As I see it, there are three realms of activity that are more or less of a concern to the various stakeholders.

1) Influencing the current planning application to produce the best possible outcome for the neighborhood.

2) Addressing the detrimental impacts to the neighborhood of a drive-through fast food restaurant. These include security, litter, traffic, aesthetics, rights of quiet enjoyment, local business considerations, food quality.

3) Overarching political, zoning and planning agendas including North Bethany and City By Choice.

Let’s take them in order.

Influencing the current planning application review to produce the best possible outcome for the neighborhood.

After some amount of pondering I have come to believe that there are three main issues to push back on.

A) The County’s base planning code is modified by the Bethany Community Plan and the conditions of approval attached to various components and phases of the historic Bethany Village planning file. Here there are “reasonable person” tests that form fundamentally sound criteria. Only individuals with very limited powers of objectivity and substantial vested interest in the outcome can review the complete file for the Bethany Village approvals (read the visions cast by the developer and the responses of the neighborhood and planning staff) and state affirmatively that a drive-through fast food restaurant at it this location is appropriate. It is not in keeping with the spirit of that process and the decisions resulting therefrom. Nothing is changed. The conditions did not sunset. The neighborhood has a right to have those conditions of approval enforced.

B) Landscaping is a pretty big issue. It’s hard to decipher the details exactly as the plans in Taco Bell’s application are not very complete, but it looks like Taco Bell is planning on constructing a retaining wall at the property boundary in order to create a level pad for the drive-through. The existing mature trees along Laidlaw are vulnerable. Additional screening should be provided to ameliorate the negative impacts of the cars idling in the drive-through lane, including shielding the noise, headlights and overhead lighting. Again, it’s hard to tell because the plans are incomplete, but I believe that appropriately screening Taco Bell from Laidlaw and the adjacent residential neighborhood would push the building and the drive-through back another 10 to 15 feet.

C) The transportation issues are the motherload here.

a. First of all, new chain restaurant site Rule No. 1: Left turn in and left turn out of the property are both absolutely essential.

b. Left turns are not permitted from Chancileer onto Laidlaw. Up until just a while ago there was a “No Left Turn” sign that was recently removed. Existing traffic control barriers are inadequate. The triangle shape island needs to be enlarged and rebuilt to more affirmatively regulate traffic flow.

c. Left turns are not permitted from Laidlaw onto Chancileer. A raised island or curb should be constructed within Laidlaw to prevent this traffic flow. Click here to view images of this area.

d. Chewing up the parking now available to Chen’s Dynasty will push traffic into available stalls across the way near the Bank of America building. That intersection is already a problem for vehicles but it is a nightmare for pedestrians.

e.  The drive-thru lane designed by Taco Bell for this site provides queuing for up to eight cars. Current traffic engineering analysis recommends queuing for 12 cars, or an overall length of 240 feet. Insufficient capacity here will gridlock traffic in the immediate area. Click her to review the Traffic Study on Drive-through Queue Generation.

 In my experience Central Bethany Development gets itself into trouble because it chronically eschews unpleasant conversations, a.k.a. confrontation. This practice undermines transparency, negatively affects others’ perception, degrades trust and… drum roll please… invariably results in confrontation. It’s a bad system. But I’m guessing that CBD did not spend a lot of energy illustrating the no left turn problems of this site to Taco Bell. It could be a deal killer. It should be a deal killer. Let me explain why.

A vast amount of the traffic will come from the West. To the extent that Taco Bell is foresighted and locating here because of the future population growth in North Bethany, the problem only becomes worse. Virtually everybody who visits the Taco Bell from the West the will want to go back to where they came. How are they going to get home? Is the departing traffic going to wander through the Village south on Chancileer and take a right onto Central Drive? Are they going to turn right onto Laidlaw and go around the block on 153rd and come back down Central? Are they going to continue further south and try to get out onto Bethany Boulevard from South Parc? Or will they simply wander through the Center back up to 153rd and try from there to make a left onto Laidlaw? The answer is: All of the above. Click here to see a map of Bethany Village that illustrates these problem areas.

The intersection to Chancileer and Central Drive is a serious problem now and will become much worse if Taco Bell moves in. The location of storm water catch basins and the design of the curbs and gutters make it infeasible to install North-South pedestrian crosswalks. The intersection currently is only a two-way stop with Central Drive having the right-of-way. The County is already aware of the problem with this intersection, the frequency of near-accidents and the threat to pedestrian safety. How much worse will it be if a large percentage of the Taco Bell customers coming from the West try to navigate this intersection to get home? Rebuilding the intersection is a major undertaking.  Click here to view images of this intersection.

If all of the westbound traffic is routed out onto 153rd in order to make a left onto Laidlaw, there will be substantial negative impacts. Is a signal required? How do the traffic controls and the roadway construction within the parking lot approaching 153rd need to be modified?

