Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2018)
12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Coast Weekend’s local restaurant review America’s First Foodie Dinner at Sand Trap honors James Beard, GEARHART’S GREAT GOURMAND to eat and cook not only better but with richness and poise. While his professional life was MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MOUTHOFTHECOLUMBIA in New York City and included frequent trips throughout Europe, t used to be called the James Beard remained profoundly con- nected to Gearhart, where his Port- Beard Dinner. land-based family spent summers But in this, its fifth, year, when he was a child. it seems McMenamins Sand Trap was discouraged from using “(T)hose busy days on the Ore- the name of James Beard, the titan- gon Coast,” he wrote in “Delights ic gourmand whose ties to Gear- and Prejudices,” “left their mark hart were deep and formative. on me,” and “no place on earth In an introduction to the meal has done as much to influence my (now called the America’s First professional life.” Foodie Dinner), the host, an Beard marveled at the coast’s event manager from McMenam- abundance, not only of the seafood ins — itself a large company with — Dungeness crab, razor clams, enviable holdings salmon cheeks — seemed to and more — but suggest that the the conditions for ‘IT’S business of Beard growing astound- HEARTENING TO ing produce. is even bigger. Indeed, the In Beard’s SEE A REGIONAL New York City- twilight years, RESTAURANT based nonprofit became PAY HOMAGE TO Gearhart James Beard a refuge. He THE GEARHART House is nothing taught culinary if not big busi- classes at Seaside LION.’ ness. High School and The James relished dining Beard Awards, which began in at the Ark Restaurant on the Long 1991, six years after Beard’s death, Beach Peninsula. When he died in are the Oscars for restaurants. 1985, Beard’s ashes were scattered Categories include Best New on the Pacific. Restaurant, Outstanding Baker and So, while meals honoring or Restaurant Design. And just like inspired by Beard would be wel- come anywhere, they’re especially their film equivalents, wins are relevant in Gearhart and on the career-changing. I mentioned the upcoming din- North Coast. ner to a few friends. Anyone who The America’s First Foodie didn’t work in a restaurant was Dinner was arranged family-style. mostly unfamiliar with Beard. The About several dozen diners sat at few non-cooks who recognized the two long tables dotted with tall, name associated it with the awards, flickering candles. In the Sand not the man. Trap’s downstairs rooms for pri- vate events, it felt a bit like eating Alongside Julia Child, Beard was one of America’s first celeb- at a wedding. (They often cater rity chefs. The New York Times them there.) Compared to most of dubbed him the “Dean of Amer- the fixed menu meals I’ve attended ican cookery.” He had a table at on the coast, this was less intimate. the Four Seasons, taught, wrote Usually a restaurant doing a spe- cial event turns itself over totally cookbooks and inspired America Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA I Eaters enjoy the America’s First Foodie Dinner, formerly known as the James Beard Dinner, at McMenamins Sand Trap. to the production; this was just a little corner of the Sand Trap; the rest of the place hummed away in regular business. The meal began with circling platters of hors d’oeuvres: oysters on the half shell with champagne mignonette, puff pastries with snippets of Dungeness crab and, most charmingly, Beard’s delight- fully simple tea sandwiches of onion and mayonnaise on brioche. The gooey, creamy little bites are almost a hack: That bliss need not be complicated. (Mayonnaise was a pillar of the Beard household. At his mother’s boarding house, mayonnaise was mixed for guests at the table, to order.) Each course came with an alco- hol pairing, included with gratuity for $100. All but one (an iced-out digestif of Glenlivet) came from the McMenamins empire. There was red, white, brandy and sherry. (McMenamins also makes beer and spirits.) The most indelible of them was, by far, the Alambic, a brandy with cognac-like heat and intensity. It came with the second course, a charcuterie plate, which featured a chicken liver mousse named Julia and James’ — as in Child and Beard. In the program, Beard was said to have punched up Child’s recipe with more sherry. It certain- ly was smooth. Besides proffering some much-needed greens and acids, the following course — seared albacore with watercress in a lem- on-tarragon vinaigrette — felt for the first and perhaps only time we were really tasting Oregon, in sea- son. The watercress were fresh and earthy, and while this catch was on the lean side and cut too thin, we are in the midst of tuna season. As much as what was on the plate, that taste of Oregon — the terroir — extended to the glass, a buttery chardonnay. The main course was a lamb shank osso bucco in a fig-cognac reduction with fingerling potatoes. With a fairly dark, intense char, I found the most tender, succulent meat in the center. The bone, filled with marrow and easy to pull out, provided some insulation from overcooking and a backstop for the juices. But when I looked around, too many diners had only poked around the outside, leaving the best part untouched. Dessert — a supple, wine- poached pair — garnered the most rave reviews of the evening. At times, though, food seemed of secondary importance. At least around those I was seated, golf and business were more exciting discussions than food. Which felt, considering the meal’s inspiration, a little odd. As one diner remarked after reading the program and discovering the meal would finish with a smidgen of Glenlivet: “The more I learn about this James Beard guy, the more I like him.” Such a meal, however, could stand to teach us much more about Beard’s taste, technique and connection to Gearhart. And with a few tweaks, it could. The first would be to use more seafood. In Beard’s estimation, Dungeness crab is the “Pacific’s greatest blessing,” he wrote, “to my mind unequaled by anything in the shellfish world.” Here, Dungeness was an afterthought. It should’ve been a featured course. Salmon and razor clams, too, were staples of Beard’s Gearhart diet. Salmon cheeks, which Beard and his mother would get from Astoria, would’ve been a delicate and exciting addition. And while room remains for dishes like lamb, it could’ve been prepared Beard’s way: with tarragon and cream, which Beard wrote, “combine to make a crust of the meat and a most pleasing flavor.” Nonetheless, it’s heartening to see a regional restaurant pay hom- age to the Gearhart lion. Here’s hoping more establishments join in honoring and drawing inspiration from his local legacy. Because James Beard ought to be thought of as more than just the name of a prestigious award, especially around here. CW
