Acres of Flavor

Carlton's Abbey Road Farm feeds its Portland restaurant

By Annelise Kelly

Portland has enjoyed a creative taste of Yamhill County since 82 Acres opened on S.E. Clinton Street in February. A restaurant literally embodying the farm-to-table ethos, 82 Acres sources primarily from its sister enterprise, Abbey Road Farm. The 82-acre property includes a vineyard, winery, bed-and-breakfast, orchards and vegetable gardens, plus chickens, pigs and sheep. This culinary, hospitality and oenological empire is the project of Daniel and Sandi Wilkens, who acquired the Carlton property in 2017.

THE RESTAURANT

Step inside the long narrow space and you’ll find an open kitchen on the left, where chef Will Preisch and his team work culinary magic. Dark hues and warm wood tones cultivate a clubby bistro atmosphere. Tables for two line one side of the restaurant, ending at a small bar near a glass wall and entrance to the covered back patio. According to Preisch, the owners were ready to shift from the tasting-menu format of Quaintrelle (which previously occupied the space), to “tying the restaurant in Portland into what we do at Abbey Road Farm a little closer, having more of a shared identity between the restaurant and farm.”

THE CHEF

That connection is orchestrated by chef Will Preisch, whose path to Abbey Road reflects his commitment to farm-driven cuisine. His previous gig was crafting the exciting, imaginative cuisine at Holdfast, a tasting-menu supper club. After it shuttered in 2020, Preisch joined Abbey Road, initially focusing on the lavish breakfasts served to overnight guests, as well as cooking for special events. Today, along with serving as 82 Acres and Abbey Road Farm’s culinary director, he will lead a food and wine tour of Portugal with Portland Food Adventures next May.

Discussing the summer menu, the connection is tangible. Preisch notes, “Ninety percent of the vegetables come from the farm.” The menu closely follows the seasons because Preisch works in close partnership with culinary gardener Katelyn Sharpe. “Katelyn and I plan what we'll grow in the coming year and discuss the previous season,” he explains.

With input from culinary teams at both locations, the duo chooses specific varieties and quantities. “Working at a restaurant with its own farm has been a dream come true. Years ago, I did some staging at restaurants with farms. Since then, my bucket-list goal has been to work at that type of restaurant.” In addition to using fresh and seasonal ingredients, “we're already considering preservation methods. Our menu planning starts a dozen months out.”

While it’s easy to offer a crudité plate with 20 different vegetable cultivars on a single plate during the summer months, Preisch employs strategies for less bountiful times of year. Not only does the restaurant rely on “neighboring farms and friends’ farms for product,” but also maximizes its preservation and fermentation game. “We've made tomato paste, dried cherry tomatoes preserved in oil, as well as hot sauces, ferments, pepper paste, all sorts of things.”

CULINARY ALCHEMY

That culinary magic? It's no exaggeration. Preisch breaks out all the tricks to get the most out of seasonal produce and create exciting ingredients for the dormant season. A true alchemist, he’s clearly creating out of pure curiosity and celebration of ingredients.

A recent halibut dish showcased his ingenuity to get the most from summer tomatoes: emerald-green tomato leaf oil as garnish, with tomato water made from striped German tomatoes forming the broth base. The remaining solids, Preisch explains, “are turned into tomato paste by roasting them with olive oil; fermented and added to broths and purees; or dehydrated and turned into fermented tomato powder.”

The summer menu had two intriguing offerings based on cherries. Lighting In a Bottle, a cocktail, was crafted with Cruzan black strap rum, crème de noyeaux, crème de cacao and cherry leaf cream, topped with Abbey Road Farm sparkling rosé. A cherry leaf semifreddo dessert containing evocative flavors from cherry leaf and cherry pits is another example of Preisch’s experimentation with produce grown at the farm.

FARM, WINERY AND BED-AND-BREAKFAST

Abbey Road Farm, the source of this delectable bounty, includes 45 acres devoted to 16 distinct grape varieties. “I believe we have nine beehives, plus 40 or so cherry trees in an old orchard. We also raise chickens for eggs and pigs for meat. We recently purchased some sheep, too,” shares Preisch. “While we follow organic growing practices, the farm isn’t certified.” The tasting room is open daily (reservations recommended) and visitors can enhance their wine tasting with light fare from Preisch and his team, such as local cheese and meat plates, pork rillette and more. A horse-riding arena has been transformed into a large event space with spacious outdoor areas and bucolic views.

Guests can stay overnight at the Silo Suites B&B– five comfortable bedrooms built inside three grain silos. Here, they emphasize the second B in “bed-and-breakfast,” with Preisch and crew crafting “a five-course breakfast for overnight guests. And if you stay five nights, dishes change each day of your visit.” Guests can roam the property, admire gardens and vineyards, meet friendly animals and sample the many wines produced by Abbey Road Farm.

82 Acres
Open Wed.-Sun., 5 p.m.−close
2032 S.E. Clinton St., Portland
(503) 200-5787
82acrespdx.com

After living in Denmark, the Netherlands, L.A. and the Bay Area, writer Annelise Kelly settled in Portland, where she delights in food carts, Douglas firs, dancing and getting crafty. Thanks to Annelise’s broad interests, her career path has weaved through cooking, events, technical writing, decorative painting and retail display.Wanderlust takes her across borders and oceans every chance she gets. Connect with Annelise at www.annelisekelly.com.