With Bethany Boulevard being such a hot-button issue, resolving the impacts directing more to the southern boundary of the Village to South Parc for the purpose of making a left onto Bethany Boulevard is quite problematic.

Assertive pedestrian pathways and crosswalks need to be installed not only at Central Drive but also at the intersection in front of the Taco Bell site and Walgreens to access the parking near Bank of America. (I will provide the deal link here in the near future showing what the peak hour traffic flow is like at this location).

These are real issues with significant impacts. The practical impacts on customer access is going to be a very serious concern to Taco Bell. The financial impacts of the remedies, if properly assessed to the project, probably makes putting a Taco Bell at this location financially infeasible.

Architectural: I think that there are real problems with the Taco Bell building style and the architectural sensibilities inherent to the Bethany Community Plan. However, ugly is as ugly does and, in all honesty, that design battle has already been lost. Is there any building uglier than the face (or ass) of Bank of America as it presents itself prominently on the corner of Laidlaw and Bethany Boulevard. And, really, many of the buildings located within the Village, in and of themselves, are pretty weak architecturally. To be fair, some are quite nice. By the way, in the original master plan for the project a restaurant was to be located were Bank of America is and a bank many branch where they now want to put the Taco Bell. That was indeed a better solution. Regardless, not much energy should be diverted from the other issues to press the objection of unsuitable architecture.

Addressing the detrimental impacts to the neighborhood of a drive-through fast food restaurant. These include security, litter, traffic, aesthetics, rights of quiet enjoyment, local business considerations, food quality.

Here, as far as the neighborhood is concerned, there is not much that can be done other than help County staff articulate conditions of approval. Traffic has of course been thoroughly discussed. Security and litter will just be incidentally mentioned in the approvals and monitoring is tough. This is a much bigger issue for the merchants who each pay a proportionate share of the expense to maintain the Village based on the size of their leased space. The security costs and the cleanup costs are going to grow disproportionately to Taco Bell’s typical percentage share.

With regard to “quiet enjoyment”, I don’t know what you do about the noise generated by our bar patron neighbors in their diesel pickups, idling in the drive-through on their food runs after the bars close. I think that you could ask that the drive-through be closed after 10 o’clock in the evening.

Overarching political, zoning and planning agendas including North Bethany and City By Choice.

First I need to say that good people often disagree. Wonderful things are seldom created by filling a room with people who agree with each other. That being said, I am no fan of the “City By Choice” initiative. I believe that the initiative attempts to address many important issues and deficiencies in the way the County can address urban issues. I just don’t agree that creating a new city is the way to solve this. But that is a debate for another day. Even though I may not agree with the solution, I certainly agree with the problems these involved citizens have tried to address.

This is a great case study in how we can use our differences to find the opportunities inherent in a problem. The time is ripe to carefully examine the limitations and difficulties associated with holding development and commercial interests accountable for the promises and requirements included in planning and zoning approvals for new neighborhoods. It is not not simply that the neighborhood needs more of a voice in the design and approvals process, the County has actually done a pretty good job of creating forums for citizen input for North Bethany. It even did a decent job on the Bethany Community Plan and the approvals for Bethany Village. How could the conditions of approval been articulated to ensure that something like this Taco Bell, which would have never been blessed back when the project was approved, can’t crop up later and sneer at the powerlessness of the neighborhood.

There has been some good conversation about this and I will post a separate article. Janice Epstein’s has prepared an article on Conditional Zoning that I hope to include.

With regard to the issue of fast food restaurants and food quality, I think that the issue is divisive and unproductive with regard to productively influencing the outcomes of this process. Injuries will occur whenever the stakeholders decide to wander down this rabbit trail in the matter brings nothing to bear on the legalities of the issue at hand. When these food quality objections are raised together with the arguments pertaining to safety, security and quiet enjoyment the more legitimate latter arguments are diminished by their association with the former.

Conclusion: Focus first on traffic and pedestrian safety, second landscaping and buffering. Meanwhile, push on the historic Bethany Community Plan argument. Ignore the “fast food” label and – did I say? – focus on traffic.

Meet Our New Core Customer

People are asking how it could be that Central Bethany Development could decide to build a Taco Bell in the Center and the community has nothing to say about it. Word is, it’s a done deal. Is it?

The County argues “a restaurant is a restaurant”. It makes no differentiation between an actual eating establishment and a fast food restaurant, and it has no additional provisions or restrictions for the restaurant that is really just a drive-thru. Reasonable people would argue that this is a flaw in the code and other reasonable people would disagree. However, the Bethany Planned Community is only governed by the code to the extent that the code does not conflict with the “Bethany Community Plan”. In a Rebuttal Memorandum submitted by the developer prior to final approval by the County, Central Bethany Development argued:

“The Bethany Community Plan (‘BCP’) establishes the primary approval standards and policies for the application. The BCP notes at the community development code ‘contains specific procedures and development standards necessary to assist in the implementation of the community plans.’ To the extent there is any conflict between or ambiguity resulting from provisions in the BCP and the Code, the BCP would be the controlling document.”

