[craig]

ExtraMSG, on Sep 11 2007, 10:09 AM, said:

I'm interested to see what they do going into winter. Going to be tougher.

Me too. I am going to try to start eating food that is more local so that means getting better at making things with vegetables I don't eat that often. I am hoping I will get a few ideas from them.

[Stinky Cheese]

vj, on Sep 8 2007, 07:56 PM, said:

ariel88, on Sep 8 2007, 02:18 PM, said:

FWIW, I was having lunch at Little Red Bike Cafe today, and the guy from Courier Coffee (who supplies LRBC and Nutshell) said that Nutshell had let go most of its waitstaff and was starting over with new people. Unfortunately I don't know how long ago that was and whether it applies to the folks who said their servers were inexperienced.

Interesting. I mean, I think there's a couple issues there. Inexperience is one, but training in the front of the house is another, and it's huge. I mean, give me an inexperienced server that's had training on the menu, on what things taste like -- I'd much that, than an experienced server that doesn't know the menu. THough the last couple times I've been in, it seemed like these poor kids had neither experience nor training, and had just smoked before starting work.

Here's hoping things get better!

Not to go all 'shameless' on you here, but here's some SI gossip/bitching:
They were having servers do 'working interviews' last week and this week. I know of a couple experienced, decent servers who did them. Am told that some were thrown in and told to take tables w/o having much introduction to the menu, much less any tasting. My pal (one of the 'interviewed') was chapped that another server--a young and rattled one--was the primary evaluator of performance. The hiring FOH manager was not around.

Doesn't sound like a very good plan for solving service issues...

Anyways, I think there's some real talent in the BOH, so I hope they get it together FOH.

[Amanda]

I hope they got their service issues settled because my friend Linda and I are headed to Nutshell this evening! We're both excited about eating there. HURRAY!!! I hope to have good things to report.

Best regards,

Amanda

[Calabrese]

Amanda, on Sep 14 2007, 10:45 AM, said:

I hope they got their service issues settled because my friend Linda and I are headed to Nutshell this evening! We're both excited about eating there. HURRAY!!! I hope to have good things to report.

Best regards,

Amanda

Hey, do we get the report?

[chris pez]

ExtraMSG, on Sep 11 2007, 10:09 AM, said:

I'm interested to see what they do going into winter. Going to be tougher.

i'm interested seeing what a lot of places that opened up this summer do going into winter. especially terroir.

[Amanda]

My friend, Linda, and I went to Nutshell on Friday night. Bus #44 dropped us right at the door. We got there about 5:30 and there were people sprinkled at a few tables, but it wasn't crowded yet. It was completely packed with a wait when we headed out a couple hours later.

The space is really cool. The feel of the place is very appealing. The first thing you see when you walk in the door, though, is a sign indicating cash only. YIKES! That put a bit of a limit on us, but we counted our dough and got particular with our menu choices. I believe they are working on getting a credit card situation in the future. At least I hope so.

We ordered the Bigfoot Raw Living Lasagna, the Avocado Pineapple Sandwich (with 155 grain bun & bamboo shoot fries) and the yam in the orange. And we split everything. Later we ordered Vichyssoise (sp?).

It seemed like it took a long time for our food to come out. The staff was working very, very hard, though, so it wasn't a result of the BOH slacking off by any means. You can see them working right in plain view. The food was well put together and that takes time, I guess. We weren't in a hurry and the food was certainly worth the wait. We had a great waitress and no service problems (other than food slow to show).

OMIGOD! LOVED the lasagna. Although folks have raved about it on this board it didn't really sound all that appealing to me as food that isn't cooked just didn't sound great since it was kind of a cool evening. However, my friend was pretty interested in it and ordered it. It was heaven. I've never seen her devour a meal in such a voracious and enthusiastic manner!

The pineapple and avocado sandwich had grilled onions and aforementioned dense, grainy delicious bun. It was a terrific sandwich. The bambo fries were pretty good, too. Different from what I was expecting. They just tasted like any other fried thing in the world and I thought they'd be more unique in flavor, I did gobble them up with wreckless abandon, though. I didn't care much for the yam in the orange. Maybe the mace, or whatever spice, was a bit overpowering to me. I'll get another side next time.

We spoke with Chef Sean Coryell because we had to rave on about the food and I asked him if he was that guy that used to be 400 lbs. I can't believe he is, but he said he was and why would he lie? My friend blurted out that I was on a food board and we got to talking about how Nutshell is abuzz on the blogs. I told him I didn't get how we missed the opening and how they had kind of snuck in under the radar. He said they had a soft opening and wanted to just kind of open quietly and get neighborhood folks to notice it first. Well, the cat is certainly out of the bag now.

I told the chef that we were all speculating on how they were going to do come winter when things aren't so abundantly fresh and available. He said he has no qualms about ordering food from other places. He will get things that are seasonal in the places they grow. His concern is more about nutrition and taste and that sustainability is relative. As in...someone may tout being sustainable, but then had orange juice for breakfast. That orange juice didn't come from Oregon and they possibly drove an SUV to the Farmer's Market to buy their local produce, etc.

