A Magnificent Meal at Piccone’s Corner Portland, Oregon

I have been cheering Austin Piccone on since I met him during the very early days at Culmination Brewing way back in 2015. He would pick up our spent grain and take it to feed to the livestock at his wonderful farm in Sandy, Oregon – Wallow and Root Pasture Farm.

Visiting Piccone’s Corner for the First Time

Last week I had a truly magnificent meal at Austin’s newest endeavor – Piccone’s Corner. This establishment is both a restaurant & a butcher shop.

Everything I ate from beginning to end was really, really good, and I loved the ambiance. All of that being said – I did have one major complaint and we will get to that in a bit.

Let’s Start with The Great Things!!

My “first course” included a very well craft crafted negroni that had just the right amount of bitterness. I also had a very tasty “bubbler” – prosecco with Chambord or St. Germain. This time Chambord was the choice, and next time I will get the St. Germain.

The food with the first course was soup of the day (more about this soup later), the arancini, and the “olives.”

The arancini was good. The marinara served with this dish was cool and I would have preferred it to be warm.

The “olives” was a quite tasty dish that featured Castelvetrano olives stuffed with house sausage, fried with a panko coating, and served with an aioli. If you already like olives (I love olives) – get this dish. If you are not a fan of olives – you might want to get something else.

The Second Course

My “second course” included the Braised Beef Shank Sandwich, the Chopped Cheese Sandwich and a glass of Evesham Wood Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2019. I somehow missed getting a photo of the wine. Don’t know how I did that.

The braised beef sandwich reminded me of a pot roast sandwich – a very, very good pot roast sandwich. The next time I order this sandwich I will ask for extra aioli, and extra Calabrian chili. By the way – I took half of this sandwich home and enjoyed the next day, heating it up in the oven – still a terrific sandwich even 24 hours later.

Chopped Cheese

The Chopped Cheese sandwich somewhat reminded me of a deconstructed cheeseburger, and I liked it. A very dish simple ground beef, pepper relish, American cheese, fancy sauce, and yellow mustard. I must say I love it when a chef has the courage to put American cheese on the menu.

This was my first chopped cheese sandwich ever and I liked it. If you know of other places in the Portland, Oregon area to get one – please let me know.

I knew that I had heard of this sandwich somewhere, I just could not remember where. Once I got home and googled it, I immediately remembered – a “chopped cheese” is a New York City delicacy found in bodegas across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

Here are two amusing videos I came across about New York City’s Chopped Cheese:

Hometown Hero: The Legend of New York’s Chopped Cheese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cugl5mmfcxY

The Real New Yorker’s Sandwich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gu0v2ITeYU

Get Yourself to Piccone’s Corner

My “third course” – dessert was so incredibly good it was worthy of a stand-alone article –The Piccone Donut – A Culinary Gem! ~OR~ We Present to You – The Phenomenal Picconut!

Here is link to that article – https://www.culinarytreasure.com/the-piccone-donut-a-culinary-gem-or-we-present-to-you-the-phenomenal-picconut/

The bottom line is this – if you have not yet been to Piccone’s Corner – get yourself there and thank me later!

And here is a pro tip – while you are there for your meal, pick up some meat from the butcher case to take home with you, and don’t overlook the Rodolphe Le Meunier Beurre de Baratte (churned salted butter).

Anna (more about Anna below) recommended that I get this butter and she was so right! It is spectacular.

Immediately below I have my one compliant, and below that are more than 40 other photos from recent visit to Piccone’s Corner.

Cheers,

Steven Shomler

Visit Piccone’s Corner

3434 NE Sandy Blvd, #400 Portland, Oregon 97232

Follow Piccone’s Corner

Website https://picconescorner.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/picconescorner/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/picconescorner/

That Damn Soup

Now it’s time for my MAJOR complaint

This complaint starts with the amazing Anna Josephson. I met Anna on July 13, 2019. I was attending a fantastic dinner out Austin’s farm in Sandy, Oregon – https://www.culinarytreasure.com/wallow-root-farm-dinner-with-tournant-and-piccones-corner/

That magical warm summer Saturday evening Anna was wearing several hats – pouring wine, doing bad ass chef stuff, and taking time to visit with the guests. Anna and I had a delightful chat that evening, and I fell in love with her right away. Simply put – Anna is the kind of wonderful & talented person you want to be lifelong friends with.

Fast forward to my visit to Piccone’s Corner last week on Wednesday Dec 22, 2021. Shortly after I was seated Anna came over and started chatting with me. I was SOOO happy to see her.

Eventually I asked her what I should order, she approved of the game plan I had, and additionally Anna insisted that I order the white bean and sausage soup. So of course, I did!

A Stupendous Culinary Experience

I was not all prepared for the stupendous culinary experience I had when the soup arrived.

This was the best soup I have ever had in my life. I don’t say that lightly.

This soup had depth of flavor that went on for miles. So rich and so wonderful! – simply exquisite! Something you would most assuredly put on your last meal ever menu.

I immediately began planning the content I could create to celebrate this soup and do my part to get everyone on the planet to want to come have it.

For starters I began joyfully scheming how quickly I could get back to Piccone’s Corner to film an episode of Your Next Craving about this soup. I was thinking the second week of Jan 2022 would work with my schedule – I am traveling out of state the first week of Jan 2022.

A few minutes later Anna stopped back by my table and as I enthusiastically shared my plans with her she told me something devastating.

This soup was a “one off” that she had cooked up in the kitchen at the spur of the moment the day before and it was not part of the ongoing menu.

I protested vehemently and begged her to consider putting this soup on the permanent menu. Before I left Piccone’s Corner that day Austin arrived, and I pled my case with him.

This spectacular soup more than deserves a place on the permanent menu and it’s absence is a despicable travesty.

Since Anna and Austin have yet to acquiesce to my request, I have been reduced to crying out to the soup gods. I believe in miracles and hopefully this dream of mine to have this soup on the permanent menu will yet come true.

Steven