This is the core argument against approval of the project. By the Developers own argument, the County is not bound primarily by the code but, rather, it is bound by the BCP. Later in his Rebuttal Memorandum, the developer cites additional provisions from the BCP that should be damning to the notion that a fast food restaurant with a drive-thru could be built in the Center. Click here to view what appear to be the developer’s own arguments against locating a Taco Bell in the Center.

Fill up a room with reasonable people and bring them fully up to speed on the original application and approval documents. Give them a glimpse into the meetings and conversations between the developer and the community, where the developer described the outcomes that would be produced if the County approved his application. Read the glowing language about architectural controls and the spirit of community that was used to obtain permission to build, at extraordinary levels of density, out here in the middle of these crimson clover fields. And then show this room full of people a picture of the Taco Bell with its drive-through lane butted up against the residential neighborhood at a primary entrance to the project. It is as clear as day that this application for a Taco Bell is not in compliance with the terms or the spirit of the approvals that allowed Central Bethany Development to convert this farmland into high density residential and commercial zoning.

I first became acquainted with Bethany Village when I arrived at the Dinners Ready store that my sister had purchased only to learn that the franchisor had doctored their financial statements and failed to disclose the spectacular failure rate of other outlets. She had come to me for help and after a few months it became clear to her that the meal assembly business was not going to be her path to well-being. She sold the assets to Janet and me, which we eventually used to create the restaurant. We never once before imagined owning a restaurant in the burbs. There is no other suburban location that we would have considered. For years now I have been proudly describing the characteristics that make Bethany Village special. Locating a Taco Bell in the center defeats my logic.

Taco Bell states in its project description, “Taco Bell has worked with Washington County Planning as well as the Landlord to design the Taco Bell store to complement the architecture of the shopping center… These design features include adjustment of the prototypical exterior color palette and replacing the stone veneer wainscot with brick veneer to match the shopping center.”

Click here to view the Taco bell site plan. You can see how the project footprint chews into the parking in front of Chen’s Dynasty in order to create the space for the entrance to the drive-thru lane. The lane wraps around the building so that cars queue up along Laidlaw Rd. It looks like any substantive landscape buffering is being eliminated, at least none is shown.

Here is an image of the master site plan and landscaping plan approved by the County for the site. This site plan updated the counties file and was dated December 18, 1996.

In the County’s approval documents under the section governing “Architectural Urban Design Guidelines” it states, “Landmark buildings will be designed such that roof features and building massing reinforced their special place in the community fabric (for example, sloped roofs with strong eave lines, punctuated by vertical elements such as clock towers, cupolas, skylight or clerestory structures, etc.)” and in a later paragraph of that same approval section it states, “There will be a continuous commitment to maintaining the character and quality of the Bethany Planned Community.”

The Developer’s Own Words

Take a visit to the Bethany Village website and read the developer’s description of the neighborhood.

A lush oasis of tranquility amid one of Oregon’s fastest growing regions, Bethany Village is an innovative community built around the idea of a small town, blending residential, retail and professional spaces within a well-planned neighborhood where everything is a short pleasant walk away.

Then go to the page titled “Central Bethany Development” where, under Roy Kim’s signature he describes the company and its mission:

At Central Bethany Development we are creating a community that builds on the best tradition of neighborhood design and integrates residential, retail and professional spaces within a healthy natural environment.

Central Bethany Development seeks to bring people together by offering our residents, storeowners and professionals a unique lifestyle built around a well-planned, walkable neighborhood of human scale.

We are very proud of our development and invite you to enjoy the many amenities it offers.

Hmmm. Who are these people who use words like this to build Taco Bells? I was a developer for almost 30 years. I understand the business. Over the years I had the opportunity to become acquainted with the likes of John Gray who built Sun River and Salishan, and George Marshall who built Charbonneau, King City, Claremont and much of Forest Heights. These are men of great character who left a trail of fulfilled promises and lasting relationships. These guys did not build Taco Bells.

I have always been a fan of Roy Kim’s and I have received a lot of support from him as we struggled to survive the recession and create a successful business. While I have not been a big fan of his architectural sensibilities, I have admired his accomplishments. I have heard stories from customers and neighbors who feel differently. Perhaps Roy has financial partners or extraordinary financial considerations that drive his decision-making in permitting Taco Bell into the center. This is the only rationale that I can find to reconcile these recent actions with my view of the man.

