Portland chef, restaurant featured in Bicycling Magazine

Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on September 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 pm

Bicycling Magazine has a nice little story about Higgins restaurant in their Cycling Nutrition section this month.

Here are a few excerpts:
“…Higgins, 50, is the owner and head chef of Higgins Restaurant and Bar, a Portland, Oregon, mainstay that’s home to bistro-style dishes that feature organic, sustainably grown, locally sourced food. And the restaurant sits square in the central downtown area–the most bike-centric part of the most bike-centric city in the United States–so it’s no surprise that Higgins is a cyclist.

“I’ve been into cycling for as long as I’ve been cooking,” Higgins says. “I commute by bike every day, a minimum of 12 miles, though I sometimes stretch it out if the weather’s good. We have bike storage in the wine and beer cellar. And we buy a group membership to Portland’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) and offer it to each of our 75 employees as a perk.” The restaurant even offers primes during the summer downtown criterium (the race course happens to pass right by the restaurant, offering diners a view of the high-speed action).

And here’s the featured “Postride Picnic” recipe:

Fresh Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomato Salad

3 Tbsp. garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 bunch fresh basil
6 vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes, sliced thin*
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced thin**

Mmmmm.

And I can vouch for Higgins. Someone took me to a lunch meeting there back in June and it was fabulous.

Read the full article on Bicycling.com.