NOVEMBER 2011

Celebrate your holiday party at Andina

The holidays are upon us. What better way to celebrate than in Tupai, one of Portland’s liveliest and most versatile private event spaces. Located directly above Andina, Tupai is perfect for a seated dinner or a cocktail party. Andina’s three other private dining rooms accommodate smaller company parties, social gatherings and special events. For a tour or to reserve one of these spaces, please contact Special Events Director Jennifer Anderson at 503.228.9535 Ext. 206 or e-mail jennifer@andinarestaurant.com.

If this shoe could talk

Several weeks ago I was approached by a good friend, who directs the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition. She asked me if I could temporarily loan to the organization one of my old shoes—any shoe that I had used either here in Oregon or in my native Peru. She planned to present it together with other old shoes in an exhibition! At first I thought: This is so odd – in fact, its one of the craziest ideas I have heard of! An old shoe in an exhibition?! I asked her for more details, and she said that she and her group believed the exhibition would demonstrate the extent to which shoes, as diverse as they are, play surprisingly important roles in the lives of their owners; and not only that, but illustrate the function they serve in the life and health of the communities to which each person belongs. Our feet – and more recently, our shoes as well – have been the means by which humans have explored new places, discovered new paths, encountered the unknown and reunited with old friends and old places. Shoes, in particular, send a message that walking is one of the best ways to know nature, our selves, and our community. They allow us to both feel and be young and alive! With those powerful arguments, my friend had thoroughly convinced me, and I happily lent her one of my hiking shoes, together with its true story, as if told by the shoe itself.

This is the story. I hope you enjoy it!

ON A DAY IN EARLY FEBRUARY, 2005, MY BOOT TOLD ME:
- Where are you taking my partner and me? We felt so comfortable on the stands of REI, close to Andina, until yesterday, when your son Victor picked us out just for you. Now we find ourselves in a corner of your suitcase, hearing the loud engine of what must be an enormous airplane. Where could we possibly be going? How many hours are you going to keep us in this condition? I feel positively suffocated! 9-1/2 hours of traveling without actually moving an inch! …Ah, at last I seem to hear that we have arrived… but why are we in Lima, Peru?! And what was that? We need to fly another leg,; another two hours to get to Cuzco? No, you’re kidding me! I can’t support this darkness any more. I love fresh air, light. I love nature. I am a hiking shoe! I was born to walk!

THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER ARRIVING IN CUZCO, IN PREPARATION FOR OUR JOURNEY, I HEARD:
- I am glad that finally my partner and I are on your feet! Wow! I never imagined seeing you in the attire of a professional hiker! The journey must be very long indeed! Did you say five days exploring the Andes? I overheard your conversation with Chef Emmanuel and I am as excited as you and he are! Being invited by the people of “Food and Wine” magazine, joining a food writer and a professional photographer to taste and document the fabulous Peruvian crops that are featured in your restaurant; all of this sounds fascinating! And what’s more: I will be in my element! Count with me! I will be the sole that will accompany your soul in your journey through your beloved Andes! Let’s start our walk!

MIDWAY THROUGH OUR TREK:
- Won’t you show just a little compassion? Every day from 6:00AM until 6:00 PM you are killing me! I am a good hiking shoe, but climbing one mountain after another, almost without any stopping, is unbearable! And each day its a higher mountain than the previous one. No shoe or body can take this much longer! My sole hurts! I see you and Emanuel are also exhausted. Look at your hands, and your lips – they are blue from the lack of oxygen! Hear your heart; it is almost jumping out of your chest!
- This is not what you and I ever counted on! … Where are the fields of potatoes and quinoa? Where are those beautiful peppers you wanted to show with pride to the writer and photographer? When is Emanuel going to cook with the Andean crops that he planned to harvest? Right now we are almost at 12,000 feet of altitude, and I pity the lot of us!
- But, let’s sit for a moment, please! Look how deep is the blue of the Andean sky! Let ours souls be nourished by what we see right now. Hear the silence that surrounds us! See how peaceful it is all around us! The wind is not whistling, as it was before! See how beautiful and huge are the mountains in front of us!
- This is indeed magnificent! I am sure you feel more like me now: humble and small! Why are human beings so arrogant so much of the time, when nature is a wonder bigger and more powerful than they! My sole and your body can be worn thin, even worn out; but after what we’ve witnessed, we are more alive than ever. I feel stronger and blessed. Let’s continue our walk!