How sad to work so long and come so far to create something unique and worthwhile and to have it be Taco Bell that represents your final creative act. This is the last piece to the puzzle that is Bethany Village. And it’s a turd.

Spain is the third-largest producer of wine in the world. Winemaking is an essential part of Spanish history, as archaeologists have dated vines as far back as 4000 BC. However, it was not until recently that it became an important part of Spain’s economy and reputation. Since the 1950s, Spain’s economic independence has steadily increased, encouraging the development and exportation of wine. In 1996, restrictions on irrigation were lifted, further opening the industry for innovation and development.

Spain has a rigorous classification structure very similar to France’s. The classifications are (from most to least prestigious): DOCa/DOQ, DO, VCPRD, and VdiT. To receive DO or DOC status, wineries must submit their wines to the Consejo Regulador laboratory for testing and evaluation. Furthermore, Spain’s labeling requirements are very strict. Different labels refer to minimum aging requirements:

Crianza reds: 2 years, w/ 6 months in oak.

Crianza whites/rosès: 1 year w/ 6 months in oak.

Reserva reds: 3 years, w/ 1 year in oak

Reserva whites: 2 years, w/ 6 months in oak

Gran Reserva reds: 5 years, w/ 18 months in oak, 36 months bottle

Gran Reserva whites/rosès: 4 years, w/ 6 months in oak

Though Spain has hundreds of native varietals, recent decades have seen the plantings of additional non-native varietals, including Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, etc.

FILLABOA 2010 ALBARIÑO, RÍAS BAIXA

Albariño is commonly grown in Portugal and is sometimes called the “white Rhine” for its similarity to Reisling. In the last few decades, however, it was introduced to the Rìas Baixas region of Spain (just across the river Sil from Portugal). That area has a coastal climate, with a fair amount of rain and moderate temperatures. Albariño has done exceptionally well there, producing a wine that is much crisper than those produced in Portugal. Drinkers of Viognier or Gewurtztraminer are likely to appreciate albariño.

 This particular winery, Bodegas Fillaboa, is located across the river from Portugal and not far from the Atlantic. They are specifically known for their albariños, of which they produce some of the rarest and highest-quality. The Bodegas Fillaboa is owned by the Masaveu family, who traces their winemaking history to the 14th century, almost the beginning of Spain’s wine tradition. Unlike many wineries which purchase grapes from various off-site vineyards, Fillaboa uses exclusively their own estate-grown fruit.

This vintage has been described as “Straw-colored yellow, with crystalline and bright appearance. There are powerful apple and pineapple aromas combined with hints of citrus. Subtle memories of yogurt and stone fruit give the wine its distinctive freshness. Soft on the palate, the wine exhibits a well balanced flavor profile, enhancing its freshness and complexity. Well integrated acidity. Unctuous, soft and refined, culminating in a lingering finish.”

VALL LLACH 2007 EMBRUIX, PRIORAT

This wine is very much symbolic of Spain’s “wine revolution,” in which traditional varietals are combined with non-indigenous fruit to create a new world wine. Priorat, just west of Barcelona, is one of only two regions of Spain to achieve DOCa classification, the highest (Rioja is the other). Though it was recognized as such by the Catalonian government in 2000, it was not until 2009 that the national Spanish authorities approved.

The region is volcanic. The first layer of soil is made up of reddish-black slate with particles of mica, which reflect sunlight and conserve heat, and also forces vines’ roots to grow pretty far down for nutrition. This also keeps them anchored against the strong storms that are common in the area.

Vall Llach is a fairly small winery, with a self-imposed ceiling on production and growth to ensure quality.

Garnacha is one of the most common grapes grown here. This wine blends 30% garnacha with 30% cariñena, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 10% syrah. In that sense, this wine respects the tradition of its regional grapes, Granacha and Cariñena, using a blend of international grapes to create a more complex wine. Embruix’s fruit is from new growth vines (6-12 years old), and 2007 was one of the best vintages.

CASTILLO DE MONSERAN 2007 GARANCHA, CARINENA

This is a very traditional, easy-drinking red Garnacha from the Cariñena region. This region, locateda bout halfway between Barcelona and Madrid, has long, hot summers and cold winters, with a constant dry wind that keeps humidity low. Garnacha (also called Vino Tinto) is the most commonly-planted grape, followed by Carignan (called Mazuelo in Spain) and Tempranillo.

This wine has been described as “easy drinking, fruit driven wine. Herbal overtones, bursting ripe berry and plum fruit of the Garnacha. Soft and round on the palate, this wine has limited extraction and tannin to enhance youthful consumption. Lingering fruit flavors.”

“Like many Spanish reds, it’s light, bright and jammy, not terribly complex but providing beams of red fruit across the palate. The smoothness and balance make it a nice choice for any season and a delightful companion to roast chicken and/or root vegetables.”

