Maine chef Erin French stopped by Pastificio d'Oro, Gracie's Apizza and more.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Several Oregon dining spaces and experiences were on display in the latest episode of a series that is streaming on HBO’s Max.
“Getting Lost With Erin French” centers on the James-Beard-nominated chef and author as she embarks on a cross-country road trip in search of inspiration for her restaurant The Lost Kitchen. Found in Freedom, Maine, the eatery hosts five-hour, multiple-course dinners that are only accessible through a reservation process that requires potential guests to mail a postcard for a chance to dine.
Thus far, the show has followed French and her husband Michael Dutton’s journey through Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, California and — in Sunday’s episode — Oregon.
The episode opens with the married duo sharing a cup of coffee as their camper overlooks Illahe Vineyards, one of French’s favorite vineyards to purchase wine from for The Lost Kitchen.
But during her first Oregon stop, the chef visited Amico Farms Retreat to forage truffles.
“Truffles are a really foreign ingredient in Maine,” French told Temptress Truffles’ Elan Hagens and Amico Roma’s Kevin McFarland. “We don’t have that kind of soil or that kind of climate, so to be somewhere that does offer that sort of ingredient — that’s kind of everything that I hoped this trip would be.”
Next, she headed to Portland where Pastificio d’Oro Co-owner Chase Dopson gave her a crash course on handmade pasta. Just after Dopson served up pappardelle with porcini mushrooms, he and business partner Maggie Irwin gifted French her very first mattarello for rolling pasta.
The Maine chef then returned to the Willamette Valley for a wine flight prepared by Illahe Vineyards’ Karen Richards.
“When we started our wine cellar at The Lost Kitchen, we really wanted just to have wines in there you couldn’t really just find all over the place, everywhere. We wanted it to be like it came from these small vineyards that were doing thoughtful things and Illahe has been on the list since the beginning,” French said.
She and her team at The Lost Kitchen remember the Dallas winery’s Cap Fizz as the drink that “got them through the pandemic.”
The next stop was Tournant, owned by former Portland Farmers Market vendors Mona Johnson and Jaret Foster.
“I heard about Tournant from friends — a restaurant with no walls, they’re known for their outdoor cooking, workshops and dining experiences. They specialize in open-fire cooking. It's like a farm-to-fire feasting,” French said.
Back in the Rose City, she and her husband visited Gracie’s Apizza per a recommendation from the Pastificio D’Oro team.
Dutton told Gracie’s Apizza Owner Craig Melillo about his theory that Portland’s burgeoning pizza scene can be accredited to East Coast natives who bring their skills to the West. Although the owner is originally from Connecticut, he insisted the theory was wrong.
“The thing about here is that the ingredients are so good,” Melillo said. “Particularly in my case… every cheese you’re eating except for the pecorino is from the Pacific Northwest.”
The episode concluded with a dinner that French hosted for all of the Oregon restaurateurs who helped throughout her trip.
New episodes of “Getting Lost With Erin French” are released on Max every Sunday.
