dinner with traveling chef gabriel rucker (planes, trains, and traveling chefs)

Tonight was the kick-off of Planes, Trains, and Traveling Chefs, Matt's in the Market's six-night series featuring guest chefs from along the West Coast. Chef Gabriel Rucker of Portland's LePigeon and Little Bird Bistro was the featured chef of the evening; together with Matt's Head Chef Chester Gerl and his kitchen staff, Rucker created a six-course menu featuring local, in-season finds from the Market.

Guest chef Gabriel Rucker preparing the third
course with Matt's kitchen staff.

Doors opened at 5:30, allowing diners to mingle over glasses of bubbly and appetizers such as foie gras, croquettes, and a selection of raw and baked oysters. Dinner service began just after 6:30 and included wonderful wine pairings to complement each of the six courses. Every course was perfectly executed, from the mouthwatering combination of ingredients and flavors, beautiful plating, and just right portion sizes. I'm quite confident that my commentary wouldn't do this food justice, so instead I'll just post a few pictures from the evening to give you a sense of this amazing meal.

Appetizers: Foie gras with juniper berries and baked oysters.

First course: Geoduck ceviche with avocado and chicharrones.

Second course: Hamachi tartare with foie, truffle, and macadamia nuts.

Scallop with squid ink, spanish ketchup, dungeness crab
& potato salad, and salsa verde.

Plating the fourth course: Txistora sausage with fresh chick peas,
and pickled ramps.

A plateful of dry asparagus.

Fifth course: Beef short rib with beef lip stuffed early morel, goat's
milk gouda and cauliflower purée, and dry asparagus.
(Sunset = grainy photos.)

Sixth course: Profiteroles with rhubarb-gin ice cream,
juniper anglaise, and bay laurel.

hhf says: I highly recommend reserving a seat at an upcoming traveling chef night at Matt's in the Market, as well as making a trip down to PDX to visit chef Gabriel Rucker at LePigeon. 


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picture-perfect market dining (matt's in the market, pike place market)