MIGUEL TORRES 2005 “GRAN CORONAS” CABERNET SAUVIGNON, PENEDES

This is one of Spain’s most renowned wineries. The winery is located in Penedes, near the coast, just south of Barcelona. It has been a family-owned operation since its foundation in 1870. Today their mission is “to maintain our hundred year old tradition as a family company, with international projection, both self-financed and independent.”

The company is credited with revitalizing Spain’s wine industry, particularly with their research and promotion of the region’s indigenous grape varieties. The grandchildren of the original founder now have winemaking operations in other parts of the world, including Chile and California.

The current president of the company, Miguel A. Torres, has received much praise. Awards include: Lifetime Achievement Award (International Wine Challenge UK, 2010), Wine Personality of the Year for Innovation in Wine (Wine International, 2005). The winery has also been named #1 winery on Green List (British Drinks Business Magazine, 2009), Best European Winery of the Year (Wine Enthusiast 2006), and Most Important Winery in Spain (Wine Spectator, 1999).

This wine, which is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tempranillo, demonstrates Miguel A. Torres’ innovative drive. He planted the French variety of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Penedès region at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, when normal practice was to plant local white varieties. Thanks to this, Gran Coronas has become a benchmark for Reserva red wines.

Experts describe it as, “Structured with intense fruit flavors and silky tannins, this Reserva displays alluring aromas and flavors of blackberry, currants, coffee, vanilla and a classic touch of roasted bell pepper.”

The slopes of Priorat

Last month, in addition to bringing back wine tasting dinners, we introduced wine flights to our regular routine. The trial run, with Rhone-style wines, proved a success. It gave us a chance to share new wines with both our staff and our customers, and create a fun and educational conversation about those wines.

This month, we are continuing our exploration of traditional and contemporary European wines, but are heading to Spain! Spain is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in the world. Historians believe that varietals have been cultivated there for close to 3,000 years. In the late 19th century, as phylloxera killed off most of France and Italy’s vines, winemakers from those areas moved to Spain and brought with them varietals and expertise. Phylloxera eventually reached Spain, but not until many years later and had much less of an economic impact than it had on France.

Over the last several decades, Spain’s wine industry has seen a revitalization. Though the country is known globally for its spicy, full-bodied Tempranillos, other varietals are on the rise, and blends that incorporate non-indigenous grapes are proving that Spanish winemakers are serious. David has carefully selected four Spanish wines for our current wine flight:

The flight’s white offering, a Fillaboa 2010 Albariño, is a beautiful example of Spain’s special place in the international marketplace. Albariño is commonly grown in Portugal and is sometimes called the “white Rhine” for its similarity to Reisling. The Fillaboa winery is located on the western coast of Spain in the Rías Baixa region. It’s just north of Portugal, yet its interpretation of Albariño is purely Spanish. The varietal has done exceptionally well here, lulled by the cool Atlantic breezes, creating a bright and crisp, yet full-bodied white wine that drinkers of Viognier are likely to appreciate. Unlike the majority of wineries, which purchase fruit from various vineyards, Fillaboa uses exclusively estate-grown grapes, ensuring quality and consistency.

The first red is a Castillo de Monseran 2007 Garnacha, a very traditional red wine from the Cariñena region. The region is about halfway between Barcelona and Madrid with long, hot summers and cold winters. A fairly constant dry wind keeps humidity low and makes it an ideal region for Garnacha. This wine is made 100% from the Garnacha grape. It’s fruit-driven, well-rounded, and smooth: a perfect example of a traditional Spanish red.

To showcase the introduction of international varietals into traditional Spanish wine-making we are off to the legendary region of Priorat, offering the Vall Llach 2007 Embruix. The backbone of this wine is made from Garnacha and Cariñena grapes, which are two of the most popular varietals in Spain. In addition to coming from a very small-production winery, there are a couple of things that make this wine decisively unique. One is that these indigenous varietals are blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, which lend the wine a fullness and complexity.

The flight finishes with a world-renowned wine from a well-reputed winery: Torres 2005 “Gran Coronas” Cabernet Sauvignon. Torres over-achieves at every price point and this wine is no exception. The winery was founded in 1870 and remains a family-owned operation to this day! It has been showered with recognitions and awards for environmental sustainability, creativity and innovation in wine-making, and for its important role in the resurgence of Spanish wine industry. By the way, Torres is an even more prolific distiller of fine Spanish brandy.

The wine we are featuring is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tempranillo. Miguel Torres took a calculated risk in the 1960s and early 70s when he first planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the Penedès region of northeast Spain. Tasting this wine, you can appreciate Torres’ expertise. The wine is well-structured, silky, with a hint of spice. A true “New World” wine from Spain!

