Eric Berchard, chef and owner of Thistle in McMinnville, is featured by the New York Times in an article called “The pride and prejudice of local“.
You may remember Eric from such events as The Showdown at the Cochon 555 Corral. I gave Eric a hard time, but he’s really not a bad guy; it’s just that passion and alcohol can lead to bad things – I do my best to blame everything on that combination.
From the Times: At his restaurant in the nearby wine country, he strives to serve beef and produce only from farms he has visited. The ling cod he caught when he took his 10-year-old daughter fishing off the Oregon coast? It made the menu. The rustic shelves in his kitchen were, naturally, reclaimed from a nearby barn.
Yet some say Mr. Bechard went too far the night he came to blows over a pig. “Somebody,” he said later, “needed to be held accountable.”
Mr. Bechard says his goal is to eventually run the restaurant solely with food from surrounding Yamhill County. Every local connection he makes and every local dollar he spends, he believes, strengthens his ties to the economic and political future of the place he lives. He says that kind of a commitment makes a place, any place, better.
…One of Thistle’s suppliers, Manuel Recio, a former advertising executive who decided to become a vegetable farmer several years ago, said Mr. Bechard should not have gotten into a fistfight. Yet, he also told of Portland chefs who blend imported strawberries into desserts whose ingredients are misleadingly labeled as locally grown. He said Mr. Bechard had a point.
“It was great to finally have someone call people out on it,” Mr. Recio said. The article covers Portland culture, Stumptown Coffee, and more on Mr. Bechard.
(Eric owes me for not running his mug shot)
Alan Cordle says
Not only did Francis have bad food — it was filthy.
jmatt says
Anyone who thinks that Daddy Mojo’s bar is “scary” really needs to get out more. Or at least open their eyes. Probably the same people who don’t laugh hysterically whenever the upcoming Bunk bar is described as a “dive bar”.
Dan Welch says
Coffee…is there anyting it can’t do. It wakes you up, cleans you out and now it prevents cancer (again). Its been used for trade, currency, social standing and status, drink of the common man & yuppie in the same line. Its been boiled, heated, bleneded, burned, banned and blessed by the Pope so it can be consumed without risk of damnation. Consumed for its bold and delecate flavors from the same bean. Constantly tested and brewed in various manners with masters saying my way is best. If you like it drink it. Just don’t ask me to make an important decision with out it.
sweetnsavory says
FD, don’t know if you posted this already…coming soon…Mio Sushi newest location is SE 17th/SE Tacoma in Sellwood.
man-o-steele says
The only “crap” that has to stop is how dependent our food systems are on oil. Unless you don’t mind, then I suggest you move to the gulf coast where you can literally eat your food with your oil.
Liza says
Let me just add my heaping praise to whatever you’ve been hearing about Ned Ludd. It’s great. Every time we are there we enjoy wonderful food (start with the pickle plate, please!), well-crafted drinks, and thoughtful service. Go Ned Ludd!
Irene says
Well all this Ned Ludd praise is a little too much positivity for me, so I think I’ll restore the balance by seconding FD’s assessment of Francis. Not to kick a man when he’s down (even though that is exactly what I’m about to do), but I ordered pancakes once at Francis that were probably the worst pancakes I have ever tasted. Anarchists or no anarchists, I can’t say I’m sorry they are closed. (and incidentally, I have nothing against Ned Ludd, that was just a segue).
Also on the topic of food news, has anyone heard anything about the purported plans for D. Mondok to open some sort of Sel Gris reincarnation in the old Carlyle space? I went by this morning and there is still a sign in the window saying the space is for lease.
Food Dude says
Last I heard, the Mondok Carlyle plan was off. Financing troubles.
livetoeat says
I drove by Daddy Mojos and saw the their Sushi sign and gasped, “you’ve got to be kidding!” The sign should read, ” Now serving Sushi, paired with a legitimate excuse to call in sick to work.”
Francis was pretty good back when it opened, but my new favorite breakfast is at Helsers.
Lastly, I took my brother to Ned Ludd last January when he was here on business. He is still raving about it. He’s from Berkeley and a big Alice Waters fan. He had actually ditched a business meeting to have dinner with me. I told him to text and find out where they were having the business dinner. It was at Ten01. Nothing wrong with Ten01, but Nedd Ludd provided that Portland, farm to table, experience that I was hoping to offer him.
becky says
The anti-gentrification forces lost at least 15 years ago (when we moved in!) Francis was just plain bad! (although it always seemed pretty busy, up until a few months ago.)
