Who DARES to "pair" great food and great coffee?

A little announcement from my buddy Jeff Jassmond from Stumptown Coffee's Annex that everyone needs to hear:

Stumptown is working with John Taboada from Navarre Restaurant to put together the first-ever coffee dinner in the US. We have been working for the past month to pair coffees with food to challenge ourselves and, hopefully, illuminate the ways in which flavors of any kind can be used to create new thoughts and emotions in the consumer. The tastings that we have been doing have been challenging, bringing out the best in John and Duane. For those who are unfamiliar with John's cooking it is a hard thing to describe. His creativity would be stifled if his ability to execute innovative techniques was not so sharp. His playfulness in the kitchen takes delicate and complex flavors and brings them to new levels with juxtaposition and balance. Quite simply, if anyone in town could makes us think about food and coffee together, it will be him.

The dinners will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, August 1st and 2nd, at 7pm at Navarre. Tuesday night is nearly sold out, but space remains for Wednesday. Price per person, for 5 or 6 courses, with wine accompaniments, is $65, $55 without the booze. While there is a lot of room for us to fail with this project, I have confidence that John and Duane, more so than any others out there, will be able to pull it off. Reservations can be made at eatatnavarre@gmail.com, or call 503-232-3555. Navarre: 10 NE 28th Avenue.