He feels it is difficult, if not impossible, for vegans to get all their vitamins and minerals from local sources, so it's nutrition over sustainability. Fresh local ingredients, however, are definitely not shunned by any means. While the rest of town is serving up beet salads come winter Nutshell will have other offerings, it sounds like. None of this is a direct quote from the chef, but these last few paragraphs are the general idea of what I got out of the conversation. He was a fascinating guy and fun to talk with.

There is so much I want to try on that menu!!! And we did end up thinking we could get the soup (creamy potato & leek) without having to stiff the waitress her tip so we ordered that to finish our meal off. It was rich and flavorful. I thought a vegan version of this soup could only be watery and weak, but I was totally wrong. They make an almond bechamel to make things taste creamy. This soup was da bomb!

This is one of the most creative places I've ever eaten in my life. The food is gourmet. I can't imagine anyone not liking something on the menu here. I've always said I can't live without dairy and could never be a vegan, but if I could kidnap this guy and his team and make them do my bidding in the kitchen it would be no problem! And obviously I can...All I have to do is get cash and head for Nutshell. No federal crimes need be committed.

Best regards,

Amanda

EDIT: Thanks for the spelling of the soup, Craig!

[craig]

Amanda, on Sep 17 2007, 07:41 AM, said:

This is one of the most creative places I've ever eaten in my life. The food is gourmet. I can't imagine anyone not liking something on the menu here. I've always said I can't live without dairy and could never be a vegan, but if I could kidnap this guy and his team and make them do my bidding in the kitchen it would be no problem!

Agreed. I could be vegan too if he cooked for me. What is amazing for me is that I didn't miss cheese -- their substitutions (like pine nut "ricotta") are amazingly good -- at least as good as ricotta.

I think they use hemp milk in the vichyssoise too.

[LadyConcierge]

OMG, I went to Nutshell last night. I agree with all of Amanda's sentiments. I will give a more detailed report soon when I have time.

[Egads]

Amanda, on Sep 17 2007, 07:41 AM, said:

My friend, Linda, and I went to Nutshell on Friday night. Bus #44 dropped us right at the door. We got there about 5:30 and there were people sprinkled at a few tables, but it wasn't crowded yet. It was completely packed with a wait when we headed out a couple hours later.

The space is really cool. The feel of the place is very appealing. The first thing you see when you walk in the door, though, is a sign indicating cash only. YIKES! That put a bit of a limit on us, but we counted our dough and got particular with our menu choices. I believe they are working on getting a credit card situation in the future. At least I hope so.

Hey, what a small world, Amanda--my wife and I were sitting right behind you guys--we were the couple with our little daughter in a high chair!

It should be noted that Nutshell does have an ATM onsite, but it's way in the back, and there's nothing up front indicating that they have one.

My wife and I had a lovely dinner there this past Friday. I started with a Kentucky mint julep smoothie (non-alcoholic). Not sure what was in it besides mint, but it was insanely good. I had a watermelon salad, which consisted of balled watermelon in a raspberry vinaigrette, mint, and red onions. An excellent dish--the sweetness of the watermelon was perfectly balanced by the tartness of the vinaigrette. I also had the Jamaican barbeque for dinner, and my wife had the avocado and pineapple sandwich. I felt that the barbeque was pretty good--maybe an 8 out of 10.

All in all we had a lovely time--had a full dinner, didn't spend too much, and left feeling full and content. The only complaint I had was that our server seemed new (like, brand new) and didn't really know her way around the menu. But, whatever, every server has to start somewhere. I'm excited to see how their menu changes in the months ahead.

[LadyConcierge]

Regarding the cash-only thing...I knew from other reports and was prepared, but there is an "ATM available" sign near the cashier. Report coming soon, maybe tomorrow.

[ariel88]

Went to Nutshell last night for the first time.

We were pleased with the low cost of the wine by the glass. And they even had my favorite wine - Moscato di Asti (I drink it with dinner, even though it's a dessert wine - don't laugh)!

We tried several things - bread/oil/salt, which was fabulous. They had pugliese which is my all time favorite bread (anybody know where they get their bread?), and while our server Jason (also a manager) couldn't tell us a great deal about the olive oil, we ended up with a grassy, peppery Tuscan oil that was really good.

For an entree, I had the living lasagne which, even though it has been posted about extensively, I wasn't ready for. This dish was AMAZING. One of the top 5 things I have put in my mouth this year, for sure. Wow. Every bite exploded with flavor and was a perfect marrying of all the ingredients. That "ricotta" is impressive as well. How glad am I that I got to try this dish before summer is over and these ingredients disappear?

