seeing the tail end of the winter veggies. Here's some of what we're seeing now, and what we'll be seeing soon: We're just finishing up the last of the overwinter crops, like rapini, leeks, arugula and chervil. Some of the things happening now are radishes, asparagus, lettuces... chard and spinach are still good, and we're still getting cardoons. We're also seeing some early season stuff, like pea vines, sorrel and chives. We've got action in the ground, though. The Spring veggies that are hopping and should be ready in amonth or soare onions, potatoes and carrots. Beets should be ready sooner, but because of the weather, they're coming a little slowly. The cold weather we've had shouldn't be a huge factor, it's just pushing back harvest by a few weeks. From what Sheldon says, this will be a factor because it will screw with the staggering of the crops. When you're a small farmer, you need to be able to stagger the crops, allowing you to focus on and distribute crops in a certain manner and timely fashion. When you get weather like this, it causes too many things to be ready at the same time, causing a glut in the market. So what we're going to to do to support our farmers is this: I'll give you the word and we will start consuming fresh vegetables like crazy, OK? Everybody wins.

OK, on to the menus. Two dinners this week, nice looking stuff. I'll dive right in, I feel I've already wasted enough of your time. Besides, I need to run down to Foster & Dobbs to teach my belly class. Which reminds me, the class sold out so fast we've decided to do a second one later this month. If you want in on it, give them a call over there and get on the list. The number is (503)284-1157.

Housemade Mozzarella with Rhubarb Mostarda and Grilled Chicories

Grilled Tombo Tuna Loin with Oil-Poached Tombo Belly, Black Olives, Baby Romaine Leaves and Grated Radish Vinaigrette

Veal, Spring Onion and Carrot Stew with Creamy Polenta and Spring Onion-Top Gremolata

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with Lavender Gelato

Creative Growers' Baby Green Romaine with a Lemon-Avocado Vinaigrette, Radishes and Fried Fennel

Carrot and Your Kitchen Garden Chard Stew with a Viande Pancetta Crostini

Crispy Confit of Pork with Creamy Farro, Pea Vines and an Herb Salsa

Cocolate-Orange Crepes with Sweet Creme Fraiche

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.

Hey, all. From what I understand, we're about to get our first heat wave of the summer. People are already complaining about how hot it's going to be. At least that's a nice departure from the usual complaining about the gray skies. There's always something to complain about, right? Thank goodness...

Two really fun menus this weekend. On Friday, we'll be putting together a Greek Night, which may be a first for us. A few highlights? Try Wood-fired chicken marinated in lemon and Ouzo, grilled squid salad, or maybe Loukoumades, a fried donut ball drizzled with honey and cinnamon sugar. And on Saturday, Scott Ketterman will be sharing another one of his fine Spanish-Inspired menus with you; definitely peruse that menu, there's some exciting stuff in the works. Anyhow, here's the rundown:

Dolmas Filled with Ground Beef and Arborio Rice

Grilled Flatbreads with Tzatziki and Radish Slaw

Grilled Squid and Cardoon Salad with Garbanzo Beans and Mint

Wood-Fired Chicken Marinated in Lemon and Ouzo, Served with Risotto-Style Orzo Pasta

Loukoumades - Fried Donut Balls Drizzled with Honey and Cinnamon Sugar

White Asparagus Cojonudos with Mustard Vinaigrette and Mizuna

Smoked Salmon Tartare with Potatoes, Capers and Soft-Boiled Egg

Herb-Stuffed Rabbit Leg with Spring Carrots and Laurel Jus

Lemon Bizcocho with Rhubarb Jam and Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.

Good afternoon. I hope everyone has been well. I've got another short email this week. Next week I'll come up with something interesting to talk about, I promise. Actually I do have something silly to pass on. Earlier today I received an email from John Newmeister, my lamb farmer over at Cattail Creek Farms (you know, that guy who has the most incredible lamb there is?). He sent me a few links to some silly web sites, and I thought I'd go ahead and pass one of them along. Ever been curious about wearing meat as both fashion and function? Check out hatsofmeat.com. Nice. Maybe a side project at Viande?

We've got two really stellar menus this week. No joke. I think the most difficult thing about these menus will be deciding which night to attend. I'm not going to go into too much detail in advance, I think the menus do a pretty good job of speaking for themselves. Here's the goods...

Viridian Farms Asparagus and Soft-Boiled Duck Egg On Crostini with Oil-Poached Artichoke Vinaigrette

Halibut Cheeks on Your Kitchen Garden Fennel and Eggplant Caponata with Golden Raisins and Madeira

Cattail Creek Lamb Shanks with English Pea and Mint Risotto and Green Garlic Gremolata

Strawberry Crostada with 12-Year Balsamic Gelato

Foie Gras Torchon with Pickled Strawberries, Buttered Brioche and Fleur de Sel

Sauvie Island Organics Greens with Crispy Pancetta, Grilled Red Onions and Dijon Vinaigrette

Slow-Smoked Piedmontese New York Strip with Rosemary Pesto, Sweet Potato and Brie Gratin, Viridian Farms Asparagus and Sauce Bordelaise

Rhubarb and Dried Cherry Cobbler with Pistachio Gelato

If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.