Sauvie Island U-Pick Pleasures:
See, touch & taste fresh food at its source
by Kim Findling | photo by Dreamstime
On Sauvie Island, located approximately ten miles northwest of downtown Portland on the Columbia River, agricultural roots run deep. This island, the biggest on the river, was first occupied in the 1830s by a Frenchman, Laurent Sauvé, sent by the Hudson’s Bay Company from Fort Vancouver to establish a dairy. By 1856, Sauvie’s 26,000 acres were staked out by settlers ready to farm the exceptionally fertile soil. Over the years, day-trippers came too, in search of recreation, fresh air and a glimpse of the island’s diverse wildlife. But nothing has matched the interest in Sauvie today.
Vicki Egger of Sauvie Island Farms describes the island’s modern evolution. “Our farm started in the 1960s with just U-pick strawberries, which women would pick and preserve as an economical way to feed their families.” Business fell off in the 1980s, she explains, but recent interest in the source of fresh foods has made the island and its many U-Pick farms a natural destination for Portland’s urbanites.
“Over the past 10 years we have seen a surge, with people wanting to get their food right from the fields where it was grown, as well as preserving as a hobby,” says Egger. Sauvie Island Farms, like most others on the island, is open to the public seasonally. Beginning in June, the farm offers 
photo by Flickr Commons
photo by Flickr Commons
by Allen Cox | photo by Roger Ward
Fans of fresh seafood know the name Xinh (pronounced “sin”) Dwelley. She has practically earned a cult following at her unpretentious restaurant in Shelton, Washington. People regularly make the pilgrimage from Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia to dine at Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House, but also come from all over the country to get a Xinh’s seafood fix while in the Northwest. Even celebrities have sought Xinh. Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and Mike Rowe (of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs”) have tapped her expertise at shucking oysters (she is a blue-ribbon champion shucker) or preparing geoduck (aka King Clam), usually overrunning her kitchen with a film crew.
Xinh sources most of her seafood from Taylor Shellfish Farms and cooks up a typhoon of dishes daily to showcase Taylor’s seafood. At Xinh’s, east meets west with mouth-watering renditions of Northwest seafood classics alongside fresh seafood dishes with the lively spices and flavors of her native Vietnam.
Although Xinh is a Lifetime Honorary Member of the American Culinary Federation, she dismisses the notion that she’s a celebrity. The real stars, in her opinion, are oysters, Manila clams, mussels, Dungeness crab and geoduck—all fresh from South Puget Sound waters.
With a background in quality control and product development at Taylor’s, she eventually began developing recipes to demonstrate the seafood’s quality and versatility for buyers. Opening Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House was a natural evolution and the fulfillment of a dream. Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House is located at 221 W. Railroad Ave., Shelton, Washington; 360- 427-8709; 
by Allen Cox | photo by Berryhill & Co. Restaurant
Great food is a Boise tradition. The distinctive flavors from Basque kitchens and traditional Western recipes have kept Boiseans sated for generations. While diners can still order a mouthwatering prime rib with loaded Idaho baked potato, Boise fine dining has reinvented its identity. Creative chefs and savvy restaurateurs have been bringing new ingredients and culinary experiences to Boise restaurants, with delicious results.
John Berryhill, chef and owner of Berryhill & Co., has been a recognizable name in this capital city’s food scene since the 1990s, when he began a catering business. He is a man who likes to evolve with the times, and his downtown restaurants today are as fresh as his local ingredients. How can you go wrong with eight types of cured-in-house bacon made from Idaho pigs?
“In 1998, I opened the first Berryhill location as a tasting venue for catering clients,” says Berryhill. The idea evolved into a restaurant that continues Berryhill’s values of using ingredients from Idaho ranches and farms whenever possible.
by Katherina Audley | photo by Mike Duley
Here in the Northwest, it’s easy to buy locally caught wild salmon at your neighborhood supermarket. But no fish tastes as succulent as one you pulled out of the water that morning. Every spring, the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Willamette, become peppered with little boats in pursuit of the tastiest salmon of them all: the spring Chinook, known by local fishermen as “springers.” Just in from a winter of gorging on small cold-water fish in the Pacific, springers have firm flesh, a vibrant pink color and a lip-smackingly high fat content.
If you’re a fishing novice, or if the area you are fishing is new to you, book a trip with a licensed fishing guide. They know how to locate the hot spots. You’ll learn from an expert, and your chances of catching dinner will be much higher. Early in the season, only about a third of the boats get a bite. But by the end of April it’s not uncommon to catch the daily limit.
by Allen Cox | photo by Hotel 1000
A year ago, Hotel 1000, one of downtown Seattle’s premier luxury destinations, took on culinary heavyweight Peter Birk as executive chef of BOKA Restaurant + Bar. Given Birk’s extensive expertise and solid reputation in the restaurant industry, landing him was quite a coup.
Birk brings more than 31 years of culinary experience to his position at Hotel 1000. He attended the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, and, over the duration of his career, he has traveled extensively, studying various cooking techniques. He has led culinary teams of well-known restaurants throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as in Los Angeles and other cities. Birk was the executive chef at Seattle’s Harborside and, prior to that, at the city’s iconic Ray’s Boathouse. Throughout his career he has developed a reputation for his leadership, creativity in menu development and kitchen management.
by Lauren Kramer | photo by Lauren Kramer
If you’ve ever been curious about aboriginal food, head to Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro in Vancouver, B.C., for bison burgers, deer shank, candied salmon and, of course, bannock. Air Canada flight attendants Remi Caudron and Inez Cook opened the restaurant in February 2010, just in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, with a menu that includes wild boar hot dogs on rosemary bannockette and musk ox.
The 26-seat bistro is cozy and casual, and the traditional First Nations ingredients are presented in familiar formats that diners easily recognize: hot dogs, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, soups and salads. With one to two day’s notice, chefs will prepare a less casual, multi-course “feast” for four or more people.
Two of the most popular items on the menu are sampler platters of salmon and game, with meats prepared and presented in different ways. The salmon platter is a delectable treat with salmon five ways: smoked, candied, barbecued, pickled and offered as a mousse.
According to Caudron, diners are pleasantly surprised when they first eat at Salmon n’ Bannock. “Sometimes our guests are apprehensive about trying game and meats they’re not familiar with, which is why we wanted to give the menu a contemporary feel and approach.”
Caudron is surrounded by coworkers who are First Nations members, each with a rich culinary tradition from which to draw. His partner Inez is from Bella Coola, B.C., sous chef Richard James comes from Alert Bay, B.C., while chef Brodie Swenson and baker Todd Devries are from Haida Gwaii, B.C.
First Nations art decorates the walls, and a selection of items are offered for sale, including Saskatoon Berry Jam and wine from Nk’Mip Cellars in Osoyoos, B.C., North America’s first aboriginal winery.
You can enjoy lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday; located at 7-1128 West Broadway, Vancouver; 604-568-8971, 