Levant And Smallwares Present Collaborative Lamb Dinner

Two popular Portland, Oregon restaurants are joining forces for the first time this November 17, presenting a four-course prix fixe meal for one night. Levant, the Middle Eastern restaurant and Smallwares, the "inauthentic Asian" small-plate spot will be fusing their styles for this lamb-based meal.

The collaboration has been planned for some time now between the two head chefs: Joanna Ware of Smallwares and Scott Snyder of Levant, both of whom are deeply familiar with lamb dishes. Lamb goes into each of the courses, save dessert, and includes many parts of the animal — from legs, to ribs, to tongue, to offal — and is prepared in a variety of ways, including in dumplings, as tartare, and in sausage.

The meal is $60, with an optional wine pairing for an additional $45. The pairing is a choice between the restaurants' sommeliers, Brent Braun of Levant and Sarah Egeland of Smallwares. For those who cannot decide, there is an additional option of pairings from both at a small pour size.  

Complete menu:

Course 1: Meze (family-style)
Kibbe Nayyeh (lamb tartare) Lavash cracker, mint, Korean pickled pear, and pine nuts
Hummus with furikake, sichuan oil, shiso
Small Phoesque lamb soups, scallions
Lamb dumplings with red oil-style wonton with harissa kimchi
Pita

Course 2: Seafood
Octopus terrine with crispy lambs tongue salad, frisee, bonito aioli, and Bandari spiced puffed rice
Salt & pepper Squid, Black Harissa, scallion, Korean chili threads

Course 3: Lamb ssam four ways (family-style)
Sausage: Fermented black bean with orange and garlic chive
Honey and rose jelly glaze ribs with sesame seeds and Vietnamese coriander
Roasted leg rubbed with cumin and sichuan rub
Chinese red braised shoulder served with dirty offal rice
Pickles (fennel kimchi; Scott's roasted turnips)

Sauces (fish sauce vin; scallion zhoug)

Wraps (perilla; lettuce; nori)
Herb salad

Course 4: Dessert 
Yogurt almond matcha cakes with yuzu sorbet and miso creme Anglaise