French Rhone wines come predominantly from two areas. The Northern Rhone begins just south of Lyon at Vienne and continues southerly to Valence. The northern tip of the much larger Southern Rhone is located around  Montelimar and reaches down to Avignon before it forks westerly to Nimes and easterly to Cavaillon. Between the two is Clairette de Die. Janet and I will be vacationing in the region this spring and are yet to decide on the details of our trip so we decided to begin our adventure with you and taste wine from all of these areas. Let’s get started.

Sparkling Greeting

We will greet you with a selection of appetizers accompanied by a sparking wine from Clairette de Die   The countryside known as the Diois is located in the Drôme Valley around Die (pronounced “Dee”), east of the Rhône in between Valence and Montélimar. It is also the home of the appellation Clairette de Die, derived from its former name, Dea Augusta, during the Roman Empire. Among the most well-known of Clairette de Die’s producers today is the tiny Domaine Achard-Vincent.  Jean-Pierre Achard, and his son, Thomas, descend from five generations of growers. The domaine has farmed organically since Thomas’s grandparents were directing it, although it is now officially certified as both organic (since 1982) and biodynamic (since 2007). Though French certification agencies have stricter criteria than those of the United States, incompatible legislation between the two countries, believe it or not, has forced all mentions of their methodology off labels imported into the U.S.

Die is at the northern extreme of the Mediterranean climate, and therefore enjoys periods of extended, intense sunshine and warm weather mixed in with fast-developing mountain storms and rain showers. The soils are characterized by craggy outcrops of glacial rock formations and the high cliff faces of the Alpine foothills. The vineyards which produce the grapes for Crémant de Die and Clairette de Die wines are planted in soils which are the product of millennia of erosion – a combination of chalky clays and sedimentary rocks.

The Clairette de Die “Brut” that we are tasting is made using the méthode champenoise. It is comprised of 100% Clairette and is fermented dry at 11% alcohol.  The Clairette de Die “Tradition” is a sweeter wine and uses the méthode dioise, an ancestral method that allows a secondary fermentation in the bottle without dosage, because the wine is bottled with residual sugar remaining, typically at 6-7% alcohol. The bottles are then decanted off of their lees and rebottled under pressure following the secondary fermentation. We’ll save this experience for another time.

Salad Course

We designed our Smoky Rogue salad for wine tasting as we eschewed vinegar in the olive oil based dressing and Janet tops the salad with green apples and filberts to match up to the wine. Here we drop down to the Southern Rhone and the famous estate of Perrin et Fils.

Perrin et Fils Reserve Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2010 The Perrin family owns vineyards within the best terroirs of the Southern Rhône Valley. Amongst these are the plots that produce such famous wines as the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château de Beaucastel, Beaucastel’s Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, the Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet, the Vinsobres Les Cornuds, or the Château du Grand Prébois, which produces the bulk of the Côtes du Rhône Perrin Réserve. This is year-in-and-year-out one of the best Rhone values, red or white. Full, bright and very alive on the palate.

The grape blend used to produce this Reserve class white wine is 50% Grenache, 20% Viognier and the rest Marsanne and Roussanne. Awarded 87 points by both Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, the wine is recognized for its light, fresh style, with unadorned melon and honeysuckle notes and a breezy finish.

Meza Course

We usually like to follow the salad with an intermediate course using pasta or polenta and build up from lighter and medium bodied wines to a “big” wine to accompany the final course. The Crozes Hermitage we have selected to accompany this course made with pasta and local wild Black Trumpet mushrooms is nonetheless a very full and rich wine.

Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage According to legend, the Knight Gaspard de Stérimberg returned home wounded in 1224 from the Albigensian Crusade and was given permission by the Queen of France to build a small refuge to recover in, where he remained living as a hermit (ermite in French). The appellation fans out from the town of Tain l’Hermitage. The vines grow on the south west side of a steep granite hill facing the afternoon sun. Hermitage contains approximately 345 acres (1.40 km²) of vines growing in soil composed greatly of granite and gravels.  Crozes-Hermitage, along with the rest of northern Rhône has a continental climate that differs from the Southern Rhone, which has a more Mediterranean climate. Winters are wet and marked by the cold le mistral winds that can last into the Spring. The appellation is fairly large by Northern Rhône standards, with its 1,238 hectares accounting for approximately half of the entire region’s 2,400 hectares. The appellation’s boundary begins around 10 km north of Tain-l’Hermitage, extends around the village of Gervans with its south- and south-western granite slopes and then spreads south around Larnage where the land flattens and consists of more clay. Approaching Tain and the village of Mercurol the land rises again and the appellation spreads east. In this region, the soil is mostly rocks, sand and clay.