AT THE END OF OUR JOURNEY:
- Bravo! Hurray! We did it! We survived! But please don’t ever pull my leg like this again! I know that you and Emanuel are sorry for your unfulfilled dream of cooking authentic Peruvian feasts from the farms and fields of the mountains and valleys, but surely you wouldn’t want more climbing than what we have already endured?
- Of course talking about my partner and myself, we are hiking shoes, born to climb! But not to such extremes! You are right; the plan was absurd, almost surreal! Whereas we should have been trekking and cooking in harmony and balance, in a way appropriate to the cause and occasion, we ended up on a route fit for professional climbers, not for chefs, journalists or photographers.
- I sympathize now more than ever with all of you! But especially with the sneakers of the food writer! A pair of shoes from Manhattan who didn’t have any idea where they were, or what they were doing!

EPILOGUE
In the end, I conclude that life is wise and planned for all of us a special journey, a journey for sole and soul alike! I – and my other half as well – am very proud for having been your companion in that wonderful journey through the Andes!

Sincerely, Your humble hiking shoe!

The virtues of Syrah

KEN COLLURA

I am constantly searching for wines that perform above their perceived station. The ones that taste like they cost $50, but only set you back $20. It takes passion and determination to ferret out these nuggets. Sometimes I feel like one of those Italian pigs, nosing his way around the forest, clawing for truffles.

When you find such jewels, you are immediately of two minds: 1) Should I tell my friends about this wine? If I do, maybe when I come back to secure some more bottles they will be GONE! And my friends will be serving this excellent wine with their burgers, snickering at my naïveté; or 2) Keep my mouth shut and savor each sip, wringing my hands and cackling like Midas over his gold.

In the end, it is with great pleasure that I shine the spotlight on syrah. Looking for something hearty and rich to serve with your next winter meal? Tired of merlot and cabernet? Check this out.

Syrah is a truly noble grape. Small-berried and thick-skinned, this varietal has the ability to age superbly for decades. The northern Rhône Valley in France produces the syrah with the most notoriety, from the regions of Hermitage and Côte-Rotie. These beauties are dark in color and sometimes tannic in their youth, but winemakers now endeavor to temper the roughness to make them more appealing when young. Other areas in the northern Rhone making wine from 100% syrah (and sometimes even providing value) include St. Joseph, Cornas and Crozes-Hermitage.

Many syrah-based wines are being released from the southern Rhone Valley as well, where they play a major part in the blends of the Côtes-du-Rhone Villages, such as Vacqueyras, Rasteau and Cairanne. From the Languedoc-Roussillon region, near the border with Spain, syrah is the grape variety á la mode. All of a sudden, after years of languishing on wine shop shelves, syrah grown in U.S. is getting some notice in the press. The warmer climate seems to suit the grape, and the quality of offerings from Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast seems to have risen. Syrahs from California show a full-bodied richness, yet often have softer finishes than those from France. Washington State’s versions can have a more French feel than Napa’s.

Syrah also flourishes in Australia, where the original cuttings came from France in the 1830s. Aussie shiraz is lush and sometimes alcoholic when young, but from conscientious growers that prune their vines vigorously, great wines are being made. The single- varietal bottlings and blends being made in Argentina and Chile have made leaps and bounds in recent years and are now among some of the best syrah values available on the market.

When folks think about the truly great wines of the world, it is usually Bordeaux, Burgundy or California cabernets that come to mind. Three of the greatest wines I’ve ever tasted are made from syrah. Guigal’s single- vineyard Côte-Roties, Penfold’s Grange and Henschke’s Hill of Grace Shiraz are extremely expensive wines, but can hold their own against any wine made on earth.

If you are still unfamiliar with this variety, have your retailer recommend a few for you in the lower price range, and then you can work your way up to the better bottles. Solid wines at reasonable prices. Maybe you should tell your friends? Then again . . .