| Getting wasted in Walla Walla / Pendleton
It sounds lame – a weekend away in Walla Walla Washington, home to a KXLY Translator and not much else, followed by a day trip to North America's longest running rodeo, the Pendleton Rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon. Kevin McLean (Fast Forward booze columnist and blithe consumer of spirits) and I joined some wine industry pals on a weekend junket. For me, it was an opportunity to try some of Washington's great wines, enjoy the local cuisine and fruit, and gape in horror at the goings on at the Pendleton Rodeo.
And surprisingly, Walla Walla is a pretty nice town and the food was good – more interestingly, it placed the gaps in our local food scene in sharp relief. Even small northwestern towns in the U.S. have first-rate Mexican food, a decent wine bar and great take-and-bake pizza, for example. Why not here?
First, the wine bar. Grapefields (4 East Main St., Walla Walla, WA., www.grapefields.com) couldn't have been nicer. The place is centred around a five-metre-long zinc bar, perfect for sucking back glasses of local Cabernet. It's painted in earth tones, but The Who plays as house music. They have a large wine-by-the-glass selection, excellent bar snacks (curried cashews, or Greek olives and feta, anyone?), knowledgeable staff and quality glassware – there isn't anywhere like this in Cowtown.
After whiling away the afternoon (or what was left of it), we retired to a local winemaker's house for pizza, a sampling of local wines (which I'll leave Kevin to wax lyrical about) and salad from the garden. Everyone was running late, so our hosts ran out and got take-and-bake pizza, which tasted exactly like homemade. The pie included mushrooms, caramelized onions, sausage, good quality mozzarella and a light, thin crust. This sort of place would take off, especially if it was located in an area like Mission, Kensington or Inglewood.
Finally, the pièce de résistance, highlighting an essential difference between the U.S. and Canada: the taco van. Sitting at picnic tables, with dust devils springing up around us, we ate some of the best Mexican food I've ever had – and it's cheap. Chorizo and veggie burritos, quesadillas to die for, a beef taco which was fantastic, all accompanied by pico de gallo and a hot guacamole, for less than $5 US per person.
Walla Walla may seem like Nowhere U.S.A., but we sure ate well. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to going again.
FEAST OF FIELDS
Slow Food Calgary's Feast of Fields, held on a soggy Sunday, September 29 next to the River Cafe on Prince's Island, was an unqualified success despite the rain. There was lots of great hot food (which cut through the dampness) from ingredients provided by local growers (Michael Allemeier's Beef Cheeks and the Belvedere's Caribbean Stew come to mind), but the best thing I tried was Wild Sage's Asian Pear Strudel – rich, a hint of tartness, and maybe a little maple in the filling? It was excellent. Keep your eyes peeled for the next Slow Food event.
GET OUT YOUR WALLETS
On October 16, Catch is hosting a dinner with six great Canadian chefs in support of the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. Michael Smith (from Food Network), Normand Laprise from Toque in Montreal, Anthony Walsh from Toronto's Canoe, Vancouver's Thomas Haas from Sen5es Bakery and David Hawkesworth from Ouest join Catch's Michael Noble for a once in a lifetime dinner. Tickets are $250 per person and available at Catch (phone 206-0000). This is one worth saving up for. |