Syrah is the primary red grape of Hermitage, mostly used on its own, although the appellation rules do allow the addition of 15% or less of Marsanne and/or Roussanne grapes. Hermitage reds tend toward being very earthy, with aromas of leather, red berries, earth, and cocoa/coffee. Because of the high levels of tannin they are usually aged longer than American or Australian Syrahs and are often cellared up to 40 years.

Domaine du Colombie Crozes-Hermitage 2009

Made from vines planted a stone’s throw from the Hill of Hermitage it is succulent, juicy and crunchy Syrah with lovely smoky, brambly fruit. Fleshy and ripe palate with silky tannins and excellent freshness and purity. The grapes are crushed, destemmed and fermented on their skins in stainless steel & cement tanks. After fermentation around 50% of the blend is aged in large, old 600 litre demi-muid casks. No new oak is used.

This 16 hectare estate was created by Florent Viale’s great grandfather over 80 years ago. The family sold their grapes and must to negoce, primarily to Guigal, until 1991 when, after Florent joined his father at the domaine, they began producing wine for sale under the domaine name. They invested in a vinfication cellar and all the necessary material and they now bottle almost 80% of their production.

Colombier are the only Crozes producer in the commune of Tain and are beacons of quality in an appellation bedeviled by inconsistency. The domaine is spread over the communes of Mercurol and Tain-l’Hermitage planted at high density on stony slopes in Syrah for the red, almost 14 ha, and Marsanne for the white. The domaine produces a Crozes Hermitage blanc, a Hermitage blanc, two cuvées of Crozes Hermitage rouge and a Hermitage rouge. They own 1.6 ha of vineyard in Hermitage. The grapes are harvested by hand. Fermentation is in tank are aged in demi-muids (600 l, 160 gal)

Main Course

We wanted to finish with this wine because it is so very special. The 2007 vintage from the Rhone is believed by many to be one of the all-time great years. We have selected this because it is one of Janet’s very favorite wines and will accompany it with a final course of French Brew Beef brisket with 40 cloves of garlic.

Domaine du Presquier Gigondas 2007   Having been awarded a score of 91 points by both the Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) and the Wine Spectator, we’ll  just let the WS describe this one:

“Another beauty from what is certainly the finest Gigondas vintage I have ever tasted, this 2007 boasts a deep ruby/purple color along with endearing notes of black and red currants, raspberries, and crushed rocks. The tannins are sweet and mature, and the wine is deep, full-bodied, and impressively layered and long. It will be even better with 1-2 years of bottle age, and should keep for 10-12 years.”

“Quite ripe, with fleshy, full-bodied fig sauce, mulled plum and blackberry paste notes that glide along, carried by graphite, black tea and chocolate ganache. The long finish hangs together nicely. Only 2,000 cases made.”

The wine is made using 75 % Grenache, 20 % Syrah and 5 % Mourvedre grapes.

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There is actually quite a bit of work that remains in order to fully incarnate the restaurant. But it’s working now. The people come and they enjoy their experience. The staff is happy and they are able to support their families. The bills get paid. Hooray!

Janet’s biography is one that has always had a restaurant and cooking as part of its story. Janet is a restaurant lifer. I am not. I often say that my qualifications for the job as Director of Customer Experience are based on 35 years as a grumpy diner. However, my ability to channel Janet’s creativity and talent into the creation of the business that provides her satisfaction and fulfillment was made possible by my 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur. I love being a restaurant owner, but I’ve never wanted to be a restaurant manager. Janet and I tried for a while to divide the labor of managing the restaurant operations. But the prospects for these two strong personalities and war tested battle-mates to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder and steer the business happily through calm waters became problematic. As a team, well, “…there’s bound to be a fight!” Just too much horsepower for cruising I guess. Janet is perfectly capable of running the business on a day-to-day basis without my meddling. These last two months I backed away to create the space for her to step fully into that role, which she has done beautifully. I moved my office to the house and focused on picking up the administrative details that were scattered about my desktop and knitting together the frayed edges of our home life.

I’m grateful for the spaciousness that allows me to get back into my writing and focus my efforts on behalf of Janet in the areas where I can do the business the most good. Meanwhile, I contemplate the next big thing. Something like: funding a micro-finance initiative to support businesses in the Philippines in their efforts to remediate the effects of climate change, changing weather patterns and rising water levels on their island communities. You know, something easier than starting a restaurant.

I am in the restaurant most days from time to time and I try to be there during busy dinner hours, especially Friday and Saturday night. I am spearheading the work to reinitiate regular winetasting dinners. If you haven’t seen me for a while and would like to, just mention this to the staff when you make your reservation and I’ll try to make a point to come in while you are dining. It is a good thing that we are taking these next steps as it makes both our professional and our personal lives more sustainable. I am excited to be off on my next adventure. But I do miss my friends and I hope to see you soon.