Leo says
Just to let ya know Food Dude, you can do a google search at willamette week’s site by typing in “site:willametteweek.com Francis” without the quotations marks into the google search box. Might make life a bit easier for you.
Also, a travesty that Foster Burger was rated so high (it is ridiculously overrated) and Carafe so low on that list. And no Cassidy’s. I’d love to try Gruner’s sometime, though.
Food Dude says
Well… yeah. I do know how to do all of that, and tried. Their site search didn’t work, advanced searches from Google didn’t work. Bing didn’t work. They may today, but didn’t yesterday!
Food Dude says
Carafe isn’t very low – it’s 10 out of the entire list!
brett says
Mr. Bechard says his goal is to eventually run the restaurant solely with food from surrounding Yamhill County. Every local connection he makes and every local dollar he spends, he believes, strengthens his ties to the economic and political future of the place he lives. He says that kind of a commitment makes a place, any place, better.
At the expense of every other place in the world, even neighboring counties? Why the provincialism? Food from Washington County is no good? This kind of shit has got to stop. It’s absurd. What an ass this guy is.
Food Dude says
I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to source locally. In most cases it is easier on the environment and supports local businesses. Why would you ship something from Ohio when you could get it locally?
Rebecca says
A Mexican place is opening in the Alberta and 24th spot once it’s cleaned up
darryl says
shoot, we were hoping for a Thai place :)
grapedog says
Regarding bartenders moving here and there, word from Beaker & Flask’s bartender on Tuesday night was that classy barkeep Dave Shenault is no longer with Teardrop but he’s working some days at B&F. I noticed a lot of new faces behind the bar at B&F.
Joisey says
Because it’s good? I think local is important, but Bechard’s self-important BS is out of hand. There is a WORLD of good product out there, why should a chef stop at a line on a map when seeking it out? He sounds like Alice Waters and not in the good way. I guess if he’s so concerned about keeping money local maybe I’ll just head out to someplace in my hood rather than burning fossil fuel and checking out his place. The meal might not be as good but I GUARANTEE the DB footprint will be much smaller
hoonan says
Whenever I read something like this, I always wonder….Where the hell is he going to get his Olive Oil?
Joe says
Oregon Olive Mill would be a good start.
hoonan says
Considering the amount of olive oil I’d imagine Thistle probably goes through, $16.95 for a .375 bottle of olive oil isn’t going to be very cost effective.
John E says
I assume the folks worried about the cleanliness at Mojo’s have personal experience there? Read health dept. reports? Or what? All I know is a lot of people eat there but I haven’t been inside. I got food poisoning at Amnesia, not surprising if you’ve watched the cook take the trash and then pick up your sandwich.
truthypup says
Any word on the Palomino/Manzana space at NW 13th and Glisan? The for lease signs are gone and I saw someone outside with a measuring tape a couple days ago.
Jill-O says
Irving Berlin, Manhattan Madness…second verse…first is:
Manhattan madness
You’ve got me at last
I`m like a fly upon a steeple
Watching seven million people
Do a rhythm
That draws me with ’em
;o)
I prefer Cole Porter, but Berlin is fine and dandy.
I saw that Daddy Mojo’s sign and I was scared for anyone taking the plunge…vey is mir…
Food Dude says
If you knew that without Googling it, I’m very impressed! I like Berlin ’cause his stuff is fun to sing.
Jill-O says
The only thing I looked up was to make sure the last line of the first verse was “‘em” and not “them” and since I used the title of the song when I did so, it does not count!
I had much older parents, so I know a lot of tunes that predate me…and I adore big band music too. How many 44 year olds know who Dick Haymes and Tex Beneke were; loved John Raitt before Bonnie; and, know all the words to songs like “Serenade in Blue” and “Heart and Soul?” (waving at ya! ;o)
And yeah, I love the tunes of Irving Berlin, but no one could turn a phrase like Cole Porter, I adore the crafting of his lyrics. (Compare “Cheek to Cheek” with “Night and Day” for example.) I generally like Berlin’s show and movie music more than his pop tunes, though.
Can’t imagine living in a time where Berlin, Porter, Kern, Rogers, and the rest of ‘em were all alive and writing prolifically…so much good music everywhere…at least we have their legacy and can still enjoy all they left us!
Flask Mama says
@ hoonan – there is actually a Yamhill County producer of olive oil. Not cheap, especially for restaurant use, but pretty good. Nice for finishing dishes.
Rob says
I’d say here:
http://www.oregonolives.com/
Joe says
Restaurants don’t typically purchase oo in small increments.