My husband tried the creamy potato & leek soup, which was very creamy and garnished with an interesting herb that we couldn't place, but complimented the soup well. His entree was the Nigerian akras - chickpea and extra virgin olive oil cakes with chickpea jus, apricots, saffron, mint, preserved lemon & tomato. This dish was so creative and very tasty.

We wanted to hit up Pix across the street, so we didn't get dessert, but we probably will next time.

Overall, very reasonably priced and exceptional food. We will definitely be back.

(Let's look at Nutshell collectively as the foil to all of the pastrami that we will soon be eating.)

[Amanda]

EGADS!

I'm sorry we didn't know who you were. I would have loved to meet you and your family. I saw you but I didn't pay much attention because food is all I think about when I'm in a restaurant for the most part! And even though I didn't pay any attention to you, I think I noticed that you look nothing like the photo in your avatar. HA!

Best regards,

Amanda

[craig]

ariel88, on Sep 20 2007, 10:19 PM, said:

We tried several things - bread/oil/salt, which was fabulous. They had pugliese which is my all time favorite bread (anybody know where they get their bread?), and while our server Jason (also a manager) couldn't tell us a great deal about the olive oil, we ended up with a grassy, peppery Tuscan oil that was really good.

I don't know about all their bread -- I think it might come from a couple of places but the pugliese comes from The Pearl Bakery.

[ariel88]

craig, on Sep 21 2007, 07:52 AM, said:

ariel88, on Sep 20 2007, 10:19 PM, said:

We tried several things - bread/oil/salt, which was fabulous. They had pugliese which is my all time favorite bread (anybody know where they get their bread?), and while our server Jason (also a manager) couldn't tell us a great deal about the olive oil, we ended up with a grassy, peppery Tuscan oil that was really good.

I don't know about all their bread -- I think it might come from a couple of places but the pugliese comes from The Pearl Bakery.

Ahhh, yes. Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery.

There was a time that I visited Portland before moving here that my husband and I tried to stuff 2 whole rounds of Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery into a backpack to take back home with us.

FYI, they don't fit.

[craig]

ariel88, on Sep 21 2007, 11:55 PM, said:

Ahhh, yes. Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery.

There was a time that I visited Portland before moving here that my husband and I tried to stuff 2 whole rounds of Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery into a backpack to take back home with us.

FYI, they don't fit.

I usually buy a quarter or half -- the whole ones are huge. It *is* one of the best breads made in Portland.

[ariel88]

craig, on Sep 22 2007, 08:28 AM, said:

ariel88, on Sep 21 2007, 11:55 PM, said:

Ahhh, yes. Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery.

There was a time that I visited Portland before moving here that my husband and I tried to stuff 2 whole rounds of Pugliese from the Pearl Bakery into a backpack to take back home with us.

FYI, they don't fit.

I usually buy a quarter or half -- the whole ones are huge. It *is* one of the best breads made in Portland.

Yeah, that's the way to go. And it's what I do now.

At the time I had some kind of neurosis about taking home as much pugliese as humanly possible. I can't imagine why . . .

[LadyConcierge]

"...And then they had to make me eat my words. Never come back? Yeah, right, I want to return tomorrow, if not sooner! In one swoop, everything was laid in front of us. The naan, the bane of my visit, was spicy and grainy and dark - and delicious. I started with the potato pancakes ($11)in front of me. More like potato pillars than pancakes, each of the three supported kale and big, meaty mushrooms and there was caraway cream drizzled along the outside. Interesting flavor. The imported spaghetti ($12)was bathed in a generous porcini-cream sauce and sported fresh veggies and black & white truffle. I know it wasn't dairy cream, but there wasn't any difference in taste. The akras ($9) were chickpea fritters, quite tasty if a little heavy and filling. The lasagna ($12) was definitely the prizewinner. Stacks of heirloom tomatoes, pine nut ricotta, marinated mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes with a little salt, vinegar and olive oil. Served cold cause it's 'raw, living lasagna', meaning not cooked. Think of it like a hearty, stacked salad. Those of you readers who are counting might notice that we ordered 4 entrees for 3 people. Yes, yes we did. Take three bites, pass to the left. It worked out pretty well, except I might have snuck an extra bite or three of the lasagna.

After a while someone noticed a plate of one of the starters going to a table - Tunision brik, a phyllo-and-spinach dish that had been reported as "out". We checked, and it was available, so we ordered that, too. The menu described it as three-day spinach, which maybe accounted for the strong and slightly bitter spinach taste. It came as two big triangles, kinda like spanikopita with no cheese. The pastry's flaky butteriness perfectly offset the muscle of the spinach. Along side were two harissas of varying heat. Naturally, I liked the spicier one best...."

Full review is loooong: http://ladyconcierge...9/nutshell.html

Definitely service issues. Fabulous food.

[aidensnd]

So Sean Coryell the supremely talented chef from Nutshell has left due to design differences between himself and the owners. He will be sorely missed...

[Amanda]

No way! That totally sucks!

Best regards,

Amanda

[vj]

ZOMG... OMG.... OMG...