Restaurants usually define the realms of their operations as front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH). I believe that you would be able to consistently distinguish those restaurants whose focus is on hospitality by looking at the way they regard their BOH staff. If you are a hospitality business your focus must be on creating a great experience for your customers. If you are a service business that pays lip service to hospitality the focus is more on getting people what they want or need without giving them cause for complaint. Of course, these things occur on a spectrum. There are a number of subtleties to creating a great experience for your customers. If you are a business, like we are, that focuses on cultivating relationships with “regular” customers, these subtleties become more pronounced. The gesture of hospitality requires that we meet our customers where we find them with who we are. If the fundaments of this meeting are missing or untrue, the true spirit of hospitality is compromised. If I don’t meet you where you are but instead set out rules you have to follow in order to be my customer, then I have compromised hospitality. If I don’t meet you with who I am but instead offer you an artifice of who I think you want me to be, then I have compromised hospitality. It’s our work to find out who our customers are and learn their criteria are for choosing us, their desires, preferences, etc. It’s also our job to know who we are, understand our own values and the core beliefs that determine our decision-making, and then strive to make ourselves and those around us better.

This brings us back to the BOH versus FOH equation. For I believe that we cannot be an organization of people who purport to truly care about the needs and preferences of our customers and have within our organization a class system for how we treat our employees. Likewise we cannot expect our FOH staff to emanate warmth and enjoyment to our customers if the operations behind the curtain are not resonant with these same qualities. That’s why we pool tips at Bethany’s Table. And that’s why you’ll often see the kitchen staff delivering food and drinks to the tables. What also occurs, that the customers don’t see, is the extent to which the servers also help out the BOH staff and the warmth and humor that characterizes these relationships.

We have had individuals working out front that were competent servers but not particularly skilled in the art of hospitality. Perhaps they weren’t good at tuning into their customers’ needs and unique considerations. Or perhaps they were not inclined to bring themselves genuinely to these relationships, or when they did it wasn’t particularly appealing. Similarly, we’ve had people working in the BOH who were diligent and hard-working but not able to interact well or support their coworkers. The FOH staff can readily step out into the dining room with a smile on their faces, and meet customers with warmth and joy, as the kitchen is filled with that same energy. A restaurant whose focus is hospitality must be staffed with people who enjoy what they do and treat each other well. At Bethany’s Table we are in a very fortunate place in our biography. We are not perfect and we are not staffed with perfect people. But we are all getting along wonderfully these days, enjoying our work and enjoying each other. Correspondingly, breakdowns have become less frequent and our well of regular customers continues to fill. It’s a nice place to be.

We are now offering Mid-Week Wine Flights Tuesday through Thursday all day. You may select 3 of 4 wines to taste for $14. It’s a fun way to try some new wines!

This month’s theme is “Local Vines” and includes a Bergstrom Riesling, an Elk Cove Pinot Noir, a Cana’s Feast red blend, and a Seven Hills Syrah. These are all from the Willamette, Columbia, or Walla Walla Valley, giving you a chance to sample something from each region.

We hope you’ll join us for this fun, ongoing event!

Here you can read the bulk of the review, but more details can be found here on Willamette Week’s site.

Janet O’Connor and David Bowles jokingly refer to their Northwest bistro and wine bar as a “gem in the culinary desert of Washington County.” They’re right. If Bethany’s Table were jammed in along one of the eastside’s restaurant rows, its simple, tasty cuisine would get lost in the shuffle. But since it’s hidden in an upscale strip mall in the land of Walgreens and Subway in Bethany, it’s an absolute oasis of fresh ingredients and deft cooking for westsiders who don’t want to motor across town for a crisp-skinned roast chicken (recently served with a sticky molasses bourbon sauce and peaches) or a juicy no-fuss burger with tasty potato wedges. Most everything here is better than you expect it to be, from the mess of creamy beans and tomato jam under the tender pork shoulder to a rustic, slurp-worthy tomato soup. Pastry chef Amelia Lane makes the best flowerless chocolate cake in Portland, its suburbs and maybe the world.

Wow! There are so many excellent eateries in this town, and we are so honored to be on this list. Thanks to Willamette Week!

Fall has arrived! Season changes are busy times for the kitchen, and even though Janet loves hot weather, she admits that fall is one of her favorite “food times.”Produce deliveries are looking less like strawberries and more like butternut squash, wild huckelberries, and chanterelles.

The butternut squash pannini is back!

Comfort foods are back! The panini grill has come down off its lonely shelf, and as requested by customers, our butternut squash panini has returned to the specials board. No one can get enough of Janet’s warm beet salad, served with creamy chevre over swiss chard. Our dessert menu has shifted towards tummy-warming bread pudding and Oregon berry crumble, which pair well with the tasty hot drinks we’ve added to our cocktail list.

It’s a beautiful time of year, and no place is more cozy than our dining room!