The Finicky Foodie: On the Octopus Trend

Octopus is being served in all the trendiest restaurants. In fact, some of my favorite eateries feature octopus. But I, as a finicky foodie, am having trouble jumping on the pulpo bandwagon. My background in eating octopus as food goes way back to the time that octopus was served as little rings, often dredged in flour and fried. At times these rings were chewy, but I was OK with them. They didn't look like octopus.

Growing Up with Octopus
I grew up in San Francisco and loved seafood. We went to Fisherman's Wharf to pick up fresh crab. We dined on swordfish steaks with plenty of tartar sauce. And we savored prawns served cold with home made tangy red sauce.

Octopuses were in my life, but not on my table. I was interested in marine biology and spent plenty of time at Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park. I marveled at the tank with the huge-headed octopus, watched him breathe and squeeze into the tiniest places. Those suction cups were most often seen on the sides of the tank so we could see them close up. And, one time I saw an octopus that worked its way into a small glass jar, tentacles and all. I was fascinated. 

California Academy of Sciences

I really wasn't aware at that stage of life that people ate octopus. Shrimp, yes. Abalone, yes. But octopus? An octopus, to me, was a fascinating, undulating being moving on all 8 legs across the ocean floor and, when in a hurry, making itself streamlined... head first, with a whoosh of water to propel it away from danger. 

I not only visited the aquarium and went tide-pooling along the ocean, I read about sea life, sailing and nautical adventures. Some of what I read involved Cephalopods.  There was the giant squid in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. "The creature rises up in front of the boats—it’s a 'vast pulpy mass, furlongs in length and breadth, of a glancing cream-color', and it has a bunch of strange undulating tentacles. Then it submerges itself again." Nothing there to appeal to a foodie.

And then there was the giant octopus in Jules Vernes' 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. During the voyages of the submarine, Nautilus, they encountered several giant octopuses that attack the boat and have to be fought by the crew. Jules Verne not only tells of how the crew manages in desperate battles to defend the boat against the monsters, but in the preface to the battle several crew members talk about the legend of the giant octopus. Not the stuff foodie legends are made of!

Octopuses are Interesting and Smart
So I grew up intrigued by octopus and scared of them. What might happen if those suction cups attached themselves to me! Yikes!

I’ve recently found out that octopuses are pretty smart and creative. Last year The Washington Post reported a story in which “Inky the Octopus slipped through a gap left by maintenance workers at the top of his enclosure and, as evidenced by the tracks, made his way across the floor to a six-inch-wide drain. He squeezed his football-sized body in and made a break for the Pacific.” Inky became quite the celebrity and was cheered on for having broken out of the aquarium. 

No Octopus on my Plate Please
I mentioned that when I was served octopus in the past, it was disguised. But now, chefs make a point of ensuring that diners see the tentacles on their plate. It’s part of the art of edibles nowadays.

But I just can’t order any dishes with visible tentacles in them. It won’t work for me. My foodie friends urge me on telling me how delicious octopus is but I have just said no to octopus and pulpo on my plate.

As much as I admire my favorite Portland chefs and love what they create, I will remain finicky. I'll pick and choose from the offerings and let the octopus remain that curious creature in the ocean with the suction cups... a bit endearing and a bit scary.

I was drawn to this stuffed octopus in the gift shop
at Sea Lion Caves on the Oregon Coast.

I know I must not be the only one who draws the line at eating octopus. For now...

I remain,
The Finicky Foodie

Note: Food photos from Instagram shares.

The Finicky Foodie: On Tapas and Timing

I’m in the Portland area and one of the local foodie trends is tapas. Qué son las tapas?

Well, to start with, tapas are Spanish bar foods. Tapas are small plates, perfect to enjoy with a drink or two. And many Spanish tapas bars expect you to stand while enjoying your tapas. It's a social experience.

A tapa can be about any type of food… from a piece of fish to a light salad. Traditionally the Spanish have their main meal in the afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30. When I visited Spain, shops would close and families would gather for a meal together followed by, perhaps, a short nap. Later, the shops would re-open and stay open well into the evening. And life went on well into the evening.

Tapas are ideal when paired with a creative cocktail like

The Long Walk Home made with

Bourbon, Basque Sidra, Amaro and citrus

So doesn’t it make sense that tapas would make for ideal sustenance in the evening? You can have a light evening meal, or cena… or, make the rounds of the bars and tapear (go eat tapas), enjoy drinks and conversation with friends.

There are some amazing tapas bars in the Portland area. I recently enjoyed tapas at the new Urdaneta on Alberta Street. Chef Javier Canteras’ Urdaneta is the latest restaurant in Portland to feature tapas. Chef Javier prepares the dishes of Northern Spain and the Basque region where he is from. He also is the mastermind behind the Basque Supper Club pop-ups, now taking place in the Urdaneta space.

But our tapas were very different from the heartier Basque fare that I am used to. The dishes were small, and consisted of the kind of food that is often prepared using tweezers. As I looked at the menu, trying to develop a plan for dinner, it hit me that I was trying to fit eating tapas into a clearly American social construct. We went at 5 p.m. for an early dinner. Wrong! We should have had our main meal in the early afternoon and we should have created a list of local tapas bars to hit later that night for a more authentic tapas experience.

At Urdaneta, you can watch your tapas being created

But we were determined to sample the offerings of Chef Javier Canteras’ kitchen, clearly visible to all diners in the intimate restaurant. The menu offered choices of tapas in a format familiar to those of us who dine out for a main evening meal. There were appetizers, tapas primeros, tapas segundos and postres. But what different from the traditional American dinner was that they were all small plates.

The gazpacho was amazing.

I was on a budget and was determined to make the most of it. I chose to start with Ajo Verde, a cucumber almond gazpacho with pickled grape and topped with sunflower seeds for $3.00. I, being the Finicky Foodie, enjoyed a lovely glass of Tempranillo rather than investigating the intriguing menu of cocktails. My friends decided to go “whole puerco” and ordered many tapas with the goal of sharing them. It gave me a chance to see what was on the menu (such as things in bowls with tentacles) without actually indulging, myself.

The gazpacho, served in a small glass, was creamy and rich with a hint of sour from the pickled grape. It was ideal for a warm evening.

I'm just not a tentacle person.
Well, unless I am visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

 As my friends delved into the never-ending flow of tapas delivered to the table, I awaited my second choice, from the Tapas Segundo list… a beautifully plated filete de culotte romesco with leek marmalade and valdeon foam to balance the romesco sauce for $14.00. The Tempranillo was the ideal pairing for this protein. The sliced filet was melt-in-your-mouth good. I savored each bite. It was rich enough to satisfy.

The filet was so good that my tapas-sharing friends
wished they had ordered one just for themselves. I'd definitely return
for this!

In my desire to stick to a budget I skipped desert but would recommend that others who want to make a meal out of tapas, select three items from the menu per person…not two, as I did.

On my way out I enjoyed watching the chef plate this
delicate combination of foods.

I really liked Urdaneta. The atmosphere was simpatico, the staff very knowledgeable and accommodating, and nothing beats a delicately plated dish served right from the hands of the chef.

But try tapas the Spanish way… late in the evening.  I can also recommend places for a heartier Spanish or Basque dinner, served in American style courses.

More Information
Urdaneta
3033 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
503-288-1990

Website

Other Places for Spanish Tapas in Portland
Toro Bravo
Ataula

Finicky Foodie: Portland’s Ol' Factory plays on the senses (weirdly)

I enjoy listening to the Right at the Fork podcasts. But the one I just listened to, was a bit over the top, even for our beloved Portlandia.

I learned about the new, Ol’ Factory “restaurant.” It’s a full sensory restaurant. You won’t find a sign out front. Diners are invited by scented, snail-mailed, hand-made cards. And the creativity goes on.

You’ll be seated on tanned, furry pelts. They think the goat will be popular. It’s all about the senses, including tactile and auditory, not just taste. You’ll be given choices of headphones to choose your own background sound. And the creativity goes on.

The first course of food is smelled, not eaten. And the adventure continues with “a walk in the meadow.” And the creativity goes on.

Special meals on Sundays include being blindfolded and being fed by your servers. And the creativity goes on.

You have to hear the podcast by Chris Angelus to believe it! Or maybe you won’t J

This finicky foodie is amused but not watching the mail for an invite!